Hampden memories

[Monkey Tennis]

First visit the 1987 England game.  A fully forgettable 0-0, with Nicholas hitting the bar with a sitter.

Not sure if that was the last ever appearance of the magnificent stanchions.

 

My best memory obviously enough involves Queens beating Aberdeen 4-3 in 2008. There was a crazy fifteen minutes spell at the start of the second half where both sides kept scoring every few minutes.

Nicholson almost equalised for Aberdeen at the death. I honestly don't think I could have coped if he had.  We all knew that no such chance to reach the Scottish Cup Final would ever come back.

[DoingThe42]

My dad took me to see Queens Park play Alloa at Hampden once in 1993, but I can remember basically nothing about it, other than that we sat in the old Main Stand. The only time I ever sat in it. I remember the seats, but not much about the actual game. Spiders won 2-1.

Euro 96 qualifiers and for a good few after that I was an ever-present. This one was my first Scotland game at Hampden, having been to a few at Ibrox in the previous campaign. Funny to see loads of empty seats, as my (child's) recollection of that campaign is excitement and big crowds. Only 20,000 at Hampden that night, and the San Marino game came in under 30,000 too. I used to love going to watch Scotland. I still listen to the games or sometimes go to the pub to watch them, and hope the team wins, but I can't say I ever consider actually going to Scotland games any more.

 

[jagfox]

A 1- 1 Scotland vs England 1983 or 1984. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by jagfox

[German Jag]

2 hours ago, jagfox said:

A 1- 1 Scotland vs England 1983 or 1984. 

1984, Mark McGhee for Scotland, Tony Woodcock with the equaliser. The last of the old Home internationals.

Was in the North stand, some amount of trouble over at the bit where the current South and East stands conjoin.

[Flybhoy]

On 28/06/2023 at 11:53, tamthebam said:

Scotland 2 France 0 in the pissing rain in 1989. Fortunately we had tickets for the covered end

Also took Ma Bam and her pal to see Neil Diamond there and it also pissed down

I've actually stood on the touchline taking photos at QP v Edinburgh City. All I could think was "those blue seats don't half suck the light out"

Oh.. and it was pissing down....

I was at that Scotland v France match too, went with my boys football team, think I was 11, my abiding memory is of being, thankfully in the covered terrace behind the goal and an old guy pishing into a beer can just as Scotland scored..... I think you can work out the rest , one of only a handful of Scotland games I've attended, last time I attended a game involving the national side was a 0-0 draw with Croatia at Hampden about 20 years ago. 

First ever game at Hampden was the 1985 Scottish Cup final against Dundee United where Celtic came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 with two goals in the last 15 minutes, an ominously similar turnout to the final between the same sides three years later. The terrace behind the goal was pay at the gate that day so dad, spur of the moment decided to take me and my brother to Hampden, my first ever Celtic game, saw very little of the action as it was dangerously overcrowded and recall leaving just after McGarvey's late winner. 

Been to plenty games at Hampden watching Celtic, more good than bad, the invincible Cup final v Aberdeen and last seasons league cup final win against the **** probably being my two favourites although there has been one or two sore ones over the years, losing to Ross County in the 2010 semi final and to Hearts at the same stage a couple of years later stick out, I specifically remember booting a plastic seat clean off its hinges in frustration after the latter.

[Squalor Vic]

On 30/06/2023 at 20:07, Estragon said:

This was my first visit. 9 years old and full of childlike optimism that was almost vindicated. 

My Dad still has the programme (not this one) and the match tickets in his house somewhere. 

Snap, was a lovely sunny day if I remember and I'm sure they ended up with Ferguson, Durie, McCoist and Hately all on the pitch at the end up but think we were fairly comfortable getting the draw.

Was at the replay too, never over the line 

[Archie McSquackle]

The first game I can remember going to at Hampden was the 3-1 win over Spain in November 1984 with that Dalglish goal.

I returned a few months later for Motherwell's cup semi-final against Celtic when we drew 1-1 (McAllister and Burns the scorers) before losing the replay but we were in the first division at that point. I'm sure I would have been to plenty of other internationals before these but I can't remember and would need to ask my dad. I'm pleased to say we're still going to the games together and, at the age of 80, he put the recent match against Spain in his top five Scotland performances.

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Archie McSquackle
Fixing video

[tamthebam]

4 hours ago, Flybhoy said:

I was at that Scotland v France match too, went with my boys football team, think I was 11, my abiding memory is of being, thankfully in the covered terrace behind the goal

 

The Rangers End eh.... 

[Flybhoy]

13 hours ago, tamthebam said:

The Rangers End eh.... 

Anytime I've referred to the Celtic or Rangers ends of Hampden on here it provokes a bizarre element of seethe from supporters of other clubs.

[kingjoey]

46 minutes ago, Flybhoy said:

Anytime I've referred to the Celtic or Rangers ends of Hampden on here it provokes a bizarre element of seethe from supporters of other clubs.

I wonder why.

[ham1sh68]

I go back a long, long way...my first game at Hampden was in 1962 to watch Scotland beat England 2-0 with goals from Davie Wilson and Eric Caldow (pen). The Scotland team that day was very strong Brown, Hamilton, Caldow, Crerand, McNeil, Baxter, Scott, White, St John, Law and Wilson. Scotland had some genuine world class players in the 60's but they always contrived to miss out on World cups etc. Organisation and selection processes were often mucked up by the blazers in charge at that time.

A few random memories of the day; Hampden seemed enormous compared to Pittodrie which I had thought was huge! The crowd was supposed to be around 130,000 but so many youngsters got a " lifty o'er" the turnstiles that there must have been many more than that.

A really gruesome memory is the streams of urine flowing down the terraces to form puddles at the retaining wall, inches deep - absolutely disgusting but it didn't put me off coming back many times.

Most memories of Scotland and Aberdeen were good ones as we often left the old stadium with that winning feeling, especially in the seventies and eighties. Happy days.

[Savage Henry]

I remember Derek Adams scoring what the late Bob Crampsie described as “the best goal he had ever seen” at Hampden - a forerunner to the Zidane volley - in a 2-1 win over Queens Park, with Queens Park scoring after a minute and County scoring in the 89th and 90th minutes - or so it felt.  That was good.  

[joewarkfanclub]

Scotland v N.Ireland in a World Cup Qualifier in 1981. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Dont remember too much about it apart from the crowd being huge and having to watch the game perched on a fence at the back of the East Terrace! Back in the days when you could buy your tickets from A&T Mays in Lanark High Street! Of course we qualified for our 3rd World Cup in a row and as a 12 year old I was absolutely hooked! Love the "Old Lady". Despite all her faults, she's still got it......

[Eder]

1981 Scottish Cup Semi Final - Celtic 0 Dundee United 0

My 4th match ever.

Arrived really early before gates had opened and an older steward let us in to the Main Stand for a couple of pound.

The replay was a cracker which I wasn't at - won by a great United side.

 

[Highlandmagar]

Scotland v. Czechoslovakia 1973 World Cup qualifier. Was only 13 at the time. My dad and 2 uncles held me up the whole game and clung onto me when Scotland scored, otherwise I would have been lost in that ground forever.

Been to 4 semi finals with Thistle. Lost the lot. 3 Scottish Cup and 1 League Cup.

[PossilYM]

13 minutes ago, Highlandmagar said:

Scotland v. Czechoslovakia 1973 World Cup qualifier. Was only 13 at the time. My dad and 2 uncles held me up the whole game and clung onto me when Scotland scored, otherwise I would have been lost in that ground forever.

Been to 4 semi finals with Thistle. Lost the lot. 3 Scottish Cup and 1 League Cup.

Some crowd that night.

[PossilYM]

14 minutes ago, Highlandmagar said:

Scotland v. Czechoslovakia 1973 World Cup qualifier. Was only 13 at the time. My dad and 2 uncles held me up the whole game and clung onto me when Scotland scored, otherwise I would have been lost in that ground forever.

Been to 4 semi finals with Thistle. Lost the lot. 3 Scottish Cup and 1 League Cup.

Wasn't one the lost semi finals a replay v Rangers and there was a bigger crowd at the second game. Maybe played on Easter Monday.

[PossilYM]

9 hours ago, joewarkfanclub said:

Scotland v N.Ireland in a World Cup Qualifier in 1981. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Dont remember too much about it apart from the crowd being huge and having to watch the game perched on a fence at the back of the East Terrace! Back in the days when you could buy your tickets from A&T Mays in Lanark High Street! Of course we qualified for our 3rd World Cup in a row and as a 12 year old I was absolutely hooked! Love the "Old Lady". Despite all her faults, she's still got it......

Remember it getting real tasty with the Norn Iron fans who were in the South Stand and enclosure. Don't think the happy go lucky Tartan Army beside them on the East Terracing shared the corinthian spirit. 

[Otis Blue]

First Hampden visit was September 1973 for QP v QOS, with a 3-0 win to the mighty blue machine.  Remember entering the old South Stand enclosure but most of the QOS fans were on the North terrace so we hopped onto the running track and wandered round behind the goals at the R*ngers end to the North Terrace - no stewards, polis, fencing or anything to stop us.  Was surreal wandering around such a vast nearly empty stadium - I'd have been 15 at the time.  The echoes from the players shouts were as loud as the fans.

Only time as a neutral was in 1976 for the Bayern v St Etienne European Cup final.  Was in the "neutrals" section between the German and French fans - with various unbiased refrains such as "We won the war" emanating from our friendly section.  Worked closely with a French company decades later, and their director told me how many French fans still remembered to this day how the square (rather than round) Hampden posts had twice denied a French equaliser - they never forgave us for that.  I expressed my "sincere" condolences to him.  I think St Etienne later bought a set of the old square shaped Hampden posts for their museum.

Obviously, the best memory was the crazy 4-3 cup semi-final win against Aberdeen in 2008.  Especially, remember after the game being congratulated by Dons fans walking back to the car, even although they must have been gutted to lose to a diddy side.  The contrast after the final was starkly opposite, walking back among R*ngers fans you couldn't tell that they'd won, don't think any of them were smiling (cos they'd lost the UEFA final a few days prior, and also the league I think to the other mob) - there was no "hard lines lads" or any such banter, just looked at us as if we were pond life.  Gotta love the OF.

[Otis Blue]

1 hour ago, Highlandmagar said:

Scotland v. Czechoslovakia 1973 World Cup qualifier. Was only 13 at the time. My dad and 2 uncles held me up the whole game and clung onto me when Scotland scored, otherwise I would have been lost in that ground forever.

I envy you that one - listened to that on the radio and going totally daft when Jordan netted the winner.  I think after the match the Czech manager said it was almost impossible for his team to play against such a wall of noise - the Hampden roar at its finest.  Great memories indeed!