BBC often do programmes well, and this was a good example of what they can do. It was shown last night to mark the 40th Anniversary of Aberdeen’s Gothenburg triumph, and it is well worth watching on iplayer or whatever.
It is not our team, of course, but we know the characters. Gordon Strachan appears quite a lot (surprise! surprise!) as does Alex Ferguson himself with some quite horrendous stories about players getting blastings for poor performances and being threatened with the deduction of wages if they laughed after they had lost to Liverpool!
Sometimes, if they really upset him they were banished to the Aberdeen Beach to face the North Sea at its worst. All good stuff, and you wonder how much it was exaggerated.
The time that Gordon Strachan was attacked by a cretin at Parkhead is shown, and there is footage of the two games that Celtic lost to Aberdeen to blow the League in 1980. Not great viewing for us, but there is quite a lot from John Hewitt whom I once saw talking to Steve Chalmers at Parkhead. And what do they have in common? Yes, winning goals in European finals.
Some great shots of the players coming back from Gothenburg to parade in a bus before thousands of fans. Where are all the fans now? One thing for certain, they don’t go to Pittodrie!
Aye, 40 years ago! A few days after that, Celtic beat Rangers at Ibrox but didn’t quite win the League which went to Dundee United. It was the day of the “Don’t Go, Charlie!” banner. But he did!
Anyway a good watch for an hour, but a pinch of salt is occasionally advisable. A good triumph for the Dons but I wish it had been Celtic!
David Potter
In the words of Sir Alex Ferguson “The greatest ever Manager”. https://t.co/0tYaGQynve
— Michael McCahill (@MichaelMcCahi10) May 12, 2023
Ive said many a time in the comment section that if we had signed 2 players from the following at the time Miller, Mcleish, Narey and Heagerty we would have, was only weak link in our time was central defense and we leaked goals so many times especially against Aberdeen and Dundee utd who were also a fantastic and well managed team
Agree, Jim. I often thought that McNeiil (as he once said himself) saw Celtic as Cavaliers rather than Roundheads and tried too hard to entertain and score goals, whereas Jim McLean and Alex Ferguson saw the need now and again (in fact, quite often!) to bore the backsides off spectators! A result of Dundee United 0 Aberdeen 0 would frequently be described as a “game of chess”!
I always preferred Roy Aitken in midfield rather than defence. Remember the 1985 Cup Final when he was moved up the field and immediately changed the game? He was an admirable player in many ways – one of my favourites in fact – but oh, he sometimes had a terrible first touch!
Miller and McLeish – what a pair of defenders. I watched them supporting them when they played for Scotland, and opposing them when they played for Aberdeen, and how they could read each other. When one went forward, the other stayed back and vice versa!
I started going regularly in 1976-7 season but i can’t really remember a Celtic team until probably wim Jansens team that we had two a competent central defensive pairings in stubb’s and reiper, i was only used to one good centre half at most in any team before that,even centenary season it was McCarthy and whyte or aitken