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Thread: Scottish Fitba Books

  1. #41
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
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    16,337
    I finished The Ghosts Of Cathkin Park the day after Aberdeen City Council’s magnificent Library Service sourced it for me. Despite a couple of glaring errors (neither goal difference nor yellow/red cards were in use before Third Lanark went paps up), the boy’s done a good job. He puts capitalist criminality (there’s a tautology for you) under the microscope and shows how it killed one if Scotland’s five oldest clubs. In plain sight.
    At my first cup final on April 29, 1967, my uncle parked the Ford Anglia at Cathkin Park. It looked like a fine ground of the time. When 126,101 others and I left Hampden at full-time, the Evening Times was on sale, its headline confirming Thirds’ financial collapse. The site is still kept as green space despite various attempts to concrete over it. Last time I was there was when it was used as a bus park when Scotland (pre-Fanny Army days) played Wales in a 1976 World Cup qualifier. I’ll be in the area at the end of the week, and may take the local Border Terriers round to the site, armed with poop bags, naturally, which I may launch at the SFA offices at Hampden by taking a short detour.

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51374273
    Last edited by 57vintage; 07-12-2021 at 10:51 AM.

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    21,494
    Being a fair bit younger than you I don't actually remember Third Lanark but I do remember my father coming back from that 1967 final and the first time I had heard the word "defunct"

    Making my way on foot to Hampden a fair few years later I realised I was walking on old terracing, it was of course Cathkin Park.

    If only someone was saying the same about Ibrox.

  3. #43
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    Jan 2005
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    The book also reveals the change to some sort of tedious, boring, dull, sleep-inducing financial law - the Insolvency Act updated by the Enterprise Act 2002, to wit - which introduced the creditor-swicking administration option for businesses where the financial erse has dropped out, which would have saved Third Lanark.

    “Thir**** Scottish clubs have been restructured (or if you prefer, resurrected) in this way. Queen’s Park was the first to do so in December 2000. In 2002, Motherwell became the first club to go into administration whilst in the top flight. Livingston and Dundee share the ignominious distinction of having gone through the process twice. Of those thir**** clubs, only three have failed to stay in business. Airdrieonians were dissolved in May 2002. Two months later, the club became Airdrie United, reborn from the ashes of Clydebank FC. Gretna, meanwhile, was dissolved in August 2007. Rangers could have suffered a similar fate in 2012 had the club’s assets - and *****ly its SFA membership - not been purchased out of administration by Sevco Scotland Ltd.”

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
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    3,694
    Quote Originally Posted by 57vintage View Post
    I finished The Ghosts Of Cathkin Park the day after Aberdeen City Council’s magnificent Library Service sourced it for me. Despite a couple of glaring errors (neither goal difference nor yellow/red cards were in use before Third Lanark went paps up), the boy’s done a good job. He puts capitalist criminality (there’s a tautology for you) under the microscope and shows how it killed one if Scotland’s five oldest clubs. In plain sight.
    At my first cup final on April 29, 1967, my uncle parked the Ford Anglia at Cathkin Park. It looked like a fine ground of the time. When 126,101 others and I left Hampden at full-time, the Evening Times was on sale, its headline confirming Thirds’ financial collapse. The site is still kept as green space despite various attempts to concrete over it. Last time I was there was when it was used as a bus park when Scotland (pre-Fanny Army days) played Wales in a 1976 World Cup qualifier. I’ll be in the area at the end of the week, and may take the local Border Terriers round to the site, armed with poop bags, naturally, which I may launch at the SFA offices at Hampden by taking a short detour.

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51374273
    I got it oot the Library at the weekend, a well written book about a team that were gone well before I was born, so I had known only a little about them, but it was a story worth reading.

    As much as I detested Milne, I don't think even he resorted to painted match balls after a game to avoid buying new ones, but then again I am sure he would be kicking himself, if he came across this information whilst still our Chairman. Their Chairman Hiddlestone, came across as a complete cnut.

    On the parts where we read about what was happening elsewhere in our game during the 60s, it was funny coming across a bit told us that Rangers were linked with Eusebio as their manager, which just goes to show they were deluded cnuts back then in what were much more simple times. Killie reaching the semi of the Fairs cup I didn't know and was a fair surprise, but different times.

  5. #45
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    Jan 2005
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    Leeds played in the Fairs Cup final against Killie’s conquerors (one of the Belgrades??), but if I recall correctly the final was delayed until the following season. Glad you enjoyed the book. The thought of players being paid in coinage handed over at the turnstiles is hilarious yet shocking.

  6. #46
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    Dinamo Zagreb beat Killie, then Leeds in the final, at the start of the following season.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967...airs_Cup_Final

  7. #47
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    Dec 2011
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    3,694
    The Lost Shankly Boy - George Scott

    Picked this up at the Library at the weekend because when having a read through it there was a picture of a house in Torry and being a Torry loon it got me interested.

    It is a about a player called George Scott, who older forum members may remember from his brief time at Pittodrie around the 65-66 season, who we signed from Liverpool, where he played for for five years, but he never made the first team, to be fair he had a fair bit of competition and was only 15 when he fwent down. Injury saw him leave us after a short while and he only played a few games for us, I had never heard of him before.

    Most of the book is about Liverpool though, but I like reading about the Shankly era even though I can't really abide the club.

    A very easy read, but most stories are about Shankly, many of them we have heard before over the years, but it was nice to read about someone from Torry who nearly made it in the world of football and there are some parts about Aberdeen the City and the club.

    I found by reading it that an old player of ours Harry Yorston gave up his Aberdeen career to become a fish market porter! I had to read that a few times and apparently it is true.

  8. #48
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    Jan 2005
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    The Yorston story’s well-known. He also won a bit of dosh on his fitba coupon (treble chance, probably) in the early 70s.

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
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    32,305
    Good friend & Hearts Hall of Famer Drew Busby (P178 Medals 0) scored the last ever goal for Third Lanark

    Just in case it ever pops up in a pub quiz

  10. #50
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    Jan 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mason89 View Post
    Good friend & Hearts Hall of Famer Drew Busby (P178 Medals 0) scored the last ever goal for Third Lanark

    Just in case it ever pops up in a pub quiz
    It’s in the Third Lanark book mentioned above. It might even have been at Boghead?

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