32 Years Ago Tomorrow

[larbert toffee]

I drove down from Scotland with a Rangers supporter I worked with at the time he just loved his football and wanted to be part of the special event, we eventually met up with a gang of old mates of mine and boarded one of the many coaches outside Goodison, we drove overnight to board the early morning ferry. We stayed in something akin to a motel in a suburb miles outside Rotterdam, we made our way to the stadium and had a few in the bars near to the ground as we approached it on foot, as we queued outside the ground a lasting memory of mine was a copper on horseback conducting the singing with his baton whilst singing along word perfect!

After the celebrations we got back to our leafy village quite late, the owner of our local hostelry there was obviously grateful for our celebratory presence and afforded us a lock in whilst he himself entertained us with some slight of hand table magic proclaiming that Paul Daniels was God.

I do remember being quite ill on the way home due to an over indulgence in red wine during the celebrations though it was well worth it.

Great memories and all done without the use of a mobile phone, how did we survive?

 

[degsy]

This time 32 years ago I was on a ferry full of blues that had not long left Harwich looking forward to the biggest day in our history.
We were the best team in England and probably Europe we wernt going to lose we didnt do losing then.It was a night full of singing and drinking copious amounts of ale. There were 4 in our group myself a mate and my 2 younger brothers who unfortunately are now both dead.They were both big Evertonians one of them sold everthing he had to make the trip,the other I lost this year.
We arrived in Rotterdam at about half seven went for some breakfast then bumped into another mate whos first words were " Theres an alehouse open round the corner" and so it began about 9am and continued all day until we headed to the match about 7pm.
We were in the square in the centre most of the day where Billy Butler was doing a live broadcast it was a brilliant day but if I have one regret it was that I should have eased off on the ale a bit.
At the ground it was a bit chaotic so much so that they just opened the gates I still had my full ticket when I got home.
There was 25,000 blues that day and not a bit of trouble we could handle losing god knows most of us there had seen plenty of bad times so when the good times arrived we just lapped them up.I often wonder if this final had occurred after Heysel would this match have even happened?

Jeez - doesn't seem that long ago, where did all the 'kin days go

 

[degsy]

Can't mate made a show of myself, give you an example , I replied I don't like coffee, blushing ok you can have something else anything you like, I really like English men it just got worse the more flusterd I got, the barman was shaking his head at me, it as that bad, he ended up butting in , and said are you stupid or gay ,she wants to [Poor language removed] you , which to anyone normal would have pretty much sealed the deal, but left me dumb struck, are you coming she said , I splutterd something like I am going the game so can't, it was about 14.00 so that was a lie, she brought me a drink and said have that to calm down you sweet little boy, everybody in the bar burst out laughing , not my finest moment.
What a div I was those days, show me fifty man unt and I wouldn't give a toss, a woman talking to me I was a mess, like the Scouse version of Norman wisdom.
Wish I could lie about it and say I bedded a beautiful Dutch lady before are finest night, but I suppose even the most perfect day has to have a low point.

We've all been there mate don't beat yourself up about it...well no we haven't actually, I put just that in to make you feel better.