Memories of the final OF game during 9IAR season

Danger Zone

Danger Zone

Just the tip...
I remember being an absolute bag of nerves, it was such a huge game and I think there was extra nerves with Dibble in goal, who to be fair to him, was solid enough.

Instantly without watching the highlights. I always remember

Hatelely’s red card

Bjorklund actually leaving his own half and ending up just outside their penalty box, surreal moment for anyone who remembers Bjorklund

Di Fanio hitting the bar with what to be fair to him, was a cracking effort

Laudrup giving their entire backline nightmares, Malky McKay in particular couldn’t live with him and ended up collecting two yellows (this was back in the day when refs were allowed to card their players)

And of course the winning goal. I think Durrant tried to claim it but Laudrup knocked it over the line.

Ahhh those were the days

 
When the beasts rebuilt the piggery, they never scored against us the first 3 or 4 games we played them.
They finally did in the Cup not long before this game and did a huddle to celebrate beating us at last.

Typical of a Smith Rangers team, we remembered, and did our own huddle after this one.
 
The Hateley signing was a fucking masterstroke. It completely put the shits right up that lot.

It wasn’t his best game, and he was sent off (a tame one IMO, and he was sucker punched by McNamara in the melee), but it was job done by that point.

Also pleasing to see Walter putting Burns straight, after Burns accused our players of lacking dignity in celebrating the win. Walter did not miss that arsehole.
 
"This is the One" played over a pre match montage on Scotsport and then "Beautiful Ones" by Suede played on the post match one

Annoni missing a sitter from six yards

St Thomas of the Chipped Shoulder laughably telling us post match through his pals in the press that Rangers "need to learn to win with dignity"
 
The fact that, for some bizarre reason, we are not allowed to do a huddle. ;)
When you consider what they have got away with in the years since it defies all logic that we should have match officials and police officers stepping in to ensure that we don't celebrate in this way.
A comfortable victory for the 10 men and the mhanky mhob losing the plot - happy days.
 
Danger Zone said:
I remember being an absolute bag of nerves, it was such a huge game and I think there was extra nerves with Dibble in goal, who to be fair to him, was solid enough.

Instantly without watching the highlights. I always remember

Hatelely’s red card

Bjorklund actually leaving his own half and ending up just outside their penalty box, surreal moment for anyone who remembers Bjorklund

Di Fanio hitting the bar with what to be fair to him, was a cracking effort

Laudrup giving their entire backline nightmares, Malky McKay in particular couldn’t live with him and ended up collecting two yellows (this was back in the day when refs were allowed to card their players)

And of course the winning goal. I think Durrant tried to claim it but Laudrup knocked it over the line.

Ahhh those were the days

Click to expand...
Everything you say pretty much sums up my emotions during that game.
 
Some terrible "challenges" on Laudrup! but he just got up & continued to torment them. Bjorklund in the other half should go into "the weirdest things seen at football" thread. I think it must be me, but whenever we played them & and didn't have our 1st choice keeper in, I always felt as if we were playing with a goalkeeper who was a centre half or left back or something! it just didn't register that the replacement was actually a bona fide goalkeeper, like when Dibble was in goal in this game & when Alexander replaced McGregor:confused: mibbees the tension got to me or more than likely the alcohol
 
What we’re the league positions before the game. I was 15 and remember it being a massive game but not how close we were in the league. Watched it with my dad who’s no longer with us. One of many games we got to celebrate together in the 90s
 
JamesyMRR said:
What we’re the league positions before the game. I was 15 and remember it being a massive game but not how close we were in the league. Watched it with my dad who’s no longer with us. One of many games we got to celebrate together in the 90s
Click to expand...

IIRC we were 5 ahead with 7 games to play before this one.

Both of us has lost midweek. Tims lost 0-2 to Killie on the Tuesday and then Dundee United beat us 0-2 on the Wednesday at Ibrox.
 
For an OF victory I don’t look back at it with much joy. It was a horrible tense day. The game itself was almost unwatchable.

The actual clinching of NIAR was a lovely Spring evening but that Sunday against Celtic just seemed depressing to me aged ten.
 
I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like. It’s not for the reasons I would’ve liked but im relieved they ain’t getting 9 this season after all.
 
Every one of their defenders had at least one bad challenge on Laudrup that day.
I don’t know how they managed to keep even ten on the park with Annoni in particular, a serial offender.
Burns sent his thugs out to put the boot in that day.
No doubt about it.
 
Ataturk said:
For an OF victory I don’t look back at it with much joy. It was a horrible tense day. The game itself was almost unwatchable.

The actual clinching of NIAR was a lovely Spring evening but that Sunday against Celtic just seemed depressing to me aged ten.
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Personally, I’ve never experienced such an event.
A victory against the scum that was unwatchable and a horrible day?
Not to my mind, never.
 
Remember that day well. I have never been so tense at a game in my life, but we got the job done. I always remember losing my good friend Ian going out of the ground, then found him down near the buses in absolute bits crying his eyes out. Realising what he was going to be missing as he was emigrating to Australia the following week. Great memories.
 
I watched those highlights. Didn't Stewart Kerr pick up the ball outside the box in this game too or was it a different game? I'm sure he was last man and didn't get sent off.
 
What a great game that was. I'd just got a camcorder a few days before it and have a clip of me and a mate watching this in my flat, both steaming! I'll have to have a look for it. Great days.
 
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Ataturk said:
For an OF victory I don’t look back at it with much joy. It was a horrible tense day. The game itself was almost unwatchable.

The actual clinching of NIAR was a lovely Spring evening but that Sunday against Celtic just seemed depressing to me aged ten.
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Fair enough.
 
Great memories.

What a player Laudrup was, so graceful on the ball.

Jocky had a good wee turn of pace, didn’t he?

Fergie was made for those type of games.
 
It was an incredibly tense afternoon, the 9 in a row video had some great footage, when Durrant lobbed the ball over and Laudrup got the final touch, it cut to the Louden in Duke St with all the Bears going tonto.
 
dh1963 said:
When the beasts rebuilt the piggery, they never scored against us the first 3 or 4 games we played them.
They finally did in the Cup not long before this game and did a huddle to celebrate beating us at last.

Typical of a Smith Rangers team, we remembered, and did our own huddle after this one.
Click to expand...
They locked us in and done the huddle while blaring out " the boys are back in town" by thin lizzy. I've hated that song ever since.
 
The week before it was mental. We had serious injury problems upfront and in goal. Every day in the press they were throwing names round that we were going to buy.
Alessandro Melli from Parma was the main rumour I remember and even Allan Johnstone who ended up signing a couple years later. In the end it was only Dibble and Hateley and that was enough.
 
Enjoyed watching that again.

Seems very different compared to what we have on show nowadays. Perhaps the pace of it seemed different, or maybe that was just Laudrup. He was a tad good, wasn’t he?
 
Brilliant day, load of us travelled up from Yorkshire just to watch it on TV.

Watched it in the wee rangers club and it was bouncing!
 
Bit of a stuffy game as i recall, was only 14 at the time mind you! Was that the game that Bjorklund made an amazing last ditch tackle on Cadete? Made up a ridiculous amount of ground
 
Baz said:
The week before it was mental. We had serious injury problems upfront and in goal. Every day in the press they were throwing names round that we were going to buy.
Alessandro Melli from Parma was the main rumour I remember and even Allan Johnstone who ended up signing a couple years later. In the end it was only Dibble and Hateley and that was enough.
Click to expand...

The rumour was Walter went to Italy that week intent on buying one of three strikers - Melli, Kennet Andersson or Gabriel Batistuta.
 
Pressure was incredible in the run up to this - the Scottish media nicking the “Judgement Day” tag line that Sky we’re running for some boxing that was coming and by the time Hateley swept into Glasgow airport the city was bursting.

The match itself was nervy and a poor football match - notable incidents being the goal, Ferguson & Di Canio at the end and the many fouls on Laudrup as Burn’s side (revered for their fancy football) tried to systematically kick him out of the match.

Celtic fans went on a bit of a rampage that evening - lots of reports of assaults & damage to pubs. I’m sure someone tried to set The Rosevale on fire that night.
It was the model for what was to come with a Celtic defeat followed by violence from their support in the hours that followed, and the Celtic PR machine going into overdrive on how undeserved it all was that Celtic were denied their rightful win.
 
Got sent to my room for calling the ref a 19th Century Terrorist bastard when he sent off Hateley. I was 10 and a bag of nerves but quite frankly, I was right.

Come to think of it, I never saw a full game against them that season. First one wasn't televised live, the rest involved me getting a "red card" for something I shouted at the TV. :rolleyes:
 
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