Rangers broke Jim McLean’s heart in forgotten 1981 ‘family final’

I was right behind the goal at the penalty kick.

The Rangers support were magnificent the way they rallied around Ian Redford. Redford had the good fortune to score the winner in the League Cup Final against the same opponents six months later.
 
Mind when they started doing co-commentators for live games?

Think it was either the 86/87 or 87/88 League Cup Final. One we beat the tims 2-1 and the other the 3-3 game with Abergreen. Both very exciting from my point of view.

McLean was beside Archie for one of them, and EVERYTHING was criticised from start to finish.

Davie Cooper with a swivel of the hips and two defenders on their arses - "Aw, naw, nae good, goin' tae groon' too easy."

Durrant breaks into the box away from his marker to score - "Aw, whit's the man daein that's meant tae follow him? Pure amateur!"

At the end of it you'd have thought it was the worst game you'd seen in your entire puff!
 
Fingers1872 said:
'United took 10,000 fans to the game'

That sums them up, this remember was in the midst of their 'glory' years and they could only muster 10K for a Saturday 3pm kick off. Pish team with a pish support, always have been, always will be.
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Where do you want them to get extra fans from? They're a provincial club and their following won't stretch beyond Angus or North Fife.
 
Noddy said:
Where do you want them to get extra fans from? They're a provincial club and their following won't stretch beyond Angus or North Fife.
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I'm comparing them to other clubs of similar stature who reached finals around the same time, all of whom took considerably more than that. There was over 30,000 at Dens for their LC final (V Dolly) replay not long before that, my point was United fans never travelled to back their team.
 
That was my first final ( yikes, getting old loyal :( ) and replay. From memory, there was a thunderstorm on the way home after the replay and I got soaked.
 
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My older cousin got married on the Saturday 9th May (first game). We were all on the bus after the wedding ceremony going from Rutherglen Old Parish Church to the reception at the Masonic Hall (347) on Melrose Avenue in Rutherglen when Ian Redford missed the penalty.

We all realised we would make to the replay and on the Tuesday went to Hampden. My cousin - the groom - left his bride on her own on honeymoon in a caravan somewhere in Scotland to come back for the replay. :))

That was some game.
 
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Warren Hill said:
When St Mirren won the cup in 1987 there must have been about 40,000 from Paisley.
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Which is about 10 minutes from Glasgow. And I'm glad you said from Paisley and not St Mirren fans. There was loads of Rangers and Celtic fans from Paisley in the St Mirren end who went for the day out.
 
Fingers1872 said:
I'm comparing them to other clubs of similar stature who reached finals around the same time, all of whom took considerably more than that. There was over 30,000 at Dens for their LC final (V Dolly) replay not long before that, my point was United fans never travelled to back their team.
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Dens Park is like a home game for Dundee United. They're obviously going to take more to a cup final in their home city than they will a cup final 80 odd miles away.
 
Rubyhardie said:
I’ve never seen that missed penalty before. Thanks for posting
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I was at the game but can’t remember ever seeing highlights on YouTube before.

It was a dreadful penalty, which concurs with my memories at the time despite only being 11.

You can’t help feeling Cooper would have scored it.
 
Rubyhardie said:
I’ve never seen that missed penalty before. Thanks for posting
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Stood in the North Enclosure that day with my older brother who came up from Liverpool for the game. As Redford was given the ball to take it my brother's words to me were, "Can this c..t hit them"? I said, "He can hit them" just before McAlpine saved it. That final was lousy but the replay was an entirely different matter.
 
I was at the replay up the rattler end with my Wife ( no pics ) Mum and Dad. Cooper was absolutely unplayable that night as John Grieg finally found a set and played his best team. A nugget in the dross of a poor season.
 
The first game was utterly dreadful however the replay is one of my favourite ever games. We totally blew them away, with Coope, DJ and John McDonald all superb.

On a side note, the sight of massed pipe bands at cup finals and internationals was truly magnificent. Always thought it intimidated opponents in Scotland games.
 
bkkbear said:
That was my first final ( yikes, getting old loyal :( ) and replay. From memory, there was a thunderstorm on the way home after the replay and I got soaked.
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My dad and I got caught in it in Victoria Road. Huge flashes of lightning.
 
An extra fond memory for me as having watched the first game in the North Enclosure, I went to the replay with my late father. It was him who gave me the bug, but strangely we rarely went together once I was past the age of 14ish.
 
I was at the replay, 11 years old, Davie Cooper was my hero after that match, I always remember the bears singing about the Hunger strikers who were starting to meet their deaths at the time.
 
I was gutted when Redford missed the penalty,I was there with my brother in law and went with him to the replay too.
The first game we were terrible but made up for it the replay as were excellent.
Davie Cooper was unplayable that night and looked as if he was making a point to John Greig....it worked!!.
From despair on the Saturday and elated on the Tuesday.
I was 19 then,jeez doesn't time fly?!.
 
TAFKA Earl C etc said:
The first game was dire. Utterly and irredeemably dire. Thank God for the change of tactics, formation and the majesty of Davie Cooper in the replay.
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Yes it was a desperate match, both sides played as if they were asleep. Everyone knew Redford would miss the penalty, so no one even sounded pissed off after it.

The replay made up for it though.
 
Was at the game, stood outside the El Paso waiting on my old man and my uncle having a couple of pints. Off to the game in his Simca with five cousins wedged in the back.
Happy days
 
Warren Hill said:
When St Mirren won the cup in 1987 there must have been about 40,000 from Paisley.
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I was there as a neutral with my local boys club, 43 of us and not one of us supported either team, I was very interested in the wee streaked haired player Ferguson in United team and the streaked haired Ferguson on the st mirren side- I knew both were Rangers fans .
We surrounded by Arabs so when st mirren scored I jumped up , I didn’t like United so I got some right dirty looks B-D
 
I fell and broke my wrist at the first game. Never got the plaster on until monday morning. I was in agony.
I am sure one of the Hunger strikers died on the day of the replay, so a double celebration.
 
Did Redford not score a last minute equaliser earlier in the tournament against St. Johnstone in Perth. Seem to remember that.
 
I was there with my pal, we were just 11 at the time stood right in line with centre of the goals about half way up in the Rangers end so we got a good view of the penalty. Couldn’t believe it when it was saved with Mcalpine’s foot. I did get to the replay though and was on the north terracing with my big cousin and that performance more than made up for the boring game on the Saturday.
 
SM™ said:
Mind when they started doing co-commentators for live games?

Think it was either the 86/87 or 87/88 League Cup Final. One we beat the tims 2-1 and the other the 3-3 game with Abergreen. Both very exciting from my point of view.

McLean was beside Archie for one of them, and EVERYTHING was criticised from start to finish.

Davie Cooper with a swivel of the hips and two defenders on their arses - "Aw, naw, nae good, goin' tae groon' too easy."

Durrant breaks into the box away from his marker to score - "Aw, whit's the man daein that's meant tae follow him? Pure amateur!"

At the end of it you'd have thought it was the worst game you'd seen in your entire puff!
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Before my time but I'm sure the LC Final in 84/85 against Dundee Utd had a co-commentator because I've watched it a few times on VHS.
 
watched the first game at home on TV and that last minute penalty, made the replay though which if I remember we won at a canter.
 
cappra414vg said:
Was at both games, what a difference in 4 days ........
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Yeah, went to both too. As much as I loved Wee Tam and Bud, I thought we were winning the replay as soon as I saw Coop, DJ and John McDonald were in. I think Colin McAdam was the other one to drop out?

Coop and DJ were magnificent in the replay. I was a young boy and Coop’s performance stood out for me as the best individual performance I’d ever seen bar Maradona at Hampden a couple of years earlier. Would be interesting to watch it back and see just how good he was that night.
 
Was in the big enclosure for the first game , it wasn’t the best we would have been very fortunate to win it if Redford had scored. Replay in the Rangers end and we were fantastic that goal from Russel when seen from behind the goals was something else.
 
Noddy said:
Which is about 10 minutes from Glasgow. And I'm glad you said from Paisley and not St Mirren fans. There was loads of Rangers and Celtic fans from Paisley in the St Mirren end who went for the day out.
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Probably like a lot of Rangers & Celtic fans did in the 97 cup final with Falkirk
 
SM™ said:
Mind when they started doing co-commentators for live games?

Think it was either the 86/87 or 87/88 League Cup Final. One we beat the tims 2-1 and the other the 3-3 game with Abergreen. Both very exciting from my point of view.

McLean was beside Archie for one of them, and EVERYTHING was criticised from start to finish.

Davie Cooper with a swivel of the hips and two defenders on their arses - "Aw, naw, nae good, goin' tae groon' too easy."

Durrant breaks into the box away from his marker to score - "Aw, whit's the man daein that's meant tae follow him? Pure amateur!"

At the end of it you'd have thought it was the worst game you'd seen in your entire puff!
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He at least agreed it was a definite penalty when big Shirley tangled with Butcher but aye, he sounds brutal listening on the highlights on YouTube.
 
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