TOP HATTER
BY Vince Cooper LUTON Town have had their glory days. Few will forget the sight of David Pleat running across the pitch, coat flapping after the...
THE WANDERING WINGER
By Vince Cooper WE’VE all heard the expression that a specific footballer plays or played the game ‘with a smile on his face’. One player this...
GREAT SCOTT
BY Vince Cooper JUST after the start of the 20th century, goalkeeper Billy Scott joined Everton from Irish team Linfield. He quickly became a...
THE BAKER BROTHERS
By Vince Cooper Gerry and Joe Baker were sons of a sailor. Which goes some way towards explaining their convoluted international history. The...
GONE GROUNDS – BAYVIEW PARK
By Vince Cooper At the arrival of the 19th century there were three good-class football teams competing in the Levenmouth area in Fife on the East...
‘Sorry’
‘WEE’ Hughie Gallacher was idolised by fans everywhere, including those of opposing teams. But, as Vince Cooper writes, his life ended...
The Day it Rained Goals
Boxing Day 1963. The Day it Rained Goals We all like a ‘goal-fest’. Lets face it, what’s not to love about a thrilling 3-3 draw? Even if it...
1967: WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD – PART TWO
1967: Scotland’s Year – The Club Scene By Vince Cooper Whilst the Scottish National team were overcoming World champs England at Wembley,...
WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD
BY Vince Cooper AFTER England’s success in the 1966 World Cup it was felt in many quarters that Sir Alf Ramsey’s men would remain at the pinnacle of...
1966. WHEN FOOTBALL DANCED TO A MERSEY BEAT
By Vince Cooper In 1966 football belonged to England. And English football belonged to Merseyside. The country hosted the World Cup for the first...
The 1930 World Cup. The Story of the One-Armed Man
BY Vince Cooper A look back to the first-ever World Cup Finals 88 years ago and a final that featured bitter rivals – and a one-armed man....
GONE GROUNDS – BROOMFIELD PARK
AIRDRIEONIANS began life as Excelsior Football Club in 1878 spending three years with that name before changing to identify themselves closer with...
THE OTHER SHANKLY MANAGER
THE exploits of the great Bill Shankly need little repeating. An outstanding player with Preston North End and Scotland, ‘Shanks’ really found his...
GONE GROUNDS – CATHKIN AND NEW CATHKIN PARK
THE ORIGINAL The original Cathkin Park was opened in 1872 when members of the Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers (the club’s original name) started...
GONE GROUNDS – SHAWFIELD
CLYDE FC, the ‘Bully Wee’ were founded in 1877 and started play at Barrowfield Park, on the banks of the River Clyde. The club had formerly gone...
THE FOURTH MAN
ONLY four managers in history have won the league title with two separate clubs. Three of them are Herbert Chapman, Brian Clough and Kenny Dalglish....