I thrive on gossip. Thanks, Robin.
Mark
At 05:44 AM 4/25/2003 +0100, you wrote:
>Mark:
>
>Well, yes and no ...
>
> > >Forgive me talking so much but one of my soccer teams, the Glasgow
>Celtic,
>
>[Mark, PLEASE -- no definite article -- (Glasgow) Celtic ...]
>
>{pronounced Seltic, in case anyone doesn't know}
>
> > >have just won a vital European football match and it is elation time.
> >
> > This is monumental and not so simple. It would be great to hear a
> > Glaswigian perspective. For those who aren't aware, there are two teams in
> > Glasgow, the Rangers, which is the Protestant, native, team, and the
> > Celtics, the team of Roman Catholics, primarily of Irish descent.
>
>Um ... Not sure whether one is more "native" than the other -- them's
>fighting words, matey. Tell someone like Tom Leonard who sees himself as
>Glasgow Irish, that he isn't "native" ...
>
>Well, once upon a dear old time, there were THREE major Glasgow teams --
>Rangers, Celtic, and Queens Park. [sic! -- +not+ Queens Park Rangers].
>Queens Park had the best ground -- Hampden Park
>
>Name: Hampden Park
>Club: Queens Park FC
>Inauguration: 31 Oktober 1903
>First match: Queens Park-Celtic 1-0
>Capacity: 52,000 seats
>Record Attendance: 149,415, Scotland-England; 1937
>Address: Letherby Drive, Glasgow, G42 9BA
>
>... so there were Celtic (papes), Rangers (prots), and Queen's Park
>(neutral).
>
>But Queen's Park (ma faithir's fave team) had one stunning flaw -- they were
>an amateur club, so they went down the tubes sometime in the sixties.
>
>Dunno who inherited Hampden Park, but I do remember, while I was still at
>(high)school, sitting beside my father hearing Satchmo play cool jazz out of
>his golden trumpet -- a packed stadium, and to die for.
>
>Anyway ...
>
> > The
> > Rangers mostly rule, but this year the Celtics demolished them. So this
> > latest startling victory must make for an odd evening in Glasgow.
>
>With all respect, Mark, I think you have this ass backwards. Mostly, Celtic
>have dominated the Scottish League (that the right term, Douglas?). Because
>they got it before Rangers that the point wasn't to sign-up someone who was
>of The Right Religious Faith but simply to sign-up the best players,
>regardless. After that, mostly, Rangers were generally playing
>keepie-uppie.
>
>[There's a link to one of Tom Leonard's "Six Glasgow Poems" here -- Scot
>Symon, manager of Rangers once upon a far-off time, "sacked without
>warning" -- "Simple Simon".]
>
> > Rivalries aside, it's helpful to remember that there's more likely to be a
> > Serb than a Scot or an Irishman on either team.
>
>Well, yeah ...
>
>Funny thing, Celtic (I think) gave free tickets for their matches to to both
>Protestant Clergymen and Catholic Priests, but insisted they aw sit
>thegither, while Rangers would only give free tickets to Church of Scotland
>Ministers.
>
>Though God knows (mibee he did) how you told them apart -- I remember
>sitting beside my father on a Glasgow tram and the clippie walked past us
>refusing to take our fares. He was a pape. Jings, I mean, he +assumed+ my
>father was a priest, just frae the white collar. He was a Catholic,
>naturally. (The clippie that was, not Dear Dead Dad.) Protestant clippies
>didnae gie a free ride tae +onybidy+.
>
>Mind you, Douglas Clark might have a different take on this -- he's jist a
>wee bit older than me.
>
>I think you may have addressed this question to the wrong person, Mark.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Robin
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