tamthebam

Well done guys. I'm happy for our old manager Gary Naysmith- I perhaps wasn't his biggest fan but felt a bit sorry when he was sacked by City so it's good to see him bounce back.

The ref will give you a dodgy penalty. That's what happens in City games. You'll probably miss it though.

Hibs fan on their game thread mentioned the wind was whistling through the gaps in the Easter Road stands and the stewards couldn't keep their balance. Two Hibees in the pub we were talking to said the conditions were bad at their game (not as bad as Hibs performance though) I also noticed Hutchi Vale's game at Ainslie Park also went ahead today and while there is some shelter from the flats there it can be windy too. Meadowbank was a wind tunnel even when the big stand was there although I can only remember going to one abandoned game there- against Whitehill in 1998 when the pitch resembled the Commonwealth Pool and after twenty minutes of splashing about the game was abandoned. I have been to two wind postponed/abandoned games in Angus though- Arbroath v Cowden when goal kicks were blown back over the bar and a game at Station Park which went off about ten minutes before kick off... leaving the town we noticed Forfar West End were still playing their home match Similarly a game at Edinburgh University just before Christmas. The wind had been strong but had dropped by the time the ref turned up. He quickly called the game off, got in his car where his wife had been sitting and buggered off to do some Christmas shopping. A New Year's game at Annfield on the old plastic was memorable: same conditions as today, Stirling Albion were awarded a penalty. It was taken and saved by Meadowbank's Jim McQueen but the ball had moved. A pile of sand was then used to try and stop the ball moving and McQueen saved again but the penalty was ordered to be retaken. Third save and the referee gave up. The game finished 0-0 unsurprisingly.

Seems to be doing a good job filling in for Tam then

I was at the last game there. First 1000 in got a free commemorative badge. I've lost my badge but still have the plastic pouch it came in

I suppose he has to back the manager in public at least. I mean he can't come out and say "F*ck me, I've picked a right steamer here, who'll be gone in the summer. Just like the last two idiots we picked..." See also: Dave Cormack.

It's to be a balmy 16 degrees tomorrow although wet and windy. Probably turn into a farcical hoofball contest then. I can remember a game at Links Park which we won. Some tactical genius in the Mo dugout (Hegarty maybe) decided that playing long balls against City was a good idea. We had Big Joe in defence at centre half and he headed every ball back.

So you've met Binos fans then...

Gabrielle Drake who starred in UFO (seen here in 1971 getting a dirty phone call from yer da) is the sister of Nick Drake. She turned 80 the other day.

Flintstones fans

It's New Victoria Park, home of Newtongrange Star, which will host the Final. Sunday 28th April, 2pm kick off.

Anent Richard Gough: When, to my mind and a lot of others at the time, he flounced out of the Scotland team he was playing fairly well for Rangers and so, naturally, certain tabloids launched a "Gough for a Scotland recall" campaign. There may be some comment regarding this in the old copies of The Absolute Game I have but life's too short to go and find it. I'm sure a lot of Scotland fans were of the opinion at the time that Gough could go and do one.

The National Galleries of Scotland posted this image on Facebook. So I pinched it. It's a 1930s charity match between Edinburgh Women and Rutherglen. In the background is the stand at The Royal Gymnasium, home of St Bernards, as this was the venue for the game. When St Bernards folded, the newly formed Stirling Albion put in a bid for the stand but rationing restrictions meant that eventually it only ended up as far as Old Meadowbank where it was used by Leith Athletic and the speedway until redevelopment in 1968.

A polis car then turned up... probably half an hour after the event!

"unexplained fires are matter for the courts"...!

don't they have ranches for that kind of thing?

When the Doc examined him he had More Than a Feeling he was dead

Aha! He's been pretending to be a concrete magnate all this time but in fact he's actually the infamous Professor of "Work Colleagues" thread fame.

We Meadowbank fans were assured by Bill Hunter and chums at the time that there was a ready and willing set of fans just waiting for a football club to come to Livingston. This was apparently based on standing in Almondvale Shopping Centre and asking passing folk if they'd like a football club in the town. Lies were told then. Lies are still being told now. Lies will be told in future unfortunately.

I went to Eastfield once- Penicuik played Meadowbank in a testimonial match for one of their players. A certain Lee Bullen was playing for Penicuik and Meadowbank signed him.

the plot thickens Thanks to Old Man Bam being a watcher of the Antiques Roadshow when we were kids (we called it the Old Junk Roadshow) I did pick up some rudimentary knowledge regarding silver hallmarks. For those who don't know hallmarks on silver are used to certify that a piece is actually genuine silver and not some ersatz rubbish. I had a shufty at the hallmarks on the City Cup last night: There is a head of Queen Victoria so the Cup was made in the reign of Queen Victoria There is a Thistle so the Cup is Scottish There is a Castle so the Cup was made in Edinburgh (the castle being the hallmark for Edinburgh. Should you ever see an anchor mark that is for Birmingham, oddly enough!) There is a makers' mark which I can't remember exactly what it was. I think it was the mark for Mackay and Cunningham who were apparently an Edinburgh jewellers. James Hamilton worked for them until 1866 when he went into partnership with his nephew Robert Inches to form Hamilton & Inches who still exist. There may still be in existence order books for Mackay and Cunningham but that's beyond my ken. There is a date mark- each year has it's own letter and on the City Cup is a capital Y. This corresponds to the year 1880-81 which gives credence to the suggestion that it was a replacement Second XI Cup. So the actual silver cup is 144 years old. Those students better take care of it!

Well, at least we have something in common- You'll never win that, you'll never win that, Montrose and Edinburgh City, the East of Scotland (City) Cup- you'll never win that!

New Dundas Park has hot water, covered toilets, a roof and a pie stall. That's luxury for some of us oldies.

I think he's playing for Glasgow United these days. If you mean will the Links Park Dynamo scrape through with another penalty given against City then probably. Mind you we could be Cup winners by Saturday