Poet of the Macabre Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Next summer will mark 10 years since the original Gretna were liquidated*. They fit an incredible amount of drama into a very small stretch of time, playing in all four divisions and nearly winning the Scottish Cup in 2006. Obviously, they were not very popular with other clubs, who felt they were buying success and had a totally unsustainable business model. Was looking to get any stories, clips, photos etc of Gretna's time in the Scottish leagues and how people feel about their brief rise and fall. I started a thread about Morton's infamous collapse of 03/04 earlier this year and we got some fantastic posts and stories so hoping for something similar. *Gretna 2008 are obviously playing in the Lowland League now but aren't doing a Rangers and pretending it's the same club. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poet of the Macabre Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/4860972.stm The biggest minter of a result in Scottish football history? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poet of the Macabre Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 I remember this being hilarious to watch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 33 minutes ago, Poet of the Macabre said: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/4860972.stm The biggest minter of a result in Scottish football history? No, I think not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford Baptie Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/4860972.stm The biggest minter of a result in Scottish football history? 7 ex Falkirk players over the two teams. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacArab Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 A grand total of 431 fans bothering to turn up to watch them play ICT at Fir Park in April 2008 was a bit Mintertastic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poet of the Macabre Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 19 minutes ago, The Master said: No, I think not. I'd rather be embarrassed in two league games than humiliated in a Scottish Cup semi-final by a lower league side. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Minertaur Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I couldn't stand Gretna when they were in the league. The constant "fairytale story" nonsense was an absolute piss take. They literally just bought the best players of the other sides in each league. We had Dene Shields and Bryan Gilfillan who both went to Gretna. If I remember right they signed Gilfillan when they were in Division 2 (League 1 now) and loaned him to Stranraer who were in the division above! Gilfillan scored the only goal of the match when we beat them 1-0 at Raydale. I remember his goal perfectly - a stunning volley into the top corner. The Gretna fans were not fuming with the ref for some reason after the game. Can remember them all crowding around the tunnel to hurl abuse in a game in which Derek Townsley basically reffed the match. Another trip down there was the famous 19 minute match which was abandoned due to high winds. Parts of the stand were coming off and landing on the pitch so it was the correct call. Only problem for the Cowden fans was that a couple of people on the supporters bus has brought their partners with them and they were off in town shopping without a mobile.....this meant 2 hours in the pub which led to people literally falling off the bus when they got back to Fife It's also the only ground I've ever been to where our bus was attacked by kids with wrenches! We had some awful matches against them. A 8-0 thrashing at Central Park with Mark Birch their right back scoring a first half hat-trick was particularly painful. At school for weeks I had the piss ripped out of me. Dave Baikie our manager turned up at the next training session and gave all the players an After-Eight chocolate I couldn't have been happier when Gavin Skelton missed that penalty in the cup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 56 minutes ago, Poet of the Macabre said: I remember this being hilarious to watch This pretty much led to Kenny getting the manager's job at East End 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 We beat them 4-0 the first day of their last season and went top of the league, the only time in my living memory IIRC that we have been at the top of Scottish Football. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiG Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I still remember that pretty awful poster on here, gretna_ed, who always refuted that things would come crashing down and that they were a completely artificial club kept alive by the ridiculous money being pumped into them. Once it did all fall apart he slithered away from the forum never to be seen again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killiefan27 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Killie being 4-0 down to Gretna at Fir Park was perhaps the biggest minter in all my minteriffic years of following them: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/7264046.stm Billy Brown gave a team talk on the pitch at half-time. It wasn't quite Phil Brown levels, as they weren't sitting in a circle the whole time, they just came back out early for BB to shout and bawl at them where we could all see it. It was pretty embarrassing, though not as embarrassing as them then going 4-0 up. We got two late consolation goals, which was more annoying than anything as it made it look less embarrassing than it actually had been. That BBC report says Paul Dalglish came on at half-time, and the fact I don't even remember that (genuinely the worst professional player I've ever seen) tells you just what a shiter of a night it was. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonHMFC Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I actually went to the game when they were promoted to the SPL. Stood in the Jailend as County were fighting to stay up at the time, I think Scott Leitch was in charge? Was a really odd atmosphere, and from memory there wasn't many Gretna fans there. I remember there being quite a few Inverness fans though seemingly chuffed to see County relegated. Will always remember after the game, two old boys chatting away in the County end, saying they would wait to see Gretna lift the trophy, as they would never see County do it. The cup final against ourselves also lives long in my memory, because I was actually in Wales at the Millenium Stadium watching West Ham V Liverpool in the FA Cup Final. Both games went to penalties, West Ham had a nightmare, and I couldn't face seeing how the Hearts game went. Managed to go into the Sunday before finding out that we had won. Used to f**k me off something rotten seeing Jeff Stelling get a hard on talking about Kenny The Duke Deuchar scoring his billionth goal in the league. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senorsoupe Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) 39 minutes ago, killiefan27 said: That BBC report says Paul Dalglish came on at half-time, and the fact I don't even remember that (genuinely the worst professional player I've ever seen) tells you just what a shiter of a night it was. Not much better as a manager. He was in charge of Ottawa Fury, took over a team that had finished 2nd in 2015 and led them to a 10th place finish in 2016... Edited November 16, 2017 by senorsoupe 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulloch Gorum Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 4 hours ago, Poet of the Macabre said: I remember this being hilarious to watch Some absolutely outstanding goals in that lot. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneteaminglasgow Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 They beat us 6-0 at Firhill once. I’m glad they’re dead. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Parr Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 We must have one of the poorest records of any side that played Gretna. Pretty sure we played 5, lost 5, scored 0 and conceded around 15. Just crap. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunning1874 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) At some point someone is going to enter this thread and say it was a shame because they only went under due to Mileson's health deteriorating. This is untrue: they stopped paying bills long before he was permanently hospitalised and were liquidated months before he finally passed away. Edited November 16, 2017 by Dunning1874 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyline Drifter Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Ah, Gretna, where to start............................ Here's a post from me on the QoS thread a year or so back: Quote It was very short lived but there was definitely a rivalry with Mileson's Gretna, mostly of their creation. Prior to his arrival they were seen largely as Annan are now, as a smaller local side that most Queens fans were happy to see do well and maybe even went to watch if Queens werent playing. In contrast to Stranraer who were and are traditional rivals though like Grant said, not one I would wish genuine ill to. Gretna was different. There was genuine hatred of what they became. Their "business model" (don't laugh!) was basically to invade Dumfries and take our fans and future fans. As much as a shyster as Mileson was he wasn't stupid and knew that the only way to grow the Gretna brand was to impinge on our catchment. So he bankrolled a programme whereby Gretna provided free coaching for Dumfries schools, gave hundreds of free tickets to families in Dumfries, sponsored local youth teams and combined with the recruitment of premier standard players, winning every week and sugar coated media coverage all led to a significant attack on our club. I still haven't forgiven one of my wife's friends who thought it was funny to ask why I didn't "go watch a good team like Gretna" when I came back from some fruitless trip up Scotland to see Queens lose while she and her family had watched the Gretna machine they couldn't have named a player at a year earlier dismantle some other group of innocents on their free schools tickets. Or clowns who threw their lot into following the glory at Gretna and were quick to tell you how much better than Queens they were in the pub. And that's a decade on. I revelled in their defeats and was fairly delighted when the thing collapsed like the house of cards we had said it was all along while the media fawned like sycophants over Mileson and his lending his car to 'Dr Goals' and making donations to Supporters Trust at half the teams they met. And yet they were undeniably good for us in the long run. The immediate benefit of nabbing Tosh, McQuilken and Macfarlane and ending up in the cup final is obvious, but it was more in the background that long term response was crucial. The club and fans were galvanised. A genuine community programme was instigated that still runs today. We got involved in schools ourselves and rethought our own strategies to address the challenge. It was being met even before they imploded and we are a much bigger and stronger club now with far greater roots in our own community. Gretna are back to being a local club serving their community and one I am happy to see do well. There are plenty of Queens connections again with the likes of Stuart Rome and Andy Aitken involved. Some good people involved now. There's a lot more in this thread: The Club That Vanished 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 We have a 100% record in competitive games against them, although I have no idea how, as we were battered in a League Cup game at Raydale that we very luckily won 0-1. Bryn Haliwell made a number of great saves and they missed a load of chances. Mark Burchill scored for us. 56 minutes ago, LondonHMFC said: I actually went to the game when they were promoted to the SPL. Stood in the Jailend as County were fighting to stay up at the time, I think Scott Leitch was in charge? Was a really odd atmosphere, and from memory there wasn't many Gretna fans there. I remember there being quite a few Inverness fans though seemingly chuffed to see County relegated. Will always remember after the game, two old boys chatting away in the County end, saying they would wait to see Gretna lift the trophy, as they would never see County do it. The cup final against ourselves also lives long in my memory, because I was actually in Wales at the Millenium Stadium watching West Ham V Liverpool in the FA Cup Final. Both games went to penalties, West Ham had a nightmare, and I couldn't face seeing how the Hearts game went. Managed to go into the Sunday before finding out that we had won. Used to f**k me off something rotten seeing Jeff Stelling get a hard on talking about Kenny The Duke Deuchar scoring his billionth goal in the league. I thought his nickname was 'The Good Doctor'? Also why were you at the FA Cup Final instead of seeing your team lift the Scottish Cup? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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