5 Favourite Seasons

[The Derry]

3 hours ago, Eednud said:

1961/62 - Champions

1962/63 - Seeing Alan Gilzean score 7 in 10-2 win v Queen of the South, reaching the European Cup semi final.

1967/68 - League Cup runner-up and Inter Cities Fairs Cup semi finalist.

1973/74 - League Cup winners, Scottish Cup semi final with earlier round Sunday wins away at Pittodrie and Ibrox plus 3-0 QF replay home win v Hibs before just under 31,000. 5th in the league for the 4th season in a row.

1978/79 - Promotion as well as winning the division.

I’d possibly change some of the above with 1963/64 Alan Gilzean scoring over 30 goals plus the winner for Scotland v England at Hampden which sort of made up for losing the Scottish Cup Final after extra time. Seeing Charlie for part of 1964/65 and 1965/66 seasons. The games against 1FC Köin and AC Milan in the UEFA Cup 1971/72.

Moving to Australia in October 1980 means I’m unable to properly consider any season since which is probably not a bad thing.

 

And now you have to watch this shambles of a team.  Yikes.

[Jacksgranda]

8 hours ago, kingjoey said:

Quite similar, old timer.

1969/70 - first Cup Final, and first ever visit to Glasgow, beating all-conquering Celtic 3-1.

1970/71 - attended every league and cup match apart from Kilmarnock away when I was at the Leuchars Air Show. Took Celtic to the second last match of the season before knowing we wouldn’t win the league.

1979/80 - horrendous League Cup Final Replay hammering by Dundee United at rain soaked Dens obliterated from the memory by the first League title in my lifetime. The afternoon in the sunshine at Easter Road will never, ever be forgotten.

1982/83 - Aberdeen winning a major European trophy was simply ridiculous. To do it by beating, and from the start of the second half onwards, playing Real Madrid off the park, was stunning.

2013/14 - to have put my two kids through utter hell for almost 20 years by forcing them to stay to the end of total tankings by Celtic, Rangers, Dundee United, and even Livingston, was more than made up for by being with them at Parkred when Adam Rooney smashed his penalty home. Total joy.

Thought about that one, too. Certainly didn't attend as many games as you, but ultimately I thought other seasons were more enjoyable. Mind you, some great memories from that season, too.

[kingjoey]

30 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Thought about that one, too. Certainly didn't attend as many games as you, but ultimately I thought other seasons were more enjoyable. Mind you, some great memories from that season, too.

Prior to season 70/71, because I had by then moved to Dundee and I played football for my BB Company, my matches weren't very frequent. But I had given up playing on a Saturday, got a newspaper delivery job so was able to afford the train fare and entrance money, so I just went for it.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

14 hours ago, Insert Amusing Pseudonym said:

97/98  Our first trophy in 36 years, but the whole season, bar a disappointing league Cup defeat,was a joy.  Played fantastic football, Cameron, Fulton and McCann were dynamic and deadly from midfield and genuinely thought we were going to win the league after the draw at Celtic Park.  

85/86.

I know, I know.  But watching a team who had been a fixture in the first division in the early 80s go 30 games unbeaten and win at Ibrox, Parkhead, Pittodrie, Tannadice and Easter Road with Robbo and Colquhoun at their peak was incredible.  The end was obviously brutal, but the journey was amazing.

05/06.

Much more mixed feelings on this season, it felt like a missed opportunity and there's a what might have been aspect but the first 3 months was unbelievable.  The cup run, bar the final, was also great with the semi-final being an all time classic.

11/12

Entirely for the cup run.  Almost everything else was garbage, though there were good wins here and there.  The off field was a disaster as well but you'll never top the end.

87/88

It tailed off and there was a very Hearts in the 80s disastrous finish in the Scottish Cup semi, but for most of this season we played some fantastic attacking football and were scoring for fun.  A run of dull draws ended what had been a good tilt at the title, but finishing above Souness's Rangers was a great achievement

I caught the bug a little later than you so while I did go to a game in 1985/86 I wasn't really on board till later. So I'm dropping that from your list and including  the 2014/15 Championship season. 

Under the circumstances the fact that we had a 2014/15 season at all was a cause for celebration or at least relief but better was to come. The youth of that team and the way we'd seen them develop from Under 19s thrown in out of their depth in August 2013 to seasoned pros while still U21s was exciting and typified the massive upwards momentum that was around Tynecastle at the time. Upward momentum that can only be sustained that long if you start at the bottom of a deep, deep hole.

And then you've got the presence of both Hibs and Rangers as antagonists in Heart's redemption narrative. One potential nemesis would have been sufficient to make the plot work but two arch villains made our heroes' triumph feel epic.

There was a disappointing sequel made in 2020/21 which didn't impress critics or audiences. Robbie Neilson reprised his role from the original and Covid stepped in for the global financial crisis but Raith and Dunfermline were never convincing  in the Hibs and Rangers roles. It was like asking Ant and Dec to fill in for Alan Rickman and Bela Lugosi

That was very much a straight to DVD piece but the original is a classic

 

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by topcat(The most tip top)

[DukDukGoose]

1994-95 - My first season. Got the football bug big time. Probably helped that my dad took me to all the home games plus the last three away games. A crazy end to the season looking back but I was just having the time of my life going to the football.

1995 - 96 - We had a really good season. Finished 3rd which must have seemed impossible based on the previous season and it was the first trophy I've seen Aberdeen lift.

2007-08 - For the European results. The atmosphere at the home games was unreal. A bit surreal to see we went unbeaten at home in Europe that season when you look at our squad versus the squads we came up against. Almost doesn't make it based on the domestic semi finals.

2013-14 - McInnes did a fantastic job and gave us our first trophy in far too long.

2015-16 - We were brilliant. McInnes found the right balance between defence and attack and I genuinely thought we had a chance of going all the way. Danny Ward leaving was a massive game changer. I'm honest enough to admit that Griffiths was so good for Celtic that season that it probably couldn't have happened but that (along with the Newco promotion) prompted Celtic to get a proper manager in.

Honorary mention - 2018-19. Nothing special happened but this was the first season I took my son along and got him a season ticket. Could easily slot this one in instead of 07-08 due to the nature of the semi final defeats.

Slim pickings really as I played Saturday football from about 1998 - 2014 so could only pick seasons where I managed to attend a lot of games (07-08 being the case due to us having European football past Christmas!)

 

[tree house tam]

21 hours ago, Steve McQueen said:

Its obviously the biggest domestic achievement of any club in the history of Scottish football.

 

Feel a bit detached from it, like we won the cup in 2014 but they won the double last year.

That's quite a common outlook on it, it ain't mine though. I certainly felt it, kicked every ball, celebrated just as wildly. Probably enjoyed it more with the lack of "saintee types" slavering on me as well.

[capt_oats]

88/89 - Not that we were any good or that (we finished 9th) but it's the season I started going to the fitba regularly. My first Motherwell game was 1986 but up until this season I'd only been sporadically.

89/90 - Finished 6th this season but we signed Davie Cooper and he was my first genuine football hero.

90/91 - Finished 6th but won the Scottish Cup. So that was nice.

93/94 - Like @Desp's post earlier it was just a phenomenal side. Finished 3rd. In a genuine title conversation around Easter. To this day still the best Motherwell side I've ever seen.

94/95 - As above, finished 2nd but the wheels came off after it.

Tbh it's difficult to think of a "favourite" season since then. So I'll stick with those 5.

I stopped going to games as regularly through the 00s on account of uni, having a job and general life stuff. In the 10s I never really liked McCall as a manager albeit we had a good team and for all I post about Motherwell on here these days I'd be lying if I was to claim that I felt anywhere near the same sort of connection as I did when I was a wee guy.

I'm sure the fact that I was as a pre/early-teen makes it feel more significant as they were formative years but there's also something about a pre-internet, pre-"modern fitba'" era that gives things a bit more weight.

Tbh, thinking about the seasons I've mentioned only reinforces the extent to which I can take or leave going to games these days.

Edited November 2, 2021 by capt_oats

[lennyzer0]

1976/77 - First season, discovering there is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon, even though we've been utter dugshit a lot of the time.

1985/86 - Apart from the last week, obviously.

1997/98 - First silverware, never been so pissed, before or since.

2006/06 - That team should have won something, and might well have won the league if that Russian arsehole had kept his nose out of things.

2011/12 - Cliche though it is, 5-1 was the final to end all finals. Didn't make up for not winning the league in 86, but that was ages ago now, and it was a brilliant, brilliant day. 

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

Seasons 1979/80 to 1984/85. 

2 European trophies. 3 league titles. 3 Scottish cups. 

And it should have been more. 

I think I missed 5 games in total in that time.  

 

 

[Forever_blueco]

8 minutes ago, lennyzer0 said:

1976/77 - First season, discovering there is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon, even though we've been utter dugshit a lot of the time.

1985/86 - Apart from the last week, obviously.

1997/98 - First silverware, never been so pissed, before or since.

2006/06 - That team should have won something, and might well have won the league if that Russian arsehole had kept his nose out of things.

2011/12 - Cliche though it is, 5-1 was the final to end all finals. Didn't make up for not winning the league in 86, but that was ages ago now, and it was a brilliant, brilliant day. 

The bit about that team should have won something . You did win the Scottish cup 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Forever_blueco

[lennyzer0]

4 minutes ago, Forever_blueco said:

The bit about that team should have won something . You did win the Scottish cup 

You know, I'd genuinely forgotten that was the year we beat Gretna - Christ, that was a brutal, unenjoyable game.

[ScottyDee1893]

1967/68 - first season I was taken regularly to Dens. Lost epic LC Final 5-3 to Celtic then a narrow 2-1 aggregate defeat to Leeds Utd in semi final of Fairs Cup

1971/72 - 4-2 win over Cologne (5-4 victory on aggregate) was the greatest last 20 minutes I've veer seen. Then battered AC Milan 2-0 in the next round only go out 3-2. If we'd only got that 3rd goal that we deserved....

1973/74 - LC Cup winners 1-0 against Celtic. Lost to them in semi final of Scottish Cup after beating Aberdeen, Rangers and Hibs (drawn away each round) in front of huge crowds. 24,000 at Pittodrie, 65,000 at Ibrox, 29,000 at Easter Rd and 33,000 at Dens with thousands locked out. I think there was 75,000 at Hampden for the semi

1986/87 - not any tangible success but just really enjoyed watching this team, played some great football with the likes of Jim Duffy, John Brown, Robert Connor etc

2010/11 - Deefiant season. -25 points for Admin 2 but a 23 game unbeaten run that brought a bond between fans and players that I doubt we'll see again. If the missus knew how much I donated to the cause that season I think she'd have divorced me

[Dubford don]

16 hours ago, kingjoey said:

Quite similar, old timer.

1969/70 - first Cup Final, and first ever visit to Glasgow, beating all-conquering Celtic 3-1.

1970/71 - attended every league and cup match apart from Kilmarnock away when I was at the Leuchars Air Show. Took Celtic to the second last match of the season before knowing we wouldn’t win the league.

1979/80 - horrendous League Cup Final Replay hammering by Dundee United at rain soaked Dens obliterated from the memory by the first League title in my lifetime. The afternoon in the sunshine at Easter Road will never, ever be forgotten.

1982/83 - Aberdeen winning a major European trophy was simply ridiculous. To do it by beating, and from the start of the second half onwards, playing Real Madrid off the park, was stunning.

2013/14 - to have put my two kids through utter hell for almost 20 years by forcing them to stay to the end of total tankings by Celtic, Rangers, Dundee United, and even Livingston, was more than made up for by being with them at Parkred when Adam Rooney smashed his penalty home. Total joy.

That 70-71 team was brilliant,far better than turnbulls hibs team

[JamieThomas]

The three seasons we won the Cup. Everything else ranges from a shrug to an absolute disgrace

[PauloPerth]

1987-88 old second division, the bottom league where we'd been for 3 years. We were in a title battle with Ayr. The two 'giants' of the division getting 5000+ at Somerset and Muirton against one another, when the rest of the division was averaging about 400.  Saints v Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup the featured game on sportscene. Aberdeen paying for a new segregation fence for us so the capacity was doubled at Muirton.  We had a cracking side with silky Sammy Johnston in midfield, Maskrey on the wing and goal machine Willie Watters who netted a hat trick in our promotion clinching game, which prompted my first pitch invasion as the players on the balcony in the stand all threw their shirts into the crowd before later getting a row from Geoff Brown for the cost!

1988-89 Last season at Muirton. A brilliant division, with trips to Brockville, East End, Starks Park, Somerset, old Rugby Park, Firhill, Cappielow, Broomfield. We finished sixth, but reached the semi final of the Scottish Cup. Our part-time team took Souness' millionaires to a replay. Final match at Muirton v Ayr.  That season I saw Stevie Maskrey score two of the best goals I've ever seen in the flesh.  Opening day v Raith Rovers he dribbled past about 6 defenders before finishing. Even better than Maradona v England..  What I remember as much as the goal was the crowds' reaction. After the initial celebration died away, the applause continued for a good few minutes.  It was like the end of a show or theatre or something, and something I've never experienced at the football before or since.  I'm sure the PA mentioned something about that the following week.  He scored another similar goal v Clydebank later on that season.  Such a talented player.

1989-90 Probably the most entertaining, attacking Saints team I've seen. Moore-Roddy-Maskrey the front three, tearing opponents apart for fun. First season at McDiarmid, winning the old first division (second tier) with an average crowd of 6000, and sell outs in big promotion battles against Partick, and our main rivals Airdrie. It was all exciting and new at home, and the away trips were superb.

1999 Cheating a bit here as it spans a bit of two separate seasons; the team that finished third under Sandy Clark, with that last day clincher against Dundee which remains McDiarmid's record attendance, also reached the LC final and SC semi final, to be beaten by a strong rangers side on each occasion, and into the following September with my first ever experience of seeing Saints in Europe. Drawing the superstars of Monaco and holding them to 0-0 until the last 20 minutes.  Partying with lots of pissed up familiar faces in the main square of Monte Carlo with bemused Japanese tourists taking lots of photos and the Lamborghinis and ferraris driving past was a brilliant, surreal experience.  The team bus driving through and stopping with the Saints support singing and banging  on the windows as the players joined in on the bus is another great memory. 

2013-14 A team capable of scoring plenty, the emergence of Stevie May with a swagger. Season started by knocking Rosenberg out of Europe, and culminated in winning the Scottish Cup.  Some great victories over Dundee United and regular high scoring performances.  We had a very strong starting eleven, and possibly would have finished higher than sixth if Maclean hadn't missed about 3 months of the season (i think!) The abject misery of a 4-0 league cup semi final defeat, thinking it would never happen for us, then the comeback SC semi win over the same Aberdeen team at ibrox as good a memory as the final.

 

[kingjoey]

40 minutes ago, Dubford don said:

That 70-71 team was brilliant,far better than turnbulls hibs team

I absolutely loved the team that season. Pretty sure that we only used around 14 or 15 players all season. For all the kids out there, only one sub was allowed.

[Kyle Reese]

In order of best first, for me:

1st - 1985/6

2nd - 1997/8

3rd - 2005/6

4th - 2011/2

5th - 2014/5

[johnnydun]

16 minutes ago, Kyle Reese said:

1st - 1985/6

[Kyle Reese]

15 minutes ago, johnnydun said:

?

[The Other Foot]

46 minutes ago, Kyle Reese said:

In order of best first, for me:

1st - 1985/6