 |
| The Scottish Cup Final of May 2010 was an unusual one as neither Rangers nor Celtic were competing. The most remarkable cup game of the tournament had been the Highland team (and lower league inhabitant) Ross County's 2-0 victory over Celtic in the semi-final. Thousands of Ross County fans came down for the final on 15 May (the town of Dingwall was practically empty this day). Above are a couple of young fans in Ross County blue in Battlefield Rd (Dundee United flag in background). . . |
 |
| . . .which was thronged with fans of both clubs on their way to Hampden park, just up the road. Unlike matches involving Rangers or Celtic, the atmosphere was universally friendly - both sets of fans mixed happily |
 |
| Mount Florida station - resplendent in an orange indistinguishable from Dundee United's tangerine - a portent? |
 |
| Pubs along the way such as Florida Park were doing great business, yet I only saw one drunk (outside the stadium) |
 |
| Now into Cathcart Rd. Dundee United fans are nickamed the 'Arabs' - see wiki for a discussion of the origin of the term (the team are nicknamed the 'Terrors') http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee_United_F.C. Two interesting things to know about Dundee United - they have a 100% record in competitive matches against Barcelona, and their best-known fan is Zippy from Rainbow. The busy Clockwork Co in the background is a micro-brewery as well as a pub. |
 |
| She 'stops the whole street with one wave of her hand'. Fine old Cathcart Rd Church of Scotland other side of the road |
 |
| A cheery robot-style wave to his pal opposite the church |
 |
| Approaching Hampden |
 |
| Hampden at around 2 pm; crowds gathering for 3pm kick-off |
 |
| Staggies is the nickname for Ross County. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_County_F.C. |
 |
| The Full Hampdy exterior from bus park |
 |
| The police horses were popular. . . |
 |
| . . .but useless at giving directions |
 |
| Many Scottish football fans believe they have an affinity with Brazilian fans: this is unlikely to be a belief shared by many Brazilians |
 |
| Superman is a Staggie |
 |
| Love the wee guy with the big herr; a pure gallus Scot |
 |
| A friendly Scottish gesture - an unfriendly one is when the kilt is lifted |
 |
| This could possibly be an instance of carrying the whole 'Arab thing' a bitty too far |
 |
| Unusually for a big Scottish game, Strathclyde's Finest were enjoying themselves |
 |
| For some reason, this young police officer was frequently asked for advice |
 |
| They were great fun these girls |
 |
| Some Danish Ross County fans |
 |
| The way into Hampden and the bus park |
 |
| An all too literal approach to the Staggie headgear I fear. . . |
 |
| The eyes on this bloody mask follow you around |
 |
| A rare sighting of some neutral kilties |
 |
| A fine Scottish face |
 |
| A wee gloat from a Rangers fan - Scottish league champions. They didn't get far in the cup though. |
 |
| Some manly horseplay; nothing gay going on here at all |
 |
 |
| They shall not pass |
 |
| I love this picture. This is what Scots think they are and so rarely, as in this case, actually are - merry and friendly. Helps if you are young, of course. It is too late to save we older Scots |
 |
| Meant to ask the guy with the charity buckets how they were doing; they generally do OK at cup ghames |
 |
| Irish Arabs |
 |
| You wait for an Osama for ages, then two come along at once |
 |
| The guy with his hands up isn't surrendering - he and the other Arab just had their photie taken with the fair cop |
 |
| Man levitating with a ticket |
 |
| A Scooby Arab with a pet Pooh |
 |
| Don't frighten the horses |
 |
| A great flag |
 |
| Scarves for sale |
 |
| Careful now, Bananaman!. . . |
 |
| . . .aww! |
 |
| The Osamas arrive |
 |
| Over here! |
 |
| White horses and cup finals - the stuff of legend |
 |
| Th wee girl would likely have preferred to stay with the horses |
 |
| Nearly done |
 |
| Into the ground |
 |
| 3 pm; a job well done. Strathclyde Police have decades of experience policing Orange and Republican marches as well as Rangers and Celtic games, and they are very good at preventative measures (see also Mela). That said, the crowd was superlatively well behaved. I saw only one drunk guy being shepherded around by his pal: a friendly cop came over and said 'take him away - if he gets into the ground it's an arrestable offence.' |
 |
| Traders packing up |
 |
| A last straggler coming in - DU balloon bouncing along |
 |
| The result: Dundee United 3 Ross County 0 |
Have just come across this blog and being a Dundee United fan i'd just like to say how happy i was to be able to see these great photos and remember one of the best days of my life
ReplyDeleteIt was a brilliant day back in May 2010,great friendly atmosphere was enjoyed by all,thank you for posting this blog,really enjoyed it....Davy DUFC
Was a great day Davy! One for all Scots to be proud of.
Delete