Flying the Flag
The league winners didn’t receive the trophy at the end of the season.
In fact, the Dundee league winning team didn’t lay eyes on the trophy all
summer.
At that time, the
administration department at the Scottish league had the trophy sent from their
head office in West Regent Street, Glasgow. Perhaps these logistics seem a
little prehistoric through 21st century eye, although probably entirely logical
given the resources and technology at their disposable. Goal scoring hero
Gilzean accounts on the Dundee FC official website that he first caught a
glimpse of the silverware as he walked by the boardroom on the 6th
of August. The rest of the squad finally got their hands on the trophy three
days later, where they were pictured in front on an empty main stand at Dens,
the trophy proudly held by Captain Bobby Cox. This subdued meeting of trophy
and players is worlds apart from the events of the 04/05 season climax, which
any well versed Scottish football follower knows as "helicopter
Sunday".
“
Rangers quite casually playing it about at
Easter road, they know that all they can do is wait and hope that Motherwell
can put a sting in Celtics championship bid. Davie Clarcksons coming on for
Motherwell, it’s going to be Mark Fitzpatrick coming off. 87 and a half minutes
on the clock, now we will stay at Fir Park because Rangers have a 1 goal
advantage at Easter road, Craigen’s going to play this, it’s a long one up in
the air, Varga, Foren, shot!, heres Foran, hes Scored! hes scored! McDonalds
scored for Motherwell! Scott McDonald has scored; the Celtic players can’t
believe it, their dead on their feet, 1-1 at Fir Park. The title will be
heading to Easter road to Rangers, The
helicopter is changing direction!”
These words from Radio Clyde’s,
excellent sports broadcaster, Peter Martin, have gone down in Scottish football
folk law. An iconic moment which for the
younger generation can be described as Martyn Tiler esca, as he shouted the
name of Manchester City’s Argentinian goal scorer, Sergio Aguero, as they won
the 2012 English Premiere league title with a last gasp goal, coincidently from
their city rivals. For the neutral, the best finish to a long league season
Scotland has ever and will in all likelihood ever see (which is quite a feat
considering the finally of the 2003 campaign). The SPL championship trophy had
been boarded onto a helicopter and headed for Fir Park, the rest you could say,
is history!
Dundee’s league title win
of 61/62 was formally celebrated with the then traditional flying of the league
title flag at the opening match of the following season, in which the champions
are honoured with the privilege of playing at home. In spite of the
considerable advances in resources and technology, which enables the Scottish
football authorities to fly silverware around the country in mesmerizingly
quick time, Scottish football continues to respect and honour the tradition of
flying the league title flag at the first game of the league champions in
addition to the trophy presentation which is now plausible.
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