I awoke at 4.30am grabbed a bit of breakfast, got showered and dressed and
awaited my mate coming to pick me up. He gets free parking at the Airport so
he decided to drive and had kindly agreed to pick me and a couple of others
up rather than bother with taxis. This more than made up for him stealing
my free Dijon mustard we got coming back from Auxerre I suppose. He arrived
at mine around 5.20 am, we picked up another two Bears and were on our way
on a journey that would turn out to be an amazing one.
Due to lack of remaining annual leave, it was back to the school day trip
for me but I do have to say that this season the Travel Club / Thomas Cook
have been better than in the past in my opinion. The only minor gripe about
the journey out is that we were delayed by around half an hour. At the
Airport there was an aircraft with a huge Iron Maiden logo on it but we
never got on that plane. Some flight options customers did but they never
had Mr Dickinson as a pilot on "Ed Force One" as I believe the plane is
known to those with an interest in that band. A couple of drinks at the bar,
introductions to a couple of folk and we were soon on board and on our way.
The flight out was a banter filled one and the general consensus was that
we'd go through on away goals following a one all draw.
On arrival in Lisbon, the passport control was quick and uncomplicated, the
locals working there pretty welcoming and there was no great show of
strength from the police like you get on some trips. We located our coach
number 2 and after a short delay it was off to the city centre to meet many
familiar faces and our other mates who had travelled independently. We got
dropped off close to the main square and one of our pals came round and met
us and after I found my lost passport and match ticket which had fallen on
to the bus floor and caused a bit of alarm (seemed to lose these a few times
during the day), he took us to a bar overlooking the square that was busy
with Bears. We grabbed a seat outside under a canopy and made this our base
for the day. A load of bears had gathered in the square and some banners
were on show as usual but the changeable weather meant others were kept in
their bags until the stadium. At this point a mate asked if it was Spanish
or Brazilian they spoke in Lisbon. It was to much hilarity that it was
explained that they speak Portuguese in Lisbon and that was also the language of Brazil.
We stuck some cash in to a kitty and got some rather large beers in. That
Super Bock stuff isn't too bad but I'm convinced that it does give you a
sore head the next day. The large travelling support had certainly generated
a huge interest from local thieves, gypsies, con men, sunglasses sellers,
drug dealers, tat sellers, beggars and a variety of folk selling at least
two different styles of match programmes. They did become a nuisance over
the course of the day and many were told to get lost in no uncertain terms
by many a bear. One cheeky sod had a well dressed, well nourished baby and
she herself didn't look that short of a Euro or two yet insisted in trying
to get cash off us. There were a couple of plain clothed coppers kicking
about and they did tell a couple of these pests to bolt, not that it made
much of a difference. The folk in the round started to get fed up with the
beer so we changed to spirits, not sure if that was a good idea or not but
they went down well and for once I stayed of the Jaiger's! A decent wee sing
song was had by those in the vicinity and as usual there wasn't a hint of
trouble even with half of Lisbon's shady characters lurking about. A couple of us
decided that some grub was required to soak up some booze and although I'd
rather have went to a decent Portuguese place, a McDonald's was spotted a
hundred yards down the road and we headed in there. No surprises to find
that it was full of Bears and I even met a local lad proudly wearing a
Rangers top. Every trip I go on, I always meet folk from all over the place
and Rangers is certainly a bigger global brand than perhaps Murray and co
realise and we should market ourselves better in my opinion. As with all
trips following the Gers it was great meeting some familiar faces again and
also meeting folk for the first time in and around the square. Ican't really comment
awaited my mate coming to pick me up. He gets free parking at the Airport so
he decided to drive and had kindly agreed to pick me and a couple of others
up rather than bother with taxis. This more than made up for him stealing
my free Dijon mustard we got coming back from Auxerre I suppose. He arrived
at mine around 5.20 am, we picked up another two Bears and were on our way
on a journey that would turn out to be an amazing one.
Due to lack of remaining annual leave, it was back to the school day trip
for me but I do have to say that this season the Travel Club / Thomas Cook
have been better than in the past in my opinion. The only minor gripe about
the journey out is that we were delayed by around half an hour. At the
Airport there was an aircraft with a huge Iron Maiden logo on it but we
never got on that plane. Some flight options customers did but they never
had Mr Dickinson as a pilot on "Ed Force One" as I believe the plane is
known to those with an interest in that band. A couple of drinks at the bar,
introductions to a couple of folk and we were soon on board and on our way.
The flight out was a banter filled one and the general consensus was that
we'd go through on away goals following a one all draw.
On arrival in Lisbon, the passport control was quick and uncomplicated, the
locals working there pretty welcoming and there was no great show of
strength from the police like you get on some trips. We located our coach
number 2 and after a short delay it was off to the city centre to meet many
familiar faces and our other mates who had travelled independently. We got
dropped off close to the main square and one of our pals came round and met
us and after I found my lost passport and match ticket which had fallen on
to the bus floor and caused a bit of alarm (seemed to lose these a few times
during the day), he took us to a bar overlooking the square that was busy
with Bears. We grabbed a seat outside under a canopy and made this our base
for the day. A load of bears had gathered in the square and some banners
were on show as usual but the changeable weather meant others were kept in
their bags until the stadium. At this point a mate asked if it was Spanish
or Brazilian they spoke in Lisbon. It was to much hilarity that it was
explained that they speak Portuguese in Lisbon and that was also the language of Brazil.
We stuck some cash in to a kitty and got some rather large beers in. That
Super Bock stuff isn't too bad but I'm convinced that it does give you a
sore head the next day. The large travelling support had certainly generated
a huge interest from local thieves, gypsies, con men, sunglasses sellers,
drug dealers, tat sellers, beggars and a variety of folk selling at least
two different styles of match programmes. They did become a nuisance over
the course of the day and many were told to get lost in no uncertain terms
by many a bear. One cheeky sod had a well dressed, well nourished baby and
she herself didn't look that short of a Euro or two yet insisted in trying
to get cash off us. There were a couple of plain clothed coppers kicking
about and they did tell a couple of these pests to bolt, not that it made
much of a difference. The folk in the round started to get fed up with the
beer so we changed to spirits, not sure if that was a good idea or not but
they went down well and for once I stayed of the Jaiger's! A decent wee sing
song was had by those in the vicinity and as usual there wasn't a hint of
trouble even with half of Lisbon's shady characters lurking about. A couple of us
decided that some grub was required to soak up some booze and although I'd
rather have went to a decent Portuguese place, a McDonald's was spotted a
hundred yards down the road and we headed in there. No surprises to find
that it was full of Bears and I even met a local lad proudly wearing a
Rangers top. Every trip I go on, I always meet folk from all over the place
and Rangers is certainly a bigger global brand than perhaps Murray and co
realise and we should market ourselves better in my opinion. As with all
trips following the Gers it was great meeting some familiar faces again and
also meeting folk for the first time in and around the square. Ican't really comment
on the local talent as I never saw much in the way of that kicking around. It would be
unfair to give them a mark out of ten but they are getting a five for not turning up in numbers!
The day passed quite quickly and it was soon time to head for the coach to
take us to the stadium. On the way to our meeting point I bumped in to more
familiar faces and we had a chuckle about some of the songs we were singing
at Tanadice the previous weekend and I parted to the strains of "Wilkie
missed a penalty" ringing in my ears. There were only three of us that
should have got on to the travel club coach however we somehow managed to
get nine or ten of us on to the bus and no questions were asked as it
appeared that some that should have been there had made their own way to the
ground. The sing song on the bus was absolutely brilliant and was a taster
of what was to follow in the stadium. Those on the bus were giving it big
licks and having an absolute ball. We arrived at the stadium with just under
an hour to go until kick off and access was relatively good compared to some
dumps we have visited. After a quick and polite search we got in to the
impressive arena. It was a nice stadium and good design but I'm not so sure
about the colour scheme or almost random seat colours. I managed to get the
Paisley banner displayed on a fence and there were many other colourful
flags on show in both ends of the ground. I liked the one in the home end
that read "The Real Lisbon Lions" The Rangers fans had turned up in numbers
and were contributing to a good atmosphere despite the locals not filling
their areas of the ground to anywhere near capacity. Our fans were amazing
from before the match until being allowed to leave the stadium some time
after the match. During the warm up one of the Paisley lads was desperate to
get a football off the players that were warming up. He eventually caught
big Kirk's attention but Kirk muttered back that he couldn't part with one
and my mate angrily had to do without!
The game kicked off and we were in superb voice. The home side had most of
the ball as was to be expected but Darcheville missed a great chance to put
us one up. Sporting also missed a chance or two and the closest they came
during the first half was an effort that crashed back off McGregor's post.
It was a bit of a let off but no more than we deserved. We were playing
better than we did in the first leg, that was for sure. The second half
started in much the same fashion as the first and if anything, the hosts had
their best spell in the first fifteen minutes but couldn't break us down
with Cuellar superb again and he was ably assisted by Dailly. Our midfield
had been pretty effective in helping the defence weather the storm and all
of a sudden a break was on with the superb Davis leading the charge. He soon
found himself in a great position wide on the right and his inch perfect
pass to JCD got the finish it deserved and sent the travelling Bears into a
The day passed quite quickly and it was soon time to head for the coach to
take us to the stadium. On the way to our meeting point I bumped in to more
familiar faces and we had a chuckle about some of the songs we were singing
at Tanadice the previous weekend and I parted to the strains of "Wilkie
missed a penalty" ringing in my ears. There were only three of us that
should have got on to the travel club coach however we somehow managed to
get nine or ten of us on to the bus and no questions were asked as it
appeared that some that should have been there had made their own way to the
ground. The sing song on the bus was absolutely brilliant and was a taster
of what was to follow in the stadium. Those on the bus were giving it big
licks and having an absolute ball. We arrived at the stadium with just under
an hour to go until kick off and access was relatively good compared to some
dumps we have visited. After a quick and polite search we got in to the
impressive arena. It was a nice stadium and good design but I'm not so sure
about the colour scheme or almost random seat colours. I managed to get the
Paisley banner displayed on a fence and there were many other colourful
flags on show in both ends of the ground. I liked the one in the home end
that read "The Real Lisbon Lions" The Rangers fans had turned up in numbers
and were contributing to a good atmosphere despite the locals not filling
their areas of the ground to anywhere near capacity. Our fans were amazing
from before the match until being allowed to leave the stadium some time
after the match. During the warm up one of the Paisley lads was desperate to
get a football off the players that were warming up. He eventually caught
big Kirk's attention but Kirk muttered back that he couldn't part with one
and my mate angrily had to do without!
The game kicked off and we were in superb voice. The home side had most of
the ball as was to be expected but Darcheville missed a great chance to put
us one up. Sporting also missed a chance or two and the closest they came
during the first half was an effort that crashed back off McGregor's post.
It was a bit of a let off but no more than we deserved. We were playing
better than we did in the first leg, that was for sure. The second half
started in much the same fashion as the first and if anything, the hosts had
their best spell in the first fifteen minutes but couldn't break us down
with Cuellar superb again and he was ably assisted by Dailly. Our midfield
had been pretty effective in helping the defence weather the storm and all
of a sudden a break was on with the superb Davis leading the charge. He soon
found himself in a great position wide on the right and his inch perfect
pass to JCD got the finish it deserved and sent the travelling Bears into a
frenzy. The noise level hardly dropped after that as we all knew that
Sporting required two goals to knock us out and this wasn't looking at all
likely. For all they tried they could only muster a few half chances that
were snatched at mostly down to great defending by Rangers. In injury time
Whittaker got possession of the ball in his own half and embarked on a run
towards their goal. Cousin set off in support and Whittaker took advantage
of Cousin's run looking to pass but sensibly holding on to the ball as DC
had drifted slightly offside. He managed to get passed the last defender and
slot calmly past the shocked keeper for an amazing solo effort and send fans
and team mates wild.
Sporting required two goals to knock us out and this wasn't looking at all
likely. For all they tried they could only muster a few half chances that
were snatched at mostly down to great defending by Rangers. In injury time
Whittaker got possession of the ball in his own half and embarked on a run
towards their goal. Cousin set off in support and Whittaker took advantage
of Cousin's run looking to pass but sensibly holding on to the ball as DC
had drifted slightly offside. He managed to get passed the last defender and
slot calmly past the shocked keeper for an amazing solo effort and send fans
and team mates wild.
What a goal, what a result. The team and the fans had
done themselves proud on an unforgettable night for Rangers. A semi final of
a European trophy when last year we were losing to the likes of Dunfermline
and St Johnstone, who would have bet on it? We have to give great credit to
Smith, McCoist and McDowell as well as the players who have put in so much
effort to achieve this. We were held inside the stadium for longer than we
thought we would be but no one seemed to care as the singing continued long
after the final whistle. Some even got on the phone to their mates to get
flights to Italy booked up. Eventually the gates were opened and out poured
the jubilant Bears on to the street and were directed to their coaches for
the short trip back to the airport. The buses sat for ages and then were
taken in convoy to the airport. The airport was a bit of a shambles with
five or six planeloads of people trying to get through security at the same
time but everyone kept sensible and got through eventually. A trip to the
duty free shop, a bottle of coke and it was time to board the plane and head
back to Glasgow. It had been a long but enjoyable day and the banter and
singing on the plane continued. A stewardess appealed for hush until the
safety demo had finished, then she said we could sing again. An announcement
followed from a steward with the most camp voice I had ever heard. It
actually sounded ridiculous and had folk in stitches. A young stewardess couldn't
done themselves proud on an unforgettable night for Rangers. A semi final of
a European trophy when last year we were losing to the likes of Dunfermline
and St Johnstone, who would have bet on it? We have to give great credit to
Smith, McCoist and McDowell as well as the players who have put in so much
effort to achieve this. We were held inside the stadium for longer than we
thought we would be but no one seemed to care as the singing continued long
after the final whistle. Some even got on the phone to their mates to get
flights to Italy booked up. Eventually the gates were opened and out poured
the jubilant Bears on to the street and were directed to their coaches for
the short trip back to the airport. The buses sat for ages and then were
taken in convoy to the airport. The airport was a bit of a shambles with
five or six planeloads of people trying to get through security at the same
time but everyone kept sensible and got through eventually. A trip to the
duty free shop, a bottle of coke and it was time to board the plane and head
back to Glasgow. It had been a long but enjoyable day and the banter and
singing on the plane continued. A stewardess appealed for hush until the
safety demo had finished, then she said we could sing again. An announcement
followed from a steward with the most camp voice I had ever heard. It
actually sounded ridiculous and had folk in stitches. A young stewardess couldn't
stop giggling at some of the witty comments being thrown about and some
of the songs getting chanted were of the amusing variety, particularly one about
Celtic being a massive club! I tried to get a sleep and dosed off but kept wakening
up. Perhaps this was due to the engine noise but most likely down to some of the singing
coming from further back.
We were treated to Release Me, Sweet Caroline and Daytrip to
Bangor amongst other random selections! We finally landed and entered the terminal building
where we had to join a rather large queue to get through passport control. By this stage I was
shattered and needed one thing, my bed! Finally we were through and headed for my mates
car and soon I was home dreading the two hour sleep I would get before having to get up
for work. I never slept in and arrived in a reasonable condition and the first thing I did was
ask for the 1st of May off. I bet you can guess why. Hopefully I'll receive a positive answer.
PaisleyProd