What ex-Jags have European medals?

[Jaggernaut]

Random question, that came to me because I'm finally reading "Fever Pitch," having picked it up in a second-hand bookshop for 100 yen (around 60 p). Quite enjoying for the nostalgia, but not finding it as hilarious as the commentators apparently did when it got published. But it's amazing how I remember some of the goals and other incidents that he describes, though I  haven't seen them in around 50 years!

Newcastle get mentioned a few times, and for some reason the question arrived in my head:

Is Tommy Gibb the only ex-Thistle player to have won a winners medal in a European tournament?

Any others earned runners-up or 3rd place gongs?

[Joe Craig’s tache]

6 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

Random question, that came to me because I'm finally reading "Fever Pitch," having picked it up in a second-hand bookshop for 100 yen (around 60 p). Quite enjoying for the nostalgia, but not finding it as hilarious as the commentators apparently did when it got published. But it's amazing how I remember some of the goals and other incidents that he describes, though I  haven't seen them in around 50 years!

Newcastle get mentioned a few times, and for some reason the question arrived in my head:

Is Tommy Gibb the only ex-Thistle player to have won a winners medal in a European tournament?

Any others earned runners-up or 3rd place gongs?

Jeez! Ever heard of Alan Hansen!

[jlsarmy]

3 hours ago, Jaggernaut said:

Random question, that came to me because I'm finally reading "Fever Pitch," having picked it up in a second-hand bookshop for 100 yen (around 60 p). Quite enjoying for the nostalgia, but not finding it as hilarious as the commentators apparently did when it got published. But it's amazing how I remember some of the goals and other incidents that he describes, though I  haven't seen them in around 50 years!

Newcastle get mentioned a few times, and for some reason the question arrived in my head:

Is Tommy Gibb the only ex-Thistle player to have won a winners medal in a European tournament?

Any others earned runners-up or 3rd place gongs?

I’m sure Alan Hansen should be in there somewhere , Stevie Chalmers and Colin Jackson as well.

Edited August 26, 2022 by jlsarmy

[Dick Dastardly]

Look out for “My Favourite Year” also by Nick Hornby. It is a collection of football related short stories by various authors and journalists and there are some crackers in there. Danny Lennon gets a mention.

[Winter of '63]

There was a good quiz question from a few years back about Thistle players who had also played in European Finals for other clubs. As  well as Tommy Gibb, Alan Hansen & Steve Chalmers, I think Derek Johnstone and possibly Peter Cormack were winners - both played for us during their time as managers.  Billy Thomson and very obscurely Billy Ritchie and Harold Davis were losing finalists - the latter two for Rangers in 1961.

There are probably others...

I didn't really get Fever Pitch  - whining about the pain of Arsenal not winning a trophy for 5 seasons...try 50 mate!

 

[Jaggernaut]

On 8/26/2022 at 3:12 PM, Joe Craig’s tache said:

Jeez! Ever heard of Alan Hansen!

Thank you!!!

[Jaggernaut]

On 8/26/2022 at 6:05 PM, jlsarmy said:

I’m sure Alan Hansen should be in there somewhere , Stevie Chalmers and Colin Jackson as well.

Nah, they don't count, as they got their gongs before they came to Firhill for an easy route to retirement.

[Jaggernaut]

19 hours ago, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

Have you ever seen the film version, with Colin Firth playing the main protagonist, and Mark Strong as his adult Arsenal-supporting pal? My favourite scene is where Firth is coaching a young boys’ team’ and teaching them how to use the offside trap, with all the back line putting their arms up to claim offside in unison! (Just like Arsenal were once famous for) ‘Fever Pitch’ was a sort of catalyst for a lot of copycat books written by passionate fans about their team. Some of them were not particularly good, (unless you were a fan of said team) but they jumped on a bandwagon which has been called the ‘Hornbyisation’ of football. ‘Fever Pitch’ by Nick Hornby was the original and best. I have a hardback copy, which I bought when it was first published. At Thistle, Robert Reid wrote ‘Red and Yellow Forever’ which was of a similar style, and interesting.

Of all the players mentioned above, one European Cup winner who made an appearance or two for Thistle, missing from those names was Willie ‘Wispy’ Wallace. But, like him, most of the players who had won a European medal, came to Thistle when they were on the downward spiral in their careers. Only Gibb and Hansen were on the upwards trajectory.

 

Interesting, thanks. I've read Robert's book, and it's as might be expected: much less personal about student and young adult life, relationships etc.  But still a nice read, though probably dull if you're not a Thistle supporter. Hornby has the advantage in that almost everybody he mentions is known to the people who were following football back in those times, even those of us in Scotland.