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Details
Title: The Big Clubs
Release Date:25 July 1994 (Filmed 1974)
Review By: Kevtic July14th 2010
He goes onto rubbish the Rangers supporters’ belief that the battle of the Boyne was a victory over Catholicism by pointing out King William of Orange was a benefactor to convents all over Europe and indeed the Vatican were on William’s side. He doesn’t hold back and states the Rangers football club is dedicated to the cause of anti-popery and comparing them to the ‘bigots’ in Northern Ireland believing the pope is the anti-christ. Hanley’s dis-taste for rangers and all it stands for is quite clear for all to see. There is not much room for journalistic neutrality in this video and it’s all the more refreshing for it.
Willie Waddell doesn’t help the cause when in an attempt to show how important Glasgow Rangers are to the city remarks that if Rangers lose on a Saturday their supporters go home and ‘give their wife a bashing about’. He also attempts, rather poorly, to defend the hooligan element following the club and states it’s in the minority as footage of them invading the pitch in Barcelona in their thousands is being shown.
In contrast Stein talks respectfully and eloquently about how the current Celtic players have it easy as it was the people in the past who made the club. The difference between him and Waddell is clear to see. There is little actual football footage during the video but what there is I’ve traced back to League Cup tie in 1973 that Celtic won 2-1. The first Celtic goal is shown after an opening few mins that sets the context of the time with street scenes, slum housing and showing Glasgow in its 70s re-development stage with piles of rubble and new developments taking place and all done to a soundtrack of bagpipes. I still smile when I see the green, white and gold buses that drove round Glasgow at that time.There are appearances from Jimmy Reid who attempts to be more philosophical about suggesting that football can become too important to the fans. Don’t know where he could possibly get that idea from. Lord Provost of the time William Gray tries not to take sides when discussing the two teams and Desmond White makes a few fleeting appearances.
You can enjoy some vintage footage of Anita Harris singing at the Rangers social club which believe it or not had a membership waiting list at the time. There’s also a random section on John Thomson which has some footage and photos but there is no explanation for its inclusion. There is also footage of the aftermath of the Ibrox disaster when, for once, the rivalry was set aside for at least a short time but it concentrates on the fact that Rangers players go to a requiem mass. I’m sure the film maker is trying to make some kind of point but the Ibrox disaster is not a subject for point scoring.
As we near the end of the documentary we return to the football game and Celtic score a 2nd and the Rangers fans riot and invade the pitch and many are lead away to spend the night at her majesty’s pleasure which has a nice touch of irony to it. The whole thing finishes rather bizarrely with Waddell stating he wishes that the Rangers tradition never changes and then gets interrupted by his phone, he shouts at the person on the other end of the line and then the credits roll. A rather odd ending, you would have thought they could have re-shot his piece to camera but it does make him look like a grumpy, intolerant old man and maybe that was their intention.
Certainly the documentary was very anti-Rangers and highlighted their undoubted bigotry but Celtic surprisingly get away scot free with no discussion about bigotry on our side which, although on a much smaller scale, does exist and wouldn’t have taken much scratching of the surface to find especially in 1974 or the IRA sympathies of a section of the support that was never mentioned once despite the troubles in Ireland being at their height. Overall though an interesting snapshot of the times and a similar documentary today would never be allowed to be this one–sided.
Product Details
Production year 1994
Running Time 38 mins
Release date 25 July 1994
Catalogue No.
Special Features – On the orginal video there were two film shorts: ‘The Linesman’ and ‘Special Police Assignment.’