Alan Hansen Westa Guest

All those years ago, when we were going through a bad patch The West of Scotland Tartan Army were approached by the BBC to take part in an TV special. Alan Hansen, former Partick Thistle Player would be investigating where it had all gone wrong for Scottish Fitba, he was not the first looking for the answer and as of 2107 he would not be the last.
The camera team arrived at our Sunday meeting, last Sunday in the month, all invited. A table was arranged upstairs in the Iron Horse, West Nile Street , Glasgow.
Our esteemed Chair, the late and most wonderful Tommy Madden asked that Alan in return would address our meeting, all Scotland fans by the way. He was approached by the director, we had not been deemed important enough at this stage to meet the great man. The answer came back...a big NAW.
Tommy said thanks very much and promptly went elsewhere for a pint.
Mr Hansen, late of Liverpool and Scotland eventually relented and agreed to say a few words to the lads & lasses, all Scotland fans by the way.
We were interviewed, asked our opinions. Filming ended. Looking back our views on Scotland,  ' The Failure Years' were incoherent and incomprehensible , not unlike our then team selection.
Mr Hansen did then address the assembled WESTA membership. He was excellent, funny, informative and I suspected a proud Scot, proud to have played for Scotland and as a lad proud to have travelled to Wembley.
Questioned on Graeme Souness, he was  also as  I suspected a proud Scot and was part of a grand assemblage of Scots playing for a superb Liverpool team, a team that ruled Europe.
However, we home Scots have always has a jaundiced view of the Scot having made it big down south, the dreaded 'Anglo'.
Famous 'Anglos'; Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Joe Jordan. Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, jings loads of them and more, many more.
Alan , sorry Mr Hansen got so much stick playing at Hampden, for Scotland by the way he would warm up beside Graeme Souness, multiple European Cup winners by the way, World class by the way. Graeme got all the stick.
At the end of the meeting as stand in Chair I asked the assembled members, all Scotland fans by the way, to give Mr Alan Hansen the traditional Hampden greeting and boo him as he left the pub. Iwas joking of course and of course the WESTA memers booed him as he left.
Our garbled views on the demise of Scottish football was of course not used in the programme. A few months later Bertie Vogts got the Scotland job. I rest my case.
In 2004 Wales hammered Scotland 4-0 in Cardiff. Later in the Holiday Inn Express the highlights were on Match of the Day. The pundit was one Mr Alan Hansen who slaughtered the team and the defence (sic).
I laughed through tears of frustration and emotion.
1979 , Cardiff Home International. Wales 3 Scotland 0. Centre half covering John Toshack was a certain Alan (Mr) Hansen. At this stage in his excellent career John was slower than me, I am now 59, John scored a hat-trick.

There are a number of Scottish Fitba heroes who have humbled the Auld Enemy; Law, Baxter, Last Minute Reilly, Tommy Walker and more. Walking along Battlefield Road Hampden bound I prayed to God, any God for a hero. Thousands marched more in hope than expectation as we have not the players nor the talent of the past nor our illustrious opponents. The Tartan Army, Scotland fans were drawn to The National Stadium as Bonnie Prince Charlie’s sodjers were to glorious failure. An act of Newtonian Gravity sucking us in to inevitable defeat.

With Scotland there is however always a however. The atmosphere was electric. The England players so tall, so confident they exuded over confidence knowing victory would be theirs as of right. It is the rule of historical fact.

However Hampden had its Roar back, and some. Our players, our heroes took occasional control and when relinquished we the Scotland fans roared and roared until we got it back.

England scored, as they always do, victory was theirs, it always is. However. A free kick mile out. ‘He will never score from there’, and he did. Yes he did. Mayhem in the stands.

Another free kick a minute later. ‘He won’t score from there, again?’. Yes he did, yes he did. Mayhem and madness. My lungs burst, my ears rung with the Hampden roar. Hugging, mass hysteria and more. Yet, this England we are playing. They of course equalised when we passed the precious ball to them for no particular reason.

Last Minute Leigh Griffiths scores 2 goals, brilliant goals that will live in the hearts of Scotland fans forever.

What a game, what drama, what a noise. We snatched a draw from the jaws of victory and defeat, from misery to happiness to misery. The 90 minute mutual dislike for our English friends ended with them applauding us and us clapping them in return. Class. I think they appreciated the Hampden Roar.

See Scotland, see Scotland, what would we do without them, what would they do without us?

Hamish