The Wembley Bridge

Posted by: long-time-dead on 28 February 2005

BBC Scotland Report :

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A former sports minister at Westminster has accused Scottish football fans of trying to hijack the naming of a footbridge at the new Wembley stadium.
Tony Banks has put down a motion in the Commons insisting that it must be called the Bobby Moore bridge.

The Tartan Army have voted online for it to be named after the late great Jim Baxter. Scottish nationalist MPs tabled a motion last week endorsing the call.

The Baxter vote currently leads the online poll, which closes on 15 March.

Baxter was the hero of the "home international" at Wembley when Scotland beat England 3-2 in 1967.

The victory over England came a year after the home side's World Cup win.

Slim Jim thrilled fans with a display of "keep-uppie" during the Wembley game.

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Why Bobby Moore ? Why not Bob Geldof or Live Aid ?

For me, the memory of my national team beating the, then, World Champions is a feat I doubt we will repeat. Memorable for an entire nation.

Please discuss openly without resorting to the national divides.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by kevj

The link to the vote is here.

Apparently there's been a huge campaign of voting in Wales and from Welsh expats around the world to name it "The Scott Gibbs Bridge" in memory of Mr Gibbs' last minute try against England in 1999........

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Berlin Fritz

I think the Rab C Nesbitt Bridge would be more appropiate, innit

Fritz Von Spit on him Jimmy

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by 7V

The answer depends on whether the new Wembley Stadium is an English stadium or British. Don't the Welsh and Scottish already have national football stadiums?

Regards
Steve M

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Berlin Fritz

The Charlie Chaplin Bridge would be good !

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by TomK

I don't think there's any doubt it's an English stadium. I also don't think that's the point. They've organised an open vote on this and don't like the results. Sounds like an own goal to me. I don't think for a minute it will end up being called The Jim Baxter Bridge but am thoroughly enjoying watching folk like Banks (a buffoon if there ever was one) squirming.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by BigH47

WTF is Jim Baxter.
Perhaps a reciprical arrangement we get to name the Scottish Parliament Building and pay for it. The Scots can then pay for Wembly MKII and call it what they like. I trust this vote is not legally binding. Mind you if T Bliar's lot are involved it's almost certainly illegal.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Berlin Fritz

Apparently the new Refs & Official's lounge could well be called "The Blunkett Suite" !!!

Fritz Von Blair Bridge, but who would walk across it then ?

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Shayman

Why do the Scots always say they were the unofficial World Champions in 1967 because they beat England?

I've never heard it from any other team in any other sport when they beat the previous Champions between competitions.

Is it because its the best thing a team equal to Guinea in the FIFA rankings has to congratulate themselves about?

Just wondered.

Jonathan

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by TomK

quote:
Originally posted by Shayman:
Why do the Scots always say they were the unofficial World Champions in 1967 because they beat England?

I've never heard it from any other team in any other sport when they beat the previous Champions between competitions.

Is it because its the best thing a team equal to Guinea in the FIFA rankings has to congratulate themselves about?

Just wondered.

Jonathan

I don't always say that. I've never said it. In fact I've only ever heard it being mentioned when there was a gullible Englishman within earshot. And yes you're right we don't have many footballing achievements to crow about. That's why it's so nice to look back on the day when Slim Jim ran up the left wing playing keepie-uppie while ripping the pish out of a bunch of arrogant Englishmen. Sadly it's a long time ago and unlikely to be repeated but it's a nice memory of the days when we had genuine world class payers in the team.

And I also wonder why a nation of 55 million seems to be so touchy at times about what a tiny neighbour thinks. Signs of insecurity there I think.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Berlin Fritz

I do remember Wembley getting wrecked, pitch torn up, and goal posts smashed by certain 'fans' from the norf.

Fritz Von then the fixture was stopped innit

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by TomK

That was a total embarrassment Fritz. Completely unacceptable behaviour and in stark contrast to the current Tartan Army's "let's have a good time whatever happens" attitude which I also don't find very acceptable. Fans who sing songs about how crap the team is and celebrate abject failure need their heads looked at. Still I suppose it's preferable to some other countries' travelling supports.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Chunny Nochubb

why not get up to date and name it after a current local hero - "The Sanjeev Kumar Bridge"

Chunny Whadyameanhesafictionalcharacterinnit

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by TomK

I think this has been a basically good but naive intention and it's gone a wee bit awry because football fans are probably more up for a bit of banter than other sections of the population. Everybody up here fully expects it to be called The Bobby Moore bridge or something like that. Nobody would seriously expect anything else in the English national stadium.

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by Berlin Fritz

I think it could have a few attributes directed towards it, in that entering the Stadium by the bridge would/will be known as taking the Sir Stanley & Sir Bobby Way, and the return journey irrespective of the game, or the result, the Georgie Best & Jimmy Greaves shuffle, what d'yer reckon ?

Fritz Von You know it makes sense

Posted on: 01 March 2005 by long-time-dead

So we are agreed then :

The Bob Geldof Bridge - named in honour of a man whose determination enabled him to do something on a global scale to try to help the starving in Africa when Governments across the world failed.

A bridge leading to a stadium where legions of fans can watch their sporting heroes live out their own personal dreams.

.............. or did we all forget the humanitarian issue I mentioned ?

I think it is hilarious how Tony Banks has brought this to a head in Parliament (let us not forget the British Parliament !) whilst the entire vote could have been done and dusted if English fans got together and voted for Bobby Moore .......

Or is it an indication of how united Scots are and how fragmented the English are ?

Posted on: 02 March 2005 by Shayman

I deliberately said that about Scotland by the way as I always like to see the Scottish response to such bravado

Spent many years living there having such discussions on a regular basis.

Jonathan (A Scotland and England football fan)

Posted on: 02 March 2005 by graham55

This "naming" lark can get out of hand. When Man City moved out of Maine Road a couple of years ago, they wanted to give a feeling of continuity between the old and the new. So they decided that one "End" of the new stadium would be named after their fans' favourite former player and announced a poll. They had to abandon the plan when it became clear that Colin BELL was way out in front!

G

Posted on: 02 March 2005 by TomK

Graham that's hilarious. No former players called Knob?