Abot Bl00Dy Time!

[Duncer]

England got a shiny new Wembley, Scotland got a refurbished Hampden Park and Wales got the Millennium Stadium, so why did we have to wait so long?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21514346

Still, it's on the way, and about time too!

[Duncer]

ichkeria - some great old clips of the Windsor I grew up with, barrel room and all..........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21510912

[ichkeria]

A lot of the delay was caused by all the nonsense about the Maze site. Thankfully common sense prevailed.
I remember my first trip to Windsor: 1977 I think. Linfield 4, Coleraine 2. And a notorious cup game a few months later, when I witnessed a massive lump of concrete being hurled onto the pitch at a Coleraine player. No one seemed to notice but me!
And 2 memorable Cup Final wins: 1985 Ulster Cup v Portadown and 2003 Irish Cup v Glentoran.

[Duncer]

The Maze site was a ludicrous proposal from day one, and Howard Wells will probably never forgive me for my remarks at a public meeting. He stated that if the Maze went ahead then he could deliver a UEFA Cup Final as it had the required capacity, unitl I pointed out the UEFA ruling on the requisite number of hotel beds before any venue can host such an event. Add in the terror memorial aspect of the Maze and it was a pie in the sky idea all along.

I feel we are beig a bit short-changed as per the proportion of money going to Windsor Park, (no doubt Sinn Fein are making sure Casement Park gets a disproortionate allocation of the total of £125 million), and we are poorly served as regards the other three associations, but at least something is happening.

I would have been at both the games you mentioned as I rarely missed a game back then, and the Irish Cup game also involved some loony trying to hit Vince Magee with a flagpole as he went up the tunnel, as well as a real hard core hooligan throwing eggs at a few Coleraine players. The joys of Irish League football?

My Coleraine daft good friend Moby was at the more recent Irish Cup Final; do you know him?

[ichkeria]

Trouble is Duncer I'm so out of touch now as I'm rarely ever in Coleraine.
I'm not sure I was at the 'walking stick' game. I remember afterwards a group of proper Linfield fans clubbed together for a trophy for Vincent and it was one of the big man's proudest possessions.

[Duncer]

Moby, like me, is based in Jockoland, but goes home for big Coleraine games and follows NI home and away, in fact he hasn't missed a game in years. I wish I could afford to do the same?

[Duncer]

On the subject of Vince Magee, he was an unothodox but brilliant keeper.

[ichkeria]

Yes for a big guy he was able to get down low surprisingly quickly (sometimes!!)

In the probably unlikely event we get to the Irish Cup Final then I really want to go ...

[Duncer]

Fingers crossed for you, but I fear Clim'ville could do the treble.