Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Free the Unicorn
This will be the last post from me concerning the referendum before the vote and this one is going to be an impassioned plea for those who are undecided or soft nos to look comprehensively and decisively at the evidence out there before going to the polls tomorrow. Trying to persuade people who are decisive nos would be a waste of time at this stage. I don't agree with them but living in a democracy that is their decision and I respect that.
Now to the meat of the piece, opinion polls a couple of weeks ago had the Yes vote narrowly ahead of the No vote and this reportedly caused the value of the pound sterling to fall. Up until this point David Cameron had shown very little interest in how the vote was going. Suddenly him and the other party leaders Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg were in Scotland faster than you could say "I pledge to vote against any increase in fees". Where did I get that phrase from Nick?...
We now have David Cameron telling us that he would be "heartbroken" if Scotland votes to leave the UK. Now, while this referendum is not about the Tories despite some of the more nationalistic Yes voters believing that is, a chance to get a government that we choose is too good to miss. For 23 of the past 35 years no matter what way Scotland has voted they have not got the government they have voted for. Scotland has no representatives in the House of Lords yet currently they can veto any of our propositions. English and Welsh MPs get rightfully annoyed at the fact that Scottish MPs get a vote on matters that concern English and Welsh towns and cities, so why should a house that doesn't represent Scotland get a say in Scottish matters?
Nick Clegg made the pledge I had a wee dig at earlier on and who was the member of parliament that signed off on the increase in tuition fees in England? I'm not going to insult the reader's intelligence by going any further on that. Cameron, Clegg and Milliband (who is a complete irrelevance in my opinion) have made a vow that was printed on the front cover of the Daily Record however Philip Davies the Conservative MP for Shipley in Yorkshire tweeted that he will vote against Scotland receiving any more than we do now and I suspect his opinion is shared by others in the Houses of Parliament.
If we vote for the status quo, it implies that we believe that the current state of the country is acceptable. Apologies for the language but is it fuck. Food banks are popping up everywhere in the UK, the number of homeless people begging around the country has been startlingly more visible, I in no way believe that someone is more deserving of help in Dunfermline, Edinburgh or Glasgow than somewhere like Derby, Cardiff or London but by having control of our own matters then Scotland at least has a chance of making things right with the abject poverty that is very visible throughout the country.
The government are starting to sell off chunks of the NHS to their friends down south and many respected people involved in the health service are urging people to vote yes because we will be powerless to stop the gradual privatisation of our national health service so only the elite will be able to afford to heal if they are sick or injured.
Gordon Brown used to be our Prime Minister and gave Scotland very little when he was in office, he seems to have suddenly found his passion and backing what has been dubbed "devo max" i.e. Scotland staying in the United Kingdom with more powers. If he wanted to give those powers to us so badly then we would have already had them.
These are only some points that people have to consider before going to the polls tomorrow and I would strongly urge visiting businessforscotland.co.uk and reading articles there, but a list of things that we should be concerned about in the event of a No vote (Westminster can close Holyrood any time they wish if we are still part of the UK) which I've nicked from Pie and Bovril is as follows:
Zero hours contracts
Unending austerity
Trident
A bill for HS1 & 2/ Crossrail/ London sewer
Record numbers of families in poverty
Governments we didn't vote for
Economic inequality
EU Referendum
Democratic deficit
NHS Privatisation
Illegal wars
Tuition fees
Low wage economy
Lack of housing
Lack of rights for workers
UK's failing economy
Fuel poverty
Privatisation of assets
Neo-liberal politics
New Labour - Tories in red ties
Lack of political change
UKIP
Unfair taxation
PFI
Workfare
Expensive childcare
and another I've just thought of which is the blatant cover-up of paedophiles within the Houses of Parliament.
Finally, if you look at the British passport you will see two animals, a lion representing England which is regal and majestic while the unicorn representing Scotland is bound by chains. Now is Scotland's time to counted and release the beautiful unicorn from her chains. Whatever your feelings on the anthem Flower of Scotland the line "We can still rise now and be a nation again" has never been more apt. I don't think anyone who sings Flower of Scotland could take themselves seriously if they vote No as we will have had the chance to rise and be a nation again but shat it.
I know I haven't said anything new here but the points are valid in my opinion so when you put your wee X in the box tomorrow make sure you are confident you are doing the right thing for yourself and your country.
Saturday, 30 August 2014
The upcoming Scottish referendum
As someone is usually bored to tears with politics and indeed haven't voted since the Dunfermline by election in 2006 because of my belief that every politician is a liar and it won't make one blind bit of difference as the Scottish electorate doesn't get who they vote for anyway the Scottish referendum a few weeks ago means that my attitude (at least for the moment) has changed.
I have went through several stages in the lead up to the referendum, firstly I went with "fuck it, who cares" as was my default position in any vote and indeed my sister still has this attitude mere weeks away from the referendum but her opinion is more a defensive point of view and she has remarked "I'm no voting, so I can't be blamed if things go tits up if it's yes or no".
I then moved to a viewpoint of voting no, let's keep the status quo, my life's comfortable and there's no need for things to change and this was my stance for quite a considerable length of time before I started looking into what was actually going on and how it affected my family and I as well as the country at large. My opinion then changed again and for an even longer period of time I was undecided. I saw the propaganda that both sides were launching at each other and tried not to let that influence my decision. The dirty tricks campaigns from both sides as well as the violence and vandalism has been nothing short of unacceptable however the media coverage has been unfairly balanced in favour of the no side as the United Kingdom breaking up disadvantages many media outlets such as the BBC who will need to negotiate with a Scottish broadcaster a deal should be on similar terms as one they have Ireland, I'll admit that I'm not sure what will happen with TV licences but I'm guessing that if the BBC is no longer a main broadcaster in Scotland then that will be a loss of a fair bit of money for the BBC so that obviously affects their impartiality.
There are a few things that made me swing my decision in favour of voting yes, two of the most vulnerable groups in the country for one, carers and disabled people. My mother is a carer for my grandmother and receives an absolute pittance in Carer's Allowance. Westminster think that people receiving little or no pay for caring for vulnerable people is acceptable. The Scottish government have made a pledge that Carer's Allowance will be brought up to the same level as Jobseeker's Allowance, it's not much of an increase granted but it is an encouraging sign.
Alistair Darling was elected claiming that the Tories would slash funding for the NHS yet as part of his Better Together manifesto he has revised this opinion to claim that spending on the NHS in a UK that remains united would be unaffected. Currently Scottish residents receive prescriptions free of charge but with the NHS on the verge of being privatised down south by the Westminster government it will only be a matter of time NHS is privatised in the whole of the UK were the countries to remain together and that it will cost people money who fall ill.
Anyone who stays in and around Dunfermline is likely to know Alistair Carstairs, a wheelchair user whose love of The Pars is well known. However, this is no pro-Pars comment on Ally's behalf, this is pro-independence comment on Ally's behalf. Like many disabled people he has fallen victim to the beliefs of the government sanctioned ATOS who look into benefit claims. ATOS have claimed in the past that Ally would be fine to be employed in a desk job. I don't know of a lot of offices (there will be some, I'm not disputing that) that have lifts and many of them are in old shared buildings that only have stairs, particularly in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. In Ally's own words he is voting yes "because a yes vote is the only way vulnerable people and people who have debilitating illnesses will be treated fairly". He believes that Scotland can thrive as an independent nation and actually get the government that we vote for, that stockpiling trident and nuclear weapons in the country is completely unnecessary. He finished by stating that he is not only voting for himself but his extended family and friends. Ally has been put into a support network but feels that that things may change as the vulnerable will be penalised even further if the UK sticks with the status quo. Disabled People for Yes have called for a debate with Better Together so I will watch that one with interest.
I am old enough to remember (just) to remember the Thatcher led government that nearly tore this country apart, from family members losing their jobs at the Dockyard or Ravenscraig to Scotland being used as the testing ground for the poll tax and the country was a mess. David Cameron is doing his best to emulate Thatcher penalising people who have the cheek to have a spare bedroom in their property (yes, I know that's the whole country) and someone who could be potentially the next Prime Minister everyone's favourite buffoon Boris Johnson tearing down Better Together's promises all by himself asking "Why should Scotland get extra powers for a no vote?" and a classic foot in mouth statement stating that "£1 spent in Croydon is of greater value than spent in Strathclyde". Why? Why are people in Croydon more valuable than people in Dumbarton? We're supposed to be in this together, remember?
That leads me onto the currency issue. The pound and the currency union, a lot of people are worried over the threat from Better Together that an independent Scotland wouldn't be able to use the pound. A independent Scotland can use whatever currency it likes but would obviously prefer a currency union with the rest of the UK and has offered to take on it's fair share of the UK should this happen. If this isn't to be the case then Scotland can default on all liabilities and that would leave the rest of the UK in one hell of a mess. Now, there are many people who claim that having to change money to go to England will cause more hassle, but if you've used a Scottish note successfully down south then you're luckier than I am.
I'm just going to leave the Better Together video trying to appeal to women voters here. I'm not going to say anything about it but I trust any females who read this to be smart enough to make their own decisions.
Finally, my major reasons for voting yes. Better together haven't given any tangible reasons why it would be better to stay in the union, instead they cling onto their perceptions that things would be worse for everyone if Scotland broke away. Of all the countries that have previously gained independence not one has asked to go back to the country they broke away from. Yes, it is a huge leap of faith for Scotland to become an independent country and yes things will be difficult but since when anything worth having easy to achieve? I have faith in the Scottish people and I have faith in Scotland. I sincerely hope that the majority of people who vote in the referendum feel the same way I do.
I mentioned previously that vandalism, violence etc. from elements in both sides is unacceptable and I stand by that. I know people who I would call friends and they are voting no. I don't agree with them but I respect their opinion and I hope that no matter what way you are voting that you respect the choice of others to vote differently from yourself.
I have went through several stages in the lead up to the referendum, firstly I went with "fuck it, who cares" as was my default position in any vote and indeed my sister still has this attitude mere weeks away from the referendum but her opinion is more a defensive point of view and she has remarked "I'm no voting, so I can't be blamed if things go tits up if it's yes or no".
I then moved to a viewpoint of voting no, let's keep the status quo, my life's comfortable and there's no need for things to change and this was my stance for quite a considerable length of time before I started looking into what was actually going on and how it affected my family and I as well as the country at large. My opinion then changed again and for an even longer period of time I was undecided. I saw the propaganda that both sides were launching at each other and tried not to let that influence my decision. The dirty tricks campaigns from both sides as well as the violence and vandalism has been nothing short of unacceptable however the media coverage has been unfairly balanced in favour of the no side as the United Kingdom breaking up disadvantages many media outlets such as the BBC who will need to negotiate with a Scottish broadcaster a deal should be on similar terms as one they have Ireland, I'll admit that I'm not sure what will happen with TV licences but I'm guessing that if the BBC is no longer a main broadcaster in Scotland then that will be a loss of a fair bit of money for the BBC so that obviously affects their impartiality.
There are a few things that made me swing my decision in favour of voting yes, two of the most vulnerable groups in the country for one, carers and disabled people. My mother is a carer for my grandmother and receives an absolute pittance in Carer's Allowance. Westminster think that people receiving little or no pay for caring for vulnerable people is acceptable. The Scottish government have made a pledge that Carer's Allowance will be brought up to the same level as Jobseeker's Allowance, it's not much of an increase granted but it is an encouraging sign.
Alistair Darling was elected claiming that the Tories would slash funding for the NHS yet as part of his Better Together manifesto he has revised this opinion to claim that spending on the NHS in a UK that remains united would be unaffected. Currently Scottish residents receive prescriptions free of charge but with the NHS on the verge of being privatised down south by the Westminster government it will only be a matter of time NHS is privatised in the whole of the UK were the countries to remain together and that it will cost people money who fall ill.
Anyone who stays in and around Dunfermline is likely to know Alistair Carstairs, a wheelchair user whose love of The Pars is well known. However, this is no pro-Pars comment on Ally's behalf, this is pro-independence comment on Ally's behalf. Like many disabled people he has fallen victim to the beliefs of the government sanctioned ATOS who look into benefit claims. ATOS have claimed in the past that Ally would be fine to be employed in a desk job. I don't know of a lot of offices (there will be some, I'm not disputing that) that have lifts and many of them are in old shared buildings that only have stairs, particularly in cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. In Ally's own words he is voting yes "because a yes vote is the only way vulnerable people and people who have debilitating illnesses will be treated fairly". He believes that Scotland can thrive as an independent nation and actually get the government that we vote for, that stockpiling trident and nuclear weapons in the country is completely unnecessary. He finished by stating that he is not only voting for himself but his extended family and friends. Ally has been put into a support network but feels that that things may change as the vulnerable will be penalised even further if the UK sticks with the status quo. Disabled People for Yes have called for a debate with Better Together so I will watch that one with interest.
I am old enough to remember (just) to remember the Thatcher led government that nearly tore this country apart, from family members losing their jobs at the Dockyard or Ravenscraig to Scotland being used as the testing ground for the poll tax and the country was a mess. David Cameron is doing his best to emulate Thatcher penalising people who have the cheek to have a spare bedroom in their property (yes, I know that's the whole country) and someone who could be potentially the next Prime Minister everyone's favourite buffoon Boris Johnson tearing down Better Together's promises all by himself asking "Why should Scotland get extra powers for a no vote?" and a classic foot in mouth statement stating that "£1 spent in Croydon is of greater value than spent in Strathclyde". Why? Why are people in Croydon more valuable than people in Dumbarton? We're supposed to be in this together, remember?
That leads me onto the currency issue. The pound and the currency union, a lot of people are worried over the threat from Better Together that an independent Scotland wouldn't be able to use the pound. A independent Scotland can use whatever currency it likes but would obviously prefer a currency union with the rest of the UK and has offered to take on it's fair share of the UK should this happen. If this isn't to be the case then Scotland can default on all liabilities and that would leave the rest of the UK in one hell of a mess. Now, there are many people who claim that having to change money to go to England will cause more hassle, but if you've used a Scottish note successfully down south then you're luckier than I am.
I'm just going to leave the Better Together video trying to appeal to women voters here. I'm not going to say anything about it but I trust any females who read this to be smart enough to make their own decisions.
Finally, my major reasons for voting yes. Better together haven't given any tangible reasons why it would be better to stay in the union, instead they cling onto their perceptions that things would be worse for everyone if Scotland broke away. Of all the countries that have previously gained independence not one has asked to go back to the country they broke away from. Yes, it is a huge leap of faith for Scotland to become an independent country and yes things will be difficult but since when anything worth having easy to achieve? I have faith in the Scottish people and I have faith in Scotland. I sincerely hope that the majority of people who vote in the referendum feel the same way I do.
I mentioned previously that vandalism, violence etc. from elements in both sides is unacceptable and I stand by that. I know people who I would call friends and they are voting no. I don't agree with them but I respect their opinion and I hope that no matter what way you are voting that you respect the choice of others to vote differently from yourself.
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
The Job Experience Paradox
After graduating from university I find myself in the same position as many other people leaving school, college or university and the vast majority of them much younger than me also but I digress. After returning to education for 6 years I have went and achieved something that I would never have imagined that I would have my name on in the form of an honours degree. However, my experience in that field is limited at best which puts me at a disadvantage when trying to acquire employment and get the job centre off my back.
An interesting article prompted me to write this piece appeared on the C&IT website stating that event salaries for mid level and senior roles are on the rise due to a shortage of talent in those positions.
My feeling is that more people should be employed at entry level and then trained up into mid level and senior roles as this would be more cost effective than trying to headhunt someone who may or may not exist and if they do exist paying them over the odds.
My frustrations are borne out of the fact that I have now lost count of the number of events positions I have applied for (some I've even accidentally applied for twice) since I graduated and yet I am yet to receive a single interview with almost every knockback citing lack of experience as the reason for my application being rejected. I have recently finished volunteering at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games and it was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone and I naively thought that working at those massive events as well as the fantastic reference I received from the creative live events company who ran the ceremonies would give my events career the shot in the arm it sorely needs but alas it is not to be (thus far). Almost every application is met with another demoralising "no thanks" and has had me contemplating a return to retail even though I really don't want to as I am far more passionate about events than I ever was in my 10 years working in retail but then even ASDA said no.
Another thing that is a roadblock to applying for events jobs is that many of the job site searches are dominated by companies such as Glasgow Interactive, Celica Marketing, IJP, A4 Interactive and many others who are nothing more than cold calling companies either door to door, over the phone, in shopping centres or in the street who pay their staff on a commission only basis hence the aggressive tactics of their staff in trying to get people to sign up for whatever it is they are selling or raising money for. These companies buy premium space on job sites and use buzzwords and phrases such as "Events Sales Assistant" (there is no event to speak of), "Graduates Welcome" (this will be of particular interest to younger and naive graduates perhaps looking for their first job). The sheer dominance of these adverts on the job sites normally leads to people clicking on it and possibly applying for the position (a recent advert on reed had 16 applications a day after being posted). People who work for these companies normally work between 10 and 12 hours and are lucky to grab half an hour for something to eat at most and like stated previously no "sales" means no wages.
Hopefully, a forthcoming rejigging of my CV using advice I've read on the Guardian Careers website including a section of making the most of your degree will make my CV more attractive to potential employers but at times it's like a dog chasing it's tail. I won't get any tangible work experience to the level that employers are looking for if I can't get my foot in the door and then the paradox appears again and while there aren't many if any events employees at entry level capable of making the step up to mid or senior level the talent shortage will become even more apparent.
Recently I have had a constructive discussion about helping with events and the marketing of events with the new event coordinator at Abbot House and it is something I am very willing to do to gain experience, however this in on a voluntary basis and as much as I love volunteering for the people at Abbot House and gaining experience in the field will help even the basics such as food and clothing cost money and scraping by on dole money is far from ideal.
I realise that this piece just looks like a lot of whinging and to be fair it probably is but sometimes you just need an outlet before knock back after knock back kicks off a depression spiral as it is demoralising not to even have an interview to prove yourself such as in the tragic incident in which a 20 year old lad became so disillusioned he took his own life. I can't pretend to know what was going through the boy's head but I can certainly empathise with him.
An interesting article prompted me to write this piece appeared on the C&IT website stating that event salaries for mid level and senior roles are on the rise due to a shortage of talent in those positions.
My feeling is that more people should be employed at entry level and then trained up into mid level and senior roles as this would be more cost effective than trying to headhunt someone who may or may not exist and if they do exist paying them over the odds.
My frustrations are borne out of the fact that I have now lost count of the number of events positions I have applied for (some I've even accidentally applied for twice) since I graduated and yet I am yet to receive a single interview with almost every knockback citing lack of experience as the reason for my application being rejected. I have recently finished volunteering at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games and it was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone and I naively thought that working at those massive events as well as the fantastic reference I received from the creative live events company who ran the ceremonies would give my events career the shot in the arm it sorely needs but alas it is not to be (thus far). Almost every application is met with another demoralising "no thanks" and has had me contemplating a return to retail even though I really don't want to as I am far more passionate about events than I ever was in my 10 years working in retail but then even ASDA said no.
Another thing that is a roadblock to applying for events jobs is that many of the job site searches are dominated by companies such as Glasgow Interactive, Celica Marketing, IJP, A4 Interactive and many others who are nothing more than cold calling companies either door to door, over the phone, in shopping centres or in the street who pay their staff on a commission only basis hence the aggressive tactics of their staff in trying to get people to sign up for whatever it is they are selling or raising money for. These companies buy premium space on job sites and use buzzwords and phrases such as "Events Sales Assistant" (there is no event to speak of), "Graduates Welcome" (this will be of particular interest to younger and naive graduates perhaps looking for their first job). The sheer dominance of these adverts on the job sites normally leads to people clicking on it and possibly applying for the position (a recent advert on reed had 16 applications a day after being posted). People who work for these companies normally work between 10 and 12 hours and are lucky to grab half an hour for something to eat at most and like stated previously no "sales" means no wages.
Hopefully, a forthcoming rejigging of my CV using advice I've read on the Guardian Careers website including a section of making the most of your degree will make my CV more attractive to potential employers but at times it's like a dog chasing it's tail. I won't get any tangible work experience to the level that employers are looking for if I can't get my foot in the door and then the paradox appears again and while there aren't many if any events employees at entry level capable of making the step up to mid or senior level the talent shortage will become even more apparent.
Recently I have had a constructive discussion about helping with events and the marketing of events with the new event coordinator at Abbot House and it is something I am very willing to do to gain experience, however this in on a voluntary basis and as much as I love volunteering for the people at Abbot House and gaining experience in the field will help even the basics such as food and clothing cost money and scraping by on dole money is far from ideal.
I realise that this piece just looks like a lot of whinging and to be fair it probably is but sometimes you just need an outlet before knock back after knock back kicks off a depression spiral as it is demoralising not to even have an interview to prove yourself such as in the tragic incident in which a 20 year old lad became so disillusioned he took his own life. I can't pretend to know what was going through the boy's head but I can certainly empathise with him.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Gary Riddell
I have decided to start a third blog (we'll see how long this lasts) just on general things going through my head. People who know me through my personal life and through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are well aware that I support Dunfermline Athletic and I hope my opening post here does the subject justice.
The vast majority of the footballing world are aware of the events of 15th April 1989 at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield so I'm not going to go into the ins and outs and who was to blame on this piece (I may do so in a later article). A young Dunfermline Athletic player decided that during the close season after Dunfermline had re-gained promotion to the Scottish Premier Division that he was going to run the Dunfermline Half Marathon to raise money for the Hillsborough victims fund. That player was 22 year old defender Gary Riddell who had been a regular presence as The Pars lifted their first ever Scottish First Division title keeping club legend Norrie McCathie out of the side at times, with McCathie even being sent on loan to Ayr United for a couple of games during the season to re-gain match fitness. Riddell was to collapse around the 10 mile mark and a fellow runner who was a doctor came to his aid with a nearby ambulance crew who were a mere 100 yards away called over to assist. Unfortunately he was pronounced dead on arrival at Dunfermline and West Fife Hospital.
While people are more aware of more prominent figures for the club having their lives tragically cut short such as the aforementioned Norrie McCathie or cup winning full-back John Lunn it is fair to say that on that hot June day in 1989 the shock and disbelief at such a promising clean living young player with no apparent health issues was just as numbing as the two club legends.
Gary Riddell had signed for Dunfermline from Aberdeen for around £40,000 of the proceeds of the club selling Ian McCall to Rangers for £200,000 and was one of the players referred to when club manager Jim Leishman who was trying to appease supporters angry at the sale of McCall said "I have sold an ace to buy four kings". The signing of Riddell was surprising to many as he was only 21 and only featured in the Aberdeen reserve team when it was expected that Leishman would generally look to bring in more experienced players to play alongside Norrie McCathie at the heart of the Pars defence for the Fife side's first ever season in the Premier Division especially with 3 teams being relegated due to league reconstruction with the reduction in size of the top division in Scotland from 12 to 10 teams the following season.
The aim of avoiding relegation proved to be too much for The Pars with them finishing 11th and only Greenock Morton beneath them in the table. Gary was to make 22 league appearances during this season and 2 in the Scottish Cup. The following season was to have a better ending with Dunfermline beating local rivals Falkirk to the title by a margin of 2 points after a nervy 1-1 draw with Meadowbank Thistle. Riddell again made 22 appearances in the league, he also was selected for 2 games in the Scottish Cup (both against former club Aberdeen) and 3 in the Skol Cup.
There are a couple of ways in Dunfermline and the wider West Fife area that Gary is remembered with primary schools competing for the Gary Riddell Memorial Trophy and the competition's inaugural winners Inzievar Primary School from Oakley appeared on popular children's programme "Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade" in a segment later that year.
The other is/was in the form of the DAFC Players' Player of the Year Trophy that was re-named the Gary Riddell Players' Player of the Year Trophy after his untimely death, however it has been alleged the trophy was not returned after Derek Stillie won it.
The reason for writing this piece is that it is exactly 25 years to the day since Gary Riddell got the call to play centre half for God's XI and that even though the young defender only played for Dunfermline for 2 seasons is to show that in the eyes of Pars fans he will always be remembered.
The vast majority of the footballing world are aware of the events of 15th April 1989 at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield so I'm not going to go into the ins and outs and who was to blame on this piece (I may do so in a later article). A young Dunfermline Athletic player decided that during the close season after Dunfermline had re-gained promotion to the Scottish Premier Division that he was going to run the Dunfermline Half Marathon to raise money for the Hillsborough victims fund. That player was 22 year old defender Gary Riddell who had been a regular presence as The Pars lifted their first ever Scottish First Division title keeping club legend Norrie McCathie out of the side at times, with McCathie even being sent on loan to Ayr United for a couple of games during the season to re-gain match fitness. Riddell was to collapse around the 10 mile mark and a fellow runner who was a doctor came to his aid with a nearby ambulance crew who were a mere 100 yards away called over to assist. Unfortunately he was pronounced dead on arrival at Dunfermline and West Fife Hospital.
While people are more aware of more prominent figures for the club having their lives tragically cut short such as the aforementioned Norrie McCathie or cup winning full-back John Lunn it is fair to say that on that hot June day in 1989 the shock and disbelief at such a promising clean living young player with no apparent health issues was just as numbing as the two club legends.
Gary Riddell had signed for Dunfermline from Aberdeen for around £40,000 of the proceeds of the club selling Ian McCall to Rangers for £200,000 and was one of the players referred to when club manager Jim Leishman who was trying to appease supporters angry at the sale of McCall said "I have sold an ace to buy four kings". The signing of Riddell was surprising to many as he was only 21 and only featured in the Aberdeen reserve team when it was expected that Leishman would generally look to bring in more experienced players to play alongside Norrie McCathie at the heart of the Pars defence for the Fife side's first ever season in the Premier Division especially with 3 teams being relegated due to league reconstruction with the reduction in size of the top division in Scotland from 12 to 10 teams the following season.
The aim of avoiding relegation proved to be too much for The Pars with them finishing 11th and only Greenock Morton beneath them in the table. Gary was to make 22 league appearances during this season and 2 in the Scottish Cup. The following season was to have a better ending with Dunfermline beating local rivals Falkirk to the title by a margin of 2 points after a nervy 1-1 draw with Meadowbank Thistle. Riddell again made 22 appearances in the league, he also was selected for 2 games in the Scottish Cup (both against former club Aberdeen) and 3 in the Skol Cup.
There are a couple of ways in Dunfermline and the wider West Fife area that Gary is remembered with primary schools competing for the Gary Riddell Memorial Trophy and the competition's inaugural winners Inzievar Primary School from Oakley appeared on popular children's programme "Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade" in a segment later that year.
The other is/was in the form of the DAFC Players' Player of the Year Trophy that was re-named the Gary Riddell Players' Player of the Year Trophy after his untimely death, however it has been alleged the trophy was not returned after Derek Stillie won it.
The reason for writing this piece is that it is exactly 25 years to the day since Gary Riddell got the call to play centre half for God's XI and that even though the young defender only played for Dunfermline for 2 seasons is to show that in the eyes of Pars fans he will always be remembered.
Gary Riddell signs for The Pars accompanied by then club chairman Mel Rennie and manager Jim Leishman
(photo nabbed from @officialdafc Twitter).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)