Couple of points; Brooks didn't take over Gretna until 2003, not straight away and had nothing to do with the club getting into the Scottish League. He wasn't involved at that time at all. I rang up Peter Donald at the SFA myself from home to enquire about Airdrieonians's fate and then raced down to the Club to tell Ron MacGregor (Club Secretary) and Dimmel (Treasurer) what had just gone on. Secondly I never heard ANYONE at the Club - supporters, players or management - say that the Unibond was better than the Scottish Third Division. Gretna is in Scotland and we all wanted the team to play in the Scottish system.
Thanks for your input. I’m actually questioning where I got that bit about staying in the English from as I can’t find it right now, must’ve been something dodgy.
@@CallumBlyth I used to be a Vice President at Leek Town and spoke to some of the Gretna directors during what turned out to be their final season in English football. They were very proud of what they'd achieved in English football, being the first team to go up from the Northern League to the Northern Premier League after the more junior League joined the pyramid. Although they seemed to see the SPFL as their potential future I never got the impression that they desperately wanted to be in the Scottish set-up simply because they were Scottish (in the same way the opposite doesn't bother Berwick). At the time I spoke to them they had no idea Airdrie would fold so didn't expect to get an opportunity so soon. I liked them, enjoyed my visit there too, and was delighted when they got into the SPFL. I really resented Mileson for destroying them.
In fairness, there were a lot of people at the time and in the media who pointed out this wasn't a fairytale. Scottish football has had quite a few of these characters down the years (Di Stefano at Dundee and Romanov at Hearts) and they almost always end in a cautionary tale of hubris and financial ruin. Well done, an interesting watch!
Really glad to see someone actually cover this story accurately. Gretna's model is not a "fairytale". It's the perfect example of so much of what can be wrong about modern football. Paying wages for Premiership players while in the 4th and 3rd tier is just completely unsustainable and unsporting. In a somewhat similar vein to the Wrexham "fairytale", I find the typical media coverage of these stories to be nauseating. It's not a perfect example of sporting miracle, it's capitalist egocentricity gone mad. Good video mate. Been enjoying the content so far.
> Paying wages for Premiership players while in the 4th and 3rd tier is just completely unsustainable ... Normally I'd agree. But it looks like there's one young upstart team who were accepted into the SPFL and immediately set about implementing that very model. It appears to be working out for them as they followed Gretna's meteoric rise, but managed to remain in business and are still in the top tier to this day.
@@les_chegwin True, a remarkable sporting miracle from Sevco 2012. Credit must be given to one of the country's newest clubs for making it all the way to the top and winning their first top flight title. Very amusing that despite their millions the new club didn't have 3 consecutive promotions like Gretna did.
These two stories are a bit irrelevant to the main conversation, so I apologize, but I do want to share them. One time after a Gretna game (which was actually the first Scottish league match against Greenock Morton) some weans (all about 8-12) were playing on the pitch after the game. They were doing no harm and it was lovely to see. Anyway one of them hoofs the balls off the pitch and it lands near me. I was going to kick it straight back, but I thought....this is my chance! I dribbled the ball around three of the bairns and poked it in the corner of the net and finished with a goal celebration of a Mick Channon arm swing (Southampton are my English team, grew up in England before my move to the greatest country in the world.)//// During the first game vs Morton one of the players got injured but the ref didnae blow up. Two St John's people ran onto the pitch - while the ball was still in play - and started to treat the stricken player. Rowan was yelling 'GET OFF THE F****** PITCH!' Funny as owt!
The problem of having a stadium larger than the town/village where it resides is an interesting one. There's at least one example of a side who somehow made this work. Ross County's Victoria Park has a capacity of 6500, and Dingwall only has ~5500 residents. That is a much narrower gap than Gretna had though, and, if I remember rightly, after being accepted into the SFL they developed their club more slowly and organically than Gretna did.
@@CallumBlyth True, and fewer clubs nearby will also help. Gretna had some more established teams nearby in the form of Carlisle and Queen of the South, who they'd be competing with for supporters.
Another little side thing - Gretna had a Ladies team who were in the English system and did - believe it or not play the likes of Man United (at the Cliff or Carrington or whatever it's called) and Blackburn. They punched above their weight, and although they didn't win against those two they beat a lot of other Ladies teams. Trouble was in early 2003, the manager resigned and funding basically stopped. I realized a lot of the players needed at team and I got a lot of them to join Carlisle.
I remember Mileson trying to buy Carlisle and thought he was as deluded as Knighton a decade earlier. My cousin dated a Gretna player in the early 90s so I found this video really interesting.
People keep talking of Wrexham like it's some sort of fairytale too. Having seen what happened to Grenta I have deep misgivings about Wrexham, although absolutely nothing against them or their fans.
Gretna were no more or less a proper club than any other small club before Mileson came along. Unlike Livingston they didn't take somebody else's club away.
@@robbie73vespa I agree about Livingston but they are still nothing like Gretna, who had a considerable history in the English pyramid before joining the SPFL. They were at least in the League by a fair vote before Mileson ruined them Livingston just stole somebody else's club to get into the League.
Couple of points; Brooks didn't take over Gretna until 2003, not straight away and had nothing to do with the club getting into the Scottish League. He wasn't involved at that time at all. I rang up Peter Donald at the SFA myself from home to enquire about Airdrieonians's fate and then raced down to the Club to tell Ron MacGregor (Club Secretary) and Dimmel (Treasurer) what had just gone on. Secondly I never heard ANYONE at the Club - supporters, players or management - say that the Unibond was better than the Scottish Third Division. Gretna is in Scotland and we all wanted the team to play in the Scottish system.
Thanks for your input. I’m actually questioning where I got that bit about staying in the English from as I can’t find it right now, must’ve been something dodgy.
@@CallumBlyth I used to be a Vice President at Leek Town and spoke to some of the Gretna directors during what turned out to be their final season in English football. They were very proud of what they'd achieved in English football, being the first team to go up from the Northern League to the Northern Premier League after the more junior League joined the pyramid. Although they seemed to see the SPFL as their potential future I never got the impression that they desperately wanted to be in the Scottish set-up simply because they were Scottish (in the same way the opposite doesn't bother Berwick). At the time I spoke to them they had no idea Airdrie would fold so didn't expect to get an opportunity so soon.
I liked them, enjoyed my visit there too, and was delighted when they got into the SPFL. I really resented Mileson for destroying them.
In fairness, there were a lot of people at the time and in the media who pointed out this wasn't a fairytale. Scottish football has had quite a few of these characters down the years (Di Stefano at Dundee and Romanov at Hearts) and they almost always end in a cautionary tale of hubris and financial ruin. Well done, an interesting watch!
Really glad to see someone actually cover this story accurately. Gretna's model is not a "fairytale". It's the perfect example of so much of what can be wrong about modern football. Paying wages for Premiership players while in the 4th and 3rd tier is just completely unsustainable and unsporting.
In a somewhat similar vein to the Wrexham "fairytale", I find the typical media coverage of these stories to be nauseating. It's not a perfect example of sporting miracle, it's capitalist egocentricity gone mad.
Good video mate. Been enjoying the content so far.
It was very much a fairytale at the time
> Paying wages for Premiership players while in the 4th and 3rd tier is just completely unsustainable ...
Normally I'd agree. But it looks like there's one young upstart team who were accepted into the SPFL and immediately set about implementing that very model. It appears to be working out for them as they followed Gretna's meteoric rise, but managed to remain in business and are still in the top tier to this day.
@@les_chegwin True, a remarkable sporting miracle from Sevco 2012. Credit must be given to one of the country's newest clubs for making it all the way to the top and winning their first top flight title.
Very amusing that despite their millions the new club didn't have 3 consecutive promotions like Gretna did.
This is a brilliant wee documentary. You're the Scottish HITC7s which I mean as a big compliment
That's what I was aiming for, Thank you
You and Sam at Footy Adventures are now getting me more interested in Scottish football and I thank you both. I support Coventry City
Thank you, Sam's stuff is excellent
Hello fellow SBA. I'm a Cov fan staying in Dumbarton these days. Both elephant & castle logos!
These two stories are a bit irrelevant to the main conversation, so I apologize, but I do want to share them. One time after a Gretna game (which was actually the first Scottish league match against Greenock Morton) some weans (all about 8-12) were playing on the pitch after the game. They were doing no harm and it was lovely to see. Anyway one of them hoofs the balls off the pitch and it lands near me. I was going to kick it straight back, but I thought....this is my chance! I dribbled the ball around three of the bairns and poked it in the corner of the net and finished with a goal celebration of a Mick Channon arm swing (Southampton are my English team, grew up in England before my move to the greatest country in the world.)//// During the first game vs Morton one of the players got injured but the ref didnae blow up. Two St John's people ran onto the pitch - while the ball was still in play - and started to treat the stricken player. Rowan was yelling 'GET OFF THE F****** PITCH!' Funny as owt!
I’ve spent most of my life in Gretna and it’s quite extraordinary what happened
The problem of having a stadium larger than the town/village where it resides is an interesting one. There's at least one example of a side who somehow made this work. Ross County's Victoria Park has a capacity of 6500, and Dingwall only has ~5500 residents. That is a much narrower gap than Gretna had though, and, if I remember rightly, after being accepted into the SFL they developed their club more slowly and organically than Gretna did.
Ross County have a larger catchment area than just Dingwall which is a big helper. Ross-shire and Sutherland will have County fans all over.
@@CallumBlyth True, and fewer clubs nearby will also help. Gretna had some more established teams nearby in the form of Carlisle and Queen of the South, who they'd be competing with for supporters.
Great video again Calum!
Should do a video on Anelka at Raith Rovers, Romanov era at Hearts and Rangers liquidation and how the SFA glossed over the period
Anelka is on the agenda for obvious reasons. Romanov would be interesting, he’s living in a submarine in the arctic last I’d heard.
Keep up the videos, great to hear stories like these
Another banger Callum. Good work!
Another little side thing - Gretna had a Ladies team who were in the English system and did - believe it or not play the likes of Man United (at the Cliff or Carrington or whatever it's called) and Blackburn. They punched above their weight, and although they didn't win against those two they beat a lot of other Ladies teams. Trouble was in early 2003, the manager resigned and funding basically stopped. I realized a lot of the players needed at team and I got a lot of them to join Carlisle.
Cracking video. Brought back lots of memories. Can only think of it as a scam. Their was no way it was ever going to be sustainable.
Im a St Johnstone fan and the Gretna promotion season was my first ever season of being a football fan at around 6 or 7 years old. Heartbreaking stuff
At least you got the cup double season to make up for it
I know it's England, but there's gotta be a good video to be made about Michael Knighton & Carlisle hasn't there?
Fascinating video mate 👍
Thank you
These videos are class! Please keep them coming
Will do
I remember Mileson trying to buy Carlisle and thought he was as deluded as Knighton a decade earlier. My cousin dated a Gretna player in the early 90s so I found this video really interesting.
Should make a video on Brechin down fall
That’s a good idea thank you
People keep talking of Wrexham like it's some sort of fairytale too. Having seen what happened to Grenta I have deep misgivings about Wrexham, although absolutely nothing against them or their fans.
Wrexham at least have a chance of being sustainable due to the catchment area but I agree with the whole media fairytale aspect.
Gretna are like a Livingston, not a proper club with a tiny fanbase 🙄 shame they never beat manky Hearts in that Cup Final though as they deserved it.
Gretna were no more or less a proper club than any other small club before Mileson came along. Unlike Livingston they didn't take somebody else's club away.
@@RW-nr6bh Livingston are a new club without proper history that's what's i ment 🍻
@@robbie73vespa I agree about Livingston but they are still nothing like Gretna, who had a considerable history in the English pyramid before joining the SPFL. They were at least in the League by a fair vote before Mileson ruined them
Livingston just stole somebody else's club to get into the League.