WHAT IF CHRISTMAS DAY FELL ON A SATURDAY?
It was very much an old English tradition playing football on Christmas Day but just say Christmas Day fell on a Saturday would Hibernian Football Club play the fixture or would the SPFL leave it up to the individual clubs to decide?
Would the fact that the match was to be played on Christmas Day lead to an increased or a decreased attendance?
I remember growing up in the sixties and every Christmas Day my father having to go out to work as Christmas Day was not a holiday in Scotland
The world of course has changed
In 1965 HIBS played an away fixture at Aberdeen on Christmas Day and won 3-1 Pat Stanton said he was amazed at the number of Hibees in the 9500 crowd given the poor transport options back then
Back in 1971 HIBS played their last game on Christmas Day losing to Rangers 0-1 in front of a 25000 crowd at Easter Road.
To many HIBS fans it would have been an opportunity to get out of the house and blow away the cobwebs an escape from Christmas TV but would the women folk put up with it nowadays?
You also have the added problem of poor transport Sunday service and the often inclement weather.
Growing up in Scotland it was tradition in our family on New Years Day that the men folk went to the fitba and then back to my grans in Dalry for Steak Pie.
I still remember with great fondness rushing back to her house after the 7-0 game and the whole family huddled around the black and white telly waiting on the highlights coming on at 7.00 pm.
It was the first of January 1973 the day the UK joined the European Union.
So what about it?
Would you attend a match on Christmas Day or would you rather keep that as a day to be spent with friends and family?
I exclude this December from the debate as the December schedule is an absolute joke
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/footb...-day-1-3639773
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14-12-2018 06:26 AM #1
What if christmas day fell on a saturday?
Last edited by BILLYHIBS; 14-12-2018 at 11:23 AM.
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14-12-2018 06:32 AM #2This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I can’t see it ever being something we return to!
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14-12-2018 06:45 AM #3
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Mind we had a game on Christmas Eve a couple of seasons back, even that felt a bit weird.
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14-12-2018 06:47 AM #4
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I was also thinking about this a few days ago and asking myself "when was the last time we played on Christmas Day". So thanks for answering that question.
I also remember my Dad saying that Christmas Day was a working day, unless it landed on the Sabbath, even into the 70s.
I suppose in the past that maybe more football fans stayed locally and didn't need to rely on public transport. There was probably nothing on TV, for those lucky enough to have a TV. I recall my Dad saying that they didn't have electricity until the mid to late sixties, so getting out to watch a game would have been a good thing to do with your mates. In my early years, Christmas Day was largely spent listening to my parents and aunts/uncles talking about the hot topics of the day. I'm sure for the working man, an escape to watch the football would have been a good distraction.
Today, I'm not sure as many would go to watch football on Christmas Day. For me, I would much rather a game on Boxing Day.
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14-12-2018 06:55 AM #5
My dad and grandad would take me to the game, while my mother was at home cooking the dinner.
Proper football in them days.
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14-12-2018 07:22 AM #6
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Would the women folk put up with it these days?
Seriously?
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14-12-2018 07:22 AM #7
I remember we played Falkirk away on Hogmanay 2/3 years ago (Kris Commons freekick winner)
I remember thinking that felt a little odd and I don’t recall playing on that day before. I may be wrong...
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14-12-2018 07:26 AM #8This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I know not very PC
I am stuck in the seventies
Just as well my Mrs won’t read this as she is a Jambo
Apologies once again I did think it was so wrong when I was typing it but was half asleep
No excuse I know 😁
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14-12-2018 07:32 AM #9
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14-12-2018 07:49 AM #10
I remember when Hibs played Man Utd. in a hastily arranged friendly in 1981 (Willie Jamieson came off the bench to score in a 1-1 draw). It was played on boxing day and being only 14 at the time I was surprised that I was allowed/able to go as we always had a second Christmas dinner that day (with different family members).
It was a Saturday but I can't remember if there were other matches scheduled. Even if there was they weren't played due to the weather and the highlights of the match were shown on TV - very unusual for a friendly.Last edited by Peevemor; 14-12-2018 at 07:52 AM.
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14-12-2018 07:52 AM #11This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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14-12-2018 07:52 AM #12This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Undersoil heating meant we could play it, Scotsport showed the game the next day IIRC.
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14-12-2018 07:54 AM #13
Conversely - New Years Day wasn't a holiday in England back then. My Dad would celebrate New Years in England and somehow struggle into work on the first - only to be sent home again out of pity!
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14-12-2018 07:55 AM #14This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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14-12-2018 07:57 AM #15
I've not been to many games this season but would make a special effort for Christmas Day. Any excuse to get out the house.
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14-12-2018 08:33 AM #16
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14-12-2018 08:48 AM #17This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Christmas has evolved into something now that bears no resemblance to the ones of the past where it was still a working day and football still took place when it fell in a Saturday. Mind you, I’ll be in Galway with in-laws from my wife’s family of 10, so if asked the same question again about 3pm on Christmas Day my answer may well be very different..
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14-12-2018 09:13 AM #18
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Theres as many single dads, dads who will do the cooking or just dads who wouldnt dream of not being with their families on xmas day as there as woman these days thankfully. Just as theres many women who would want to be included in the possibility of going to a game. Personally i wouldnt be there, not because id be too busy doing the dishes but because its probably the only day of the year when the whole family commit to being together and just having a laugh without anywhere we need to rush to or anything else that needs done. Its just about us.
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14-12-2018 09:54 AM #19This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Maybe one day, by law of averages, sooner or later, Christmas day is going to fall on a Saturday, Shirley!
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14-12-2018 10:12 AM #20This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I don’t know what happened perhaps a slip of the finger
Thanking you in anticipation
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14-12-2018 10:19 AM #21
There is a bit of confusion on this thread about Christmas holidays in Scotland.
Christmas day has been a public holiday since the 1950's.
Boxing day became a holiday much later.
That may be what folk are remembering.
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14-12-2018 10:28 AM #22
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I did say in my post that there were plenty of women who would go. I actually hate these male/female debates if im honest. Im gonna go gender neutral
Apologies for turning it into something it wasnt meant to beLast edited by Jay; 14-12-2018 at 10:32 AM.
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14-12-2018 10:31 AM #23
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14-12-2018 10:45 AM #24This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I can clearly remember opening my presents before 7 then my dad would go to his work and finish at around noon.
So half day in early sixties.
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14-12-2018 10:47 AM #25This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I ended up in the cowshed during that game and remember getting crushed when Jaimeson scored after tripping over between the seats.
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14-12-2018 10:47 AM #26This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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14-12-2018 10:51 AM #27This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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14-12-2018 11:12 AM #28This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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14-12-2018 11:15 AM #29
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/footb...-day-1-3639773
Interesting link on the very same subject if it works
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