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Clyde F.C.

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Clyde
File:ClydefcBadge.jpg
Full nameClyde Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bully Wee
Founded1877
GroundBroadwood Stadium,
Cumbernauld, Scotland
Capacity8,029
ChairmanJohn Alexander
ManagerJim Duffy
LeagueScottish Third Division
2010-2011Scottish Third Division, 10th
Websitehttp://www.clydefc.co.uk/
Current season

Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire and south east Glasgow. They are not to be confused with either Clydesdale or Clydebank

Their greatest triumph is having lifted the Scottish Cup three times, the most recent being in 1958.

History

Clyde in Europe

Common belief has it that Clyde have never competed in European competition as in 1967 they were denied entry to the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.

However a few years earlier in 1960, Clyde did compete in a short-live competition called the Friendship Cup. This was an inter-League competition between England, France and Scotland. Four teams from each country competed and the results were aggregated to provide the 'best' League. It proved to be an unpopular format and was dropped in 1962.

For the record, Clyde were drawn against RC Lens (of France) and beat them 4-0 away and 2-1 at Shawfield.

1877–1898

The Clyde Football Club was founded and played on the banks of the River Clyde at Barrowfield. Documentary evidence from the SFA and indeed match reports in the Glasgow press clearly show it all began in 1877, and the thread continues unbroken to this day.

Here's how the SFA recorded Clyde's origins:

"Clyde:- Founded 1877; Membership 50; Grounds (private), Barrowfield Park, on the banks of the Clyde; ten minutes walk from Bridgeton Cross; Club House on grounds; Colours, White & Blue. Hon. Secretary, John D. Graham, 24 Monteith Row."

Sitting on the edge of Bridgeton, Barrowfield Park lay in a triangle of land enclosed by Carstairs Street, Colvend Street and the river Clyde. The area was an intense mix of chemical, engineering and textile works with a high population density to provide the labour. Although no stadium photographs have emerged it appears the ground consisted of a grand stand running north-south, a pavilion and tennis courts at the southern end and a bicycle track surrounding the pitch.

Today this area is dotted with industrial units, but also contains a large grassed area. So it may be possible to stand upon a corner of the original Barrowfield pitch. Given Clyde's history of ground-sharing, it's ironic that Barrowfield was originally shared with a short-lived team called, Albatross.

The club founded then has no resemblance to a modern professional football club. Clyde F.C. were a private members club more akin to a present-day golf or bowling club. Clyde's Secretary, John Graham, was also a noted rower and it seems the club had other sporting and cultural activities besides football.

The first mention of Clyde was in Monday's Evening Times of 17 September 1877:

"Clyde v T. Lanark Clyde opened their season at Barrowfield with a match against the 3rd Lanark Volunteers. In the end the 3rd were victors by 3 goals to 1."

This very short report was common at the time as sport was of little significance and football competed with racing, bowling and quoiting for the limited column space available.

Although most fixtures were informal, the Scottish Cup had existed since 1873. Soon there would also be the Glasgow Merchants' & Charity Cup and the Glasgow Cup that in their time were hotly contested major competitions. Clyde entered the 1st Round of the Scottish Cup on 29 September 1877 along with one hundred and one other teams. Third Lanark were the visitors once again and they triumphed 1–0.

Clyde joined the Scottish Football League in 1891. Following acceptance, Vale of Leven provided the opposition for Clyde's first League fixture on Saturday, 15 August 1891. In a dream introduction to League football Clyde triumphed 10–3, a mid-table finish saw Clyde complete a confident season in League football.

With League football an undoubted success, Barrowfield revealed its limitations and simply couldn't cope with the crowds as many gained illegal entry. Opposition teams complained about the facilities and it was clear that Clyde would have to do something to appease the League.

The solution lay directly across the Clyde on some open ground known as Shawfield. Clyde endured a terrible final season at Barrowfield finishing bottom of Division 1. The final action at Barrowfield was a friendly against crack opposition in the form of Sunderland on 30 April 1898 ending in a 3–3 draw. At a stroke Clyde transformed from Brigtonians to Shawfielders.

1899–1919

Clyde said farewell to Barrowfield in the spring of 1898. Across the river lay an area of undeveloped land known as Shawfield. With a new League season only a matter of months away, Clyde had the monumental task of transforming and enclosing the area into a venue suitable for first-class football. The move was largely financed by Clyde becoming incorporated and issuing shares in "The Clyde Football Club Limited".

By the eve of the new season, Clyde F.C. Ltd had an enclosed area of about 9 acres (36,000 m2). A grand stand seating 1500 was nearing completion and embankment works around the pitch were well under way. The Clyde directors of the time wildly estimated a final capacity of 100,000.

Celtic, the neighbours from up the road, were the inaugural opposition at Shawfield Stadium on 27 August 1898. A healthy crowd of 10,000 turned up to see a goalless draw and return gate receipts of £203.

Matters took a turn for the better in the 1903–04 season. Clyde finished 2nd in Division Two but were not elected to Division One (automatic promotion/relegation didn't appear until 1921). Clyde also won a supplementary competition called the Glasgow & West of Scotland League and repeated the feat the following season. Promotion was again denied in season 1904–05, with Clyde the Division Two champions, but promotion was finally earned the following season. The years up to World War I would be far more successful and probably represent the most consistent period of success for the club.

A 3rd place in Division One in season 1908–09, only three points behind champions, Celtic, put Clyde firmly on the map of Scottish football. The semi-final of the Scottish Cup was also reached for the first time only to be thwarted by Celtic after a replay. International honours were also awarded to Clyde players for the first time this season. William 'Shoogly' Walker represented Scotland against Ireland at Ibrox (5–0), while the opposition included his team-mate, Jack Kirwan.

For five seasons until war began, Clyde were at the top end of Division One and reached the Scottish Cup final in 1910 and 1912. The former of these finals was especially disappointing. For eighty-three minutes Clyde (McTurk; Watson & Blair; Walker, McAteer & Robertson; Stirling & MacCartney; Chalmers; Jackson & Booth) held a 2–0 lead with goals from Chalmers and Booth, and looked certain to win. With the Cup in sight, nerves got the better of Clyde and Robertson fluffed a clearance off Blair and into his own net. Dogged Dundee fought all the way and salvaged the game in the last minute with an equaliser from Langlands. The replay was far more cagey an affair and ended goalless after extra time but with Dundee looking physically stronger. The third game was again a tight affair with Clyde scoring after only three minutes through Chalmers. Dundee equalised before the interval and with Clyde's energy sapped, John "Sailor" Hunter blasted Dundee to victory.

The 1912 final saw Celtic trump the Bully Wee once again with a 2–0 victory. Another third place finish in the League being the only consolation. Still undaunted, Clyde reached the semi-final again in 1912–13, but the jinx struck again and after a replay Raith Rovers squeezed into the final.

Clyde had something to cheer about during this period of near misses as they clinched the Glasgow & Merchants' Charity Cup in 1910 and the Glasgow Cup in 1915. It's easy to deride these competitions as second rate but they were fought just as hard as the Scottish Cup and indeed all six competitors (Celtic, Clyde, Partick Thistle, Queen's Park, Rangers and Third Lanark) were more often that not resident in Division One.

A severe blow was dealt as fire destroyed the grand stand in September 1914, and with it much of the club's early history. Officials, players and fans had little time to dwell upon the calamity as war began in November. The Scottish League took the decision to continue playing even though there was strong moral pressure on every young man to sign up for 'King & Country'. Besides, football crowds provided a fertile recruitment ground and the games themselves kept morale high. Many players joined up and teams, like Clyde, found it increasingly difficult to field competitive sides and the League eventually reduced back to a single division. Many Clyde players signed up and some unfortunately never returned such as C. Clunas (2nd Royal Fusiliers), T. Cranston (Black Watch) and W. Sharp (1st Battalion Royal Scots).

1920–1945

Clyde managed to sustain football through the difficult war years and peacetime presented new challenges. The Scottish League continued through 1919–21 with only one division. Division Two was restarted in 1921–22 with a very crucial difference. Automatic promotion and relegation had been adopted and while the benefits were obvious for ambitious teams, the financial penalties for falling out of the top tier were extremely severe.

Clyde, of course, couldn't resist the twin temptations of automatic relegation and visiting new locations. Relegated in 1923–24, Clyde spent two seasons in Division Two playing against the likes of Armadale, Arthurlie, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Broxburn, king's Park, Nithsdale Wanderers and St Bernard's. Escape via automatic promotion was achieved in the 1925–26 season and coincided with the demise of Division Three and many of the smaller teams returning to other leagues and Junior football.

This upswing in Clyde's fortunes was demonstrated by winning the Glasgow Cup for the second time in 1926 with a 2–1 victory over Celtic. Now that Clyde were back in the top flight, could they stay there? Until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the answer was a resounding "yes" as Clyde maintained a respectable mid-table status. Danny Blair was a prominent international full back of this era and Bill Boyd became Clyde's top marksman with 32 goals in season 1932–33 and earned two international caps.

Yet Clyde and financial problems were never far apart and liquidation was again narrowly averted around 1930. Clyde needed to find an answer to their money problems and it lay right in front of them. Greyhound and other animal racing was booming in the late 1920s and several clubs saw this as a way to supplement their income. A company offered to lease Shawfield in 1926 and also give a percentage of the gate money to Clyde. It seemed too good to be true; and it proved to be so. Animal racing was forbidden in the deeds of Shawfield and the League was very set against greyhound racing in general.

However, Clyde at that time had a very cunning and dogged Chairman called John McMahon. He wouldn't let the idea go and after years of wrangling a solution was arrived at. The Shawfield Greyhound Racing Company Limited started racing in 1932 and a few years later purchased the stadium from Clyde. Largely financed and owned by Clyde's directors, at a stroke the club had secured its future and found an additional source of revenue. On the other hand, Clyde had sold Shawfield to another party (however close at the time) and would never be able to raise money using the land asset as collateral. Although it wouldn't be appreciated until the 1980s, Clyde were tenants at the mercy of whoever owned Shawfield.

January 1939 saw Clyde at home to St. Johnstone in the 1st Round of the Scottish Cup, A 2–0 victory sent Clyde on their way. The next tie saw a very difficult trip to Dundee and a goalless draw ensued. Four days later Clyde squeezed past the Dens Park men with a 1–0 victory. Ibrox, and Rangers were the formidable 3rd Round opponents. Despite fourteen League titles and six Cup victories between 1920 and 1939, Rangers were no match for the Bully Wee as they crashed to a 4–1 defeat. Willie Martin, Clyde's prolific centre forward, scored all four goals and surely set a record for an opposition forward at Ibrox. Returning to Shawfield for the 4th Round, Clyde narrowly defeated neighbours Third Lanark, 1–0. Suddenly it was semi-final time once again with Hibernian standing between Clyde and another final. Although disadvantaged by playing the tie in Edinburgh at Tynecastle, Clyde again triumphed with a 1–0 victory.

Motherwell provided Clyde's opposition on 22 April 1939. They had scored far more goals on the way to Hampden and were installed as favourites. Clyde (Brown; Kirk & Hickie; Beaton, Falloon & Weir; Robertson & Gillies; Martin; Noble & Wallace) had other ideas though. Winning the toss and with a strong wind behind them, Motherwell began very strongly and unsettled Clyde with Brown seeing plenty of action. Riding the storm, Clyde settled and scored the vital goal after thirty minutes. Robertson sped down the right and crossed to Wallace. The forward gathered the ball and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Motherwell replied with more pressure but couldn't find a goal before the interval. In the second period Martin quickly doubled Clyde's advantage with an opportunist's strike. The fight went from Motherwell and Clyde scored two more in the closing minutes. Motherwell's keeper blocked Noble's first strike at goal, but he swept home the rebound. Barely a minute later Noble supplied a cross for Martin to complete the scoring and seal a 4–0 victory. After so many attempts and so much heartache the Cup was finally won!

Although the joy of victory was unconfined it was tempered against a background of imminent war with Germany. The 1939–40 season had hardly begun when war was declared and the Scottish League was suspended and all players' contracts declared void. After the initial panic leagues were restarted with an East/West regional split. Again Clyde had sustained football during very difficult times and had no idea what lay ahead in an economy shattered by war. The regional split seen Clyde join the Southern League where Clyde finished runners up and only three points behind eventual champions Rangers during the 1940–41 season. Clyde performed relatively well during wartime football in both league and cup football.

1946–1969

The twenty or so years following WWII were the most competitive Scottish football has ever seen. League titles came the way of Aberdeen, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Hearts and Hibernian. For Clyde, especially in the 1950s, there was never a dull moment. Clyde were either riding high in the League and homing in on another Scottish Cup, or battling relegation and then pulverising the lower tier of football.

Clyde showed steady League form just after the War and once again reached the Scottish Cup final in 1948–49. This was only the fourth occasion the Cup had been played since Clyde won it in 1939 and Rangers awaited them at Hampden. As 108,000 fans gathered it wasn't Clyde's day as a crushing 4–1 defeat ensued with Peter Galletly scoring Clyde's consolation goal.

The 1950s began in poor fashion as relegation called in season 1950–51. Typically Clyde won Division B the very next season to regain top-flight status. The same pattern was to be repeated in 1955–56 and 1956–57. Each occasion saw Clyde bounce back to very strong finishes in Division A. The mystery was how relegation came about in the first place with teams containing current Scottish internationalists?

In keeping with the times Shawfield introduced floodlighting in March 1954. Huddersfield Town who were riding high in the Football League provided the opposition. The guests didn't read the script and left with a 3–2 victory.

Cup success came readily in the 1950s. Clyde won the Cup in 1954–55 and 1957–58 and were beaten semi-finalists in 1955–56 and 1959–60. Scottish League Cup semi-finals were also reached in 1956–57 and 1957–58 but on each occasion Celtic put a halt on Clyde's ambition. There are not many teams, outwit the Old Firm, who can boast that level of consistency.

Clyde's 1954–55 success started upon their entry at the 5th Round stage and a 3–0 defeat of Albion Rovers. Further home victories over Raith Rovers (3–1) and Falkirk (5–0) saw Clyde enter the semi-final with Aberdeen in a confident mood. At Easter Road they drew 2–2 and only a solitary goal in the replay put Clyde into the final once again.

Over 96,000 watched the Hampden final with Celtic on 23 April 1955 with the Parkhead men installed as firm favourites. This game was also the first to be televised live. Clyde, without their bustling forward, Billy McPhail, and William Wilson (goalkeeper) who had broken a finger in the semi final,[1] lined up:- Hewkins, Murphy & Haddock; Granville, Anderson & Laing; Divers & Robertson; Hill; Brown & Ring. In a scrappy game Celtic took the lead through Walsh and looked like securing victory until three minutes from time. Clyde won a corner kick and Archie Robertson steadied himself to take it. His kick swung right under the bar and beyond the grasp of Celtic's Bonnar. Clyde had saved the day.

The replay in front of over 68,000 was a much better affair with more goalmouth action. Celtic had decided to tinker with their line up while Clyde stuck firmly to the one that had snatched a draw. Tommy Ring's second half strike was enough to secure the Cup for the second time.

Only three years later on 26 April 1958 Clyde were back at Hampden again to face a powerful Hibs team. Since winning the Cup in 1955 Clyde had been relegated and the team recast. Clyde lined up:- McCulloch, Murphy & Haddock; Walters, Finlay & Clinton; Herd & Currie; Coyle; Robertson & Ring. A single goal was enough to win the Cup for the third time in front of 94,000 fans. In poor weather Robertson made space in the box and Coyle's shot was deflected past the keeper.

However enjoyable the Cup wins were, Clyde's League form continued to fluctuate wildly. As the 1960s began Clyde were relegated once again and the yo-yo existence was getting ridiculous. Champions of Division 2 Two 1961–62 they went back down the very next season - and then straight back up. At last Clyde gained some stability leading to a 3rd place finish behind the Old Firm in 1966–67 and another Scottish Cup semi-final appearance. Competing as a largely part-time team, Clyde produced a wonderful season of football that has marked the high tide in the club's fortunes to date. A further stab at glory saw Clyde reach the League Cup semi-final in 1968–69 only to be squeezed out once again by Celtic.

Despite Clyde's highly successful 1966–67 season, European football was denied. The Fairs Cup had a rule that stipulated only one team from each city could enter. Rangers had that position and Clyde were left thinking what might have been.

As the sixties were coming to a close, Clyde were competing quite comfortably in the top flight. However on the terraces it was a different story. Glasgow's slum clearance programme was hitting attendances hard. Large swathes of housing in the Bridgeton, Dalmarnock, Gorbals, Oatlands and Rutherglen were being demolished with the inhabitants decanted away to other parts of the city and beyond. Clyde's core support was drawn from these areas and sadly many of them have never returned to follow the Bully Wee.

1970–1993

Clyde began the 1970s as they had previous decades with the spectre of relegation hanging around. Many players such as Harry Glasgow, Sam Hastings, Tommy McCulloch, Graham McFarlane and Eddie Mulheron moved on in 1972 as relegation called once more at Shawfield. Yet Clyde recovered and won Division 2 the next season. The spell from 1973–1975 would be Clyde's last in the top flight to date.

With Celtic dominating the domestic game the bigger clubs were once again agitating for change. During season 1974–75 the League decided to introduce a Premier Division of 10 teams in the following season, and inclusion would be based upon finishing in the top ten positions of the 1974–75 Division One table. Clyde were never in contention and finished 16th in Division One. This meant Clyde would play in the middle tier of Scottish football, now called the First Division.

Clyde's role was now to discover and develop talent before selling it on. Shawfield was the starting point for internationalists such as Steve Archibald, Ian Ferguson and Pat Nevin. Disarray on and off the pitch saw Clyde in freefall as they finished bottom of the new First Division. Clyde would now be in the bottom tier (Second Division) of Scottish football in 1976–77. Unusually there was to be no immediate bounce back as they could only muster a 7th place finish.

Former Celtic captain, Billy McNeil, took charge towards the end of 1976–77 season. However he moved to Aberdeen after only a few months at the helm. Clyde then turned to the relatively unknown, Craig Brown, to revive the Bully Wee's fortunes. His success was immediate as Clyde won the new Second Division in 1977–78.

However, problems were arising at Shawfield too. The stadium was falling into a state of disrepair and by the late 1970s Shawfield came into the hands of the Greyhound Racing Association Ltd (GRA). Shawfield subsequently came on the open market in 1983 with a price tag of £½ million and by 1986 Clyde were served with a notice to quit Shawfield. Alloa Athletic provided the final opposition at Shawfield on 28 April 1986 as the Bully Wee triumphed 4–2. Shawfield proved very difficult to sell as planning restrictions and land contamination put off potential buyers. Eventually a consortium headed by the King bookmaking family took on Shawfield as a going concern. The unpopular but necessary decision was taken to ground-share with city rivals, Partick Thistle. Clyde spent five seasons at Firhill. Next stop was Douglas Park, Hamilton. Clyde resided there for two and a half seasons as plans were developed and implemented to build a new home in Cumbernauld.

1994–Present

The Cumbernauld Development Corporation was keen to have a sports stadium and professional football team to promote the town, and Cumbernauld, with a 50,000+ population, seemed fertile ground on which to grow a new support. A new site called "Broadwood" was to have an integrated business, housing and leisure development with a football stadium at the heart of it. With the help of Football Trust backing two modern stands began to emerge during the early 1990s.

The Scottish League unusually granted permission for Clyde to switch grounds mid season, and former landlords, Hamilton Academical, were the inaugural opposition on 5 February 1994. A capacity crowd of 6000 watched as Clyde lost to the Accies 0–2.

Clyde dropped to the third tier of football and in 1998 they almost dropped into the lowest reaches of Senior football. This was enough for new Chairman, Billy Carmichael, to introduce changes. Ronnie Macdonald was appointed as manager, having previously worked at Maryhill Juniors.

Macdonald signed a whole squad from the Junior ranks and within two seasons Clyde had gained promotion. Subsequently Allan Maitland won promotion to the Scottish First Division in 1999.

The 2003–04 season Clyde were top of the League and looked set for the SPL. But Broadwood didn't comply with SPL requirements and crucially Clyde were on the brink of being petitioned by their creditors and liquidated. While the Chairman's fortune was being spent on players' wages, very little else was being serviced.

The SPL relented and said Clyde could join them if the fourth stand was built. North Lanarkshire Council started the groundworks and then abruptly halted them as they became aware of Clyde's financial plight. Plan B, playing at Kilmarnock, was investigated. In the event, a draw with Ayr United and a home loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle meant that Clyde missed out on promotion.

The Clyde Supporters' Trust formed during the 2003–04 season. Early that season some concerned fans met knowing that the Chairman couldn't keep financing the Club indefinitely. The timing of the Trust's formation coincided with Clyde's failure to gain promotion and the Chairman sought to sell his majority shareholding.

Following lengthy negotiations a consortium of the Trust and traditional investors gained the majority shareholding for a nominal sum. The Clyde Development Consortium took control of funds gathered by fans and investors and used it to finance the Club through a CVA to clear the debts. In June 2005 the CVA was completed and Clyde were essentially debt free.

On 8 January 2006 Celtic visited Broadwood in the Scottish Cup. Celtic were such heavy favourites that the game was presented as a gentle introduction for their new signing, Roy Keane. Clyde, however, won 2–1. The goal scorers for Clyde were Eddie Malone and Craig Bryson whilst Celtic's goal scorer was Maciej Zurawski.

Clyde reached the 2006 Challenge Cup Final, their first final for 48 years, since their Scottish Cup success in 1958. They lost the game 5–4 on a penalty shootout, after the game finished 1–1 following extra time. Former Scotland captain Colin Hendry was appointed manager in summer 2007. On 14 August of that year, Clyde history was made when Michael Doherty became the youngest person ever to play for Clyde in a competitive match.[2]

Hendry resigned in January 2008, due to family reasons.[3] Former Rangers defender John 'Bomber' Brown replaced him as manager. Clyde entered the final game of the season needing to better Morton's result in order to avoid being forced into the play-offs. Clyde won their game 3–0, but in a cruel twist of fate Morton won their own game by the same scoreline, sending Clyde into a two-legged play-off with Second Division side Alloa Athletic. Clyde lost the first leg 2–1 and at 3–1 down in the home second leg looked as good as relegated. However, a thrilling fight back saw Clyde level at 5–5 on aggregate (4–3 on the day) before adding another goal in extra time to progress. Home and away victories over Airdrie United in the play-off final then secured First Division football at Broadwood for another season.

However the following season Clyde finished bottom of the First division and were relegated to division 2, meanwhile off the park, financial problems were once again apparent. In a hope to try and avoid administration in June 2009, Clyde terminated the contracts of the entire first team squad, with only youngsters remaining under contract at the club.[4] The squad for 2009-10 was rebuilt on a drastically reduced budget with a repeat of open trials which were successful in 2005. However early results were not good, the board appointed Neil Watt as director of football and John McCormack as first team coach. After a brief upturn in results, Clyde went six games without a win and on Saturday 21 November, with the team sitting three points adrift at the bottom of Division 2 it was announced John Brown had left his position as manager. On Monday 5 April John McCormack was sacked by Clyde[5]

The club was subsequently relegated for the second season in a row, dropping down to the Third Division and made a disastrous start to the campaign including an 8-1 thrashing at the hands of Montrose. On Wednesday 2 February 2011, Stuart Millar was sacked as manager of Clyde.[6] They finished 10th in the Third Division, which at 42nd place overall is their lowest position in the Scottish league system.

See also Clyde F.C. season 2005-06, Clyde F.C. season 2006-07, Clyde F.C. season 2007-08, Clyde F.C. season 2008-09 & Clyde F.C. season 2009-10.

Grounds

Shawfield in 1985

Clyde have had five home grounds since they formed in 1877. The first of these was Barrowfield Park, which was situated on the banks of the River Clyde. By 1898, Barrowfield became too small in capacity to deal with the large crowds of spectators. The club then moved across the river to build a new stadium, which would be known as Shawfield Stadium. A crowd of 10,000 saw the first match at Shawfield against Celtic. In 1908, a crowd of 52,000 gathered for a match against Rangers, which remains Clyde's record home attendance to this day. Financial pressures led to the club relinquishing ownership of the stadium in 1935, selling it their former tenants, the Greyhound Racing Association. This arrangement continued satisfactorily for over fifty years, until the GRA announced redevelopment plans for the stadium and gave Clyde notice to quit in 1986. After investigating a number of local options, Clyde secured an agreement with Partick Thistle to share their ground at Firhill.

By 1990, Clyde had secured an agreement to move into a stadium being built in the new town of Cumbernauld, which due to shifting population patterns was by now one of the larger settlements in Scotland without a senior football team. After a further three years ground sharing at Douglas Park, Hamilton, the new all-seater venue was ready in 1994 for Clyde to move in.

It was announced on the 9th of December 2010 that Clyde had informed their landlords at North Lanarkshire Council (NL Leisure) of their intention to relinquish their lease on Broadwood and move elsewhere.[7] Furthermore, on the 19th of October 2011, Clyde revealed that they were investigating the possibility of a move to East Kilbride, the largest town in Scotland without a senior football team.[8]

Supporters

The Clyde F.C. Supporters Club on Rutherglen Main Street burned down in the early 2000s and has never been rebuilt or re-opened.

The supporters' fiercest rivalry is with Partick Thistle, given that the two clubs were formerly of comparable stature as small, mid-ranking Glasgow professional teams. Rivalry with Glasgow's bigger clubs, Celtic and Rangers, has never been quite as marked due to their different levels of support and success.

The number of years Clyde spent without a permanent home of their own has led to the fans identifying themselves as the Gypsy Army in reference to this.

Nickname

The club's nickname, "The Bully Wee", is of uncertain origin.[9]

There appear to be three main theories how the name originated. The first refers to the fact that Clyde's support and possibly players were drawn from the Bridgeton area. Renowned for their pugnacious character the support were 'wee bullies' and hence the Bully Wee.

The second theory takes a European dimension. Apparently some Frenchmen were at Barrowfield around 1900. Upon a disputed goal they cried: "But il'y, oui?" This translates as: "Their goal, yes", but sounds very like "Bully Wee".

The third theory is that "Bully" was a Victorian synonym for first-rate/good/worthy. As Clyde were a small club it seems obvious that "Bully Wee Clyde" must have rolled off the tongue.

Rivalries

The club's biggest derby rivals are Partick Thistle.[10] This is mainly due to the similar stature in the size of clubs. The rivalry between both sets of supporters has always been competitive especially on derby days despite the decline in crowd sizes over the years. Originally hailing from Glasgow, Clyde also developed local rivalries with other teams from the city including Celtic, Rangers, and Queens Park. In recent time a rivalry has developed with Hamilton Academical.

The Clyde View

The Clyde View is Clyde's matchday programme. It has won the Scottish Divisional Programme of the Year Award every year from 1991–92 to 2006–07, and the Scottish Programme of the Year from 1995–96 to 2006–07.

Managers

Current squad

As of 24 January 2012[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Canada CAN Lucas Birnstingl
— GK Scotland SCO David Crawford
— GK Australia AUS Nick Feely (on loan from Celtic)
— GK Scotland SCO Barry McCue
— DF Scotland SCO Gavin Brown
— DF Scotland SCO Declan Gallagher
— DF Scotland SCO Iain Gray
— DF Scotland SCO Kris Irvine
— DF Scotland SCO Jason Marr
— DF Scotland SCO Brian McQueen
— DF Scotland SCO Drew Ramsay
— DF Scotland SCO Lee Sharp
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Scotland SCO Daniel Fitzpatrick
— MF Scotland SCO Dale Fulton (on loan from Falkirk)
— MF Scotland SCO Paul Hay
— MF Scotland SCO Ryan Kane
— MF Scotland SCO John Neill
— MF Scotland SCO Jamie Pollock (on loan from Motherwell)
— MF Scotland SCO Pat Scullion
— MF Scotland SCO Jack Sloss
— MF Scotland SCO John Sweeney
— FW Scotland SCO Mark Archdeacon
— FW Scotland SCO Kieran Brannan (on loan from Dumbarton)
— FW Scotland SCO Steph McDonald
— FW Scotland SCO Michael Oliver
For recent transfers, see Clyde transfers in 2011–12 season.


Non-Playing Staff

  • Chairman: John Alexander
  • Secretary: John D Taylor
  • Club Directors:
    • John Alexander
    • Gary Ballantyne
    • David Dishon
    • James Duffy
    • Frank Dunn
    • David MacPherson
    • Gordon Nisbet
    • John D Taylor
    • Gordon Thomson
  • First Team Coach: Chic Charnley
  • Physio: Iain McKinlay
  • Head of Youth Dev: Alan Upton
  • Club Doctor:
  • Kit Manager: Margaret Gray

Reserve and Youth Teams

Clyde put together a reserve team for the SFL's Reserve League Cup competition, which includes a mixture of first team fringe players & youngsters.[12] The club won the Reserve League Cup for the first time in May 2008.[13]

Clyde have youth teams at Under 19, Under 17, Under 16, Under 15, Under 14 & Under 13 level.[14]

Graduates of the youth team who have gone on to play for the first team since moving to Broadwood Stadium include:

Scottish internationals Pat Nevin, Steve Archibald and Ian Ferguson also came through the Clyde youth system.

Honours

Major

Hall of Fame

Cup

League

Minor

Clyde lift the Tommy McGrane Trophy in 2006

[17]

  • Glasgow Cup:
    • Winners (5): 1915, 1926, 1947, 1952, 1959
    • Runners Up (14): 1892, 1917, 1921, 1923, 1934, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1950, 1957, 1964, 1968, 1971
  • Glasgow Charity Cup:
    • Winners (5): 1910, 1940, 1952, 1958, 1961(shared)
    • Runners up (5): 1912, 1925, 1942, 1944, 1959
  • Scottish League Supplementary Cup:
    • Winners (1): 1952
  • Glasgow North Eastern Cup:
    • Winners (3): 1891, 1893, 1895
    • Runners up (1): 1883
  • Glasgow and West of Scotland Shield:
    • Winners (1): 1907
  • Paisley Charity Cup:
    • Winners (2): 1939, 1940
  • Tommy McGrane Memorial Cup
    • Winners (1): 2006
  • Southern Football League A Division:
    • Runners up (1): 1941
  • Summer Cup:
    • Runners up (1): 1944
  • Optical Express Challenge Cup
    • Runners Up (1): 2005

Reserve

Clyde lift the Reserve League Cup in May 2008
  • Scottish 2nd XI Cup
    • Winners (3): 1914, 1915, 1942
  • Scottish League C Division South & West
    • Winners (2): 1950, 1951
  • Scottish Reserve League West
    • Winners (1): 1988
  • Reserve League Cup
    • Winners (1): 2008
  • Glasgow 2nd XI Cup
    • Runners up (1): 1913

Records

Full Internationalists

The following players have participated in Full Internationals for their respective countries whilst playing for Clyde. Statistics include all caps gained and goals scored in their International career gained only whilst they were playing for Clyde.[18]:[19]:

Name Country Caps Goals
Tommy Ring Scotland Scotland 12 2
Danny Blair Scotland Scotland 7 0
Harry Haddock Scotland Scotland 6 0
Archie Robertson Scotland Scotland 5 2
George Herd Scotland Scotland 5 1
Ned Weir Republic of Ireland Ireland 3 0
Billy Boyd Scotland Scotland 2 1
Leslie Johnston Scotland Scotland 2 1
Frank Thompson Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2 0
William Walker Scotland Scotland 2 0
Alec Linwood Scotland Scotland 1 1
Albie Murphy Republic of Ireland Ireland 1 0
Hughie Long Scotland Scotland 1 0
Jack Kirwan Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 0
Jack McGrillen[20] Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 0
James Campbell Scotland Scotland 1 0
John Brown Scotland Scotland 1 0
Ned Weir Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 0

References

  1. ^ 1955 Aberdeen v Clyde Scottish Cup semi final in the feature on Dave Halliday
  2. ^ Sweet Sixteen
  3. ^ Club Statement on Colin Hendry
  4. ^ "Clyde scrap contracts to survive". BBC Sport. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  5. ^ http://www.clydefc.co.uk/news/2009/11/21/3358/
  6. ^ "Clyde FC sack manager Stuart Millar after poor run". BBC Sport. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  7. ^ Clyde planning to leave Broadwood Stadium
  8. ^ Clyde investigate move to new stadium in East Kilbride
  9. ^ Bully Wee Theory
  10. ^ Derby Day Opener
  11. ^ "Clyde FC Squad". www.clydefc.co.uk. Clyde F.C. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Reserve League Cup 2008-09". clydefc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  13. ^ "McKay fires Clyde to Reserve Trophy". clydefc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  14. ^ "Youth Development". clydefc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
  15. ^ Second tier of Scottish league football
  16. ^ Third tier of Scottish league football
  17. ^ A-Z Scottish Football Historical Archives
  18. ^ Scotland Internationals
  19. ^ SFA Official Website
  20. ^ http://nifootball.blogspot.com NIFG Player Index


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