Ibrox Floodlights.

[LochendBilly 8,413]

2 minutes ago, Inigo said:

That's stunning mate.

[Inigo 32,526]

13 minutes ago, LochendBilly said:

That's stunning mate.

In the 80s and 90s the apron was still there in places overgrown with weeds. All that was left of the structure were strangely shaped chunks of concrete scattered about with mangled reinforced steel rods sticking out.

[ps95v7 387]

On floodlights, I remember a story going round when I was young (😂😂😂😂) early sixties that Rangers due to getting replacement lights (which were under the old centenary (the auld Derry) gave them to Petershill fc.

Unsure if true 🤔

[Burnbank Derry 294]

2 hours ago, mearns loyal said:

Were games not moved to Sunday’s during the power cuts so that floodlights weren’t used?

Yes there was more light on a Sunday.

[mearns loyal 2,713]

36 minutes ago, Burnbank Derry said:

Yes there was more light on a Sunday.

So said the Lord...

[The Big Sleeper 70]

I remember years ago speaking to one of the old guys in work about midweek football way back then.

He said that most games were played on a Saturday afternoon (no surprise there) but, if there was a midweek game, it would be played on the Wednesday afternoon because there were no floodlights in those days.

Apparently, many factories would work a Saturday morning to make up for the fact that they basically shutdown on a Wednesday at lunchtime if there was a game on that day.

For example, we played Morton in the SC Final replay on the 21st April, 1948 which was a Wednesday. That game would have been in the afternoon and it pulled a crowd of over 133,000, ironically about 4,500 more people than went to the first game on the Saturday.

[slimjim1690 4,534]

floodlights would also be switched on quite often midway through the second half in the winter on a Saturday as the darkness or fog descended

[BlueRD 138]

5 hours ago, tannerall said:

 

 

And a few questions:

 

Were the floodlights allowed during the seventies power cuts ?

I can vaguely remember a mobile generator parked outside the ground. Maybe someone can confirm this?

 

[Burnbank Derry 294]

35 minutes ago, BlueRD said:

I can vaguely remember a mobile generator parked outside the ground. Maybe someone can confirm this?

 

No floodlights were banned. We played the bheasts in a league cup semi at Hampden and a generator was used to prevent absenteeism from work. I remember dogging school one afternoon to go to a game at Stenhousemuir, they didn't have floodlights.

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

5 hours ago, savenosouls said:

I understood that our old floodlights on the top of the old Main Stand roof were because of the proximity of Glasgow Airport (ie Lights on high pylons were not allowed / would cause issues for the airport) - can anyone confirm this?

true  it was renfrew airport back then and it was just off  the main glasgow /renfrew rd. now the houses at the exit of the m8 on to the paisley /renfrew rd 

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

2 hours ago, The Big Sleeper said:

I remember years ago speaking to one of the old guys in work about midweek football way back then.

He said that most games were played on a Saturday afternoon (no surprise there) but, if there was a midweek game, it would be played on the Wednesday afternoon because there were no floodlights in those days.

Apparently, many factories would work a Saturday morning to make up for the fact that they basically shutdown on a Wednesday at lunchtime if there was a game on that day.

For example, we played Morton in the SC Final replay on the 21st April, 1948 which was a Wednesday. That game would have been in the afternoon and it pulled a crowd of over 133,000, ironically about 4,500 more people than went to the first game on the Saturday.

saturday games mid winter had a 2.00. kick off so games were over by 4.00 but the pubs did,nt open till 5 ,a lot of punters worked sat. till 12 .00.. 5.1/2 day week 8 hrs then 4 hr.sat.  44 hr week.

[SPWF 8,230]

4 hours ago, Inigo said:

Wow. Never seen that before. Any idea what year the photos are from? 

[Inigo 32,526]

12 minutes ago, SPWF said:

Wow. Never seen that before. Any idea what year the photos are from? 

Looks new so probably 50s. The terminal at Renfrew was built 1954 IIRC.

[Inigo 32,526]

First pic is 1956. Second probably 1954.

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

6 hours ago, tannerall said:

Used to love Wednesday floodlit night games, especially the big European games. 

Walking up from the subway and seeing the brighter light in the sky, always gave me a wee tingle of expectation, then through the turnstyle, up the stairs through the opening to the terrace and the whole park was lit up the grass looked greener, the lines looked whiter, and the arena was swathed in bright light waiting for the teams to come out. Glorious.

And of course the floodlights were, and are,  synonomous with the big European games on a Wednesday, (and Thursday now).

Waiting for the teams to come out and line up on the park at the tunnel, then seeing the different jerseys of the foreign teams wore was an exotic  novelty at the time. No internet then to see what the foreign away strips were like. 

So post any stories the floodlights. or floodlit games.   

 

And a few questions:

Was anyone on here at the game (s) in 1955 when the lights were switched on ?

What happened before 1955, especially in winter, were games only played on Saturdays. ?

Were the floodlights allowed during the seventies power cuts ?

Did they ever fail  ?    (I  don't remember that happening.)               as an apprentice spark i worked atb ibrox for the original lights  ..i was given the job as the youngest of going down to sw, the lights on and off ,the reason being that the total load from the floodlights  was near the maximum power that could be on at one time and if the lighting for passagec ways was on at the same time we were worried the load would be over the limit and blow the fuses,the light went on only half the when the teams came out the passageway lights would be sw. off and the rest of the main lights would then go on.    the very first game was against dumbarton as they were the first to have floodlights the first big game was arsenal who also had lights as well and we did a h/away game  before european games strted///i  think it was 53/54 season the winter games had a 2.00 k.off finnishing before v4.00  and games like dynamo started at 2..00 cup games had to be replayed as the dark about 4.15. and a replay was needed

6 hours ago, pcbear said:

Did any other clubs have the type of unusual floodlights we had?

Old Brockville ones were on telegraph poles.

 .dumbarton was the first for some reason.

as an elictrician apprentice then the co i worked for had the job installing the lights  no they never were on full with the passageway lighting

[One Jock Wallace 858]

7 hours ago, LochendBilly said:

Must have been in the 80's I remember a bear climbing up the pylons at the piggery to the sound of "Rambo Rambo" Loved our unusual floodlights

Yep, remember that also. Singing it because he had a scarf tied round his head like Rambo 

[Johnnyren 601]

Staying in renfrew I know a few at mirren fans and there certain they received floodlights from us for the start of the 1959 season 

it was those floodlights at love street that caused problems at renfrew airport 

[ps95v7 387]

1 hour ago, thedarvelmarvel said:

saturday games mid winter had a 2.00. kick off so games were over by 4.00 but the pubs did,nt open till 5 ,a lot of punters worked sat. till 12 .00.. 5.1/2 day week 8 hrs then 4 hr.sat.  44 hr week.

Every other Saturday is my half-day off😀🇬🇧👍

[SPWF 8,230]

1 hour ago, Inigo said:

Looks new so probably 50s. The terminal at Renfrew was built 1954 IIRC.

 

1 hour ago, Inigo said:

First pic is 1956. Second probably 1954.

Mental they let such a relatively new, and pretty stunning looking building like that get demolished. 

[tannerall 25,935]

6 hours ago, TMB said:

Planes taking off from Glasgow airport just miss the Ibrox floodlights during take off.

Flight control at Glasgow airport are also notified whenever Rangers are awarded a free kick at Ibrox.

[Inigo 32,526]

9 minutes ago, SPWF said:

 

Mental they let such a relatively new, and pretty stunning looking building like that get demolished. 

Aye. There was a brief, unsuccessful campaign to save it.

Alas, the exact same view of that point now...

 

 

Shite.

 

[tannerall 25,935]

8 hours ago, Inigo said:

That'll be an urban myth. No reason that it'd interfere with Glasgow Airport.

The flight paths were over Ibrox originally, that was the reason the Broomloan Road flats were built, basically they were there to cause the planes to swerve north to stop any danger of planes crashing in to Ibrox.  Broomloan flats were full of taig.  In those days the council considered taigs to be more dispensable than nowadays, as there were so many of them from big families and they were poorly educated, so was a good decision if there had ever been a collision with them.

 

[Willis 20,919]

There's nothing like a floodlit game, can remember the first time as a child heading to my first one, being excited just to be out so late at night and the crowd walking towards the stadium in high spirits, can't wait to take my daughter to her first night time game as there's that added level of excitement

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

On 29/03/2020 at 17:26, slimjim1690 said:

floodlights would also be switched on quite often midway through the second half in the winter on a Saturday as the darkness or fog descended

before the lights were used officially a game on a dull nov .afternoon the lights got switched on but the ref stopped the game because floodlights were not at every ground  a side note celic were one of the last clubs to get floodlights about 10 year after us . biscuit tin days . if i mind they sold a couple of players to pay for them.

[thedarvelmarvel 796]

21 hours ago, tannerall said:

The flight paths were over Ibrox originally, that was the reason the Broomloan Road flats were built, basically they were there to cause the planes to swerve north to stop any danger of planes crashing in to Ibrox.  Broomloan flats were full of taig.  In those days the council considered taigs to be more dispensable than nowadays, as there were so many of them from big families and they were poorly educated, so was a good decision if there had ever been a collision with them.

 

the aproach to renfrew airport was over ibrox,when glasgow opened the 60,s the flight path in was over the river.out was over barrhead