SANDY CHUGG – ICF – RANGERS

Sandy Chugg from Glasgow Rangers ICF joined us at Awayday Radio for a chat. Sandy is author of the book Rangers and the famous ICF. This is what he had to say…

Thanks for joining us Sandy, how did you get into football and when?

I first got into football as a young boy. My older brother taking me to my first Rangers game v Clyde at Shawfield in 1977/78 season.
I first going with the ICF sporadically during the 1984/85 season through my brother and good school friend Ozzy.

 

What was your first memory of trouble at a football match?

I first was aware of trouble at football matches through watching the aftermath of the 1980 old firm Scottish Cup final. When fans from both teams rioted on the field after Celtic had won the game 1-0.
My brother was at the game and I watched half terrified at the violence and half in awe. The mounted police had to baton charge the bottle wielding battling fans repeatedly to quell the trouble. This game led to alcohol being banned from ALL sports stadia which still applies to FOOTBALL stadiums in Scotland to the present day.

 

Who are your main rivals?

Football-wise obviously our main rivals are Celtic.
Mob wise it’s always been Hibs and Aberdeen.

 

What was your biggest battle with them?

Have had too many battles with both ASC (A’ deen) & CCS (Hibs) through the years to pinpoint the biggest battles. Aberdeen was murder to go to in the 1980s and 90s. Always trouble at the beach end in the 80s up there and around the train station and Castle Street in the 90s till the present day.
CCS had an epic battle on Paisley Road West (Home) and going to Edinburgh throughout the years The St James Centre, Princes Street and the wee bridge you have to cross to access the away end at Easter Rd were always lively affairs. Also had an epic dash v Hibs in Dundee in the early 00s.

Who else did you have a big battle with?

During my time I’ve had epic battles with most firms in Scotland. Every firm has had its moments in the sun up here through the years. Particularly Dundee Utility, Hearts, Kilmarnock and of course Motherwell.
Lower league teams like Partick Thistle and Airdrie have pulled decent mobs too.

Other epic scraps have been Sunderland in Glasgow 1999, Man Utd 2003, Home international v England 1989.   & at Wembley 1988. PSG in Paris 2003, Ajax at the ground in the 90s. Feyenoord at Ibrox is another that springs to mind. A particularly epic scrap v Celtic scarfers at Parkhead Cross in the late 90s too. Too many to recall to be fair.

Who have you come unstuck against?

Tbh I’ve come unstuck against most if not all active mobs during the decades. I don’t believe in the crap that no mob has NEVER been done. Came unstuck more than a few times in the 1980s as a soccer babe with CSC(Celtic) when they actually had a mob that was decent. Tbh they ran the city centre in Glasgow in my early years as a casual.
Hibs at Slateford train station in the 1990s was a sore one as was Dundee Utd at The Barras market (when we weren’t playing). Ajax at their ground was scary in 1996. And Man Utd took the piss in 2003 up here. As I’ve said tbh I’ve came unstuck more times than I care to remember.

 

Name is 5 firms you rate and why?

Five firms I rate are in no particular order.

1. English National side in the 1980s. Their rampages home and abroad say it all. Exported the whole hooligan culture across Europe. End of.
2. Capital City Service (Hibs) esp in the 1980s. Tight as fuck as a mob. Rarely got a truly decent result against them in the early years. Imho. They were kids who ran the doors etc in Edinburgh and were always wearing the very best of clobber.
3. ASC (Aberdeen) esp 1980s. I have given Aberdeen’s mob a hard time in print over the years. Arguably (with Motherwell Saturday Service) the originators of the casual scene in Scotland. Pulled huge numbers home and away in the 1980s and were game as fuck. Another mob whose dress sense was ahead of most mobs.
4. Ajax. Came unstuck against them as I’ve alluded to earlier. Plus I’ve had the pleasure of their company in Glasgow twice when they’ve played Celtic in CL games where they’ve smashed up the Gallowgate and the Celtic pubs there for fun.
5. Chelsea Headhunters. A great mob, been in many scraps home and abroad with them. Pioneers along with Millwall, West Ham, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff City etc in the 1980s. Many great friends down there. Salt of the earth.

There are loads of mobs I could’ve included tbf.

Name 5 firms you don’t rate and why?

Mobs I don’t rate are

1. Celtic (CSC). Apart from 2 years in the mid-1980s when tbf they ran the city centre and were the bigger and better mob in Glasgow. They were regularly battered off their home support too. Which for a club their size is criminal. There are some decent boys in their mob who I respect but we’ve dominated them for years.
2. Wigan Athletic. Took a liberty with me while I was on my own TWICE after a recent pre-season friendly. Real tough guys. We got the better of them with far inferior numbers not long after that. Received 12 months prison and a three-year banning order due to this. Cunts.
3. Airdrie (Section B) see the answer for Wigan above.
4. Bruges 1993. The Scottish press had them as nutters prior to an away CL tie in 1993. With a baseball wielding maniac of a top man. We absolutely mullered them at their pub prior to the game and outside afterwards.
5. Arsenal (Gooners) I’ve been down to Chelsea several times and they’ve never appeared once. Despite calling it on. I’ve heard they are a decent mob on their day. But I haven’t seen it tbh.

 

What clobber do you wear down the match?

I’m not as financially well off as I once was. Ill health, a failed marriage due to my antics & 3 kids make it hard to buy the very best of clobber these days. Lol. I still try to dress in boss jeans, nice T-shirt (Paul and Shark) Classic Nike or Adidas trainers. Armani jacket. In the old days, it was all CP Company, Stone Island etc. I still like the old classics like Aquascutum, Fila etc too. Moncler stuff smart too. My friend’s brother also has a small homegrown label called Fratelli Braccia who do some nice tops and t-shirts.

What was your music scene on your awayday?

My own personal awaydays music would defo include The Jam, 1980s/90s house music. Surprisingly some rap from the 2000s. I enjoy a wide range of music. A lot of the lads would no doubt say Oasis, The Stone Roses etc.

 

What’s your favourite all-time song?

My favourite football songs in the past would come from a) The Jonny Doyle song, b) The sash or c) We are Rangers super Rangers. The cry was no surrender stirs the blood too.
Present-day our Ultras group at Ibrox (Union Bears ) have a song which I believe is named Every Saturday (I am prob wrong lol) which is an emotive and stirring tune with great lyrics.

 

What books have you written?

My book is called Rangers and the famous ICF. Published by Fort publishing 2011. I had many offers to do a book for years but had declined. My very dear friend. Davie Carrick had previously done a book with author Martin King author of Hoolifan etc.

And tbh it was done too hastily by both parties (which I’m sure they will attest too) which never done a lad like Davie (the best and probably most important member of our Firm through the ages IMHO) a hint of justice. As I said it was hastily done purely for quick easy money.

So I thought I’d try to tell more of our Firms story. And take more time with it.

As with any book, it’s hard to tell a warts and all account due to legal issues etc and IMHO it only scratched the surface in terms of my involvement.

It covers my early childhood, notable scraps I’ve been involved in over the years both at home and in Europe. And gives the reader an honest insight into the political and religious aspects of life growing up in Glasgow.

It gets stick obviously from other mobs and particularly Celtic fans. But I know it’s a very frank and honest account of the events it covers. It has sold out repeatedly both in English and in German languages. And continues to sell well to this day. Folk who criticise it simply haven’t read it or have an obvious bias.

Most of the stories cover scraps we came off worse in. My only criticism personally of it is that I don’t give the ASC (Aberdeen) enough credit in it.

I gave almost ALL of my earnings from it to a boys football club I helped coach at the time called Drumsagard FC.

And anyone who truly knows me from my own firm and indeed others will tell you I don’t do bullshit and try to tell it as it is from my own personal perspective.

And, tbh I don’t really give a shit what the keyboard warriors say, either about the book or myself, there just fake lads, Lol.

Fuck em. It’s never said to my face which says it all.

It’s currently out of print but will be available in ALL good book retailers this month. (Shameless plug lol).

And lastly, tell us what you enjoyed about being a football casual?

I enjoyed almost everything from being a casual. The clothes, the scraps, the anticipation before scraps, travelling to places in the Uk and across Europe. Being part of something bigger than yourself and in our own way defending the honour of our club and it’s traditions and core beliefs. I love being an unrepentant card-carrying Rangers supporting football lad, (retired now lol) who is proud of my Protestant and Scots/British heritage.

Who despite what some know nothing hand-wringers in society say that we are not REAL fans actually we ARE FANS that defend our club, faith, fellow fans and traditions through our activities. Which have resulted in hospitalisation, jail, fines, failed relationships, job loss and financial loss etc.

I’ve met hundreds of life long friends from all over who are decent honest salt of the earth folk. Who just happen to have liked a wee scrap at the football with like-minded individuals.

I have respect for ALL boys I’ve encountered in my travels. True fans. End of.

 

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at Awayday radio.