25 years ago today...

[Kowalski]

Boy, that was a helluva night in the Super Cup!

Peter Weir on humbling Hamburg

 

Published: 20/12/2008

 

PETER Weir has double reason to celebrate today’s 25th anniversary of Aberdeen’s European Super Cup win.

 

The winger masterminded a 2-0 victory over Hamburg at Pittodrie which saw the Dons crowned Europe’s top club side.

 

But his son Stuart, now a plumber in Glasgow, was also born on that memorable day on December 20, 1983.

 

We caught up with Peter, 50, now a youth coach and chief scout for the Dons in Glasgow.

 

Aberdeen remain the only Scottish club to win the prestigious title – and Peter reckons that will never change.

 

Q What are your memories of that day?

 

A Winning the Super Cup was the highlight of my career, because that day has such wonderful memories. Not only did I win the Super Cup, but my son Stuart was born.

 

European nights were special at Pittodrie, and to host the European champions was a huge occasion.

 

Hamburg were by far the bigger club, and had a lot of top class stars, but we produced a fantastic performance.

 

The scoreline could have been more than 2-0, and we proved just how good a team we were. That season we had beaten giants like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and then Hamburg. We more than earned the tag of Europe’s best.

 

Q Did your son’s birth come as a surprise?

 

A Yes, it was a real shock because my wife, Mary, was fine when I left to meet up with the team at the Ferryhill Hotel for a pre-match meal.

 

I left Mary at 4pm, and she was not due for a couple of weeks. By 6.40pm Stuart was born, but I knew nothing about it.

 

Thankfully, my family had travelled up from Glasgow to watch the Hamburg game, and my brother-in- law rushed her to hospital. My family never phoned me to say my son was born, because they did not want to disrupt the build-up to the game.

 

Besides, Fergie would not have let me go to the hospital anyway. He would have made sure I played.

 

Q When did you discover that you had become a father?

 

A I was totally oblivious throughout the game. When the final whistle went, Ian Taggart, the old secretary of Aberdeen, jumped over the dugout from where he sat in the directors’ box.

 

He grabbed me and said: ‘congratulations’. I thought he was talking about the game because I had played well and been named man of the match.

 

When he told me Mary had just given birth I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t sink in until I got to the hospital.

 

It was an evening game and they were not going to let me see Mary and Stuart as it was after visiting hours. But thankfully they let me in after some persuading.

 

Stuart was born so quickly Mary even managed to watch the entire Super Cup game on Grampian TV because she had a telly in her hospital room!

 

Q Did you miss out on the post-match celebrations?

 

A Yes, but Fergie let us off the leash for a special ‘Peter Weir’ night out a few days later. Back then, we had to go all the way out into the sticks if we wanted a pint, so the gaffer would not know.

 

But I asked Fergie if we could get a night out to mark Stuart’s birth. He said yes, and even gave us a day off which was a total surprise.

 

Q Will a Scottish team ever win the Super Cup again?

 

A It will be very difficult. Rangers and Celtic have both reached the final of the UEFA Cup in recent years. But they could not go that extra step to win the trophy.

 

It is hard for Scottish teams to compete with the financial clout of many of the other European sides, especially the Premier League ones. But no one expected a Scottish team to win the Super Cup in 1983.

 

Anything is possible, but I doubt if it will happen. Hopefully, Aberdeen can return to Europe next season. I was at Pittodrie for the 4-0 UEFA Cup win over Copenhagen and it was a fantastic night. It reminded me of those fantastic Euro nights in the 1980s, it had that buzz.

 

Q At what point in that season did the team suddenly realise they could conquer Europe?

 

A None of us ever thought we could win it until after that 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich.

 

After that, we had a look at who was left in the tournament and thought we could do this. It just proves what can happen in football.

 

The Super Cup was extra special for me and will live with me for the rest of my life.

 

[capitalsharpie]

Apparently nae as good as winning the Tennents sixes, according to some.