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Clyde

125px
Full name	Clyde Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bully Wee
Founded	1877
Ground	Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, Scotland (Capacity: 8,029)
Chairman	John Alexander
Manager	Jim Duffy
League	Scottish Third Division
2010-2011	Scottish Third Division, 10th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

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[link]

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[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

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[link]

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[link]

Current squad[link]

As of 24 January 2012^[11]

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

No. Position Player GK Lucas Birnstingl GK David Crawford GK Nick Feely (on loan from Celtic) GK Barry McCue DF Gavin Brown DF Declan Gallagher DF Iain Gray DF Kris Irvine DF Jason Marr DF Brian McQueen DF Drew Ramsay DF Lee Sharp

No. Position Player MF Daniel Fitzpatrick MF Dale Fulton (on loan from Falkirk) MF Paul Hay MF Ryan Kane MF John Neill MF Jamie Pollock (on loan from Motherwell) MF Pat Scullion MF Jack Sloss MF John Sweeney FW Mark Archdeacon FW Kieran Brannan (on loan from Dumbarton) FW Steph McDonald FW Michael Oliver

For recent transfers, see Clyde transfers in 2011–12 season.

Non-Playing Staff[link]

Reserve and Youth Teams[link]

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[link]

Major[link]

Hall of Fame[link]

• Davie Laing Tommy McCulloch Pat Nevin

• George Herd Tommy Ring

Cup[link]

• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners (3): 1938-39, 1954-55, 1957-58
  • Runners Up (3): 1909-10, 1911-12, 1948-49

• Scottish Challenge Cup:
  • Runners Up (1): 2006-07

League[link]

• Scottish Football League First Division^[15]:
  • Runners up (2): 2002-03, 2003-04

• Scottish Football League Second Division^[16]:
  • Winners (4): 1977-78, 1981-82, 1992-93, 1999-2000

Minor[link]

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 Football League:
  • Winners (2): 1904, 1905

• 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[link]

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

• Combined Reserve Football League
  • Winners (1): 1962

• Scottish Reserve League West
  • Winners (1): 1988

• Reserve League Cup
  • Winners (1): 2008

• Glasgow 2nd XI Cup
  • Runners up (1): 1913

Records[link]

• Record home attendance: 52,000 vs Rangers (28 November 1908) (at Shawfield Stadium); 8,000 vs Celtic (Scottish Cup) (8 January 2006) (at Broadwood Stadium)
• Record win: 11–1 vs Cowdenbeath (6 October 1951)
• Record loss: 11–0 vs Dumbarton (22 November 1897), vs Rangers (13 November 1880)
• Most capped player: Tommy Ring: 12 (Scotland)
• Most goals in one season: Billy Boyd - 32 (1932–33)
• Youngest player: Connor Stevenson, aged 16 years and 245 days (against Queen of the South in the Scottish First Division on 15 April 2009)

Full Internationalists[link]

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

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Unofficial Supporters site
• Clyde Exiles site
• Colin Hendry interview with stv, 13 June 2007.
• Clyde BBC My Club page

Inter

200px
Full name	Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A.
Nickname(s)	I Nerazzurri (The Black and Blues) La Beneamata (The Cherished One) Il Biscione (The Big Grass Snake) Baüscia (Boasters in Lombard language)
Founded	March 9, 1908; 104 years ago  (1908-03-09)
Ground	San Siro, Milan (Capacity: 80,018[1])
Owner	Massimo Moratti
President	Massimo Moratti
Head coach	Andrea Stramaccioni
League	Serie A
2011–12	Serie A, 6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., commonly referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy. The club is commonly known as Inter Milan outside of Italy.^[2][3] They have spent their entire history in the top flight First Division (known as Serie A since 1929). Internazionale have won 30 domestic trophies, including the league eighteen times, the Coppa Italia seven and the Supercoppa Italiana five. From 2006 to 2010 the club won five successive league titles, equalling the all-time record.^[4] They have won the Champions League three times; two back-to-back in 1964 and 1965 and then another in 2010. The last completed an unprecedented Italian treble with the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto. The club has also won three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Inter's home games are played at San Siro, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with A.C. Milan, is the largest in Italian football, with a total capacity of 80,018.^[5] Milan are considered one of their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina, which is one of the most followed derbies in football.^[6] As of 2010, Inter is the second most supported team in Italy,^[7] and the eighth most supported team in Europe.^[8] The current president and owner of Inter is Massimo Moratti. The club is one of the wealthiest and most valuable in Italian and world football.^[9] It was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association.^[10]

History[link]

Foundation and early years (1908–1922)[link]

First Inter side to win the scudetto, in 1909–10

The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, following a "schism" from the Milan Cricket and Football Club (44 members). A group of Italians and Swiss (Giorgio Muggiani, a painter who also designed the club's logo, Bossard, Lana, Bertoloni, De Olma, Enrico Hintermann, Arturo Hintermann, Carlo Hintermann, Pietro Dell'Oro, Hugo and Hans Rietmann, Voelkel, Maner, Wipf, and Carlo Ardussi) were unhappy about the domination of Italians in the AC Milan team, and broke away from them, leading to the creation of Internazionale. The name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians.

The club won its very first Scudetto (championship) in 1910 and its second in 1920. The captain and coach of the first Scudetto was Virgilio Fossati, who was killed in World War I.

After early years (1922–1960)[link]

In 1922 Inter were in Group B of the Serie A and came in dead last after picking up only 11 points in the season. Thanks to the reunion of the C.C.I. (Confederazione Calcistica Italiana) and Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), Inter remained in the top league after winning the salvation play-off.

In 1928, during the Fascist era, the club was forced to merge with the Unione Sportiva Milanese and was renamed Società Sportiva Ambrosiana.^[11] They wore white shirts around this time with a red cross emblazoned on it. This shirt design was inspired by the flag and coat of arms of the city of Milan, which in turn is derived from the flag of the patron saint of Milan, St. Ambrose and dates back to the 4th century AD. The new upcoming President Oreste Simonotti decided to change name to Associazione Sportiva Ambrosiana in 1929. However, supporters continued to call the team Inter, and in 1931 new president Pozzani caved to shareholder pressure and changed the name to Associazione Sportiva Ambrosiana-Inter.

Their first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) was won in 1938-39, led by the great legend Giuseppe Meazza, for whom the San Siro stadium is officially named, and a fifth league championship followed in 1940, despite an injury to Meazza. After the end of World War II the club re-emerged under a name close to their original one; FC Internazionale Milano, which they have kept ever since. Following the war, Inter won its sixth championship in 1953 and the seventh in 1954.

Grande Inter (1960–1968)[link]

Facchetti on a 1968 Ajman stamp

In 1960, Helenio Herrera joined Internazionale from FC Barcelona. From FC Barcelona, he brought his midfield general Luis Suárez who would win the European Footballer of the Year in the same year for his role in FC Barcelona's La Liga/Fairs Cup double. He would transform Internazionale into one of the greatest teams in Europe. He modified a 5-3-2 tactic known as the Verrou (door bolt) to include larger flexibility for counter attacks. The Catenaccio system was invented by an Austrian coach named Karl Rappan. Rappan's original system was implemented with 4 fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who plays the ball together with two midfield wings. Herrera would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the free man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Internazionale would finish 3rd in Serie A his first season, 2nd the next year and first in his 3rd season. And then followed a back-to-back European Cup victory in 1964 and 1965. Herrera earned the title "ll Mago" which meant the magician. The code of Herrera's team was the fullbacks Tarcisio Burgnich and Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi the sweeper, Luis Suárez the playmaker, Jair the winger, Mario Corso the left midfielder and Sandro Mazzola who played the inside-right.

In 1964, Internazionale reached the Final by beating Borussia Dortmund in the semifinal and FK Partizan in the quarterfinal. In the Final, they met Real Madrid, a team had reached 7 out of the 9 existing Finals. Real Madrid consisted of the aging stars of the 1950s and a few emerging players that would win the European Cup in 1966. It was Sandro Mazzola who stole the show by scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory.

A year later, Inter repeated the feat by beating two-time winner SL Benfica in the final held at home. Jair was the lone scorer in 1-0 win.

By 1967, Jair was gone. Luis Suárez was injured and missed the Final. Sandro Mazzola's penalty was not enough to stop Celtic FC from winning the title.

After Helenio Herrera era (1968–1990)[link]

Following the golden era of the 1960s, Inter managed to win their eleventh league title in 1971 and their twelfth in 1980. Inter were defeated for the second time in five years in the final of the European Cup, going down 0-2 to Johan Cruijff's Ajax Amsterdam in 1972. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Inter also added two to its Coppa Italia tally, in 1977-78 and 1981-82.

Led by the German duo of Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus, and Argentine Ramón Díaz, Inter captured the 1989 Serie A championship. Fellow German Jürgen Klinsmann and the Italian Supercup were added the following season but to little avail as Inter were unable to defend their title.

Dark times (1990–2004)[link]

The 1990s was a period of disappointment. Whilst their great rivals AC Milan and Juventus were achieving success both domestically and in Europe, Inter were left behind, with repeated mediocre results in the domestic league standings, their worst coming in 1993-94 when they finished just 1 point out of the relegation zone. Nevertheless, they achieved some European success with 3 UEFA Cup victories in 1991, 1994 and 1998.

Massimo Moratti, Inter's current President

With Massimo Moratti's takeover from Ernesto Pellegrini in 1995 Inter were promised more success with many high profile signings like Ronaldo and Christian Vieri, with Inter twice breaking the world record transfer fee in this period (₤19.5 million for Ronaldo from FC Barcelona in summer 1997 and ₤31 million for Christian Vieri from Lazio in summer 1999). However the 1990s remained a decade of disappointment and is the only decade in Inter's history in which they did not win a single Italian Serie A championship. For Inter fans it was difficult to find who in particular was to blame for the troubled times and this led to some icy relations between them and the president, the managers and even some individual players.

Inter chairman Massimo Moratti later became a target of the fans, especially when he sacked the much-loved coach Luigi Simoni after only a few games into the 1998/99 season, after having just received Italian manager of the year award 1998 the day before Massimo Moratti decided to end his contract. In the 1998-99 season Inter failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in almost 10 years, finishing in a poor eighth place.

Marcello Lippi was sacked after the first 2000-01 matchday

In the 1999-00 season, Massimo Moratti made some major changes, marking once again some high-profile signings. A major coup for Inter was the appointment of former Juventus manager Marcello Lippi. Moreover, Inter were seen by the majority of the fans and press to have finally put together a winning formula. Other signings included Italian and French legends Angelo Peruzzi and Laurent Blanc together with other former Juventus players Christian Vieri and Vladimir Jugović. Inter were also seen to have an advantage in this season as they had no European "distraction". Once again they failed to win the elusive Scudetto. However they did manage to come close to their first domestic success since 1989 when they reached the Coppa Italia final only to be defeated by Lazio allowing them to win the Scudetto and domestic cup double.

The following season another disaster struck. Inter impressed in the Supercoppa Italia match against Lazio and took the lead through new signing Robbie Keane and Hakan Şükür – however, they lost 4-3. Overall, though, they were looking good for the season that was about to start. What followed was another embarrassment, as they were eliminated in the preliminary round of the Champions League by Swedish club Helsingborgs IF. Alvaro Recoba was given the opportunity to equal the tie with a last-minute penalty, but Helsingborg goalkeeper Sven Andersson made the save. Inter found themselves back at square one as Marcello Lippi, the manager at the time, was sacked after only a single game of the new season following Inter's first ever Serie A defeat to Reggina. Throughout this period, Inter suffered the mocking of their neighbours AC Milan; Milan were having success both domestically and in Europe. Also throughout this period suffered endless defeats to AC Milan including a 6-0 defeat in 2000-01 season. Marco Tardelli, chosen to replace Lippi, failed to improve results, and is remembered by Inter fans as the manager that lost 6-0 the city derby to AC Milan in the 2000-01 season. Other members of the Inter "family" during this period that suffered were the likes of Christian Vieri and Fabio Cannavaro, both of whom had their restaurants in Milan vandalised after defeats against AC Milan.

Héctor Cúper, who was in charge between 2001 and 2003

In 2002, not only did Inter manage to make it to the Uefa cup semi-finals, they were also only 45 minutes away from capturing the Scudetto, when they needed to maintain a one-goal advantage over SS Lazio at Rome's Olimpico stadium. This was the last match of the season, and Inter were top of the Serie A table at kick-off. However, a defeat would see Juventus, who were second, or even AS Roma, in third place, take the title from them. As a result, some SS Lazio fans were actually openly supporting Inter during this match, as an Inter victory would prevent their bitter rivals AS Roma from winning the championship. Inter were 2-1 up after only 24 minutes. SS Lazio equalised during first half injury time and then scored two more goals in the second half to clinch victory that eventually saw Juventus win the championship after their 2-0 victory away to Udinese.

2002-03 saw Inter take a respectable second place and also managed to make it to the 2003 Champions League semi finals against their bitter rivals AC Milan. Being tied 1-1 with AC Milan, Inter lost on away goals rule. It was another disappointement but they were finally on the right track.

However, once again Massimo Moratti's impatience got the better of him, Hernán Crespo was sold after just one season, and Hector Cuper was fired after only a few games. Alberto Zaccheroni stepped in, a life long Inter fan but also the man who was in charge of SS Lazio's 4-2 victory over Inter in 2002, the fans were sceptical. Zaccheroni brought nothing new to the side, apart from two fantastic wins over Juventus 3-1 in Turin and 3-2 at the San Siro the season was again nothing special. They were embarrassingly eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the first round finishing 3rd in their group. Furthermore, they only managed to scrape back into the Champions League by finishing in 4th place by only a point over Parma A.C.. Inter's only saving grace in 2003-04 was the arrival of Dejan Stanković and Adriano in January 2004 both solid players that filled the gap that was left by the departures of Hernán Crespo and Clarence Seedorf.

Resurrection & back to back titles (2004–present)[link]

Revival (2004–2008)[link]

Roberto Mancini became the third coach in Inter history to win back-to-back league titles after Alfredo Foni and Helenio Herrera

On 1 July 2004, Inter announced on their official website that they had appointed former Lazio boss Roberto Mancini as new head coach. In his first season Inter and Mancini collected 72 points from 18 win, 18 draw and only 2 loses. On June 15, 2005, Inter won the Coppa Italia, defeating AS Roma in the two-legged final 3-0 on aggregate (1-0 win in Milan and 2-0 win in Rome) and followed that up on 20 August 2005, by winning the Supercoppa Italiana after an extra-time 1-0 victory against original 04-05 Serie A champions Juventus (before being stripped of this title). This Super Cup win was Inter's first since 1989, coincidentally the same year since Inter last won the Scudetto before 2006. On 11 May 2006, Inter retained their Coppa Italia trophy by once again, defeating AS Roma with a 4-1 aggregate victory (A 1-1 scoreline in Rome and a 3-1 win at the Giuseppe Meazza, San Siro).

Inter were awarded the 2005-06 Serie A championship as they were the highest placed side in the season's final league table after points were stripped from Juventus and AC Milan - both sides involved in the match fixing scandal that year. On 14 July 2006, The Italian Federal Appeal Commission found Serie A clubs Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina, Reggina and AC Milan guilty of match-fixing and charged the 5 clubs with their respective punishments, (although all charges were later reduced in some capacity). So with the confirmed relegation of Juventus Turin to Serie B (for the first ever time in their history) and the 8-point deduction for city rivals AC Milan, Inter became favorites to retain their Serie A title for the upcoming 2006-07 Serie A season.

On April 22, 2007 Inter were crowned Serie A champions for the 2nd consecutive season after defeating Siena 2-1 at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Italian World Cup winning defender Marco Materazzi scored both goals in the 18th and 60th minute, with the latter being a penalty.

Zlatan Ibrahimović during the 2007–08 Serie A season

Inter started the 2007–08 season with the goal of winning both Serie A and UEFA Champions League. The team started well in the league, topping the table from the first round of matches, and also managed to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage; however, a late collapse leading to a 2–0 defeat with 10 men away to Liverpool on 19 February in the Champions League threw into question manager Roberto Mancini's future at Inter, and domestic form took a sharp turn of fortune with the team failing to win in the three following Serie A games (drawing with Sampdoria and major league opponents Roma, before losing away to Napoli, their first domestic defeat of the season). After being eliminated by Liverpool in the Champions League, Mancini then announced his intention to leave his job, only to change his mind the following day.

Following their late collapse leading to a 2–0 loss with 10 men away to Liverpool on 19 February in the Champions League and questions over Mancini's future Inter's domestic form took a sharp turn of fortune with the team failing to win in the three following Serie A games (drawing with Sampdoria and Roma, before losing away to Napoli). Inter had a second run of this kind between 19 and 29 March in which they again went winless through three games (against Genoa, Juventus and Lazio.) Like weeks previously, on 4 May 2008 Inter once again had a chance to wrap up their scudetto race; this time against city rivals AC Milan, but suffered a 2–1 defeat. The following week Inter again had the chance to wrap up their scudetto against Siena in a home match, complete with a festive atmosphere and an expectant crowd. However, Inter again failed to win the Scudetto, losing their lead twice and ultimately earning a 2–2 draw, with Marco Materazzi failing to convert a penalty in the dying embers of the match. The same week Roma scored a 2–1 victory away to Atalanta, thus catapulting the Romans to within just 1 point of Inter going into the final round of the Championship, despite trailing their Milanese rivals by 11 points earlier on in the season.

On Day 38, the final day of the Seria A 2007–2008 season, Inter played Parma FC away, whilst Roma travelled to Catania. This week offered an interesting juxtaposition, as both Roma and Inter looked to take the title, whereas Parma and Catania were both fighting for survival. Many scenarios could have played out, however Inter were still favourites due to their superior head to head record with Roma, all Inter needed to do was match Roma's result. The day started with Roma taking an early lead against Catania and for 60 minutes of the final day Roma were top of the league; however, the lead would not hold. Inter, seemingly rejuvenated due to the introduction of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, began to take control of the game. Amidst the pouring rain at the Ennio Tardini stadium in Parma, Ibrahimvoic fired a low shot making it 1–0 in the 62'. Another Ibrahimovic blast sealed the victory, and with it the hope of winning the championship faded away for Roma. Elsewhere, Catania managed to score a late equalizer that granted them the stay in Serie A for the upcoming 2009 season and left Roma 3 points behind Inter. Inter sealed their 3rd Championship in a row and had a late night celebration at the San Siro stadium upon their return to Milan, where they were presented with the Serie A trophy.

Following this win, the club however decided to sack Mancini on 29 May, citing his declarations following the Champions League defeat to Liverpool as the reason.^[12]

Modern history (2008–present)[link]

José Mourinho, winner of the first "treble" in Italian history in the season 2009–2010, with Inter

On 2 June, Inter announced on their official website that they had appointed former FC Porto and Chelsea boss José Mourinho as new head coach, with Giuseppe Baresi as his assistant. This made Mourinho the only foreign coach in Italy in the 2008–09 season kick-off.^[13] Mourinho made only three additions to the squad during the summer transfer window of 2008 in the form of Mancini,^[14] Sulley Muntari,^[15] and Ricardo Quaresma.^[16] Under Mourinho's first season as Inter head coach, the Nerazzurri won an Italian Super Cup and a fourth consecutive title, being, however, also eliminated from the Champions League in the first knockout round for a third consecutive time, losing to Manchester United. In winning the league title for the fourth consecutive time, Inter joined Torino and Juventus as the only teams to do this and the first to accomplish this feat in the last 60 years.

Inter enjoyed more luck in the 2009–10 Champions League, managing to progress to the quarter-finals by eliminating Mourinho's former team Chelsea in a 3–1 aggregate win; this was the first time in three years that the Nerazzurri had passed the first knockout round. Inter then progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament by beating CSKA Moscow 2–0 on aggregate, winning both legs.^[17] Inter managed to achieve a 3–1 win over incumbent champions Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-final. In the second leg, a resolute Inter lost 1–0 but progressed 3–2 on aggregate to their fifth European Cup/Champions League Final, with Bayern Munich as opponents. They won the match 2–0 thanks to two goals from Diego Milito, and were crowned champions of Europe.^[18]

Inter also won the 2009–2010 Serie A title by two points over Roma, and the 2010 Coppa Italia by defeating the same side 1–0 in the final.^[19]

By winning the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the prestigious Champions League in a single season, Internazionale completed The Treble, becoming the first ever Italian team to achieve the feat. However, their attempt to defend these honours will be without José Mourinho, as he agreed a deal to take charge of Spanish club Real Madrid on 28 May 2010.^[20] Inter appointed Rafael Benítez as new coach after signing a two-year contract on June 2010.

Javier Zanetti, Inter's current captain

On 21 August 2010, Inter defeated Roma 3–1 and won the 2010 Supercoppa Italiana, the fourth trophy of the year. In December 2010, they claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time after a 3–0 win against TP Mazembe in the final.^[21] Internazionale completed The Quintuple, becoming the fourth team in the world after Liverpool in 2001, Al-Ahly in 2006 & Barcelona in 2009.

However, after this win, on 23 December, due to his poor performance in Serie A and separated by 13 points from the leader Milan (although Inter played two games less, because of the FIFA Club World Cup appointment), the team announced on their website the departure of Rafael Benítez^[22] to be replaced by Leonardo the following day.^[23] During the winter transfer window, Andrea Ranocchia,^[24] Giampaolo Pazzini,^[25] Houssine Kharja,^[26] and Yuto Nagatomo^[27] joined the squad.

Leonardo has huge impact on the team even with the absent of Samuel Eto'o due to suspension, and Wesley Sneijder and Júlio César due to injury. Inter won their match against Napoli with two goals from Thiago Motta and another one form Esteban Cambiasso. Inter continues their good start with Leonardo with five wins in raw in all competitions, until they lost against Udinese, but Inter got in their feet quickly by qualified to the semifinal of Coppa Italia and win against Palermo after great comeback from 0-2 to win with 3-2 and two goals from new signing Giampaolo Pazzini.

Colours and badge[link]

Ambrosiana Inter Kit

One of the founders of Inter, a painter named Giorgio Muggiani, was responsible for the design of the first Inter logo in 1908. The first design incorporated the letters 'FCIM' in the center of a series of circles that formed the badge of the club. The basic elements of the design have remained constant even as finer details have been modified over the years. In 1998, the club came out with a brand-new iteration of the club crest, sticking to the original design while adding minor aesthetic updates.

Since its founding in 1908, Inter have worn black and blue stripes. It is rumored that black was chosen to represent night and blue was chosen to represent the sky.^[28] Aside from a short period during World War II, Inter continued to wear the black and blue stripes, earning them the nickname Nerazzurri.^[29] For a period of time, however, Inter was forced to abandon their black and blue uniforms. In 1928, Inter's name and philosophy made the ruling Fascist Party uneasy. As a result, during the same year the 20-year-old club was merged with Unione Sportiva Milanese. The new club was named Società Sportiva Ambrosiana after the patron saint of Milan.^[30] The flag of Milan (the red cross on white background) replaced the traditional black and blue.^[31] After World War II when the Fascists had fallen from power the club reverted to their original name and colors. In 2008, Inter celebrated their centenary with a red cross on their away shirt. Reminiscent of the flag of their city, the pattern continues to be used on their third kit to this day.

Animals are often used to represent football clubs in Italy, the grass snake, called Il biscione or Serpente representing Inter. The snake is an important symbol for the city of Milan, appearing often in Milanese heraldry as a coiled viper with a man in its jaws. The symbol is famous for its presence on the coat of arms of the House of Sforza (who ruled over Italy from Milan during the Renaissance period), the city of Milan, the historical Duchy of Milan (a 400 year state of the Holy Roman Empire), and Insubria (a historical regional area which the city of Milan falls within). For the 2010–11 season Inter's away kit featured the serpent.

Stadium[link]

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
San Siro
Location	Via Piccolomini 5, 20151 Milan, Italy
Broke ground	1925
Opened	19 September 1926
Renovated	1939, 1955, 1989
Owner	Municipality of Milan
Operator	AC Milan and Internazionale
Construction cost	₤5,000,000 (1926), ₤5,100,000 (1939), $60,000,000 (1989)
Architect	Ulisse Stacchini (1925), Giancarlo Ragazzi (1989), Enrico Hoffer (1989)
Capacity	80,018 seated
Tenants
AC Milan (1926–present), Internazionale (1947-present)

The team's stadium is the 80,018 seat San Siro, officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza after the former player who represented both AC Milan and Inter. The more commonly used name, San Siro, is the name of the district where it's located. San Siro has been the home of AC Milan since 1926, when it was privately built by funding from Milan's president at the time, Piero Pirelli. Construction was performed by 120 workers, and took 13 and a half months to complete. The stadium was owned by the club until it was sold to the city council in 1935, and since 1947 it has been shared with Internazionale, when they were accepted as joint tenant.

The first game played at the stadium was on 19 September 1926, when AC Milan lost 6-3 in a friendly match against Internazionale. AC Milan played its first league game in San Siro on September 19, 1926, losing 1-2 to Sampierdarenese. From an initial capacity of 35,000 spectators, the stadium has undergone several major renovations, most recently in preparation for the 1990 FIFA World Cup when its capacity was set to 85,700, all covered with a polycarbonate roof. In the summer of 2008 its capacity has been reduced to 80,018, in order to meet the new standards set by UEFA.

Based on the English model for stadiums, San Siro is specifically designed for football matches, as opposed to many multi-purpose stadiums used in Serie A. It is therefore renowned in Italy for its fantastic atmosphere during matches, thanks to the closeness of the stands to the pitch. The frequent use of flares by supporters contributes to the atmosphere but the practice has occasionally caused problems.

On 19 December 2005, AC Milan's vice-president and executive director Adriano Galliani announced that the club is seriously working towards a relocation. He said that Milan's new stadium will be largely based on the Veltins-Arena and will follow the standards of football stadiums in the United States, Germany and Spain. As opposed to many other stadiums in Italy, Milan's new stadium will likely be used for football only, having no athletics track. The new stadium's naming rights will be probably sold to a sponsor, similarly to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.^[32] It remains to be seen if this plan will proceed or if this is just a ploy to force the owners (Comune di Milano) to sell the stadium to AC Milan for a nominal fee so as to proceed with extensive renovations. The possibility of Internazionale vacating San Siro may affect proceedings.

Supporters and rivalries[link]

Inter created display in their curva at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Inter is one of the most supported clubs in Italy, according to an August 2007 research by Italian newspaper La Repubblica.^[33] Historically, the largest section of Inter fans from the city of Milan have been the middle-class bourgeoisie Milanese, while AC Milan fans are typically working-class and a significant portion are migrants from Southern Italy.^[29]

The traditional ultras group of Inter is Boys San; they hold a significant place in the history of the ultras scene in general due to the fact that they are one of the oldest, being founded in 1969. Politically, the ultras of Inter are usually considered right-wing and they have good relationships with the Lazio ultras. As well as the main group of Boys San, there are four more significant groups: Viking, Irriducibili, Ultras, and Brianza Alcoolica.

Inter's most vocal fans are known to gather in the Curva Nord, or north curve of the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. This longstanding tradition has led to the Curva Nord being synonymous with the club's most die-hard supporters, who unfurl banners and wave flags in support of their team.

Inter have several rivalries, two of which are highly significant in Italian football; firstly, they participate in the inter-city Derby della Madonnina with AC Milan; the rivalry has existed ever since Inter splintered off from Milan in 1908.^[29] The name of the derby refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose statue atop the Milan Cathedral is one of the city's main attractions. The match usually creates a lively atmosphere, with numerous (often humorous or offensive) banners unfolded before the match. Flares are commonly present, but they also led to the abandonment of the second leg of the 2005 Champions League quarter-final matchup between Milan and Inter on 12 April after a flare thrown from the crowd by an Inter supporter struck Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder.^[34]

The other most significant rivalry is with Juventus; the two participate in the Derby d'Italia. Up until the 2006 Serie A match-fixing scandal, which saw Juventus relegated, the two were the only Italian clubs to have never played below Serie A. In recent years, post-Calciopoli, Inter have developed a rivalry with Roma, having finished runners-up to Inter in all but one of Inter's five Scudetto winning seasons between 2005 and 2010. The two sides have also contested in 5 Coppa Italia finals and four Supercoppa Italiana finals since 2006. Other clubs, such as Atalanta and Napoli, are also considered to be amongst their rivals.^[35]

Current squad[link]

Players[link]

As of 31 January 2012^[36]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Júlio César 4 DF Javier Zanetti (captain) 5 MF Dejan Stanković 6 DF Lúcio 7 FW Giampaolo Pazzini 9 FW Diego Forlán 10 MF Wesley Sneijder 11 MF Ricardo Álvarez 12 GK Luca Castellazzi 13 DF Maicon 14 MF Fredy Guarín 17 MF Angelo Palombo (on loan from Sampdoria) 18 MF Andrea Poli (on loan from Sampdoria) 19 MF Esteban Cambiasso 20 MF Joel Obi 22 FW Diego Milito

No. Position Player 23 DF Andrea Ranocchia 25 DF Walter Samuel 26 DF Cristian Chivu 28 FW Mauro Zárate (on loan from Lazio) 29 MF Philippe Coutinho 30 FW Luc Castaignos 34 DF Cristiano Biraghi 37 DF Marco Davide Faraoni 40 DF Juan 42 DF Jonathan 48 MF Lorenzo Crisetig 53 MF Luca Tremolada 55 DF Yuto Nagatomo 81 FW Samuele Longo 88 FW Marko Livaja