'Bring your dinner' - The origin of Rangers rally cry as Celtic stars troll viral post at darts
Football has many famous cliched phrases like 'a game of two halves', 'in the mixer' and the dreaded 'at the end of the day...'.
But what about 'bring your dinner'? In just a few short days those words have become far more familiar to those of a Rangers and Celtic persuasion. So much so that it has added extra spice to an already fiery rivalry that once again created a classic in Sunday's Premier Sports Cup Final. Celtic triumphed on penalties to reach the magic 119 number after a 3-3 barnstormer at Hampden Park.
Many Rangers fans were hopeful ahead of kick off of getting one over their city rivals. But one supporter garnered 15 minutes of fame for his claim. His photo of James Tavernier lifting the trophy after last season's final was doing the rounds on social media ahead of the final, captioned: "Every man, woman, adult or child has their role to play tomorrow in that stadium. Bring your f****** dinner and keep us on top of the perch."
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But the supporter had egg on his face come the full time whistle with his post, nearing 100,000 views, being roundly mocked by rival punters on social media. Above that, a number of Brendan Rodgers ' men were in London for the Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championships at the Ally Pally. The darts event of the year is the one fans live for and the Hoops stars are getting in on the act at the Ally Pally. At the event, along with a "119" sign - referencing the Celtic now overtaking Rangers on total number of honours - a "bring your dinner" one was also spotted lying on the players' table as they milked their latest triumph. Record Sport lays out the origins of this bizarre phrase.
The origin of the phrase we believe came from, as many iconic football moments do, a documentary in the mid 90s. The low-budget fly-on-the-wall programme 'Leyton Orient: Club For A Fiver' followed chronicled a season in the life off a cash-strapped football club in total meltdown on and off the pitch during the 1994-95 campaign. In the old third division at the time, abject Orient won only six games all season and eventually finishing bottom of the table.
The undisputed star of Jo Treharne’s film was John Sitton, joint manager of the club who tore into his players at half-time when 1-0 down to Blackpool. In an attempt to rally his troops he embarked on an astonishing foul-mouthed dressing-room tirade. Sitton even sacked his friend and former team-mate Terry Howard, a club veteran, before turning his ire on the remaining players and offering to FIGHT two of them. Now that's just good TV.
Here is what he said: “You, you little c**t, when I tell you to do something, and you, you fucking big c**t, when I tell you to do something...do it. And if you come back at me, we’ll have a fucking right sort-out in here. All right? And you can pair up if you like, and you can f****** pick someone else to help you, and you can bring your f****** dinner. Cos by the time I’ve finished with you, you’ll f****** need it.”
The rant did not have the desired effect and Orient lost 1-0. In fact they only won once in their next 15 games which resulted in the dismissal of the management team from Brisbane Road. The documentary broadcast on Channel 4 made an unwitting and reluctant cult hero of Sitton, who described the programme as “sensationalist and at worst totally inaccurate and unbalanced”. He never worked in management again but his 'bring the dinner' phrase stuck in the public conscious.
While the diehard Rangers fan behind the post has concealed his name on social media, @_TF93 is a popular presence online. The loyal Light Blues supporter is based in Merthyr Tydfil, about 20 miles north of Cardiff, and regularly posts about his beloved side. Despite living in Wales, he proved his Gers credentials by travelling nearly 500 miles OVERNIGHT to watch the Light Blues in action at Dundee in March - only for the match to be called off due to heavy rain around Dens Park.
He posted a photo setting off on a bus in the dead of night along with his young son and the message: “Dundee away starts now. Overnight bus to Scotland aren’t for the weak but neither are title races.” And TWELVE hours later he shared a series of facepalm emojis alongside the tweet from Dundee announcing that there was a pitch inspection for the lunchtime kick off on Tayside. And after referee Don Robertson had taken the decision to call the game off, he again posted: “Travelled all night for the game to be called off as we get to Dundee.” But the fan thanked Rangers supporters liaison officer as he posted photos of his son with Ibrox stars Fabio Silva and Rabbi Matondo, who plays for Wales.
Moving forward, Rangers will be smarting having come so close to keeping Celtic in the rear view mirror in their trophy stockpile race. The Ibrox side will get two more chances to level with the Hoops once again in May as the Premiership season concludes and the Scottish Cup Final takes place. Next up, Rangers will look for home comforts this weekend as they host Dundee while table toppers Celtic head to Tannadice on Sunday to face Dundee United.
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