Nat King Cole crooning around Old Trafford may have been the sentimental choice for Sir Alex Ferguson as Old Trafford on his final match pre-retirement.
But 30 years ago this weekend he achieved probably his greatest honour in the club game, by taking a provincial club with little financial clout to the summit of European competition.
As a young manager in his thirties he recollects the Aberdeen period as a great learning experience, but defeating giants of the European game then as now such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid surely ranks as the peak of his career, even 38 honours later from Manchester United.
Young fans clutched new-look replica kits, and older fans their scarves whilst spectators such as Richard Gordon (now of BBC Scotland) have recounted tles of squandering/abusing/scoring personal loans from bank bosses to make the trip by plane or boat (the now legendary St Clair 2 day ferry ) across to Gothenburg, and the Ullevi Stadium for the 11th of May final, won by the Super Dons by 2-1.
What is less well known s that the omens were good prior to kick off, as Aberdeen stayed in a hotel by a name not unknown in the Doric/Aberdeenshire venacular: the 'Farrs Hatt' hotel! Please note in Swedish this means Father's hat, but a colloquialism is always welcome in sporting lore: check it out if you don't believe us farshatt hotel Gothenburg.
It was a great time to be a Dons supporter, and it is unlikely that the record of 3 premier league titles, Scottish Cups and League trophies, not to mention the European successes in European Cup Winners Cup and Super Cup will ever be repeated again.
Certainly in this time of tributes to Sir Alex Ferguson, this day thirty years ago must still be highly prized as he looks forward to a happy retirement as ambassador for Manchester United, and probably still as a supporter of Aberdeen where it all really took off for him.
But 30 years ago this weekend he achieved probably his greatest honour in the club game, by taking a provincial club with little financial clout to the summit of European competition.
As a young manager in his thirties he recollects the Aberdeen period as a great learning experience, but defeating giants of the European game then as now such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid surely ranks as the peak of his career, even 38 honours later from Manchester United.
Young fans clutched new-look replica kits, and older fans their scarves whilst spectators such as Richard Gordon (now of BBC Scotland) have recounted tles of squandering/abusing/scoring personal loans from bank bosses to make the trip by plane or boat (the now legendary St Clair 2 day ferry ) across to Gothenburg, and the Ullevi Stadium for the 11th of May final, won by the Super Dons by 2-1.
What is less well known s that the omens were good prior to kick off, as Aberdeen stayed in a hotel by a name not unknown in the Doric/Aberdeenshire venacular: the 'Farrs Hatt' hotel! Please note in Swedish this means Father's hat, but a colloquialism is always welcome in sporting lore: check it out if you don't believe us farshatt hotel Gothenburg.
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Certainly in this time of tributes to Sir Alex Ferguson, this day thirty years ago must still be highly prized as he looks forward to a happy retirement as ambassador for Manchester United, and probably still as a supporter of Aberdeen where it all really took off for him.
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