IBROX STADIUM – RANGERS vs ABERDEEN – 26th Sept 2009

So the wait is over…the first review is here!

the first destination on the Pie and Bovril review roadshow is at the top end of the stadium scale, a trip to Rangers’ impressive Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.

Firstly, it was sunny when i woke up! Always good. Then a 3 hour drive later, including a quick stop for a couple of lucozades, and we arrived in a cloudy Glasgow. Ibrox is well signposted although i had a tip off to NOT park in the official car park! Too expensive they say…!!! Instead it was to the streets, and as you can see below the car nestled “like a glove” into a street space on Clifford Street.

Notice the security. CCTV on the street so i could go to the game with the peace of mind that we had Glasgow’s Finest watching over the Fiesta. Saves a couple of quid paying a small child to “watch” my car!

So the car is parked, valuables hidden, it is now time to get to the ground. The walk to the gorund was about 500 yards and it was full of colourful language, a plethora of burger vans (fish and chips for £2.50…credit crunching indeed) and more illegal unofficial merchandise than the crimebusters can shake a fist at.

Programmes were easy to find, although i thought at first there was a celebrity selling them since they were under police watch. £2.50 a programme was the hit so not too bad, plus i got a FREE Jelly Baby form the kind hearted female seller (a perk that was not advertised and maybe warranted police surveilance). It was a Basset Jelly Baby so qudos to the seller for not buying chep jelly babies!! So far so good…

The ground itself is big. and grand in scale. It looks big and i found but with the help of the handy map placed outside all 4 corners of the ground I found my enterance quite quickly (see below).

The climb up the stairs was a fair hike, but when i got up and found my seat (decent legroom and quite comfy)the game was just about to get underway. Come on the Gers I screamed and was greeted with strange looks…maybe the lack of a swear made it obvious i wasn’t a local (or the fact i had no blue on!)

First half – DULL. But the time had arrived on at 3.46pm…PIE AND BOVRIL TIME!!!!

The queue was large and as you can see the pie selling area was brightly lit with a plethora of culinary options available. A little over-priced i thought at first, but maybe the service coupled with lovely grub would make me change my mind. It didn’t! Service was awful. I had to repeat to the fella 3 times what i had asked for (a scotch pie and a bovril). Worse was to come. “We dinna hae any bov-i-ril pal”. Great!!! “Tea then” i replied. “We dinna hae any tea eeether pal, the hot thing is broke”. I felt the urge to correct his grammar but since half time is only 15 minutes long i decided better. I settled for a pie and Coke, and being daykight robbed of £3.80! The pie better be good!!!

So as you can see, size of meal was poor. Small coke, and small pie.

The pie itself, hugged tightly by a silver pie case, was undercooked, pale in appearance and in many ways poorly constructed. As you can see from above, the pie top was not even fully covering the “joys” within the pastry. The small gap allowing the meat and seasoning within to peek out at me was concerning. Credit where credit is due though, it was hot. But apart from that it was poor. Rather than melt in your mouth it was more disintegrate in my hand!!! The ketchup didn’t even save it. Rangers football club may have their financial worries and issues, but guys…sort your pies out!!!

On to the rest of the matchday experience. Firslty scoreboards were good, large telly screens if you like. Enhanced the viewing experience of the half time raffle. The “Rangers Rising Stars” raffle is simple – 3 tickets, 1st 2nd and 3rd, with a top prize of £1000 pounds! Thats enough to buy maybe 3 pies and a coke!!!! An ex player makes the draw and on this occasion it was Jimmy Millar. I didn’t win but it was a simple format, drawn quickly and efficiently and in many ways satisfied.

After a drab 2nd half, and a nasty lingering after taste of bad pie and worse service, it was time to return to the “safety” of Clifford Street to the car. Glad to report the CCTV did its job and all was present and correct. Quite a quick get away too and easy access to the M8 made the infrastructure score high.

Overall it is time for Ibrox to get the Pie and Bovril “Scores on the doors” –

Parking – 8/10 – Street parking however CCTV and close proximity to both motorway and ground

Programme availability – 9/10 – police marshall and FREE JELLY BABY!

Comfort of seat -6/10 -Not bad. My knees touched seat infront but apart from that it was pretty spacious

Helpfulness of stewards and staff – 4/10 – They avoid speaking to you but i am taking marks down for TERRIBLE customer service from my food vendor.

Quality of Pie and Bovril – Renamed This weekt o “Pie and Coke”- 3/10 – NOT GOOD!!! I will be revisiting to ensure that standards improve!

Scoreboard or video screen quality – 8/10 – Very impressive. TV’s and a scoreboard, and large digital clock. Standard for season has now been set!

Quality of half-time raffle – 8/10 – To the point, easy to follow and very efficient. Good format.

Hospitality -6/10 -I didn’t use the restrooms, and i was not impressed by the food vendor, but overall it was quite welcoming.

Closing summary – A premier league ground, a UEFA 5* Facility but ONLY a 6.5 Pie and Bovril rating. Food was poor and there are areas for improvement. Good parking and a free Jelly Baby with programme show that there are already positive points, and hopefully improvement in the culinary department will be forthcoming.

Overall – 6.5/10

Next ground on the radar is …. Christie Park in Huntly! Huntly v Brora Rangers. Should be an interesting trip, and intrigued to see the atmosphere after the match fixing allegations that have rocked the Scottish Football world.

Until next time remember to “Say aye to a pie“…

Pie and Bovril