Yes, the Pineapple Tartan Army is a bit of a strange name, a little different from the usual "(enter place name here) Tartan Army" style group names. But there is a reason behind it, as random as it may be!
A group of friends who go to the games decided to get together and, with a name, a flag and website, recognise themselves under a Tartan Army name - and so the Steeltown Tartan Army was born. However, it was more of an unofficial name given that only one or two of the guys actually lived, or came from, the Steeltown in question (Motherwell). In the summer of 2006 Steeltown TA lads Jay, Minty, Panda, Wullie, Joe and Graham headed to Aviemore for the first ever Tartan Army Gathering. What a weekend it was! Lots of great memories and stories from a tremendous few days, and one memory stood out!
On the Saturday morning Jay and Panda found themselves sitting drinking vodka, with Panda devouring a massive cheeseburger. Following the final bite Panda announced he was far too full to keep drinking! Shocked by this disturbing claim, Jay began to rant about how he'd heard that the acids in pineapples helped digestion, and so the duo headed off to Tesco to find some pineapple.
With no tinned pineapple in site, the lads found themselves carrying a whole fresh pineapple to the supermarket knives section. However, it was quickly discovered that the knives available would result in arrests. And so, after some deliberation, the decision was reached just to buy the pineapple anyway. Bit random.
By the end of the Saturday night, the pineapple had featured in lots of photos - and not just ours! By the Sunday, folk were recognising the now-battered pineapple which was carried through Aviemore on the Tartan Army March.
And so, despite it not being the most exciting or interesting story around, the decision was made to re-name the group as the Pineapple Tartan Army.
At first glance, the name may seem daft and random (which it clearly is!) but the reasoning behind it is quite serious. A tribute to a great weekend which has provided those present with great memories, stories and friends.
Long live the pineapple! |
