Bremner sparks funny take on football failure
Comedian Phil Differ will examine his career as a failed footballer, and why he fell short in his ambition to usurp sporting icon Billy Bremner, during a special show at the Tolbooth.
Differ (61) will ask why a boy from the Raploch was able to make it to the top of the sport and he couldn’t – and what Bremner had that he didn’t – during a hilarious, self-deprecating presentation.
He will explore the reasons for this while casting an eye over his own footballing failures, and concluding that maybe, just maybe, Bremner was the better player after all.
Differ, who is part of the team behind hit programmes such as Only an Excuse, Still Game and Chewin’ the Fat, explained where the idea for the show came from.
He told the Observer: “I was speaking to a publisher several years ago about the number of football books being written.
“And when you think about it 90 per cent of us have to live with failure. We all wanted to be footballers, and all we did when we were younger was play football, but we just never made it for whatever reason.
“At St Modan’s [where Differ attended] we all wanted to be better than Billy Bremner, and I’m sure it will be similar for guys elsewhere who had footballers attend their school.”
He added: “I’ve taken some notes on my own failure to make it as a footballer, and I’ll examine why it didn’t work and the differences between us.
“When I was younger I didn’t really rate him – I didn’t have a clue. I thought footballers had to be like Jimmy Johnstone – beating nine men and then beating them again.
“I genuinely believed until I was around 16 or 17 I could be better than Billy Bremner.
“However, most of us don’t make it because we don’t know what it takes. I remember playing in Kilsyth and I was bumped and fell in a puddle – and I wanted to be subbed off.
“It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realised how good Bremner was. He was a born winner and he had an incredible toughness and steeliness to him. He could really play too.”
Differ explained that the show will take the form of a presentation, featuring a series of pictures and a dissertartion-style examination of where he fell short in his professional football ambitions.
The seated comedy show will take place from 8pm on February 10 – with tickets priced at £12.50.
Go to culturestirling.org/event.