One of Falkirk’s well-known supporters passed away last week at the age of 70. Club Historian, Michael White, reflected on the life of Brian Guthrie and his impact on Falkirk Football Club.
Brian had been a leading member of various supporter organisations from the mid-70s onwards and was always ready and willing to give a fans-eye view of matters relating to the fortunes of his favourite club.
He was involved in the entertainment business and his brother Robin was a member of the Cocteau Twins group. He was a well-known presence in pop music in the Falkirk area and nationally and was involved in promotion and marketing.
Brian played a key role in the establishment of Bairnstrust, the forerunner of what was to become The Falkirk Supporters Society and was a longstanding traveller on the Grangemouth FSA bus. He was editor of the club programme during the 80s and improved the quality of the publication. His support of the club was unflinching and he led several campaigns when he felt there were injustices. Brian led the fans campaign to remove the Deans family from the Board, even hiring a bus to protest outside their butcher’s shop in Lauder. It’s fair to say, he ruffled more than a few feathers in his time and was always ready to scrutinise the club accounts at AGMs. He also tried to help boost the playing budget by starting Teambuilder whereby funds were made available to the manager to sign players.
He was previously elected as one of the fans’ representatives on the board and served his period of office, gaining a new perspective on the running of a football club.
In 2004, he had led the Bairns Aid project to support those affected by the tsunami which devastated parts of the Pacific. The response was impressive and Brian deserved great credit for that.
Away from football, he was involved in the Central Scotland Regional Equalities Council and was a member at national level of these regional bodies.
Brian’s later years were marred by serious illnesses and these restricted his appearances to watch his beloved Bairns in action. He struggled on through considerable adversity and at least he lived to see the team back where he always believed they should be – in the top tier of Scottish Football. Even in his final weeks, he was talking of returning to his stand seat and carrying on his life-long support of his club.
