I have to laugh sometimes at the praise heaped upon today's football team captains. For at least the last 25-years, maybe longer, the position of captain of a football team has been repeatedly undermined by the rise of the coach as God - a phenomenon imported from American Football.

Football captains haven't really been important since the mid-1960s, or at leat the early 1970s. Sure, some captains have, even since then, had a more-significant impact on games than others - but, in all honesty I do not see in today's football, captains of the stature of THE captains of my youth - Billy Wright of England, Danny Blanchflower of Northern Ireland, Johnny Carey of the Republic of Ireland, John Charles of Wales; or the man who to me is The Captain - George Young of Rangers and Scotland.

When Young led Scotland, in the decade from 1948 to 1957, he was more than merely captain - he was in effect player-manager of the national team, which was picked by a selection committee. Occasionally that committee would be headed, or have as a member, a former internationalist or two, George Brown, Rangers director, former Rangers left half and himself a former Scotland captain, had a productive spell as chairman of the selection committee in the mid-fifties; but, mainly the selectors were the usual eclectic mix of butchers, bakers and candle-stick makers from Scotland's smaller clubs.

Selection was erratic, there was no long-term planning and with no team manager, it was left to Young to lay down the game plan and make sure the players stuck to it.

Amazingly, Scotland's record in those days was no worse than today, when we are playing Craig Levein a lot of money, for not great results.

Eric Caldow, himself an outstanding national captain, has told me that Young was magnificent. He could play his own game to a consistently high level, but, he could (and did), at half time, disect the other ten players' first half performances, suggest changes and provide motivation.

But, Young was just one great captain of those times - across the city there was Jock Stein; Hugh Long at Clyde was a great captain, as was Bobby Parker at Hearts, Davie Mitchell then Archie Glen at Aberdeen, Willie Toner, then Frank Beattie at Kilmarnock and while Gordon Smith at Hibs maybe wasn't in these defenders' class as a "sergeant major" figure, Lawrie Reilly has always insisted that the fear of letting Gordon down and of failing to match the standards he set was a great motivating factor for him and the other nine Hibs players.

Later, Dave Mackay was a great captain, as too, surely were Bobby Moore, John Greig and Billy McNeill. Billy Bremner appears on the face of it to be a great captain, but, alas, for me he falls down through his lack of self-control. Willie Miller, Terry Butcher, Graeme Souness, Pat Stanton and Roy Aitken were for me the last great captains - thereafter the men with the armband have been basically ball carriers.

And I include in that rating, Davie Weir, who has now left the Rangers' pay roll. He had the bearing of a traditional Rangers captain; he made much of the talent he was given; he never gave less than 100 per cent - but, for me, givent he nature of the modern game, he could never match-up to Greig, Caldow, Young, Shaw, Simpson and Meiklejohn - his predecessors.  He was sent-off from Ibrox to ringing praise at the weekend, yes, he deserves the praise - but it was, for me, a bit over the top.

But, that's the measure of modern football journalism - I sometimes think the guys writing in the papers today think Scottish football began in the era of Law, Bremner and Dalglish.

I NOTICE Ally McCoist has been getting pelters from the fans as Rangers have stuttered in recent weeks. This Rangers/Celtic thing is all getting a bit too-hysterical these days, with fans, on both sides demanding that their team win every game, nothing less is acceptable.

They may still be paying over the odds for fairly average players, but the fact is, both clubs are nowhere as strong as they once were and the fact that they continue to dominate the SPL is more an indictment of the managerial policies of the boards of the other ten clubs than of any greatness from the two clubs.

I've been saying for years, if the other ten would have more of a go at the Big Two, they would enjoy more success. They have nothing to fear but fear, sadly, this is not a lesson they have learned.

Speaking of learning, McCoist is still learning his job as manager and for me, he would have benefitted from two or three seasons elsewhere, away from the influence of Walter Smith, before succeeding him. I question some of his purchases; I question his Smith-like refusal to trust in his young players, but, I will not write him off as Rangers manager after just over half a season. To do so is silly in the extreme.

THE battle lines are being drawin in my native Ayrshire this week, as the count-down to the Ayr United v Kilmarnock League Cup semi-final gets under way.

On paper, this SHOULD be a win for Killie - but - Ayr has by and large kept their best form for cup ties this season. Brian Reid never gets into the frame when it comes to vacant SPL jobs, but, look at his record at Ayr and he has worked wonders with little or no cash. Mark my words, Ayr could win this one, and if they do, get your money on Mark Roberts bagging the winner.