SPL - Simply Pathetic League

I HAVE had enough of gloom and doom this week, so let's set aside the small matter of conjecture on the affairs of Rangers FC and look instead at the state of Scottish football - something I was diverted away from addressing by the events of this week.

Last Saturday, for my sins, I was asked to cover Kilmarnock v Heart of Midlothian by a national newspaper, this was, as I remarked last week, my first exposure to SPL football for a couple of seasons - it was rank rotten.

A poor crowd of just over 4000; ok, the timing wasn't great and the demands on their hard-earned being borne by the Hearts' fans at present doubtless contributed to the thin spread of Jambos in the "away" end. But, barely 4000 home fans were prepared to turn-out to watch a Killie team playing (allegedly) a high-quality passing game.

To my mind this demonstrates what I've been saying for a long time - the SPL is over-priced. It would, last weekened, have been cheaper, and infinitely-more-comfortable for me to take "'Er Indoors" to the Odeon in Kilmarnock, to watch Meryl Streep in 'The Iron Lady' than to take her to Rugby Park to watch Killie play Hearts.

Hasn't it occured to the High Heid Yins in the SPL - your core audience in Scotland are struggling in the present recession - you've got to find inventive ways of getting them to part with their hard-earned, just to keep them coming. And while you're at it, improving the quality of your product might be a good idea.

In the press conference after the match, the red-top boys, who set the agenda, only wanted to focus on the pre-match spat between "Rent-a-gob Shiels" and "Motor-mouth Sergio"; the lack of a hand-shake; what Sergio did or didn't say to Shiels Minor and vice versa.

Mind you, I don't blame them, there was very little to ask about concerning 90 minutes of misplaced passes, missed opportunities and mainly headless chicken impressions.

If that's typical SPL fare - We're awe doomed - doomed ah tell ye!

HOWEVER, my mental turmoil was eased slightly on Wednesday evening, after I was despatched to Somerset Park to cover the Ayr United v Falkirk Scottish Cup tie.

Like A Boy Named Sue - after he finally met his Dad - I came away with a different point of view. I had possibly seen the future and it might work. I was more than impressed with the performance of the Falkirk team. OK, they lost narrowly, but, the way Elvis has got a bunch of kids ready and willing to get the ball down, pass and move was refreshing. There is real talent there and I wish Elvis and his back-room all the best in their endeavours.

But, to laud the losers and say nothing of the winners would be stupid. I've said before and will probably say so again, the way big Brian Reid's name is seldom in the frame for SPL managerial vacancies amazes me, after what he has done at Ayr. He just might be the best United boss since Ally MacLeod - first time around.

His team got a chasing in the first half and were extremely lucky to turn round all-square, after scoring with their only upfield sortie of the 45 minutes. But, whatever he said in that dressing room at half time worked - they dominated the second half and might well have won by more than Mark Roberts' penalty goal. And, if ever there was an example of how to take a vital penalty, this was it.

Ayr demonstrated the old Scottish virtue of refusing to surrender to a technically-superior team and got their reward. As I told Pat Fenlon of Hibs, who was also in the press box on BBC duty - his guys are in for a good old game in the quarter-finals.

Ayr also have some young talent in their squad - as I have said, the talent is still being produced in Scotland, it's long past time the fans put pressure on the directors to make the managers and coaches work better, to give this talent a chance.

When this happens, just watch Scottish football go and grow.

FINALLY, I seem to be the only journalist who remembers the name of Bill Hiddleston, or to have raised that spectre in relation to the Rangers case. It was good, this morning, to read that the Polis are sitting-up and taking notice of events at Ibrox.

More work coming the way of M' learned friends I feel ceretain.