WITH the biggest match in the past 300-plus years of Scottish history coming up on 18 September, it really is tough to get excited about the start of this fitba season. Mind you, Celtic's 1-1 draw with Maribor last night, almost got me going.
I will probably be more than a little surprised if the Hoops do not go on to clinch the tie in the second leg at Parkhead, and advance to the group stages of the competition - which, given the doing they sustained at the hands of Legia, will make Celtic the luckiest team in the world in my view.
If Peter Lawwell has a shred of decency, he will find that sacked Legia administrator to whom they owe their continued European presence, a job somewhere. After all, what is one more Polish immigrant to this country?
Get him/her a job at Ibrox Peter - you know it makes sense.
What, with an away goal in Maribor, six past the Arabs and a wee visit from the Bunnet, it's been a good week for the Hoops.
NOT so good across the city, though. OK, Wee Bazza's Clyde were in all honesty, never likely to trouble the troops too-much in the Diddy Cup, but, Id have thought maybe more than 11,000 of Ra Peepul would have turned out to give their old captain a welcome "home". Maybe the rest were all out canvassing to save the Union and the Crown from that Alik Sammin, or helping the Easdales to rescue Ferguson's.
I know the situation facing these shipyard workers in Port Glasgow is too-serious to joke about it, but, I genuinely hope the Easdale's can do better in turning-around things at the Tail o' the Bank than they have hitherto managed at the Big Hoose.
Let's all laugh at the Ibrox management is all good clean fun and harms nobody - saving Ferguson's is really serious stuff and I wish the Easdales - or anyone else who can maybe keep that yard open, well.
GOOD luck too to Ms Kerr up at Stirling University. Mind you, that is probably the best Scottish team to take the plunge and appoint a female manager. By definition, being a university side, the players and the back-room staff all have brains, which they know how to use.
There is a perception too that, the support, such as it it, is also a body with brains capable of clear reasoning - so, the new boss has a chance of doing well. Certainly, her track record with Arsenal Ladies demands she be treated with respect.
I FORGOT, when I last posted, to mention the latest example of English arrogance, as portrayed by their football media's treatment of the new Manchester United manager.
I switched-on BT Sport to watch last weekend's Manchester United v Swansea match, and, in the prelude, we had a shot from his first United press conference, of the Dutchman explaining to the assembled media - how to pronounce his name.
Not once, but thrice, he made it clear it was said: "Van Haal", not "Van Gaal". It could not have been clearer.
So, why did the massed ranks of the BT team, and the even-more massed ranks on the BBC's preview and post-match programmes make a point almost of calling him, to a man, "Van Gaal"?
Don't ya just love this we know best English attitude! Makes you pround to be voting Yes on the 18th of next month.
FINALLy,I see big Malky Mackay will not be getting the Crystal Palace job, and has been landed in hot water through a complaint by Cardiff City to the FA, about his behaviour during last season's rather messy "marital break-up" the the Welsh side.
It is events like this which demonstrate how low English football has sunk in its desperate attempts to woo and welcome every nasty tin-pot dictator or spiv it can into its incessant pursuit of filthy lucre.
Why do we still bother with such a smelly game?
I switched-on BT Sport to watch last weekend's Manchester United v Swansea match, and, in the prelude, we had a shot from his first United press conference, of the Dutchman explaining to the assembled media - how to pronounce his name.
Not once, but thrice, he made it clear it was said: "Van Haal", not "Van Gaal". It could not have been clearer.
So, why did the massed ranks of the BT team, and the even-more massed ranks on the BBC's preview and post-match programmes make a point almost of calling him, to a man, "Van Gaal"?
Don't ya just love this we know best English attitude! Makes you pround to be voting Yes on the 18th of next month.
FINALLy,I see big Malky Mackay will not be getting the Crystal Palace job, and has been landed in hot water through a complaint by Cardiff City to the FA, about his behaviour during last season's rather messy "marital break-up" the the Welsh side.
It is events like this which demonstrate how low English football has sunk in its desperate attempts to woo and welcome every nasty tin-pot dictator or spiv it can into its incessant pursuit of filthy lucre.
Why do we still bother with such a smelly game?
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