A Win Is A Win Is A Win

THE original idea for my television viewing on Thursday night was a bit of channel-hopping - between the Celtic v Astra Europa League game on BT Sport 1 and the London Welsh v Bordeaux Challenge Cup rugby encounter on BT Sport 2. I reckoned before-hand, there was more likelihood of scoring action in the rugby, so, by and large, I stayed with it.

 

The early stages of the Celtic game as I saw it, was a case of two poor teams, not playing particularly well. But, to be fair to Celtic, who had my attention once the rugby match, which kicked-off earlier finished: they came onto a bit of a game the longer it lasted and deserved to win.

 

However, the lack of a visionary in midfield is costing Celtic dear. They have nobody today who has the range of passing skills, and the vision to make killer passes of a Bobby Murdoch. Hell, let's not aim that high, they don't have a Paul McStay either.

 

Still, a win is a win. I had to laugh at the commentary team's reaction to the Astra goal, shitey though it was. Derek Rae was convinced the ball had gone in off Izzy's arm. It looked that way to me too, but, sloppy though the goal was, I felt it was a case of ball to arm, which, Mr Rae might be amazed to hear, isn't necessarily a penalty.

 

I don't know about you, but: goal to Astra, even if it was scored from accidental hand ball, making the score 2-1 to Celtic, is, for my money, a better outcome than: no goal, penalty to Astra, red card for Izzy for denying a goal-scoring opportunity and automatic one-game ban. Even if this hypothetical penalty had been scored, it would still have been 2-1 to Celtic.

 

That result, with no players banned, is better than the same result and a key man out. How I wish today's journalists were up to speed on the Laws of the Game.

 

 

 

AYE. the pantomime season will soon be upon us.

 

Oh no it isn's. Oh yes it is.

 

One of the seasonal harbigners of this came up this week, as Dave King stomped away from another inconclusive meeting with the Tribute Act's management team.

 

When is someone within Ibrox going to tell this South African chancer: "Put-up or shut-up".

 

Come to that, when is someone within Hampden going to tell him: "Go away, you do not meet our fit and proper person criteria".

 

Or, better still, when is someone in the mainstream media in Scotland going to man-up and point-out what a total chancer King is.

 

The Tribute Act may be stumbling along, but, when it comes to getting them back to anywhere near the original Boys in Blue were, this King is a clown prince.

 

 

 

DOWN here in deepest Ayrshire, we all have a soft spot for Ayr United. The Cameron family has done a sterling job in keeping the club going these past few years, but, their pockets are not bottomless and Chairman Lachlan would like nothing better than to hand over control to someone else.

 

But, not just anyone. Lachlan will only cede control to someone who can take the club forward and hopefully, at least, bring Somerset Park into the 20th century.

 

If I win tonight's mega-millions Euro-millions draw, I might be tempted to have a go at running a Scottish football club properly. But, if not, I suppose the most I can hope for is that a genuine Ayr fan comes-up with the cash to bring back the glory days of Ally MacLeod's first term in charge. Boy, that was fun.

 

 

 

JUST up the road at Rugby Park, the troops are mutinous, as the players' bonus argument rumbles on. One hears strike action being contemplated. Don't the players know - nobody wins in a strike and I hope calmer heads prevail. These players are already well-paid for what they do, certainly in comparison to the majority of the Killie fans.

 

Speaking of Rugby Park, I am already getting excited at the thought of watching Scotland take on Tonga in a rugby international there next month.

 

This week, the SRU sent a squad of players round Ayrshire on a drum-beating exercise, aimed at the rugby-playing kids in God's County. If the response is half as good on 22 November, Scotland is already two or three tries up.

 

 

 

Speaking of rugby and football. I can only hope the affair of who lamped Zalukas is sorted-out quicker than the rugby equivalent: "the McLay Affair". Over a year has passed since a ruck involving Glasgow Hawks' Ally McLay and one or two Glasgow Warriors first came into the public domain.

 

As yet, nobody has appeared in court, while we understand, the law is advancing at its own, pederstrian pace. Let's hope this latest little local difficulty involving sportsmen is sorted-out faster.