I HAVE not posted for a wee while, mainly because, I am in despair about Scottish fitba. Maybe it was the international break which did for me; the simple fact, England, Northern Ireland and Wales could all relax, they had already secured their places in Euro 2016.
The Republic Of Ireland had other fish to fry, beating Bosnia-Herzegovina to clinch their place at the tournament finals. OK, (cue for a song), it should have been us; but, in typically Scottish fashion, we blew it, big time.
It might be, Wee Gordon Strachan got it right, when he decided, we would not play a meaningless friendly during the November international week. On the other hand, when you fall off a horse, received wisdom is, you get back up there as soon as possible.
With no real games to report, therefore, the intellectual dinosaurs of the Scottish Football Writers decided to look for a convenient "squirrel" - a diversion, so, we had all sorts of stuff about our youth development programme, such as it is, in Scottish fitba.
We had a great debate - okay, a lot of shite was written - about the road forward; suggestions we should scrap football academies and go back to basics. Aye Right.
For a start, you cannot go back to fitba in the streets, too-much traffic. Schools fitba is out too, the teachers struck back in the 1980s and, having discovered there is life beyond non-paid extra-curriculum work supervising fitba (and other sports) teams, they will not go back in the numbers needed. The uniformed youth organisations - BB, Scouts, armed forces cadet companies have enough problems under child protection legislation to take on the extra responsibilities of running fitba teams. Ditto the boys clubs, who have the added drawback to overcome, of leaders/coaches whose enthusiasm out-runs their abilities.
Then there is the fact, a lot of today's kids, and I speak with the authority of a grand-father with five grand-sons, none of whom plays in an organised team, but, all of whom are wizards on a keyboard, or games console. In many ways, sitting in front of a computer screen is a more-inviting prospect than freezing in horizontal Scottish rain on a pock-marked blaise pitch, being screamed at by a nutter who is re-living his own failed fitba career as the coach of a youth team.
How do we improve things?
Well for a start, we have to realise, the will is not evident within Hampden's sixth floor corridors of power, to make the necessary changes. As I have said time and again on here, Scotland is, in sporting terms, a staunch conservative nation (note to political students - the c is deliberately left small).
The default Scottish position when it comes to making changes is: (sharp intake of breath and sucking of teeth) "Naw son, wullnae happen, ye see son, it's aye been done this way"; end of conversation.
It suits the majority of our so-called senior clubs to guddle along with out-dated stadiums, treating the customers like shite, hoping to discover a youngster they can sell-on, praying to get a good cup draw against either the forces of blue/orange darkness or the forces of green-and-white darkness.
They know, it is cheaper to work with so-called "experienced journeymen" than to put the cash into a properly-functioning grass-roots development programme.
It suits us to have third-rate facilities, it goes with our third-rate football.
Our legislators, whether at Westminster, Holyrood, or in local councils, by and large have no interest in sport. They do not get the benefits of a population being fit, and involved in a sporting life-style, so, very little public money is ever invested in things like covered pitches, or more and better access to top-quality sports facilities.
IF football and other sports came together, and really pressured our politicians to improve the facilities, while at the same time improving the number and qualities of their coaches. If, at the same time, the "professional" clubs - and I have to say many of them are far from professional, sorted their clubs out - we might have a chance. But, it will call for long-term effort, long-term investment, real commitment, and a realisation, it will be a long-term job. But, someday, and, closer to 70 than 60 I doubt if I will see it, Scotland will get back to where we want it to be in football, but, we may never get back to where we used to be, back in the early days, when Scotland gave the beautiful game to the world.
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