Old Firm In The English Premiership - Further Away Than Ever After Saturday

LET'S LOOK for the silver lining from Saturday's reported clashes between Celtic and Sunderland “supporters”. Regardless of who started it, or who or what was to blame for the disturbances – this was surely another nail in the coffin of the ludicrous case for somehow shoe-horning Celtic and Rangers – should that troubled club ever recover to its former status – into the English Premiership.

The Good from Sunderland v Celtic - the Hoops go in front

As this blog has often maintained, the only way the Big Two will ever escape the strait-jacket of being Scottish to reach the sun-dappled riches elsewhere is, if we get a proper, franchised European League.

and The Bad

Incidents such as those on Saturday are grist to the mill of the lesser English clubs who do not want to see the Old Firm getting close to the current riches of the game south of the Border.

Mind you, if Brexit goes as badly as it could, we could well see a 21^st century version of the South Sea Bubble, involving English football.

But, well done Celtic, for doing the business where it mattered – on the park. That result could, hopefully, be the boost they need for this week's potentially-perilous trip to Norway.

And well done too to the massive Rangers' following to their game with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. No reports of bother there, and a morale-boosting 2-0 win. Mind you, a quick look at the Owls' page in the Sheffield Star, reveals a less-than-impressed home following. But, that's football fans for you.

BACK HOME, the group stages of the Betfred Cup, finished with Ian Cathro's manager's coat on a seemingly shoogly peg at Tynecastle. A situation which has nothing to do with the ongoing work on the new stand.

I said when young Ian was appointed, it was a major gamble. He made his name as a coach of young players and, as I said at the time, is maybe destined to be an effective Number Two than the main man.

Ian Cathro - gameble such as his appointment need time

But, to jettison him now would be a mistake, and I don't see Ann Budge having made many since she took charge at Tynecastle, but, Hearts need to start the league season well, or, the cries for Cathro's head will grow.

Of course, a lot of the sound and fury is being generated by the usual suspects of former Hearts' players, none of whom exactly possess impressive managerial CVs, of even a current post in football management.

A well done, by the way, to Ian McColl's Ayr United, for an impressive group campaign. If they can keep that form going, I know a lot of Honest Men who will have a good season.

BROWSING facebook this morning, I spotted an old black and white picture of Joe Jordan, Tam Forsyth and Danny McGrain showing-off the Jubilee Trophy, the silverware which went to the winners of the old Home Internationals. I got to touch this magnificent trophy once, when it was on-display in Edinburgh during the abortive “Celtic Connections” efforts to win the rights to host the European Championships, some years back. It really is a fantastic example of the silversmith's art.

This picture got me thinking

Any way, for most of the year, this once-important soccer artefact resides in a bank vault in Belfast, since Northern Ireland won the last Home Internationals back over 30-years ago. I have long thought, bringing the Home Internationals back, as perhaps an Under-23 competition, as a means of bridging the gap between the Under-21s and the full national side, might not be a bad idea.

AND SPEAKING of off-the-wall ideas. Last week, Commonwealth Games Scotland held a media day, at Murrayfield, where the basketball, netball and rugby sevens squads for the Scotland team to next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia strutted their stuff for the cameras.

A host nation for the CGs has the right to nominate a sport for their games, and, I felt when Glasgow hosted the games, at Hampden in 201, Scotland missed a trick, by not nominating football.

Frank McAvennie - Scotland v Australia in the World Cup qualifier in 1985; why not in the Commonwealth Games too?

Imagine the crowds we might have had at Ibrox, Firhill and Parkhead for a Commonwealth football competition including the four Home Countries, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Jamaica, Canada and the likes. It would probably have had to be, as with the Olympics, an Under-23 competition, and would surely have attracted big crowds.

This was, I believe a chance missed. But, why shouldn't football be in there at future games?