A Woman Being Devious Is Difficult To Budge

IT IS a fact of life, which, unfortunately we men do not discover until we marry, but, the female of the species is indeed deadlier than the male. Women are more-devious, more-cruel, and far, far-nastier than we poor males.

Which is why I applaud Anne Budge for her decision this week to put Director of Rugby Craig Levein in-charge of the Hearts' first team. This might just be a wonderful example of those feminine qualities outlined in my opening paragraph.

Ann Budge

Budge and Levein may be, in some quarters, seen as a double act, or job lot in the Hearts renaissance project. But, never forget – Ann Budge is the one with the greater financial input – she is the boss.

She backed Levein when he backed Ian Cathro. I still believe Project Cathro could have worked, given time. That time was not given – another example of the short-termism which has so-bedevilled Scottish football. But, I also believe, Cathro would be a better number two, or Head of Development than he will ever be as a Number One, or Head Coach.

Project Cathro had been dumped. Is there another Cathro out there? I don't think so. Hearts must therefore move-on, which may, in the short-term, reverting to the traditional Scottish management format of the all-powerful Manager. However, Ms Budge seems set on the Director of Football overseeing a Head Coach role. I believe, by the way, she is right in this – it works elsewhere, why not in Scotland?

But, those potential Head Coaches Hearts have apparently spoken to – Davies, Hartley, Pressley – having been brought-up the old way, were not keen to work under a Director of Football (or was it just Levein?), so, with time of the essence, Ms Budge has taken perhaps the only, certainly the easiest option – and asked Levein to do the job.

If it works – great, Levein steadies the ship, Hearts get back to challenging Aberdeen, Rangers and maybe Hibs and St Johnstone for the right to finish second to Celtic. He then has time to further refine his preferred management format, and school Jon Daly and Austin McPhee in what he wants.

Craig Levein - Come-backs are always a risk

If it doesn't work – Levein's head is on the block, he walks and a manager who will be The Manager, can be appointed.

It is only the fact I was married to a thrawn red-head for nigh-on 40-years, before she died and left me in the tender care of our four daughters, which allows me to understand, far less work-out the Machiavellian thought processes of the fairer sex.

THIS being an international week, and Craig Levein being in the news, I had a wee dig through the records. Levein, as Scotland boss, was in-charge for 24 games, of which we won 10, drew 5 and lost 9 – giving him a 41.6% win ratio.

His long-term replacement, Gordon Strachan, has now been in-charge for 35 games, of which we have won 15, drawn 8 and lost 12 – giving him a 42.85% win ratio.

Neither Levein no Strachan has got us to the finals of either the European Championships, or the World Cup. Levein is now seen as a “failure” as Scotland boss, his escutcheon forever tarnished with the words 4-6-0.

 WGS - the Fans With Lap-Tops love him, the ordinary fans are less sure

To be fair, the foot soldiers of the Tartan Army do not, on the whole rate WGS as a distinct improvement, but, crucially, he remains popular with the Scottish football writers to an extent his predecessors, Levein and George Burley never were.

But, a one per cent improvement – is that something to shout from the roof tops about - particularly when the outcome is the same, a failure to qualify for tournament finals.

Maybe it's the system which is wrong and it would not matter a jot who was in-charge, we would still be shite – we are Scottish after all.

Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again in the hope of things turning-out differently. 

You have to try new systems and strategies, and, if at first they don't succeed, then try something else that's new. Don't go back to the system that failed before.

Scottish Football - Own Goals A Speciality

IN RUGBY, in the northern hemisphere, the professional club game virtually shuts down during the main international windows – the Autumn Tests and the Six Nations. There will still, however be club fixtures during these windows, if only to justify the existence of the non-international players.

This system is not perfect, but, it is better than football's. For a start, the rugby fixtures come in blocks and there is an acceptance in that game that full international rugby is the absolute top-flight. In football, the big-money clubs appear to believe they are the most-important people in the game, and, well perhaps because they are drawn from the club ranks – the guys at FIFA and UEFA play along with this.

Christophe Berra - could Hearts not manage without him?

We are now going into the first “International window” of the new season, with Scotland facing Lithuania and Malta over an extended weekend. So, the top-flight in Scottish football will close down for the duration. WHY? The only Scottish clubs with players involved in these games are Celtic, Hearts and Hibs, so, why must the other nine clubs be idle?

OK, you might be able to make a case for Celtic calling-off a scheduled game, because they have six players on international duty, but Hibs, can surely manage without John McGinn and Steven Whittaker and Hearts without Christophe Berra.

But, then you look at the case of Glasgow Warriors, who still have to play a PRO14 game on a weekend in which they will probably have an entire team of players on Scotland duty.

Not all the fans are Tartan Army fanatics, determined to be in Lithuania, or to go to Hampden – these are Scottish football's core customers and they are being short-changed by the total shut-down.

Go onto the Celtic website. There you will find a 23-man squad listed, plus three other players, out on loan. They also list a 29-player Development Squad. Do you honestly mean to tell me, they cannot release six players to Scotland and still not field a side good enough for the Scottish League.

And don't give me the argument that some of their players will be needed by their own different nations. I am not interested in other nations, I am interested in Scotland. Scottish clubs SHOULD be positively-discriminating on behalf of Scottish players. If it was up to me, the SFA would be insisting on a three foreigners rule for first team squads, to develop Scottish talent.

The timing of these internationals does not help. Football is just resuming after the summer break. This season, between European qualifiers, the poorly-organised Betfred Cup and the general stupidity of the SFA officials, it is staggering into life even more slowly than usual.

We need to really sell football, and, playing four league games, then having a week off, well it is not to me, selling the game too well. The fact the SFA is not managing Scottish football at all well is, by the way, a given.

THE TIMING of the weekend's internationals is a gift to the churnalists and stenographers of the SFWA. Left-field, off-the-wall thinking about what to write has never been that organisation's strong point. So, we will have the usual guff this week – puff pieces on various members of WGS's international squad, who are not even household names in their own household. Look-out for some inane questioning Jordan Archer. Plus nostalgic backward glances at past trips to Lithuania.

John McGinn - He's going, sooner or later

Meanwhile, just off-stage left, there will be (and this has already happened), wee Neil Lennon insisting: “John McGinn will not be sold cheaply”.

This means, if McGinn is not a Nottingham Forest player by the close of the international window at the end of this month, he will be gone by the end of the January window.

Lennon will still be insisting he was sold too-cheaply, but, sold he will be. Because, Hibs are now, and always have been, a selling club.

Since the end of World War II, 33 players have received their first Scotland cap while playing with Hibs, they are: Gordon Smith, Davie Shaw, Jock Govan, Bobby Combe, Eddie Turnbull, Hugh Howie and Lawrie Reilly in the 1940s.

In the 1950s – Bobby Johnstone, Willie Ormond, Tommy Younger and John Grant were capped.

The 1960s saw – Johnny McLeod, Neil Martin, Willie Hamilton, Pat Stanton, Jim Scott and Pat Cormack capped out of Easter Road.

In the 1970s era of Turnbull's Tornadoes – John Brownlie, Alex Cropley, John Blackley, Erich Schaedler and Arthur Duncan were capped.

Into the 1980s, and John Collins was capped. Then, in the 1990s, Keith Wright and Darren Jackson had their names added to the roll of honour.

Since 2000 – John O'Neil, Garry O'Connor, Ian Murray, Scott Brown, Steven Fletcher, Leigh Griffiths and John McGinn have been capped out of the club.

Of the ten players capped before European football kicked-off in 1955, with Hibs as the first British club involved remember, only two, Bobby Johnstone to Manchester City and Tommy Younger to Liverpool were sold to English clubs, and only after both had given the club sterling and lengthy service.

Then, in the early 1960s, the maximum wage in England was dropped, and, suddenly, Hibs could not so-easily hang on to their players. Of the 23 Hibs players capped in the last nearly 60-years, only eight gave the club more than a couple of seasons of service after joining the capped ranks – these were: John Grant (first capped 1958), Pat Stanton (1966), John Brownlie (1971), John Blackley and Erich Schaedler (1974), Des Bremner (1975), Keith Wright (1992) and John O'Neil (2001).

The other 14 were moved-on rapidly, so, I confidently predict, John McGinn will depart Easter Road, sooner rather than later, leaving Neil Lennon to sob into his tea, before deciding what to do with any of the money which accrues to team-building.

It is a sad fact of life for Scottish football, there is so-much money swirling around in English football these days, the economic imbalance is so great, we simply cannot afford to hang onto our best talent.

FEEL pity for the poor production journalists on the Hun and Daily Ranger sports desks this morning – those carefully-crafted cracked Rangers badges graphics will have to go back into the system for a wee while, after Pedro's posse dodged a bullet by winning at Ross County.

 A "howler" - Scott Fox screams in anguish on Sunday

And, by the way, speaking as an ex-goalkeeper, that was one fantastic brain fart from Scott Fox to gift Rangers that second goal. OK, we goalies are all daft, but, that boob was taking daftness to extremes.

Well done too to the bold Pedro, for standing-up to Chris Sutton post-match. Sutton was right, but, Pedro didn't let him away with anything. Ra Peepul will have loved it.

Wee Billy's Big In Sweden, But, He's No ABBA - Yet

WHEN wee Billy Reid was managing Hamilton Academical, he was a joy to work with, when it came to post-match press conferences and the like. Smashing wee guy, who, never forget, along with Ronnie McDonald and the other guys at the club, brought through some terrific young players and laid the foundations for the regular Premiership club the Accies have become.

Billy Reid - A Europa League Campaign To Savour

So, I was absolutely delighted to see the wee man's Swedish club Ostersund reach the group stages of the Europa League, where they have been drawn in Group J, alongside Atletico Bilbao from Spain, Hertha Berlin, and Zorya Luhansk from Ukraine.

The Swedish outfit has risen through the leagues in Sweden fairly rapidly and it is amazing to think Billy will be the last Scottish coach involved in Europe this season.

And, Ostersund is not the only unknown club to be involved in the group stages of Europe's second-biggest tournament – clubs not even household names in their own households involved, while, as is becoming increasingly common, the Scots are on the outside looking in, and kidding ourselves on: “Ach, it's a diddy tournament, for diddy clubs”.

Well, if it's for diddy clubs, why are there not some Scots in there, because, when it comes to diddy clubs – we are the diddiest.

FOOTBALL, we must never forget, is a team game. Sure, we laud the geniuses – the Baxters, Dalglishes, Johnstones, Laws and the like, but, these greats could never have worked their magic without the unsung team mate, doing the unglamorous stuff beside them.

 John Clark, the quiet Mr Efficient of the Lisbon Lions

Would the Lisbon Lions have roared as-loudly, without wee John Clark plugging the gaps at the back. The “journeymen” at Rangers when Baxter was King of Glasgow, were under instructions from Scot Symon to: “Win the ball, then give it to Jim to use it.”

While Bill Shankly's famous (alleged) dismissal of Manchester United at a Liverpool team talk: “If you cannot beat three players, Best, Charlton and Law”, you should no be playing for Liverpool”, was a gross slander on the likes of Shay Brennan, Nobby Stiles and David Sadler, three of the journeymen whose work allowed the Golden Trinity to glister.

This week, The Herald published an obituary on Dave Caldwell, left-back of the Aberdeen team which won the League in 1955 – the first time the Championship had gone north of the Highland Line.

 Dave Caldwell of the 1955 Aberdeen team

That team, brilliantly coached by Davie Shaw and including such Dons' legends as Fred Martin, Archie Glen, Graham Leggat and Harry Yorston played 3-4-3 when everyone else was still playing 2-3-5, and played it with style and elan.

Sure, we remember the big names, but Caldwell, plucked from John Brown's shipyard and Duntocher Hibs by legendary scout Bobby Calder played his unglamorous part at left-back. Caldwell was 85 when he passed away earlier this month, leaving Bobby Wishart as the last survivor of that great side.

Sadly for the Dons, Caldwell's passing was quickly followed by that of another Dons' legend: John “Tubby” Ogston, the goalkeeper who came between Martin and Bobby Clark in the timeline of Aberdeen 'keepers. Unlike them, he never played for Scotland, but, he was an Under-23 regular, keeping a clean sheet in 1961 at Middlesbrough, when Scotland beat England for the first time at Under-23 level, with another great Aberdonian, The Law Man himself, firing the only goal of the game past Gordon Banks.

 The late Tubby Ogston

Maybe it was that childhood nickname which helped “Tubby” stand-out, but, he was a terrific 'keeper, who moved on from the Dons to Liverpool, where, unfortunately for him, he was unable to displace another brawny Scot - “The Flying Pig”, Dailly-born Tommy Lawrence.

WHAT is going on in Junior fitba? I ask, because Talbot boss Tucker Sloan had almost the entire Cumnock Chronicle back page to himself this week, having a moan at the “play acting” of some Kirkintilloch Rob Roy players, in the 'Bot's opening West Superleague game of the season.

The affable Tucker, and the Affleck boys, are convinced some Rob Roy players feigned injury in challenges with Talbot striker Graham Wilson, to get the Talbot man sent off.

Talbot, 2-0 up, eventually lost 4-3 after Wilson and Willie Lyle were red-carded.

 Sam Mc Culloch - you didn't feign injury with him - if he hit you, you were hurt - but, a lovely guy for all that and taken far-too young

I am shocked, when I was covering Talbot regularly, if you went down in a challenge with a Talbot player, it was because you genuinely were injured. Guys like the late “Big” Sam McCulloch, Derrick McDicken and Ross Findlay, gave no quarter and asked none.

But, men were men back then.

FAIR PLAY Pedro Caxinha, he has quickly learned the first rule of having an easy ride as Rangers' manager – come up with any old shite and some of the stenographers will print it.

 Pedro Caxinha - gets an easy ride compared to some

I am still trying to work out the meaning of today's old Portugese saying about caravans moving on and dogs still barking, but, when compared to Eric Cantona's wonderful: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea” - boy's gate, a poor effort.

However, all his smart-Alec answers cannot hide the brutal truth for Pedro, as Rangers'boss he is only ever a couple of bad results away from the crisis headlines.

I hear the graphic artists at the Daily Ranger and the Hun, have the cracked crest graphics ready to roll on Sunday night, as they put together Monday morning's papers.

One of the current High Heid Yins at the Hun – a bloody good journalist and one of the few who can operate at the highest level as both a writer and a production journalist, got an immediate taste of how they do things there when, as a young but ambitious local newspaper guy, he got his first trial subbing shift at the paper.

This was in the days of that legendary genius, “the Mad Geordie”, Steve Wolstencroft and, that night, Rangers got a doing at Pittodrie. The first edition told the straight-forward story, and my then young journo had thought his first shift had been fairly easy.

Then, Steve asked his team: “OK lads, who are we gonna shaft tonight?” Apparently, Mo-Jo was the sacrificial victim, with the back three pages totally re-jigged in – well jig time – to put the blame on poor wee Maurice J.

“It was bedlam, I couldn't believe what I was seeing”, said my friend. But, he learned quickly and is now one of the top guys in the business in Scotland – and deservedly so.

Cetic Can Get Through The Group Stages

WELL – We ken noo. The speculation is over; Celtic will face Bayern Munich, PSG and Anderlecht in their Champions League group. It could have been better, it might have been worse, but, I can see hope of our Champions being able to carry their European hopes past Christmas and on into 2018.

Scott Brown - he and his team mates now know their Champions League opponents

At this point in time, with the draw just made, many might feel Celtic's best hope is to finish above Anderlecht, in third place, and thus be able to drop into the Europa League knock-out stages. I would say, that ought to be the very least of Celtic's ambitions. Why should they not think bigger?

OK, Bayern are serial contenders in the knock-out stages, while PSG reached the semi-finals last season – and they have since broken the world transfer record to acquire Neymar Junior.

Well, one man doth not a team make, and, while PSG are a good side, they are not unbeatable. None of the other three teams is way above the level of Celtic, it will take an almighty effort, throughout the group stages, but, if they get the breaks and cut-out the daft defensive lases, Celtic could claim one of the top two places and reach the last 16. Let's hope they see this ambition through.

I HOPE Gemma Fay enjoys her retirement from international football, which she announced this week. After 203 caps, Gemma has earned the right to relax a wee bit and enjoy what remains of her club career. She has been an inspiring figure in Women's football and, in this instance, I think she has timed her departure well.

Gemma Fay - Getting out at the top

Meanwhile, football moves on and I wish our girls well as they get their World Cup campaign underway. The loss of experienced players such as Gemma, Ifeoma Dieke and Leanne Ross will be felt; however, the likes of Kim Little, Jenni Beattie and Lizzie Arnott will be back to bolster Shelley Kerr's squad.

Hopefully, we can build on the boost the girls got from qualifying for the recent European Championships, and, having qualified for one final tournament, the girls will want more. Ambition is a wonderful thing.

Still on Women's football; what a super start Hibs Ladies had to their Women's Champions League qualifying group, in Cluj-Napoca, the capital of Transylvania, Romania, beating Swansea City's women's side 5-0.

The Hibs girls next face Ukrainian side Kharkiv, who lost their opening game,this game will be played tomorrow – Friday. The girls then complete their qualifying group by playing host team Olimpia Cluj on Monday.

Who knows, we may have two Scottish teams in the draw for the round of 32, which will be made on 1 September, with Scottish Champions Glasgow City already automatically-qualified into the last 32.

Now, you might think, if two of our women's team reached the last 32, it might embarrass our under-performing men's teams into doing better. Naw, we're dealing with men's Scottish fitba here – they don't do red necks, or red faces.

OBFA – The Offensive Behaviour at Football Act is back in the news, with James Kelly, the left ootside of Scottish Labour leading the charge to have the Act repealed. The efforts to have the Act removed from the statute book are, you will not be surprised to learn, being led by the forces of a couple of Glasgow clubs, whose followers appear to believe – rules are for lesser mortals.

James Kelly MSP

Funnily enough, when the Scottish Government asked the general public what they thought of the Act, there was overwhelming support – but, that's the general public – not the entitled “Establishment” clubs.

I have never deviated from my stance on this Act. It was hurriedly introduced, I don't think it was properly thought through, but, it is better than nothing. We do see offensive behaviour at football, and not just from the usual suspects, and we need to cut it out. The opposition parties are Holyrood are very good at screaming: “SNP

Bad!” and rubbishing every proposal which the Scottish Government brings in.

As I have said before, if the Scottish Government was to bring-in legislation which guaranteed every person, man, woman and child in Scotland a tax-free income of £1 million per year, with the bonus of eternal life – the opposition parties would be against it.

I challenge them then, come-up with better proposals, think them through, get support from them within Holyrood and get your improved Act into law. Simply repealing the Act is not an option.

And, I again say, if the clubs would sort themselves out, insist on better fan behaviour and if they were responsible for the behaviour of their followers, with points deducted for bad behaviour – there would be no need for OBFA.

But, this is Scottish fitba – it will not happen any time soon.

THERE was an interesting wee item on facebook today. Richard McBrearty and his excellent gang at the Hampden Football Museum announced they were mounting a temporary exhibition, highlighting the history of Edinburgh Academical Football Club, which is celebrating its 160^th anniversary this year – that's ten years older than Queen's Park.

Of course, the “Eccies”, as Academical are known to the lesser beings of Scottish rugby, play the gentleman's game, in which the ball is handled, but, their players, in the early days, would also occasionally mingle with the ruffians who kicked the football.

Their Glasgow “cousins” of Glasgow Academicals have an even-closer relationship with football, and several of the Scotland internationalists in the early days were New Anniesland men as one of today's most-distinguished Academicals, former top miler Hugh Barrow, never tires of reminding me.

Jenni Beattie - her Dad's old rugby-playing school has a rich football tradition

And, of course, Jenni Beattie, one of our leading Women players of today, is the daughter of John R Beattie, Glasgow Academical, Scotland cap, British Lion and now one of the mainstays of BBC Scotland.

Aye, it's a small sporting world in Scotland.

Mind you, in the comments section of facebook, under the story of the Edinburgh Accies exhibition, one punter enquired: “What does Junior football have to do to get a mention at Hampden?”

Now, there's the rub – Junior fitba is Scottish football's bastard child – the one we never speak about.

The Media Stooshie Over Callum McGregor Cannot Cover-Up The Fact - No Matter Who Was Boss, Under the SFA System, We Would Still Be Rubbish

GORDON Strachan's latest Scotland squad has caused the usual media stooshie – mainly because he has overlooked Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor. How times have changed, when I was a boy, Scottish football opinion was formed by the “Typewriter Loyal”, who, with new technology, became the legendary “Lap Top Loyal”.

A Man on an impossible mission

Today, it seems to me, opinion is driven by the Lap Top Division of the Green Brigade, although, the Celtic Family still thinks it's the “churnalists and stenographers” of the LTL who drive the agenda.

The truth is, being Scotland manager, or being England manager for that matter, means you are the prime Aunt Sally for the media – damned if you do something, equally damned if you don't, with Wee Gordon the current target.

WGS is paid a lot of money to be Scotland boss. That position and salary means, what team he picks and how it plays is down to him and him alone. Sure, he will seek opinions from his assistants, but, at the end of the day – the buck stops with him and he stands or falls by those opinions.

Comment is free, but, what WGS says still goes.

Back in Victorian times, and for most of the first century of football in Scotland, the selection of the national side was a committee job. And, we all know a camel is a horse designed by a committee. But, by and large it worked. Indeed, results under the selection committee stand-up well in comparison with those under an all-powerful manager.

 Bobby Brown - Scotland's first proper team manager when appointed in 1967

Scotland has played 750 full internationals since the first, in 1872. Up until the appointment of Bobby Brown in 1967, the team was picked by the selection committee, although the managers from Andy Beattie on could make suggestions – but, Brown was the first all-powerful boss, who selected the squad and then the starting XI without interference from the “blazers”. The relative figures are:

Selection committee: p.321 – w. 177 – d. 64 – l. 80 – for 774 – agnst. 445

Team manager: p. 429 – w. 166 – d.103 - l. 150 – for 529 – agnst. 472

Total: p. 750 – w. 343 – d. 167 – l. 230 – for1308 – agnst. 917.

International football is all about winning. Under the selection committee, Scotland won 55.1% of the internationals played.

Under team managers, we have won 38.6% of the internationals played

And, overall, we have, since 1872 won 46.4% of the internationals we have played.

I accept, the selection committee figures are somewhat skewed by all those wins we piled-up in the early days of football. Scotland was well-nigh unbeatable during the 1870s and 1880s, while, right up until the dawn of the 20^th century, we could almost field any XI we wanted and be certain of beating Wales and Ireland.

As the song says, however: “These days are past”; it was a feeling – we ought perhaps leave the national team to the professionals, which saw the selectors, very reluctantly, cede their powers to a single manager.

OK, opposition has become better-organised, trained and coached – to quote Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown, two of the professionals who are considered to have made not a bad fist of the Scotland job: “There are no easy internationals these days” - but, Scotland is still failing internationally. What is to be done?

Do we allow WGS to continue to supervise what looks increasingly like another failure to qualify for another tournament – not getting to Russia next year will be our tenth straight qualifying round disaster? Then, do we sack him, or allow him to resign, then stand outside Hampden and shout: “Next”; leaving some other poor sap to try to make sense of Scottish football?

If, after 20-years of failures the reality has not hit home to the men along the sixth floor corridor at Hampden, who are supposed to manage Scottish football – will it ever?

We are shite – our system is failing – the SFA is failing – Scottish football is dying.

Can someone, anyone, do something about it?

Let's start by looking at the latest Strachan squad:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Archer (Millwall), Craig Gordon (Celtic), Allan McGregor (Hull City).

Defenders: Ikechi Anya (Derby County), Christophe Berra (Heart of Midlothian), Grant Hanley (Newcastle United), Russell Martin (Norwich City), Charlie Mulgrew (Blackburn Rovers), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool), Kieran Tierney (Celtic), Steven Whittaker (Hibernian).

Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Celtic), Barry Bannan (Sheffield Wednesday), Scott Brown (Celtic), Tom Cairney (Fulham), Darren Fletcher (Stoke City), Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth), James Forrest (Celtic), James McArthur (Crystal Palace), John McGinn (Hibernian), Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion), Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United), Robert Snodgrass (West Ham United).

Forwards: Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday), Leigh Griffiths (Celtic), Chris Martin (Derby County), Steven Naismith (Norwich City).

The breakdown of the 27 players is – nine are with Scottish Premiership sides, nine play their club football for English Premier League clubs, eight strut their stuff in the English Championship and one – Charlie Mulgrew, plays in the English League One – their third tier, following his club's relegation at the end of the season.

Of the nine Home Scots – six are Celtic players, two are from Hibs and the ninth, Christophe Berra, is with Hearts.

Andrew Robertson - the solitary Anglo playing with a "big" club

Of the nine EPL players, only one – Andrew Robertson – plays for one of the “Big” clubs in that league – Liverpool.

So, the days are gone when we could select from a whole heap of players playing for the very top English clubs. Mind you, back then when we had half a dozen each from Liverpool and Manchester United to pick from, we maybe qualified for tournament finals, but, we were still shite when we got there.

Only seven of the squad have a chance of playing in Europe this season, so, we lack players comfortable playing at the highest level.

So, if we cannot depend on blending together top-quality talent, what can we do?

Well, we could start by settling on a system and playing to it. We could also build our team round our top club – in this case Celtic. So, we use the six Celts as the backbone of the team, play to the Celtic tactical blueprint and pick the best of the rest to fit into the Celtic way of playing.

Other countries do this, why not Scotland? We need to agree on a tactical plan, play to it, and stick to it.

Also, as I have long said – we ought to have a pyramid system with our international set-up, so that young players come through the system, and progress from the age group sides to the full team, more easily than they do now.

Kieran Tierney - an exception to the usual rules for Scotland selection

Currently, a kid will progress -Under-16, Under-17 etc to Under-21, after which, he, unless he something special like Kieran Tierney, he drops off the radar for a few years then gets back in. Usually, said kid is either with one of the provincial Scottish clubs, he gets noticed and is snapped-up cheaply by a Championship of League One English team. He drops off the radar for a time, then, magically, he re-appears.

Or, he is with a top English side's academy, is released to a lower league time and works his way to first team football, whereupon, we suddenly discover he has a Scottish father or grand-parent.

We need to find a way to bridge that gap between Under-20 and Under-21 football and the big team, or, we will get nowhere.

Oh, and our journalists, instead of penning patently “click-bait” articles designed to ferment Old Firm “whitabootery” and dissent, should maybe start pointing-out the terrible state our game is in and holding the “blazers” to account, forcing change, before Scotland is spoken about in the same patronising manner as Gibraltar, Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus. I mean, it's not as if clubs from these minnows will ever beat Scottish clubs in Europe.