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.