Shown-Up Again, When Will Our Soccer Suits Sort Something

I COULD describe Celtic's performance in Munich last night as “shite”, except, it wasn't that solid – being more “Jackie Baillie” if the truth be told. Like every other Scot who cares about our fitba, I wanted them to do well, but, yet again, on the big stage, our representatives were shown-up.

 Hummels humbles Celtic last night

It's all very well being half the length of London Road better than every other club in Scotland, but, if that degree of domestic excellence doesn't even allow you to hold out for a draw in Europe, why bother? What's to be done about it? Well, here, Socrates MacSporran, being one of the foremost thinkers on Scottish football, might have the solution.

Post the 2018 World Cup Finals, UEFA will introduce the Europa Nations League, a means whereby the national sides of their member associations will stop playing largely meaningless friendlies, and instead will play competitive games, against countries of roughly equal stature.

So, instead of in all probability being hammered by the likes of England, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – and yes, I am aware the Italians, at least, did not set the heather on fire in the World Cup qualifiers – we will struggle to beat the likes of Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland.

Well, why don't we push for UEFA to modify the Champions League and the Europa League (clubs version) in a similar fashion. Then, the big clubs from the big leagues – Real Madrid and Barcelona from Spain, the Milan clubs from Italy, the Manchester twins from England, Bayern and so forth, could play each other in the top club league, while Celtic and Aberdeen (or Rangers if they ever get their act together again) would go in against clubs from a league of a roughly-similar standard to Scotland.

As with the Europa Nations League, there would be promotion and relegation and, who knows, maybe someday, a Scottish club would battle its way back to the top-flight.

This is a “broad brush” suggestion – the devil would be in the detail of how it was organised, but, the reality is, money talks, and, in European football it shouts, so, poor, wee, impoverished Scotland would have a chance of winning something, even if it was only the Europa League, Third Division crown.

AS FOR last night's game itself, you could argue, Celtic got off lightly; take that early goal, incorrectly chalked-off when the officials ruled Lewandowski had let the entire ball cross the bye-line before he crossed. And, by the way, that decision was yet another example of how utterly useless those additional assistant referees behind the goal-line have proved to be.

Add that penalty which wasn't given, and that other goal chalked-off for offside, and it begins to look like the skelping it was. Bayern then, definitely took their foot off the pedal in the second half, or, who knows what might have happened. Sure, Celtic had one or two chances late-on, but, I got the impression, had they scored, Bayern were capable of going up a gear and cancelling-out any goal they scored.

OK, the German market is far-bigger than the Scottish one. I accept Bayern can afford to pay their players more, but, do we really have to accept that their players are better than Celtic technically? I am old enough to remember that old, classic Avis Car Hire advertisement in which Avis admitted: “Yes, Hertz are bigger, OK, we are only the Number Two car hire firm – so, we try harder;” perhaps, Celtic should aim to become the Avis of the Champions League.

Received wisdom used to be, the European teams played prettier football than British ones did, but, the additional power, pace and physicality which the British teams brought to the table could often overcome their skills deficit.

Jimmy Hill - foresaw what would happen when the continentals got physical

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the likes of Jimmy Hill were warning, once the continentals can match the British teams for physicality, power and pace, we are in trouble. That day has arrived folks, in fact, it arrived a year or two back. So far, we have waited in vain for our response – what, if it ever comes, will that be?

CHANGE is afoot in Scottish rugby. The Murrayfield “suits” are hell-bent on introducing something called Agenda 3. This will see the current ten “Premiership” sides – the level below our only two full-time professional clubs: Glasgow and Edinburgh – reduced to six “semi-professional” clubs, under-pinned by a purely amateur club game.

The SRU being the SRU, however, their plans are not being agreed to unanimously by the clubs, indeed, there is a body of opinion that this is a naked power grab by the unelected suits, who want to run things unhindered by such things as democracy.

This football blog is no place for rugby arguments – except, flawed though Murrayfield's plans may be (they may also be good for the game), at least, the men inside Murrayfield who are paid to think about the governance of the game, are coming up with ideas for moving their game forward.

Henry McLeish - his plans were watered-down to deck-chair realignment

We have had one or two attempts at reorganising and revitalising Scottish fitba, the Rinus Michaels and Henry McLeish think-tanks come to mind. But, always, the club representatives have found a way of either parking the plans in some cupboard, and losing the key, or restricting change to a re-arrangement of the deck-chairs on the Titanic. Maybe we should find that key and have another look inside the cupboard.

One thing the rugby plans are looking to do, and on this point the clubs are right behind the suits, is make the game below a certain level, 100% amateur – nobody gets paid for playing. My notion of what might happen if Scottish football brought in its own version of Agenda 3 is – we would end up with a certain number of professional or semi-professional clubs – maybe ten full-time and perhaps another 16 or so semi-professional, below that, no player would get anything more than expenses.

Immediately, this would free-up cash for better facilities, for youth development, and, with fewer players able to top-up their Monday to Friday “day job” income with what they earn on a Saturday, those who wanted to make money from football would have to work a damned sight harder at their personal skill levels and fitness – which would surely, in time, lead to Scottish teams being better-equipped to take on the continentals, which is where this blog came in some 1000 words ago.