Women's World Cup: I Think A Double Dismissal Would Suit Me

THE ENGLISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION are, as always when there is a major football tournament going on, currently in full-on Ingurlund, Ingurlund, Ingurlund mode – determined to cheer The Lionesses, with their three leopards on their left breast, to global glory.

England v USA, who do you want to win? Both being thrown out of the tournament for some obscure breach of the rules would suit me splendidly, I must confess.

Actually, the fitba has been not bad, about Scottish Championship standard when it comes to tactical naivety, wrongly-weighted passes and wrong options taken. The players' behaviour is generally better, but, you can see the dire effects of professionalism coming-in, diving, dissent and so forth. Still, the games are probably played in a better spirit than men's games.

I actually fancy, whichever side wins between The Netherlands and Sweden will win the competition.

Kim Little - looks to be heading for her second Olympics

However, England reaching the last four has guaranteed Team GB a place in the football competition at the 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo. This is already making waves among the Little Scotlanders of the football world – who do not want our world-class talents such as Jenny Beattie, Kim Little, Caroline Weir or Erin Cuthbert to be allowed to augment Phil Neville's already strong England squad.

The thing is, back when football entered the Olympic movement, over 100 years ago, it was the (English) Football Association who joined the British Olympic Association, the body which runs the Olympic Games from a British perspective. OK, you can argue, the SFA with the Northern Irish and Welsh associations should, long ago have insisted, if the game of football was to be represented, it should be on an all-British basis.

There are other sports in which the four UK nations compete separately at international level, but, these sports: hockey, curling, badminton, basketball to name but a few, all initiated “British” or “United Kingdom” bodies, specifically to deal with the Olympics. Football didn't.

In fact, the SFA has never bought-in to the Olympic ideal. Back in the days of amateurism, it was not unknown for Queen's Park to pull players out of Great Britain squads to play in Scottish League games. Maybe if some of our great legislators had had access to the wider and deeper troughs open to the great and good of the Olympic movement, Scotland would have been keener, but, it never happened.

Neither am I too bothered if we do get one or two of our girls into the final Team GB squad for Tokyo. I am convinced this will be the last Summer Games at which the UK will enter as a single entity. By the 2024 Games, Scotland will again be an Independent nation, hopefully with full membership of the Olympic Movement and able to send a Team Scotland to the Games.

I CANNOT say I was surprised when St Mirren changed managers last week; and I certainly wish Jim Goodwin well in his new role as boss of the Buddies.

Jim Goodwin - a top six demand is maybe excerss pressure

No harm to the guys who would have to go, but, I have always felt that the best St Mirren teams have a spine of home-bred players. Love Street used to produce a regular load of players good enough for Scotland Under-23 and Under-21 teams, many of whom were sold-on to bigger clubs.

I spent an enjoyable few years on the Sports Desk of the -Paisley aily Express, during which I got to see a lot of young Buddies featuring in Scotland age group teams. During my spell on the PDE: Derek Scrimgour, David McNamee, Martin Baker, Norrie McWhirter, Sergei Baltacha, Jamie Fullarton, Brian Hetherston, Hugh Murray, Barry Lavety, Ricky Gillies and Steven McGarry, plus Simon Lappin and Burton O'Brien, all earned Scotland Under-21 honours; that's a fair array of talent. But, all St Mirren won in my time there was the First Division, now The Championship in 1999-2000 – huge potential was never turned into real success.

They have a good, committed home support, and the opportunity, as Alex Ferguson demonstrated when he was there, the potential to grow that support – if the club is run properly.

I noted Tony Fitzpatrick's statement this week that new boss Goodwin should be targeting a top-six finish for the Buddies. Actually, if I was Goodwin, I'd be looking no further than tenth place – thus avoiding the promotion/relegation play-off this season. That would be progress. Get that out of the way, then look to progress to the top six.

Here are St Mirren's finishing league positions over the past 25-years, beginning with season 1994-95:

1994-95 - 7^th in Division One (17^th in Scotland)

1995-96 - 6^th in Division One (16^th in Scotland)

1996-97 - 4^th in Division One (14^th in Scotland)

1997-98 - 6^th in Division One (16^th in Scotland)

1998-99 - 5^th in Division One (15^th in Scotland)

1999-2000 – First in Division, Promoted (11^th in Scotland)

2000-01 - 12^th in Premier League (12^th in Scotland) – Relegated

2001-02 - 8^th in Division One (20^th in Scotland)

2002-03 - 7^th in Division One (19^th in Scotland)

2003-04 - 7^th in Division One (19^th in Scotland)

2004-05 - 2^nd in Division One (14^th in Scotland)

2005-06 – First in Division One, Promoted (13^th in Scotland) also won the Scottish League Challenge Cup

2006-07 - 11^th in Premier Division (11^th in Scotland)

2007-08 - 10^th in Premier Division (10^th in Scotland)

2008-09 - 11^th in Premier Division (11^th in Scotland)

2009-10 - 10^th in Premier Division (10^th in Scotland) Reached League Cup Final

2010-11 - 11^th in Premier Division (11^th in Scotland)

2011-12 - 8^th in Premier Division (8^th in Scotland)

2012-13 - 11^th in Premier Division (11^th in Scotland) Won League Cup

2013-14 - 8^th in Premiership (8^th in Scotland)

2014-15 - 12^th in Premiership (12^th in Scotland) Relegated

2015-16 - 6^th in Championship (18^th in Scotland)

2016-17 - 7^th in Championship (19^th in Scotland) Reached final of the League Challenge Cup

2017-18 – First in Championship, Promoted (13^th in Scotland)

2018-19 - 11^th in Premiership (11^th in Scotland)

Taking that record and averaging it out over the 25 years, St Mirren's average final position has been in the top two of the Championship. The last time the Buddies finished in the top six was in season 1984-85, when they finished fifth. So, I would say, asking for a top six finish is putting unnecessary pressure on the new manager.

In the last ten seasons, the club has twice – in 2012 and again in 2014 finished eighth in the top division, their best performance in the decade, perhaps asking for a repeat of that would be a good target for the new boss.

I like St Mirren, they are a fine club. I also like Fitzy, a St Mirren man to his core and a man I have a lot of respect for. But, come on Tony, you've been where Goodwin now is, lift the pressure a wee bit please. Small steps at first.