Soccer And Rugby Union - Very-Different Forms Of Football

I WATCHED Rugby's FOSROC Super6 final, from the new DAM Health Edinburgh Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Ayrshire Bulls (that's Ayr in old money), beat Southern Knights (Melrose) 26-16 in a very-good game.

One of the major talking points in the rugby community was that the Bulls finished with 13 men. Jordan Lenac, their Australian scrum-half was sent to the sin bin with eight minutes left, for an off-the-ball tackle. Then, two minutes later, English second row Tom Everard copped a straight red card for a high tackle, which saw Knights' Jacob Henry removed from the field on a stretcher.

Referee Keith Allen consulted his assistant, David Sutherland, then summoned Everard AND Bulls' captain Blair Macpherson. He outlined his decision to both, showed Everard the red card and the big lock immediately accepted his dismissal and left the field without rancour.

Now, imagine if that had been a football match of similar status. The yellow card would not have meant the loss of a player, while the showing of the red card would immediately have seen the referee surrounded by the culprit's team mates and subjected to dog's abuse. The fans would have been going ape shit on the sidelines and social media would go into melt down with the fall-out.

Football has a great deal of growing-up to do.

I have long felt, football, as the purest form of football, really should be working with standards of behaviour and respect for opponents and officials even above that shown in both forms of Rugby – Union and League. We should be hammering not just foul play, but the cynicism of the modern game.

Referees, I feel, should also be giving the team captain's their place. In rugby, if a player is being carded, particularly red-carded, the referee always summons the player and the captain, and tells them why the card is being shown. Occasionally – yes you Owen Farrell and Alun Wyn Jones – a captain will occasionally talk back, but, most skippers accept the referee's decision and the game moves on.

Players respect the referee's authority and the referees acknowledge the position of the team captain – football should maybe adopt these protocols.

I'VE TOLD this story before, but, it's worth the re-telling. Some 30 years ago, when it was Scotland's turn to host the annual International Football Associations Board meeting – the game's version of a super government get-together – they put-up the IFAB delegates at Turnberry. On the Saturday afternoon, the non-golfers got a real treat, a Kilmarnock home game at Rugby Park.

Back then, the press seats at the ground were in the back row of the Directors' Box and some of the IFAB high heid yins, in particular then Football Association CEO Graham Kelly were not best pleased at having to sit right infront of the hack pack.

However, by half time, a dialogue had been established by those of us behind him and Mr Kelly, to the extent he didn't go downstairs for his half-time Killie Pie and Bovril, but, remained in his seat, speaking to the boys.

At the end of the game, he shook hands with us all, apologised for his initial frostiness. “I thought you guys were going to be like English football writers, but, you care about the game,” he said, before wishing us well and departing.

As it happens, I agreed with his view of the English hacks – they really had some disagreeable wee cnuts in their ranks back then, probably still do for all I know. But, I have long felt causing a stir and making waves comes before honestly covering the game for many English hacks.

There is a good example of this just now. There is an under-current building-up, the start of what could be a determined crusade to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked from his role as Manchester United manager.

OK, I accept both Manchester teams probably have more Glory Hunters in their support than even our own Bigot Brothers, but, a bit of a reality check – as of today, MU lie sixth in the English Premiership, five points off first place. If what the English hacks tell us and they are playing in: The Best League in the World, then, I would suggest sixth isn't a bad place to be.

English football really needs to take a long hard look at itself. Much as they love quoting English clubs' wins in European competitions, the facts are:

• No English club has won a European trophy with an all-English squad

• England's record in international competitions is abysmal

• World Cup – 1 HOME win in 18 attempts – 5.5% success rate

• European Championships – 0 wins in 16 attempts – 0% success rate

But still, every four years, their football media convinces their fans: Football's coming home.

Delusional, or what?

And yes I know – we cannot talk.

I HAVE NOT been blogging as much as I should have, of late, so this is the first chance I have had to mark the passing of former Liverpool and England striker Roger Hunt.

Hunt is immortalised as one of the Boys of '66, the team who beat West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup Final. He was perhaps the least-lauded of that 11; he wasn't, like Gordon Banks, Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore or Bobby Charlton, arguably the best player in the world in his position. He didn't, like Alan Ball or Geoff Hurst have a career-defining game that day. He wasn't, like Martin Peters “the future” in his position. No, like George Cohen, Nobby Stiles and Jack Charlton, he was a football journeyman who got lucky on one day and in one tournament.

Yes, he has a good strike record, certainly he was worthy of his place in a good Liverpool side, but, he was lucky to be picked ahead of Jimmy Greaves for that final. Greaves was a far-superior finisher.

The first time I saw Hunt was for England, against Scotland, at Hampden in 1964. Early-on in the game he was sent clear, one-on-one with goalkeeper Campbell Forsyth, who made a confidence building, excellent save, to keep the scoreline blank. I am willing to bet, had that chance fallen to Greaves, it would have been 1-0 to England and the whole game could have been different.

Certainly, Wullie Shankly picked Hunt frequently for Liverpool, so, he was a good player and a good finisher. My belated condolences to his family.

Today We're At The Top Of Our Roller Coaster - What Happens Next Worries Me

THE SFA paraded Sir Alex Ferguson at Hampden on Saturday evening, at half-time during the Scotland v Israel World Cup Qualifier. They presented him with a cap to mark his contribution to the 1967 World Tour, during which he played in non-cap internationals against Israel, Hong Kong and in three games against Australia. During this tour he scored six international goals, but, was never awarded a cap.

Ferguson was the second member of that tour party – who never won an official full cap – to be awarded a souvenir cap, former Hearts defender Alan Anderson, who played in the same internationals as Fergie, plus the final game, against Canada, in Winnipeg, was awarded a similar cap earlier this year. Anderson is suffering from Dementia and is in an Edinburgh care home. Harry Hood's son was also there to accept a cap on behalf of his late father.

Now, I don't have much respect for the journalistic qualities of the SFA's Media Department. OK, they're better than the SRU's lot at Murrayfield, but, that's damning with faint praise. The official citation for the caps, on the SFA website suggests two of the Australian internationals, plus the Canadian game in Winnipeg have now been upgraded to A international status. Fair enough, but, which two of the three Australian games? And what about the game against Israel? OK, I can understand not making th Hong Kong game an official international, but, surely, given subsequent events and not least the timing of the presentation, how can the Israel game not be upgraded?

I welcome these gestures by the governing body, but, what of the other members of the tour party who fall into the played for Scotland but never capped club? These men are: former Burnley goalkeeper, the late Harry Thomson, former Partick Thistle and Bury full-back Hugh Tinney and another who has now sadly passed: Anderson's old Hearts' team mate Jim Townsend. Should they, and in the case of the trio who are no longer with us, their families, not also be presented with a cap? And, while we are at it, what of the final member of the touring squad, ex-Arsenal man John Woodward, who flew out to New Zealand as a replacement, played in the two games there and in Vancouver. Should he not also have his contribution to the Tour recognised?

Back in the early days of this century, I was proud to write a piece for The Scotsman, in which I identified the then 92 players who had played in full internationals for Scotland, but, because of the rules in place at the time, were denied a cap. Donald Walker, the then Sports Editor, who championed the initiative, led with the disgraceful fact, Eddie Turnbull, had played nine games for Scotland, but didn't get a cap. The SFA immediately capitulated and Eddie got his cap, on the park at Hampden.

The Welsh Rugby Union has in place a system whereby players who play in “non-cap internationals” receive what is called A President's Cap, to mark the occasion. Why doesn't the SFA copy this? I can think of a few players who would be honoured if they did this, men such as Partick Thistle's Davie Baird, the late St Mirren centre-half Jackie McGuigan and former Rangers and Liverpool left-half Billy Stevenson, who all played in the non-cap match against Jutland, during an end-of-season European Tour in 1959. And what of former Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren goalkeeper, the late Jimmy Brown, who featured in the non-cap internationals agains the USA and Canada, during the 1949 North American Tour.

The late Danny Malloy, of Dundee and Cardiff City, was in double figures for appearances for “Scotland Xis” and the like. He was seen as the natural replacement for Willie Woodburn and George Young, but, he never got a cap. Surely all these representative honours are worthy of a Scottish edition of the President's Cap.

WRU President's Caps were also awarded to previously unrecognised War-time internationalists. Might it perhaps be time to recognise the handful of unfortunate players, such as Brentford goalkeeper Ted Crozier and Blackpool centre forward Jock Dodds, whose peak years and Scotland recognition came during war-time?

NEWCASTLE UNITED being taken over by Saudi Arabian interests was this week's big story darn sarf.

Back in the 1970s, while I was working in England, on a Saturday, deiving back up the M1 or the A1 to my then Yorkshire home, I would pass convoys of Newcastle coaches, taking the Toon Army south to wherever the Magpies were playing that day. I used to think: “These guys must be the most-loyal and unfulfilled fans in the country.”

United last won the English League in 1927, when Hughie Gallacher was their captain. They last won the FA Cup in 1955, when Jimmy Scoular was their captain, and the team included Ronnie Simpson in goals and Bobby Mitchell at outside left, while they were managed by Scot Doug Livingstone.

Their last major trophy was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1969, when the team, led by Bobby Moncur and including fellow Scots Tommy Gibb, Jim Scott and Jackie Sinclair beat Rangers in the semi-final. So, yes, the Toon Army has maybe become used to under-achievement and disappointment.

The famous black and white stripes have been worn by many famous Scots – how's this for an all-time team of Newcastle Scots, in 3-4-3 formation: Ronnie Simpson; Gary Caldwell, Bobby Moncur, Stephen Caldwell; John Brownlie, Roy Aitken, Jimmy Smith, Tony Green; Kevin Gallacher, Hughie Gallacher, Bobby Mitchell.

Ignore the distinguished number of Scots to have played there, it used to be said the North-East produced more professional footballers than any other area of England, but, for every Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer or Jackie Milburn who was a hero to the Gallowgate End, there would be a Bobby or Brian Robson or a Jack or Bobby Charlton that they allowed to slip away.

Since the new owners have designs on challenging at the top of the English Premiership I dare say, in the short term they will try to buy their way there. I just wonder if they might be better, in the long run, mining the still rich seam of local talent around the Toon.

But, building from the ground up isn't the style in that league, which is a pity. After all, following 94 years without a league title, what's the hurry?

I AM NOW into my eighth decade as a Tartan Army foot soldier. I saw George Young, Tommy Docherty and Bobby Evans play for Scotland; the Glory Years of Denis Law and Jim Baxter, I rocked through the World Cup campaigns of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, but, even back then, we blew games we should have won easily. We had bad days almost as often as we had great days, an unbeaten season would be followed by one when we barely won a game.

Since the end of World War II, we have only won around 40% of the 600-plus internationals we have played. Supporting Scotland has always been a roller coaster ride. That said, I don't think many of these games have been a white-knuckle ride to compare with Saturday night at Hampden.

At least we won, but, we are now convincing ourselves we only need to turn up to win in the Faroe Islands and Moldova, and we will qualify for the World Cup Qualifying Play-Offs.

I am worried now.