AS A KILMARNOCK fan since, in December, 1959, I was taken to Rugby Park to see the newly-signed Andy Kerr, I was looking forward to Thursday night's Europa League clash with Cercle Brugge. Given how many fond memories I have of my near decade of covering St Mirren, I was also keeping an eye on their Confefrence League clash with Valur.
In the end, both games finished level, 1-1 at Rugby Park, 0-0 in Rejkavik, so, while it's all to play for in next week's second leg games – I find myself in distinctly Private Frazer mode as I look ahead to these games, more-so in the case of Kilmarnock.
I am sorry, but, lumping hopeful balls into the goalmouth for a big striker to attack is not the way to advance in Europe in the 21st century. I fear, unless Killie can add a level of sophistication which was missing on Thursday night, then their European adventure this season will be over before the leaves fall.
I hope I am wrong, but, I honestly have grave reservations about the current Killie squad. Given they have home advantage in the second leg, the Buddies might well fare better in their second game, but, again, I have serious doubts about their squad.
Both clubs recruit heavily in what I call the “Poundstretcher” level of football – buying-in guys from the lower reaches in England, or in Ireland. OK, the better players in the UK can earn a lot more in the lower reaches in England than they can in Scotland, which makes recruiting ready-made players, released by even lower league English clubs an attractive proposition to the “Diddy Teams” up here, such as Killie and St Mirren.
But, how I wish the SFA would grow a pair and, perhaps by introducing a, and thanks to Buddies fan Chich Young for this one: “An Eight Diddies Law”, so that each club had to have at least that many Scots on the field at all times. That way we would be promoting home-grown talent.
Although, with his Ibrox upbringing, Willie Waddell was always willing to buy-in talent when he needed to, the great Kilmarnock team that I watched has a hard core of regulars who either came from Ayrshire, or Glasgow/Renfrewshire.
The St Mirren team I covered on a daily basis, I was never fitter than when I walked the mile from the office to Love Street, sometimes twice a day, and that squad was choc-a-bloc with young home-grown talent.
I know, if a young player breaks into a “Diddy Club's” first team, in no time at all, he will have acquired an agent who will be hell-bent on selling him to the first English team to pay his agent's cut, that's a problem the SFA has to deal with, and I wish they would.
I know too, many managers believe it's better to buy ready-made than have the hassle of starting and maintaining an Academy programme, but, I honestly don't think our players here in Scotland are nowadays prepared to put in the work necessary for success.
In addition, I don't think the great boardroom minds running our game are prepared to properly fund an academy system, or, more-importantly give it the time needed for it to work.
The greatest-ever Scottish club side wasn't put together overnight, or even over a couple of seasons – the Lisbon Lions were ten years or more in the making, from the time the likes of the teenaged Billy McNeill first came under the influence of the then injured player Jock Stein, who was just dipping his toes into the coaching pool under the benevolent eye of Sir Bob Kelly.
Kelly took years of flak from his own supporters, for his belief in his Kelly Kids, but, on a hot night in Lisbon, he got payback. I still think that trick can be repeated, if the will was there within a Scottish board-room.
As I see it, most of today's players are over-rated, over-paid and seriously under-talented. They don't work hard enough at their craft. Sure, they are probably a lot fitter than the guys I watched as a boy, but, the skills level is way down.
From what I see, today's Scottish players train for maybe 90 minutes per day, four days per week, to play 90-100 minutes on a Saturday. That's less than eight hours per week. In a normal job, a guy working an eight-hour week could never be considered a tradesman. They are conning the fans, and the clubs are letting them get away with it. No wonder crowds are falling.
I watched a documentary about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders recently, these lassies and they are all part-time, work a damned sight harder than Scottish footballers, mind you, to be fair, they are better-paid.
WHILE I AM having a moan. I have never held in high reard the talent spotting abilities of the High Heid Yins at BBC Shortbread. Over the years they have hired some pretty duff commentators, yes you Archie Macpherson.
The current lot are playing up to that low bar. They came away with a pile of poo about “a sold-out Rugby Park” on Thursday night.
The BBC likes to quote and praise their “Independent fact-checking department” when it comes to its political coverage. They maybe ought to expand its influence into their sports coverage.
When the ground was redeveloped into the curent all-seater format, the capacity was supposedly a touch over 18,000. This has now been reduced to just over 15,000. The crowd on Thursday night was given as just over 10,000 – roughly two-thirds full. Two-thirds is not “A full house”.
If BBC Shortbread cannot get the basics correct, they might as well not bother.
CHANGE IS seemingly afoot at Castle Greyskull – necessarily so, since apparently the Belgian has been telt – he has to get rid of at least half a team before he can bring in any more newbies.
Robbie McCrorie has already gone to Kilmarnock, where, with a following wind, he will, I am certain, be Scotland's Number One by next season. Conor Goldson is semingly on his way to Birmingham City, and skipper James Tavernier is apparently heading for Turkey.
Also leaving for “ new adventure” is Todd Cantwell. I never thought Goldson and Tavernier were “Rangers Class”. Reasonable players, yes, but, never likely to come close to some of the past wearers of their numbers. Cantwell, to me, wasn't so much – in my auld Faither's immortal phrase: “Not Rangers Class”. There is a further, sharper rebuke for Cantwell – he was NEVER Rangers Class.
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