SIR PATRICK STEWART, in perhaps his best-known role, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, would say: “Make it so”, as he gave an order. Maybe Mr Patrick Stewart, the Chief Executive Officer of Rangers FC wishes it was that easy for him. He perhaps thought he was getting out of a shit show, when he departed Manchester United for Glasgow, only to now finding out, if anything, the heat is greater on Clyde-side than in Salford.
I am told the cracked club crest has already been readied foruse by the subs on the Daily Rhebel and The Scottish Hun, as they make advance preparations for Friday's editions, which will carry their reports on Thursday's Old Firm clash, at Celtic Park. As things stand, fortunately for the Rangers following – or perhaps unfortunately, should the seemingly-impossible occur and they manage to win – guie few Bluenoses will be inside Celtic Park for the big game.
Recent results have left Manager Philippe Clement looking like a dead man walking and should Thursday's game go as all but the most-optimistic of Ra Peepul think it will, then Clement and his backroom team could be out of a job come the weekend.
The club's fan base are distinctly unhappy with recent results; the club's finances are not great; the squad is overloaded with costly imports who are plainly not Rangers class, while there is the distinct lack of that necessity for any successful Old Firm team – a fan on the park, driving up standards. if anything, the club is in a worse state than even during the turbulent reign of Craig Whyte.
Getting the club back to a position whereby Rangers are a viable challenge and alternative to Celtic will take something the current management team doesn't have – money; Rangers are in a mess.
Of course, the rest of us, we supporters of the “diddy teams” whose lot it is to lose regularly to the Big Two, of course, we enjoying the fact we can all laugh at Rangers. But, if Ra Peepul decide to stay at home, then our own clubs' finances suffer as fewer Rangers fans follow-follow an unfolding disaster.
I HAVE SURVIVED 65 years of mainly suffering in the cause of supporting Kilmarnock Football Club. Along the way there have been the occasional good times – 1965 for instance, but, generally it has been a hard slog.
Right now, I am worried for the club, because they are picking-up red cards at a rate unknown in Ayrshire since the hey day of Bobby McCulloch and Ian “Stinker” Dick. Having seen some of these dismissals on television, I am convinced, Kilmarnock is not a dirty team, but, quite clearly, somebody connected with the club has upset the refereeing establishment, since the majority of the red cards I have seen were difficult if not impossible to justify.
There is, to my mind, clearly something far wrong with Scottish officiating and it's time it was rectified.
THE BIG NEWS from the release of the 2025 New Year's Honours List was the Knighthood awarded to former England Manager Gareth Southgate. OK, it was a reward for failure, since he failed to win either the European Championship or the World Cup, as England boss. But, given the Prime Ministers England (and by association us) have had this century, he's perhaps been the best leader England has had.
If nothing else, he got his teams that bit deeper into the big competitions before they inevitably met a half-decent team and got beaten. He's made the English feel better about themselves, so, perhaps he deserves his gong – since managing English footballing expectations is a mission which even Tom Cruise would turn down as Impossible.
A belated MBE for Alan Hansen andf an upgrade to OBE for David Moyes were the Scottish football highlights, but, I do feel, either Stevie Clarke or Andy Robertson might have cause to feel slighted.
THIS IS my final post for 2024. Not, in truth, a great year. I find Scottish Football in general to be in a bad place, with too-many sub-standard foreign imports stifling opportunity for Scottish players, and clubs seemingly afraid to try to play entertaining football.
I feel the game's rulers need to take a serious look at themselves and the state of the game they are supposed to be running, but, unfortunately, they appear to lack the necessary self-awareness and desire to make things better. Maybe we need a Jean-Luc Picard to make it so.
Anyway, I wish you all the very best in 2025 – see you after the bells.
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