I HAVE BEEN tidying-up my Facebook feed this week. I have a background in road transport, so the first posts to be blasted were the several ones which feature HGV drivers going about their business and, in the process, pissing-off Audi and BMW-driving wankers, who, not having a clue what is happening, take offence at 44 tonne vehicles being on the road.
The next feeds to go were the many Old Firm pages I see, wherein the most-staunch and devout post pish, about who their clubs are going to sign, who they should sign and, this past month, calling for the head of Stevie Clarke, on the grounds he hasn't been selecting enough players from their clubs for the Scotland side.
Well, at least these knuckle-draggers have their wish – Sir Stevie has, with the dignity which has marked his spell as Scotland boss, stepped down from what is now becoming akin to the comparable England job – Mission Impossible.
Stevie has, for me, done a sterling job as Team Manager/Head Coach. In spite of working within a totally-flawed system, he managed to get us to the finals of three major competitions – two European Championships and one World Cup. Yet, throughout his tenure, he has been unfairly-criticised by some of the hacks and many of the fans whose first loyalty is not to the national side, but to the twa cheeks o' the same erse o' Scottish Fitba – aka The Old Firm.
Let's be honest here. Scottish Fitba has been, irrespective of Stevie's efforts, been going downhill for generations. Successive High Heid Yins, those club officials who get themselves elected to the decision-making jobs at Hampden, have spent more time elbowing their way into a prominent place at the feeding trough than making the decisions which take our game forward.
We have put very-small men into big jobs inside Hampden for years and this latest World Cup failure is more evidence of this.
But, we also have a problem with our fans – the Tartan Army. OK, they travel hopefully, in huge numbers, but, they never arrive at the destination they crave, the place where Scotland's representatives – either national team or club side- are competitive rather than merely making-up the numbers in either the two major international competitions: European Championships or World Cup, or the three pan-European club competitions.
Still they turn-up, feeding the failures and inadequacies of the Blazers who are mis-managing our game.
Less than 24 hours after Stevie Clarke's resignation The Scotsman, one of the two serious Scottish broadsheet newspapers has publishd a list of 13 candidates to replace him. I have been sat around a Sports Desk when such speculative pieces are put together and this list strikes me as fairly-typical. One or two names, which have you thinking: “Aye maybe”; a further two or three which get the response: “You have to be joking”; and finally, at least a couple which come under the heading: “Now you're taking the piss”.
The Hootsmon's list reads:
Duncan Ferguson
Russell Martin
Neil Lennon
Shaun Maloney
Brendan Rodgers
Robbie Keane
Derek McInnes
Scott Brown
Steven Naismith
Steven Gerrard
Alex Neil
Ange Postecoglou
David Moyes
The one name on that list that gets me excited is the final one. Moyes has the experience, he's the right age and a management team of him and Big Duncan Disorderly just might work. If nothing else, Big Dunc might scare the shite out of enough of the blazers to get the necessary changes to the system implemented. However, could the SFA afford the compensation Everton would demand?
I would also, straight away, discard the non-Scots; although, that said, Wee Lenny has been here long enough now to qualify for naturalisation, and he is a Ginger.
Ach well, it will give the boys in the mainstream media something to do during this ever-shorter close season.
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