Just Like Old Times

BACK IN THE 1960s, in the years BS (Before Stein) – Rangers ruled the roost. But, it wasn't constant success. Back then, the guy who made the difference was Jim Baxter. I don't think any Scottish player has ever dominated the game up here the way the Slim One did.

However, I recall one season which began badly for Baxter. He was simply off form, to the extent, when the first Scotland team of the season was named, he was dropped. Baxter's lack of form also impacted on Rangers, to the extent, they too were struggling.

Any way, off the Scotland team went, to struggle in either Belfast or Cardiff, leaving Baxter to strut his stuff at Ibrox. Now, at the time, Baxter had formed a double act around the watering holes frequented by Glasgow's Beautiful People, with Paddy Crerand. This relationship did not go down too well with the grandfathers of today's Union Bears.

Saturday at Ibrox and an out of sorts Baxter is getting pelters from the terraces. Then, with Rangers struggling, everything changed: Eric Caldow took a throw-in to Baxter, who let the ball run across his body, before volleying a 60 yard crossfield pass to Willie Henderson, who hit the bye-line and crossed for Ralph Brand to knock-in the opening goal at the near post.

Suddenly, everything was sunshine again. Rangers won the game and went on to do a league and cup double – all was well with the world.

OK, there isn't a single member of the current Rangers squad fit to (to borrow that famous Guardian quote about George Best) “lace Baxter's drinks” but, a couple of wins, followed by a run of victories, and all those disgruntled Bears, calling for Derek McInnes' head, will become as silent as Trappist monks.

'Twas ever thus in the fevered world of the Old Firm. There is nothing wrong with this Rangers squad that dumping most of them and fielding fans on the park could not cure. The majority of this current Rangers squad are simply Not Rangers Class, it is time Derek McInnes recognised that fact and acted to sort it. Indeed, I got a thumbs up from a Buffs fan when, on Facebook on Sunday, I suggested Emmanuel Fernandez wasn't even Kilwinning Rangers' standard.

The above piece was written prior to Sunday by the way.

BACK AT THE START of this 21^st century, I had a conversation with Campbell Kennedy, the genial Barrhead Boy who has done so-much for the club during his years as St Mirren's Commercial Manager. The Buddies had just got back up to the top flight and I asked him what the Old Firm effect would be on his job.

Campbell said the odd thing about having a minimum four visits per season from the two big Glasgow clubs was that some regular users of corporate hospitality at the club deliberately avoided the visits of the Big Two. Apparently the toxic – atmosphere around the Old Firm “Glory Hunter” fans was enough to keep regulars away.

I could understand this. In a former life, when I was “the only neutral in Ayrshire” - covering Ayr United one week, Kilmarnock the next; part of my press box duties involved going down to the club offices pre-match and collecting the team sheets for the press box.

I recall one week, returning to the Rugby Park press box from the club office, being accosted by a couple of staunch representatives of Ra Peepul, demainding that I give them a team sheet. When I refused, since I only had enough to go round the working press, I was subjected to a stream of abuse – the entitlement of these people was off the scale.

I also know of regulars at St Mirren, Ayr United, Kilmarnock and other clubs who would quite happily take their sons and occasionally daughters to watch their local club, but, would, under no circumstances, take them when either one of The Bigot Brothers provided the opposition.

This has been happening for years, but neither the Scottish Professional Football League, The Scottish Football Association or the two clubs, has ever shown the least determination to do something about bringing the Big Two's considerable Lunatic Fringe to heel.

OK, I appreciate one of the games was on a Sunday, the other a Friday night, but, the last two attendances for Kilmarnock games at Rugby Park were:

1. League game v Celtic – 8,353

2. League Cup tie v Ayr United – 12,365

OK, the Ayrshire Derby was the first for four years, but, it was on a Friday night, both games were on television, yet if Celtic are the draw we are led to believe they are, you might have expected their game to have attracted the larger “gate” - instead, the visit of a team from a lower league brought-in a crowd some 50% greater than that attracted by the Champions of Scotland.

BACK IN THE DAY, when cup draws in Scotland were conducted by elected SFA officials in wood-panelled offices – Rangers and Celtic only ever met in cup finals.

Now some sceptical fiba writers put this down to the ball which represented Rangers' number was put into the wee velvet bag straight from a boiling kettle, while the Celtic ball went in, straight from the SFA freezer. Others reckoned the Rangers ball was square, the Celtic one was oval.

But, now the draws are conducted on live television, often by Z list “celebrities”, the old certainties no longer apply and the risk factor ensures that the Old Firm now clash before the finals - ah! The magic and uncertainty of all-in cup draws.

Now the League Cup is one Scottish competition where seeding is involved. So, why does this seeding not apply in the quarter-final draw? Suppose the seeding was decided by the league positions at the end of the previous season, then, Celtic would have been seeded one, Hearts two, Rangers three and so on.

Thus the four leading seeds would meet one of the other four clubs, the only issue to be drawn would be the venues. I have long favoured seeding cup draws, it perhaps gives the bigger clubs an advantage, but, it also throws up the chance of more cup upsets – but, this is perhaps too-sensible for Scottish fitba.

Still on the subject of the League Cup. Since this competition does not offer European competition as an incentive in winning it, how about a wee adjustment to the rules?

Why don't we decide, clubs have to observe “The eight diddies rule” and have eight Scotland-qualified players on the field at all times in League Cup ties. Mind you, one or two clubs would surely struggle to field a team if that rule applied.