You Can Learn A Lot In Libraries

I SPENT a good part of Thursday in one of my favourite spots - over at the microfiche machines in the Glasgow Room at the Mitchell Library, where I was continuing my research for a forthcoming book.

 

I got talking to the guy at the next machine, a Celtic supporter, also researching a book. Perhaps I ought to call him a possibly heretic Celtic supporter, because, if he ever gets his book project published, he will demolish some of the sacred tenets of the Parkhead gospels - as they are currently interpreted by the Green Brigade and such likes.

 

I too have my heretical book project - I would love to write the definitive biography of one of the legends of Rangers and Scottish football. However, certain acquaintances amongst the Lap Top Loyal, with I presume a wee bit more in-depth knowledge of the subject than I, are already warning me off.

 

Apparently, what is accepted as "the truth" about my potential subject, will be entirely unacceptable to "Ra Peepul" and were I to publish, could adversely affect my quality of life. So, the book's a goer then, once I get the one I am currently working on out of the way!!

 

The lesson of the two guys, sitting side-by-side in the Mitchell is, therefore: the lunatics really have taken over the asylum.

 

 

 

SPEAKING of lunatics. The latest edition of David Leggat's Leggoland 2 blog is an interesting side bar on Craig Levein's current difficulties. I have enjoyed many a laugh with wee Leggo in various press boxes. The wee man is good company, even is his Rangers obsession makes him an unsafe chronicler of games involving his beloved Ibrox men.

 

However, in his blog, I fear he is pandering to the most-extreme fringe of the large Rangers lunatic fringe - the Blue Baldrick Brigade if you like. That said, his latest offering does point out that Craig Levein is not yet Scotland's worst manager in terms of results in a qualifying group - that honour belongs to none other than Jock Stein, during the terrible and totally inept unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 1984 European Championships.

 

That campaign began with a 2-0 win over East Germany at Hampden; we then lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the Wankdorf, 2-3 to Belgium in the Heysel, drew 2-2 with the Swiss, then 1-1 with the Belgians at Hampden and ended with a 1-2 loss to the East Germans in Halle. Under modern scoring values that would give us five points from a possible 18 and one win from six games.

 

That was under manager Jock Stein, who used 24 players in the campaign. Nobody played in all six games. Jim Leighton, Willie Miller, Gordon Strachan and John Wark played in five, Steve Archibald started in four and came off the bench in a fifth game; Frank Gray, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalgleish played in four games; Alex McLeish started three and came off the bench in a fourth; John Robertson and Richard Gough started in three games.

 

That was Jock Stein's first-choice side: Leighton, Gough, two from McLeish, Miller or Hansen, Frank Gray, Strachan, Souness, Wark and Robertson, Dalgleish and Archibald. The bench wasn't too bad either: David Narey (three starts), Alan Brazil, Jim Bett, Charlie Nicholas, Arthur Albiston and Paul McStay (two starts); Paul Sturrock, Roy Aitken and Frank McGarvey (one start, one sub's appearance);  Peter Weir, Billy Thomson and Eamonn Bannon (one start each).

 

If Stein and that bunch of players couldn't get us to the finals, against decidedly middle-of-the-pack opposition in East Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, what chance has Craig Levein with the players at his disposal got? I reckon maybe Allan McGregor, Darren Fletcher and Steven Fletcher could force their way into the 1984 squad - none of the rest of Levein's squad could. And there is no way McGregor or either Fletcher would start.

 

 

 

WEE Roger Mitchell has penned a piece for the Herald, which I read this morning on the online edition. In it, he puts down more good sense than I have read from the seried ranks of the Scottish Football Writers Association's finest this week - his basic premis being that it's the whole culture of Scottish football which is wrong.

 

Well, that's two of us saying that - we are on the march at last. Trouble is, it will perhaps take us maybe three generations before the message gets through and change happens.