IT has been a good week to be Argentinian, not such a good one to be Italian - what with wee Lionel Messi giving another masterclass in Barca's Champions League win over AC Milan, then the Argentinian cardinal coming out of left field to grab the big gig in St Peter's.
Watching the Barca v AC match, I was again struck by football's failure to adapt well-proven fair play ideas from other sports. I was struck by the way the AC defenders almost waited their turn to boot Messi. Two or three took yellow cards for quite cynically preventing the wee Argentinian genius from inflicting even more damage than he did.
Why cannot football adopt the basketball idea of personal fouls, so that, if you commit a certain number of fouls - in basketball it is five - you are out of the game, but you can be replaced.
Another basketball idea which would have worked in the Neu Camp was the idea of team fouls - so that, when a team commits a given number of fouls, in total, each subsequent defensive foul gives the opposition a free throw from the foul line. In football that would mean, penalty kicks.
These two ideas, personal and team fouls, just might put an end to the cynical - stop him by any means - fouls on the likes of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo and allow the entertaining flair players to play. I commend them to the house.
FROM the haste with which David Longwell of the SFL came-up with the notion that the Old Firm should be allowed to put second teams into the Scottish senior leagues, once they bugger off either to England or, more likely, to Europe - I think we are being softened-up for such an eventuality.
The next change to the Champions and Europa Leagues has to take them closer to a European NFL, and, when that happens, the two Glasgow sides will be in it, given their core support.
So, it makes sense to have a continued OF presence in the Scottish domestic game and anyone opposing such a move has, to my mind, to have a screw loose.
In fact, it could happen even before they head off to pastures new. Let's face it, if Celtic are in Aberdeen, with only a limited number of their core support able to get a ticket, then that leaves an awful lot of Hoops fans, who would, I warrant, be only too happy to cheer-on a Celtic Under-23 team at Ayr United or Dumbarton.
Similarly, when Rangers get into the top flight, the same scenario will apply and this will mean extra income for the smaller clubs. I know some will not like what they see as preferential treatment for the Big Two - come off it, they've been getting preferential treatment for years, this will only formalise this, but, has benefits for the rest. What's not to like about it?
SPEAKING of fierce rivalries - the natives are getting a wee bit restless here In Orange County, at the possibility of a Talbot v Cumnock Emirates Scottish Junior Cup Final this season. Such a fixture would surely produce the biggest crowd of the season for Rugby Park - the obvious venue.
Both sides are in quarter-final action this weekend, with the 'Nock entertaining cup holders Shotts Bon Accord at Townhead Park and the 'Bot, who are unbeaten at the top of the Stagecoach West of Scotland Superleague through in Fife facing Kelty.
I understand, if they get into the semi-finals, the square and oval balls will be in the hat for the draw, no other pairing offers such a potential pay day for the juniors - while Strathclyde Police will fancy the overtime.
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