Thing Can Only Get Better For Wee Chesney And Us

WHILE Scottish rugby endures a coach who is, in oval ball circles more-disliked than Berti Vogts, George Burley or Craig Levein ever were at their lowest points in public disapproval, under wee Chesney, Scottish football is on the up.

The squad WGS announced this week for the forthcoming game against the Poles has arguably more-quality than any we have had for some years. We are still a long way from being where we want to be, but, hope is in the air.

Great to see Darren Fletcher back, superb to see WGS having genuine hard choices to make - in goal, at full back and up front. We have hope again - I am starting to worry!!

THE DRAW for the next European Championships is almost upon us, and, while we will be in Pot Four, I think it is fair to say that, there isn't a lot to choose from the countries in pots two, three and four.

Of course, with the pessimism which we Scots seem to ingest from our mothers' breast, we fear ending-up in a Group of Death. We never get the "easy" groups which always seem to fall England's way. Mind you, I'd rather we had it difficult than easy - we have a long history of tripping-up in games we rather fancy our chances of winning.

I HAD to laugh at this week's news that Allan Hutton has been condemned to life in the Aston Villa reserves, because he's "too-expensive" for Villa, on his reported £45,000 per week.

Nobody forced him to accept that salary; mind you, who in his right mind is going to say, when offered that much: "No, no, that's far-too much, I could'nt accept a penny more than half that".

If Hutton has an agent half-way worth his salt, he'd be trying to reach a compromise with the club which would allow him to leave with a pay-off and get first-team football elsewhere. Unless, of course, he's quite happy to allow his international career to atrophy and die, for the £3 million he will reportedly make by sitting still and seeing-out his contract.

Hutton will be 30 in November, he will be 32 when his Villa contract ends. His next more will probably be his last chance of a big-money one, but, to get that, he has to still be in the Scotland squad.

He's in a difficult position. Of course, he could always sit still, take the money and return to Ayrshire to buy either Ayr United or Kilmarnock - or maybe, if Mad Phil from Donegal's scenario comes to pass - he could go back and pick-up Rangers for a song.