Socrates MacSporran

Socrates MacSporran
No I am not Chick Young, but I can remember when Scottish football was good

Saturday 17 May 2014

Just Give Us Two Great Games - Please

WE bloggers,being by nature somewhat arrogant individuals, who think our opinions might be of interest in the wider blogsphere, are almost duty-bound to have opinions on everything.
 
Therefore, I should put down my views on this afternoon's two big cup finals, in Glasgow and London - perhaps offer my predictions, make known my prejudices and so on. Today, all I can offer is my hope - that we get two cracking games and that, in that old cliche of the fence-sitter: The better team wins.
 
Having been trained these many years to be even-handed, to offer a straight-down-the-middle critique of a match - when working for a national newspaper; I found it a bit difficult when I was sports editor of a daily newspaper in a single football team town, when I had to reflect every game through that team. I can deliver a report slewed towards one of the teams, I just find it hard.
 
So, you will get no prediction of the likely victor in either final from me. Indeed, I could produce a lot of reasons why any one of the four competing clubs is deserving of lifting the trophy they are seeking.
 
In the case of St Johnstone - it would be a wonderfully romantic end to 130-years of not getting to the final, should they win, and a glorious justification of all the money the Brown family has injected into the old club.
 
For Dundee United - success would, as with the Perth club, justify the largesse of a single family, the Thompsons; while it would be a sign of success for a belief in youth development, both on the field and in the manager's office.
 
I could even personalise this. I've known big Chris Iwelumo since he was a schoolboy. I know he is a peripheral figure at Saints, but, wouldn't it be nice if he got on and maybe scored the winner - sadly he will not get the chance to do this at the same end at Hampden as he had that career-defining miss for Scotland.
 
For United, I barely know Simon Donnelly, but, ah kent his faither, Tommy, and it would be nice if young Simon tasted early success in his managerial career as number two to another second generation football man in Jackie McNamara.
 
At Wembley, it would be nice if Hull, like Saints tasting a cup final for the first time, should win, particularly as today's final comes 20-years after manager Steve Bruce lifted the trophy for Manchester United.
 
Also, Hull has the Scottish interest, with Allan McGregor and George Boyd in their ranks. English Cup Finals, without Scots, are rare and often drab beasts, so, we should perhaps all be Tigers fans for the day.
 
Against that, the dignity which Arsne Wenger has shown because he refuses, as  does the Arsenal board, to fully play the Greed is Good English Premiership game. With most other clubs in that league, Wenger's failure to win a trophy over the past few seasons would have cost him his job some time ago - he deserves to add another success to his escutcheon.
 
So, whichever clubs win today, I will have reasons to be cheerful - more-so if we get what we crave: two show piece, exciting games of vibrant football to reclaim the romance of the cup-tie from a game increasingly bogged down in the marathon slog for a league title.
 
Go out there and play lads.

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