The Games are eclipsing Ra Gemme

I AM enjoying these Glasgow Commonwealth Games so much, I am struggling to even think about fitba.

 

When you see the sheer joy the likes of young Erriad Davies, or the older and more-experienced Hannah Miley, Ross Murdoch or Daniel Wallace have got out of winning for Scotland in the Tollcross Pool, or indeed any of our medal winners have got from wearing the saltire in these games - well, it shows-up our under-talented, over-paid and over-rated footballers for the chancers they are.

 

Ian Bell wrote a very good piece, linking sport, the referendum and independence in the Herald the other day. His basic premise was that if we looked to our footballers to give us the feel-good factor which Scotland is currently enjoying, and which could, just maybe, help the independence movement - well, the contstant under-achievement of our fitba teams would lang syne have stilled the cry for FREEDOM!!!!!

 

But, we all know, once the Games circus has packed-up and left town; once the Hampden track is torn-up and the grand old stadium reverts to being a football one, it will be back to what passes for normal in Scottish football.

 

The Old Firm whitabootery - the close-season "exclusives" about which cheap import will be next for the Bigot Brothers - the managerial merry-go-round - the fingers-crossed, praying for a miracle analysis of will be still have a team in Europe after Christmas? - the wonder as one of the provincial teams goes to Celtic Park and gets a result - the crisis headlines and torn badges which follow a couple of weeks without a win for Celtic or the Tribute Act. This is our diet, which makes cauld kale and pairritch seem edible.

 

Meanwhile, on the executive floor at Hampden, the blazers think-up further bizarre methods of spiking Gordon Strachan's guns, all for the greater glory, self-agrandesment and continuing survival of "the blazers".

 

We may or may not set-off down the road to a new and better Scotland, which is the ambition of the Yes side for the years post-18 September. Things may well be Better Together, I don't know. But, frankly I'd like to see us better together under a re-designed SFA, a body which already is free of everything, including rational thought. 

 

Haud oan big man - get your fitba heid back on.

 

Aye, we can beat thae Germans.