"WHO the fuck is this Ronny Deila? What has he ever won? Yet, he comkes over here and tries to tell us how to run our game. Doesn't he realise,he's in Scotland now - the greatest wee fitba nation in the history of the game".
Aye Right. I am, yet again, having a go at the received wisdom in Scottish fitba. Wisdom? Scottish fitba? Precisely.
But, Cletic's new Norwegian boss has a point, several in fact. Not that that will weigh too heavily on thought processes (stop tittering there at the back) of the intellectual heavyweights in the blazers, on Hampden's executive floor.
Mind you,this is not the first time I have seen someone at the coal face of Scottish sport call for a change in our season. John Beattie, back in the days when he was a club coach, as well as a media personality and talking head, called for a switch to summer rugby in Scotland. Now he's exclusively a media man, he is still calling for this change.
But, as Deila will surely find out soon enough - in Scotland, there's a state of mind which MUST be overcome, but, at the moment, this necessary change of mind is years away. We will continue to tell anyone, such as Beattie or Deila, who calls for a change in our traditional season: "Aye, but, it's aye been done this way".
Of course we should be playing summer football in Scotland. Most-certainly, playing on better pitches will help our players's skills. I would also suggest, IF we switched our season, we just might be better able to sell Scottish football to the television companies.
Of course, back in Deila's native Norway, where the season runs from March to November, they can virtually guarantee when the ice and snow will arrive and football will be driven indoors, or into hibernation. With our uncertain, more-temperate climate, we think we will get a period when games are called-off, we just don't know when.
I well recall, some years ago, a veteran football writer, long-since retired, saying: "Och aye, we have a winter shut-down in Scotland - we just never know exactly when it will kick-in". This is still the case today.
Deila's comments followed Saturday's loss at Inverness. Certainly, the Highlanders seem to have something of a hex on the Hoops, or is it simply, because they haven't been playing against them as often as the longer-established clubs, they are getting their rare wins in sooner? But, their win demonstrates the thinness of the Celtic squad and how tough it will be for the Hoops to do battle on the twin fronts of the SPFL and Europe.
I just hope, the other Premiership sides take cognisance of the ICT victory and resolve, particularly when at home - to get out there and have a go at the Champions.
It will still call for a Stewards' Enquiry, if the season 2014-15 title does not end up in Kerrydale Street, but, it would be great if their margin of victory was reduced to single figures in points.
I hope the lesson hits home and the rest make it far-harder for Celtic. Such an outcome can only be good for the future health of the game here.
I AM an unashamed fan of Off the Ball - that pettiest and most ill-informed of football shows. Yes, Tam and Stuart occasionally go too-far. I have never bought into their happy bufoons act, but, more-often than not, they articulate what the ordinary fan in the cheap seats is thinking.
They certainly hit the nail on the head on Saturday, when they howled loud and long about the SFA's pricing policy for the upcoming Scotland v Georgia game. I agree with the Boys, £42 for this game is ridiculous and, the wankers in the blazers are, yet again, having a laugh at our expense.
ALAN Hutton got Man of the Match in Saturday's Villa v Newcastle 0-0. draw nae fitba, borefest. OK, it wasn't a great game, in fact, for long spells, it was dire, but, credit where it is due.
Villa had been trying for a good wee while to off-load Hutton. for various reasons, perhaps his wages, they couldn't do this, so, Paul Lambert had to take himback into the tent.
Hutton is no Sandy Jardine, Danny McGrain, Eric Caldow or George Burley. In fact, if I can digress, when I think of him, the first thought which comes to mind is from a story my old mate Ken "Smudger" Smith ran in the Herald Diary some years ago, when he was still with Rangers.
Apparently, Hutton strolled past he queue at a popular Glasgoe club and tried to get it; the bouncer stopped him.
"Do you realise who I am?" asked the indignant Hutton.
"Aye, you're the cunt who made the mistake which cost us today's Old Firm game - so,you're no gettin' in"; replied the bouncer.
Exit Hutton, suitbaly chastened.
But, that was then and this is now. Since then he has proved himself one of the most-dependable and consistent players in the 21st century Scotland squads. he is now one of the players who is as near an automatic pick as we have.
Hopefully he can forge the same position in the mind of Paul Lambert and in the affections of the Villa fans.
He has come a long way.
No comments:
Post a Comment