THE journalist who would, if the mythical Lap Top Loyal actually existed, be the Right Worthy Master of that particular ludge, was at Murrayfield yesterday for the Scotland v Italy Six Nations match.
You could infer, he'd go anywhere for a chance to see a team of Catholics losing, you might wonder at his reason for attending a game for poofs from posh schools. I chided him gently about the on-going problems of the Rangers Tribute Act, and he was quite open.
Weeping into his beer as we reflected, post-match, on yet another Disaster for Scotland, he confided he had only gone to Murrayfield to get a break from the eternal doom and gloom down Edmiston Drive.
However, he remains confident, the sun will, albeit slowly, begin to rise again later this week, after the King over the water wins his case at the EGM.
However, we are agreed, it will be a long-haul, and an expensive business, before the currrent RTA is transformed into Real Rangers, Mark II.
He also, like me, has his doubts concerning the King over the water.
PERFORMANCE of the week was surely Hearts' ten-goal demolition of the Blue Brazil. OK, 'Beath's case wasn't helped by playing the last hour or so a man short, but, Hearts stuck to their task, didn't soft-pedal and got a huge win.
I believe this new-look Hearts team can make an impact in next season's Premiership. The question is - who will win-out via the play-offs.
I watched the TV coverage of Falkirk v Rangers on Friday night. I don't see these two teams being able to string together the run of wins it will take to go up. But, I have no idea which teams will be involved in the whole promotion-relegation sheebang between Premiership and Championship.
This, at present, is almost a league of its own. In the Premiership, one from Motherwell, Ross County or St Mirren, perhaps even Partick Thistle, will go straight down. The other two/three, will then have to face either Hibs, "Rangers", Queen of the South or Falkirk for the right to remain in the top flight. Only a collapse of unimagined proportion will prevent Hearts from winning the Championship.
That's no-fewer than seven clubs possibly involved. Who says Scottish football isn't exciting?
JUST a final thought on Celtic's departure from Europe this week. Again, they found themselves in the unusual position of being the "Diddy" team in a match. They didn't get the marginal calls which they and the other half of the Bigot Brothers have, for so-long, enjoyed in Scotland.
They had a player sent-off on the back of a bad call by a referee, Van Dyk's first yellow card would never have been shown to him in Scotland - not even by Willie Collum. That said, knowing he was on a knife edge thereafter, how stupid was he to concede that second yellow? Dumb.
SAD to hear of the death of Andy King last week. King was one of the Killie "Immortals" who won the Scottish League title in dramatic circumstances in 1964-65.
At that time, Killie had a full-back pairing of King and Matt Watson, two men who were, almost certainly the best two uncapped full backs in the country at the time. OK, Matt Watson was very unfortunate in being a contemporary of Eric Caldow, the best Scottish left-back of the 20th century, but, he certainly deserved at least one cap.
King was competing for much of his career with the wonderful Alex Hamilton of Dundee, but, he too deserved at least one cap. Old firm players unfit to lace his boots got capped, King didn't, but, he was not the only non-OLd Firm player to miss-out on caps to a lesser player from either half of the Glasgow pair.
Andy King was one of the good guys and it is so-sad that he will not now be at the lavish 50th anniversary dinner, in the Park Hotel, next door to Rugby Park, next month. Goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson is coming home from Australia for the night, sadly, one or two others are now too-frail to attend. The toast to "Absent Friends" will be a sad one on the night.
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