Coming Into Scottish Football Is Not A Positive Career Move For An English-Trained Player

WE have been playing organised football here in Scotland for nigh-on 150-years, and, for all of that time, the high road to England has, seemingly, been paved with gold for ambitious young Scots.

 

Ever since the "Scotch Professors" of the late Victorian era, the time when Scotland was the greatest football nation on earth, we have sent out brightest and best south, to show the English how it was done.

 

For many years, our best schoolboy stars went south, where, although many prospered, just as many failed and, tail between their legs, came, "back up the road", to Scottish football.

 

That has always been Scottish football's image, a place where you go, if you cannot cut it in the bigger, richer, but harder play ground south of the Solway and the Tweed.

 

OK, there was a brief spell in the mid-1980s, when, with England banned from European club competition, and Rangers awash with money, we could attract real quality English and foreign players up here, but, these days are past and are unlikely to return in the short to medium term.

 

So, it ill-serves some of our mainstream media football "experts" to try to kid us, that English-based players, being recruited by Scottish clubs are: "top-class talent". OK, there have been occasions, big Joe Hart and Casper Schmeichel come to mind in this instance, where brilliant young players, coached and developed in England, were sent up here to gain experience. However, in general, you might say, any player who moves South to North, is acknowledging, he cannot cut in down there.

 

We have had a couple of examples this week or so past, when Scottish football writers have tried to "big-up" new signings from England by Scottish clubs. The more-gullible Scottish fans, just might, buy this. I do not.

 

A wee bit more honesty with the fans might help staunch the flow of readers away from some of our daily papers.

 

 

 

I WILL have my ABE t-shirt on, as I sit-up into the wee sma' hours tonight, watching the Japan v England Women's World Cup semi-final.

 

I bear no ill-will towards the "Lionesses" in the England squad, but, the way they are being built-up by the English media is typical of what the England men's team has to put up with on a four-yearly basis.

 

We have had Engerlund, Engerlund, Engerlund rammed down our throats daily by the English Broadcasting Corporation since they got past Canada into the last four. Then we have the daily pantomime of the Scotland Bill going through parliament, and our 56 SNP MPs being humiliated on a daily basis by the Tories. It's enough to make even the most-Braveheart-like Scot scream.

 

Well though they have done to get where they are, in truth, England have been the least-impressive of the four semi-finalists. They have ridden their luck, and fair play to them for this, but, I have a feeling, in the early hours of tomorrow morning, England will be found-out.

 

What really got me going was that pain-in-the-arse Jonathan Pearce, in his quarter-final commentary, remarking on: "Canada beating England in the Olympic Games in London".

 

FFS, they didn't beat England, they beat Team GB, but, as we all know, to many English, Britain is the UK or GB - and they wonder why we cannot stand them.