ALL this controversy about youth development programmes, professional academies and so-forth; not to forget the flak which continues to come their way in the fall-out from The Big Tax Case, has clearly got under the hitherto cast-iron skin of the blazers on Hampden's sixth floor.
So, reverting to the old Roman Empire trick of giving the proles bread and circuses - they rush out, nicely-timed for Christmas, new home and away kits for Scotland. Of course, the main body of the Tartan Army, that dedicated band who travel around the world, more in hope than expectation in the wake of our A team, will have to wait until September next year, before they get a chance to wear the new kit for real, in a meaningful international.
Why, by then, we might even hav replaced the new kit with an even newer one, nothing decided at Hampden surprises me any more.
Actually, for me, it's not the worst Scotland kit I have seen; I even like the pink number which is the new "away" kit. It is certainly an improvement on the last away kit. But, I sometimes feel designing a new Scotland kit is some sort of final exam for would-be kit designers at whichever company is our supplier at any given time. Over the years we have one or two which deserve the accolade, first given I think to the Clydebank away kit, which resembled an explosion in a paint factory and was described by one wag as a product of "Stevie Wonder Designs Ltd".
CELTIC apparently copped a bit of flak from sections of "The Family" at their agm last week. Lord Livingston in particular was the target of some abuse from the self-styled "Greatest Fans In The World", because, in the House of Lords, he voted to support the Tories' cuts to the welfare budget.
Then, there was the continuing campaign to get the club to pay The Living Wage. Now, maybe TGFITW missed it, but, I am certain I read, in the report of the agm, that Celtic were, in fact, paying all their full-time staff, The Living Wage.
That, to me, is commendable, and as it should be. I would suggest that there is every chance the club's part-time staff, usually only seen on match-days, are probably topping-up their income from other sources, by working for the club, therefore, there is no great need to pay them a higher rate for so-doing. I might be wrong, but, that's how I feel.
One thing of which I am equally sure is, Celtic, indeed every other Scottish club is perhaps paying most of their players too-much. There is, I would suggest, some scope for significant savings there, money which could perhaps be diverted towards better spectator facilities and higher wages for the lower-paid non-playing staff.
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