THIS being an International Week - hopefully the calls for Ronnie Deila's head and the speculation as to which of the usual suspects (well, I don't suppose Billy Davies's name will come up) will be being boosted as his immediate replacement.
Which reminds me - an awful lot of the churnalists on Scotland's sports desks will be left with egg all over their florid fizzogs - should Celtic kick-on and complete the Double of League and Scottish Cup this season. It would be strange, but, given the state of football today, not impossible, for Celtic to sack him after that.
So, with their new Celtic boss train of tittle-tattle closed off this week, just what will the poor wee lambs have to write about?
Well, they were thrown a tit-bit this morning, with the sports pages awash with the story of Alan Hutton's upcoming 50th cap. It is, in some ways, amazing that a defender who is not really good at his job has managed to accumulate sufficient caps to earn admission to the SFA's Hall of Fame - only they no longer call it this, indeed, I forget what they do call their list of those players who have been on the field for Scotland in 50 full internationals.
But, fair play to Hutton - he has turned-up when asked, never complained, given his all for Scotland and got his rewards. It might be worthwhile pointing-out here, had he remained at Rangers, his first club, he would almost-certainly not be celebrating the milestone. He'd have been withdrawn from around half the squads with mystery niggles, which cleared-up by the next club game, and might well, like others from Ibrox before him, decided, he didn't really want to play for Scotland.
He escaped all this nonsense, however. He has had spells when he has been out of favour at his club, but, he has always given his all for Scotland, and for that reason - I feel he has earned his gold medal and his place on the list of consistent cap winners. I also know, he's not the worst Rangers' right-back ever to have been capped for Scotland, and, lest we forget, the respected French sporting newspaper L'Equipe named him as the best right-back in Britain not that long ago.
Might we have been a bit unfair to Hutton -who has had a bad time since first breaking into the Rangers team as a teenager. Who, for instance, can forget that great story of him, as a young wannabe, giving it the: "Do you know who I am" treatment, when refused entry to a trendy Glasgow night-club.
The reply from the bouncer was classic: "Aye, you're the stupid c*** who cost us the game against Celtic the day - so, yer no gettin in - noo, Fuck Off".
Hutton left with his tail between his legs that night - not that he will be too-worried today. Enjoy your 50th cap Alan.
Alan Hutton - 50 not out
I HAVE an aquaintance, in fact we are related through a spot of hoohmagandy involving Victorian ancestors, who, although now retired to that section of God's Waiting Room situated on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, remains very much a Garnock Valley man.
He takes special steps, each Saturday night, to find out how his beloved Kilbirnie Ladeside got on that afternoon, and right now, he is hurting. The Blasties lost to Pollok at the quarter-final stage of the Scottish Junior Cup this season, and, to add insult to injury, the hated Beith and the Buffs got through to join Hurlford as the three Ayrshire sides in the last four.
You might think having three teams still involved at this stage would be the subject of great rejoicing in God's County. But, to think this shows a lack of understanding of how we think here. it's OK to have three Ayrshire sides in the semi-finals, provided your particular side is one of them, and the club you hate most isn't. So, for a Blasties fan, Kilbirnie being out before Beith and Kilwinning Rangers - that's a bitter pill to swallow.
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