I Do Not Like The Way This Season Has Started - We Must Do Better

I CAN see a pattern developing in Scottish Football as it stumbles into Season 2016-17, and, it worries me considerably.

Already, before the end of July, Hearts and Hibs are out of the Europa League. Apart from the fact we used to believe, being drawn against a Danish side was a virtual bye into the next round in Europe, the fact Hibs only lost on penalties to Brondby isn't too-bad a result. But, they did manage to lose at home, and that is a distinct no-no.

Hearts losing to a team from Malta, however, and at home too. In Mad Vlad's day, that would have been a sacking offence. OK Ann Budge has a lot more sense, but still – not good, not good at all.

Ann Budge - her predecessor would not have been so sanguine at a Hearts defeat

Aberdeen travel to Maribor in midweek. This does not fill me with confidence, since no Scottish club has won there. Even Celtic, going into their second leg Champions League qualifier, at Celtic Park, all-square; this is no longer the given it once was, particularly if Brendar Rodgers has to put Efe Ambrose in his team.

Then, we had Celtic being brushed aside by Barcelona, in their prestige Dublin friendly yesterday, while Burnley barely broke sweat in beating Rangers at Ibrox. As my dear old friend David Francey would have said: “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, disaster for Scotland”.

Then we look at the progress of the Betfred Cup, as the League Cup is now known. One-third of the Premiership teams who were involved in the group stages have already gone out. This is like ten seeds going out of Wimbledon in the first round. It clearly demonstrates the woeful lack of quality in the dressing rooms of our top clubs.

Ross County, Dundee and Kilmarnock are all full-time clubs, if I was a director of one of these teams, I would be asking my manager or head coach what was going-on.

SPEAKING of Kilmarnock, the latest rumours, and there always seem to be rumours floating down Rugby Road these days, is that manager Lee Clarke is already thinking of bailing out – just weeks into a restructuring which has seen a complete new team of young players being recruited from England.

To quote the wisdom of Alan Hansen: “You win nothing with kids”. Of course, Lee Clarke, this season, is not going out to win things. Replicating last season's 11^th place with victory in the play-off at the end of the season would do – except, my fellow Rugby Parkers want just a little bit more than that this season.

I am disappointed that he took the familiar route of recruiting players from the lower reaches in England, this has been going on in Scottish football for too-long, and has helped propel us down the UEFA ci-efficients. I would rather whoever was managing at Rugby Park recruited from the West of Scotland. I am convinced, there is sufficient local talent in the West of Scotland Junior Superleague who could step-up and, with proper coaching and management, do a really good job at Rugby Park.

The Kilmarnock side against which I judge all others was the 1960 Scottish Cup final team: Brown; Richmond, Watson, Beattie, Toner, Kennedy; Stewart, McInally, Kerr, Black and Muir – that forward line: Rab Stewart, Jackie McInally, who died earlier this month, Andy Kerr, Betrtie Black and Billy Muir were all Ayrshiremen. And, apart from Fifer Jimmy Brown in goal, and wing-half Frank Beattie, from Stirling, all the rest were from within half an hour of Kilmarnock. Jim Richmond was from Blantyre, Matt Watson from Paisley, Willie Toner from Shettleston and Bobby Kennedy from Motherwell.

Don't try to tell me you could not recruit 11 guys today from such places and not have a team able to compete in the Premiership. Of course, Brown, although uncapped, was international-class, Watson and Beattie suffered from being contemporaries of great Old Firm players, Kennedy was an Under-23 cap, who played a few games for Manchester City, while Kerr was a goal-scoring genius.

I am not saying there are players of that class around the West of Scotland today, but, these guys were in some cases seen as mere journeymen, who got better under Willie Waddell's managerial nous and Walter McCrae's fitness regime.

All is not yet lost at Kilmarnock. Get Kris Boyd into the box and find a player who can find him in there, and the goals and wins will come.

Is It Time For Us To Re-Schedule Our Season For Summer Football And Better Results In Europe?

AS a youth I jumped back and forth between football and rugby. I loved both games. However, as the goalkeeper in what was the best team around, I often felt bored and disengaged, lucky if I saw action more than once of twice a half, while nearly all the action was at the other end.

In rugby, I was constantly involved, also, being in the “A stream” at my school, nearly all my class-mates played rugby, the bulk of the football team were in the C and D streams, I hardly saw them apart from at practice nights.

Back then, in the late 1950s, early 1960s, the season were more defined. In rugby, for instance, you couldn't even play a full practice match before the season officially started, on 1 September, and you could only play sevens after the 30^th of April. Football was not as strictly regulated, but, as a general rule – the big kick-off for senior football was on the second Saturday in August.

Back then, Scottish clubs were a power in Europe. OK, it was a smaller Europe, the likes of Moscow Dynamo or Dynamo Kiev would represent the USSR in the European Cup or the Fairs-Cities or Cup-Winners Cups, as the Europa League then was. You would get maybe Slovan Bratislava in the European Cup and Dukla Prague in the Cup-Winners Cup, as representatives of Czechoslovakia; today, Slovan represents Slovakia, Dukla the Czech Republic.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan etc, maybe, if they were lucky, one of their teams would get to represent the USSR, the football world was smaller.

Ten years ago, Scotland's UEFA club co-efficient placed us ninth in the rankings of European club football, we had two teams in the Champions League. That season 2006-07, Hearts won their first Champions Leagu qualifier, before losing heavily to AEK Athens, while Celtic only lost in the last 16, to AC Milan no less, in extra time. In the UEFA Cup, Rangers also reached the last 16.

The following season, we were ranked fifth in Europe as Rangers reached the UEFA Cup Final, Celtic the last 16 of the Champions League and Aberdeen the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. Then the slide began.

Since that high-water mark of 2008, the best we have managed in European competition was in 2014-15, when, almost entirely thanks to Celtic, we won 7 of the 16 European club games our teams played, today, we are ranked as the 28th-best nation in European club football. That is out of 54 nations – we are in the bottom half of the table.

It is a tribute to the continued resilience of Celtic, that we are even ranked that highly. While Rangers burned then crashed, they have battled on, getting no help from the rest.

Since 2008, Rangers have lost to FBK Kaunus of Lithuania, Falkirk to Vaduz of Liechtenstein, bloody hell, I'd back Auchinleck Talbot to beat them. Scottish teams have lost to teams from places such as Armenia and Kazakhstan which we could not point out on a map. NK Maribor of Slovenia, a team which was only formed in 1960 and comes from a place roughly the size of Paisley, has made a speciality of beating Scottish teams – and, they've got a much-better European record than St Mirren.

Maybe, just maybe, although, Ah hae ma doots; if we put some structure into our season, we could improve Scottish football, and improve our European record.

For a start, if we are going to, as I fear we will in the short term, be condemned to kicking-off our clubs' European campaigns and therefore our seasons before the Glasgow Fair, maybe we should review our season – have a winter break and, like the Scandinavian countries, play summer football. Maybe then our teams would be up to speed for the start of the European campaigns.

We need to do something, and, even though it might seem a good idea to many of us, bombing Hampden while the ”blazers” are all in there in session is a no-no, even though it might take such a move to bring about the needed changes.

We cannot go on, stumbling along as we are.

Bobby Charlton in action on that game in 1966

TODAY is not a day for going near the BBC, as they unashamedly turn back the clock 50-years, to remember when England won the World Cup.

What do you mean, you didn't know they had? I mean, they mention it so-seldom, certainly in recent years as England has become serial under-achievers on football's biggest stages. Whether it be a so-called Golden Generation of players, or highly-rated, highly-paid foreign coaches, the result has always been the same – England missing from the sharp end of either World Cups or European Championships.

So, they hark back to the days of “Alf's Boys” - 1966 and all that.

Now, there were some things to deplore about that World Cup, not least the fact we blew it badly in qualifying, not least when we flung away seemingly-certain Hampden victory against Poland. But, the fact is: any team which contained the best goalkeeper in the world, the best left-back, the best sweeper and the best player “in the hole”, had to have a chance.

If you were picking a World XI at that time, Gordon Banks, Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton would all have been in it. So too might Jimmy Greaves, if you could decide between him, Eusebio, Pele and Denis Law for the main striker's role.

OK, so, as every Scot knows, Geoff Hurst only actually scored two goals in the final, but, against that, the free-kick from which West Germany equalised at the end of normal time was never a foul in the history of the game. And, how (on the basis of my enemy's enemy is my friend) you wished the German management had opted to allow the young Franz Beckenbauer to take-on Charlton in midfield, rather than have him try to nullify the great Sir Bobby, things might have been different. It has to be said, Beckenbauer and Charlton rather cancelled each other out over the two hours.

What that game did do, is, it changed the dynamic between Scottish and English football fan. Prior to that game, perhaps on the basis of mutual suffering – through World War II, Korea, Malaysia, Cyprus and National Service, a generation of Scots and English had served side-by-side in the cause of Great Britain. They had suffered under the Union Flag, which they both respected, and they realised, Jock, Geordie, Scouser, Yorkshire Tyke, West Midlands metal basher, Cornishman, even Cockney – they were awe Jock Tamson's bairns the gither.

Then, Jock noticed Nigel and Co celebrating an English win under the Union Flag, suddenly promoting England above Britain, and, something snapped. It would never be the same again.

Prior to 1966, Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Tommy Lawton, even Charlton, would, if they pulled off something special at Hampden, receive warm applause from the Scots in a Hampden crowd, or from the travelling Tartan Army at Wembley. After 1966, it was: “Bobby Moore, Superstar, walks like a woman and wears a bra”, the dynamic had changed. Grudging respect turned to hatred – the differences were accentuated, the Scottish cringe began.

And, 50-years later, we want out. But, can we really blame it all on the “Russian” linesman from Azerbaijan?

I Gave It Up For Running And A Big Jamaican Man

CONFESSION time: I gave up on East Stirlingshire v Rangers last night. I stuck it out until half-time, then I - abandoned ship. Well, the athletics on BBC 2 was coming nicely to a simmer – with the prospect of big Usain later on. Now, that guy has star quality in spades; I don't think any sportsman, in any discipline, has had that-much appeal, since Ali was in his prime – and, needless to say, the Big Man delivered.

 He's The Man

I followed the athletics with my usual Friday night on BBC 4, where the wonderful Rick Wakeman was doing his thing on concept albums, with a rare clip of Vivian Stanshall and the Bonzo Dog Band to complete my evening.

The Great and Sadly-Missed Vivian Stanshall

Against, that watching a pedestrian Rangers huff and puff before over-powering East Stirlingshire – naw, nae chance. By the way, having seen some wonderful goals from John Sludden in his Ayr United days, good luck to him at the club.

East Stirlingshire boss John Sludden

Meanwhile, the importing of has-beens, never-will-bes and never-weres, whose USP is the fact, they are not Scottish, continues in epidemic form by our clubs. I despair. We need to get back to a system whereby we positively discriminate in favour of young Scottish talent but, I cannot see the “blazers” ever changing their ways.

Scottish fitba is going to Hell in a hand-cart, and the “blazers” are pushing it.

I HAD a look at this afternoon's fixtures in the Whatever They're Calling It – It's Still The League Cup To Me campaign. Underwhelming in the extreme, with only the Hamilton v St Mirren and Kilmarnock v Morton meetings in any way stirring me.

This competition doesn't really matter – the winners will not get a European berth; it is simply a Saturday afternoon filler. So, why doesn't the SFA and SPFL do something to stir it up, to maybe make it a wee bit more exciting?

I know they've done away with extra time, going straight to penalties if the match is all-square after 90 minutes; I welcome this. But, perhaps the High Heid Yins could have been a wee bit more inventive in their changes. In Scottish Cricket, for instance, in certain games, the overseas professionals cannot play – why not insist in entirely-Scottish squads for this?

The competition starts in a group format, so, why not bring-in rugby style bonus points for scoring three or more goals? Why not handicap the teams from a higher division in some way? At this time of year, the weather is reasonably-good, we have to do something to try to get the punters in. Only the masochists will be attracted by the quality of the fitba on offer.

I GET my broadband from BT, so, I get BT Sport on-tap. Now, it is overwhelmingly English, almost as bad as the BBC, but, there is some excellent stuff on there. At the moment I am watching the '30 for 30' series of films which ESPN produced to mark their 30^th anniversary.

These films are nearly all about American sport, mainly of the college variety. Of course, being American, the jingoism is a bit nauseating: everything is bigger and better in the good ol' U S of A. I had to laugh at the way the rivalry between the Universities of Auburn and Alabama State was pumped-up in the film 'Roll Tide – War Eagle' - “The greatest rivalry in sport”.

Aye right, try telling that in Barcelona or Madrid, in the slums of Buenos Aires, in Liverpool or Manchester or, most-definitely in Glasgow or in Auchinleck and Cumnock, the natives would laugh at you. The thing is, these films demonstrate how poorly our media serves us, in comparison to the USA. ESPN has access to film of some of the greats of gridiron, the basketball court or the baseball diamond, when they were at high school, or university, never mind when they were in the MLB, NBA, NFL or NHL.

The sheer scope of sports coverage over there is miles away from the superficial coverage we give fitba and the virtual zero coverage we give every other sport here.

I do not see our fading media, at this late stage, as they whirl around just above the stand plug, doing anything about it, but, I live in hope. One thing I did notice, some of the more-enjoyable films were bank-rolled and made with the full co-operation of the SEC – that's the South Eastern Conference of the NCAA, the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The SEC comprises: University of Alabama : University of Arkansas : Auburn University : University of Florida : University of Georgia : University of Kentucky : Louisiana State University : University of Mississippi : Mississippi State University : University of Missouri : University of South Carolina : University of Tennessee : Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University. These 14 schools compete against each other in 21 different sports, but, the main focus is on the big three American sports of American Football, Baseball and Basketball.

Some of the biggest names in American sport began their careers with SEC schools, before going to the NFL, NBA or MBL, and the coverage of their early years has earned the SEC big bucks through its SEC Network. This is an internet-based 24/7 rolling sports news network which, in 2014-15 earned $465 million, shared between ESPN – who provide most of the coverage, and the 14 schools.

Now, I am not saying the SPFL could, if it was to set-up its own dedicated TV channel, whether internet-based or featured on Sky, or BT or Virgin, or even BBC or ITV, generate anything like that income. But, surely, with the right marketing and journalists who were neither Celtic-minded nor members of the Lap Top Loyal, Scottish fitba could generate a bit more cash than it currently gets from the various TV and broadcast companies.

Of course, if such a media set-up was to be mooted, the Bigot Brothers would almost certainly veto it, and start their own propaganda channels, and, even if the diddy teams went ahead, it would all fall apart quickly between the clan wars which are built into our Scottish DNA and the fact the teams would never be so media-savvy and pro-active as to allow the media the co-operation and access it needs to do a proper job.

And that's before we even consider the paucity of talent in today's Scottish media. Pity really, there are some great Scottish football, indeed Scottish sporting stories out there, waiting to be told.

The SEC Network has as one of its main attractions a phone-in host named Paul Finebaum, who is maybe what Chick Young could have been had his self-control micro-chip ever been activated, or Graham Spiers if he had been given a personality.

Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network

Fitba In Edinburgh - Aye, Ye Never Ken, It Micht Catch Oan

I REMEMBER, 40-years ago now, seeing, for the first time, wee Bobby Knutt, doing his comedy act at Batley Variety Club. Bobby might these days be better known as an actor: “Albert Dingle” in 'Emmerdale' and “Ron Sykes” in 'Coronation Street'. He is best-known in sporting circles for his long marriage to the late Olympian 400-metres runner Donna Hartley; but, back then, Bobby was one of the top stand-up comedians on the then lucrative club circuit.

Bobby Knutt - his joke would still have legs today

He came out that night and knocked them dead. I still remember one of his gags: “What do I think of football in Sheffield? Yes, it might catch on”. After tonight's results at Tynecastle and in Copenhagen, surely some Edinburgh comedian will reprise that old joke of Bobby's.

OK, I know, it is an affront to Scottish football history, that Heart of Midlothian should lose to a MALTESE team. Worse that, after a 0-0 draw in Malta, they should be beaten at home. But, really, when is the realisation going to hit home up here – Scotland, the nation which invented the passing game, has been shite at football for years.

We have this guid conceit o' oorselves; Aye, we taught the world to play the gemme. Well, the world passed us bye lang syne, and we have done precious little about playing catch-up.

THIS unpleasant fact was reinforced earlier yesterday, by the news that Brian McClair was leaving his job as Performance Director with the SFA. Nobody is saying anything at this time, but, in the quaint language which is used in such sudden departures: “media sources understand”, McClair had grown increasingly frustrated at having to try to sell the SFA's development strategy round the boardrooms of Scottish football.

Brian McClair - leaving the SFA

Or, in plain English – the stumblebums, the butchers, bakers and candle-stick makers who are the directors of the Scottish senior clubs, as always, managed to frustrate and side-track the need for change in the entire culture of Scottish football.

This blog has been saying, ever since I started it – until we get rid of the “blazers” who stumble along from crisis to crisis inside Hampden and around Scotland, Scottish fitba will continue to fail.

Brian McClair is a mathematician, who was a more than useful footballer. He has hands-on coaching experience at Manchester United, probably the club with the best youth development record in British football. He is not a dummy whose IQ is the same as his boot size, or worn on his back. I thought, with McClair in-situ, we had a chance. Wrong again. Once again I say: “We are a' doomed – doomed Ah tell ye”.

SO, Big Sam it is, apparently. Barring totally unforeseen circumstances, Sam Allardyce will, some time over the next few days, be confirmed as the new England manager.

Sam Allardyce - his England appointment is probably bad news for Scotland

He wants the job. Sunderland will scream for compensation, but, will eventually, with reluctance, put England first and the big man will be in place. He will be greeted as the new Messiah, even by those newspapers which have, every time the job has become vacant and Sam has said: “Gie's the job”, poo-pooed his possible appointment.

The thing is, for as long as the directors of the Premiership clubs insist in recruiting players and managers from abroad, to the detriment of English players, managing England, and meeting the expectations of the decent English fans – of which there are millions – is Mission Impossible.

Good luck big man – you will need it.

Of course, appointing Sam is bad news for Scotland. Regardless of how England might do in the 2018 World Cup Finals, for which they will surely qualify, they are now, with Sam in charge, more likely to give us a doing at Wembley in November.

King Football May Not Be Dead, But, It Is In Intensive Care

WHEN I was a boy, it was King Football, the only game in town; today it is, all too often “'king football”, a tawdry game stigmatised by that obscene adjective. How are the mighty fallen.

The new 2016-17 Scottish season kicks-off this weekend, except, we have already seen our European representatives in action and, having the big kick-off in the middle of The Open, somehow, it aint right. Any modern, forward-thinking sport would be keen to have an attractive opening day fixture list, as a means of luring the fans through the gates early-on in the new season. Not so Scottish football, the single fixture this afternoon which catches the eye, and which will, assuming a good percentage of the potential visiting army of fans are still not indulging in their closed season ritual of following a flute band through the city streets, bring in a five figure attendance, is the Fir Park meeting of Motherwell and Rangers.

By the way, so-much of the close season football coverage has concerned a Mr Joseph Barton, and England internationalist of 12 minutes duration, who is apparently being paid £30,000 per week to play for Rangers – you might have thought, the Ibrox management would be keen to have Mr Barton hit the ground running at the big kick-off. However it appears he has had other priorities, above and beyond the usual pre-season fitness round, and getting to know his new team mates during their pre-season trip to the colonies on the other side of the Atlantic.

Joey Barton

That buzzing sound older Rangers fans are hearing is the sound of Messrs Struth, Symon, Waddell and Wallace burlin' in their graves.

WHAT is with Neil Lennon and the Scottish air, or is it something in our water? During the recent European Championships, wee Lenny was a popular talking head, whenever Northern ireland played. He spoke with calm authority and insight – he came across as a really nice, likeable chap. Fellow hacks, who move in the same West End of Glasgow circles as the off-duty Lennon frequented in his Celtic days assure me the TV Lennon is the real one. He is apparently: “one of the good guys”.

Lenny being sent to the Easter Road stand

Then, he puts on his manager's clothes and steps into a Scottish technical area, and he becomes a monster, as witness his dismissal to the stands during the Hibs v Brondby game in midweek. I think it has to be something in Scottish water.

However, I have heard it said that, managers who really want to be aware of what is going-on on the field, who want the best overview of events, should decamp to the stand, and leave it to their assistants to be hands-on from the technical area. However, Lennon always comes across as more a motivator and wind-up merchant to his players than a master tactician, so, maybe not.

JACKIE McInally was laid to rest on Friday afternoon, passing away following a short illness. Thus, yet another Kilmarnock legend has gone; one less to get a standing ovation whenever the glorious Class of '65 are wheeled-out at Park Hotel gatherings.

Big Jackie truly belonged to a by-gone age. He left school at 15, served his plumbing apprenticeship, and at the same time underwent a difficult football one with Kello Rovers, Minishant Amateurs and Crosshill Thistle. He did his two years' National Service with the Royal Scots Greys, then, with Crosshill, he took the Scottish Amateur Cup to the tiny Carrick village, as they beat Eaglesham Amateurs in the 1959 Scottish Amateur Cup Final.

Twelve months later, Jackie was back at Hampden for another final, except, this time, instead of the couple of hundred who had watched him for Crosshill against Eaglesham, he was performing in front of 108.107 as Kilmarnock lost 2-0 to Rangers. It is impossible, in 21^st century football, to envisage a player appearing in one season's Scottish Amateur Cup final, then playing in THE Scottish Cup final the following season. It simply could not happen today.

Jackie was terribly unlucky when it came to national cup finals. That win with Crosshill was his solitary success, twice, in that 1960 Scottish Cup final and in the following season's League Cup final, Killie , and McInally, lost to Rangers. Then in season 1961-62 he was on the wrong end of the score-line in another League Cup final, as Hearts benefitted from a ridiculous Tiny Wharton error (in disallowing a perfectly-good Frank Beattie goal, and no, I am not still bitter) to win.

Still, payback for that one came on 24 April, 1965, when Killie beat Hearts 2-0 at Tynecastle to win the League for the only time.

As if that wasn't sufficient grounds for a permanent memorial to him at Rugby Park, Jackie scored the winner, which topped-off the legendary Killie recovery from 0-3 down at the end of the first leg, then 0-1 down early in the second leg (0-4 down on aggregate), to an eventual 5-4 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He also had a goal and an “assist” (he was brought down for the penalty), as Killie drew 2-2 with Real Madrid in the 1965-66 European Cup – we will not mention the second leg of that tie, however.

He played in the Bernabeu, he played during Kilmarnock's annual trans-Atlantic journeys for the New York International tournament, which pre-dated the formation of the North American Soccer League, he featured for the Scottish League XI against Scotland in the International Trial of 1961, but, he never won a Scotland cap.

Alan "Rambo" McInally

His son, Alan “Rambo” McInally did, however. This was a source of great pleasure to his father, although, I am not the only old-time Killie fan who believes his father was a better player than big “Rambo”.

Rest in peace Jackie, you will be missed.

Another former player of the good old days also re-appeared in the obituraries page last week. He was Willie Logie, a journeyman professional, born in Montreal but raised in Stirling, who played a mere 23 first team games for Rangers during season 1956-57, before winding down his brief senior career with Aberdeen, Brechin City and Alloa Athletic.

Willie Logie of Rangers

What made Willie special was, he was the first British player to be sent off in a European game, when he was dismissed during the second leg of a Rangers v Nice European Cup tie, in France. Willie tackled one of the Nice forwards, an Argentinian in the Nice side punched him, Willie clocked him back, then the cavalry arrived – Bobby Shearer and Sammy Baird.

With them on-board, Rangers won the fight, but, Logie was sent off, his place in history assured. Apparently there was an even better punch-up in the third match, a Paris play-off, with Shearer again in the thick of the fighting, but, no sendings-off this time.

Ah! the good old days of football forging better international relations.

Gibralter, Aye That Was Maybe A Wee Bit Too Far, Beyond Seville

MY MATE big Billy was in unusually good form when I met him in the pub this lunch-time. He was just back from his annual trip to Belfast, for “the Twelfth” and he was telling the pub and the world: “Och aye, this was the best Twelfth – ever. We had the parade and all the other stuff, then word came through that Celtic had lost in Gibraltar; well that just topped everything”.

Wee Liam, the “Token Tim” in our distinctly Orange-hewed village here in God's Orange County of East Ayrshire was even more downbeat than I had expected him to be. His response to my assurance that order will be restored in the course of the second leg at Celtic Park, was not what I expected.

“I hope you're right big man, but, while normally I would agree with you; with that defence, I am not confident, particularly if Brendan persists with Efe Ambrose”, he said.

I can see where Liam is coming from. I have a rugby-playing pal who was good enough to have played for Scotland. Indeed, he made around half a dozen appearances in teams named: “A Scotland XV”, “An SRU XV”, “the SRU President's XV” and so-forth, but, the tassled cap never came his way. It transpired, while he had, on his own account, done nothing wrong, indeed, on one or two occasions he had been singled-out for praise for his performances, but, he was a common denominator in one or two “disasters for Scotland”, and, as such, he never got the ultimate honour and joined the ranks of the full internationalists.

Ambrose is an international player, he has played in the World Cup, but, just maybe, having been involved in one or two Hoops horror shows, he is a convenient scape goat when things go wrong. One, thing, 20-years or so down the line, there will not be a couple of million Celtic fans claiming to have been at Brendan Rodgers' first game as Celtic boss.

Unlike Wee Liam, I am convinced, Efe Ambrose or no, Celtic will win with goals to spare in the second leg.

AS AN old “hot metal” newspaper man, I am somewhat harsh on the kids in the front line of football reporting today. Now that big Shuggie MacDonald is reinventing himself as an all-purpose multi-sport commentator, I do not see anyone in the A Team of Scottish fitba scribblers who will be prepared to sock it to the Big Three – the managements of Scotland and the Old Firm - when they fuck-up. Mind you, not since Shuggie's and My Inspiration, the late, great Ian “Dan” Archer, Alex “Chiefy” Cameron and Gerry “the Voice of Football” McNee were in their pomp, have we had a half-back line of football writers willing and able to put the boot into Hampden, Ibrox and Celtic Park.

And, Dan, Chiefy and Gerry were amateurs, compared to some who went before them. I may have, in the past, mentioned one of my all-time heroes among the ranks of the fitba scribes, the late Cyril Horne, for many years the Glasgow Herald's football correspondent.

Cyril's greatest moment came during the 1954 World Cup Finals in Switzerland. Scotland were in the process of being gubbed 7-0 by reigning World Champions Uruguay. As one of the Uruguayan goals, I was told the fifth, went in, one excited South American scribe rose and directed some less than sympathetic words at the by now thoroughly sick Scottish scribes in the press box inside Basle's Sankt Jacob Stadion.

This was too-much for Cyril; he put down his pen, took off his specs, apologised to his fellow Scots for what he was about to do, then went up to the Uruguayan and delivered the perfect “Glasgow Kiss”, leaving the South American bloodied and slumped back in his seat. Cyril then returned to his seat and carried on as if nothing had happened. A legend was born.

Cyril could be equally forthright in print, as I was reminded this morning, while researching a historical piece I am currently writing. My research took me to the sports pages of the Herald, in April, 1959. Rangers had just won another Scottish League title, albeit signing-off with a terrible 2-1 home loss to an Aberdeen team which thanks to that win, finished 12^th in the table. Had they not won that game, Aberdeen would have finished third-bottom, by the way.

Anyway, in summing-up the campaign, Cyril suggested that Rangers, and/or the SFA, should contact UEFA and withdraw the Ibrox side from the following season's European Cup. Warming to his theme he concluded this was the worst Rangers team in living memory and, should they be drawn against Real Madrid, or indeed any half-way competent continental side, Rangers and Scotland would be humiliated and toyed with.

Suffice to say, Rangers did indeed play in the European Cup the following season, where they were humiliated, eliminated, on the wrong end of a 12-4 aggregate score-line, by Eintracht Frankfurt. However, that defeat came at the semi-final stage, after they had seen-off Anderlecht, Red Star Bratislava and Sparta Rotterdam. Would that our champions could get past the best from Belgium, Slovakia and the Netherlands today, and, even in defeat, put four goals past the German champions.

The Rangers squad of which Cyril was so dismissive included Scotland caps: Eric Caldow, Ian McColl, Willie Telfer, Sammy Baird, Alex Scott, Johnny Little and Ian McMillan, plus Irish internationalist Billy Simpson. The squad also included future Scotland caps Bobby Shearer, Jimmy Millar, Ralph Brand, Davie Wilson and Davie Provan; Under-23 internationalists Max Murray and Billy Stevenson; B cap Bill Paterson and League caps George Niven and South African Johnny Hubbard, plus a certain Harold Davis, who was no mean player and perhaps the bravest man who ever stepped onto a football pitch.

I just wonder what Cyril would have made of Lincoln Red Imps 1 – Celtic 0.

CAN I just say – respect to Hearts, for their decision to resurrect the salmon and primrose “Rosebery” colours as their change strip for next season.