Blame The Blazers For The Ills Of Scottish Football

ALLY MacLEOD always insisted, even in the worst of times, so long as the disgruntled fans were jeering the manager, and calling for his head, the gaffer was generally safe. His head only went onto the block, when the fans started abusing the directors who had appointed the manager in the first place. Once that happened, the gaffer's jacket was on an extremely-shoogly peg.

 Ally MacLeod - words of wisdom

From this example, from one of the greats, I would deduce, the long-overdue and much-needed overhaul of Scottish football will be some way away – because, with all the focus being on stripping Rangers of the trophies and titles they won during the EBT years, and by calling for the heads of Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster, then the guys who could and should make the necessary changes – those club directors who are delegated to serve on the various SFA bodies and committees – will have no reason or desire to actually do something to get us out of the mess we are in.

I have some sympathy for the “blazers”. When you are struggling to keep your own club afloat, that might tend to prevent you from seeing the bigger picture – that it's not just your club, but the entire game in Scotland that is struggling and failing.

The said blazer might be under pressure at his own club, and is fire-fighting on the home front. He will thrfore be unlikely to be too-bothered about what is happening, or not happening, further up the food chain. So-long as he can build and maintain sufficient alliances to ensure his continued access to the food trough, that will be his main interest. Or, am I beng cynical?

I often wonder exactly what it will take to bring about the necessary changes. How many unsuccessful qualifying campaigns must we endure, before things change?

Till then, however, we have the current social media tsunami around Rangers, the cheating accusations and the arguments around stripping titles. How long this stooshie can continue, or be allowed to continue, is a moot point. Eventually, even the “stenographers” of the Scottish Football Writers Association will tire of this subject and move on. This they will do – even though a section of the Celtic Family will NEVER stop chewing on this bone.

In fact, I would say – NOTHING short of stripping Rangers of the so-called “tainted” titles and awarding them retrospectively to Celtic will satisfy some of TGFITW. Similarly, when, sometime much later in this century, or early next century, Rangers celebrate their 100^th Scottish League title win – Celtic fans, as yet unborn, will be denying that 100^th title, crying: “Youse wis deid in 2012” and claiming said title was only the victorious club's 46^th title.

Isn't Scottish clan warfare – in any field – wonderful?

I NEVER bought into the cult of wonderful Wayne Rooney, over-hyped though it has been for so long by the English media.

Wayne Rooney - back at Goodison

If you're English, and the local media likes you – well, you are immediately elevated to Olympian heights. I would say, the last English football demi-God who was as-good as the hype was Gordon Banks. Nobody since has been as-good as Fleet Street has thought him to be, and the over-hyping of English talent has only grown since Uncle Rupert decided to throw money at the game in England.

Rooney has always struck me as one of those players whose brains are most-definitely in his feet. But, he appears to have a wife of some intelligence, who has kept him more or less on the straight and narrow (a fortunate fate which also befell David Beckham) and I hope he enjoys spending the considerable sum he has made from the game.

I also hope his return to Everton works-out, but, going back to your original club, even if you have continued to wear the club colours in bed whilst playing elsewhere, is not always a good move.

He has scored his share of great goals, but, he is now on the downward slope and, I doubt if he has the intelligence to reinvent himself in these final years of his career.

Any way, my allegiances are to the red half of Liverpool, so, I am hardly a neutral observer.

FINALLY, well done Gemma Faye, on her 200^th Scotland cap. As an old goalie – I salute her. Also, a kent her faither, who is a proud dad today, I am sure.

Gemma Faye - deserved more for 200 caps

That said, Kenny Dalglish got a special golden cap to mark his century – maybe Gemma should have got one too to mark her 200^th; since, as far as I can see, lassies are definitely second-class citizens as far as the blazers of the sixth floor at Hampden are concerned.