Honest Men Happy But - Not A Great Game

ONE BIG YAWN – that's my view on last night's over-hyped Ayrshire Derby from Somerset Park. I appreciate, in their efforts at world domination of the IT market, good old BT has to adopt the Sky tactics of the hard-sell; but, not even the ever-wonderful Chris Sutton could make that game interesting.

Chris Sutton - even he struggled to enthuse last night

Since I have the flak jacket and the dented tin helmet to show from front-line coverage, weel Ah ken, the true Ayrshire Derby features Talbot and Scumnock – the senior version is but a pale imitation, and last night's effort was pale to the point of pallid.

OK, it was first time out in earnest, but, with points and progress into the later rounds at stake, both sides, particularly Killie, ought to have been more-ready for action. I know, it is maybe unfair to judge the sides on that one showing, but, I rather fancy Glenafton or Talbot could have given either side a run for their money.

I was delighted for wee Ian McCall, a guy I have always liked, he will make certain the Honest Men build on what was a good and deserved win. But, for Lee McCulloch, the Killie fans have always been hard to please, his job just got a wee bit harder.

SOMERSET Park was the focus of attention in Scotland on Friday, but, of course, the main action was going on in Belfast, with Celtic facing Linfield. A 2-0 win for the Hoops effectively means: game over; they will complete the job in the second leg at Celtic Park.

The expected fireworks duly took place, and, again as expected, Leigh Griffiths was right at the epicentre. I used to tell my old mate Alan Rough – things simply happened to him, there was nothing he could do to avoid controversy, I feel wee Leigh is the 21^st century Scruffy, in that discord seems to follow him around.

Leigh Griffiths - bother seems to follow him around

Mind you, that booking for time wasting, if nothing else, demonstrates that Scotland does not have a monopoly on daft referees, making dafter decisions.

Kudos to Scott Brown for his post-match quip about picking up a £1 coin, thereby making a profit on the night. But, a severe raspberry to David Healy, for the latest spot of managerial selective blindness, for “missing” all the coin and bottle-throwing. Aye Right!

Celtic's win, coming as it did on the back of Aberdeen's disappointing draw in their Europa League opener means, likely as not, we will all have to again become Celtic supporters in Europe again this season.

To return to Somerset Park. That great Ayr United fan/critic: “Enclosure George” Reid, used to have a stock intro, when he was about to be critical of the Honest Men. He would shout: “Can somebody waken-up the Chairman”, before giving a critique of United's failings.

Well, can somebody please go up and set-off a siren along the sixth floor corridor at Hampden – the place where the blazers snooze – and tell them: Scottish fitba has yet another crisis on its hands – or more-properly, the crisis we've been going through this entire century is on-going.

Because, even before our season has properly started – we're in trouble.

AND THAT'S another thing. Call me old-fashioned, dismiss me as an Old Fart, but, when I was a boy, we had a more-or-less time-defined season. The first games in the League Cup kicked-off on a set date – usually the second Saturday in August, while the serious stuff was over by the last Saturday in April.

That opening day usually was heralded by a huge Daily Record back-page headline:

KING FOOTBALL IS BACK

or something similar. The Weekly News that week had player lists for all the clubs, it was a big occasion. Today, well, football never really stops; one season melds into the next seemingly without break. Player lists – 'king Hell, as I write this there are still seven weeks remaining of the absurd transfer window. The game has lost the plot, and its soul.

Get some shape back into the game, before it is too late, if it is not already.

FINALLY – good luck to the Scotland Women, as they set-off on their European Championship campaign in the Netherlands this week. In truth, given the tough draw they have got, plus the absence of one or two of our top players, not least the wonderful Kim Little, we have low expectations for the girls.

 Kim Little, will be hugely missed in the Euros

Merely getting there has been a terrific achievement for the squad, they have shown our over-rated, under-talented men how it is done. But, I just hope, sort of like the 1974 squad in West Germany, they can make waves and make us proud of them. Beating England would be a great start.