Rumour, Scandal And Tittle-Tattle - Does Nobody Print News These Days?

IT COULD be said that football sold its soul to the media sometime around 1966, when, believe it or not, England won the World Cup. I know, they don't really talk about it much, but, it did happen. After that, it suddenly became the only game in town, TV was all over it like a rash and, the football authorities sold out – setting us off down the slippery slope to where we are today – 24/7, wall-to-wall TV football. Never mind the quality, feel the width.

Back in the days of “steam radio”, the broadcasters were not even allowed to tell you which game they had permission to broadcast the final half hour of. OK, you knew, if it was Ne'erday, you were going to get the Old Firm game, but, they liked to keep you guessing. Scottish football was particularly suspicious of television, the great Celtic Chairman, Sir Robert Kelly being, as I recall, a particularly vociferous opponent of unrestrained TV football.

 Sir Robert Kelly - warned against football selling-out to Television

Prior to TV coming to Scotland and an increase in broadcast matches, the newspapers were the kings of Scottish football. It was suggested the Scotland team was actually chosen by Waverley of the Daily Record, REX Kingsley of the Sunday Mail and Jack Harkness of the Sunday Post, over a long lunch, with the result of their deliberations placed before the SFA Selectors by lunch guest Sir George Graham. Kingsley, so the story goes, once broadcast a commentary on an entirely fictitious war-time Old Firm game – which could not be played due to a really thick fog, in order to bamboozle the monitoring Germans. I'd pay money to hear some of today's BBC experts trying to pull-off that one.

Any way, once the TV talking heads – the sainted Arthur and Bob, Brillo-head McPherson and Co, got involved, the papers became somewhat desperate in their efforts to keep up. Sure, we still had some class acts in the print media – Dan Archer, Brian Scott, Hughie Taylor, the young James Traynor – before he began to believe his own hype – and his more-talented elder brother John. But, there was a time when, the so-called “A-Team” (aka the Lap Top Loyal) were too-busy crawling up the erses of “Walter” “Alex” and whoever was Celtic boss that week, the really good football writing was being done further down the food chain, by the likes of leader writer turned part-time football scribe Willie Hunter, super-sub and part-time writer Hugh McKinlay and the young Bill Leckie.

Today, Leckie is a national treasure, to be cherished; we still have Hughie Macdonald, Phil Gordon, Graham Spiers and, representing the younger school, Alan Pattullo, so, there is still some quality. Sadly, much of the output is gossip and tittle-tattle.

Take today's big story – apparently Kenny Miller has been banished to training with the Rangers development squad.

In an ideal world – this would be a “good” Rangers story – vastly-experienced former Scotland captain passing-on his knowledge to the next generation. But, in today's over-heated atmosphere – carnage. I have nothing against Kenny Miller. Never absolute top-quality, but, what he lacked in natural ability, he has more than compensated for in grit, determination and energy.

Kenny Miller - not an absolute top-class striker, althoug he has other virtues

In his Rangers career, that is his three spells at Ibrox, Kenny has played 284 games, and scored 113 goals – an average of 0.39 goals per game. That is under the common benchmark of a “great” goal-scorer, 0.5 gpg, or a goal every second game. I appreciate I am comparing Miller, perhaps a more-rounded striker with out and out goal-scorers here, but, the respective figures for Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd are: Coisty – 581 games, 355 goals – 0.61gpg; Boydie – 235 games, 138 goals – 0.58 gpg.

For balance, I had a look at Henrik Larsson's Celtic stats, 313 games, 242 goals – 0.77gpg. Larsson was a great “world-class” striker, McCoist and Boyd were great domestic strikers, all three are way ahead of Miller. Now, if that's the best Rangers have at the moment, then something is far wrong with that club. They have probably kept Miller involved in the first team for a couple of seasons longer than they should have, if he has a future at Ibrox, it could well be as a specialist coach of young forwards, but, that's not a route Scottish football is comfortable with.

We keep hearing how Rangers has a split dressing room, with the worldly, Roman Catholic Portuguese and South American players not communicating with the traditional Scottish “Proddies” - well, other Scottish clubs have dealt with this split for years – Papes v Proddies is apparently the traditional way of picking sides for a practise match in many Scottish clubs!! I accept, there is an element of the Rangers support which would rather the selection method was Orange Lodge v Masonic Lodge, or Orange v Black, but, these days are past.

Still, a wee newspaper stooshie around team selection, the demotion of a fans' favourite and so on is a handy one for the Rangers management, by which I mean the decision-makers in and around the Blue Room – it means the press are ignoring the REAL story at Ibrox just now – the totally-inept upper management, led by the Glib and Shameless Liar.

In all honestly, I fear Pedro is a Dead Man Walking – there will be a parting of the ways, perhaps sooner, rather than later. The problem for the GASL and his cohorts is – the club is in such a bad way, could anyone turn them around? I further fear, these sensational headlines about Celtic dominating Rangers for “generations” might not be too far away.

Jock Stein - ended Celtic's wilderness years

Of course, it depends on your definition of a generation. In real life terms it is something around 25-years – don't see that; but, if we take a football generation as being in the region of seven-to-ten years, well, it might take a couple of those before “normality” is restored. There were the long wilderness years for Celtic BS – before Stein: no league titles from 1938 to 1954, with just that one league title, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups won in the 20-years from the end of World War II to Stein's return as manager in 1965. Still the Celtic Family kept the faith through all the years of darkness. Will Ra Peepul, if required to, be as-patient?

Good Result, But, Let's Not Get Carried Away

PARDON ME if I am not turning cartwheels at Celtic's tremendous win in Brussels last night. I am naturally delighted at their 3-0 win, it was a very good result, but, and I am sorry there has to be a but – Belgian opponents are of a level we should expect our teams in European competitions to beat fairly regularly.

Given the relative size of the countries, and the numbers of players and clubs, I have always felt, if a Scottish club beats a German, French, Italian Spanish of English club in Europe – that's a good excuse for prolonged celebrations and banner headlines. Wins over, Belgian, Dutch, Swedish, or Austrian clubs – to pluck a few names out of thin air, are to be, if not expected all the time, taken as gettable on a regular basis. In fact, back when Scottish clubs were in truth powers in Europe, being drawn against Anderlecht, Standard Liege or FC Bruge – the traditional power-houses of Belgian football, was seen as a “gimmee”.

 Campbell Money - "We were pilloried for losing to the eventual winners".

For example, St Mirren were roundly criticised for losing to KV Mechelen in the 1987-88 UEFA Cup-Winners' Cup. The Buddies drew the first leg 0-0, but lost the second 2-0, which was seen as a terrible result. Mechelen had already beaten Steau Bucharest, and would go on to defeat Dinamo Minsk, Atalanta then Ajax 1-0 in the final, before beating Dutch rivals PSV Eindhoven in the Super Cup Final. So, clearly not a bad side – but, St Mirren losing to them in the second round was unacceptable.

“We were absolutely pilloried for losing to them, but, as they showed by winning the whole thing – Mechelen were a bloody good side,” says Saints' goalkeeper in the tie – Campbell Money.

Why have we fallen so far, that beating a Belgian side in Europe is now a cue for killing the fatted calf and having three days of feasting?

Carlo Ancelotti - hopefully Celtic can take advantage of his sacking

NEXT up for Celtic are Bayern Munich, who sacked Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti after their midweek defeat at the hands of PSG. OK, I said right at the start, if a Scottish team beats a German one, it should spark-off prolonged celebrations. Well, while it hasn't happened for many a year, Bayern have lost to Scottish opposition in the past, even in the days of Der Kaiser. So, now, when they are in disarray, depressed and having to bed-in a new coach, why should not Celtic build on their Anderlecht win?

I HAVE been taken to task by one of my Rangers-supporting friends, for defending as “wind-ups”, some of the things which Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths did at Ibrox on Saturday. As he said: “There are wind-ups, and wind-ups,” before going on to criticise the two Celtic players. My mate, to be fair, is an old-fashioned dignified Rangers supporter; perhaps a dying breed on both halves of the Glasgow divide, in, he will applaud good football from the hoops, and be scathing in his criticism of his own team, when necessary. His response perhaps demonstrates how far we have fallen in what we do and do not consider acceptable behaviour these days.

Bud Johnston - carpeted for winding-up the Celtic team and fans

He mentioned Willie “Bud” Johnston, being carpeted by Willie Waddell, after he sat on the ball during an Old Firm game. That, apparently was taking the piss too far for his manager. Changed days. I sometimes think, a wee pre-match pep talk from the Police Match Commander to the players, reminding them they are playing in a powder keg match, and, perhaps, reminding them: the old “catch-all” offence of - behaving in a manner likely to cause a Breach of the Peace is still on the statute book.

A couple of “show trials” and even the serial heid-cases and wind-up merchants might learn; then, with the players and staff sorted out, the force of law and order could turn their attentions on the fans.

When it comes to winding-up opponents, however, nothing ever has or ever will come close to the old Jim Baxter standard: “Let's humiliate them 1-0.” The Slim one was a great believer in this and practised it religiously. I remember, my second Old Firm game – at Celtic Park. Rangers had to put Jim Forrest into the team for Jimmy Millar, and he was an instant hit, but, while Forrest grabbed the headlines, the telling part of the match was the final five minutes, when Baxter orchestrated a period of keep-ball, in which the Rangers defence simply passed the ball around among themselves in their own half of the field.

They made no effort to go forward, they were not interested in forcing home their advantage, and, with every pass and road of “Ole,” the drain away from the ground of the Celtic fans seemed to grow in intensity. Now, that is what you call a wind-up.

SINCE I have known the wee bugger since he was a cheeky schoolboy – I even kicked his erse a couple of times when he was over-cheeky – I have a lot of time for wee Billy Dodds, who lost his job this week, when he and boss Jim McIntyre were sacked by Ross County.

Billy Dodds - one of the good guys, who will not be out of the game for long

OK, fitba is a results-driven business, and the results did not justify the pair remaining in-charge in Dingwall. But, I sincerely hope wee Doddsy is soon back in the game, either in a management role, or, in his other role as a very good fitba talking head. But, I am certain, he will not be on the outside, looking in, for long. Wee Billy has worked his socks off for everything he has ever done in the game, as he himself acknowledges – as a boy, playing on the Greenhead playing field, across from his house, he was never the most-talented, but, he was the hardest-working.

When he got his break, taken to Chelsea as a 16-year-old, after both Kilmarnock and Ayr United declined to take him on, his work ethic was there for all to see. He went south, but, at the end of his first season, every day he and Craig Burley could be seen training in New Cumnock. Billy set fitness records in New Cumnock Games Hall which will never be beaten – since they've pulled it down.

If every Scottish footballer had worked as hard at his game as Doddsy did – we just might have won as many World Cups as Brazil by now.

Overnight International Stars Should Not and Generally Don't Just Happen In Football

IT IS one of the staple story lines in musical theatre and Hollywood musicals hokum – think Singin' In The Rain. The unknown understudy who, because of a crisis, has to go on, replacing a not well-liked star, and steals the show. “Kid, you're going out there an unknown, you're coming back a star”. “Next day on your dressing room, you find a star – let's go on with the show.” Boak!!

 Leeds' Liam Cooper (Yellow shirt), could play in our two crucial World Cup qualifiers

Real life is apparently about to emulate showbiz fiction, with WGS warming the Tartan Army up to accept Liam Cooper, of “Liam Who?” was our little brains trust down the pub dubbed him yesterday, might have a role in our last two World Cup qualifiers. I know very little of Mr Cooper, other than, he probably isn't as good as Neale Cooper – who, in case you have forgotten, NEVER won a full Scotland cap. Apparently this Cooper is captain of Leeds United – well, that's a good precedent for a game for Scotland, and, he has the seemingly primary qualification for playing for Scotland these days – he was born and has spent all his life in England.

Nae harm to the boy, I suppose he is a good player, but – is he markedly better than what we already have? Doubt it. Has he shown true star quality? Again, I doubt it. So, WGS, why suddenly pluck him out of thin air for consideration for the two most-important games Scotland has played in long and weary? It isn't news that the centre backs we have used thus far have been, at best adequate, but, to suggest throwing-in a 26-year-old, who hasn't stepped onto the park for a representative Scotland team since he was in the Under-19 squad, eight years ago, well, it smacks a wee bit of desperation.

 But, is Cooper better than what we already have, like 38-caps Christophe Berra?

Let's look at the competition. Christophe Berra has 38 caps, Russell Martin and Charlie Mulgrew each has 29 caps, Grant Hanley has 28. They are all seasoned, experienced internationalists, who have been awarded the SFA's silver medal for gaining 25 or more caps. OK, it's not as if we are spoilt for choice there – it's hardly having Miller and McLeish and Hansen and Narey in the same squad, but, Berra, Martin, Mulgrew and Hanley have served Scotland well. Two “must-win” games is not the time to introduce new blood and experiment.

This is one of the areas where the SFA continually gets it wrong, where their short-termism and lack of a progressive, long-term strategy for our international team rears-up to bite us on our bum. Scottish football is all about the clubs, and two clubs in particular – with the national team as an after-thought. The SRU does running Scottish rugby so-much better.

Now, I've been here before on this, and, I accept, in football, we cannot go down the road of having all our international (or most of them) egg-chasers, in one centrally-managed couple of baskets – Edinburgh and Glasgow. But, we can manage our available talent better than we do. Yes, the SFA has an age group pathway – Under-16/17/18/19/20/21 teams, which inasmuch as they have to allow for different players kicking-on at different rates, ensure some sort of continuity of selection as the players develop. Then, after the Under-21 team, they drop off a cliff edge. One or two graduate immediately to the “big team”, but, most, vanish off the radar either totally, or for a year or five, before coming back into the fold.

We have to find a way to bridge that gap between the Under-21s and the big team – it makes sense.

When the SFA first got into age group teams, with the Under-23 side, in 1955, that age limit reflected the times. Back then, players signed professional forms at 17. Then, at 18, most went into the forces for two years' of National Service. This was no bad thing, since they got to play a reasonable level of football, and, as servicemen, the best were hot-housed into their representative teams.

HISTORY LESSON: On 18 December, 1956, Rangers played The British Army, in front of 20,000 fans, at Ibrox. The Army won 3-1. The teams were:

Rangers: Ritchie; Shearer and Little; McColl, Moles and Logie; McCulloch, Grierson, Walker, Baird and Wilson.

The Army: Hodgkinson; Foulkes and G Shaw; Anderson, Spiers and Colman; Crawford, R Charlton, Curry, Edwards and Jones.

Duncan Edwards, already an England internationalist when he played against Rangers

Take a look at that Army XI, nearly all then aged between 18 and 20. Alan Hodgkinson, later to be Scotland goalkeeping coach, would win his first England cap in the match against Scotland four months later; Bill Foulkes was already an England internationalist, Graham Shaw would win his first England cap in 1958. Stan Anderson had a longer wait, not being capped until 1962. Bobby Charlton won his first England cap, at Hampden in April, 1958, while the left-wing pairing of Duncan Edwards and Welshman Cliff Jones were already full caps when they played at Ibrox.

Of the rest, Ian Crawford of Hearts was a Scotland Under-21 internationalist, while, but for Munich, Eddie Colman of Manchester United would surely have been capped by England, being already an Under-23 cap. Seven full caps and two Under-23 caps – not a bad team.

In contrast, the Rangers team included just three capped players – Johnny Little, Ian McColl and Sammy Baird, although Billy Ritchie, Bobby Shearer and Davie Wilson would later be capped, while Derek Grierson was a Scotland and Team GB amateur internationalist and Olympian.

The verdict has to be, young players got a better grounding and a chance to show what they could do 60-years ago, than they get today.

That same 1956-57 season, our Under-23 team played one match, drawing 1-1 with England at Ibrox on 26 February, 1957. The Scotland team was: Campbell Forsyth (St Mirren); Alex Parker (Falkirk) and Eric Caldow (Rangers); Dave Mackay (Hearts), Jackie Plenderleith (Hibs) and Alex Glen (Queen's Park); Johnny Hamilton (Hearts), Felix Reilly (Dunfermline Athletic), Max Murray (Rangers), Alex Young and Ian Crawford (both Hearts).

Max Murray - a mystery how he failed to win a full cap, given the goals he scored

Parker was already a full cap, Caldow would win the first of his 40 caps at Wembley in April of that year and Mackay would win his first cap in Spain in May. Jackie Plenderleith had to wait until November, 1960 to win his only full cap, while Alex Young didn't get his until the England game, at Hampden in April, 1960. Cambell Forsyth had to wait until April, 1964, for his first cap – which is perhaps more in-line with modern times. An aside here, given the number of goals he scored for Rangers, quite how Max Murray was never capped is a mystery.

Sixty years ago, the Scotland B team was also running as a bridge between the Under-23 team and the full squad. The following squad lost 4-1 to England at Villa Park: Simpson; Kirk and Winton; Aitken, Malloy, Cumming; Scott, Kelly, Gardiner, Wardhaugh and McCann. Quite how it took Ronnie Simpson until 1967 to be capped is a mystery, indeed a scandal. Bobby Kirk of Hearts and Charlie Aitken of Motherwell were good enough, just unlucky in competitive fields; Danny Malloy was the eternal understudy who never got his chance in the big time, but was also good enough.

 Charlie Aitken of Motherwell - good enough to play for Scotland but, he never made the cut

John Cumming, Alex Scott and Jimmy Wardhaugh were the three capped players who got in by not having enough full appearances to disqualify them, while Benny Kelly of Raith Rovers was one of those maverick Scottish talents, able to win a match on his own when he felt like it, but, never quite trusted. As for Messrs Winton of Burnley and McCann of Barnsley – the SFA selectors had a liking for picking Scottish journeymen with English clubs who were good players, but weren't even household names in their own households.

The thing was, 60-years ago, there was an international apprenticeship to be gone through – you would not be thrown-into a “must win” World Cup qualifier, without having shown, in a Scotland jersey, that you could cut the mustard.

Noise, Fury, Wind-Ups And Blow-Ups - Just Another Saturday In Glasgow

IF YOU cut through all the “white noise”, and more-so the green and orange noise, which you get with Old Firm surround sound – at its heart, it's all about 22 men chasing a bag of wind around. But, enough about Kevin McKenna. Any way, there are a lot of decent people who care deeply about Glasgow's sporting display of intolerance, so, I hope they will forgive me, if I say little about yesterday's High Noon, Ibrox shoot-out.

"Sorry boss" - Josh Windass upends Pedro Caixinha yesterday - or, as has been suggested: did the Rangers boss dive, in  Jeff Holmes' terrific picture

Indeed, the only reason I mention it, is as an excuse to print the  picture above – taken by my old mate Jeff Holmes of SNS, Scotland's leading picture agency. If this one does not win an award then there is nae justice and the judges in various photographic competitions have no imagination. It's a cracker, chapeau Jeff mate.

Of course, it wouldn't be an Old Firm game without resident pantomime villains Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths having wee cameos. Leigh has been getting pelters for wiping his nose on a corner flag – I think it was the fact the bogies he left were green which offended the sensibilities of the easily-offended lodge of Rangers' fans. Come on guys, it's a wind-up, and you bought it – 15-0 Griffiths.

I looked at the picture of the alleged affront to human decency, the thing which caught my eye was, Leigh was about to take a corner, and the ball was clearly placed outside the quadrant. This is a new fashion in football, every corner-kick taker seems to do it now. Why? I cannot see any advantage in stealing at best a couple of inches, indeed, it might well be, placing the ball on the line gives you a sort-of golf tee effect. I can only assume – cheating is now so common-place in football, they cannot help it.

Meanwhile, Broonie reinforced his credentials as a thorn in Rangers' side with his half-time “discussion” with a clearly-upset Pedro Caixinha, after Broonie's alleged elbow on Alfredo Morelos. Again, 15-0 to the Celtic player, winding-up the opposition is Broonie's raison d'etre, and he does it rather well. I don't buy this Caixinha macho stance: “He wouldn't have done it if I was on the park” either. Real hard men – Souness and Greig on one side – Aitken and Hay on the other never issued warnings – the trainer coming on with the magic sponge to revive you was your warning.

Even as a very young player Jinky, knew how to deal with the hackers, he kept bouncing back to beat them again and again with his special skills

And speaking of how to deal with supposed hammer throwers – the best response was from wee Jinky, who, no matter how often he was hacked down, simply kept coming back at the guy who had kicked him, embarrassing them with his superior skill. Jinky was, quite simply, the bravest wee man who ever stepped onto a football park, the abuse he took was amazing.

SPEAKING of how to deal with abuse. Paul Wilson, who was taken far-too-soon last week, passing away at just 66, was another who became rather good at that.

One of the legendary Quality Street Gang, the young Celts such as Kenny Dalglish, Davie Hay, Danny McGrain, George Connelly and Lou Macari, whom Jock Stein was nurturing to succeed the Lisbon Lions Legends, Wilson holds a unique place in Scottish football history. In the 20^th century Scotland awarded full caps to 727 players, of these, Wilson was the only “non-white”. He wasn't, in the strictest sense, “black”, but, his mother was Indian. To this day, Wilson remains the only British-Asian to be capped by any of the four Home Nations, winning his only Scotland cap in a European Championship qualifier, against Spain, in 1975, a full three years before Viv Anderson became the first black player to be capped by England. Anderson's first cap is one of these football facts known to everyone with an interest in the game – that Scotland, through Andrew Watson in 1881 and Wilson in 1975 got there first and second is overlooked.

Paul Wilson

Nothing was made of Paul Wilson's race or colour inside the game, indeed, Lisbon Lion Jim Craig, who used to ferry Wilson to and from Celtic Park from their homes in Bearsden, told me of how: “We just thought Paul was one of those guys who took and held a good tan”. Until that is, the day Craig went to collect him and was introduced to Paul's beloved and very-obviously Indian mother.

Wilson's colour was seized upon by opposition fans in the decidedly non-pc 1970s. “Wilson's a darkie” was regularly chanted at him, and not just by Rangers' fans. The Celtic support would then show their support for a very popular player by chanting: “I'd rather be a darkie than a Hun”. Ah! How Scotland had grown-up since those days – not.

He was a good player, in season 1974-75, as well as being capped, he scored for Celtic in four different Hampden finals, while his two goals against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup final that year has to go down as a definite statement, given he had buried his mother the previous day. Wilson always maintained, losing his mother led to him falling out of love with football and, at a time when he should have been approaching his peak, his appetite for the game vanished. He, incidentally, out-scored both Kenny Dalglish and “Dixie” Deans to be Celtic's top scorer that season.

Jock Stein, who he adored, always encouraged Paul to silence the boo boys by scoring against their side – which he regularly did. Indeed, it is reported that, on one pre-Old Firm match, when Stein spoke to him about the terracing abuse and suggested he score, Paul replied: “What if I score twice?” then did.

Perhaps he did not fully justify his talent, but, if so, he would not be alone in doing that in Scottish football. Sixty-six is far-too young to die these days.

Bert McCann's Death Deserves Better Recognition - He Was A Great Player

BERT McCann's funeral was held this afternoon. Bert Who? Some might say. The former Motherwell and Scotland left-half's death was scandalously ignored by the mainstream media, indeed, today, nine days after his passing and on the day of his funeral, Motherwell, the team he served so well, the club he captained, the club in whose Hall of Fame he is placed, and, who named him at left-half in their Greatest All-Time Motherwell team has still to acknowledge his demise in its website.

Bert McCann,Andy Weir and Ian St John at Hampden in May 1959

A club which does not recognise its history, is in a bad way in my view. McCann deserves to be recognised, because, he was different, and, the trouble with Scottish football is – we don't pay enough attention to the guys who are different. For a start, to paraphrase the great Willie Shankly – the trouble with Bert McCann was, his brains were in his heid. Bert went to a rugby-playing school, Harris Academy in Dundee, where he played hockey and golf as well as football. He was also a highly-promising young wicket-keeper on the cricket pitch.

He left school and went into banking, prior to National Service in the Royal Air Force. He went through the normal football apprenticeship of these times, the early 1950s, by playing for junior side Dundee North End, from where he went to Dundee United – playing as an amateur.

He won an Amateur Scotland cap while with United, where he mainly played inside-right. This saw him join Queen's Park – urged to go there by Jock Crichton, a colleague as a teacher at George Heriot's School. McCann, of course, was not the first practising teacher to play senior football – one thinks of Rangers' George Brown, the great Rangers and Scotland captain of the 1930s, or McCann's near-contemporary Jim McFadzean of Hearts and Kilmarnock, or Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown. But, such players are unusual.

He graduated MA in Geography and Spanish from Edinburgh University, while his teaching experience took him from Heriot's into teacher training at Jordanhill College, then, for many years to Moray House College of Education – but, that's for the future.

 Willie Hunter - another capped "Ancell Babe"

In 1956, McCann turned professional, joining Motherwell. The attraction was perhaps the fact, Motherwell manager Bobby Ancell had coached the young McCann in Dundee. He – McCann - saw the Queen's Parker as a key element in the new young team he wanted to build at Fir Park. And build it Ancell did. Today, more than 50-years on the “Ancell Babes” represent a golden post-war age for the club. The names ring down the years – John Martis, McCann, Willie Hunter, Pat Quinn, Ian St John and Andy Weir all won full Scotland caps as, in 1958-59, Motherwell finished third in the old First Division, their highest finish since the title-winning glory days of the 1930s, 25-years before. When, long after he had retired, the Motherwell fans named McCann at number 6 in their all-time Motherwell team, it reflected the effect that group of players had on the supporters. The six named above all played for Scotland, Charlie Aitken, who formed a terrific half-back line with Martis and McCann was very unfortunate not to also be capped.

Charlie Aitken - unlucky not to be capped

When Scotland faced West Germany, at Hampden, in May, 1959, McCann, St John and Weir, along with John White, were the new caps in a side which won 3-2. It was the first of five full caps for Bert, who also represented the Scottish League five times. And, in those ten internationals, he was only twice on the losing side – a reflection of the strength of Scottish football at the time.

One of these losses was for the Scottish League, against the English League, the other – we will come to later.

In March 1961, Motherwell held Rangers to a 2-2 draw at Fir Park in a Scottish Cup tie. The replay at Ibrox was supposed to be a formality for Rangers, who didn't lose cup replays back then. Only, in one of the great results in Motherwell history, the Steelmen, driven-on by Aitken's and McCann's and midfield dominance,won 5-2. The press lauded the close-passing of the Motherwell midfielders in that game; years later, McCann said: “Aye, we were playing tiki-taki 50-years before Barcelona”.

Performances like that got McCann into the Scottish league XI, which beat the English League 3-2, with the Motherwell man scoring. More-significantly, he did a thorough man-marking job on Jimmy Greaves and, in spite of competition from Hearts'John Cumming and Jim Baxter, he was named at left-half for the bi-annual trip to Wembley, on 15 April, 1961. And here, we come to the dismal bit. On the Friday night, McCann suffered a terrible nose bleed, there was blood everywhere and he had to be hospitalised. It took all night to staunch the flow properly.

The SFA put a news black-out on the incident – they had already had to make a last-minute change to the goalkeeper, Frank Haffey replacing Lawrie Leslie. The selectors and manager Ian McColl considered withdrawing McCann, but, McColl felt “A 70% Bert McCann is better than the alternatives”, so, not having slept all night, and weakened by blood loss – he played. At least, Bert McCann had a legitimate excuse for his part in the debacle of 9-3. He had to wear gloves – an apparent breach of protocol at the time – to shake hands with HM the Queen, to counteract possible cross-contamination, and because, his hands were still blood-stained. He swapped shirts with Bobby Robson at the end, but, his Scotland career was over.

Fall-guys McCann and Haffey fail to stop Jimmy Greaves in the 9-3 game

The selectors' reaction to such a defeat was typical – they dropped the goalkeeper, the unfortunate and much-maligned Haffey; they dropped the Anglo-Scots – Dave Mackay, Ian St John and Denis Law, and, they dropped the guy from the provincial club – McCann. The others served their sentences and were reinstated in time – but, for McCann, there was no way back. However, as he could point out, Jim Baxter, the man who replaced him, wasn't a bad choice.

Jim Baxter - not a bad replacement for McCann in the national team

He played on for Motherwell. There were no medals, a Scottish Cup semi-final in 1962 the closest he came. He gave Motherwell a decade of service, over 300 games, then played out his career with Hamilton Academical.

But, he never forgot Motherwell. He was a member of the club's Former Players Association – and a member of the Well Foundation, which aims to facilitate fan ownership of the club. He always liked reunions with his old team mates, and had many hilarious tales from the dressing room, training field and pitch.

McCann was ahead of his time. He believed the Scottish clubs were “amateurish” in their preparations. He advocated a gym culture, better nutrition for players and greater consideration for life after football for players – today, some Scottish clubs are still not on-board on these issues.

In retirement, he became a pioneer in the use of television for educational purposes and, for many years, he ran the Television Education Department at Moray House.

He had sporting interests beyond football – he golfed well, he played a mean game of snooker and he was a keen fan of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, making an annual trip to Canada to watch them play.

His later years, following his retirement from lecturing in 1995 were beset by health problems. When, in 2001, he received a kidney transplant, he was, at 69, the oldest person ever to have the operation. He managed his failing health well, but, earlier this month, his heart finally gave out. He is survived by wife Viv, whom he married in 1959, son Simon, a GP in the Borders and daughter Julie, a teacher in Edinburgh.

Bert McCann is best-remembered perhaps, for his part in 9-3, but, there was much-more to this footballing gentleman than that, We should honour his memory.

Is Chris Sutton A Muck-Raker Or A Shit Stirrer?

IT USED to be said, when the good old “News of the Screws” was regularly exposing the foibles and frailties of the nation's leaders and “betters”, that there would always be a place in society for the muck-raker. There might be something in that. Given the allegations of improprieties such as “kiddie fiddling” among the great and the good these days. Is it just me, or, have these alleged practices increased since the threat of having your face splashed across the front page of the “Screws” vanished?

Shock (non)-Jock Chris Sutton

In Scottish football, we now have our very own muck-raker, in the shape of pundit Chris Sutton, who has got himself into more scrapes and hot water than even the notoriously wild SAS adjutant and former British Lion Blair Mayne – who alternated between picking-up four Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs) for heroism, and being reduced to the ranks for insubordination. Sutton shoots from the hip, and is unconcerned at the amount of incoming counter-fire he has to soak-up. The tabloids and the television companies love him, as he attracts controversy and subscribers.

This week, he's been upsetting one of his regular targets – Celtic and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, a player whom Sutton has repeatedly criticised. As a fully-paid-up member of Goalkeeper's Lodge Number One, in football freemasonry, I will always support Gordon. He might not, thanks to injury and maybe going to the wrong club in England, have totally fulfilled the promise he showed when first getting into the Hearts and Scotland teams, but, he has, at the time of writing, won 45-more international caps than Sutton, won an award for the Best Save In The History Of The English Premiership, and was, for a time, the World's Most-Expensive Goalkeeper. He will surely, before he hangs-up his gloves, enter the coveted SFA Hall of Heroes by winning more than 50 caps.

 Craig Gordon

Regardless of the obscene transfer fees which each has attracted, I would say Gordon has had the better career – he has also done the TV pundit bit, a bit better than “Shock Jock” (or should that be non-Jock?) Sutton has managed.

In this instance, I would say Gordon's only mistake has been to bite back at Sutton – a withering: “His comments are unworthy of reply”, would have put Sutton, the lesser half of the SAS strike partnership with that other paragon of TV punditry – Alan “Wooden Top” Shearer, right in his place.

Truth is, Sutton's stream of controversial utterings are probably his way of saying: “Notice me, here I am”. He's a figure on the periphery of football when he wants to be front and centre, but, sorry Chris it aint gonna happen – you lack one basic ingredient – talent.

MAYBE THIS IS “Stairheid Rammy Week”, because, on the Kilmarnock Fans facebook page, a full-scale row broke-out on Tuesday, over the media activities of Kris Boyd. One Rugby Park stalwart wants Kris sacked, immediately, by Killie, because, in the fan's eyes: Boydie is more-interested in talking about Rangers, and is actively trying to engineer a move back there, than he is in playing for Killie.

It is to the credit of the other Kilmarnock fans on the site, that the complainant was given short shrift, but, I don't think he quite grasped the concept of comments by still-active players being generated by journalists's questions rather than the opinions of the commentator.

Kris Boyd filing his latest exclusive column

Whatever you think of Boydie the media pundit – and I think he does a very good job – one thing was clear this week. With an at-his-peak Boyd or McCoist playing on Tuesday night, Rangers would have beaten Partick Thistle inside 90 minutes rather than needing extra time. Several of the chances, from low balls across the six-yard box, which Rangers scorned at Firhill – sorry the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill – were meat and drink to both Boydie and Ally.

BRENDAN RODGERS came up with a quote this week, which will go straight into “Big” Kenny MacDonald's next edition of his Book of Scottish Football Quotes. The Blessed Brendan, master of all he surveys at Lennoxtown, said: “Lots of young footballers have the Louis Vuitton soap bag – but, they don't work hard or play games.” Very true, but, 'twas ever thus; the most-arrogant wee shite I encountered in around a decade of daily coverage of one of our senior clubs, was a Rangers reject, who felt, because he had once sat on the bench for a European game – Walter didn't trust him enough to put him on – he had made it.

 Brendan Rodgers spies his new Louis Vuitton soap bag

There he was, one year on and one league down from Rangers, telling everyone how good he was – well, in his own imagination anyway. A fair player, I'll give him that, but, an unfulfilled talent – and there are literally hundreds such players, guys who went through the system at Auchenhowie, Lennoxtown, Currie, Ormiston or Aberdeen, got to the verge of the first team, but, failed to make the break-through and establish themselves.

The sting in that Rodgers quote is in the tail, the bit with the but: “they don't work hard or play games.” Getting picked-up by a top club is one thing – one of my fellow coffin dodgers is struggling this week with the conundrum, does he advise his son-in-law, a former Scottish age group cap who never quite justified his talent, to allow his NINE YEAR OLD to go into the Celtic Academy, or, does he keep him closer to home.

That kid just might make it with Celtic, but, he might well also make it by staying with his boys club and going into the local, lower division club's academy system. But, once a kid is in that system, there is always the chance, he puts all his eggs in the football basket – academic achievement and ambition lowers, then, if he doesn't convert his academy contract into a full-time deal, collapse.

Even if he gets a full-time deal, while the kid might think he has arrived, the reality is – he's only on the first rung of the ladder, and it's a bloody long one to the stratosphere of regular first-team games and international caps. The fall-out rate is sky-high – the truth is, the pubs of Scotland are full of talented young footballers who could have been contenders, but didn't want it enough, or work hard enough to make it.

Football does not have a great record in looking after the wannabes, who turn into not quite good enoughs. A fading Louis Vuitton soap bag isn't much of a memento of what might have been – and well done Brendan Rodgers for pointing this out.