Sunshine On Ayrshire - Bugger The World Cup

ON THOSE rare occasions when the sun is splitting the heavens and there is narry a cloud in the sky, plus, you live in God's County of Ayrshire – it is all too-easy to forget you are supposed to be blogging on fitba, even when there is a World Cup on.

 

Culzean Castle - I was looking at that, rather than Brazil v Mexico

So, yesterday, instead of doing essential work, such as counting how many rolls Neymar completes after going to ground in search of a free-kick, I was enjoying the company of a refined English lady and walking around the paradise that is Culzean Castle and country park. Ach! Let's be honest – I never expected Mexico to seriously inconvenience Brazil's march to the quarter-finals.

And, it meant I was home in time to watch Belgium v Japan. Fantastic second half, and, what an ending – best heart-stopper since 'Carrie' in my view. Fair play to Belgium, and in particular Curtois, to recognise, even with less than ten seconds left on the clock, the game was still winnable.

Marouane Fellaini - a handy big man to bring on

There is, I am glad to see, still a place in football for the old-fashioned cross into the box for a big man to attack, and, few do it better than big Fellaini. He might be Marmite to English commentators, but, when such shrewd operators as the Special One at club level, and Martinez at international level, keep picking him, he must be doing something right.

Tonight, of course, it's the noisy neighbours who are playing. England, in the knock-out stages of the World Cup, must-watch TV for the Scots, because, this is when we get interested.

Will it be tonight we can sit back and relish the English media going ape shit when they go out? I fear not. I am actually growing fond of this English team, merely because of the under-stated, restrained, very genuinely nice English way in which Gareth Southgate and his men have conducted themselves. It is difficult to wish ill on such nice people – their media however, well, that's another matter.

England could go a long way still in this World Cup – and if they get to the semi-finals or final, they would have a genuine chance – but, could we stand that?

Any way, a couple of wee things I have picked-up on over the tournament. The first is, as an ex-goalkeeper, albeit at a pretty low level, I keep asking myself: are these bloody gloves they all insist on wearing these days maybe more harmful than helpful – because the standard of handling is, frankly, shite.

Even 50-years on, Gerry Neef's save from Tam Gemmell is memorable

The late Gerry Neef will never get onto the short leet for “Greatest Rangers Goalkeeper”, but, I still, over the 50-years or so since he pulled it off, remember a flying save he made, to clutch a Tommy Gemmell 25-yarder. As we all know, big Tam hit a mean ball, but, the horizontal Gerry held this one. Of course, being Gerry, a few minutes later, he let a trundler through his legs, but, to even get to the Gemmell shot, far-less hold it, was exceptional.

Manuel Neuer is a far-better 'keeper than Neef, but, he, like so-many of today's top custodians, seems incapable of taking cleanly and holding anything short of a pass-back. I blame the gloves.

When we were playing, we occasionally wore a woollen pair, on really bad days, otherwise, we went bare-handed, and I reckon we handled better.

The shape might be different, but, today, rugby and football balls are made of the same composite materials. Rugby players, who have to have good handling skills, NEVER wear gloves – just saying.

When, oh when, are referees genuinely going to start yellow carding “simulation”; you see the odd card flourished, usually for the most-obvious bits of over-acting, but, there is no consistency.

You also have the good old commentator's staple: “Well, for me, he went down too-easily there.” When that happens, and VAR says: “No penalty,” book the diver – that would soon stop it.

SOMETHING I forgot to mention in June, was the new season's format in the Junior and Non-League Senior ranks. The SJFA has accepted the need to get involved in the SFA's ongoing plans to establish a proper pyramid system in Scottish Football.

Fine-tuning this long-overdue forward step will take some time, but, as things stand, here is how football in Scotland will look this season:

• Level One – SPFL Premiership (12 clubs)
  
  
• Level Two – SPFL Championship (10 clubs)
  
  
• Level Three – SPFL League One (10 clubs)
  
  
• Level Four – SPFL League Two (10 clubs)
  
  
• Level Five – Highland and Lowland Leagues (18 clubs in Highland League; 1 clubs in the Lowland League)
  
  
• Level Six – East of Scotland League (39 clubs playing in three 13-club conferences); South of Scotland League (15 teams playing in one division)
  
  
• Level Seven – Junior football: SJFA has three Regions – East, North and West which organise their local teams into various leagues as required. West Region has 63 clubs, split into divisions (3x16 clubs, 1x15 clubs); East Region has 36 clubs playing in 3x12-club divisions; the North Region has 35 clubs who play in three divisions, (a 14-club Superleague and the 10-club First Division North and 11-club First Division East)
  
  
• Level Eight and below – amateur football.

The new format for the West Region Juniors is particularly interesting, as it sees the ending of the apartheid system which kept the old Ayrshire League and Central League sides apart, now it is an all-in league, although, the old local cups will still offer the sort of tribalism which is the Juniors' stock-in-trade.

The new leagues wil line-up as follows:

Premier Division

Auchinleck Talbot

Beith Juniors

Cambuslang Rangers

Clydebank

Cumnock Juniors

Glenafton Athletic

Hurlford United

Irvine Meadow

Kilbirnie Ladeside

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy

Kilwinning Rangers

Largs Thistle

Petershill

Pollok

Renfrew

Troon Juniors

Championship

Arthurlie

Benburb

Craigmark Burntonians

Cumbernauld United

Dalry Thistle

Darvel Juniors

Girvan

Irvine Victoria

Kello Rovers

Kilsyth Rangers

Larkhall Thistle

Neilston Juniors

Rossvale

Rutherglen Glencairn

St Roch's

Whitletts Victoria

League One

Ardrossan Winton Rovers

Bellshill Athletic

Blantyre Victoria

East Kilbride Thistle

Gartcairn

Glasgow Perthshire

Greenock United

Lugar Boswell Thistle

Maybole Juniors

Maryhill Juniors

Port Glasgow Juniors

Royal Abert

Shettleston Juniors

Shotts Bon Accord

Wishaw Juniors

Yoker Athletic

League Two

Annbank United

Ardeer Thistle

Ashfield Juniors

Carluke Rovers

Forth Wanderers

Johnstone Burgh

Lanark United

Lesmahagow Juniors

Muirkirk Juniors

Newmains United

Saltcoats Victoria

St Anthony's

Thorniewood United

Vale of Clyde

Vale of Leven