Damn Scots - They've Ruined Scotland

I SUPPORT Scottish Independence. I can see no circumstances in which an independent Scotland, inside or outside of the EU, could be any worse off than it currently is under the colonial rule of this present bunch of Tory wasters – or the Labour alternative, so poor, even with the Maybot notionally in charge, and the rest fighting like rats in a sack, in England they are not seen as a viable alternative government.

But, I sometimes feel, even if we were to be Independent, and Nicola Sturgeon, or whoever was Prime Minister of the nation, was to come up with a proven plan whereby each and every Scot was to receive a guaranteed income of £1 million per year – tax free, there would be a sizeable group of Scots saying: “No, no, that kind of thing is not for us.”

The Greatest Living Scotsman

Scots must be the most-negative folk in the world. To quote the greatest living Scot – Groundskeeper Willie: “Damn Scots – they've ruined Scotland.”

I have, this morning, been thinking a bit more about this bourach, the two Betfred Scottish League Cup semi-finals being held, back-to-back at Hampden on the same day.

Yesterday, I tackled the absurdity of this, then, I had an additional thought. In Welsh Rugby, they regularly hold what they bill as “Judgement Day,” when the four Welsh teams in the PRO14 – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets go head-to-head in Cardiff's Principality Building Society, as the Millennium Stadium is now called.

Full House 80,000 crowd guaranteed, everyone in and out, no problems – with a mere two hours between matches.

The London rugby clubs – Harlequins and Saracens, regularly play double-headers at Twickenham, filling its 80,000 seats, again, with a much shorter gap between games than we will see at Hampden.

Now, I realise, the crowds in Cardiff and London will not be as tribal as they will be in Glasgow. I further accept, a lot of the rugby fans will pay the extra and take-in both games, which is a lot-less likely for Scottish football fans. However, the fact remains, if the RFU and the Metropolitan Police and the WRU and the South Wales Police can arrange these show-piece events without problems – why cannot the SPFL and Police Scotland?

There has been a lot of talk about the poor transport links on a Sunday – the fact there is not a train out of Aberdeen on a Sunday morning, which could get the Dons fans to Hampden in time.

I appreciate the old Football Specials are a thing of the past, but, in the 30 days between Aberdeen qualifying for Gothenburg and playing there, back in 1983, transport arrangements, including laying on a North Sea ferry, were put in place to get 12,000 Dons fans to Sweden.

The authorities, including Aberdeen FC, have had more than 30 days to put things in place to get probably only slightly-more than 12,000 fans to Glasgow. (The game's on TV, it is only a semi-final, there is no way Aberdeen will bring 26,000, or anything like that number to the game).

Come on Aberdeen, think out of the box. Hire a train or trains, direct to Mount Florida or King's Park Station, give the fans a good deal on train fare plus match admission. I think Scotrail would bite your arm off for the business.

Again the club could organise buses to the game, again, travel ticket plus match admission for one single price. If they had spent less time moaning, and more organising, things could already be in hand.

The same planning could work for the Hearts fans. I suppose we can leave the other two tribes to make their arrangements – they have a lot of experience of this.

But, to return to my initial point. If Scotland is to ever become a successful independent nation, we will need to adopt a lot more of a can-do attitude. This might be a good place to start.

I WAS speaking to my good friend A Somerset Parker last night. He was not a happy bunny, in spite of the Honest Men being top of the Championship table.

His gripe – the fact United had, in his words: “Taken the money and rolled over,” against Rangers in the League Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night.”

Ian McCall - some United fans thought they were happy to take the money in midweek

He thought Ian McCall's men had turned-up, gone through the motions and happily pocketed the nice fat cheque at the end. “This is a rubbish Rangers team, they should have had a go,” my mate moaned.

“Livingston didn't stand back and let them play this afternoon,” he added. “They had a go and got their reward.”

He did concede, there are signs this season, that the aura of entitlement to winning is slipping from the Bigot Brothers, and other Premiership sides are more ready to have a go at beating them: a development which augers well for the future of Scottish football.

Let's hope this readiness to make a game of things spreads, and we see other teams challenging for the title. IF Hearts can go to Ibrox at the weekend and win – well maybe the long-awaited challenge from elsewhere is on.

MY OLD MATE Alex Gordon, Sports Editor of the Sunday Mail back when it was a real newspaper, now a successful author, in particular a best-selling crime writer, and I, had a wee spat on Facebook on Saturday.

 Alex Gordon

I suggested I would be covering the Match of the Day in Scotland, since, versatile as I am, I had been rostered to report on the Ayr v Melrose top-of-the-table clash in rugby's Tennent's Premiership. The top two club sides in the country, both unbeaten after posting four successive bonus-point wins, the Bill McLaren Shield up for grabs, something had to give and, with the associated Oktoberfest and Beer Festival also taking place at Millbrae – this one ticked all the boxes for me.

Alex disagreed, showing the pro-Celtic leanings he hid so wonderfully-well while piloting the sports bridge at Anderston Quay, he countered: “Surely Celtic v Aberdeen is the Match of the Day, Socrates.”

No Alex – that was a mid-table scramble.