I GAVE UP on Celtic's Champions League campaign after about 12 minutes on Tuesday night. By then I had established, that lot could play until Doomsday and still not win in the CL. Or is simply, 21st century football is shite? All this passing for the sake of passing, it turns me off – the idea is to go forward and put the ball in the opposition's net, something which, while it might be easy-peasy in the backwater of the Scottish Premiership, is awfy hard for Celtic in Europe.
Of course, the Celtic Apologists in our mainstream media will tell us it was another hard-luck story; how enough chances to win two games were made, and squandered and how this is an unlucky team. Pish – they were a miss of near Van Vossen proportions away from another home defeat last night.
And, while you can fool some of the people all of the time, even the famously loyal Celtic Family are wising-up. I noticed a good number of empty seats at Celtic Park on Tuesday night. Mind you, when I mentioned this on Facebook, I got an indignant response from a member of the Celtic Family, who accused me right out of lying.
The official attendance was given as 57,478 – which means the ground was only 95% full. I appreciate, they always leave empty seats near the small section of away fans, but, watching on TV, I noticed banks of empty seats in areas where you would expect to see Celtic fans.
Well, the old eyesight isn't what it used to be, but, when I got my new glasses, just a couple of months ago, the optician said my eyesight was remarkably good for a man of my age – and it hasn't deteriorated in the intervening short time.
I can also still work a calculator, and I have to say 3 goals scored from 68 shots – that's a 4% success rate. I think that notoriously unsuccessful would-be striker Lorenzo Amoruso had a better completion rate than that.
MIND YOU, at least Celtic create chances in Europe. The other lot, on Wednesday night, once again demonstrated, they are woefully out of their depth at this level.
I didn't actually switch-on the TV for the Breengers' game, I preferred to watch the Repair Shop special featuring the King and Dumfries House. However, reading the reports from Napoli post-game, it pretty much went as I assumed it would.
I see Dave King has plenty to say on the current position at Ibrox. To my mind, he is second only to Craig Whyte in the pecking order of people whose actions caused the recent chaos at the club. Of course, his chorus in Club 1872 (or Club 1690) as I think they should be named, are also chipping-in from the sidelines.
The last bout of mismanagement didn't finish Rangers – the club was deemed: “too big to fail.” It seems to me, using the same management model, in the hope of a different result is asking for the same result – liquidation.
The club MIGHT get away with L2, but, unless there is a major change of mind and management, they will not get away with another – it will be three strikes and out.
Given his upbringing in the game, I sense GVB would be happier managing a club wherein they grow and nurture their own players via a proper Academy. Give him the chance to take Rangers down that road, and you might be surprised at what happens.
However, I remain convinced, for as long as the Old Firm goes along their current chosen paths, and we have the stumble bums running things at Hampden – Scottish football will continue to go down the stank.
AT LEAST Hearts did what was expected of them, and beat their Latvian opponents Rigas FS, to secure third place in their Europa Conference League group.
Mind you, if you examine the various UEFA Co-efficients, you maybe get a better idea of where Scottish expectations meet reality.
In the Champions League groups the Club Co-efficients and National Association Co-efficients, as they apply to our clubs were:
Napoli (Club) 20 – (National) 4
Liverpool (Cl) 3 – (N) 1
Ajax (Cl) 10 – (N) 6
Rangers (Cl) 30 – (N) 8
Real Madrid (C) 6 – (N) 2
RB Leipzig (Cl) 17 – (N) 3
Shakhtar Donetsk (Cl) 24 – (N) 15
Celtic (CL) 53 – (N) 8
In the Europa Conference League group the Club and National Co=-efficients were:
Istanbul Basakshir (CL) 58 – (N) 16
Fiorentina (CL) 104 – (N) 4
Heart of Midlothian (Cl) 176 – (N) 8
Rigas FS (Cl) 139 – (N) 35.
So, in terms of Club Co-efficients measured against their group opponents all three Scottish clubs: Rangers, Celtic and Hearts finished where they might have been expected to finish. In terms of National standings against the other teams in their groups, Rangers finished where they might have been expected to, while Celtic and Hearts under-performed.
I see Rangers and in particular their manager copping lots of incoming flak. Apparently he and the players have shamed the jerseys. OK, football is a results business, and, as the boss, GVB gets the blame. But, this is a poor Rangers team, it has been a poor Rangers team for years – having nowhere near the quality of past teams from Ibrox.
Similarly, this is a poor Celtic team, a pale shadow of the Lions and other sides of the Stein era, while the current Hearts team, Craig Gordon apart, have nobody who would have got into the reserve team during the Tommy Walker era.
Stevie Clarke is doing a marvellous job in keeping us relevant internationally, but, at club level – we are honking; and I fear it can only get worse. We are now closer to the minnows we used to patronise than to other mid-level nations such as Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden or Portugal.
As for getting back to competing against the English, French, Italian, Spanish and German clubs – forget it. Until we get change at Hampden, we will continue to fail.
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