Nae Harm To The Lassie - But, It WAS One Massive Fix

AS A GOALKEEPER, I find myself somewhat conflicted with the hoo-hah around Mary Earps being named as the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY). As an old goalkeeper myself, I am absolutely delighted that one of us has won this award, however, quite honestly I don't think Ms Earps, easily the best goalkeeper on Manchester United's books, deserved to win it.

 

That she did collect the famous trophy was, I feel, largely down to what I have long called “The Sex Olympics Effect.” (SOE)

[for irregular readers: I have long held we are now living for real, the premise of the 1960s television play The Year of the Sex Olympics, which suggests, we are in an age where the media is run by one sect of people, whose job is to keep the lower, unwashed classes, happy and subservient, thus allowing the upper classes to run things as they choose.]

The BBC are a key element in properly delivering SOE, so they decide, in the case of the annual quest for SPOTY, which of the short-listed contenders will get special treatment, and this year – that meant Mary Earps.

Consider this, which television channel has the rights to the sport which produced each of the contenders:

• Stuart Broad : Cricket : Sky

• Frankie Dettori : Horse Racing : Channel 4

• Mary Earps : Women's Football : BBC

• Alfie Hewitt : Tennis : Eurosport

• Katrina Johnson-Thompson : Athletics : Eurosport

• Rory McIlroy : Golf : Sky

So, given Ms Earps was the only one from a sport in which the BBC was the main supplier of content to the masses, they were always going to push her case a bit more than the others.

While, in the end, England's women lost in the final, the way the BBC hyped-up their performance, well, I am sure a lot of the less than fanatical in the great viewing public probably think they won the tournament anyway.

So, Ms Earps definitely had a lot of help from the organisers and, in the end, they persuaded enough of the public to vote for her to get her over the line.

For my part, I'd have gone for KJT. The number of injuries and set-backs that young lady has had to overcome, to win her World Championship, was truly inspiring and I was delighted to see her triumph in an event in which Team GB has a wonderful record. Every time she steps into the arena, she is not only competing against her equally-talented and driven opponents, but also the ghosts of such as Mary Rand, Mary Peters, Denise Lewis and Jessica Ennis, her distinguished predecessors as great British exponents of multi-event athletics for women.

Mind you, after he beat the supposedly unbeatable Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win the World 1500 metres title, oor ain Josh Kerr should have won it. But, it's the BBC wot runs it, so, in the current political climate, you cannot have “A Sweatie” winning the thing, next thing you know they'll be wanting Independence.

And speaking of ignoring Scots – and yes, I noticed they did give Kenny a richly-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award – no mention, other than by Alfie Hewitt himself, of wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid.

Hewitt got on the short-list because of his successes in Grand Slam events, where he won two. He also won another three, in partnership with Reid, who the BBC managed to whitewash out of the programme.

BACK TO “Football”. I seldom watch English football, I find their obsession with passing and possession annoying, but, on Saturday at lunch-time I decided to watch West Ham United v Manchester United.

It must be terrible for the current Man U players. They are judged against some of the greatest players even in European football. That said, if Rangers and Celtic currently are giving game time to several players who are simply not of the class expected of their club, how much worse is it at Old Trafford, where there is nobody in the current squad who is remotely close to consideration for even the third team in any Greatest Manchester United XI selection?

They actually look better passing the ball back than forward and Manager ten Hag must be a coaching genius, the way he has turned Marcus Rashford into a less than average striker.

While I am at it, why don't they get André Onana to self-identify as a woman, that way they could switch him to their Women's team and allow Mary Earps to play in-goal for the Men's team, she'd be a safer bet. Although, to be fair, Onana showed great skill to control a fired back pass from Johnny Evans and get the ball away in the second half against the Hammers.

Great win, however, for the much-maligned David Moyes. He has put together a more than useful squad at the London Stadium.

WE SCOTS like to think of ourselves as the most-passionate of football fans. Queen's Park, back in the 1870s, may have given the game form and substance when they invented pass and run, but, these “men with the educated feet” have turned out to be prophets without honour in their own land – if Graeme Souness, himself perhaps more a discus or javelin chap is to be believed, we have in the 150 or so years since, developed a preference for hammer throwers in our teams.

Given how Scots played a huge role in taming and developing nations as diverse as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United State of America, the Scot's role in promoting football across the globe, particularly in South America, it is perhaps strange that our better players have tended to lift their ambitious gaze no further than England in seeking to broaden their horizons.

Sure, the High Road to England has long been a welcoming path to us Scots, and yes, we have had the occasional player go further afield, to Europe – Denis Law, Souness, Joe Jordan, Murdo MacLeod, Alan McInally, Mark McGhee, Paul Lambert, to name but a few, but, our players ave somehow preferred to conduct their daily business in English.

So, it was good to read over the weekend that Lewis Ferguson had surpassed Denis Law's record and become the highest-scoring Scotsman in Italian football (although, he has a bit to go to beat Rose Reilly's outright A Scottish Footballer In Italy's Absolute Scoring Record.) Something special again is the Stewarton Superstar.

Ferguson has also been wearing the Bologna Captain's Arm-band of late, and his Italian team is now up to fourth in Serie A. The potential cost of repatriating him to succeed to the Ferguson family's Ibrox estate – the dream of more than a few Rangers' fans - is getting more-expensive by the week.

 

Oh Derek! What Are You Suggesting

ONE OF the great things about the Scots language, whether “Braid Scots” “Lallans” of “The Scots Leid” - whatever you call it, is, it is wonderfully expressive. Then, if you delve into the various local dialects, such as Doric, or even Glesca street patter, you find even more examples of the Scots' ability to verbally abuse each other, or anyone else who offends them.

 

 With this in mind, I have a feeling Ross County Manager Derek Adams' ears have been burning this week. The bold Derek is something of an acquired taste, he has a lengthy track record of voicing opinions which may not be widely shared. This, however, has never concerned him before, and, after his post-game outburst following Saturday's defeat to Dundee, he has had every possible term of abuse levelled at him.

I strongly suspect, none of this will unduly worry him. He will let the abuse wash over him and continue to be true to himself. However, rather than join in the pile-on, I believe, Derek has a point.

OK, it is perhaps pushing things a wee bit to suggest that Morecambe, currently the 78^th best team in England, are 100 times better than Ross County, currently the ninth-best team in Scotland. However, by all reports, the Ross County v Dundee game, after which Adams lost it, was a classic case of that old Scottish football cliché: “a draw nae fitba.”

The irony of football is: if both teams in any random football match both played to their best, it would probably finish as a 0-0 draw; since every positive move by an attacking team would be countered by a similarly positive move by the defending team.

So, for football to provide the thrills and more-particularly the goals which are the desired end product, we need to see mistakes made. With the quality of player operating in the top-flight in England, these mistakes are few and far between, whereas up here, with fewer top-quality players on parade, we generally see poorer-quality games, more mistakes and, if not more goals, since we have very-few quality strikers playing in Scotland, we certainly see more chances created, if not always taken.

Adams was particularly keen, it seemed, to talk-up his English side, Morecambe. I see however, their owners are in a bit of bother with the English Football League over financial issues, so the fact they may have been over-paying for players might colour Derek's view.

I did note, Morecambe's squad is 77% English. Ross County's squad is only 55% Scottish. Might we see him importing more English players in an effort to improve the quality?

Or is it, as I suspect, like the majority of our professional managers/coaches today, he is afraid to trust in local talent – or perhaps doesn't have the skills – to coach Scottish players out of their failings and make them better players.

I have long maintained, neither the players, nor the coaches in Scotland work hard enough at improving basic technical skills, getting them to be better, more-accomplished athletes or using better tactics.

This stems from the High Heid Yins of the game, who are simply happy to have their snouts in the Hampden trough and to my mind, not prepared to improve their clubs or their grounds and leave a genuine legacy for the future.

Sure, we hear how – aside from the Big Two, Scotland has one of the most-competitive leagues in the world. Maybes Aye, Maybes Naw, but, you can have genuine competition at a low level of skill – and that's what I see in Scotland today.

So, the challenge for Derek Adams is: if Scottish football is so bad, and your club is typical of this condition – what are you going to do to improve things at Dingwall, and, if you succeed, will anyone else among the diddy teams accept your challenge and do something similar?

Talk is cheap, making a difference is much-harder.

BUT WAIT – redemption might be at hand. It is often said, perhaps rightly: “Scottish football would be a lot better if the Old Firm would bugger off to England, or somewhere else.”

Well, this just might happen, following this week's ruling from the European Court of Justice, which has made the proposed European Super League a possibility.

Sure, I know all the British-based big clubs, the elite members of the English Premiership and the likes of Celtic have said they would prefer to stick within UEFA, wanting nothing to do with any Super League.

Aye Right! When push comes to shove, money will talk and if there is the chance to make money from a Super League, just watch the rush to get their snouts into the trough.

If Middle East interests and the Murdoch organisation throw their weight behind the Super League – it will happen – and the Bigot Brothers will be right in there scrapping for a place.

Mind you, from the little I have read, it appears the men behind the new league are not being bold enough. They are looking at it as a replacement for the Champions' League, with the clubs continuing to play midweek matches, while retaining membership of their individual associations.

This will never work. To work properly, they have, in my view, to see themselves as a European version of the NFL or the NBA – the absolute pinnacle of the sport.

As things stand, if a club becomes one of the 64 teams in the European Super League (henceforth referred to as the ESL, then it is in there, unless it finishes 64^th, in which case another club from the same national association will take its place.

Well, you might then see a situation whereby say Newcastle United doesn't get to be one of the 64 teams, but could win the English Premiership, ahead of the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal, all of whom would expect to be ESL clubs.

I have always felt, a North American-style ESL would work, and work well. However, I doubt if the true will, to set it up correctly and manage it properly exists in football. No individual football association I can think of runs its affairs properly and has an interest in the long-term good of the game. It's a classic case of small men running so-called big clubs and I don't see things changing any time soon.

 

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday Coming Up

AFTER last night's European games – Sunday's Viaplay League Cup Final is warming-up nicely. As if the stupidity of Rangers' PR department, in taking bookings for fans to be photographed with the trophy – five days before the game – wasn't enough motivation for Aberdeen, building on that superb win over Eintracht Frankfurt should be. The confidence they will have gained from beating the Germans will surely lift their performance at Hampden.

However, a first win against a Spanish side, in Spain; a first time scoring three goals in Spain; topping their group; a place in the last 16 of the Europa League – how much of a confidence boost have these successes given Rangers?

Celtic might have “won ugly” at home to Feyenoord, in contrast, Rangers' win against Real Betis came at the end of a thoroughly-entertaining game, between two teams with something to go for – who went for it. Phillipe Clement is clearly turning the troubled club around.

But, this is still a flawed team. One or two of the players continue to give the impression they are NRC – Not Rangers Class. That said, the squad still appears happier playing in Europe than in the domestic game.

One of the new guys who definitely is Rangers Class is Jack Butland. I reckoned when the club's interest in the former England goalkeeper was announced, they ought to save the money by promoting young Scotland squad goalkeeper Robbie McCrorie.

They still signed Butland, who has since getting the Number One jersey, shown he is right up there among the great former net-minding heroes of the club, with a series of big saves, at crucial times.

For his sake, it would be nice if Rangers found themselves in a “Battle of Britain” clash with one of the English Premiership sides still involved in the Europa League. Such a fixture, coming as it would do, in the last eight or later, would surely attract Gareth Southgate, who could then be reminded of Butland's qualities.

I should write at this point – the criticism I aimed at the team from the East End of Glasgow, applies too to the one from Govan. They are over-paying for players who come under-talented and the continued aversion to giving young Scottish players a crack at the first team will, in the long run, cost them dear.

No Scottish club can afford to spend, spend, spend – all the clubs, and in particular the Big Two, need to realise, grow your own suits the economics of the Scottish game a lot better than buying players with a fancy name and a slick highlights reel.

I doubt if anyone outwith Pittodrie, and perhaps one or two in there as well, saw that Aberdeen win last night coming. Come to that, after sticking five goals on Bayern Munich at the weekend, I don't suppose many of the good burghers of Frankfurt saw defeat in Aberdeen coming as well.

Where's dear old Jimmy Greaves when we need him, those two results prove his old thesis - “Football really is a funny old game.” Bayern are the second-ranked team in Europe, Eintracht are ranked 25^th. Putting that in domestic Scottish terms, that result on Sunday was the equivalent of Cove Rangers beating Glasgow Rangers.

Aberdeen are sitting at position 148 in UEFA's Club Co-efficient table. It's difficult to extrapolate that figure down through the levels of the Scottish Football Pyramid, however, as close as I can get is probably that Aberdeen's win was the equivalent of Neilston or Leith Athletic, struggling a bit in the basement regions of the West of Scotland First Division and the East of Scotland First Division respectively – that's Level Seven by the way beating Cove.

Received wisdom in certain areas of Scottish Fitba is that Aberdeen only really play when facing Rangers, another reason for looking forward to Sunday's final. I reckon, however, their up and down domestic form is more down to the fact, apart from the perennial front runners, any one of the other teams in the top ten is capable, in any fixture, of beating any other side.

That has to be a sign of good health. Unfortunately in Scotland, since the “diddy teams” bought into the Graeme Souness Management Model, the quality in the game up here has gone downhill alarmingly, as we have bought-in cheap foreign knock-offs of good players.

But, looking forward to Sunday, with two flawed teams on the park, we might get a cracking game.

OF COURSE, they never let the facts get in the way of publishing or broadcasting pish, but even the cheer-leaders of “The Greatest League in the World” - that's the English Premiership in case you've forgotten, will be hard-pushed to spout their rubbish when you look at the 16 qualifiers for the knock-out rounds of the European Cup.

They are: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad (Spain); Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig (Germany); Inter Milan, Lazio, Napoli (Italy); Arsenal, Manchester City (England); Copenhagen (Denmark); PSG (France); FC Porto (Portugal); PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Only two English clubs left, compared with four Spanish, three German and three Italian clubs. Not so great, is it.

Rangers can put their European campaign on the back burner until late February. The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League will be held, in UEFA HQ in Switzerland on 23 February.

The Ibrox club already know they will be one of the eight seeded teams, the others – the other Group Winners will be: Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham United (England); Atalanta (Italy); Bayern Leverkusen (Germany); Slavia Prague (Czechoslovakia); Villarreal (Spain). One or two bullets dodged there for Phillipe Clement and his boys.

However, they could meet one of the eight winners from the play-off round, where the 16 teams involved are - (Seeded Teams): Marseilles, Rennes, Toulouse (France); Freiburg (Germany); Roma (Italy); Qarabag (Azerbaijan); Sparta Prague (Czechoslovakia); Sporting Lisbon (Portugal).

The eight unseeded teams are: Benfica, Braga (Portugal); Feyenoord (Netherlands); Galatasaray (Turkey); Lens (France), AC Milan (Italy), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine); Young Boys Berne (Switzerland).

There are one or two potential banana skins among the clubs who have to go down the play-off route to further European progress.

 

Celtic Winning In Europe - I'm With Shania

IN THE wise words of Paul Simon: “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” So, any member of the Celtic Family reading this – yes you, John and Tom, should perhaps pass on to the next subject.

But no, I wasn't impressed by Celtic beating Feyenoord last night. Certainly, great for the club and for the continent's view of Scottish Football that they didn't finish a dismal Champions League campaign winless, but, this was the epitome of “Winning ugly.”

I thought the Dutch side played the technically-better football, but, had no luck in front of goal and met Joe Hart on one of those nights when he showed, he has always been a good goalkeeper.

 

Once again, John Hartson embarrassed himself with his gushing praise of the team – when are the broadcasters going to realise, old favourites from either side of the Glasgow football fence are never going to be the honest brokers you need in the critic's chair? Dump the former players and get proper journalists in to opine on what we are seeing.

As ever, at the unhappy end of the Celtic Family's hypothetical Christmas Dinner table, we find those to whom the club's pre-festivities exit from Europe is all down to Peter Lawwell and the “penny-pinching” regime he installed at the club.

Have they forgotten what throwing money around indiscriminately did across the city, or how not spending money well nearly did to their own club before a wee man in a bunnet stepped in and brought some sanity to the place?

There may well be a case for blaming Peter, but, I feel any blame for a regime of financial over-prudence has to lie with the man at the top – Dermot Desmond, who is the largest shareholder, owning around one-third of the club.

Lawwell is “Non-executive Chairman of the Board.” Google, as I did: 'Duties and Responsibilities of a Non-executive Chairman of the Board' and it becomes clear, Lawwell is there to lead, organise and advise, but the big day-to-day decisions are made by Chief Executive Officer Michael Nicholson and Chief Financial Officer Christopher McKay. I reckon, Lawwell's job now is to be Desmond's man in Glasgow.

Another fact which seems to escape those family members screeching: “Spend, spend, spend,” as hard as they can – no self-respecting player looking to for the best financial return on his talent will see a spell at Celtic Park as anything other than a stepping stone to a better league. European games might be the icing, but the cake underneath, the SPFL is stale and uninviting.

Despite this, Celtic currently has a squad of 66 players, (32 first-team; 24 B team plus 10 out on-loan); these players are drawn from 18 different nations, split as follows: 23 Scottish – 7 Republic of Ireland - 5 Japanese – 5 Northern Irish – 3 South Korean – 2 Australian and 1 each from Argentina, Canada, Denmark, England, Honduras, Israel, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and USA..

Sixty-Six senior players, that's more than an American Football team, who, remember have totally different personnel on the park, depending on whether they are attacking, defending or on a special set play.

Given the Celtic B team are currently sitting below such stellar names as Tranent, Bo'ness United, Linlithgow Rose and Civil Service Strollers (and no disrespect is meant to these clubs) in the Lowland League, 9^th in an 18-club league, Tier five in Scotland; it's maybe just as well for the men running the club that the ghost of Jock Stein doesn't turn up at Lennoxtown some morning to cull those players and coaches who are clearly NCC – Not Celtic Class.

It is surely also an insult to those hundreds of Celtic-daft teachers and janitors across the Scottish school system, who would gladly sacrifice an arm or a leg to produce just one Celtic first team player for their club, that barely one-third of the playing staff is made up of Scottish players, and just a smidgeon over half of the players are from Scotland and the island of Ireland, This from a club which so-proudly trumpets its Irish heritage.

Look, Celtic (and for that matter that other lot across the city) cannot in the 21^st century attract the Galactico players or managers who will make the difference in Europe. Even if they do, produce such a player, he will be picked-off by one of the better-funded clubs in a bigger league, so, the club really should cut its cloth accordingly.

Go back to capturing young members of the Celtic Family at a young age, coach them better, get their heads in the right space, and, in-time I am sure, a second pride of Lions will emerge to put the pride back in the club.

Sure, The Lisbon Lions had two, maybe three World-Class players, but, they also had one or two journeymen. However, they were superbly trained and organised by a managerial genius. Surely another Stein is out there somewhere.

To steal a line from across the city:

If four young lads could have a dream, and that dream could come true – why cannot Celtic dream big and restore the club to the top flight in Europe.

 

While The MSM Grovels To The Big Two There's A Lot Happening Elsewhere In Scottish Football

AFTER Sunday's result at Rugby Park, those of us who thought Celtic had boobed in bringing back Brendan Rodgers were nodding sagely. Now, if Rangers keep winning, and that includes their game-in-hand, the second half of the season, in 2024, promises to be a cracking run-in.

As usual, the controversies at Ibrox, a VAR-induced penalty and a red card, tended to dominate the post-game conversation. It kind of makes you long for the old days of no television, so, the controversies were confined to the post-match analysis of those actually at the game. Trial by television can be wearing.

As for that Celtic defeat, at least, this time Brendan didn't blame the plastic pitch, more his plastic players. The Daily Rhebel's sports desk team could be summoning up that cracked crest image before long.

The mainstream media, driven as they are by the need to pander to the Big Two's knuckle-draggers, will largely ignore The Championship, that will be their loss, because it is building towards a cracking second half.

Dundee United and Raith Rovers, one point apart at the top, are locked into a fight for the single automatic promotion place, with Raith eight points ahead of third-placed Partick Thistle, who have played a game more.

Raith and Thistle produced a genuine seven-goal thriller at Stark's Park on Friday night, so, clearly there is little between them. Dunfermline Athletic currently occupy the fourth play-off spot, but, while they have a four-point advantage over fifth-placed Airdrie, I think everyone at Firhill, East End Park and The Excelsior Stadium are looking over their shoulders and Northwards, towards Inverness, where Caley Thistle boss Duncan Ferguson – big Duncan Disorderly himself, has really shaken things up since taking over from wee Billy Dodds. The big man even lived up to his nickname, getting himself ordered to the stand in the first half, as Caley Thistle thrashed Queen's Park at Hampden on Saturday.

 

Caley Thistle are one point behind Airdrie, but have played a game less and with the momentum Big Duncan has brought to the club, they could go on a charge all the way into the play-offs, in which case, anything could happen.

Always a really tight league, the Championship is equally close at the foot, where any one of four clubs: Ayr United, Queen's Park, Arbroath or Greenock Morton could yet slip down a division.

THERE IS another two-horse race in progress in the First Division, with Hamilton Academical and Falkirk separated at the top only by Accies' four goals better goal difference. The rest are eight points at least adrift, while, at the bottom, troubled Edinburgh City are in danger of being cast adrift.

DIVISION TWO at least has a clear leader, with Stenhousemuir five points clear of the pack, which is led by Peterhead. However, for us old football romantics the big question here is, can that wily old fox and Man About the West End of Glasgow, Ian McColl, work his magic to get Clyde out of their currently dangerous position – four points adrift at the foot and badly needing a run of wins if they are to avoid possibly dropping into the Lowland League.

SPEAKING OF The Lowland League, highly-ambitious East Kilbride hold a five-point lead, from Cumbernauld Colts at what is effectively the mid-point of the season. They will take a bit of catching as the sides turn from home.

Interesting to see Celtic B in mid-table in this league, clearly, they are not eating Quality Street in the East End of Glasgow these days.

BRECHIN CITY were, a few weeks ago, being hotly-tipped to e the first team, relegated out of the four Senior Leagues after the formation of the Scottish pyramid, to fight their way back. Then, manager Andy Kirk was snapped-up by St Johnstone.

This saw a slight dip in form and new manager Gavin Price has a bit of work on his hands, as they have slipped behind Banks o' Dee at the top of the Highland League.

City's 3-4 loss to Formantine United on Saturday has closed things up at the top of the table, the run-in would seem to be a close-run thing in prospect.

BROXBURN ATHLETIC have a five-point lead over Jeanfield Swifts at the top of the East of Scotland League, however Swifts have a game-in-hand, which might prove useful.

THE WEST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUE table is, to anyone with a knowledge of Junior Football history, a strange one to look at these days. With Irvine Meadow anchored at the foot, with Glenafton Athletic just above them, then Arthurlie above them, some “Big Teams” are struggling.

And there's more. While Tucker Sloan refreshes his squad, Auchinleck Talbot are down in tenth place, one place, one point and one game behind their very-good neighbours Cumnock.

However, the middle of this table is jam-paced by sides capable of going on a winning run and getting into the title mix, so the first half of 2024 looks like being a cracking six months in the wild west.

At the foot, with new managers in place at both Meadow Park and Loch Park, the faithful are hopeful of a better second half to the season.

 

THE SCOTTISH JUNIOR CUP has fallen foul of the recent bad weather, with only two clubs through to the last eight, following mass postponements in Round Four.

On 2 December, the original date, just one game was played, with St Cadoc's making the trek from Newton Mearns to 'the Mearns' to beat Stonehaven 1-0.

On Saturday, Lochee United surely enjoyed their fish teas at Nardini's, after beating Largs Thistle on penalties on the artificial surface provided at Barrfields by Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir.

Five of the six outstanding games are due to be played this Saturday.

FINALLY, to the often-ignored child of Scottish Football – The South of Scotland League. Dalbeattie Star are traditionally the powerhouse of this league and at the moment, albeit they have a couple of games-in-hand, they trail Newton Stewart by a point at the top of the table.

There appears to be a bit of a sporting rising going on down there in Newton Stewart, the town's rugby club are also making waves up in third place in National League 2, the third tier of Scottish club rugby. Perhaps the success of the rugby boys is inspiring the footballers of the Cree Valley.

 

Ladies - That Was Embarrassing

I BROKE the habit of a lifetime this week – I switched-off a Scotland game. When England's fourth goal at Hampden the other night went in, I grabbed the TV remote, I had seen enough. Some of these lassies who were our so-called defenders got off lightly; Frank Haffey got far worse abuse, for making fewer mistakes – it was totally embarrassing.

I appreciate this is a Scotland squad in transition. Experienced hands such as Jen Beattie – (pictured below) - who showed all her family's class and skill as a talking head at the game, her Faither should be proud – has retired from international duty; as have one or two others, while the great Caroline Weir is out with a long-term injury.

 

 

OK, these are excuses for us not being as good as England, but, the lack of fight was unacceptable. Now, in typically mainstream media style, led by the quarter-wits at BBC Shortbread, they are turning on the manager, who I think has done a good job, with limited resources and, I sense, not quite the full backing of the High Heid Yins along the sixth floor corridor. I sense there is still a bit of: “lassies shouldnae be playin' fitba” at play in the higher echelons of our game.

Mind you, it appears as if the (English) FA are channelling their inner Celtic in the aftermath; you know: “never defeated – always cheated,” with claims of a “fix” between the Dutch and the Belgians, to allow the orangje-clad team to qualify for next year's Olympics.

By the way, the match-calling commentary team were awful. The two English girls had an orgasm every time England crossed the half-way line, while the usually very good Lee Anne Cuthbert appeared to be auditioning for a job in Manchester as she gushed over some aspects of the English play. Alison McCoist she isn't, however.

WATCHING the BBC Shortbread highlights programme on Wednesday night, one thing was immediately clear – that Celtic penalty against Hibs would never have been called by VAR if the incident had been in the other penalty box. But, we knew that, we are now immune to the pauchles – whoops! Sorry - “honest mistakes” which repeatedly help out the Bigot Brothers. Really, our referees have no shame.

The other big debate of the night, concerned Kilmarnock's Marley Warkins and his “forearm smash” on Aberdeen's Stefan Gartenmann, three seconds into the sides' meeting at Rugby Park.

On reflection, and making my Kilmarnock relationship public again, I have to say, he's a very-lucky boy to stay on the park. However, if he had been red-carded, I'd have hoped too, that the Aberdeen player was yellow-carded for his cynical step across to attempt to block Watkins.

This is one of those occasions where Rugby Union does it better than football. In Rugby, the TMO – their equivalent of VAR – would have been on the intercom to the referee. He'd have said something like: “I want to bring to your attention an off-the-ball incident of foul play.” The incident would have been put up on the screen, and then it was the referee's call.

FORREST ROBERTSON is not only one of Scotland's most-respected sports historians, he is also one of that small but dedicated band of “Spiders” who continue to support Scotland's premier football club – Queen's Park. He's been supporting the club for over 60 years now and his book: “The Men With The Educated Feet” is a wonderful history of the club.

Now Forrest has chronicled a less-gilded club, Perth's Fair City Athletic. It's a bit of a tribute to his father's upbringing in rural Perthshire, not so-much a football history, more a sporting/social one, of the years of football's rise to prominence in the second half of Queen Victoria's reign.

The fall of Fair City allowed St Johnstone, their great local rivals, to assume primacy in Perth; it's a near-forgotten story which deserves to be told.

The History of Fair City Athletic Football Club – The Boots on Balhousie, can be purchased from Cambridge Scholars Publishing which can be found at:

https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-2876-5

THE NEWS that Edinburgh City is facing a financial crisis, with player wages unpaid has also come up this week. The Sun writer who has broken the story worries me – I remember when he was starting out a couple of decades ago, he was never one for letting the facts get in the way of a good bad news story; so, unless he has grown a second brain cell in the intervening time, I'll wonder about the story.

However, the fact that such a lowly club – well used to surviving on three-figure crowds – is in trouble, should come as no surprise and this tale confirms my long-standing belief, we have too-many so-called “senior clubs and leagues” in Scotland.

Maybe “The Great Waldo” - aka Wallace Mercer – was right, all those years ago, when he wanted to amalgamate Hearts and Hibs.

And, if that argument holds good for Auld Reekie, might it also not apply to the City of Discovery, and to the Kingdom of Fife?