WELL – that's the 2022-23 CLUB football season over. With the World Game now a 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year business, there are still internationals to be got out of the way, before the top players head off to lie on an expensive beach somewhere, for a short break, before getting back on the treadmill.
In fact, Season 2023-24 will kick-off in less than five weeks – right in the middle of The Glasgow Fair – so folks, enjoy the break, it will be a short one. This is actually the best time of year to be a Scottish Fitba Writer, particularly if you're working for a Glasgow-based national newspaper.
Because, by calling round their friends in the ranks of the football agents, The Lap Top Loyal and The Celtic Apologists, can dream-up just about any old pish and get it published, as they attempt to convince what Andy Cameron called: “The Dibs and The Dobs” that with the singular exception of Miami-bound Lionel Messi, almost every available out of contract star you could name is about to sign for one or other of Scotland's Big Two. Add this season's side show of: “Who replaces Ange?” and it is clear, these are: great times to be one of the Magic Circle of the Scottish Football Writers Association – the men who make serious comment on Scottish Fitba vanish.
As I write this nonsense, the SFWA's English cousins, in what they grandly call The FWA – THE Football Writers Association – are busy re-writing history, in the wake of Manchester City's victory over Internationale Milan in the European Cup Final.
There they are, busily hyping this historic Treble, oblivious to we Scottish Scribes, who know our history, reminding them, this was a pretty second-rate Treble, since it wasn't actually one. Sure, City have lifted three trophies this season, The Premiership, The FA Cup and The European Cup, a case of The Noisy Neighbours catching up with the local Establishment club.
Now, the FWA are busy hailing this “English Treble.” Let's look forensically at this:
Yes, Manchester City are “An English Club” in as much as they play in English football
But – they are owned by the Sheik of Abu Dhabi
They have a Spanish manager
Only two English players started for them in the European Cup Final.
They didn't actually do an English Treble
City won the Premiership and the FA Cup, well, to quote the great Michael Lee Aday: “Two out of three aint bad.”
But – they didn't win a Domestic Treble, indeed, when City in 2018-19 became the first English club to do a Domestic Treble, it was barely mentioned.
The sad fact – for English football is – until City, or any other English club, can win all three domestic trophies, thereby achieving a Treble, and then add the European Cup, they will be second-raters, compared to the one British club to have achieved this: Celtic's Lisbon Lions of 1967.
Right, Rant over, back to current affairs. Good luck to the scribes as they flog their dead horses of transfer rumours. I would have (maybe) a bit more respect for them if they stopped writing what is largely fiction, and concentrated instead on the genuine and worrying concerns whereby, our two largest teams have apparently decided Scottish players are no longer good enough to play for them, while the other leading Scottish clubs, as ever keen to ape the habits of the Big Two, are also falling over themselves to sign third and fourth rate English and foreign players rather than promoting native Scottish talent.
For instance, Rangers, having finally realised Allan McGregor is past his sell-by date, have rushed to sign Jack Butland as his replacement. I am sorry, but I find myself distinctly under-whelmed by this signing.
Butland is now 30. If we accept the premise that goalkeeper's mature later than outfield players, be should now be entering his best years. When first capped by England, he was still a teenager – their youngest back stop for 65 years. He was the goalkeeper for Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics. OK he has had injury problems since then, but, given that, in 15 years as a professional footballer, he has averaged only 20 games per season and spent more time out on-loan than playing for his various host clubs and won only nine full England caps, it might fairly be said: Jack Butland has not “trained-on” and confirmed the promise he showed as a teenager. He has been handed the Number One shirt at Ibrox, which hints that he will be first-choice, which to my mind is unfair on the man in possession of the first-team goalkeeper's jersey, Robby McCrorie.
McCrorie has been with Rangers since he was a boy, growing-up in Dailly – the South Ayrshire village whose previous best-known goalkeeper resident was “The Flying Pig” – Liverpool Legend Tommy Lawrence.
He is younger than Butland, Ragners to the core and has never let his club down. He has also, already, tasted international recognition with a call-up to the full Scotland team, although he remains uncapped.
I do not think Rangers needed to sign Butland. I don't see him as being any better than McCrorie, or indeed the previously capped Jon McLaughlin. But, current fashion dictates that Rangers (and Celtic) have to buy non-Scots, so that's where we are.
I maintain the position I have held for the duration of this blog – until the other Scottish clubs grow a pair of balls between them and stand-up to the big two, Scottish Fitba is only going down the Private Frazer pathway – we are doomed.
We need to bring in Chick Young's Eight Diddies Rule – and actively promote Scottish players, or we will continue to struggle in Europe and internationally.
Second rant over.
FINALLY, looking ahead to the new season I will be particularly interested in events at Auchinleck Talbot's Beechwood Park. Legendary Manager Tucker Sloan has, after what was by Talbot standards a poor season, decided the time is right for major surgery to his squad.
Several Beechwood Legends have moved-on and Tucker, the man with the best winning record in the Scottish game, is over-seeing a major rebuild.
Ill-health has forced Brian McGinty to step down, after ending Cumnock's long wait for a third Scottish Junior Cup win, while further down the A76, at Loch Park, Ryan Stevenson is well into his Glenafton Athletic rebuild. Season 2023-24 us going to be very interesting here in the East Ayrshire heartland of Real Scottish Fitba.
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