JOHN McGINN just might be going through the most-difficult few days of his career, as he seeks to persuade his Aston Villa team mates that it will be anything but a dawdle when they face Hibernian, at Easter Road, in the Europa Conference League Play-Off Round.
Of course, Villa will start as favourites; however, they need to remember, they might have won the European Cup over 40 years ago, but, today they are in the continent's third tier competition, facing a Scottish side whose European credentials were forged even longer ago. This is still a Battle of Britain contest, and while Villa will be expected to prevail, against a Scottish team, determined to beat an English one – they can take nothing for granted.
It falls to McGinn to persuade his team mates – they cannot treat this one lightly.
MORE THAN 60 year ago, I spent a year at a commercial college in Glasgow, being taught shorthand and typing, to help me along my chosen career path into journalism. I boarded with an aunt and uncle in Springburn, ane my uncle, who worked on the railways, used to take me to watch Rangers play.
I can honestly say, in my intervening years covering The Beautiful Game, I have never seen any team waste time and rub-in superiority with quite the elan that that Rangers team, inspired by Jim Baxter at the peak of his powers demonstrated that season.
In particular, I remember them humiliating Celtic at Celtic Park, as Baxter, Ron McKinnon and John Greig indulged in a bout of keep ball to wind down the clock. The Celtic fans didn't hang around to suffer this, they had departed early, but, the Bears loved it.
I mention this memory of long ago, since time wasting and how to counteract it is apparently a hot topic at the moment – with referees being instructed to add-on time should they feel a side is time-wasting.
This shows, when it comes to improving the product, the game's High Heid Yins show a magnificent inability to learn from other sports. For instance, covering Ice Hockey I have seen players sent to the sin bin for Delaying the Game penalties. Other sports, such as Basketball, have rules which demand that players get a dead ball back into play within certain time constraints.
In Rugby Union, goal kickers have a limited time in which to take their kicks at goal, and, while the referees in that game, sadly, do not penalise often enough – there are also time constraints on getting the ball into the scrums and lines-out.
Here's an idea for Football:
Why not go to what I would call “Ball in Play” time.
This would demand, we get a set period of actual play – maybe 60 minutes
Every time the ball goes out of play, the clock stops; ditto every time the referee blows his whistle to stop play.
That way, we get ball in play time – with the teams required to restart the game within a set time of the referee telling them to do so.
To help with this, we take time-keeping duties away from the referee and give it to a time-keeper. This, I think, would be a good start towards improving the spectator experience.
NOT FOR nothing is Marie Osmond's 'Paper Roses' associated with Kilmarnock. Ever since Willie Waddell showed perfect timing, in getting out at the top, we supporters have been fed a diet of promises from the various directors of the club.
The years since 1965 have generally been hard, but, we're still here and if all the pain hasn't been washed away, times such as this, what some fans are calling: “Carlsberg August” has left us feeling good about ourselves.
Back-to-back wins over the Ugly Sisters has meant life is, for the moment, a bowl of cherries for Derek McInnes. But, knowing how some Rugby Park regulars think, it will not be long before some will again be calling for his head.
Meanwhile, enjoy the moment Killie fans.
DOWN HERE in God's County, these are strange times in football. As if Killie beating both halves of the Old Firm wasn't a big enough surprise, it is insignificant compared to the state of the West of Scotland Premier Division table, which shows Auchinleck Talbot lying in 14th spot in the 16-club division.
Legendary gaffer Tucker Sloan has embarked on a major rebuilding job this season, after the 'Bot crashed out of the Junior Cup to Cumnock last season, and several club legends departed Beechwood Park.
Talbot have won just one of their first six league games, but, Tucker is such a terrific manager and the 'Bot has such a well-oiled club machine, I have no fears about them recovering – a league campaign is a marathon, not a sprint.
SO, The Women's World Cup is over, and The Lionesses lost. Dear Me, such a shame. Still, it's now safe for us Scots to turn back on our televisions – the BBC and ITV commentaries were right up there with the legendary Marty Feldman, England v Uruguay commentary spool, so, it was a relief when they lost.
Still, one World Cup win every 93 years does mark England out as the game's Master Race, doesn't it.
By the way, am I alone in thinking, had the Spanish goalkeeper made that penalty save which Mary Earps pulled off, by going early and getting away with it, then the FA would have been consulting Owen Farrell's KC in an effort to get at least a retake. I reckon, even Willie Collum could have seen, Earps moved before the kick had been taken.
FINALLY, I have never been aware of any magical properties around Brendan Rodgers. To me, he is one of those managers who has been built-up way beyond his abilities, and I fear his second coming in the East End of Glasgow may be a damp squib.
So, I was not surprised when he came up with his reason for losing to Kilmarnock on Sunday – it was all down to the Rugby Park pitch. Listen wee man, good players can play and win on any pitch.
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