We're Shite - But Refuse To Accept We Are

I HAVE been saying for long and weary – right now, both Rangers and Celtic are being represented by squads, the majority of which, across both clubs, are simply not good enough. To be fair, it looks as if Mr Clement, the new Rangers manager is making thing better at his club; across the city, the Celtic Family is maybe starting to realise, bringing back Brendan Rodgers wasn't such a great move. He never has been as good a manager as his media cheerleaders would have us believe.

And speaking of media cheerleaders, are our TV executives so afraid of having the knuckle-draggers on both sides besieging their stations that they simply have to invite former players turned fans to co-commentate? John Hartson was again embarrassing in making his excuses for Celtic.

I never once, whether covering a Scotland or a Hawick game, heard Bill McLaren say: “we”. If the greatest commentator ever could do unbiased neutrality – why cannot today's talking heads?

Post-match, Rodgers, when questioned by the media, suggested what the club requires is: “We need to add quality. That's the glaring thing that stands out.”

Well, I've got news for you Brendan. Quality costs and while the present custodians of the club may not be as tight-fisted as the various representatives of 'The Four Families' who ran the institution for so many years, there is no way they will give you the funds to buy players of the necessary quality – always assuming you could pay them enough to move to Glasgow and strut their stuff in the end-of-the-pier shit-show which is Scottish domestic football.

To be blunt, guys of the required quality would not be able to do it in Dingwall on a dreich Tuesday night. (no insult meant to the good people of Dingwall by the way).

What Celtic need to find is:

• A genuine Celtic-minded figurehead who believes in the Celtic Family being able to produce top-quality Scottish talent (a 21^st century, less-autocratic Sir Bob Kelly).

• A world-class Coach who could bring these kids through and motivate them to do it on the big stage – and not be distracted by players they were beating being paid more (a 21^st century Jock Stein).

The same scenario also holds true for The Other Lot by the way.

SPEAKING of whom; it's a tough issue to debate – whose European performance this week was worse, Celtic's in Rome or Rangers' at home? Given Celtic were playing a poor team from a good league while Rangers were facing a poor team from a poor league – in which case, you have to say Rangers' were marginally poorer than their city rivals.

While there can be little doubt, new Manager Philippe Clement has lifted things at the club since his arrival, he has a long way to go and, he is having to do it with a flawed squad. A few of the current squad are simply NRC – Not Rangers Class. He will clearly want to get rid of a few of the current squad and replace them with his own players, however, that costs, and you have to ask if the club is in a position to fund his ambitions in the short term.

For instance, against Aris Limassol, it was clear at least four of the players: Cantwell, Cifuentes, Lammers and Sima were having individual and collective nightmares – I still cannot figure out how Cifuentes managed to stay on the park for the duration.

In addition, one or two others were below par and, for a time, I honestly feared they would be caught on the break towards the end and lose a game they ought to have won by half-time.

However, they didn't lose, could still win the group and have been guaranteed European football after Christmas, although whether in the Europa League, or the lower level Europa Conference League – how they would love to have that to look forward to across the city.

It wasn't all negative on Thursday night. Young Ross McAusland, while still showing the odd touch of youthful naivety, was a revelation down the right, maybe Clement should take a look at the other youngsters around the club, and perhaps save some cash.

 

 

 

I SUPPOSE I will get into bother, and (again) be accused of focussing on The Old Firm, so, I am contractually obliged to mention Aberdeen and their game in Helsinki on Thursday night.

Kudos to the 1500 Dons supporters who made the trip, to see a cracking goal by the young defender Angus MacDonald lighten the gloom of another early exit from European football. But, when a top Scottish team cannot get past a Finnish side, questions have to be asked of our whole system, from top to bottom. 

IFAB – The International Football Associations Board maybe an anachronism, I mean, the very notion of Scotland having its own seat at a top table, but, it occasionally gets things right in its role as the custodian of The Laws of the Game.

There is much speculation this week that, at their annual meeting, due in Glasgow in March, IFAB will bring the Sin Bin into top flight football – although it is already being suggested, “The Greatest League in the World” will delay its implementation.

This follows trials further down the food chain and having seen how well the sin bin works in other sports, I'm all for it. Of course, how it works will depend on how firmly the referees implement it, but, if the men in black flash yellow cards with gay abandon, some games could well be largely five-a-side affairs.

Back in the day in the Ayrshire Juniors, Cumnock v Talbot or pretty-much anyone v Kilbirnie Ladeside would, I suggest, have developed into long shootie competitions between the two goalkeepers. The likes of the great Ian “Stinker” Dick and Boaby “Maxie” McCulloch would have had their own armchairs placed in the dug outs for their ten minute rests.

FINALLY – since they no longer do serious opinion pieces on fitba, our sinking mainstream media are going down the route of: “Who do we want?” speculation, in the build-up to tomorrow's draw for the European Championships, in Germany, in the Summer.

Naturally, they are hyping-up the less-cerebral platoons on the Tartan Army and their calls of: “Bring on the English.” Not for me, I don't want us anywhere near the noisy neighbours – until the final.

Beat them then, it will shut them up for ever. Anywhere else, to them, it will not count. Just one question, when we do gub them in the final, who “Does a Baxter” and plays a wee bit of keepie-uppie in the closing minutes? My money's going on John McGinn.