Some Hard Questions For The Guys Ruining Our Game

I WAS FACED with something of a crisis of choice at lunchtime on Saturday. Reviewing the possible television-watching choices for the afternoon, I had choices:

1. The Scottish Cup Final on BBC One Scotland

2. The FA Cup Final on STV

3. The Investec European Rugby Champions Cup Final on TNT Sport

In the end, I went with the Rugby – Leinster v Toulouse, two quality sides, with the added bonus of seeing the best contemporary player, Antoine Dupont of Toulouse weave his magic. It was an easy choice, I honestly cannot warm to Manchester City, they play too-perfect a game for me, while watching the present-day Manchester United, it's always a case of wondering which team will turn up – the rubbish one, or the half-decent one.

It was also a wise choice to go with the Rugby, as the two teams produced a cracking final, won, after extra time, by the French side.

I find I can no longer watch Old Firm games. The over-hyping of our domestic football media, who have, to a man, to try to sell us the lie that this is good football. The reality is, this was a piss-poor Celtic squad taking on a rank-rotten Rangers one.

If serious commentators, who had any knowledge of the history of both clubs were to sit down and come-up with the definitive Rangers and Celtic teams, the only player from the 2024 squads who would get into the conversation would be Rangers' goalkeeper Jack Butland. The overwhelming majority of the players on both side are simply neither Rangers nor Celtic Class.

I did watch the highlights. If these were the highlights, then God help us; the game was, to use that great past Rangers' fan Lex McLean's dismissive term: “Mince”.

These two clubs have, with the honourable exception of the long-suffering Geordies and Makems along the Tyne and Wear, the most-committed fans on these islands. Unfortunately these fanatics are being taken for a ride by club managements who don't give a toss for the body of the kirk.

Like our politicians today, they care only for themselves and keeping their snouts in the trough. They get away with this, because, the similartly, except less well-off troughers who run what Chick Young memorably tagged: “The Diddy Teams” - Scotland's other 40 so-called “Senior” clubs would rather let the Big Two do what they like and accept crumbs from their table, than use their numerical advantage to bring about the root and branch reforms which Scottish Football needs if it is ever to prosper.

The two clubs each listed 20-player squads for the final. Only ten of these listed players (25%) were Scottish. Celtic, the team which famously won the European Cup – when it was a Champions-only com petition , with a squad, all drawn from within 40 miles of their ground, had three Scots in their starting line-up and a further three on the bench.

Rangers, the club which has produced more full Scotland caps than any other, didn't have a single Scot in their starting line-up, and only four on the bench.

In all, the 40 players who suited-up for the game were drawn from 18 different countries. It is true, there were more Scots in the two squads than any other nation, but, only just; the breakdown by nation was:

• 10 Scotsmen

• 8 Englishmen

• 4 Japanese

• 2 Nigerians

• 2 Portugeuse

• 2 Republic of Ireland Irishmen

• 1 Belgian

• 1 Canadian

• 1 Dane

• 1 German

• 1 Honduran

• 1 Ivorian

• 1 Northern Irishman

• 1 Pole

• 1 Senegalese

• 1 Turk

• 1 American

• 1 Welshman

OK, you could argue, the fact so-many players from outwith Scotland are strutting their stuff in Scotland demonstrates the health and drawing power of our domestic game. I say this is pish, I reckon it merely shows the contempt the decision-makers at our two leading clubs have for Scottish talent.

Only four of the ten Scots in the two match-day squads actually got on the park: Celtic's Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor both played the entire 90-plus minutes, James Forrest played for 71 minutes while Scott Wright, the solitary Scot to get on the park for Rangers, played a mere 16 minutes or so.

So of the entire 1980 playing minutes (90 x 22) available, Scots contributed a mere 267 minutes – or 13.5%. The game was certainly played in Scotland, by two Scottish clubs, but, that statistic demonstrates how little Scottish content there was.

It isn't just the big two who are ignoring or under-valuing Scottish talent. In compiling this piece, I checked-out the websites of the 12 Premiership clubs who played in that league in the season just ended.

The 12 clubs listed a total of 293 “First Team” players. Of these only 117 – (40%) were Scottish. Only three clubs had a majority of Scots in the squads they listed:

• Kilmarnock – 12 Scots among 17 players - 71%

• Dundee – 12 Scots from 20 players – 60%

• Ross County – 16 Scots from 28 players - 57%

Figures for the other nine clubs are:

• Heart of Midlothian – 13 Scots from 29 players – 45%

• St Mirren – 9 Scots from 21 players – 43%

• Motherwell – 8 Scots from 19 players -42%

• St Johnstone – 12 Scots from 30 players – 40%

• Livingston – 7 Scots from 18 players – 39%

• Aberdeen – 10 Scots from 31 players – 32%

• Rangers – 7 Scots from 29 players – 24%

• Celtic – 6 Scots from 27 playeres – 22%

• Hibernian – 5 Scots from 24 players – 21%

In comparison with our clubs, the SFA is – as should be expected – much more wedded to picking Scotsmen. I have no problem with us making use of FIFA rules and tapping into the world-wide Caledonian Diaspora, by selecting players born outwith Scotland, to Scottish parents or grand-parents. Since at least 1603, or probably earlier, our brightest and best have left Scotland in search of greater opportunties, we would be daft to ignore this talent.

Stevie Clark recently named his provisional 28 man squad for next month's European Championships. This squad will be cut to 26 for the actual event. Of the 26 men chose only five were not born in Scotland, and again, only five were not developed by a Scottish club.

IF THE NATIONAL TEAM CAN BE 82% HOME-GROWN (born in Scotland, developed by a Scottish club) WHY ARE OUR CLUB SIDES BEING ALLOWED TO IMPORT NON-SCOTS, TO THE DETERIMENT OF HOME-GROWN TALENT?

In Rugby Union, in England's Gallagher Premiership and France's Top 14, the governing body insists on at least 70% of a 23-man match-day squad being English or French developed. That means at least 16 of the players suited-up for each game have to come through the official Academy system. Football had, for a time, in European games, what Chick Young dubbed: “the eight diddies rule” - this meant there had to be 11 Scots on the park at all times. That rule was another 70% one.

WHY NOT BRING BACK THE “EIGHT DIDDIES RULE” INTO OUR DOMESTIC GAME AND GIVE OUR YOUNGSTERS A CHANCE TO SHINE?

There are only ten of the Scotland squad playing with Scottish clubs (36%). Twelve of the 28 (43%) earned big-money moves out of Scotland – so, talent will still be recognised.

Perhaps, rather than paying agents fees etc to import cheap ready-made foreign players, our clubs should be improving their coaching and development departments, giving young Scots a chance and prospering when they move them on to bigger clubs in richer leagues.

OR, DOES THAT SOUND TOO-MUCH LIKE HARD WORK FOR THE GUYS RUNNING OUR GAME AND OUR CLUBS?

 

The Centenary Of One Of The Greatest

GORDON SMITH never played for either half of the Old Firm. Received wisdom has it, he seldom, if ever, when wearing a Scotland shirt, came close to replicating his best club form, but, when it comes to the argument about who was Scotland's greatest ever footballer – his name has to be in the conversation.

His escutcheon features international appearances and goals, League Championships won with three different clubs – none of which were Glasgow-based. He is widely held to be Hibernian's greatest-ever player, while his footballing immortality is assisted by his being the first name on the list: Smith, Johnstone, Reilly, Turnbull and Ormond – the roll-call of the Easter Road club's 'Famous Five' – the quintet against whom every Hibbee before or since – or indeed any club forward line - is measured. Their elan and goal-scoring lit-up the first half of the 1950s, a time in which, with Bill Struth's era at Rangers running out of steam and Celtic in comparative decline, arguably, Hibernian was the top team in Scotland.

Gordon was born 100 years ago today, in Montrose, Angus. He represented the Scotland Schoolboys team and, on leaving school, he began to play for Dundee North End, aged 16. These were war-time days but such was Smith's ability, he was selected for a Junior Scotland Select, to take-on a Hearts/Hibs Select in a midweek game to officially open Lochee Harp's Beechwood Park.

Gordon was a Hearts fan, and the chance to impress his heroes was one he intended to take – grabbing a hat-trick in the match. One Edinburgh newspaper claimed the next day that Hearts had signed the teenager, however, they had only offered him a trial game.

Hibernian boss Willie McCartney, however, arranged to meet Smith in Arbroath and persuaded him to sign for the Easter Road club, He collected his £10 signing-on fee, travelled down to the capital and scored a hat-trick, the first of his eventual 364 Hibs' goals, in a 5-3 Hibs' victory. This match was at Tynecastle and those Hearts' fans who saw either or both of these hat-tricks would have to wait nearly 20 years to see that particular Jambos' fan in maroon.

He failed his medical for military service, but played regularly for Hibs in war-time football, benefitting from having the likes of Matt Busby playing behind him, as the then nominally Liverpool player was posted to Edinburgh by war-time demands.

Gordon's first Scotland call-up came in a 'Victory' International against Wales, at Hampden, on 10 November, 1945, when he formed the right wing pairing with Rangers' Willie Waddell, the man with whom he would largely joust for the number seven Scotland shirt for the next decade.

The Scotland teams of that time were chosen by a Selection Committee; which meant a degree of 'horse trading' - “You nominate our goalkeeper and I'll put forward your centre-half”. There was also the alleged pro-Old Firm bias to contend with.

Between that first appearance together, in 1946 and Waddell's final cap in November, 1954, Scotland played 54 Victory or Full internationals; Waddell played in 21 of these, Smith in 9. The selectors chose a further 11 outside rights during this period, but of these players – who included Gordon's Famous Five team mates Bobby Johnstone and Lawrie Reilly, only one, Partick Thistle's John-Archie MacKenzie (9 caps) came close to matching Waddell's or Smith's number of caps in that position.

Gordon won the first of his eventual 19 full Scotland caps against Belgium, in a 2-2 Hampden draw in January, 1946; although, it was into the 21^st century before this game was re-designated as a full international.

Back then, Scotland players had to play against one of the other three Home Nations to be awarded an actual cap and Gordon got his first after a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland, at Hampden, in November, 1946. This was actually the first time Scotland had faced Northern Ireland, previously, since the first meeting in 1884, the men in green had simply been Ireland. Then in April, 1947, came Gordo's only appearance at Wembley, in a 1-1 draw.

Gordon's 19 caps were accumulated over 72 internationals, spanning 12 seasons. He won the majority in his club position of outside-right, but had one game for Scotland at cengtre forward, against France, in Paris, in 1948 and one outing, at outside-left, against England, at Hampden, in 1956. He only scored four goals for Scotland. Three of these came in successive games, against Yugoslavia, Austria and Hungary, during a close-season European tour in 1955; with his final Scotland goal coming, in his final cap, against Spain in the Bernabeau, in 1957.

He captained Scotland in the games against Austria – where he was subjected to some heavy fouling by the home team – and in the following game, against the mighty Hungarians, in Budapest, in 1955. Gordon took over the captaincy after George Young of Rangers was injured against the Yugoslavs, in Belgrade. With a goal in each of his games as skipper, he certainly led from the front.

With Hibs, he was in their three Scottish League-winning teams, in seasons 1947-48, 1950-51 and 1951-52 – when he was Club Captain. He also played in the Hibs' team that won the Southern League Cup in 1943-44 and was a losing finalist in the 1946-47 Scottish Cup, when Hibs lost to Aberdeen. Injury kept him out of the Hibs team which lost to Clyde in the 1958 Scottish Cup Final.

When Sports Writer Rex Kingsley of the Sunday Mail inaugurated the Scottish Footballer of the Year award in 1951, Gordon was the first winner. This award was the predecessor to the official Scottish Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award.

His later years with Hibs were beset with injury problems. He was, however, in the Hibs squad which contesed the inaugural European Cup tournament in 1955-56, when they reached the semi-finals, and lost to French side Rheims.

He was then troubled by a niggling ankle injury, in fact, he paid for the operation which cured the problem, however, Hibs decided, after 17 years, 636 games and those 364 goals, to release him.

But, Smith felt he still had something to offer and finally, after all these years, he joined Hearts, where he helped them to a League and League Cup double in 1960. I remember seeing him play for Hearts that season, against Kilmarnock, in a Scottish Cup tie which went to a replay, before Kilmarnock won.

In that second game, on a dreich, rain-drenched night at Rugby Park, Smith's class and balance stood out. I was delighted that Kilmarnock won, but, Smith and John Cummings for the losers, did not deserve to be beaten that night,

By now, Smith was closer to 40 than 30, it was time to return to his roots, and back he went to Tayside, to join Dundee.

It is said that that Dundee team he played in was just about the best pure footballing team in Scottish history. With them he won another League title, his fifth – uniquely all won without playing for either half of the Old Firm.

The team, assembled by a great manager - “The Other Shankly” - Bob rather than Wullie, oozed class, Alex Hamilton, Ian Ure, Andy Penman, Alan Gilzean and Hugh Robertson, plus of course Smith, were all full Scottish internationalists. Goalkeeper Bert Slater, who joined at the end of the title-winning season, wing half Bobby Wishart and centre forward Alan Cousin played for the Scottish League XI – which was almost as good as a full cap back then, while the non-recognition of skipper Bobby Cox continues to be one of the great oversights in Scottish football's sorry history of great players for one of the so-called “diddy teams” missing-out on caps to often lesser players from one or other of the two Glasgow giants.

With Dundee, there was another run to the European Cup semi-final, before he ran down his career with Drumcondra in the League of Ireland.

Gordon Smith had star quality. At a time when most footballers travelled to training by bus or train, he drove a Porsche. Handsome and urbane, he holidayed on the French Riviera, where he was friends with the rich and famous. He wore top quality clothing and was always immaculately dressed.

Sadly, like so many of his contemporaries, Gordon Smith's final years were blighted by dementia. Lawrie Reilly once admitted, visiting Gordon in his North Berwick nursing home, he had to confirm to his old team mate that, yes, he had played football for Hibernian – Gordon had no memory of his glory days.

He was, since they were announced alphabetically, the 17^th person inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame – one of the inaugural 20 inductees in 2004. The previous year, he had been inducted into the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame. Naturally enough, he was an inaugural inductee into the Hibernian Hall of Fame and he is also in the Dundee HoF.

Gordon Smith died in his 81^st year, but, his legend lives on – the Gay Gordon truly was one of the all-time greats of Scottish football and sport. Today, on the occasion of his centenary, we should remember him.

 

I Have A Severe Case Of The Dry Boak

TO PUT the 2023-24 Scottish football title race into commercial terms – Team Tesco just held off Team Aldi to take the crown, while Poundstretcher and the other market stall teams were far behind and off the pace.

Another view might be, a poor Celtic squad still had sufficent players of genuine Celtic Class, to get the job done ahead of a really-poor Rangers squad of whom only one – outstanding goalkeeper Jack Butland could be said to be anywhere close to Rangers Class.

The “Diddy Teams” – don't make me laugh; they offer no-more of a challenge to the Big Two than spear-wielding natives did to the guns of the advancing British Armies in the days of Empire. Sure, they will grab the odd victory, but, in the long run, might and money will prevail and the bigger guns will win the war.

In truth, it's hardly worth bothering about Scottish Football these days. It is a failed product, happy to continue failing. Present-day football economics mean, I doubt if we will ever again see any names othr than Rangers and Celtic on the League Championship trophy. I also fear for the future of Scotland's international team, for the same reason.

What, I wonder, is the use of whoever is running one of the “Diddy Teams” putting together a Jim McLean-style youth development programme. Suppose some club decided to go down that route and put the necessary club structure in place.

As soon as they finally got a squad of talented young Scots together, capable of offering a genuine challenge to the Big Two, those to clubs, in concert with English Championship or Premiership clubs would asset-strip the upstarts and entice away their better player, leaving the diddy club having to begin another long-term rebuilding project.

No, better to bring-in loanees and cheap acquisition from the Aldi and Lidl end of the fitba supermarket. You will, occasionally, catch either one of the Bigot Brothers on a bad day and reach the odd cup final. You might even then, catch the other one, also on a bad day, and lift some silverware, but, then the asset-stripping will be on and off you go again on football's version of snakes and ladders.

The Big Two will not change; currently it suits the other diddy teams in the top flight to not rock the boat either, so, the necessary changes will not happen any time soon. That will not alter the realities:

• Scottish Football is in a mess

• We are going backwards

• Fans are losing interest

• The game's High Heid Yins are not interested in change

• Private Frazer was right

Ach! It wid gie ye the boak.

MEANWHILE – Glasgow City Centre was a disaster zone at the weekend, after the Celtic Family celebrated their title win. Now, this is not a cheap go at Celtic and their fans for their over the top celebration. Fine Ah ken, had it been the other lot celebrating, things would have been just as bad – indeed, given both clubs have a considerable following whose IQ doesn't even meet their shoe size, I dare say the other lot will take it as a challenge, to cause even-more carnage than Celtic's fans did, when they next lift the title.

“We are the people” is a slogan which Rangers' fans have shouted loudly and proudly for well over a century. It comes, too-often with a swagger, as their massed ranks march down the highway, extending their favourite quasi-religious cult's summer “Marching Season” into the winter. The weekend's disturbances in Glasgow appears to be an increasingly militant Celtic following saying: “Anything they can do, we can do too.”

You feel for the harrassed and under-manned constabulary, trying to maintain public order, and for the over-worked Council employees, charged with clearing-up after them – not to mention the shopkeepers who find their premises vandalised.

The clubs will do nothing. They will quite happily sell the merchandise, put up the ticket prices. Accept the loyalty, but do nothing when the fans' behaviour gets out of hand. And the SFA, they are scared shitless to attempt to bring the bullies into line.

And our politicians – maybe if the fans were a bit more “anti-woke”, they might do something, otherwise, ignore them until there is a good media opportunity.

Again - Ach! It wid gie ye the boak.

I GAVE UP on the Scottish Football Hall of Fame a long time ago. Apparently the primary qualification for a place on the committee which decides who does and does not get in is that you be a hack football writer who is a member of either: 'The Lap-Top Loyal' or 'The Celtic Family'. True legends from the real glory days, when Scotland was a world football power are still outside the ranks of HoF indictees, while several little-more-than-average Old Firm players are in there – but, that's Scottish Fitba.

Sure, they have found a place for several of our special ladies of football. Rose Reilly and Julie Fleeting for instance are deservedly in there, but, you will look in vain for a representative of Junior Football – that community level of the game which means so-much to so-many in towns and villages across the country.

That there is as yet no place for Willie Knox of Auchinleck Talbot, or anyone from the legendary Cambuslang Rangers team, which ruled the junior roost before Talbot is a statement of the narrow range of interest in the people around the HoF.

Equally worthy of censure is their failure to recognise more than a handful of the past giants – for instance, that the likes of 1928 Wembley Wizards skipper Jimmy McMullan, and hat-trick hero Alec Jackson are still not inside the HoF is a permanent plook on the face of the membership.

Maybe if they removed one or two of the LTL members, and consulted the likes of Andy Mitchell, Scotland's leading sports historian, or evden gave me a call to seek one or two names, the membership of the HoF might be that bit more representative.

If they ever do get around to inducting representatives from the Juniors, one guy who ought to be a shoo-in for induction is current Talbot Honcho Tucker Sloan. His winning record at Beechwood Park eclipses even Knox's stellar record.

Talbot will not be in this season's Scottish Junior Cup Final, having lost to Darvel in the semi-final. They only finished second in the West of Scotland League, which was not a bad finish, given they were in the relegation zone for long enough.

But Tucker was conducting a root and branch overhaul of an ageing squad, letting several legends leave and feeding-in newcomers to the special demands of playing for Talbot.

By his and his club's standards, season 2023-24 was disappointing, but, I suspect, they will be back with a bang next season.

So too, with a slightly-quieter bang, will be my wee team: Lugar Boswell Thistle, who came with a late run to grab promotion out of Division Four of that same West of Scotland League. Onwards and upwards is the cry from the small but committed support behind The Jaggy Bunnets.