Oh Dear! Never Mind!

I HAD MY Rugby Union head on on Sunday. More fool me, I had convinced myself that, this year, at long last, we could beat Ireland, particularly with home advantage. Thus, I was a wee bit down when I learned, from the BBC News, that Rangers were trailing at home to Queen's Park.'

My immediate thought was: “If I switch channels quickly, I might catch the Rangers' penalty”, Kerrching, barely had I gturned over and there it was – given. OK, the only places in football where that award would ever be given are in the Opposition's penalty area at Ibrox and Celtic Park, and only then when the home team is losing deep into a game.

But, Justice was served when Calum Ferrie pulled off that save from James Tavernier; mind you, I was still surprised they didn't order a re-take.

So, that leaves us with the normal Monday morning game of guessing how much more the High Heid Yins at Ibrox will take, before they dispense with the services of Mr Clement, after all, Super Stevie G is in need of an other gig after losing his job in Saudi Arabia.

Might it just be that Rangers' finances are in such a dire state, they cannot afford to pay-off the Belgian and his staff, far less recruit a new management team?

Or might it be, that a run deep into the knock-out phase of the Europa League will save Clement's neck? Long odds, I know, but I can see all but the most-commited of Ra Peepul suddenly losing their desire to watch this current lot shame the jerseys, which are clearly far too heavy for some of them, from now until the summer.

At least, Liverpool losing at Plymouth saved Rangers from an even redder face on Sunday night. They ought to be thankful for small mercies.

I know this is 2025 and the game has changed, but, while my immediate thoughts on The Spiders' win were with one of my old Editors, Logan Taylor – a long time Hampden regular, or former Evening Times Sports Editor, David Stirling, whose commitment to the club included a spell on the committee and a time as Programme Editor. Guys like that deserved this result and I can honestly say, the most-civilised time I ever spent covering was football was reporting on a couple of home Queen's Park games – their followers, such as former top referee and SRU President Allan Hosie – set a really high bar for how to behave and support your team – I was a wee bit sad at the outcome.

Because, the two biggest Queen's Park heroes on the day: goal-scorer Seb Drozd and heroic goalkeeper Captain Calum Ferrie – despite that name - are both English. Nothing against either player, that's what Scottish football has become, a refuge for non-Scots who are not considered good enough for their own domestic leagues.

Here, off the top of my head is a team of former Queen's Parkers, who went on into the professional ranks and won full Scotland caps: Bobby Clark; Davie Holt, Andy Robertson, Ian McColl, Willie Woodburn, Bert McCann; George Herd, Simon Donnelly, Alex Ferguson, RS McColl, Alan Morton. OK, not perhaps an all-time great Scotland team, but, while I had to go back a fair way to include Bob McColl and Alan Morton, the list – and I didn't pick the likes of Jack Harkness, Ronnie Simpson, Jim Cruickshank, or any of the greats from the early days: Dr John Smith, Charles Campbell, Walter Arnott and so on, it shows, Hampden has always been a hot hatchery of talent. So it's sad to see non-Scots getting this bit of 21^st century glory.

Of course, the club was forced by circumstances to ditch its unique amateur personna, but, results such as Sunday's pull at the heart strings of us old fitba romantics.

I have written this before, and date I say it, I probably will again, but, until the SFA sorts itself out and imposes something like Chick Young's “Eight Diddies Rule” - so we are pro-actively encouraging Young Scottish talent, we will continue to be a footballing back-water.

I could even live with something akin to the North American system of Major and Minor Leagues, with the bigger clubs having franchise agreements with the smaller clubs, in the lesser leagues, to encourage young player development.

That way, for instance: Queen's Park might become an associate team to Rangers, bringing through younger players. Clyde could be doing the same job for Celtic, Spartans and Edinburgh City could be doing the same job for Hearts and Hibs; Cove Rangers for Aberdeen and Arbroath or Forfar for a combined City of Dundee team.

Weve got too-many unsustainable diddy teams playing in too-many unsustainable National leagues. Unless we change things, our game will continue to go down the stank.

We also need to level the playing field, but, we've known that for years, except the High Heid Yins, noses firmly in the feeding trough refuse to notice.

Private Frazer was right. We are all doomed. Or, to sample another classic TV sit-com, I hear these are selling well this week: