AH KENT HIS FAITHER – who I regularly chauffeured while part-time taxi-driving in Ayr, and always found to be a gentleman. I got to know the man himself while involved in Basketball in the early 1980s, and I once, memorably, was hauled over the coals verbally by some of the biggest names in the Scottish Football Writers Association, for calling him “David” after I addressed him as such when asking a question at a Rangers press conference. Apparently: “Mr Chairman” or “Mr Murray” were the accepted mode of address.

As I explained, he had been “David” when we were involved in Scottish Basketball meetings, or when socialising before or after games in that sport, so, I wasn't changing. Funnily enough, one of the leaders of the “A Team Gang” who was so-keen to put me in my place, was outed in Sir David Murray's autobiography 'Mettle' as the one major Scottish Football Writer he had never spoken to.

Mettle has been much-hyped by the publishers, Reach Sports. {Reach owns the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and most of Scotland's surviving local newspapers].

I binge read it after it was delivered on Saturday afternoon, I enjoyed it, it's a very-good read, but, in the end it left me a tad disappointed. David was not well served by his Book Editor, there are one or two factual errors which ought to have been spotted and rectified before publication, for instance.

Of course, the “hook” on which it was authorised was Murray's 23 years as owner of Rangers, but for me, the bits about his inter-action with the players and managers at Ibrox are the weakest sections – for all his obvious high regard for Walter Smith. Much-more interesting for me were his tales of his lengthy and successful business career and of the wheeling and dealing which he did in that part of his interesting life.

I can understand why he might wish to gloss over the accident which cost him both legs, and his recovery from this huge blow. But, I would loved to have read more about that and his time running Murray International Metals then Livingston Bulls Basketball Clubs. What he did for that club and for that sport, in the years before he bought Rangers, that is a story which deserved telling.

He also modestly plays down his other generous support of other amateur clubs, in hockey and volleyball for instance, plus some sponsorships in other areas.

I feel, some of the Basketball players he employed then, guys such as Alton Byrd, Bobby Archibald, Graeme Hill and Ian McLean, are as-interesting, if not more-so than Ally McCoist, Paul Gascoigne & Co. Indeed Byrd, regarded at the time as: “The best player in the world under six feet tall” was as big a star as anyone in the Ibrox dressing room.

Another two players, MIM and Multi-Metals' American Lewis Young and oor ain Jim “Tober” Morrison, who captained the Rangers Basketball team, could out-score Ally McCoist any day.

Then there was the tale of how David Holmes, Murray's predecessor as Rangers Chairman started a Rangers Basketball team, with a view to making the club a multi-sports one, like Barcelona and Real Madrid, then, when Murray bought Rangers, he found himself owning the two top teams in the British Basketball League.

As it is, the Basketball Years get barely three mentions, while the only hoops star to get a name-check was Alan Baillie – one of several to work in Murray's businesses and mentioned in that regard.

But, these caveats raised, it is a cracking book, well-worth reading and I commend it to the House.

ONE OF MY best mates, when I was “On the tools” and covering live Football matches was Graham Scott of the Evening Times/Herald. Graham made his reputation as THE Junior Football reporter with the Times, before, as he scaled down towards retirement, taking his particular brand of highly-competent football writing into the Senior ranks. He was always great company in the hurly-burly of the press box.

Graham was also, inadvertently, partly the cause of my lengthy ban from that wonderful pre-Junior Cup final lunch, after the odious Joe Black let Graham into the dressing room area and kept the rest of us outside, after one Junior Cup Final. I did not miss Mr Black and hit the wall when we did finally get in – after which, I became a non-person.

Any way, I reckon Graham could really get his teeth into a wee something I noticed this week, when my local paper: The Cumnock Chronicle, surprised us all by publishing a story which was worth reading – about the latest raft of changes that are afoot in what we are now obliged to call: “The Community Game.”

Apparently, at the end of the season which is about to start, there will be huge changes around Tiers Five and Six of the Scottish Football Pyramid, that's where the top “Senior Non-League” clubs; Highland and Lowland League teams and the former Junior sides such as Auchinleck Talbot play.

At the moment, Tier Five Lowland League clubs play in a single division, but, in season 2026-2027 there will be a change to form Lowland League East and Lowland League West, and, that's where things will become interesting. This will call for a larger number of teams to be promoted from Tier Six – The West of Scotland League. However, to be promoted, a club will have to be “licenced”, which calls for a certain level of infrastructure and club organisation, and not all the West of Scotland League clubs meet the licencing criteria.

So, we might see a team which doesn't meet the SFA's stringent requirements for promotion finishing above a club which does, and losing out on promotion to that other club – cue outraged fans shouting the odds.

Given some of these club officials could start an argument in an empty hoose, I don't envy the League officials such as my old mate John Dalton, the West of Scotland League Secretary, in trying to keep the peace, explain the changes and get them implemented.