Just Like Old Times

BACK IN THE 1960s, in the years BS (Before Stein) – Rangers ruled the roost. But, it wasn't constant success. Back then, the guy who made the difference was Jim Baxter. I don't think any Scottish player has ever dominated the game up here the way the Slim One did.

However, I recall one season which began badly for Baxter. He was simply off form, to the extent, when the first Scotland team of the season was named, he was dropped. Baxter's lack of form also impacted on Rangers, to the extent, they too were struggling.

Any way, off the Scotland team went, to struggle in either Belfast or Cardiff, leaving Baxter to strut his stuff at Ibrox. Now, at the time, Baxter had formed a double act around the watering holes frequented by Glasgow's Beautiful People, with Paddy Crerand. This relationship did not go down too well with the grandfathers of today's Union Bears.

Saturday at Ibrox and an out of sorts Baxter is getting pelters from the terraces. Then, with Rangers struggling, everything changed: Eric Caldow took a throw-in to Baxter, who let the ball run across his body, before volleying a 60 yard crossfield pass to Willie Henderson, who hit the bye-line and crossed for Ralph Brand to knock-in the opening goal at the near post.

Suddenly, everything was sunshine again. Rangers won the game and went on to do a league and cup double – all was well with the world.

OK, there isn't a single member of the current Rangers squad fit to (to borrow that famous Guardian quote about George Best) “lace Baxter's drinks” but, a couple of wins, followed by a run of victories, and all those disgruntled Bears, calling for Derek McInnes' head, will become as silent as Trappist monks.

'Twas ever thus in the fevered world of the Old Firm. There is nothing wrong with this Rangers squad that dumping most of them and fielding fans on the park could not cure. The majority of this current Rangers squad are simply Not Rangers Class, it is time Derek McInnes recognised that fact and acted to sort it. Indeed, I got a thumbs up from a Buffs fan when, on Facebook on Sunday, I suggested Emmanuel Fernandez wasn't even Kilwinning Rangers' standard.

The above piece was written prior to Sunday by the way.

BACK AT THE START of this 21^st century, I had a conversation with Campbell Kennedy, the genial Barrhead Boy who has done so-much for the club during his years as St Mirren's Commercial Manager. The Buddies had just got back up to the top flight and I asked him what the Old Firm effect would be on his job.

Campbell said the odd thing about having a minimum four visits per season from the two big Glasgow clubs was that some regular users of corporate hospitality at the club deliberately avoided the visits of the Big Two. Apparently the toxic – atmosphere around the Old Firm “Glory Hunter” fans was enough to keep regulars away.

I could understand this. In a former life, when I was “the only neutral in Ayrshire” - covering Ayr United one week, Kilmarnock the next; part of my press box duties involved going down to the club offices pre-match and collecting the team sheets for the press box.

I recall one week, returning to the Rugby Park press box from the club office, being accosted by a couple of staunch representatives of Ra Peepul, demainding that I give them a team sheet. When I refused, since I only had enough to go round the working press, I was subjected to a stream of abuse – the entitlement of these people was off the scale.

I also know of regulars at St Mirren, Ayr United, Kilmarnock and other clubs who would quite happily take their sons and occasionally daughters to watch their local club, but, would, under no circumstances, take them when either one of The Bigot Brothers provided the opposition.

This has been happening for years, but neither the Scottish Professional Football League, The Scottish Football Association or the two clubs, has ever shown the least determination to do something about bringing the Big Two's considerable Lunatic Fringe to heel.

OK, I appreciate one of the games was on a Sunday, the other a Friday night, but, the last two attendances for Kilmarnock games at Rugby Park were:

1. League game v Celtic – 8,353

2. League Cup tie v Ayr United – 12,365

OK, the Ayrshire Derby was the first for four years, but, it was on a Friday night, both games were on television, yet if Celtic are the draw we are led to believe they are, you might have expected their game to have attracted the larger “gate” - instead, the visit of a team from a lower league brought-in a crowd some 50% greater than that attracted by the Champions of Scotland.

BACK IN THE DAY, when cup draws in Scotland were conducted by elected SFA officials in wood-panelled offices – Rangers and Celtic only ever met in cup finals.

Now some sceptical fiba writers put this down to the ball which represented Rangers' number was put into the wee velvet bag straight from a boiling kettle, while the Celtic ball went in, straight from the SFA freezer. Others reckoned the Rangers ball was square, the Celtic one was oval.

But, now the draws are conducted on live television, often by Z list “celebrities”, the old certainties no longer apply and the risk factor ensures that the Old Firm now clash before the finals - ah! The magic and uncertainty of all-in cup draws.

Now the League Cup is one Scottish competition where seeding is involved. So, why does this seeding not apply in the quarter-final draw? Suppose the seeding was decided by the league positions at the end of the previous season, then, Celtic would have been seeded one, Hearts two, Rangers three and so on.

Thus the four leading seeds would meet one of the other four clubs, the only issue to be drawn would be the venues. I have long favoured seeding cup draws, it perhaps gives the bigger clubs an advantage, but, it also throws up the chance of more cup upsets – but, this is perhaps too-sensible for Scottish fitba.

Still on the subject of the League Cup. Since this competition does not offer European competition as an incentive in winning it, how about a wee adjustment to the rules?

Why don't we decide, clubs have to observe “The eight diddies rule” and have eight Scotland-qualified players on the field at all times in League Cup ties. Mind you, one or two clubs would surely struggle to field a team if that rule applied.

The Scots - A Minority In Their Own Clubs

THE AULD ALLIANCE may have lang syne been consigned to history, but, there is still one French saying which applies to Scotland – and in particular to Scottish Football. That saying is: “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose”. That old chestnut, to my mind, surely applies to these tales of a crisis meeting involving the entire Scottish Football Family.

Because, I honestly don't see anything changing – unless the suggested changes benefit a certain two clubs based in Glasgow. Such is the power, in particular the economic and financial power wielded by Rangers and Celtic, they rule the roost and for as long as they vote together, they will have their way.

On Saturday and Sunday, there was a full six match programme of Premier Division games. These six games attracted a total of 99,624 fans – but, there were more fans: 50,893 inside Ibrox for Rangers clash with Hibernian, than at the other five matches combined. Indeed, only one other game, the Tynecastle meeting of Hearts and Dundee United, attracted a five-figure attendance.

Put it another way, 51% of the total top-flight attendance over the weekend were there to watch one half of the Old Firm, indeed, at 59,246, the combined attendance for the two games involving the Old Firm represented 59% of the total top division turn-out over the weekend.

With that level of economic leverage, no change will happen which in any way handicaps those two clubs; who, by voting together, can stymie any efforts to change the status quo.

One of the most-hyped suggestions around the new master plan to improve Scottish football is a suggestion that the clubs gradually phase-in a system whereby, more Scottish players are fielded by Scottish clubs. This blog has been preaching this for years, we have long championed the implementation of that Chick Young dubbed: “the eight diddies rule” - whereby each club would be obliged to field eight Scots every week.

That is, apparently, too far for the clubs. I have seen suggestions of a move towards each club having five Scots on the field at any one time, rising over two or three seasons to seven Scots. I'll believe it when I see it.

Last weekend, the 132 players who kicked-off the Premier Division fixtures, comprised:

Aberdeen – 5 nations represented

• 4 Scots

• 4 Englishmen

• 1 Australian

• 1 German

• 1 Nigerian

Celtic – 9 nations represented

• 2 Scots

• 2 USA

• 1 Fin

• 1 Canadian

• 1 Swede

• 1Colombian

• 1 South Korean

• 1 Belgian

• 1 Dane

Dundee – 3 nations represented

• 5 Englishmen

• 4 Scots

• 2 Welshmen

Dundee United – 8 nations represented

• 3 Australians

• 1 Englishman

• 1 Irishman

• 1 Northern Irishman

• 1 Dutchman

• 1 Croatian

• 1 New Zealander

• 1 Scotsman

Falkirk – 4 nations represented

• 6 Scots

• 3 Englishmen

• 1 Australian

• 1 Northern Irishman

Heart of Midlothian – 6 nations represented

• 4 Scots

• 2 Dutchmen

• 2 Frenchmen

• 1 Irishman

• 1 Albanian

• 1 Portugeuse

Hibernian – 8 nations represented

• 3 Scots

• 2 Englishmen

• 1 Austrian

• 1 Australian

• 1 Irishman

• 1 Togo

• 1 Uganda

• 1 Zambian

Kilmarnock – 7 nations represented

• 4 Englishmen

• 2 Scots

• 1 Estonian

• 1 D R Congo

• 1 New Zealander

• 1 Pole

• 1 Swede

Motherwell – 10 nations represented

• 2 Austrians

• 1 Australian

• 1 Canadian

• 1 Englishman

• 1 New Zealander

• 1 Nigerian

• 1 Scot

• 1 Swiss

• 1 Welshman

• 1 Zimbabwean

Rangers – 9 nations represented

• 2 Scots

• 2 Belgians

• 1 Australian

• 1 Croatian

• 1 Englishman

• 1 Japanese

• 1 Portugeuse

• 1 Serbian

• 1 South African

St Johnstone – 3 nations represented

• 6 Scots

• 4 Englishmen

• 1 Northern Irishman

St Mirren – 7 nations represented

• 4 Scots

• 2 Englishmen

• 1 Australian

• 1 Cypriot

• 1 Irishman

• 1 Spaniard

• 1 Welshman

The 12 clubs employed players in their starting Xis, from a total of 35 nations, and the breakdown was as follows: 39 Scotsmen; 27 Englishmen; 9 Australians; 4 Irishmen, 4 Welshmen; 3 Austrians; 3 Belgians; 3 Dutchmen; 3 New Zealanders; 3 Northern Irishmen; 2 Canadians; 2 Croatians; 2 Frenchmen; 2 Nigerians; 2 Swedes; 2 United States of America=.

There was one players from each of: Albania, Colombia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmkark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Home Scots formed the largest group, but they only comprised 29% of the players who started the six games. To be fair, home Scots formed the biggest group of starters, either on their own or jointly with players from another nation in 8 of the 12 starting line-ups, but only Falkirk and St Johnstone, who each fielded 6 Scots in their starting line-ups, had the home nation in the majority in their squads.

In a further indication of how much the clubs depend on non-Scots, Falkirk's Scott Bain was the only Scottish goalkeeper who was on-duty on Saturday.

Much of the conversation around getting game time for more Scottish players is concerned with providing opportunities for younger players. I feel this issue is being approached from the wrong direction – we should maybe be looking firstly to get game time for Scottish players of any age, before pro-actively promoting younger talent.

Another issue which has arisen of late is the call for a larger Premier Division; many people feel it ought to be increased to a 16-club league. This idea has merit, but, I would not stop there. However since this piece is now rapidly approaching the 1000-word ceiling I try to keep to, I will finish here, for the moment, and expand my ideas further in a follow-up piece.

 

Not The Big Start We Had Hoped For

THIS BLOG HAS consistently, over the past four or five years, held to the belief that – while it has been a factor in the club's lack of success – the fact the men making the big decisions at Ibrox have recruited some Head Coaches/Managers, call them what you like, who in all honestly couldn't manage a shite with the help of caster oil; the fact most of the players they have recruited simply were NRC - Not Rangers Class, has made their job even harder.

I believe Derek McInnes could, if given sufficient time, become a great Rangers' manager. He knows the club, he has built-up to this job and he is a fan in the dug-out. However, in spite of his tinkering with the squad, he is still handicapped by the fact, his squad continues to have places for several players who are simply NRC.

By the way, on the evidence of Friday night at Tannadice, I think that NRC tag refers to the new goalkeeper – he seems to be a level down from Jack Butland, who, for all his many excellent saves, lacked the consistency of a top tier Rangers 'keeper.

Rangers didn't lose, but, merely drawing at Dundee United is not the result the glory-hunters on the terraces are looking for. Honeymoons are short for Old Firm managers.

THE LATE Jim Blair “the Sundance Kid” is still much-missed by those of us who enjoyed his company in the press boxes of Scotland. I recall one of Jim's funniest pieces – a review of the thought processes of the Rangers team, pre-match, in the pre-Souness years. One of the funnier paragraphs had Davie Cooper wondering which version of Davie Cooper would turn-up that afternoon.

From memory, Rangers were playing Aberdeen that day. I suppose, some 45 or so years on, the version of that would have an Aberdeen player wondering what version of the Dons would turn-up for the game. In some ways, Aberdeen is the 21^st century version of Partick Thistle, you never know if they're going to turn up and score a big win, or totally embarrass themselves.

However, beating Hearts with a late winner was a good way to begin their league campaign. As for the Edinburgh side, I fear they may struggle for a week or so yet before they find their post-McInnes selves.

I HAVE a couple of sports-writing Buddies, to whom I have been forced to address: Keep the heid messages over the weekend. OK, it might only be for a day or so, but, having St Mirren top of the leagues has got them a wee bit excited. As I have said before, I enjoyed my spell covering the Buddies on a weekly basis and hope they can maintain a top six position all season.

HOWEVER, KILMARNOCK remains my team. I was not happy with their performance in losing a veritable seven-goal thriller at St Johnstone on Sunday.

The cry was, once again, No defenders as defensive frailty cost Killie dear. I might have to turn-up at training and kick Wee Doddsie's erse again. This was simply not good enough.

I am not happy at the fact, Killie had only one Scot in their starting line-up on Sunday. The best Kilmarnock teams have always had a central core of Ayrshire boys, time to get back to that.

WATCH MOTHERWELL; they followed-up a good midweek result in Europe with a win over Hibs in a game which included some good football from both sides. However, on the day, I felt the Steelmen were the more-impressive side.

FINALLY, CELTIC unfurled another title flag, before stumbling to a 1-0 win over a Dundee side which caused them a few problemson the night.

Although not as far off what you might call the club's acceptable standard of performance as their rivals across the city – this is a far from stellar Celtic squad. Of course, these are very-early days, but, one of the Diddy Teams could, if they get off to the right start and develop a bit of belief, make this season a three-horse race.

I just wish our clubs would be a bit more prepared to give native talent a shot. I fear, this could be a long, dreich campaign.

FINALLY – such is my disdain for the numpties who make the big SFA decisions in that sixth-floor corridor at Hampden, I can see 54 UEFA nations standing together, calling for a vote of no confidence in and demanding the removal of Infantino from his job at FIFA.

Meanwhile, standing alone, insisting the embattled Swiss should not be harshly judged and given another chance, we would find – The Scottish Football Association.