That Cameo Was More Vital Spark Than Showboat

NATHANIEL Oduwa is flavour of the day this Monday morning as far as the MSM is concerned; with more than a few column inches being taken up by comment on his "showboating" during the RTA's 5-1 defeat of Alloa Athletic yesterday.

 

That his outrageous flick over the unfortunate Alloa defender should be the cause of such a minor stooshie simply shows the paucity of opinion-forming in today's media. OK, the move was cheeky in the extreme. However, it did demonstrate the young man from Spurs, currently on-loan to the RTA has a guid conceit o' himsel' and no lack of belief in his own ability.

 

But, the fact is - he didn't quite pull it off, inasmuch as he didn't get away from his marker and go on to set-up a goal-scoring chance for his team. This sort of play may well be a piss-take; it might be perceived as demeaning and showing a lack of regard for his opponents. It might equally be seen as an example of an outrageous talent - but, it didn't totally come off, and as such, more work is clearly required.

 

This Old Fart wonders what might have become of him in the old days of square-rigged, Clyde-built Scottish full-backs, with legs like those on a full-sized billiard table, two-day's growth, halitosis and perhaps a centre parting.

 

Such creatures would occasionally allow a winger to get past them; equally rarely they would let the ball get past them; but, only once in a blue moon did man and ball get beyond them together. In such cases, the winger, particularly if he was a callow youth would be told in no uncertain terms: if he wanted to walk out of the ground at the end of the game - he should cease such outrageous behaviour forthwith.

 

It was the ability to accept such threats and continue to show-off their skills which separated the likes of Willie Henderson, Jimmy Johnstone and Davie Cooper from the rest. Master Oduwa would do well to learn, it is against the performances and entertainment produced by the likes of Wee Willie, Coop, Brian Laudrup, Davie Wilson and Bud Johnston that his term - however long it lasts - at Ibrox will be judged.

 

He made a good start on Saturday, during his late in the game cameo, but, he has to show more.

 

 

 

ODUWA'S cameo has taken some of the focus away from Celtic gazumping the RTA to take Scott Allan to Celtic Park, from under the noses of the RTA. This wasn't quite a Mo Johnson II moment, but, it gave the Celtic family something to smile about.

 

By the way, Master Allan, as a "self-confessed Rangers fan" is not the first Celtic player to merit that description. I personally know a couple of Ra Peepul, who wore the hoops with pride and distinction. These guys are professional, watching Rangers, or even the RTA, may be fun, but, playing for Celtic pays the wages - which comes first.

 

I honestly thought the Ibrox club would get their man, but, I am still judging by the standards of "real Rangers". Clearly these do not apply for the Rangers Tribute Act. We should also applaud the determination of Leeanne Dempster, NOT to sell a prime asset to her club's biggest rivals in the Championship.

 

Given selling to the RTA would, regardless of the compensation, have hurt Hibs this season far more than selling him to Celtic would, the decision to turn down the RTA's offer, but accept Celtic's was a no-brainer.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes - Shit Happens

LAST things first; if last night at Rugby Park, it had been a case of Kilmarnock leading 2-1, with less than two minutes to play, and Celtic had got that penalty - I would not have been at all surprised. We know such decisions in favour of either one of the Bigot brothers have been made in Scottish football for over 100 years. Nothing to see here, move along.

But, when Crawford Allan pointed to the spot, I was gob-smacked. Quite honestly, I didn't think it was a penalty; but, as a Killie fan who has endured over 50-years of such decisions going against us - "Dancer"!!

 

I remember, at one stage, when I was covering Killie at Rugby Park on a regular basis - the incumbent press box "Stato" informed the rest of us: Kilmarnock hadn't been awarded a penalty at home for some ten years. So, I definitely, gratefully and happily accepted last night's award - but still expected Kallum Higginbotham to miss the gift.

Of course, some this morning are using last night's dropped point as a stick with which to beat John Collins for his widely-reported comments of a few days ago. This reminded me of a now senior member of the Scottish Sun's Sports Desk team recalling his first casual shift on that desk - as he set out to prove himself worthy of a permanent berth there.

This was in the days of Steve Wolstencroft, the legendary "Mad Geordie" who broke some of the biggest stories in the history of Scottish Sport, back in the Kinning Park days.

Anyway, my mate admits - he had only just kept pace with the rest on his first shift, which covered a midweek match night. They had got first and second editions away, then, mindful of the fact Rangers had lost at Aberdeen, Steve whipped out a blank back page page-planner and asked (in his broad Geordie accent): "Haway lads, now, who do we crucify"?

My mate said, the next half hour was a blur as the previous back page was ditched and the entire Rangers team were hung-out to dry. Times have changed, but, how I long to see what the Mad Geordie would have made of last night's gift, to have a go at poor wee John.

In truth, on another night, Celtic might have won by about six goals - they were so-far ahead of Killie. The match, apart from the result, was further proof of the truth of Collins's assertions. The trouble is, in football, as in life - sometimes Shit Happens!!

For Celtic, it did last night.

Celtic dropping that unexpected point was, however, good news for Hearts, who now sit atop the table. I think this will have surprised even Robbie Neilson, but, it is terrific news for everyone connected with the club.

It will be interesting to see how long the reigning Championship Champions can hold onto top spot. For the sake of this season - the longer the better.

 

 

John Collins Is Right - Live With It

IF I was John Collins - I would be wondering why I bother. In his long and distinguished career, JC was one of the few Scottish internationalists to make an impact outwith the United Kingdom.

 

He could well have settled in Monaco, where he had a successful playing spell; he might have gained a managerial or coaching role in England, after his spells with Everton and Fulham, but, no, he came back to Scotland - to lead Hibs to one of the great League Cup wins, before the players rebelled at his methods.

 

JC then had a wee spell in the media, before he did a good job as a Head Coach in Belgium, then a less-praised one at Livingston, before taking up his current role as Number Two to Ronnie Deila at Celtic.

 

Collins's career to date, as a 50-times capped Scotland internationalist player and a successful coach and manager, should mean, when he speaks, people listen and pay attention. However, his much-commented on interview last week, has brought a tsunami of disapproval down on him.

 

I reckon its the old Scottish lack of respect for one of oor ain who has done well - the "Ah kent his faither" syndrome. You know, I agree with what Collins said, and cannot understand why his comments have generated such heat.

 

This current Celtic squad is, by the club's high standards, a pretty average one. All things being equal, I would expect the Lisbon Lions to be able to give the current Celtic squad two goals of a start and a beating.

 

But, this current squad has far-less bother in winning the League than the Lions ever had. Rangers won practically nothing during Jock Stein's tenure as Celtic manager, but, they kept the pressure on their greatest rivals during this spell.

 

And, when Rangers had a bad season, Celtic had Eddie Turnbull's Hibs "Terrors" and Aberdeen taking-up the challenge of pushing the Champions all the way.

 

I decided to check-out the distances by which Celtic's nine titles were won; back then, it was in an 18-club league, two points for a win, one for a draw, so, to make the comparison fairer, I recalculated their points tally at three points for a win. This produced the following figures:

Celtic's nine-in-a-row League titles between 1966 and 1974 were won by 4-5-4-7-20-3-13-1-and 7 points. Only twice, in 1970 (20 points clear) and 1972 (13 points clear), did their final margin of victory get into double figures.

Rangers nine-in-a-row League titles between 1989 and 1997, in comparison, were won by 14-10-4-15-15-8-15-4-and 5 points. Only four of these wins were accomplished by a margin in single figures. During this spell too, Aberdeen finished runners-up five times, Hearts and Motherwell once each and Celtic twice.

Six of Rangers' nine wins were in a ten-club league, the other three in a 12-club league.

Celtic's four-in-a-row run to date has seen their winning margin being 10 points in 2011-12 (before Rangers' 10-point deduction is taken into consideration), 16 points in 2012-13, 29 points in 2013-14 and 17 points last season.

The nine-time Champions Celtic teams of the Jock Stein era won an average 73% of the available points - and were on average, 6% better than the opposition.

 

The nine-time Champions Rangers teams of the 1990s also won an average of 73% of the available points - and were on average 9% better than the opposition.

The current Celtic run, chasing a fifth straight title, has seen the club win an average of 80% of the available points - Celtic have been, on average, 16% better than the opposition.

 

Both the Stein squads and the squad over the past four seasons, played 38 league games per season. So, the figures back-up Collins's assertion - his team is not being adequately pushed in domestic games.

 

Those other managers who have rushed to disagree with  Collins are, basically talking shite.

 

Hopefully, they will realise the error of their thoughts, and get down to providing a meaningful challenge to the Champions, to better prepare Celtic for the Champions League, their own clubs for the Europa League and give us the better competition Scottish football so obviously needs.

 

 

Pwoud, Ah'll Gie Ye Pwoud!

MUCH as I hate to disagree with a good Paisley Buddie, I feel Derek McInnes was talking mince when he said he was proud of his Aberdeen team's European bid, which ended at Pittodrie last night.

 

I fear SAF would not have been "Pwoud, very pwoud" had his Aberdeen side tumbled out of Europe so-early in the season, to a definite "diddy" team from a "diddy" country.

 

OK, I have often said, we Scots perhaps have too-guid a conceit o' oorsels when it comes to fitba, but, Aberdeen had a higher Europan co-efficient than the team from Kazakhstan who eliminated them; Scotland has a higher club co-efficient than does the former Soviet republic from so far away, while Scotland has a higher international co-efficient than Kazakhstan. So, by these simple statistics - to lose to a team from Kazakhstan was NOT a performance to be proud of.

 

Once again, Celtic is left to carry the saltire in Europe. At least, they got a wee bit of a break with the draw for the Champions League play-off round, when they were paired with Malmo.

 

No Swedish team is ever easy to beat, but, it's not as if Celtic will have to make another lengthy trek to the other end of the continent. This one will be close, it will be hard, but, Celtic are capable of beating the Swedes.

 

And, it's a nice wee earner, potentially, for former Malmo player Robert Pritz, who will surely be dragged out to speak at length on the tie - given that getting an Old Firm old boy to speak on such occasions is the default position of the Scottish fitba media.

 

Of course, this being Celtic,  "The Magnificent Seven" will surely have his peace and sanity tested between now and the tie, by sycophants anxious to hear his views on Scottish-Swedish football relations.

 

 

 

PARDON me if I cannot get excited about BDO's latest look at football finances. The current model of Scottish football management, at SFA and SPFL level doesn't work - but, I don't see a willingness to change things being evident any time soon.

 

We will just, as we have always done, stumble along, from crisis to crisis, with our football product reflecting lack of investment, lack of imagination and an unwillingness to rock the boat of self-interest.

 

Doomed we are, doomed ah tell ye.

 

 

 

IN the course of researching what I hope will be a new book, I have been trawling through football match reports from 60-years ago. What a pleasure this is. We get all the necessary information, without the hysteria of today, and, mercifully, the writers back then were allowed to have their own opinions, rather than simply parroting the opinions of the managers and players.

 

Quotes from over-rated coaches and players were also, mercifully, nowhere to be seen. Aye simpler times, and, I think, the fitba was better.

 

Mind you, some things never change. One issue of the local paper, which I was looking through last week, had a report of a West of Scotland Junior FA disciplinary meeting, at which a local junior team's linesman was banned for a month, after it was found that, in site of his denials, he had indeed: "Advanced menacingly towards the referee, taking off his coat in the process and threatening the official". 

 

The linesman, one of my father's drivers, denied the charge. I was at the game, about 20-yards from the incident - you bet he acted as charged, I saw it all.

 

 

 

Mind you, the best bit of bare-faced lying I ever heard at a junior disciplinary meeting was by the Cumnock Juniors official who denied a charge of hitting an Auchinleck Talbot player over the head with a corner flag. 

 

Said official - who never got to be Cumnock president, because (amazingly) he could never win the Cumnock Village Idiot of the Year competition: first prize (allegedly), to be Cumnock Juniors president for a year - had claimed he had been holding the corner flag horizontally, and trying to edge the Talbot player and one or two others away from the club-house entrance at the end of a typically tousy Cumnock v Talbot game.

 

This outrageous claim was, however, undone by the match referee, who told the disciplinary hearing: "I felt the wind from the flag stick, whizzing past my nose, as the Cumnock official brought it down in an overhead motion to connect with the Talbot player's head".

 

Cumnock were duly fined £100 for the official's misconduct. Mind you, the consensus within the meeting was - he hadn't hit that particular Talbot player hard enough!!! I have to agree. Nae names, but, in the litany of wee, narky, annoying nyaffs in fitba, this Talbot guy was right at the top of the list.

 

 

 

TO return to long-ago incidents. In the course of my research I read an old report in which the go-ahead goal in a Scottish Junior Cup quarter-final was described as having been "prodded home".

 

Aye right. I was right behind the goal when the scorer shot, from about three-yards. It was the most amazing "erse-hole winder", the ball nearly burst the net and I was convinced it would come through the rigging and hit me in the face.

 

If that was a "prod", I'd hate to see a fierce shot.

 

 

 

 

Celtic Show Their Class To Advance

WELL DONE Celtic. They thoroughly deserved to advance to the play-off round of the Champions League, with a dominant performance in Baku.

Qarabag tended to play what good football they did too far from Craig Gordon, who was required to make very few saves worthy of the name and they never pressurised the Celtic defence, as, for instance, a Celtic team, requiring to overturn a one-goal first leg deficit at Celtic Park would have. Long before the end, you couldn't see Celtic conceding a goal, since Qarabag made so few chances.

Celtic will now have a seeding in the next round, and, with the right draw, why shouldn't they reach the group stages of Europe's premier club competition?

Just one wee criticism. How come Chris Sutton keeps getting these European gigs? He adds nothing of note to the commentary.  I always thought of him as a very-over-rated player, but, as a pundit - he is even more over-rated.

Sutton belongs to that genre of Old Firm old boys, whose belief when in the commentary box is: my team, right and never wrong.  



SOME people regard Cristiano Ronaldo, or CR7 as he is known, as a total tosser, the narcissist's narcissist. Maybes aye - maybes naw; but, wonderful player though he is, he clearly loves himself.

Well, there's a wee video clip came up on my BT internet home page today, of CR7, wearing a false beard and glasses, and with a "fat suit" on under his outer clothing, doing a spot of begging in the main square in Madrid. he tries and fails to interest passers-by in his ball control skills; gets the brush-off when he tries to chat-up passing girls, until, finally, a teenaged boy joins in with him.

He then signs the ball, hands it to the boy and removes the disguise. The look on the kid's face when he realises who he has been playing with is priceless. Then, the adult passers-by realise CR7 is in their midst - cue chaos.

It is a very uplifting clip, well done CR7, it made me smile.



SO, the dear old "Harry Wraggs" - or Partick Thistle to the younger football fans - have signed a Pogba - Mathias, one of Paul's of Juventus' brothers. Good luck to the lad, and of course to Thistle. Like a lot of folk in fitba, I have a soft spot for the Maryhill Magyrs.

However, over the years, we Killie fans used to laugh at how various Rugby Park management teams would make the same mistake - by signing a good player's useless brother. Killie have a long track record in this respect, indeed, I can still recall one edition of the Killie fanzine Paper Roses which actually listed these recruits.

I hope Mathias Pogba does well at Firhill, and I think he will - Alan Archibald has never struck me as anything but a very-promising young manager.

Speaking of Paul Pogba. I remember him, as a 17-year-old, stunning Somerset Park withhis quality, in a young Manchester United team which played Ayr United in a pre-season game. It was immediately obvious - we were in the presence of a very-special talent.

If Mathias is anything like his brother, he will soon be a legend around Firhill, where the Jags' fans just love players who are a wee bit different.



GOOD Luck to young Matt Gould, son of ex-Celtic and Scotland back stop Jonathan, grandson of former Wales manager Bobby; who has just signed for Livingston.

I still find it funny that Bobby Gould's son and grandson both became 'keepers. As an old-fashioned "battering ram" type English centre forward. Bobby Gould had a reputation for "rummeling-up" goalies.

Until that is, the day he met my cousin Allan. Allan was (in my book) the best goalkeeer never to play for Scotland. He got into a couple of Scotland squads, when playing for a very-unfashionable English club, but, never got to wear the thistle.

One day, at Coventry, he went in at half-time covered in bruises, from Bobby Gould going through him on at least three occasions. Suitably annoyed, Allan had a quiet word with the referee, about what he was going to do to give hi some protection from Gould's fouls.

The answer was nothing, so, after Gould had fouled him early in the second-half, Allan told the referee, if he didn't sort Gould out - he, Alan, would.

A couple of minutes later, Gould fouled Allan, forcing him to concede a corner; no reaction from the official. Over came the corner, up went Gould, alongside Allan, who flattened him with one punch.

Loud blast of the whistle. Allan immediately took off his jersey, gave the referee his name and took the long walk.

The case came up before the FA beaks. Allan asked for a personal hearing, at which he got the referee to confirm that he had twice complained about being fouled by Gould, and that the official had done nothing. He further got the referee to confirm Allan had said, if the referee didn't "sort-out" Gould - Allan would.

He got off with a severe censure, no suspension. The moral of this story is - don't mess with goalkeepers from Springburn, who learned their trade with Petershill in the Central Junior League. 



 

League Cup Groups Yes - But - Use It To Encourage Young Scottish Players

GLASGOW Warriors are currently preparing to defend the Guinness Pro12 League title which they won last season. But, with 22 players away with Scotland's extended squad, preparing for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup, and a handful of other players also away, preparing for the same event with other nations, roughly half their squad is missing.

 

In spite of this, Warriors will kick-off their league defence in September on-time. Warriors have earned a high European ranking - higher (albeit in a less-crowded field) than Celtic, but, this does not earn them any deference in their league.

 

The Pro12 kicks-off on the first weekend in September and, World Cup preparations or no World Cup preparations, Warriors will be there.

 

To cover their squad shortages, Gregor Townsend and his coaches have temporarily recruited some players from our leading BT Premiership clubs on short-term contracts. Now, I appreciate rugby's registration process differs from football's and some of the guys called-up are aligned to Warriors - training with the club during the week, but turning-out for the likes of Ayr and Glasgow Hawks on a Saturday, but, couldn't football have a similar system.

 

I refer to Warriors' situation here, because I noted some talk about reinstating the old group stage format to the League Cup, perhaps as early as next season. However, it is being suggested that Scotland's European representatives be exempt from this stage of the tournament.

 

I say, forget this. If Scotland's most-successful professional sports team can carry-on minus half its squad, why cannot our football clubs, whose European record this past decade has hardly been brilliant.

 

The League Cup is, I admit, something of a problem child in Scottish football. For a start, winning it means little, since success does not carry the kudos of a European place. Thus, the SPFL, who run the thing, could afford to experiment a little.

 

Old fart that I am, I would love to see the group stage return, but, why not take a leaf from Scottish cricket for instance and declare it to be a development tournament, no non-Scottish players allowed, and make the clubs field squads in which every player was Scotland-qualified.

 

That way the fans, particularly of the Premiership teams, would be able to see what home-grown talent we had coming through. It might level the playing field and the League Cup could, as it did in its early days, produce one or two shock winners.

 

 

 

I WAS delighted to see this week, my former protege Ian King, lately Head of Sport at the Scottish Sun, has a new job, as Chief Executive of Airdrieonians. I don't think wee Jim Traynor will be too-happy about that.

 

I mean, Level Five is all right, but, Kingie is now surely at Level Seven or Eight at Hampden, you know, where the Corridors of Football Power are; as he represents the Diamonds at football meetings.

 

As I wish Kingie well in his new role, one wee question - who takes over as Right Worthy Master of the Lap-Top Loyal?

 

 

 

 

Another Legend Has Passed

THE death of Sammy Cox, who has passed away in a nursing home in his adopted Stratford, Ontario, Canada, cast something of a pall over our big week-end of the first Premiership games.

 

At the time of his death, Sammy was the second-oldest living Scotland internationalist, the oldest former Scotland captain and a memorial to "Real Rangers", the Bill Struth-managed club which dominated Scottish football. He was one half of one of the greatest Scotland full-back partnerships; he and big Geordie Young played at 2 and 3 for Scotland in 23 internationals, with Scotland winning 15 of these games - now that's a record today's internationalists would be proud to have.

 

If he was a Rangers legend, Sammy, from Darvel, also played as a youngster with Queen's Park, Third Lanark and Dundee and saw war-time service with the Gordon Highlanders. He completed his active career in Scotland with East Fife and I have a journalist friend, an East Fife fanatic, whose father is an avowed Cox fan, from his two-year spell there after he left Rangers.

 

One of the legendary -  Brown; Young and Shaw; McColl, Woodburn and Cox "Iron Curtain" defence of the 1949 Treble-winning Rangers team, Sammy Cox was a truly great Scotland player. He has now been released from the living hell of Alzheimer's - my thoughts are with his family.

 

 

 

COX is gone, but, Scottish Football carries on. It would be foolish to try to read too-much into Saturday's results, but, IF Dundee can build on Saturay's terrific win at Rugby Park, IF Aberdeen can keep progressing, and IF we get a few more hum-dingers such as Sunday's seven-goal thriller at Tynecastle - well, it might be a good season.

 

 

 

TOLD you it was a flash-in-the-pan: the RTA scoring six goals at Easter Road. Only three goals against Peterhead, at home, tut-tut. Still, a win is a win. The RTA is due at Somerset Park shortly, and I have a couple of mates who have long suffered in the cause of the Honest Men. They are confident their side can put a spanner in the RTA's works.

 

 

 

WHAT a great touch by Celtic, having John Clark unfurl the League Flag on Saturday. Clarkie was a marvellous support and stay to Billy McNeill, at the heart of the Lisbon Lions' defence, he is as kit man and sounding board for Ronnie Deila, a living link between the Lions and today's Celtic team, yet he is a man who has perhaps never received the credit he is due for his part in the club's history.

 

Clark has inherited Sean Fallon's role as the heart of Celtic, as such, that heart is in good nick.

 

 

 

EWAN Murray had a very good interview with Hearts' Ann Budge in Sunday's Observer. I commend this piece to anyone who can access it on-line. The lady talks a great deal of sense about Scottish football.