If It Isn't The Old Firm, On Some Scottish Sports Desks It Isnae Fitba

LAST NIGHT I watched the BBC Alba coverage of the first leg of the Stranraer v Ayr United promotion play-off match, the winner of which will be promoted into next season's SPFL Championship. Arguably, this was the most-important game to be played in Scotland last night, but, strangely, the (Glasgow) Herald, which still sells a lot of papers in Ayr, principal town in what some call “God's Waiting Room” - the Ayrshire coastal retirement belt, did not deem this match worthy of coverage in its on-line edition. Still, that's just one reason why that once-great newspaper's circulation is going rapidly down the stank.

Mind you, the Herald did manage to have a sort of report on the Rangers Tribute Act's behind-closed-doors friendly against a Tottenham Hotspur reserve side – I suppose it's all about knowing your core readership and giving them what they want. The Scotsman – which sells a fair few copies among the “white settlers” along the still Tory “border belt” also failed to mention the Stair Park game – have the “serious” papers stopped treating Scottish football seriously?

Any way, given I never expect too-much from any meeting between two part-time Scottish teams, it wasn't a bad game. What wasn't to like: two good managers, who like their sides to play football, plus a leavening of once-promising boys, who never quite made it, getting a rare chance to strut their stuff on live TV.

I was particularly pleased to see Jamie Adams playing so well in the centre of the United defence. Young Jamie had a real chance of doing things, when he broke through as a youngster with Kilmarnock. I watched him regularly when he was loaned out to Queen of the South to gain experience, but, his career was almost ended by a cruciate ligament injury. He dropped out of the senior gam e, to play with his pals for Wigton and Bladenoch in the South of Scotland league, before finding his way to United, where, at 28, he is playing well, if picking-up, as he did last night, a lot of yellow cards.

Ayr United's Jamie Adams

Jamie could have been a contender, instead, he has overcome injury and is playing well himself in a team which is playing well. United left it late to grab an equaliser last night, now, with home advantage, at Somerset Park on Sunday, I expect them to march on and claim that promotion slot.

There were one or two others on-view at Stair Park last night, who had played at a higher level. The two United subs, Ryan Stevenson – he of the You Tube sensation which was a Maradonaesque wonder goal in his first Ayr United spell, and wee Brian Gilmour, not forgetting United goalkeeper Greg Fleming; while, on the Stranraer side, we had Willie Gibson, one of that lengthy list of Scottish wingers capable of bewitching and infuriating the fans in the same minute.

AT HALF-TIME at Stair Park, Alba ran their film of the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals. This was by way of a trailer for Alba's live coverage of the final between Beith and Pollok, which will be played at Rugby Park, on Sunday, 29 May.

I have a wee suspicion that Beith might sneak this one, if only because their manager, wee Johnny Miller, is something of a Scottish Junior Cup specialist. He scored a memorable winning goal for Glenafton, when they beat Tayport in the 1993 final at Firhill. Five years later, at Fir Park, he almost replicated that goal to set Arthurlie on their way to victory over Pollok – the last time 'Lok were in the final, so, who is to say he will not be celebrating again come the night of the 29^th.

Mind you, in a year when the absence of Talbot might somehow lessen the final, on the evidence of the semi-finals, Beith and Pollok are in some ways, lucky to be there. Both the losing semi-finalists, Kilwinning Rangers and Hurlford, squandered enough chances over their two-legged semi-finals, to win a couple of trophies. The fitba might not be great at Rugby Park at the end of the month, but, the game will be competitive, and, there will be black and white ribbons on the cup at the end.

RAY McKINNON, having resigned as Raith Rovers boss, is now Dundee United boss. Good luck Ray – you'll need it, with that Chairman.

  By the way: am I the only person who sees a resemblance between Ray and Claudio Ranieri?

THE GUARDIAN ran a piece this week about Adrian Doherty, the supposed “lost genius” of the Class of '92. Docherty was from Northern Ireland, and was therefore: “The next George Best”. Fast women and drink did for George, for Adrian, it was a severe cruciate ligament injury, from which he never recovered.

Of course, it is sad when a young player, seemingly touched with genius, fails to make it, either through personal demons, or injury. Doherty is not the only potential world-beater to have been crushed by injury. I can think as far back as Alick Jeffrey, the Doncaster Rovers forward of the mid-1950s. He made his first team debut as a 15-year-old, and was in the England Under-23 team as a 17-year-old in 1956.

A transfer to Manchester United (the Busby Babes team) had been agreed, when he broke a leg playing for the England Under-23 team. The youngster known as “The English Pele”, did recover, but, he was never the same player again.

So, over the past 60 years, there have been several “lost geniuses”. Each case is sad for the individual, but, it raises the question – does football do enough to prepare its failures for live after the game. In football, many are called, but, few succeed. Indeed, even the best Academy managers or Youth Development Managers, call them what they will – acknowledges, if the get one player into the first team, out of each year's intake of 16-year-old wannabees, they have done well.

The Class of '92 was exceptional – Beckham, Butt, Giggs, the Nevilles, Scholes all won international caps, as did Robbie Savage, one of the “failures”. The 1989 Scotland Under-16 team is known as: “The Lost Boys”, yet, Brian O'Neil, Paul Dickov and Andy McLaren went on to win full caps, while others such as Jim Beattie, Gary Bollan, Scott Marshall, Neil Murray, David Hagen, Craig Flanagan and skipper Kevin Bain enjoyed lengthy careers in the top flight. Jim Will, the goalkeeper, won Under-21 caps, before quitting to join the police.

 Paul Dickov in action v Saudi Arabia - one "Lost Boy" who made it to the full Scotland team

OK, they were never kept together, as a Scotland squad, to take us to the full FIFA World Cup final, and thus replicate their achievement in the Under-16 tournament, but, that demonstrates the vagaries of football.

Take my own wee Ayrshire village for instance. Billy Dodds, who was seemingly permanently on the bench for the school team, went on to play enough games for Scotland to receive the coveted SFA silver medal, for winning more than 25 caps. Yet, Doddsie, now doing well as assistant manager at Ross County and as a media pundit, will tell you – there were more-talented team-mates at school, who never made it.

Billy Dodds - not the most-talented at school, Chelsea gave him a chance, the rest is history

Talent-spotting is an inexact science, but, football could and should do more to prepare its kids for not achieving their dream.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! What A Referee!!!

I HAVE seen many amazingly-bad decisions made by referees, but, few as bad as the one Alan Muir made during tonight's Hibs v Falkirk play-off semi-final at Easter Road.

When he allowed Falkirk defender David McCracken to: play the ball with his left hand (albeit inadvertently) when on the ground – no penalty for me; then put his right hand on the ball, and appear to flick it forward to better make his clearance – a clear penalty: well, it seemed to me, at that moment, he proved all these accusations of refereeing incompetence in Scotland were true. It was truly a terrible non-decision. I believe even Willie Collum would have seen that as a penalty.

Referee Alan Muir

Mind you, Mr Muir, unfortunately, does have something of a track record in getting things wrong when it comes to penalties during Falkirk games - maybe he was evening things up for denying the Bairns at least one "stonewaller" n the past.

Well, let's look on the bright side, the tie is beautifully poised, all-square with Friday night's second leg at the Falkirk Stadium to come. I still feel, however, it is written in the stars that Falkirk will win that one and it will come down to another crucial Falkirk v Kilmarnock game, to settle the 12^th team in next season's SPFL Premiership.

Tonight's game was rather good, with some terrific football, plus a few moments which showed just how average football in Scotland is just now.

HERE'S my idea of how next season's Premiership campaign can be livened-up. It should be written into the competition rules, that Efe Ambrose MUST be in the Celtic team. No harm to Efe, but, he is definitely what we call: “accident prone”, and his arrival in Sunday's Parkhead game between the Hoops and Aberdeen was definitely enlivened and enhanced by his appearance.

If Celtic was forced to field him in every game, it just might give the rest a chance.

I AM a fan of the Guardian's occasional sporting series - “The Joy of Six”, which finds a basic theme running through six different sporting moments. Last week, the subject (one which they run on a more-or-less annual basis) was six good football chants.

In the btl (below the line) comments section, however the readers take the basic thread off on all sorts of different directions. In this, the Scottish content formed up around one incident – that emotional rendition of the Proclaimers' “Sunshine on Leith” by the massed ranks of Hibernia after their team had whacked Killie in the League Cup Final, a few years back.

I have to admit, as a pain-racked Ayrshireman, whose team had just been well and truly stuffed, evn I found it lump in the throat time, truly: “My heart was broken, you saw it you claimed it, you touched it, you saved it”.

That afternoon was probably the pinnacle of John Collins' managerial career. Shortly afterwards, he lost the Hibs dressing room – it has been downhill ever since. This week, Collins announced he was quitting as Celtic assistant manager, following Ronnie Deila out of the Parkhead door.

John Collins - leaving

The polished, articulate Collins will, no doubt, find a nice soft billet in that home for inoffensive has-beens: the BBC Scotland pundits panel, where he will be just another talking head. Michael Stewart brings an edge to punditry, Pat Nevin does analysis. Really, Collins has nothing better to look forward to than years of stating the obvious and trying not to offend his former mates, who are still in the managerial firing line.

As somebody once said to another Hibs great: “Where did it all go wrong”?

THE ABOVE picture is of Tadek Kopszywa, the Secretary of East Stirlingshire FC. Tadek is one of the mainly hidden and unsung heroes of Scottish football, keeping one of the perennial minnows going in the face of public indifference.

Last week, in a rare media appearance, Tadek admitted something very few of his contemporaries in the lower reaches of Scottish senior football ever will – that we have too-many senior clubs, playing in too-many senior divisions. We should salute such honesty.

This blog has never questioned the right of East Stirlingshire to exist, the more clubs the merrier – it is simply this, to me obvious fact: to have Falkirk, Stenhousemuir, East Stirlingshire, Alloa Athletic and Stirling Albion all operating within one small area, all seeking to offer “senior” football, to virtually the same catchment area, is a nonsense.

It is the same elsewhere in Scotland, with Dunfermline Athletic, Cowdenbeath, Raith Rovers and East Fife all vying for the Fife football following – it might even be said, in 21^st century Scotland, to have two clubs operating side-by-side at opposite ends of Tannadice Street in Dundee doesn't make sense.

I will say this again. Scotland might be able to support 16 – 20 full-time senior clubs, playing in a structured season. The remainder of our current 42 clubs should revert to junior status, playing in regional leagues, but, with a definite remit to bring through young Scottish talent.

It is too easy to be classed as “a footballer” in Scotland, where the majority of our “senior footballers” who turn-out, for “senior” clubs on a Saturday are actually: butchers, bakers and candle-stick makers, augmenting their Monday to Friday wages with the wee bit extra they are paid to kick a ball around on a Saturday.

Professional football should be just that – a game played by people with a certain level of expertise, who practice and train to perform at a given level. It should not be something someone practices two nights per week, after the day job, as a means of filling-in his Saturday afternoon.

Rant over.

Derby Days Could Be Back On The Cards At Rugby and Somerset Parks

THIS blog does not generally do betting “tips”. I have religiously avoided bookmakers for years, ever since my late father and I got lucky with a 50-1 outsider in the Grand National many moons ago.

Having come out ahead on that bet, I resolved not to ever give the bookies a chance to get me back, it is one of the few resolutions I have managed to keep.

But, I have to say, after Ayr United seeing-off Peterhead yesterday, to set-up a Championship promotion decider with Stranraer: get your money on whichever of Falkirk and Hibs has to play Killie in the Premiership promotion final.

Because, I firmly believe, it is written in the stars that there will be Ayrshire Derbies in the Championship next season.

 Ayrshire Derby action could return next season

HAD results gone other ways, this afternoon's clash of Aberdeen and Celtic might have been in effect a title decider. As it is, Aberdeen need to win big at Celtic Park (we are talking something like 35-0 here), then hope St Johnstone and Motherwell also beat Celtic, while Aberdeen themselves can beat Hearts and Ross County in their final two games. That combination of results simply is not going to happen.

The best Aberdeen can hope for is a rare Parkhead win, to keep the uncertainty going for another week, but, the reality is – after their final home game, against Motherwell, the Celtic Family will party and Ronnie Deila will depart Scotland as a winner.

Then, hopefully early enough to allow him to have a sorted squad for the Champions League qualifiers, whoever succeeds Ronnie will be enthroned, and can start the much-needed cull of the bloated Celtic squad.

The 2015-16 Celtic First Team squad poster - how many will be in the 2016-17 one? 

No Untapped Well of Talent For New Arabs Boss To Tap Into

IF YOU really want a demonstration of how bad things are at Dundee United, don't look at the SPFL Premiership table, difficult though even that might be for true “Arabs” or indeed for anyone who admired the way Jim McLean's “corner shop”, for so-long gave the “supermarkets” a run for their money.

No, go onto the official SPFL website: www.spfl.co.uk and, once there, click on the development leagues button. This gives you the details of how the much-vaunted United youth development programme is doing, or rather, isn't doing. Most of the 17 clubs in that league have completed their 32-game schedule; United are such a club, lying eighth in the standings, with a mere 40 points from their 32 games.

On paper, that is actually not too bad, given bigger clubs: Rangers (10^th) and Hearts (12^th) are below them, while city rivals Dundee lie ninth in the table. But, when you consider the reputation United have for developing home-grown talent, to find them trailing the likes of Hamilton Academical, St Johnstone and Motherwell – who haven't had a reputation for developing youngsters since the “Ancell Babes” of the late 1950s – early 1960s, the era of John Martis, Bobby Roberts and the Willie Hunter, Sammy Reid, Ian St John, Pat Quinn and Andy Weir forward line. Four Scottish internationalists plus the guy who scored arguably the most-celebrated goal in Scottish Cup history, in case you've forgotten; well it's not looking good for the future at Tannadice.

(If I can go off on a slight tangent here and raise and old hobby horse of mine: Celtic have gone unbeaten through the Development League season. Does this mean, the league is crap, or ought the Parkhead club perhaps be ditching cheap badge-kissing imports to maybe give the kids a go?)

Gone - Mixu Patelainen

Yesterday, in the wake of relegation, Mixu Paatelainen, as expected, packed his black bin and left, to be followed by eight players whose contracts had ended, while a further ten in-contract players were told: “Yer jaikets are oan shoogly pegs ken”. They are free to try to find places elsewhere. This, apparently, leaves United with just five senior full-time players.

Time to get back on that hobby horse. Five experienced players, always provided (the difficult bit) they are the right five, working under the right coach - plus a bunch of good kids ought to be enough to maintain a presence in the Championship for one season, and hopefully build for a successful promotion campaign in a second season.

Next-up - Ray McKinnon?

Ray McKinnon is seemingly the latest McLean old boy being lined-up to try to replicate the work of the old master; always assuming, that is, he is willing to accept the job. What might happen IF his Raith Rovers squad successfully negotiates the Championship/Premiership promotion/relegation play-offs?

Do you stick with a club which would begin season 2016-17 as relegation favourites, for a crack at the big time, or, do you return to Tannadice and work under a Chairman who is increasingly seen as “toxic”? Also, is there a guarantee United, desperately needing to cut costs, will continue to be a full-time club in the Championship? The uncertainty of football management there in a couple of questions folks.

One thing in McKinnon's favour, he has served a thorough apprenticeship in management. I recall travelling up to Tannadice to see his Lochee Juniors team lost 0-2 to Tayport in the 2005 Scottish Junior Cup Final. he has served a long apprenticeship, at Lochee, Brechin City also spending time in the SFA's Technical Department, before going to Stark's Park. Should he be enticed to Tannadice, it will not be a case of a former player being throw-into the job by a board, whose collective fingers are crossed. 

A SIGNIFICANT moment in Scottish football history passed almost unheralded yesterday. On 4 May, 1966, 50-years ago, the board of Ayr United appointed then player-coach Alistair MacLeod as club manager, while appointing his predecessor, Kirkmichael joined Tom McCreath to the board.

Old Tam, lovely guy, but in football terms one of the old school – who believed in denying a ball to the players in training during the week, to make them “hungry” for it on a Saturday, had just taken United to promotion from the Second Division, so, it was a good time to step down.

Ally MacLeod - entered management 50-years ago this week 

 

In MacLeod's first season as manager, United finished bottom of the old 18-club First Division; they won one game all season, beating St Johnstone 1-0 at Somerset Park, on 8 April, 1967. They only scored 20 goals all season, conceding 86 and finished with just nine points, six less than second-bottom St Mirren.

Today, that record would see any manager sacked before Christmas, but, the United board stood by their young manager, who was a part-timer, combining management with his day-job as a sales rep with a company which sold industrial chemicals.

MacLeod led United back to the top-flight at the end of the 1968-69 season, maintaining a mid-table presence to the extent, when the top ten clubs were put into the new Premier Division in 1975, United were there, finishing sixth – above Aberdeen, the two Dundee clubs and St Johnstone in that inaugural season, a performance which was enough to take MacLeod to Pittodrie – the rest is history.

United did not officially mark the anniversary, however, they did, on Tuesday night, make the long journey to Peterhead, followed by 150 loyal fans, where they beat their hosts 4-1 to all but assure themselves of a place in the League One/Championship promotion/relegation final.

Ian McCall - has turned things around at Somerset Park

Under current boss Ian McCall, United have a very good chance of going up through the play-offs, and, with Kilmarnock in danger of dropping out of the top-flight, we could well see four Ayrshire Derbies in the Championship next season.

I mention that 4-1 win over Peterhead, because shamefully, the (Glasgow) Herald failed to put that result on their website. When the paper of record in Scottish sport cannot cover such an important game, it says much about the level of journalism in Scotland today – nae wonder the papers are bleeding readers.

THE Bookies, who are seldom wrong in such matters, have apparently decided Celtic are about to play the Irish card when it comes to who replaces Ronnie Deila. Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers, late of Liverpool, is the new favourite for the job, with Southern Irishman Roy Keane the second favourite.

Well, the tricolour is a sort of comfort blanket to the Celtic Family and I await the Daily Rhecord's series on how Celtic's is the first result Rodgers always looks for and all about how he grew up on tales of Jinky & Co.

I have long been left unmoved by the whole Keane legend. His past record in management is nothing to write home about. Mr Desmond might well have Keane's number on speed-dial, but, I think most intelligent people in football already have his number, if you know what I mean.

 Brendan Rodgers - Is he "Celtic-minded" enough?

Rodgers, prior to the wheels coming off his carriage at Anfield, has a very good record at bringing through young talent and working within a tight budget. He might well be the right man for the club. The fact is, ideally, Celtic need to have the new man ready to go to work on the Monday after the final game of the season – there isn't much time there in which to get Celtic ready for the European qualifiers.

Discipline Dire During Dreich Disappointing Dens Dundee Derby

SINCE I had nothing better to do, I watched last night's BT Sport broadcast of the Dundee Derby. The match wasn't very good, however, since we were watching two of the lesser teams in one of the lesser leagues in Europe, what did I expect?

Dundee United's defending was so poor as to be almost non-existent. Against a good team, and Dundee are far from being a good team, they would have been humiliated. Also, the discipline of the players left an awful lot to be desired.

Paul Dixon

Paul Dixon is a Scottish internationalist; you expect better from a guy who has worn the lion rampant than to pick-up a stupid, needless yellow card – which could easily have been a red – after just three minutes. Then, three minutes later, he petulantly threw the ball away. Willie Collum did him a favour by not seeing this.

  Chris Sutton - I feared "commentator's curse"

There were other incidents which did football's image little good, not least an unseemly bout of “handbags” late in the game. I certainly feared things might become over-heated when Chris Sutton said: “Willie Collum is having a good game”. At that point, I predicted/feared a full-scale riot, (the dreaded commentator's curse) – however, compared to what followed via the highlights of the Chelsea v Tottenham game, the Dundee Derby was tame.

Mark Clattenburg is one of England's top referees. He is also, “England's answer to Willie Collum”: ie, stupid things go on when he is in charge. To be fair to Clattenburg, a lot of the hassle took place behind his back, but, maybe if he had - as he ought to have - sent-off Spurs' Kyle Walker for that early and stupid kick at a Chelsea player in the opening exchanges, he would have had an easier night.

 Mark Clattenburg - should have done this at Chelsea on Monday night

In the end, nine Spurs' players were booked, I am still trying to work-out how Clattenburg managed to keep all 22 players on the park – football really MUST get its act together and start imposing discipline on the players. I believe, they should seriously look at Rugby Union's policy of sending the recipient of a yellow card to the sin bin for ten minutes. If that doesn't clean-up football, nothing will. The appointment of Rugby Union-style citing officers, to look again at incidents which the referee missed, is I would suggest something else football ought to be looking into.

A final thought on last night's senior football. We all know, Robbie Savage is a 24-carat, platinum-plated, diamond-encrusted choob, but, when he said, as he did tonight: “Leicester could well finish in the bottom half of the league next season”; he might be right.

I HAD a quick look at the Juniors results while compiling this post. Ominously, Auchinleck Talbot have gone top of the McBookie.com West of Scotland Premier Division, after a 1-0 Beechwood win over Junior Cup finalists Beith. In theory, Hurlford, who have a few games in hand, could pip the 'Bot for the title, but, at this stage of the season, when the trophy-chasing clubs begin to face playing Saturday – midweek – Saturday, well that's when Talbot's squad traditionally comes into its own. 'Ford are a good team, but, I think they lack the depth to overhaul the 'Bot.

Hurlford had to go all the way to penalties to beat Glenafton in the quarter-finals of the West of Scotland Cup on Monday night. Tomorrow night (Wednesday), they entertain Irvine Meadow in the League, then, on Saturday, they face Beith in the semi-final of the West of Scotland Cup. The other semi-final, by the way, is the small matter of Cumnock facing Talbot – a nice wee earner for the polis in East Ayrshire.

In mentioning the Meadow, it should be noted, their dire league season has seen them already relegated to the West of Scotland First Division, where they may yet be reunited with the other Irvine club, the wee Irvine Victoria.

The Vics have a healthy lead at the top of the Ayrshire League, but, Girvan have games-in-hand and promotion to the West of Scotland First Division is not yet arithmetically guaranteed for Vics. It has been a long time since the Vics and their more-glamorous near neighbours Meadow have been in the same division, if it happens next season it will be culture shock for the Meadow.

The programme from that record-breaking 1951 Junior Cup final 

Ironically, the club almost certain to accompany the Meadow down is Petershill. Now, as every student of Scottish football history knows, these clubs have great histories: the record attendance for a Scottish Junior Cup Final is the 77,650 who watched the Peasies beat the Medda 1-0 in the 1951 final at Hampden. Petershill have won the Junior Cup five times, Meadow have recorded three wins. Both clubs will bounce back.

Remember Awards Winners Only Reflect People's Opinions - Even When They Are Deserved

IT would have called for a Stewards' Enquiry, had Leigh Griffiths NOT won the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award last night. Our professional players might well wear their IQs on their backs - albeit in these days of squad numbers, one or two would clearly be over-quotiented - but, they are not entirely stupid. Wee Leigh has been the stand-out player in the SPFL Ladbrokes Premiership this season, any other winner would have been ridiculous.

 

Leigh Griffiths - Stewards' Enquiry had he not won

I am not so sure about Mark Warburton's right to be declared Manager of the Year, however. No harm to the excellent Mr W, he has led his side to a lower league double, which may well become a Treble before hostilities end. This will not be as good a Treble as those won in the past by the likes of Messrs Struth, Symon and Wallace, but, given the trials and tribulations Ra Peepul have endured these last few years, it will, should it transpire, be wildly celebrated.
 

However, winning the Championship and the Petrofac Training Cup was the least that was expected of Mark Warburton back in August, just as winning the Premiership was the least that was expected of Ronnie Deila at the same time. MW wins Manager of the Year, RD is going home to Norway: "a Failure". Cue Jimmy Greaves with an opinion.
 

I suppose, given the relative means at his disposal, Ross county's Jim McIntyre has produced the best managerial performance of the year. Also, for putting-up with wee Billy Dodds on a daily basis, he deserves some sort of recognition!! I cannot, in all honesty, think of another possible recipient.

Jim McIntyre, deserves an award for putting-up with Doddsie on a daily basis

We must now await the result of the deliberations of the Tartan Army's Intelligence Unit, aka the Scottish football Writers Association. I will be amazed if Leigh Griffiths does not make it a double here. However, even allowing for the Lap Top Loyal's bloc vote going to Mark Warburton, Jim McIntyre just might sneak this one.
 

Before moving on, Kieran Tierney's win in the Young Player of the Year vote was a no-brainer. The Celtic Wunderkindt simply had to get it, and rightly so.

 

I DO not, as a rule, watch Match of the Day, or indeed much of the English Premiership output. I will watch Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, because I believe these three clubs do set-out to try to entertain. Otherwise, to be honest, I find a lot of the output over-hyped shite.
 

So, last night, I settled down to watch the highlights of the United v Leicester game. I enjoyed it too, but, one thing struck me quite heavily - the commentator, didn't catch his name, don't care, was, like so many today - a fan with a microphone.
 

I was never a great fan of "Motty"; I found David Coleman too-smug; OK, he was the prototype England cheer-leader, but, Ken Wolstenholme knew his stuff. For me, THE English commentators were Brian Moore and Barry Davies. Just an observation.

 

The late Brian Moore, a superb commentator

Any way, the BBC's man with the mike at Old Trafford nearly had kittens when big Fallaini lashed-out at the Leicester City defender. Nae wonder, I appreciate there are a lot of over-paid, over-rated big girls' blouses strutting their stuff in the English Premiership, but, hair-pulling has no place outside the girls' playground.

 

Marouane Fellaini - had his hair pulled, no wonder he lashed-out

Did our hero with the mike mention the hair-pull; heavens no, to him that wasn't a foul. How did that guy get anywhere near a mike? Also, another petulant display of dummy spitting from the lovely Wayne Rooney passed without comment.
 

This whole Leicester winning the league is the greatest story ever told business also sickens me. I realise, to today's so-called journalism, football history only goes back as far as the start of the Premier League in England and the Champions League in Europe, but, compared to what the likes of Alf Ramsey did with Ipswich Town in 1961-62, Brian Clough with Nottingham Forest - and with Derby before that, or Bob Jackson with Portsmouth between 1948 and 1950, the Foxes' win, when it arrives, will be nothing special.

The 1961-62 English League-winning Ipswich Town squad

Credit to Caludio Ranieri, he has turned around a team everyone expected to struggle, and turned them into Champions-elect. However, Matt Busby at Manchester United, Bill Shankly at Liverpool and Don Revie at Leeds took over giants who had (particularly in the cases of Shankly and Revie) fallen on hard times, rebuilt them and produced lasting success.
 

At the moment, Ranieri's Leicester are one-season wonders. The time to consider Ranieri's record will be five or ten years down the line - should Leicester still be up there at the top of the English tree.