Irresponsible Journalism Does Not Help In Controversial Refereeing Incidents

TODAY, I return to a subject which has greatly troubled me these past months and years – the continued downward trajectory of the circulation of Scottish newspapers; aided by the fact, there are guys writing about football these days, who would never have got through the doors even a decade ago.

I have in the past mentioned my two old friends, who managed to find the escape tunnel out of The Herald editorial floor before they morphed into Angus Lennie as Ives, “the mole” in The Great Escape. These pillars of the press are no longer allowed by their better halves, to read The Herald before lunch time, as their reaction to what is printed usually ruins the remainder of the day.

I fear, from looking at the paper's website this morning, similar travails may be overcoming their contemporaries, now retired from The Scotsman.

 Craig Thomson tells Cedric Kipre: "Ye cannae dae that Son"

There is a piece, written by Craig Anderson, which is boldly headlined: “Why the referee was wrong to send off Cedric Kipre against Celtic.” Well the spurious argument put forward by young Master Anderson is easily and quickly demolished.

Craig Thomson was correct to send-off Mr Kipre, because, as Law V (1) of the Laws of Association Football make clear: “The referee is the sole judge of fact.” If Craig Thomson decides Kipre was guilty of an offence worthy of a red card, that's it. It's Craig's call, Kipre is off.

Anderson then compounds his folly – to put it bluntly, he continues digging, with a ridiculous observation about an off-the-ball kick needing to show “excessive force and brutality.” There is no accurate measurement of “excessive force and brutality”, one man's “I barely touched him”, is another man's “he nearly broke my leg.”

Craig Thomson, the one man delegated with deciding whether or not Kipre's kick was a foul, and how much force was used, decided it was a red-card offence – end of.

Still wielding his spade with the enthusiasm of a Kerry man on piecework, Anderson toils on. Going-on about the view from the stand, although, to be fair, he does admit, Thomson didn't have the view from the stand, or access to a replay – he had one “real time” view of the incident, and one angle, from which to make his decision: “red card.”

Now Anderson's qualifications for his position as The Scotsman's judge and jury on the incident is apparently, that he is: “a fully-qualified former referee.” Bravo, I have never heard of him, and he certainly never reached the FIFA Elite Level ranking which Craig Thomson enjoyed, until he reached the upper age limit and had to step down to merely covering domestic Scottish games.

I certainly have no recollection of ever seeing his name against a high-profile game such as those Craig Thomson has been in-charge of – Old Firm games, internationals, cup finals, during his long career at the top level.

Anderson, apparently, runs the SPFL Stats website. Ah! A statistician; well, we all know what they say about statistics – coming some way after lies and damned lies.

I would describe Anderson's effort as: “Classic click-bait”, and it's a pity such an august newspaper as The Scotsman is reduced to such tactics.

A FOLLOW-UP to Anderson's crock of shite has seen another former whistler, Charlie Richmond, quoted in a critical Daily Record piece.

 An old picture of Charlie Richmond, when he was on the FIFA list

Charlie is a friend of mine, a guid Affleck man (he's from Auchinleck), who was, in my opinion, treated badly by the SFA when active. Charlie, therefore, has perhaps an axe to grind.

Those awfly-good at “spinning” Record Sport subs have done a good job at getting the maximum out of what Charlie said to Euan McLean – obviously leading on the controversial bit, where Charlie disagrees with some of the red cards Craig Thomson has dished-out to Motherwell this season.

However, to be fair to Charlie, he made some good points when speaking to McLean, maybe better if the good points had been highlighted and the controversial stuff down-played. But, hey, he was speaking to a Record hack so we should have expected the controversial stuff to be highlighted.

One particular point Charlie made, with which I am in full agreement; it seems to me, the SFA are too-keen on fast-tracking young officials today Charlie mentions the association's desire to see officials reaching Grade One by 24 and doing cup finals by 27. Look, not everyone is Willie Collum, who a lot of people thought was: “strange” because he wanted to be a referee when he was about 14.

Good referees need to gain experience, Charlie speaks of still doing junior games when he was 32. Of course, he never got the ultimate testing game in the juniors – it is common knowledge, an up-and-coming junior official being considered for promotion to the senior ranks, would, at some point be given an Auchinleck v Cumnock game. The thinking being: “If he can handle that, he's ready.”

Talbot v Cumnock - if a referee can handle that, he can handle any game

Charlie couldn't be given that test, but, he still got promoted. There is something to be said for bringing-on referees at a slower pace. There is also something to be said for taking players who are not going to make the grade, or who suffer injuries which curtail their ability to play football, but not their ability to run – and fast-tracking them into refereeing.

The great Jim McCluskey emerged from this route - turning to refereeing aged 25 after injury while playing with Airdrie, and didn't do too badly. So, while some of Charlie's comments were perhaps wrong, as I said above, he makes some good points, which perhaps the SFA Refereeing Department should look at.

FINALLY, apparently, we are to get a new Scotland away kit. Having looked at the advance pictures, my reaction is: “Haud me back.”

I liked the pink kit in any case.

Managers Are Colour Blind - They Cannot See Red Cards For Their Own Players

RAISED as I was in the East Ayrshire Junior Football tradition, broadly explained by: “Nae bluid – nae foul,” I should be comfortable with managers pleading innocence and over-harsh officiating when one of their players is red or yellow carded for nothing.

 Stephen Robinson - talking "mince", it was a clear red card

But, when you get instances such as that yesterday, when Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson attempts to convince the world: “Cedric Kipre's dismissal was 100% not a red card,” the only come-back is that old Scottish one: “Aye Right!!”

Kipre's dismissal was perhaps the easiest decision Craig Thomson had to make all day, indeed, it was maybe his easiest decision all season. Even in the WWF-influenced world of Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock, that would have been a straight red, eight days of the week. However just in case you think I am going soft on officials – Thomson made a mistake, he ought also to have booked Scott Brown for his push on the grounded Kipre.

Craig Thomson - got the red card right, but should have booked Broonie

That, I feel, was a factor in Kipre stupidly lashing-out, and it one of the things I do not get about refereeing standards. How often, as in Kipre's case, do you see a retaliator getting a red or yellow card, while the perpetrator of the dust-up walks away with, at worse, a: “Now, don't do that again Son.”

Football really needs, I feel, to toughen-up its tolerance levels on foul play. I know, if they did, it would be carnage for a wee while, but, in the long run it would work. I think the Beautiful Game might benefit from looking at how other sports enforce on-pitch discipline. I would love to see a trial of the likes of field hockey's green/yellow/red cards system, whereby different levels of fouls produce different penalties.

This, as I understand it would see: a mistimed tackle – green card, and if bad enough, a spell in the cooler: deliberate foul – longer spell in the cooler: serious foul play, violent conduct – straight red. And what's wrong with the ice hockey system of short spells in the cooler for minor fouls, longer ones for major fouls and red cards for serious foul play or fighting. And rugby has the case where a yellow card means ten minutes in the cooler.

All these games are more stop-start than football. I feel, because of the free-flowing nature of football, fouls with disrupt the flow ought to be clamped down on more, to eradicate them. There might also be a case for basketball-style implementation of personal fouls, with an accumulation of team fouls leading to harsher penalties.

Football can learn from other sports

In basketball, for instance, while each player can get away with four fouls, but is out of the game on his or her fifth, the team fouls are also counted and, above a set number of total team fouls, every foul takes the opposition to the free-throw line.

Imagine in football, if that came in. One team racks-up enough fouls, and every one thereafter gives the opposition a penalty. That would clean-up the game in jig time.

I also like the American Football idea whereby, holding fouls, where often both teams are at it, sees the officials consulting, and, the team which is guilty of the greater number of holding fouls is penalised. That would soon sort out the all-in wrestling that goes on at corners. The defending side was guilty of three holding fouls, the attackers of four – free kick to the defending side. The defending side was guilty of four holding fouls, the attacking side of three – penalty kick.

But, as with so much which needs to be done to improve the game, I do not see the will to act evident in the corridors of power.

YESTERDAY tea time, while The Farmer's Daughter was doing whatever women do in the kitchen, I was permitted to cash-in the pile of Brownie Points I had accumulated earlier in the day, by watching Leicester City v Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final, or watch paint dry as it turned-out to be.

Those dear people whom God chose to be our neighbours, as a counterweight to all the many benefits She gave to Scotland, love to extol their Premiership as: “The Greatest League in the world.” Aye Right!!

OK, yesterday's game was in the (English) FA Cup but, it did feature two clubs from this GLITW – Leicester, currently lying in eighth place, entertaining Chelsea, who lie fifth – so, two of the top teams in that “English” league.

 The only "Scotsman" to feature on Match of the Day yesterday

In all, 30 players, drawn from 14 different nations, strutted their stuff. The only “Scot” on display was Matt Elliott, who qualified to play for us via a Scottish grandmother.

These 14 nations were represented as follows: seven Englishmen, six Spaniards, three Frenchmen, three Nigerians, two Danes and one player from each of: Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Mali and Portugal. As if, perhaps to underline London's status as a great international city, the only Englishman in the visitors' ranks was Gary Cahill, who came off the bench. Each team drew their 15-man squads who got onto the park, from nine different nations.

It stands to reason, to me at any rate, when a match between two of any nation's top clubs only features 23% of the players who are qualified to play internationally for that nation – the it is unlikely to feature at the sharp end of the World Cup, or even the European Championships.

Never mind, the English football writers, a breed I have observed at close quarters and would describe as: “Thick as shite in the neck of a bottle”, keep telling the English football public – who, since many of them believe this crap, are probably even-thicker: “Because we have the Greatest League in the World, we have to be the best nation and we will win the World Cup.”

Give me, instead, the refreshing honesty of the Tartan Army, with their credo of: “We're shite, but we now we are – where's the party?”

All that money spent on transfers and they couldn't pass water

I watched that game yesterday, and marvelled at the repeated inability of players who cost a King's ransom to recruit fail to play a pass to the feet of a team mate ten yards away. Equally worthy of censure was the number of passes which went behind the intended recipient, or the players' inability to play a pass for a moving team mate to run onto, time and again the recipient had to check his run to gather.

These guys are earning ridiculous money, but, many of them, and not just the English-born and raised players, who are often criticised for: “not having the technical skills of the overseas players” - to put it bluntly: "Couldnae pass watter."

If you are going to hire players who lack technical ability – then hire local, they are cheaper. The English footballing public are being fleeced, that's my opinion any way.

Baldrick's Cunning Plan Saw Off OBFA

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCOTTISH FOOTBALL

Willie Rennie, Richard Leonard and James Kelly discuss how to repeal OBFA

I MAY be wrong, but, I reckon that picture shows when it happened, when the plan to scupper OBFA (the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act) was hatched. In the grand litany of Baldrick's cunning plans, this one is right up there.

I have never deviated from my belief – OBFA was bad law, badly-drafted, hurriedly-introduced, subject to insufficient parliamentary scrutiny. However, that said, it was, at least, an attempt at necessary law. I say again, and will keep saying this until something is done about it, but, the repeated refusal of the Scottish football authorities to act to stamp-out sectarianism within the game rather mirrors Ian Archer's legendary critique of the Ibrox following.

The “suits” along Hampden's sixth-floor corridor are as big, if not a bigger: “permanent embarrassment and occasional disgrace” to Scottish football than even the Angry Bears and the other ultra-loyal elements in the Rangers' support.

As I have repeatedly posted, since this blog began: if the will was there within Hampden, Ibrox or Celtic Park, bigotry and sectarianism would be all but eradicated from Scottish football. I doubt if we will ever eliminate these nasty elements from Scottish life in general, but, football can, but will not act.

I don't know how, but, surely there are some means whereby the Scottish Government could impose sufficiently-harsh sanctions on the SFA, to force them to act. Of course, given the prevailing attitude within Holyrood, that even if the SNP-led government was able to bring in an act whereby every single man, woman and child in Scotland received an annual tax-free income of £100,000 per annum, and along the way poverty, poor housing, a crumbling infrastructure and all the other ailments of Scotland were eradicated – Wee Wullie Rennie, Little Dick Leonard, the sanctimonious Patrick Harvie, Colonel Yadaftie, and her mouthpieces of Terror Tompkins and WATP Murdo Fraser would be on their feet opposing the move and yelling: “SNP BAAAADDD!!!”

Earlier this week, we learned that SPFL match delegates have been repeatedly reporting examples of offensive football at matches to the league's High Heid Yins. We also learned that all of these reports have been swept under the carpet. You must need crampons and an ice axe to get across that carpet by now.

I have said before, adopt zero tolerance, hit them hard and it will stop. When will the Hampden High Yins grow a pair and act?

ANOTHER point I have frequently made, when commenting on OBFA, is that, while received wisdom is that most of the problem revolves around the Bigot Brothers – offensive behaviour at football matches is not an Old Firm monopoly.

When, in a previous life, I covered St Mirren on a weekly basis for the Paisley Daily Express, I always enjoyed the banter when the Renfrewshire Derbies against Morton came around.

Marko Rajamaki of Morton

But, let's be honest here – the entire North Bank at Love Street belting out, to the tune of Neil Diamond's 'Daydream Believer': “Cheer up Rajamaki.....”, their parody ending with the line: “.....A fat Finnish bastard and a shite football team;” well, that has to be offensive.

I remember chatting to Rajamaki about it; he was genuinely perplexed: “Why me?” He asked. I like to think he was chuffed, when I explained singling him out demonstrated how much the Saints' faithful worried about what he might do to them.

Then, of course, there were some of the stunts pulled by the original and best incarnation of Paisley Panda – hanging a giant 'pine tree' air freshener behind David Wylie's goal. OK, even Wylie laughed, some of the 'ton fans didn't. That could have caused bother and, to some, was offensive.

 The original and best Paisley Panda - with his son

I have said before, the most-vicious fight I ever saw at a football match was at an Arthurlie v Pollok game at Dunterlie. The two protagonists could have doubled for Jack and Victor, but, the hatred was real. And don't get me started on some of the stuff I have seen and heard when the fans of Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock Juniors meet to exchange fraternal greetings.

Mind you, arguably the best insult ever thrown at Beechwood or Townhead Park was a simple one-liner, when a Cumnock fan, who was shouting the odds, was answered back by the Talbot player he was abusing. Unperturbed by this development, the 'Nock fan advised the Talbot player to: “Shut up and tell yer mother to pay her milk bill.”

Then there was the Glenafton supporter who, outraged beyond reason by the linesman repeatedly flagging for offside whenever the Glen attacked, told said official – who was apparently a doppelgänger for Gollum: “See you, wi' a boady like that, ye're the waste o' a heid.”

Of course, being allowed to go along to a game and vent your spleen, perhaps after a fraught week at work, is a time-honoured Scottish tradition. It's all a matter of where we draw the line. I got the impression, at least one of the drivers behind the repeal, had no trouble having that ditty with the line about being: “Up tae oor knees in some kind of blood” banned. But the same earnest politician felt not being able to chant: “Up the 'RA was a breach of his civil liberties.” In the end, whitabootery had a lot to do with the move.

Finally, on this subject, I remind you of that Somerset Park legend: 'Enclosure George.' Now, to be fair to George, who was an accountant, and would not say boo to a goose, something strange seemed to come over him around 3pm on a Saturday, when he stepped into the Somerset Park enclosure. At least, his contributions were seldom abusive.

Alan "Rambo" McInally - allegedly got his own back for being barracked by 'Enclosure George'

But I did like the probably apocryphal story of how a group of Ayr players, reputedly Alan McInally, Robert Connor and Robert Reilly, one Monday morning, turned up at George's work, gathered round his desk and heckled him, before asking: “Aye George, how do you like getting verbal abuse at your work?”

Might take a wee while, but, there's a possible answer to offensive behaviour at football – allow the players to retaliate in kind.

The Secret's Oot - The Hampden High Heid Yins Don't Want To Know About Bad Behaviour

ONE OF my fellow coffin dodgers - who retired after a lengthy career in the City of Glasgow then Strathclyde Police forces had seen him elevated to senior management rank and installed as Match Commander at Ibrox - has a story of how, during David Murray's custodianship of Rangers, he had seen Alistair Hood, the club's celebrated security officer, tear-up their season ticket books, in the presence of fans who had misbehaved inside the ground.

Alistair Hood, left, with Louis Van Gaal - had a way of dealing with unruly fans

“I thought the measure was a bit extreme, but, when you compare behaviour then with now – it worked. There seems to me, to be a lot more unacceptable behaviour today than back in my day,” my pal continued.

Mind you, an old school cop – who rose from pounding the beat in the city centre to his final high rank – he has always been an implacable opponent of OBFA (the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act), which will be debated and probably repealed in Holyrood tomorrow.

“There was nothing wrong with the previous Laws – Breach of the Peace and so-forth – if used properly,” he added; thereby confirming one of the arguments in favour of repealing OBFA.

Today, further oil has been poured on the flames or troubled waters of sectarianism and intolerable behaviour in Scottish football, by the BBC's revelation that past and current SPFL match delegates have seen reports of unacceptable behaviour at games “swept under the carpet” by the Hampden High Heid Yins.

I am not surprised at this development. Sectarianism was famously described, by former First Minister Jack McConnell, as: “Scotland's Secret Shame”. Maybe so Jack, but, Scottish football's not-so-secret shame is the fact: there is one law for the Bigot Brothers, and a different law for everyone else.

Chris McLaughlin - shining light on Hampden jiggery-pokery

In a piece to camera on the lunchtime BBC Shortbread news today, Chris McLaughlin highlighted incidents, from this season, which Match Delegates had reported to the SPFL, which were not followed-up on. It was quite clear, most of these acts of unacceptable and offensive behaviour were perpetrated by fans of You Know Who.

There wasn't much which Margaret F Thatcher (you all can guess what the F stands for!!) did with which I agreed. But, I was with her all the way when she considered a plan, put forward by the barely-remembered and now deceased Tory back bencher David Evans MP. Mr Evans was also Chairman of Luton Town FC, a club not without its history of unruly fans, and Evans suggested clubs made attendance at matches a “Members-only” basis. This would be a means of having greater control over fans' behaviour, but, such was the outcry and opposition, from rival clubs, the FA and the Football League and from elsewhere on the Tory benches, Thatcher, initially supportive of the move, was forced to back-off and Evans's plan came to nothing.

The late David Evans MP - his plan was so-revolutionary, even Maggie would not touch it

I felt at the time, it was the basis of a great move. It needed a lot of further work, but, had the game been prepared to go beyond its initial knee-jerk rejection, football today would, I am sure, be a different game.

Just imagine, if the European norm of “Strict Liability” was brought into Scottish football. First rendition of “Up to our knees etc” or chant of “Up the RA” or whatever – a fine. Second time around – a heftier fine. Third and all future renditions – points deducted. I reckon the clubs would not hang around waiting for the penalties, but, would be banning fans and keeping better order.

I believe, with membership schemes, policing and security costs would reduce, the atmosphere would improve and, with records of who their fans were, the clubs would have better feed-back and be better able to engage with fans, along the way, probably persuading them to spend more.

Also, in Members Only sections of the ground, it would surely be possible to sell alcohol further raising match-day income.

Sunday's disgraceful spectacle of that march from the Louden Tavern to Ibrox has greatly excited the msm; well, it gives them another excuse to avoid checking-out the impending financial clusterfuck around Rangers.

The Polis have been taking pelters for allowing the march to happen. Perhaps for the best, better than a full-scale Police v Public scrap on Copeland Road and the ensuing accusations of police brutality and over the top heavy-handed policing.

But, I wonder if, when the Louden Tavern's licence next comes-up for renewal, there will not perhaps be a Police objection, on the grounds of allowing an unauthorised, illegal march, to set-off from the premises. There is more than one way to skin a cat after all.

FINALLY, I close today on a sad note – We're oot, after Aberdeen won last night's William Hill, Scottish Cup, quarter-final replay, against Kilmarnock, at Rugby Park.

To get 7500 Killie fans inside RP, on a midweek night in March, is proof positive of the Stevie Clarke factor in the club's rise from the depths. I couldn't be there, but, I was gutted as I listened to the game on radio. The longer we went without scoring, the more that: it isn't going to happen feeling grew.

Freddie Woodman - came back to haunt Kilmarnock, and no mistake

Then, when it went to penalties, I had that horrible notion, Freddie Woodman would come back to haunt us, and he did; while not having Boydie on the park to take one was one successful penalty we were not getting.

I really thought this might be our year for the Scottish, but, living in hope is something you become used to when you sign-up to follow Killie. Good luck to the Dons in the semi-final.

I thought Stevie McLean got that offside call wrong, denying us what would most-probably have been an extra time winner. And, no, I do not believe these calls even themselves out.

Stewart McLean - might not have been pleased with his son last night

 

We wuz robbed, and the ref's faither, Stewart, a Killie Legend and Hall of Fame member too.

Oh Dear! Oh Dear! Oh Dear! - Disaster For Rangers

THE soundtrack to Sunday's Old Firm game at Ibrox is easy to work-out; it has to be that Elvis classic: 'Old Shep' – with a slight alteration to the lyrics. “But, when it came to it – Rangers just couldn't do it.”

The new Rangers' strip - to go with their new theme song

There is now no way anyone can see Celtic not completing seven in a row. Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes would not put money on anyone other than Celtic now going-on to win the league. Change the Ibrox soundtrack, instead of 'Penny Arcade', the Roy Orbison song of choice for the remainder of the season has to be: 'It's Over.'

To NOT beat ten men, at home, well, that demonstrates how far off being “Rangers Class” the current Ibrox squad is. Remember, this is not a great Celtic squad, they are beatable, but, Rangers could not do it. Graeme Murty, or someone else if the board goes down the road of appointing someone else, still has a huge task on his hands bridging the gap.

Douglas Ross MP - Tories like to be wee nyaffs, but, he's abusing that right

The red card, by the way, seemed to be of the stone-wall variety. A stupid challenge, which left Douglas Ross and Willie Collum with no alternative. That said, Ross's clear calls for a red card were a bit over the top. I get the impression, even if he wasn't a Conservative MP, Mr Ross would be a nasty wee shite. Thankfully, Scottish football will be well rid of him at the end of the season, when he gives up his part-time job of making Saturdays difficult for up to 60,000 football fans, for his full time seven-days-per-week job of making life difficult for over 5,000,000 people living in Scotland.

I think the big bonus for a delighted Brendan Rodgers was the performance of debutant goalkeeper Scott Bain. The Celtic Blog;s occasional series: “They Shamed the Hoops”, chronicles several instances of goalkeepers, perhaps promoted in an emergency, “melting” or more-ironically “freezing” in the cauldron of an Old Firm game and selling the jerseys. There was never any chance of Bain doing that on Sunday.

Bain might, in different circumstances, have been capped by now, he was certainly in one or two full Scotland squads before it all went wrong for him at Dundee, and I believe he can get back to that standard.

I reckon he is a better 'keeper than De Vries, and, with a run in the team, could make it very-difficult for Craig Gordon to get back. That two points-saving double save at the end was quality, as were several stops before that.

Leigh Griffiths - a very naughty bhoy

Old Firm games are no places for neutrals, but, from a neutral's perspective, watching the highlights, the goals were crackers. Finally, the spectating Leigh Griffiths – he might not be the Messiah, but, he's a very naughty bhoy.

THE OLD FIRM game book-ended the footballing week-end, along with Friday night's Edinburgh Derby at Easter Road.

I know Neil Lennon is not the graceless wee nyaff he is sometimes made out to be, and, I hope he remembers to send a nice bottle of wine over to Tynecastle for Craig Levein. After all, I am sure big Craig's: “Natural order restored” quip was the text for wee Lenny's pre-match sermon to his troops.

I AM not sure what to make of Alex McLeish's first Scotland squad of his second coming as National Team Manager. It's all very well a new broom and all that, but, I would have liked to have seen a bit more continuity from the Strachan era – I think we can overlook Malky Mackay's single game as caretaker.

OK, Scott Brown has retired, again, from Scotland duty, while the likes of Leigh Griffiths is injured, but, I question the sense in omitting Darren Fletcher, the natural squad leader in Brown's absence. It may be, McLeish sees this as a good point at which to end Fletcher's hugely-impressive Scotland career; after all, he is a lot closer to hanging-up his boots than to being a first-pick for Scotland, but, I'd have had him in there for his experience.

Darren Fletcher - might his long Scotland career be over?

The same scenario applies to Christophe Berra, who has been having a great season with Hearts, and who had forged a strong central defensive partnership with Charlie Mulgrew.

There will be a new captain, and, while there will be calls to give the job to Kieran Tierney, as I have said before, I would wait until he inherits the Celtic arm band from Brown, as he surely will, and has some experience of that job, before burdening him with the Scotland arm band. As a “Regent” as it were, during the inter-interregnum, I would perhaps go with Mulgrew.

As a former 'keeper myself, I am always interested in who gets the call-up for the job. Big Eck has chosen three 'keepers, the experienced Allan McGregor and the uncapped duo of Jordan Archer and Hearts' Joe McLaughlin, whose first Scotland call-up this is.

The little I have seen of Archer, who has been in a few recent Scotland squads it has to be said, has not impressed me. I would rather have seen Jamie Macdonald of Kilmarnock called-up than McLaughlin, while McGregor is currently playing second fiddle to David Marshall at Hull City, which makes me question Eck's preference.

Mind you, if he carries on from his display on Sunday, I don't think it will be long before Scott Bain of Celtic has the number one jersey.

The squad is:

Goalkeepers - Jordan Archer (Millwall), Alan McGregor (Hull City), Jon McLaughlin (Heart of Midlothian).

Defenders - Barry Douglas (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Grant Hanley (Norwich City), Russell Martin (Rangers) *, Scott McKenna (Aberdeen), Charlie Mulgrew (Blackburn Rovers), Callum Paterson (Cardiff City), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).

Midfielders - Stuart Armstrong (Celtic), Tom Cairney (Fulham), James Forrest (Celtic), Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen), Kevin McDonald (Fulham), Dylan McGeouch (Hibernian), John McGinn (Hibernian), Calum McGregor (Celtic), Kenny McLean (Aberdeen) *, Scott McTominay (Manchester United), Jamie Murphy (Rangers) **, Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United).

Forwards - Ryan Christie (Aberdeen) ***, Jason Cummings (Rangers) ****, Oliver McBurnie (Barnsley) *****, Matt Phillips (West Bromwich Albion).

* On loan from Norwich City; ** On loan from Brighton & Hove Albion; *** On loan from Celtic;
**** On loan from Nottingham Forrest; ***** On loan from Swansea City.

McLeish has also introduced a new back-up coaching team of Peter Grant, James McFadden and goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods. The squad will play Costa Rica on 23 March, at Hampden, before flying to Budapest, to face Hungary, four days later.