A Good Few Days For Rangers - Then Big Doug Passed

THE FORMER East Ayrshire mining village in which I live is something of a Unionist/Rangers stronghold. I am told we have more Union Flags flying in front gardens here – and in a couple of similar nearby villages, than anywhere else in Scotland. The running joke up here used to be, when you got the keys to your Council house, you also got a picture of King Billy, on his white horse, to hang above the fireplace.

So, with that background, Thursday night was a wee bit wild – between Rangers winning in Dortmund, then Celtic being beaten at home by Bodo/Glimt; as one of the local 'Bears' commented: “If Carlsberg did Thursday nights, this would be it.” Another of the local branch of WATP pondered the great philosophical question of the night: “When Celtic bomb out of the Europa Conference League, where do they go – the Eurovision Song Conference perhaps?”

These are of course, part of the non-stop banter between the fans of the Bigot Brothers. Both Borussia Dortmund and Celtic are capable, with a fair wind behind them, of overturning a two-goal deficit in the second leg, but, until this Thursday, the Rangers' fans have the bragging rights.

But seriously, from an overall Scottish Football viewpoint, if Celtic go out in Norway, it dents our hopes of boosting our European co-efficient. Fair enough, however, for me, it is long past time the rest of our so-called top clubs to step up to the mark and help the big two enhance our co-efficient. In Europe, every result counts, and, for too-long, this has been a weakness in Scottish football.

 

BIG DOUG BAILLIE died at the week-end, aged 85. That's a good innings and my condolences go to his family – the big man will be much-missed.

He hailed from Rigside a mining village high in the South Lanarkshire hills. From here, every day, he caught the train to Lanark Grammar School, where he combined a good academic record with a starring role in a very-good school team.

He was in the Airdrie first team while still at school and aged just 18, he was chosen at centre half for Scotland's first-ever Under-23 team. Four of that team, full-backs Alex Parker and Eric Caldow, right-half Dave Mackay and outside-right Graham Leggat would go on to win full caps, with Caldow and Masckay captaining Scotland, so to be in that company demonstrates, Doug could play a bit.

Sadly, Scotland lost 0-6 to England, most of the damage being done by Duncan Edwards, the legendary Busby Babe. He was switched form his normal left-half role, to centre forward in the second half, scoring a hat-trick and giving Doug a torrid time. Years later, I broached the subject of Edwards to him and doug had no hesitation: “He absolutely murdered me that night, by far the best player I ever faced.”

Doug was a Rangers fan and when Rangers paid Airdrie a then big fee of £11,500 in the close season of 1960, he achieved his ambition of playing for the club. Sadly, he had a horrific debut, being run ragged by the young John Yogi Hughes as Celtic won 3-2. It was a foretaste of things to come and, in the face of competition from former Scotland B cap Bill Paterson, veteran internationalist Willie Telfer, then the breakthrough of the young Ron McKinnon, he only managed 41 games, in five seasons at Ibrox.

Perhaps his best performance in a Rangers jersey was in the first leg of the European Cup-Winners Cup semi-final “Battle of Britain” against Wolverhampton Wanderers, when Scot Symon handed him the number nine shirt with instructions to make life difficult for Wolves' captain and England centre-half Bill Slater. Doug did a sterling job, creating space for Alex Scott and Ralph Brand to score the goals which took Rangers into the final.

He left Rangers in 1964 to run down his playing career with Third Lanark, Falkirk then Dunfermline Athletic, before, after some 400 games in his 17-year senior career, he hung-up his boots, having found his true forte.

The Sunday Post held what were, in effect, open auditions, seeking new football-writing talent. Doug turned-up and got the gig. Initially, he understudied their Chief Football Writer, Wembley Wizard legend Jack Harkness; then, when that goalkeeping great retired, Doug became the Post's go-to man for football coverage.

He invented a whole new language for football-writing: “Doug-Speak.” They didn't play with a ball, but with a “spheroid.” “Custodians defended the onion bag.” During John Greig's tenure as manager, Rangers were 'Greig's Granadiers.'

You read a Doug Baillie match report with a smile on your face; his copy flowed. We lesser lights, sharing a press box with the great man, never filed our copy while he was on the telephone to the Post – listening to Doug was more entertaining.

He truly was a larger-than-life character, ever ready with a joke and a quip. He was also the embodiment of: “Once a Ranger – always a Ranger.” I remember one afternoon, at Ibrox, sitting between Doug and another former Rangers centre-half, the legendary Willie Woodburn. I was black and blue at the end, as they kicked every ball with their old team.

Rangers had a young centre forward playing that day, who was going to be: “The next big thing.” Doug wasn't impressed: “See that yin, he'll still be a promising boay when he's 30,” was the Baillie verdict. The next big thing was back in the juniors a couple of season later.

But, surely the best Baillie story is of the afternoon son Lex scored the winner for Celtic in an Old Firm Derby. “His mother is very proud,” is how Doug assessed the goal in his Post match report.

He had settled in Hamilton and, in retirement, he became something of a regtular at Accies' home games. He had been a successful president of The Scottish Football Writers Association, as he covered games around the World, at World Cups and European Champiionships.

Because he had played the game to a high level, Doug could get stories out of players which we lesser beings never could – he truly was a giant of Scottish Football Writing.

Our craft has lost one of its gianst and, as one proud to call him a friend, I mourn his passing. We will not see his likes again.

Dixie's Gone - Ayr Will Not See His Like Again

 

ALEX “DIXIE” INGRAM died last week, after a lengthy battle against Alzheimer's. His death was widely, and rightly, mourned across his adopted Ayrshire. As an old-fashioned spearhead centre forward with Ayr United, then as an entrepreneurial business-man in the motor trade, he did a lot for sport in the county.

The “Dixie” nickname comes not from comparisons between the genuinely gifted header of a ball that Alex was – and Everton and England legend Dixie Dean, but from “Dixie” Ingram, the high-leaping solo Highland Dancer in TV's White Heather Club. Not a tall man, the footballing Dixie really could get off the deck, frequently out-jumping taller defenders.

He was born in Edinburgh, went into the finance business and signed for Queen's Park, from whom Ayr United signed him in 1966 – he was, in fact, the first United player signed by Ally MacLeod. A part-timer, his day job with a motor trade finance house made him a familiar figure around Ayrshire, more-so when he began banging in the goals in the very good United team which Ally built.

He played over 300 games for United, in two spells with the club, broken by one year with Nottingham Forest, whom he joined for £45,000, before returning to Somerset Park for £15,000; great business by the club. He was also capped by the Scottish League, during his first spell at Somerset Park – the first United player to win representative honours for many years.

During his service with United, he played up front with some legends, the likes of George McLean and Alex Ferguson, scoring 117 goals, to be placed fourth in the club's all-time goal scorers list.

He played in the United team which contested their first Scottish Cup semi-final, in 1973. They lost 2-0 to Rangers, but those United fans who were there that night and are still alive, are still wondering how Dixie could possible have been offside, as he ran past Colin Jackson and Derek Johnstone to head a Davie Wells cross past Peter McCloy.

That was one of the worst of the many pro-Rangers decisions given in his refereeing career, by Bobby Davidson. Had United got in front, the outcome might have been a lot different.

In the early 1970s he opened his own Volkswagen dealership, initially in Prestwick Road in Ayr, expanding it widely with multiple locations in and around A|yr and further afield, in Paisley and Stranraer. He had a penchant for employing other footballers, with several weel-kent figures in the Ayrshire Juniors having their day jobs with the Ingram group.

He also sponsored several clubs, and was even, at one point, being touted as a possible Kilmarnock Chairman, as the club's old guard struggled to hold-off the interest of Bobby Fleeting – whose brother, SFA insider Jim, had been a team mate of Dixie's at Somerset Park.

But, the possible Killie connection came to nothing and Alex returned to Somerset Park, becoming vice-chairman and eventually Honorary President. He was also inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2008.

Away from football he had, through son Malcolm, who took over the family firm, an interest in karate. However, his main sporting passion after hanging up his boots was the golf course.

He became firm friends with the great Bernhard Langer and when the German legend competed in the Open at Turnberry or Royal Troon, he always stayed with Alex and his wife Jean in Ayr.

Sadly, the final decade of Alex Ingram's life was blighted by Alzheimer's. He required round-the-clock care before his and his family's torment was ended in the early hours of Thursday, 3 February, he was 77.

Dixie was an old-fashioned centre forward, he played hard, gave no quarter and asked none in return. He was a true star in a Golden Age for Ayr United, every Somerset Parker will feel deep sorrow at the passing of a legend.

Much Ado About Two Very Average Sides

THE DAILY RECORD'S Sports Editor hasn't, yet, brought-up the cracked Rangers' crest graphic, but, should Rangers fail to beat Hearts, at Ibrox on Sunday, I dare say he might be tempted to call it up.

The hacks are equally delighted – Celtic's 3-0 win, at Celtic Park, on Wednesday night, sets the agenda for the next month. The hacks don't have to think too hard about what they are writing (not that the likes of Keith Jackson ever could). The agenda has the green bit of Glasgow on-top, with the blue half chasing.

Fair play to Celtic, you cannot really argue about a deserved win when there were three goals in it. The truth, however, which the solid, upright citizens of The Scottish Football Writers Association dare not tell you is, at the moment, Celtic are probably the playing the better football of two average teams, who are not, given the huge financial and support advantages they enjoy, significantly better than the other ten teams in their domestic league.

The following is entirely unscientific, but, still I think, interesting. Back in the 1970s, when Squash was the “must play” game among the aspiring middle classes, each squash club ran a series of ladders. These ranked the player in each and you rose through the ranks by challenging, then beating, one of the three or four players above you in each ladder.

So, I thought I would adapt a squash ladder to the current state of European club football. The 16 teams in the Round of 16 for the Champions League I ranked in order of their performances in the group stages. Next come the eight clubs dropping from the Champ;ions League into the Play-off round of the Europa League.

Next come the eight clubs who finished bottom of their Champions League group and are not out of Europe. Below them are theeight Europa League group winners, followed by the eight second-placed teams, ahead of the eight third-placed teams in each Europa League group.

Using my ladders method, we find Rangers this season ranked (at the moment) 48^th in Europe, while Celtic, who finished third in their gorup to drop into the European Conference League are currently ranked 50^th in Europe. So, not much between the two clubs.

If we look at the make-up of the top 56 teams (the ones still involved in the knock-out stages of the three UEFA competitions) we find Scotland is ranked eighth of the 21 nations who still have teams involved. England, Germany, Italy and Spain each has six teams still involved,France and Portugal each has five teams still involved, Turkey has three while we are joined on the two clubs still involved mark by Austrai, Russia and Ukraine.

So, Scotland has two clubs ranked in Europe's top 50. However, it's where the remainder of our clubs are ranked that is, for me, the big problem.

With the introduction of second chances (lose in the Champions League, you drop into the Europa League, lose there, you drop into the Europa Conference League, it becomes all but impossible to rank the clubs who don't at least reach the group stages of even the Conference League, the lowest-ranked of the three competitions.

What is clear, however, is, there is a massive drop-off between our top two teams and the rest. Aberdeen, Hibernian and St Johnstone, our three other representatives in Europe this season were all back on domestic duty, almost before the season had started.

Given the teams which dropped out of Europe in later rounds of the three European competitions, I would say their rankings will be some 100 places lower than the Old Firm's.

Until we sort our domestic league out and start to get back to where we were in the 1960s to 1980s, when Scottish clubs such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Hearts, Hibs, and Kilmarnock were all competitive in Europe and Scottish clubs were regular visitors to the later rounds of European competitions, then we are only going backwards.

We desperately need to re-structure our league, to level the playing field and narrow the gap between the Old Firm and the rest. It is in the interests of the other clubs to make this happen – I wonder what is stopping them.

And, while we are at it, let's see ALL our clubs favouring Scottish players and giving our young talent a chance to flourish.

EARLIER this week I had to attend the funeral of a cousin. Obviously, with the Covid restrictions, this was the first set-piece family gathering for some time, so I was meeting up with friends I hadn't seen in many years.

One of my cousins came up with a belter of a story, from the glory days of Ayrshire Junior Football, back in the 1970s. It's worth re-telling.

This cousin was playing for one North Ayrshire team, his elder brother was playing for an East Ayrshire side. Now, the elder brother had a justified and deserved reputation as a “nutter.” He fully-embraced the gospel of Ayrshire Junior football: “If it moves – kick it; if it doesn't move – kick it till it does.” He was on first-name terms with the members of the SJFA's disciplinary committee, so-often did he appear before them. The younger brother – the narrator of the story, was a very-clean player, who seldom troubled the referees.

Any way, the younger brother caught the 'flu a couple of days before his side were due in Dundee on Scottish Junior Cup business, but, if he missed the game, his team would struggle to put 11 men on the park.

Help was at hand, however, big brother was serving a suspension so, on the basis the game was in Dundee and nobody would know any different, he would play in his wee brother's place.

This was agreed and away he went. When he returned to the family home that Saturday night, wee brother asked how it had gone.

“Good news and bad news – we won 3-1, but, you got sent off late in the second half.”

Wee brother then had to attend a disciplinary meeting, where he copped a 28-day suspension, in spite of the player he had allegedly punched insisting: “that's no the guy wha punched me.”

“Aye Ah did, and ye deserved it,” said the innocent fall guy.

 

Gordon Parks - You've Played A Blinder

GORDON PARKS, (pictured below) was starting off in football writing, just as I was switching back from general sports-writing to mostly covering rugby, so, while we shared a few press boxes, I didn't get to know him too-closely, plus, he's from a younger generation than I, so we didn't have much in common.

 One advantage the bold Gordon has over most of the other sports hacks who are active today is – he's been there, done it, got the tee-shirts and DVDs. Anyone who, like him, survived Jim McLean and Dundee United, well, he's worth listening- to or reading. Gordon has also served his time down among the “diddy clubs” - he's done the hard yards.

On Sunday, I was pointed towards Gordon's page in the Sunday Mail, a paper I haven't even looked at for years, by one of my rugby buddies. He admitted, he's not a Parks fan, I hope he reconsiders, because Gordon's latest column ought to be required reading for the High Heid Yins along the sixth-floor corridor at Hampden Park, as he points-out the absolute moger they have made of Scottish football.

It's actually a very-good piece of journalism by Gordon, one for which he deserves praise. What he has done is picked-up on a series of tweets from Brown Ferguson, a former team mate/opponent from Gordon's playing days. Brown (pictured below) is now an Elite Performance Practitioner with sportscotland's Scottish Institute of Sport, at Stirling University; that's the day job, he is also Gary Naysmith's Assistant Manager with Edinburgh City.

 Brown's day job involves working with elite athletes, helping them cope with the stresses of juggling work or studying with the demands of top-line sport. He's been having a look at some figures around player numbers in the Scottish Premiership, where he found:

• With the January window now open, there have been 12 players signed by Premiership Clubs, only 1 has been Scottish.

• In this season (2021/22) there have been 125 signings in the Premiership, 30 of them have been Scottish (24%).

• Out of the 125 players signed in the SPFL, 30 of them have been loans and of the loans 7 have been Scottish.

• Game week 20 in the SPFL (The last one before the winter break) saw the lowest number of Scottish Players start a game week this season with 56 out of 132 (42%) Scottish. Our highest week was game week 1 (Before the window shut) with 72 starting Scots (55%). Our average is 47%

• Scotland currently has 150 Scottish players in 1st team squads across the SPFL. Scotland currently sit 38 in World Rankings, there is only one country above us (Switzerland - ranked 13th) who have fewer home based players

• Countries of similar size, or less, have the following number of home nation players in their top flight squads:

• Iceland (0.3m) – 317

• Uruguay (3.4m) – 450

• Croatia (4.1m) – 183

• Norway (5.4m) – 304

• Scotland (5.5m) – 150

• Finland (5.5m) – 191

• Denmark (5.8m) - 183

Brown also produced this graphic, to illustrate how much Scottish clubs have become wedded to buying in non-Scottish players:

I find that graphic particularly-interesting. There have always been non-Scots in Scottish football, the Old Firm has long had their share of Irish players: Sean Fallon, Charlie Tully, Bertie Peacock or later, Packy Bonnar at Celtic: Bert Manderson and later Billy Simpson, John McClelland or Jimmy Nicholl at Rangers, where there were the likes of the South Africans – Johnny Hubbard and Don Kitchenbrand.

County Durham man Jackie Hather was a key player in the 1955 Aberdeen team which won the Scottish League, while, Welshman Ben Ellis and Englishman Bob Ferrier played key roles in the great league-winning Motherwell team of the 1930s. Yes, we sent thousands of “Scotch Professors” out to teach the world to play football, but, we accepted the odd foreign player back.

Brown Ferguson's graphic shows, that trickle gradually became a flood, after Graeme Souness arrived at Rangers in 1986 – until today, Scots are almost in the minority in Scottish football.

This cannot be healthy for the Scottish game, but, sadly, I honestly cannot see the High Heid Yins at Hampden having the wit to notice, or the wisdom to change things. I do not say we should not import foreign players – Scottish football has benefitted from having the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Brian Laudrup, Henrik Larssen, Lubomir Moravcik, Frank Sauzee, Zoltan Varga, Istvan Kozma, Alexei Eremenko, Marko Rajamaki or Gunni Torfasson, to name but a few, playing here. But, that said, our primary aim should be to provide opportunities for young, native talent to thrive and perhaps go on to bigger things in bigger leagues – that is not helped by importing second, third or fourth-rate foreign players and ignoring the development of young Scots.

For me, however, the real kicker in the Gordon Parks piece comes at the end, where he points out that 11 of the 12 Premiership clubs (Celtic are the odd ones out) have accepted over £25 million in interest-free Scottish Government loans on the back of the Covid pandemic.

Gordon wonders how much of that cash will be earmarked for “player development” and how much will go towards “player recruitment.” That's a very-good question. I would (if I was a tax payer – but, being retired I'm not), not be best pleased to think my contributions to running Scotland were being spent on fringing in another second or third-rate foreign player, but, I could live with it going on helping young Scottish players make it.

Gordon Parks wrote: “Handouts shouldn't go to clubs spending on recruitment.” If he's still writing when he's 100 years of age, Gordon will never write a truer sentence.

Socrates Sings Paper Roses

 

DEREK McINNES as the new Kilmarnock manager – maybes aye, maybes naw; we'll wait and see. He certainly has a good track record in Scotland, but, as a long-time Killie fan, I feel the current board, like so many Rugby Park boards before them, hasn't thought this one through properly.

Take the length of Derek's contract – 18 months. What can he achieve in that time? Promotion, either by winning the Championship, or via the end-of-season play-offs, well, that has to be the first priority.

Assuming he does that, part two has to be getting Kilmarnock back to where we fans think the club should be, top six in the Premiership. That's going to be the hard part. If he can do these two things, which are the minimum I am looking for, ok, maybe he can get a new contract, or, and this might suit him better, he could maybe get a bigger job on the back of his success at Kilmarnock.

Derek's managerial record is interesting. He has been in-charge at three clubs: St Johnstone, Bristol City and Aberdeen. According to Wikipedia, he has managed 618 games, winning 290, drawing 142 and losing 186.

This gives him an overall winning percentage of 46.93% of the games managed. This is a good record for a man who has not had charge of a major club – one with presumptions of winning a league championship or national trophy regularly. In all he has onlywon two trophies as a manager, the First Division title with St Johnstone in 2008-09 and the League Cup, with Aberdeen in 2013-14.

However, winning trophies with Kilmarnock would definitely count as a welcome bonus, given our club's past record. What the fans will want, as a starting point, is for Killie to get back into the Premiership, then become hard to beat.

Given McInnes' record, we can harbour such expectations. His “not losing games' record as a manager stands at 69.79% - he has won or drawn 432 of the 618 games he has managed. Even when he “failed” at Bristol City, he won or drew 31 games, only losing 32.

So, if he can galvanise the team, get us promoted, we can look forward to better times ahead. From where the club currently is, I think that's all we are asking.

However, as a fan, I am greedy for more. Difficult though it might be to achieve this, I would love to see Kilmarnock back to where they were when I first began to attend Rugby Park, in 1959.

Back then, Kilmarnock had, under Malcolm MacDonald, been runners-up in the 1957 Scottish Cup. Willie Waddell then took over and his record as manager was:

• Managed 389 – won 215 – drew 76 – lost 98 – wins percentage 55.27% - did not lose percentage 76.6%.

Under Waddell, the club's finishing positions in the old First Division were: Fifth – eighth – second – second – fifth – second – second – first.

In the Scottish Cup, under Waddell, Kilmarnock reached: Last 16 – quarter-finals – Runners-up – last 32 – quarter-finals – last 32 – semi-finals – quarter-finals.

In the League Cup, under Waddell, Kilmarnock reached: Quarter-finals – semi-finals – third in section, dnq for knock-out stages – runners-up – second in section, dnq – runners-up – second in section dnq – second in section, dnq.

Championees!!!

 

The Waddell Years showed what Kilmarnock could do, I would like to see the club back there.

Waddell was at Rugby Park for eight seasons. In the eight seasons prior to his arrival the club's finishing league positions were: Eighth in Division 2 (24^th) - twelfth in D2 (28^th) – fifth in D2 (20^th) – fourth in D2 (20^th) – second in D2 – promoted - (18^th) – tenth – eighth – third. So, he joined a team which had generally been on the up – Killie had enjoyed a better league finish in each of the six seasons prior to his arrival.

In the eight seasons following his departure, the club's final league positions were: Third – seventh – seventh – fourth – seventh - 13^th - 11^th - 17^th (relegated). That relegation, in season 1972-73, along with Airdrie, was followed by the same two teams bouncing straight back up in 1973-74. They finished 12^th in 1974-75, so didn't make it into the inaugural top ten, when the Premier Division started in 1975-76.

So, the Waddell Effect didn't last long at Rugby Park. Under Waddell, they had been a full-time club, offering, with Hearts, the most-consistent challenge to Scot Symon's all-conquering Rangers. But, by the time Jock Stein's Celtic ruled the roost, Killie were struggling – they have never really looked like getting back to where they were during the Waddell Years.

Perhaps, if Stevie Clarke had stayed longer, Killie could have remained one of the leading clubs, but, Scotland's need was greater than Kilmarnock's. For me, Derek McInnes' biggest challenge will be to – once he gets us back into the top flight, seeing if he can bring about a 21^st century version of the Waddell Years in the first half of that decade – the 1960s.

If I can offer some advice to Derek McInnes, take a leaf from the Waddell play-book, who always had a good number of Ayrshiremen in his first team. The Kilmarnock team which I first followed was: Jimmy Brown (Buckhaven); Jim Richmond (Blantyre), Matt Watson (Paisley), Frank Beattie ( Bannockburn) Willie Toner (Shettleston), Bobby Kennedy (Motherwell), Rab Stewart (Kilmarnock), Jackie McInally (Ayr), Andy Kerr (Lugar), Bertie Black (Lugar), Billy Muir (Kilwinning).

An all-Ayrshire forward line, and having locals in the side was a feature of the Waddell Years – look at the league-winning squad: Bobby Ferguson, Andy King, Jim McFadzean, Davie Sneddon, Ronnie Hamilton, Eric Murray, all Ayrshiremen. The best Kilmarnock teams have always been loaded with locals – let's get back to this, there has never been a lack of talent in God's County – find it, nurture it and watch Kilmarnock flourish.

More Old Firm Pish - And An Award For A Good Guy

I REALLY worry at the thought processes of some fans – (always assuming they are capable of rational thought). I managed a wry smile on Ne'erday, when I chanced upon a Celtic group page on Facebook. Those members of the Family who read the page were absolutely wetting themselves at the news, “Sevcovians are raging at their club's lack of activity during the January transfer window.”

This follows speculation that Rangers will not be doing much business this month, because they don't have the money. Celtic meanwhile, ended 2021 by signing three new Japanese players – I suppose this could be deigned a “Tora, Tora, Tora” moment down Parkhead way.

However, let's throw a bucket of ice-cold water on the celebrations. I pen these words on 1 January, 2022.

• The window has just opened, it does not close until one minute to midnight, on Monday, 31 January

• Most significant deals are done towards the end of the window

• A lot can therefore happen over the next 30 days.

As things stand, Rangers are six points clear of Celtic at the top of the table, after 20 of the requisite 38 games. Rangers have won 16, drawn 3 and lost just 1 of their games thus far, for 51 points. Celtic have won 14 games, drawn 3 and lost 3, for 45 points.

Rangers have collected points at the rate of 2.55 per game, scoring goals at a rate of 2.15 goals per game, while con=ceding 0.7 goals per game.

Celtic have collected points at the rate of 2.25 gpg, scoring at a rate of 2.10 gpg and conceding 0.6 gpg. In every measurement, except goals conceded, Rangers are ahead of their rivals.

Therefore, in spite of changing managers mid-season so far, Rangers have the better record.

If they continue to accrue points at this rate, Rangers will end the season with 97 points, overtake them and lift the league title, Celtic will need to win 2.79 points per game, or, to put it another way, they will have to win 53 of the 57 points which are available to them between now and the final game. Or, to put it yet another way, their performances will have to improve by a smidgen other 30% EVERY game.

Rangers don't really have to change anything, merely continue to be as-efficient as they have been thus far. The pressure is firmly on Celtic, to up their game and overtake them.

There will be three further Old Firm games this season. Should Celtic win all three, the chances are, they will go on to win the league. If they cannot win all three, then they will need Rangers to drop more points against “the diddy teams” than they themselves do.

Things will get interesting when hostilities resume, but, there is definitely more pressure on Celtic, to hit the ground running and claw back Rangers' current advantage.

And, of course, if the rumoured Nathan Patterson to Everton transfer does happen, this will add something between £10 million and £16 million to the Rangers' war chest.

Small beer in English Premiership terms, but, in Scottish terms, this does give Gio van Bronckhorst wriggle room, should be feel he needs to augment his squad.

Mind you, selling Patterson endorses the view, Rangers, like Celtic before them, have realised the reality of 21^st century football – since they play in what is, in commercial terms, a football backwater – the Old Firm, for all their great history, are no longer major European clubs.

Their future is in bringing through and selling-on young talent, such as Kieran Tierney and Patterson, whom they then sell-on to clubs, probably with less-distinguished histories, but playing in bigger leagues.

Yet, if/when, we finally get an NFL/NBA/NHL-style European football league, with their rivalry and fan bases, any such competition would want them on-board. Getting the two clubs into such a competition – provided it was properly organised and managed - could be the salvation of Scottish football.

ONE OF the true stalwarts of Scottish Fitba was recognised over the Ne'erday Holiday, when it was revealed that Henry Dumigan is Auchinleck's Citizen of the Year.

Henry Dumigan with a familiar trophy - the Scottish Junior Cup

This honour is richly-deserved, since Henry has, for most of the past 40 years, been Secretary of Auchinleck Talbot.

To those not from God's County, the significance of being the local junior team's secretary will be unknown. The fitba team secretary carries major prestige and with it massive pressure in Ayrshire. He's the man who has to liaise with the several different characters on the committee, keeping them more-or-less heading in the same direction.

He has to keep it real with the team manager, deal with the complaints of the supporters and generally keep the many plates spinning across a long season. It's a thankless job, even at Talbot, by common consent just about the best-run team in Scotland.

Henry learned from among the best, his mentors were Davie Loy, who was still involved with Talbot in his tenth decade and the late Malcolm Donnachie. He has been luciky too with the managers he has worked with, such as the legends that are Willie Knox and current incumbent Tucker Sloan.

He has had to sign for and look after over 70 trophies and deal with an increaisng work-load as Talbot has evolved from a successful Junior club, to a successful non-league senior one.

And, even before he receives his Citizen of the Year trophy, he's got the small matter of organising Talbot's Scottish Cup clash with Hearts, at Beechwood Park, later this month.

However, I have no doubts, Henry will tackle this task with the same quiet efficiency he has shown over the years in matters Talbot. Former SJFA Supremo Tom Johnston, and Henry's opposite number from Cumnock Juniors, past SJFA President George Morton tried for years to get Henry to become involved in the minefield of SJFA politics, he has always refused – for Henry, Talbot comes first and last.

Congratulations Henry.