No Road To Rio For Team GB

THIS post may well be unique in the history of this blog, because, what I have to say is: Well done FIFA.

 

I say this after the news the FA has had to abandon plans to enter British Men's and Women's football teams at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, after FIFA's intervention.

 

Sepp Blatter's boys told the chaps at Wembley: "You can only enter teams with the approval of the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh FAs."

 

That approval was never going to come, at least from Glasgow, so, at a stroke, the FA chaps have been denied their Olympics freebie down Copacabana way.

 

Yeehaw!!!

 

British football's place in the Olympics has always been a bit of a guddle. To be fair to the English, we Scots never really bought-into the idea of playing in the Games. In the old days, up till 1972, when the Games were amateur, the SFA tended to pass the ball to the Scottish Amateur FA, in reality, the Queen's Park committee.

 

They, on more than one occasion, when push came to shove, put the interests of the Spiders before those of the UK. That has to be acknowledged.

 

However, the FA tended to treat the whole footbll issue as being England's baby; well, that's how they treat most football issues in this island.

 

With a bit of give and take on both sides, our best young players, English, Northern irish, Scottish and Welsh, could have benefitted from an excellent competition. They never will, until they sort-out their differences.

 

 

Disaster For Scotland Avoided

PHEW! Glad that one is over.

 

Having got over such DISASTERS FOR SCOTLAND as the Iran game, the 0-0 draw wit Luxembourg, the draw in the Faroe Islands and that win in Cyprus when Richard Gough's winning goal seemed to have been timed by sun dials, I had a nervy feeling about last night's game against Gibraltar.

 

Surely Scotland cannot blow this one, was my pre-game view. Thankfully, not even Scotland could blow a match against a team I would expect even my own dear, threatened by closure at the end of this season Lugar Boswell Thistle to beat.

 

I am not even bothered about the fact we allowed the real Sons of the Rock to score their first international goal, watertight defence has never been the Scotland way. We won, we move on to tougher games.

 

I am pleased for Fletcher S, he has got the "couldn't score in a brothel with £1000 to spend" monkey off his back - perhaps he will now begin to hit the net with some regularity, in any case, it was long past time for Colin Stein's name to be expunged from the record book.

 

We have not booked our trip to France next summer - yet, but, we have reasonable grounds for optimism.

 

 

 

SPEAKING about getting back to where you want to be; it might be said that the Rangers Tribute Act were facing their own "Gibraltar Moment" on Saturday, when they took-on Cowdenbeath. They came through that test well, if not with flying colours.

 

You know, perhaps, just maybe, Stuart McCall can steady the ship and navigate Ra Peepul through the play-offs this time round. However, I hope, should be fail, the new owners hold their nerve and keep him on. In the longer term, it might do the RTA no harm at all, to have to spend a second season in the Championship.

 

 

 

OFF the Ball is, in some respects, an acquire taste. Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan love to bill their wee programme as: "The most-petty and ill-informed football programme on radio", then they go out there and give air time to such terrific guests as experienced (it never does to call a lady "a veteran") Scotland goalkeeper Gemma Faye, who was on the show on Saturday.

 

Some of the so-called "serious" sports programmes might do well to pay a bit more attention to our women's game. For a start, as Gemma proved, our top girl players are much more-rounded characters and, I would suggest, more-intelligent, than their male counterparts.

 

Speaking of OTB, my old mucker Chick Young came up with a cracker when guesting on the Saturday night version of the show. After revealing that his great invitation XI, Dukla Pumpherston (football's version of rugby's Barbarians) had once played against the Gibraltar international team, he revealed that he had played in surely the ultimate Scottish local derby - AC Milanda v Inter Mill Inn.

 

This surely proves, when it comes to daft team names - nobody does it as well as we Scots.   

OK - We Won, But, Where Do We Go From Here?

AS expected, Scotland beat Northern Ireland in last night's Hampden friendly. Having better things to do with my time last evening, I had to rely on newspaper reports this morning.

 

Football folk wisdom has it that: "Scotland doesn't 'do' friendlies"; this stance may have some credence. A few years ago I did a piece for one of the broadsheets, in which I compare Scotland's record in competitive internationals against our record in friendlies, and, from the days of brown Manfield Hotspur boots, with leather studs and thick woolen strips, to modern times, we have consistently had better results when it mattered, than in friendlies.

 

So, even though we won lat night, we apparently didn't rouse the Tartan Army to their singing and dancing top level of performance. This might be due in part to what I consider a genetically-generated fault in the Scottish psyche - we are World Champions at getting down to the level of our opponents.

 

If I can go slightly off-topic here; I have long contended, when playing the likes of San Marino, Luxembourg, Andorra, Liechtenstein or Sunday's upcoming opponents, Gibraltar, rather than picking what he thinks is our top players, Wee Gordon Strachan should cherry-pick the best players in the Junior game - thereby causing our opponents, who have, through necessity, honed their defensive game, to come out of their comfort zone and have a go, allowing us to pick them off.

 

Last night's game, will, however, be one of the last such meaningless fixtures, now UEFA is bringing-in their new schedule of what we might call: "competitive friendlies", whereby we will be playing other nations of roughly our own standard regularly.

 

When I first heard of this change, I thought it a good thing, I still do, but, I don't think it is good enough to meet Scotland's needs.

 

There is a definite gap between our age group teams, up to Under-21 and the full team. Only around one-third of the players whom we cap at Under-21 level ever make it through to win full caps. OK, some of the blame for this rests with our managers and directors, who, in an effort to win things NOW, seem to prefer to import more-technically-grounded foreign players, rather than sort things at source by properly coaching our raw talent.

 

The fact that, somehow, our players are presumed to not work as hard on their game as young players from elsewhere doesn't help; you could blame the Scottish diet - you might say they lack the hunger to improve as well. There are all sorts of reasons why our best young players do not train-on to contend for a place in the full team, but, there is a seeming reluctance to tackle this long-standing problem.

 

The first Scotland Under-23 team to take the field - hammered 6-0 by an England team, inspired by a Duncan Edwards hat-trick, at Shawfield, on 8 February, 1955 was: Willie Duff (Hearts), Alex Parker (Falkirk), Eric Caldow (Rangers), Dave Mackay (Hearts), Doug Baillie (Airdrie), Bobby Holmes (St Mirren), Graham Leggat (Aberdeen), Jim Walsh (Celtic), Dave Hill (Clyde), Bobby Wishart (Aberdeen), Davie McParland (Partick Thistle). Of those 11 players, Parker, Caldow, Mackay and Leggat went on to win full Scotland caps; Caldow and Mackay led their country too, while Parker and Leggat had successful full international careers.

 

Our first Under-21 team, which faced Czechoslovakia in a European Championship match in the Tartan Army's favourite destination, Pilsen - the home of Czech beer - on 12 October, 1976, was: Bobby Clark (Aberdeen), George Burley (Ipswich Town), Arthur Albiston (Manchester United), Pat Stanton (Hibernian), Roy Aitken, Tommy Burns (Celtic), Davie Cooper (Clydebank), John Wark (Ipswich Town), David McNiven (Leeds United), David Narey and Paul Sturrock (Dundee United): substitutes used: Davie Provan (Kilmarnock) and Ian Muir (Hibs).

 

Clark and Stanton were in there as over-age players, but of those 13 players, only McNiven and Muir failed to go on and win full caps, the other 11 can be covered in one word - Legends.

 

 Our Under-21 squad of ten years ago, season 2004-05, ran to 33 players, mainly because, with qualification for the 2006 European Under-21 Championships not being achieved, we fed-in some younger players with a view to the next campaign.

 

Of these 33 players, however, 14 went on to win full caps: Mark Wilson, Alan Hutton, Scott Brown, Kris Boyd, Paul Gallagher, Stephen Whittaker, Derek Riordan, Gary O'Connor, David Clarkson, Rod Wallace, Chris Burke, Shaun Maloney, David Marshall and Christophe Berra.

 

Our squad of five seasons ago, season 2009-10 was a mere 16-players strong, with only two Under-21 games played that season. Of those 16 players, only two, David Goodwillie and Barry Bannan have so-far, broken through to become full internationalists, and, to be honest, I had to look-up the record books to get anything on several of the others.

 

I accept, new talent doesn't come through at a uniform rate, there are Golden Generations, and there are others where the players are definitely base metal, but, if we can find a way of levelling-out the talent identification and development process, our big team ought to do better. This is a matter to which the SFA has never given much, or indeed any thought.

 

It is to be hoped that Brian McClair can maybe turn things around, but, he will not find it as simple with Scotland as at Manchester United.

 

I would like to see Scotland introducing an Under-23 team, or a B team, to bridge the gap between the Under-21s and the full team.

 

How about reviving the Home Internationals, as an Under-23 competition, maybe even as an end-of-season tournament, played on smaller grounds?

 

Why don't we develop the B team, to go on an end-of-season tour, perhaps to Europe, where there is still some interest in such games, or to some of the places in the old Empire, where there are overseas branches of the Tartan Army, who would come out of the woodwork to see a Scotland team in the flesh?

 

What we cannot do, is blunder along as we have.

We Should Win Tonight, But Cannot Presume As Much

SCOTLAND'S football relationship with Northern Ireland was, for many years simple - facing our closest international neighbours was an almost-guaranteed win. The annual game, whether at Hampden or Windsor Park was one of the few in which, Scotland was the "big" team.

 

In the early days of the fixture, the SFA had worked-out that, when the Irish game (against the whole of our neighbouring island back then) came around, we could virtually pick 11 names of current, Scottish-based players out of the Chairman of the Selection Committee's lum hat and still be guaranteed a win, usually with goals to spare.

 

Boy were we arrogant back then. It is worth remembering that the selection of the immortal Wembley Wizards owed much to dissatisfaction with the performance and outcome of the previous international.

 

At Celtic Park, on 25 February, 1928, we lost 0-1 to the Irish. The Scottish team that day was: Alan McClory (Motherwell), Jock Hutton (Blackburn Rovers), Willie McStay (Celtic), Tommy Muirhead (captain), Davie Meiklejohn and Tully Craig (all Rangers), Henry Ritchie and Jimmy Dunn (both Hibs), Jimmy McGrory (Celtic), George Stevenson (Motherwell) and Alan Morton (Rangers). The great McGrory, by the way, was making his Scotland debut that day.

 

When Scotland next played, against England at Wembley, five weeks later, only Dunn and Morton survived to become immortals after a 5-1 win.

 

Several Scots have filled their boots with goals against the Irish, Billy Steel and Denis Law, both of whom would be on the short leet for the number 10 jersey in any all-time Scottish team, both posted four-goal hauls against the Irish; Henry Morris of East Fife memorably marked his solitary game for Scotland with a hat-trick in 1949, while his team-mate, Charlie Fleming bagged a brace on his sole Scotland appearance four years later.

 

However, we should never forget, the magnificent Jubilee Trophy, the silverware from the Home International Championship has resided in the care of the IFA these past 30-odd years and, in the last ten meetings between the two nations, the score is three wins to Scotland, two to Northern Ireland and five draws. We can no-longer take victory for granted in this fixture.

 

So, what does Gordon Strachan do tonight? He knows, the Irish will give Scotland a game, does he send-out his big guns, in the knowledge, this one is likely to be played like a good, old-fashioned blood and thunder British cup tie, and thereby risk losing an influential player from the more-important task of putting a few goals on the minnows of Gibraltar next time out.

 

Or, does he experiment, give some of the fringe guys a start, try some different combinations? Decisions, decisions.

 

Even when Scotland were good, we had one or two hairy matches against the men in green. The way George Best virtually beat us on his own in 1967 for instance, is a salutory lesson.

 

The Tartan Army, for instance, might have to suffer some worrying moments tonight, but, in the end, we should still have too-much fire-power for the visitors. I just hope Scott Brown, assuming he plays, steers clear of Kyle Lafferty. We don't need an unnecessary international incident or two!!

 

I accept the Irish rugby team which worked over our XV at Murrayfield on Saturday was, on-paper and in-fact, the superior outfit. On-paper, we have the better football XI, although the gap is that bit narrower.

 

We couldn't beat the whole of Ireland at rugby, surely we can still beat the top bit at football.

Is There No End To This Suffering?

OK, I accept, Ra Peepul have a long and dark history in Scottish football. I forget the late "Dan" Archer's great quote, something about a constant embarrassment and occasional disgrace, I think; but, have they not suffered enough?

Bad enough to be granted a partial reprieve and banishment to the dungeon of League Two - when the crimes of SDM and Craig Whyte maybe deserved closure, or, at best, greater-banishment, to Central Division Two of the West Region of the SJFA perhaps.

Bad enough too, to suffer the long-drawn-out examination of Ally McCoist's unfitness for management, and the often hilarious to the outsiders machinations of the various investors and directors of the new Rangers Tribute Act.

Bad enough to have to suffer the Kenny McDowall interregnum, when a decent man, a life-long supporter who is a good coach, a good Number Two, but by his own admission not a manager. Who did his best, but was found lacking, in a job he never wanted.

Bad enough too, when the King Over The Water eventually gets the keys to his kingdom and appoints a favoured son as manager, to see him fail to win his first handful of games.

But, how very very cruel, on the day he finally inspires his team to victory, against their closest-rivals in the play-off race, to discover: Charles Green doing his Arnold Schwarzenegger act.

You really would not want to be a Rangers-supporting Unionist these days, with Alex Salmond, smugger than ever after Hearts' runaway Championship win,causing a tidal wave of hatred and anti-Scottish venom around Westminster. Then, suddenly, Green emerges from his French chateau and announces: "I'll be back - maybe".

Is there to be no peace and redemption for Ra Peepul?

WELL DONE Hearts. The Championship was supposed to be the toughest league in Scotland, perhaps in the UK, to win this season, but, under tyro boss Robbie Neilson, backed by a tyro chairwoman, they turned the title race into a procession.

And, well done Craig Levein - who has surely drawn-up the blueprint of how a Director of Football-Head Coach relationship can and does work in this country. Big Craig has surely now cleaned-up an escutcheon tarnished by his torrid time as Scotland boss.



THE two remaining Scottish Junior Cup quarter-finals were settled on Saturday, and, we have a very interesting semi-final line-up.

Almost inevitably, Auchinleck Talbot - the Real Madrid of junior football are once again in the final four, alongside another Ayrshire side, cup-holders Hurlford United. The other two finalists are from the East Region - Linlithgow Rose, whose cup record in recent years is probably second only to Talbot's, and Musselburgh Athletic, another club with a good record of getting through to "squeaky bum time" in the competition which truly defines real fitba.

Being an Ayrshireman myself, I would love to see a Talbot v Hurlford final, a pairing which would surely give Rugby Park its largest crowd of this season. That, however, should not be taken as belittling the two East sides. They are there on merit and, however the as yet undrawn semi-finals pan out, we should have a good final to look forward to on 7 June. 

 

Our Referees Really Are Bad

I PASSED on Wednesday night's Celtic v Dundee United Scottish Cup tie. At my age, the chance to accompany a lovely sixty-something lady to the cinema to watch another bunch of coffin dodgers - Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy and Richard Gere, to name but a few, enjoying themselves in the Second Best Marigold Hotel was more-enticing than watching Scottish fitba.

 

Therefore, I can offer little in the way of critical comment on events at Celtic Park. From the few flashes I saw on TV news bulletins, I will say:

 

A yellow card for Scott Brown, some three seconds into the game, might have set a better tone.

 

How the Hell was the United keeper NOT red-carded for that foul on Leigh Griffiths? The challenge was pure Schumacher in its cynicism.

 

What was wrong with Ryan McGowan's red card, fully-justified.

 

Paul Paton has a case.

 

Scotland's rugby referees get a bad press - and rightly so. Apart from Andrew McMenemy, none of the current crop is ready for the top level.

 

We have one or two football officials getting quality games at FIFA official level, OK, this list includes Willie Collum, but, he's not the worst. Hampden, you have a refereeing problem - deal with it.

 

I fancy this fairly-average Celtic team could yet complete a domestic Treble, but, to do this, they have to get past Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who have previous against them in the Scottish Cup. Interesting.

 

 

 

WHILE Cetic were advancing, the pain has gone on for Ra Peepul across the city. I am now coming to the conclusion, another season in the Championship might be no bad thing for the RTA. It might give them time to become, at some point in the future, a real Rangers team.

 

 

 

JUST a thought - what does Gary Locke have to do to be taken seriously as a quality football manager?

 

His thanks for some good work at Hearts last season was to be shown the door. He then returned to Kilmarnock, where he has done none too badly in his few weeks in charge, since succeeding Alan Johnston.

 

Gary surely deserves a chance to show what he can do over a full season or two. 

 

 

Jelly And Ice Cream At The Ready Bhoys

ONE down - two to go would appear to be received wisdom following Celtic's win in today's League Cup Final, at Hampden. I still believe this current squad is, by Celtic standards, a fairly-average bunch of players, but, having said that, they are heading a league of probably less-than-average players in a poor league, and I cannot see them missing-out on all three domestic prizes.

 

So, the League and Scottish Cup are probably now, Celtic's to lose, rather than anyone else's to win; I see no reason why the longed-for Treble cannot be achieved.

 

After the shambles of last week's Scottish Cup tie at Tannadice, a red card was always on the card, and duly arrived. Thankfully, this time round, the match officials didn't come-in for heavy criticism and the controversial decisions probably evened themselves out. Nothing to see here - please move along.

 

 

 

MESSAGE for Stuart McCall - if you didn't know the size of the job you were taking-on at Ibrox - well, ye ken noo.

 

The way things are continuing to go at Ibrox, it maybe wasn't a new manager the club needed, but, an exorcist.

 

 

 

I DO not normally watch Match of the Day. I've generally got better things to do at that time on a Saturday night, ditto when it comes to the Sunday morning repeat, prior to the Andrew Marr Show.

 

But, with ra Burd otherwise engaged on Saturday night - being treated to a Mother's Day weekend by her daughter, and, still down after that poor show at Twickenham earlier in the day, I decided to watch last night.

 

I am glad I did, because we, the viewers, were treated to a cracking goal from George Boyd, a guy I have always felt ought to have a few more Scotland caps than he has. Boydie's low volley past Joe Hart from the edge of the box was a thing of beauty - as well as a coupon-buster. There cannot have been many outwith Burnley who fancied them to beat the City billionaires.

 

But, good though Boyd's goal was, it was nothing compared to the 40-yarder fired home by QPR's Phillips, which left ex-Dundee 'keeper Julian Speroni clutching fresh air. James McArthur also scored a cracker in the same game.

 

Then there was some glorious stuff from Arsenal in their match. At times, their passing was almost on a par with Barcelona at their best. Mind you, it wasn't all vintage football - if those were the highlights of Leicester v Hull, most of the match must have been gash. I know a couple of Rangers' fans who switched off in disgust.

 

 

 

IN case you blinked and missed it, Auchinleck Talbot are through to yet another Scottish Junior Cup semi-final. Holders Hurlford United are still there, their quarter-final will be played on Saturday, but, the smart money is on Talbot regaining possession of the magnificent trophy.