Celtic Show Their Class To Advance

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

Another Legend Has Passed

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

Good Result, But, It's Still Only Half-Time

THEY left it late, but, that was another good win for Celtic in Europe again last night. However, we (and in Europe, we should all, whatever our domestic ties, be Celtic fans) are in for another nervous night in the second leg.

 

Scottish football has, of late, travelled as well as Belgian wine. The long haul to Azerbaijan does not bode well for Celtic - not with that defence; but, if big CG puts on another of his dazzling European displays, to justify that nice new contract, Celtic can successfully defend that slender, one-goal lead.

 

Let's hope too, Aberdeen does the business in their Europe League match tonight. I would certainly hat to have to justify the expense of that nice executive jet to wee Stewart Milne, if they don't get through.

 

 

 

I THINK, if not immediately, then certainly by the end of the January transfer window, Scott Allen will be a member of the RTA. We have seen this DVD so-many times when either one of the Bigot Brothers decides, they have to have a player from another Scottish club.

 

Hibs will shout, scream, stamp their feet and generally kick-up a fuss, but, in the end, the boy will go west. Get used to it, if you have not already, Hibbees.

 

 

 

YON guy in Donegal, the ex-pat Scot with the four-barrelled Erse name, has returned to his obsession with the blue-clad team which plays its home games at Ibrox Stadium.

 

Like the soothsayer in Frankie Howard's Up Pompeii, he is again prophesying - woe, woe and thrice woe for the RTA. He may well have an obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to this particular club, but, PMGB isn't often wrong.

 

Assuming there is a genuine kernel of truth to his latest forecasts, the "glib and shameless liar" who has been promoted from King over the water to Emperor of all he surveys, has a problem or two on his hands, one which not even a string of 6-2 wins will make go away.

 

But, don't tell the Lap Top Loyal - they might have to do some real work, and, that would never do.

 

 

 

I SEE Scott Booth made a winning start to his reign as manager of Glasgow  City, Scotland's top women's team. How long before Craig Brown gets a gig there as an adviser? Surely, that's a job tailor-made for the auld yin!!

 

 

A Good And Bad Result For The RTA

AS someone who spent a few years covering second and third-grade football in Scotland, I used to enjoy those very-occasional matches when we members of the Poor Bloody Infantry of the Scottish Football Writing Army had to share a fox hole with the Officer Class, whose more-familiar beat went: Ibrox-Hampden-Celtic Park.

Some of these guys actually enjoyed getting back to basics, not having their pies and Bovril served-up in a press room, having to queue-up for telephone access (in the days before we all had mobiles), perhaps having to buy a programme, or share a team sheet.

Others, denied the luxuries they felt entitled to, were like bankrupt millionaires, suddenly having to endure cattle class at the back of the aircraft, or a dowager on a bus - they couldn't cope.

So, with the mince part of the mince and tatties which is the everyday food of these fitba writers currently continuing to thole life in the second tier, the "names" are having to, rather than enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to somewhere exotic, while the final polish is put on the pre-season preparations, get into the trenches in July.

Not that Easter Road is a tough place at which to work, but, since they cannot all prove their entitlement to membership of the Lap Top Loyal on Week One, I dare say, yesterday saw several in unfamiliar grounds.

Of course, all the interest in the first round of the Diddy Challenge Cup this season was around Easter Road. Sure, we had sunshine on Leith, but, the result was not what was expected.

I fancied Hibs, with a more-familiar with each other squad, could win yesterday. Again, it was just as possible that the Rangers Tribute Act might win. But, nobody, including me, ever envisaged the game ending-up 6-2 to the visitors.

A great result for Mark Warburton. I must admit, watching the F1 Qualifying from Hungary, I missed the first-half, when, according to most reports, the RTA were far from convincing.

But, watching the second-half, I thought they played the best passing football I have seen from the RTA yet. They thoroughly deserved to win. However, great result though this was, it is in some ways a problem for the new Ibrox boss. His men have, first time out, set the bar high.

If the RTA cannot beat the lesser sides in the Championship in the same manner as they beat their supposed main challengers, well some of the Bears will become restless indeed.

NOW we know we will have England in our group in the World Cup qualifiers, and we have got over the euphoria of a draw which means mega-bucks for both Associations - the England v Scotland and Scotland v England tickets will be the hottest ones in years and, given how much easier it will make gaining access to  the precious briefs, I expect membership of the SFA Travel Club to soar.

However, we MUST NOT get it into our heads that, it is Us V Them for qualification. Slovakia and Slovenia will cause us problems; we should surely beat both Malta and Lithuania, but, the Baltic nation does have the ability to upset us, if we do not apply ourselves properly.

A lot may depend on how the fixtures work-out, but, if we can, somehow, treat the two meetings with England as just another game or two, I can see us qualifying.

I WAS writing an obituary this week, on the late Brian Hall, the Liverpool midfielder of the early 1970s - Shankly's second great team.

Brian was Scottish, born in Glasgow to Scottish parents. However, the Hall family relocated to Preston, where he was raised and schooled. The Preston connection did him no harm with Shankly, who was, of course, a North End Legend, and, after football, he returned to that town to live, and to work for a time, before returning to Liverpool to work in the club's Community section.

His last four years were blighted by a battle against Leukemia; Brian Hall died, in his Preston home earlier this month. One of those rare footballers whose brains were in his head rather than his feet - Brian Hall BSc was one of the last of what was once an extensive breed - the Scottish journeyman in midfield, who drove-on the top teams in England.

This educated man was a true descendant of the "Scotch professors", who, particularly in the legendary Preston Invincibles, were such a force in football's early years.

Well - If This Doesn't Inspire Us, Nothing Will

WELL, that's that - we WILL qualify for the 2018 World Cup Finals.

 

After all, Scotland has NEVER failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals, when we have been drawn in the same group as England. OK, this has only happened twice - in 1950 and 1954, when the Home Internationals were used as the United Kingdom qualifying group - with the top two to go through. Oh yes, and we didn't go to Brazil in 1950, after we finished second to the English.

 

We must not, however, focus on the Auld Enemy, more-or-less ignoring the rest. Slovakia will be tough nuts - in the old days, when we regularly came out in the same croup as Czechoslovakia - there were always some great Slovakian players in the Czech teams, they are no mugs, and it is never easy having to go to Bratislava.

 

Slovenia could be the group's banana skin, but, Malta and to a lesser extent Lithuania are gimmee's for us. But, we must remember, if we are in second place at the end of the group stage, our games against the bottom team will not count towards being one of the eight qualifiers for the play-offs, so, we have to get goals in all games.

 

Mind you, given we have yet to beat the Sassenachs, since hostilities resumed, so, by the law of averages of the long history of England v Scotland matches, we are due to beat them.

 

Whatever happens, being in the same group as our closest neighbours will add a certain spice to club training games in the build-up.

 

Being drawn in the same group as England should give us a boost for our remaining European Championship qualifiers - getting to France and giving our squad experience of finals, even if we bomb, will build confidence for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

 

I had a feeling, as the countries came out of Pot One, wherein England had lain, that we would end up with "Them" in our group - still, it could have been worse.

You Think He's Bad - Wait Till You Meet The Rest

I HAVE known Kris Broadfoot since he was a teenage wannabe with St Mirren. He has always come across to me as a likeable big lad. He is definitely not the sharpest tool in the box, but I find it hard to be critical of him.

He certainly deserves criticism for his stupidity in landing himself in trouble for his much-publicised sectarian rant at an opponent - but - remember this: stupid though he was, Kirk Broadfoot is by no means the biggest bigot in his native village of Drongan.

Some people refer to Ayrshire - God's County, as "Orange County". There is justification for this, and yes, Drongan is if not the biggest, certainly the juciest Outspan or Jaffa in our wonderful administrative area. The local joke, in Ayrshire patois is: "Ye get the photie o' King Billy oan his white horse tae hing aboon the mantlepiece wi the keys o' yer cooncil hoose in Drungan".

That's the boy's upbringing, we have to live with it, until we find a way of eliminating it, unfortunately.

More than 30-years ago, on my first overseas trip with a Scotland representative side - on a rugby tour, one chap who had gone to one of the "right" schools in Edinburgh commented to the other journalist on the trip: "Your friend from Ayrshire, he's a wee bit rough and ready isn't he"?

My fellow hack replied: "Yes, perhaps, but, he's the only member of his rugby club who is allowed out in polite company; don't judge him too badly until you see the rest".

Some weeks later, at a Sevens Tournament, "the rest" were giving it yahoo on the touchlines in front of the Edinburgh player - who sought me out later to tell me: "Bill (the other journo) was correct - you are the only member of your club who can be let-out in polite company. I owe you an apology".

Having seen "the rest" fro Drongan - I cannot be too hard on "Bigfoot".



ADULLAMITE, Dundee United supporter and friend of this blog, has taken me to task over my on-going criticism of Scottish Football's youth development - or lack of youth development - record.

Of course, I am only too-happy to doff my cap to his beloved "Arabs" and their record in this regard, since the days of Jerry Kerr, far less the middle one of the McLean Brothers. Whether it be under wee miseryguts Jim, or the all-too-short-lived Ian Cathro phase, or today, Tannadice has been the Oxbridge of Scottish footbal education.

But, one good example from 42 senior clubs is hardly a ringing endorsement for the superiority of a Scottish football education, and yes as Adullamite suggested in his last comment on the blog, I was being ultra-critical of the Bigot Brothers' development systems.

There is something wrong when these clubs time and again finish first and second in the Under-20 League, but cannot find a place in their senior squads for the boys who have just shown themselves to be the best at their age in Scotland.

OK - we all know, since Bill Struth was a young, up-and-coming manager, Rangers have always used their weighty cheque-book to keep the rest of Scotland in their place. But, if we look at the Rangers team against which I judge all others: Ritchie; Shearer and Caldow; Greig, McKinnon and Baxter; Henderson, McMillan, Millar, Brand and Wilson. Bobby Shearer, Jim Baxter, Ian McMillan (in the twilight of a great career) and Jimmy Millar were bought-in, the other seven came through the ranks.

The benchmark Celtic team: Simpson; Craig and Gemmell; Murdoch, McNeill and Clark; Johnstone, Wallace, Chalmers, Auld and Lennox is an even-better example of grow-your-own. Only Ronnie Simpson, Willie Wallace and Bertie Auld cost the club money - and in the case of Auld, this was to bring back someone who had been through their development group.

The Gothenburg Gang and the Dundee United team which reached a European Cup semi-final and a UEFA Cup final, these too were basically home-grown squads.

I refuse to believe another 11 players from within 40-miles of Glasgow could not be assembled and trained to win the European Cup. In saying that, however, I accept, it will be harder now, since English clubs much-smaller than our two biggest beasts can all-too-easily afford to poach away outstanding Scottish players.

But, for this to happen, Scottish football will need to become better thought-of. We will need to start, once again, making waves in Europe - and - we could, I believe, better do this if we were producing better young Scottish players than we currently are.

Of course, it's all David Murray's fault. SDM bought-in American-trained basketball players to make Murray International Metals the best team in Scotland. I would struggle to name a top Scottish player who came through the ranks at MIM, and, I covered an awful lot of basetball.

He then switched to football and used the same management plan with Rangers. The rest of Scottish basketball, in an effort to keep-up with Murray, put far more money into recruiting cheap Americans than in training young Scots - all but bankrupted Scottish basketball in the process and now, nearly 30-years after SDM pulled the plug on MIM, that game still struggles up here.

Scottish football is still struggling to get over the mad mass rush to buy cheap imports to try to keep-up with Rangers. We are still bringing in too-many cheap English and foreign players, to the detriment of home-grown talent, but, there are signs of us getting back to basics and self-sufficiency. However, I fear, if we do begin to climb the co-efficient rankings, and again become competitive, we might return to buying flash foreign and not properly encouraging oor ain.