Wanted - Interpreter, Apply Aberdeen FC

WELL, the intellectual giants of the Scottish Football Writers Assocaition got their wish, when Aberdeen sacked Barry Robson. Then the Pittodrie board doubled down, by making the SFWA even-happier and appointing Neil Warnock as Interim Boss. The other winner from all this will be whoever the club employs as interpreter, to translate Doric into a form of English which the new Yorskhire-born boss can understand. (Don't laugh, I once had to interpret between a Scouser and a guy from the Broch.)

I have long wondered about the English football media's love affair with Warnock. He's had literally “more clubs than Tiger Woods” - Aberdeen is his 19^th managerial role, but, even allowing for any doubts about the source, according to Wikipedia, in two weeks shy of 43 years in management, he has only once, over a four-game spell with Queen's Park Rangers, achieved a 50% winning record.

Overall, over 1952 games in the hot seat, he has a 40% winning record and, his first win with the Dons will be his 800^th win. In all that time, he has never won a major trophy. OK, to be fair, perhaps an old-school, experienced hand on the tiller is just what the club needs and to be fair, he has a better managerial record than the guy he is replacing, but, he has no experience of the strange world that is Scottish Football; he's strictly a short-term fix.

Warnock has, it must be admitted, a good track record in getting teams promoted in England via their play-off system. That's the consolation prize for the clubs not quite good enough to go up as of right, by finishing first or second.

Well, since Received Wisdom in Scotland has it that the Twisted Sisters/Bigot Brothers in whatever order, are going to finish first and second, maybe a man with a shed load of bronze medals for finishing third is the perfect choice as Manager.

I get the impression, from watching club supremo Clarkson in action of late – I reckon he's making it up as he goes along. Being Aberdeen, they just might go out there and beat Rangers tonight, but, I fear things could just as easily go pear-shaped between now and the end of the season.

Still on the subject of “The Dandies” - wasn't it typical of them that they sack their manager, then go out and draw with Celtic – a result which hasn't half upset the more-hysterical septs in the Celtic Family.

If Rangers win tonight, they will go level with Celtic at the top of the table, indeed, if the Ibrox side beat Aberdeen by three clear goals, they will go top of the table, in which case, Chris Sutton might just flip completely, while whichever Daily Rhebel journalist pulls the short straw and is on phone-in duty post match and on Wednesday is in for a rough ride, as the forces of the More-Entitled Celtic Fans vent their collective spleen and demand Wee Brendan Rodgers' head on a plate.

Either way, we've got a real title fight on our hands for the remainder of the season.

ENOUGH TALK os what passes for elite football in Scotland, whit aboot real fitba, as practiced here in the West of Scotland, and in particular in God's County. The PDM Huws Gray Premier Division of the West of Scotland Football League is currently very interesting, with something of an upside-down look to the standings.

Irvine Meadow are, as has been the case all season, propping-up the table, with a mere 8 points from 17 games.

Just above them, with 11 points from 15 games are Arthurlie.

Third bottom, on 12 points from 15 games are Glenafton Athletic.

These are three teams we normally expect to be challenging at the head of the field, and certainly in-contention in the cup competitions, so, it is indeed strange to see them struggling, with Meadow's position looking increasingly vulnerable.

Not that long ago, Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock were also down in the dumps. However, since changing managers (again), the 'Nock have climbed to fourth place in the 16-club division, while the 'Bot are lying seventh.

This is a very-competitive league, so anything caould happen between now and the end of the season, but, the three fallen giants in the basement really need to start putting together a survival run very quickly.

Mind you, should survival pass the bottom three bye, there are a trio of fallen giants eager to replace them, with Petershill, Kilwinning Rangers and Blantyre Victoria leading the promotion charge.

RUMINATING on the lingering effects of relegation on clubs, I chanced to take a glance at the Lowland League standings, where we find those clubs who have recently dropped through the trapdoor at the bottom of League Two of the SPFL into the 18-club Lowland League. Not one of them is in the top half of the table at the moment.

Cowdenbeath lie tenth, one place above Berwick Rangers. Albion Rovers are in 13^th spot, with East Stirlingshire in 16^th position. Indeed of those clubs who lost their long-held status as “Senior” clubs through the formation of the Scottish Pyramid, only Brechin City, four points clear at the top of the Highland League, appear to be making a fist of getting back into the Senior ranks.

Interestingly, Heart of Midlothian B are fourth in the Lowland League table, while Celtic B are in seventh position. Celtic list a 41 player B team squad, if they are only seventh in that league, you have to ask – have they stopped recruiting along Quality Street and gone for a “Never mind the quality, feel the width” scatter-gun approach to young player recruitment?

Mind you, Celtic list 40 players (29 with the club, 13 out on-loan) in their First Team squad, plus those 41 in the B team squad. That, to me reeks of overkill. Maybe if they paid-off a few of the fringe players from both squads, they could afford the better-quality player who could make a real difference in Europe.

For the sake of balance, I should report, the other lot get bye with a 30 man First Team Squad, and a 23 man B team squad, which still appears too-big to me, given, particularly in Europe this season, both clubs have demonstrated, they've got a lot of players who are simply not Celtic or Rangers' class.

But, that appears to sum-up your average decision-maker at the top of football clubs today – more money than sense and unable to keep their managers/coaches in-check.

 

Wanted - A Missionary In God's County

BACK IN the dog days of the last century, I could claim, with justification, that I was: “The last neutral in Ayrshire Football.” As the national newspapers' go-to freelance sports writer in God's County, I would spend one Saturday in the press box at Rugby Park, the next at Somerset Park. At the time, it mattered not a jot, since the clubs were invariably in different divisions.

On the odd occasions when I did have to cover what I called: “The Second Ayrshire Derby” - the Premier such fixture, of course, concerns Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock Juniors – it was known among my fellow scribes that I leant towards the blue and white half of the County; however, I was never accused of not giving The Honest Men an honest critique. Indeed at a time when Killie often struggled to win a corner, watching Brian McLaughlin creating chances for the likes of Henry Templeton, John Sludden and Tommy Walker was often more fun than listening to the chants of “Sack the Board” 14 miles up the A77.

So, I am somewhat sad to see Lee Bullen parting company with Ayr United. I thought Bullen did well last season, however, professional football is a results-driven business, and the results this season have not matched that of last, so, as inevitably happens in the game, Bullen's time at Somerset Park is over.

Now, the question is – who will his successor be? It's not as if the job is of such a high profile that we will see days or weeks of speculation in the media as to who will get the gig, so I will keep my powder dry, although, there is one name, which I am sure we will see the Glasgow-based fitba hacks running with, which has me saying: “Please, not him”. No names – no pack drill.

From my position, as a proud Ayrshireman who would love to see BOTH of the County teams in the top flight, I would love to see the United board go for a young coach, who is prepared to give the many talented young players in God's County a chance.

For instance, in the past couple of weeks, United has parted company with Fin and Ollie Ecrepont, brothers from a well-known Ayr sporting family, who have won Scotland age group honours. Youngsters such as these should be given every chance to learn, grow and succeed at United, rather than being allowed to depart to lesser clubs.

It used to be that United had a hard core of locals in the team – I would like to see whoever gets the gig go back to that practice, I mean, talent in Ayrshire didn't dry-up when the likes of Robert Connor, Stevie Nicol or Alan McInally, three United youngsters who went on to win full caps, left Somerset Park.

Mind you, the abuse which Bullen has suffered from some of the club's supporters does these so-called fans no favours. I was speaking to one United-supporting friend of mine this week, who admits, he has only been to three games at what we Killie fans dub: “The Piggery” this season. He tells me, he has been sorely scunnered at some of the abuse being heaped on Bullen.

It's not as if United has been a top division club of late. That's the trouble with Scottish football, the pyramid has four “Senior” tiers:

1. The Premiership – 12 teams

2. The Championship – 10 teams

3. League One – 10 teams

4. League Two – 10 teams

In reality, I reckon these tiers should read:

1. The Old Firm

2. Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Kilmarnock

3. The rest of the Premiership plus Dundee United

4. Everyone else

Until the “Diddy Teams” grow a pair, work together to curtail the power and inluence of “The Bigot Brothers” and level the playing field, football in Scotland will continue to struggle.

I HAVE never got into Women's Football. I am not one of the dinosaurs who insists the fairer sex (or is it gender these days) shouldn't be allowed to play; also, I hold in tremendous respect the great Scottish ladies such as Elsie Cook, Edna Nellis, Rose Reilly and Julie Fleeting – and that's just the Ayrshire greats – Kim Little, Jen Beattie and Caroline Weir, who have illuminated the game, but, somehow I cannot get as worked-up about our Women's team as I can for the Men's one.

But, and I admit it is a low bar, watching the SWPL highlights show, on BBC Shortbread on Monday night, I thought the great Julie and Jane Lewis did a better job of talking about the games than most of the members of the Lap Top Loyal and the Celtic Family we are normally exposed to. The fitba wasn't that bad either.

Speaking of this, I have seen the national BBC bosses taking heavy flak for the way they are loading the football programmes with female talking heads, some of whom give the impression they are only there because they are female – bringing little or nothing positive to the party. Some critics are suggesting its diversity and equality gone crazy – they may have a point.

When it comes to sports presenters and commentators from the women's side, perhaps we Scots have been spoilt, by the all-round excellence of the likes of Sally McNair, Hazel Irvine, Jill Douglas, Lee McKenzie, Moira Gordon and Alison Walker. All of these ladies could hold their own with anyone, and were a lot better than some of the male talking heads they worked alongside.

 

Der Kaiser Has Passed

THE DEATH of Franz Beckenbauer demonstrates the major difference between Rugby Union and Football. In the handling game, former players are encouraged to get involved in the game's administration, once they hang up their boots; in football, money talks, it is the money men who own and run clubs, few of whom ever played, who get to make the big decisions.

Much of the publicity around Beckenbauer in his playing days, certainly in this country, centred around his supposed rivalry with Bobby Charlton. In the 1966 World Cup Final, German manager Helmut Schoen was so afraid of what Charlton might do to his side, he sacrificed Beckenbauer's attacking prowess – which had played a major role in getting Germany to the final – and instead instructed him to man-mark Charlton. In the end, this meant neither player played a significant role in that game.

The 1966 World Cup Final
 

Four years later, in Mexico, with England ahead, Sir Alf Ramsey took Charlton off, to save him for the semi-final. This move freed Beckenbauer from his marking role, to influence matters further forward, with the result, Germany came from behind to win.

In the UK, it is doubtful if Beckenbauer, once he hung up his boots, would have been allowed to have been anything more than an influential club manager. While Charlton, after a breif and unsuccessful spell as manager at Preston North End, had to be content with an ambassadorial role with Manchester United, Beckenbauer was able to move upstairs to a meaningful managerial role with Bayern Munich, and he was certainly far-more than a mere figurehead when he fronted Germany's successful bid to host the 2008 World Cup.

He was a major figure in the German game, both on and off the field.

As a youngster, he played up front – his intention, to play for Munich 1860, back then THE club in Bavaria, where Bayren were, to use a modern phrase: “the noisy neighbours.”

Then, aged 12, a Munich 1860 player slapped him during a game, end of love affair, and when Bayern came calling, he signed. His timing was spot-on, as Bayern climbed over their city rivals to become Number One in Bavaria, then in Germany as a whole.

By the 1966 World Cup, he, at just 20, was already a key man in the German midfield, a box-to-box midfielder, who also chipped in with some vital goals. He was still a midfielder in 1970, where his courage in playing on with a dislocated shoulder against Italy in the semi-final almost inspired a surprise come back for the handicapped Germans.

Four years on, and with the Germans hosting the event, Beckenbauer had morphed into 'Der Kaiser' – the on-field fulcrum of the national side. He had moved back to central defence, where he reinvigorated the centre-half role. Prior to the change in the Offside Law in the 1920s, the centre-half had been an attacking player, then clubs such as Arsenal and Rangers pulled their centre-half back to be an out and out ddefender.

Beckenbauer could defend, but, the instnicts of a midfielder were still there and he was more than capable of bringing the ball out from the back and creating – just as the pre-1920s centre-halves had done.

He is credited with getting the team back on-course, after they lost to East Germany in the group games in 1974, before again inspiring them to their come-from-behind win over Johan Cruyff and his great Netherlands team in the 1974 final.

It helped, of course, that the victorious German team included some wonderful players – the other Bayern stars, goalkeeper Sepp Maier, left-back Paul Breitner, striker Gerd Muller, and Uli Hoeness; the Borussia Monchengladbach contingent, such as Berti Vogts and Rainer Bonhof and Cologne's Wolfgang Overath.

This was a golden era for German football, Beckenbauer was a key man as the Bayern club lifted their first European trophy, beating Rangers in the 1967 Cup-Winners Cup final. But, greater success would come in the next decade, as Bayern took a hat-trick of European Cup wins in 1974-75-76, Germany, European Champions in 1972, lost the 1976 final on penalties, before winning again in 1980.

Beckenbauer wasn't involved in that 1980 final. He had, in 1977, allegedly to play off a huge tax bill in Germany, signed for New York Cosmos, where he linked up with Pele. He loved his three years in New York, before returning to Germany, to win one further Bundesliga title, with Hamburg, in 1982. He went back for one last season in New York, then retired from playing.

In 1984 Die Mannschaft – the German national football team – were in the doldrums, so, breaching the normal system, of appointing a coach who had come through the regimented ranks of German coaching, the German FA invited Beckenbauer to take over the national side.

He got them to the 1986 World Cup Final, where they encountered a force of nature called Diego Maradona and lost 2-3. Four years later, in Rome, Germany had their revenge and Beckenbauer joined Mario Zagallo, who also died this week, in winning the World Cup as a player and a manager.

There was a brief an unhappy spell at Marseilles, where the French players seemed unwilling to work like Germans, before he returned for more success as manager at Bayern, before moving upstairs, to eventually become Honorary President of the club, a position he still held at his death.

He was vice president of the German FA, when he secured the 2006 World Cup for his nation,

Beckenbauer married three times, had five children, four of whom survive him, while there were also rumours of a sixth child, born before his first marriage.

He redefined the centre-half's role, he led from the front and tasted a great deal of success over his long career. However, when it comes to discussions about the greatest footballers of all-time, it is the midfield play-makers and the strikers, the genius dribblers who dominate the argument. Beckenbauer is perhaps the only defender who gets a mention – although, the question is: was he really a defender, or simply a unique player who put his individual stamp on the game?

Prior to Beckenbauer, perhaps only Fritz Walter or Uwe Seller are mentioned as the greatest German footballer, after Beckenbauer – there is no discussion – that role is his.

 

Rangers' Problems, You Need A Heart Of Stone Not To Laugh

THOSE OF US who support one of Scotland's 40 “Diddy” senior teams – i.e. those clubs who are all about football rather than keeping 17^th century Irish history alive in the 21^st century – we rather enjoy it when one or other of the Bigot Brothers is feeling slighted or wronged. At the moment, it is the blue half of the duo which is spitting the dummy and chucking the toys out of the pram. But, fear not Rangers fans, ere long it will be the other lot who are moaning when things are not going their way.

Instead of fulminating about what they didn't get, maybe Philippe Clement and his coaching staff should be sorting-out the deficiencies which saw the likes of Cyriel Dessers managed to miss a chance you would expect a player who cost upwards of £4 million to convert.

The fact is, moaning about a penalty they didn't get has allowed Clement and his media cheerleaders to avoid the facts:

• Rangers were a poor second to Celtic in the game

• The majority of his squad, for all the good work he has done in improving their form since becoming manager, are simply not Rangers Class

There are deficiences too in the Celtic team. I have never, for instance, believed Brendan Rodgers is a Celtic Class Manager. But, while Celtic can be slipshod when playing one of the Diddy teams, when it mattered – they stood up to be counted, where one or two in the other team didn't.

It is still early days, but, since they won the game, I haven't seen evidence of too-many Bears complaining about Kilmarnock getting that penalty at Ibrox on Tuesday. It would be Killie, did you know, that club, in the 1980s, went ten years without getting a penalty awarded them at all.

Mind you, you have to be in the opposition's box to get a penalty, and the Killie sides back then didn't do this too often, I seem to recall.

I can just visualise the conversation between John Beaton and the VAR team on Tuesday – VAR: “You'll need to have a look at this one John, looks like clear hand-ball.”

JB: “OK boys, but, remember where we are, this is a tricky one.”

VAR: “Usually we wouldn't bother you John, but, Wee Peter has been stirring things up at Hampden, and we've been telt tae make a statement; so, in a first for VAR – the instruction is, penalty against Rangers.”

JB: “Ok, but FFS boys, my life will be a misery doon the ludge at next week's meeting.”

ONE OR TWO of the great brains in SFWA – the Scottish Football Writers Association will be sorely hurt, should the High Heid Yins at Pittodrie back Manager Barry Robson for the remainder of the season. Because the fans with laptops are growing restless at the fact Barry has not been sacked yet.

These 21^st century Tricotouses are desperate to be able to write fiction about who will replace Barry, some will not be happy until the axe falls. Don't they realise, on current form, Aberdeen have actually got the fourth-best record in the top-flight?

The current form table reads:

1. Hearts – 13 points from 15

2. Celtic – 12 points from 15

3. Rangers – 12 points from 15

4. Aberdeen – 9 points from 15

5. Kilmarnock – 8 points from 15.

Mind you, hope springs eternal for the doom-sayers of the mainstream media. Aberdeen have to travel to play Clyde in their next game, in the Scottish Cup, and while the Bully Wee might be struggling at the foot of League Two, six points adrift and favourites to maybe drop into the Lowland League, Ian McColl must surely fancy his team's chances of upsetting the Dons on 19 January. That result, if it happens, will surely give the lap top warriors the ammunition they need to up the demand for Robson's head.

STILL WITH Les Tricotouses of the SFWA, Fabio Silva's 19 minute cameo at Ibrox on Tuesday garnered rave reviews from The Lap Top Loyal. Clearly the on-loan man from Wolves has a bit of a swagger about him.

So, how does this play in respect of Les Tricotouses' campaign to get Lawrence Shankland transferred to Rangers? I am on-record as wishing the Big Two would recruit more Scottish players and then play them, but, the bare-faced way their media cheer leaders are trying to get Shankland moved does grate somewhat.

Mind you, the fact the High heid Yins down Edmiston Drive would rather buy flashy continental marques than good, solid, ahme-grown talent might mean, they will look for another non-Scot to play up front, rather than a proven SPFL goal scorer.

This has been the pattern since 1986 and I don't see it changing any time soon.

FINALLY – Rangers seemingly want Willie Collum banned after his VAR decision not to award them a penalty at Celtic Park. Michty Me, there's gratitude for you, all those honest mistakes, benefitting Rangers, he has made over the years.

Willie and his VAR team may or may not have got it wrong in deciding Rangers weren't getting that penalty. Hey that's life; poor old Willie has had pelters in the past, so. I don't suppose he will lose too-much sleep about pelters for one which benefitted Celtic.

Of course, being awarded a penalty and scoring it, that's two different matters. Everyone in the blue camp will of course be convinced, James Tavernier would, had the penalty been given, have converted it. Tavernier is a good penalty taker, he has an 80.4% success rate from the penalty mark – a wee bit short of wee Johnny Hubbard's 95.5% benchmark, but, he's not 100% certain to score.

But, with regard to the Ibrox indignation, whatever happened to the old Rangers virtues of dignity, in triumph or defeat? It seems the old Bill Struth approach of: “We welcome the chase” - the current custodians of the club appear to have an overwhelming sense of entitlement, a case of: “We are Rangers, we must always win.” Sad, very-sad, and further proof of the enduring wisdom of “Dan” Archer.

 

Nae Harm To The Lassie - But, It WAS One Massive Fix

AS A GOALKEEPER, I find myself somewhat conflicted with the hoo-hah around Mary Earps being named as the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY). As an old goalkeeper myself, I am absolutely delighted that one of us has won this award, however, quite honestly I don't think Ms Earps, easily the best goalkeeper on Manchester United's books, deserved to win it.

 

That she did collect the famous trophy was, I feel, largely down to what I have long called “The Sex Olympics Effect.” (SOE)

[for irregular readers: I have long held we are now living for real, the premise of the 1960s television play The Year of the Sex Olympics, which suggests, we are in an age where the media is run by one sect of people, whose job is to keep the lower, unwashed classes, happy and subservient, thus allowing the upper classes to run things as they choose.]

The BBC are a key element in properly delivering SOE, so they decide, in the case of the annual quest for SPOTY, which of the short-listed contenders will get special treatment, and this year – that meant Mary Earps.

Consider this, which television channel has the rights to the sport which produced each of the contenders:

• Stuart Broad : Cricket : Sky

• Frankie Dettori : Horse Racing : Channel 4

• Mary Earps : Women's Football : BBC

• Alfie Hewitt : Tennis : Eurosport

• Katrina Johnson-Thompson : Athletics : Eurosport

• Rory McIlroy : Golf : Sky

So, given Ms Earps was the only one from a sport in which the BBC was the main supplier of content to the masses, they were always going to push her case a bit more than the others.

While, in the end, England's women lost in the final, the way the BBC hyped-up their performance, well, I am sure a lot of the less than fanatical in the great viewing public probably think they won the tournament anyway.

So, Ms Earps definitely had a lot of help from the organisers and, in the end, they persuaded enough of the public to vote for her to get her over the line.

For my part, I'd have gone for KJT. The number of injuries and set-backs that young lady has had to overcome, to win her World Championship, was truly inspiring and I was delighted to see her triumph in an event in which Team GB has a wonderful record. Every time she steps into the arena, she is not only competing against her equally-talented and driven opponents, but also the ghosts of such as Mary Rand, Mary Peters, Denise Lewis and Jessica Ennis, her distinguished predecessors as great British exponents of multi-event athletics for women.

Mind you, after he beat the supposedly unbeatable Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win the World 1500 metres title, oor ain Josh Kerr should have won it. But, it's the BBC wot runs it, so, in the current political climate, you cannot have “A Sweatie” winning the thing, next thing you know they'll be wanting Independence.

And speaking of ignoring Scots – and yes, I noticed they did give Kenny a richly-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award – no mention, other than by Alfie Hewitt himself, of wheelchair tennis star Gordon Reid.

Hewitt got on the short-list because of his successes in Grand Slam events, where he won two. He also won another three, in partnership with Reid, who the BBC managed to whitewash out of the programme.

BACK TO “Football”. I seldom watch English football, I find their obsession with passing and possession annoying, but, on Saturday at lunch-time I decided to watch West Ham United v Manchester United.

It must be terrible for the current Man U players. They are judged against some of the greatest players even in European football. That said, if Rangers and Celtic currently are giving game time to several players who are simply not of the class expected of their club, how much worse is it at Old Trafford, where there is nobody in the current squad who is remotely close to consideration for even the third team in any Greatest Manchester United XI selection?

They actually look better passing the ball back than forward and Manager ten Hag must be a coaching genius, the way he has turned Marcus Rashford into a less than average striker.

While I am at it, why don't they get André Onana to self-identify as a woman, that way they could switch him to their Women's team and allow Mary Earps to play in-goal for the Men's team, she'd be a safer bet. Although, to be fair, Onana showed great skill to control a fired back pass from Johnny Evans and get the ball away in the second half against the Hammers.

Great win, however, for the much-maligned David Moyes. He has put together a more than useful squad at the London Stadium.

WE SCOTS like to think of ourselves as the most-passionate of football fans. Queen's Park, back in the 1870s, may have given the game form and substance when they invented pass and run, but, these “men with the educated feet” have turned out to be prophets without honour in their own land – if Graeme Souness, himself perhaps more a discus or javelin chap is to be believed, we have in the 150 or so years since, developed a preference for hammer throwers in our teams.

Given how Scots played a huge role in taming and developing nations as diverse as Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United State of America, the Scot's role in promoting football across the globe, particularly in South America, it is perhaps strange that our better players have tended to lift their ambitious gaze no further than England in seeking to broaden their horizons.

Sure, the High Road to England has long been a welcoming path to us Scots, and yes, we have had the occasional player go further afield, to Europe – Denis Law, Souness, Joe Jordan, Murdo MacLeod, Alan McInally, Mark McGhee, Paul Lambert, to name but a few, but, our players ave somehow preferred to conduct their daily business in English.

So, it was good to read over the weekend that Lewis Ferguson had surpassed Denis Law's record and become the highest-scoring Scotsman in Italian football (although, he has a bit to go to beat Rose Reilly's outright A Scottish Footballer In Italy's Absolute Scoring Record.) Something special again is the Stewarton Superstar.

Ferguson has also been wearing the Bologna Captain's Arm-band of late, and his Italian team is now up to fourth in Serie A. The potential cost of repatriating him to succeed to the Ferguson family's Ibrox estate – the dream of more than a few Rangers' fans - is getting more-expensive by the week.

 

Oh Derek! What Are You Suggesting

ONE OF the great things about the Scots language, whether “Braid Scots” “Lallans” of “The Scots Leid” - whatever you call it, is, it is wonderfully expressive. Then, if you delve into the various local dialects, such as Doric, or even Glesca street patter, you find even more examples of the Scots' ability to verbally abuse each other, or anyone else who offends them.

 

 With this in mind, I have a feeling Ross County Manager Derek Adams' ears have been burning this week. The bold Derek is something of an acquired taste, he has a lengthy track record of voicing opinions which may not be widely shared. This, however, has never concerned him before, and, after his post-game outburst following Saturday's defeat to Dundee, he has had every possible term of abuse levelled at him.

I strongly suspect, none of this will unduly worry him. He will let the abuse wash over him and continue to be true to himself. However, rather than join in the pile-on, I believe, Derek has a point.

OK, it is perhaps pushing things a wee bit to suggest that Morecambe, currently the 78^th best team in England, are 100 times better than Ross County, currently the ninth-best team in Scotland. However, by all reports, the Ross County v Dundee game, after which Adams lost it, was a classic case of that old Scottish football cliché: “a draw nae fitba.”

The irony of football is: if both teams in any random football match both played to their best, it would probably finish as a 0-0 draw; since every positive move by an attacking team would be countered by a similarly positive move by the defending team.

So, for football to provide the thrills and more-particularly the goals which are the desired end product, we need to see mistakes made. With the quality of player operating in the top-flight in England, these mistakes are few and far between, whereas up here, with fewer top-quality players on parade, we generally see poorer-quality games, more mistakes and, if not more goals, since we have very-few quality strikers playing in Scotland, we certainly see more chances created, if not always taken.

Adams was particularly keen, it seemed, to talk-up his English side, Morecambe. I see however, their owners are in a bit of bother with the English Football League over financial issues, so the fact they may have been over-paying for players might colour Derek's view.

I did note, Morecambe's squad is 77% English. Ross County's squad is only 55% Scottish. Might we see him importing more English players in an effort to improve the quality?

Or is it, as I suspect, like the majority of our professional managers/coaches today, he is afraid to trust in local talent – or perhaps doesn't have the skills – to coach Scottish players out of their failings and make them better players.

I have long maintained, neither the players, nor the coaches in Scotland work hard enough at improving basic technical skills, getting them to be better, more-accomplished athletes or using better tactics.

This stems from the High Heid Yins of the game, who are simply happy to have their snouts in the Hampden trough and to my mind, not prepared to improve their clubs or their grounds and leave a genuine legacy for the future.

Sure, we hear how – aside from the Big Two, Scotland has one of the most-competitive leagues in the world. Maybes Aye, Maybes Naw, but, you can have genuine competition at a low level of skill – and that's what I see in Scotland today.

So, the challenge for Derek Adams is: if Scottish football is so bad, and your club is typical of this condition – what are you going to do to improve things at Dingwall, and, if you succeed, will anyone else among the diddy teams accept your challenge and do something similar?

Talk is cheap, making a difference is much-harder.

BUT WAIT – redemption might be at hand. It is often said, perhaps rightly: “Scottish football would be a lot better if the Old Firm would bugger off to England, or somewhere else.”

Well, this just might happen, following this week's ruling from the European Court of Justice, which has made the proposed European Super League a possibility.

Sure, I know all the British-based big clubs, the elite members of the English Premiership and the likes of Celtic have said they would prefer to stick within UEFA, wanting nothing to do with any Super League.

Aye Right! When push comes to shove, money will talk and if there is the chance to make money from a Super League, just watch the rush to get their snouts into the trough.

If Middle East interests and the Murdoch organisation throw their weight behind the Super League – it will happen – and the Bigot Brothers will be right in there scrapping for a place.

Mind you, from the little I have read, it appears the men behind the new league are not being bold enough. They are looking at it as a replacement for the Champions' League, with the clubs continuing to play midweek matches, while retaining membership of their individual associations.

This will never work. To work properly, they have, in my view, to see themselves as a European version of the NFL or the NBA – the absolute pinnacle of the sport.

As things stand, if a club becomes one of the 64 teams in the European Super League (henceforth referred to as the ESL, then it is in there, unless it finishes 64^th, in which case another club from the same national association will take its place.

Well, you might then see a situation whereby say Newcastle United doesn't get to be one of the 64 teams, but could win the English Premiership, ahead of the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal, all of whom would expect to be ESL clubs.

I have always felt, a North American-style ESL would work, and work well. However, I doubt if the true will, to set it up correctly and manage it properly exists in football. No individual football association I can think of runs its affairs properly and has an interest in the long-term good of the game. It's a classic case of small men running so-called big clubs and I don't see things changing any time soon.

 

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday Coming Up

AFTER last night's European games – Sunday's Viaplay League Cup Final is warming-up nicely. As if the stupidity of Rangers' PR department, in taking bookings for fans to be photographed with the trophy – five days before the game – wasn't enough motivation for Aberdeen, building on that superb win over Eintracht Frankfurt should be. The confidence they will have gained from beating the Germans will surely lift their performance at Hampden.

However, a first win against a Spanish side, in Spain; a first time scoring three goals in Spain; topping their group; a place in the last 16 of the Europa League – how much of a confidence boost have these successes given Rangers?

Celtic might have “won ugly” at home to Feyenoord, in contrast, Rangers' win against Real Betis came at the end of a thoroughly-entertaining game, between two teams with something to go for – who went for it. Phillipe Clement is clearly turning the troubled club around.

But, this is still a flawed team. One or two of the players continue to give the impression they are NRC – Not Rangers Class. That said, the squad still appears happier playing in Europe than in the domestic game.

One of the new guys who definitely is Rangers Class is Jack Butland. I reckoned when the club's interest in the former England goalkeeper was announced, they ought to save the money by promoting young Scotland squad goalkeeper Robbie McCrorie.

They still signed Butland, who has since getting the Number One jersey, shown he is right up there among the great former net-minding heroes of the club, with a series of big saves, at crucial times.

For his sake, it would be nice if Rangers found themselves in a “Battle of Britain” clash with one of the English Premiership sides still involved in the Europa League. Such a fixture, coming as it would do, in the last eight or later, would surely attract Gareth Southgate, who could then be reminded of Butland's qualities.

I should write at this point – the criticism I aimed at the team from the East End of Glasgow, applies too to the one from Govan. They are over-paying for players who come under-talented and the continued aversion to giving young Scottish players a crack at the first team will, in the long run, cost them dear.

No Scottish club can afford to spend, spend, spend – all the clubs, and in particular the Big Two, need to realise, grow your own suits the economics of the Scottish game a lot better than buying players with a fancy name and a slick highlights reel.

I doubt if anyone outwith Pittodrie, and perhaps one or two in there as well, saw that Aberdeen win last night coming. Come to that, after sticking five goals on Bayern Munich at the weekend, I don't suppose many of the good burghers of Frankfurt saw defeat in Aberdeen coming as well.

Where's dear old Jimmy Greaves when we need him, those two results prove his old thesis - “Football really is a funny old game.” Bayern are the second-ranked team in Europe, Eintracht are ranked 25^th. Putting that in domestic Scottish terms, that result on Sunday was the equivalent of Cove Rangers beating Glasgow Rangers.

Aberdeen are sitting at position 148 in UEFA's Club Co-efficient table. It's difficult to extrapolate that figure down through the levels of the Scottish Football Pyramid, however, as close as I can get is probably that Aberdeen's win was the equivalent of Neilston or Leith Athletic, struggling a bit in the basement regions of the West of Scotland First Division and the East of Scotland First Division respectively – that's Level Seven by the way beating Cove.

Received wisdom in certain areas of Scottish Fitba is that Aberdeen only really play when facing Rangers, another reason for looking forward to Sunday's final. I reckon, however, their up and down domestic form is more down to the fact, apart from the perennial front runners, any one of the other teams in the top ten is capable, in any fixture, of beating any other side.

That has to be a sign of good health. Unfortunately in Scotland, since the “diddy teams” bought into the Graeme Souness Management Model, the quality in the game up here has gone downhill alarmingly, as we have bought-in cheap foreign knock-offs of good players.

But, looking forward to Sunday, with two flawed teams on the park, we might get a cracking game.

OF COURSE, they never let the facts get in the way of publishing or broadcasting pish, but even the cheer-leaders of “The Greatest League in the World” - that's the English Premiership in case you've forgotten, will be hard-pushed to spout their rubbish when you look at the 16 qualifiers for the knock-out rounds of the European Cup.

They are: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad (Spain); Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig (Germany); Inter Milan, Lazio, Napoli (Italy); Arsenal, Manchester City (England); Copenhagen (Denmark); PSG (France); FC Porto (Portugal); PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Only two English clubs left, compared with four Spanish, three German and three Italian clubs. Not so great, is it.

Rangers can put their European campaign on the back burner until late February. The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League will be held, in UEFA HQ in Switzerland on 23 February.

The Ibrox club already know they will be one of the eight seeded teams, the others – the other Group Winners will be: Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham United (England); Atalanta (Italy); Bayern Leverkusen (Germany); Slavia Prague (Czechoslovakia); Villarreal (Spain). One or two bullets dodged there for Phillipe Clement and his boys.

However, they could meet one of the eight winners from the play-off round, where the 16 teams involved are - (Seeded Teams): Marseilles, Rennes, Toulouse (France); Freiburg (Germany); Roma (Italy); Qarabag (Azerbaijan); Sparta Prague (Czechoslovakia); Sporting Lisbon (Portugal).

The eight unseeded teams are: Benfica, Braga (Portugal); Feyenoord (Netherlands); Galatasaray (Turkey); Lens (France), AC Milan (Italy), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine); Young Boys Berne (Switzerland).

There are one or two potential banana skins among the clubs who have to go down the play-off route to further European progress.