Let me say from the outset that as a Rangers fan I have no wish to downplay my club’s pitiful exit of the Europa League at the first hurdle against Luxembourg’s fourth best team. I publicly stated at the time of Pedro Caixinha’s appointment as manager that I feared it would not go well, and so far he has presided over some shocking performances, notably our worst ever home defeat (against who escapes my memory) and now this abject capitulation. We don’t have the luxury at this fragile stage of our rehabilitation of some exotic experiment. We need solid, tangible progress. The ‘Portuguese-James-Bond-who-talks-a-helluva-game’ is vanishingly unlikely to provide this as far as I’m concerned.
However, there is surely a broader theme emerging here. St. Johnstone, managed admirably by Tommy Wright (a credible contender for the Ibrox post in many people’s view) exited tamely against Lithuania’s FC Trakai. Wright made the point that St. Johnstone have one of the smallest budgets of the SPL, but what budget do FC Trakai have?
This recent Scotsman article, covers these issues well:
“It’s been one week since you looked at me, cocked your head to the side and said I’m angry. Five days since you laughed at me…”
When Canadian band Barenaked Ladies released their hit song ‘One Week’ 19 years ago no one could have foreseen that the evocative start would be so relevant in Scottish football.
Within the past week there has been no shortage of anger, plus a great dollop of laughter. A few great dollops if truth be told. Laughter at ourselves, laughter as schadenfreude and laughter because the only other option would be to curl up into a ball and cry.
As does a linked article from 2015 by Craig Anderson of The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast which has demolished my previously strongly held conviction that summer football was the way forward.
Craig Anderson takes the arguments for summer football then puts a hat and a dose of factor 50 on them.
A move to summer football would quite possibly be the biggest change Scottish football has ever undertaken, and it is therefore hugely important that all of the facts are brought to the table to allow people to make an informed decision. If people strongly believe that summer football is the way to go, then it is possible to make it happen. But there are a number of sacrifices which would have to be made along the way, and I’m not sure that it’s a really a price worth paying.
Any suggestions gratefully received etc…
When I was a lad every single, and I mean every single, piece of grassy wasteland had some sort of kickabout going on whether that be a dozen wee scallywags rushing up and down, an apparently endless game where new players left or entered depending on when mum decided tea (ie mince & tatties) was being served or a semi-organised gladiatorial contest of pyschotic mayhem involving at least three lads who had trialled for Raith Rovers and several middle-aged men who were desperately reliving those years when they truly believed the rumours that “Rangers are looking at you” were indeed true.
Nowadays on my increasingly infrequent returns to Aberdeen the parks and green spaces are deserted save for a few mums pushing baby-strollers or a few dads rolling a plastic football towards young Jamie who looks at it with distaste before saying “Can I have my iPad now?”
There was I time when I genuinely believed with just a modicum of luck Scotland could win the World Cup and either Celtic or Rangers (or who knows maybe even Aberdeen?) could be crowned Kings of Europe for the third year running. I remember when 42000 people crammed into Pittodrie on a wet and freezing Wednesday night to watch The Dons unluckily lose to Rangers in a second-round replay with distant disbelief.
Oh , that it has come to this – Rangers 1, A Team No-one Has Ever Heard Of 2. I sigh, I weep, I have another glass of wine
I too remember a time when the playing of football truly was an obsession. As you say, there was a time when every blade of grass, red blaze or tarmac was commandeered for a game of some kind, from a rough kickabout (or ‘shootie-in’) to damn-near official 11-a-side affairs.
I’ve ruminated on here before about the fact that we haven’t declined so much as other nations have progressed and I stand by that to some extent (the emergence of multiple ‘new’ nations from the remnants of the former USSR and Yugoslavia is to me an undeniable factor). But we even appear to be regressing against our home nations rivals in NI, ROI and Wales – countries with similar weather, facilities, access to playboxes and x-stations and, er, ‘refuelling habits’.
Cyclical? To some extent yes, but I fear more is going on than that. What to do about it remains a mystery however…
And yet Sellack did (relatively) well in last season’s CL. (The gubbing by Barcelona notwithstanding).
This is part of the problem I think. Celtic played 6 games in CL group last season. They drew 3 and lost 3 and were bottom of the group. Only in Scotland would that be thought of as doing ‘relatively well’.
Nonsense. It’d be thought of as relatively well in Luxembourg and Lithuania too.
Derek McInnes.
Why oh why did you guys not go for him? Why take a chance on a Portuguese guy with zero track record?
Totally agree. Think the board were charmed by him. As I say, he talks a very good game but I’ve never bought into it. He’s been backed heavily by the club (and the fans – at least initially) but I reckon there’s a whole lot less to him than meets the eye.
This is Rangers we’re talking about. Delusions of grandeur. In fact, just delusions. And don’t forget they have form in this regard. Paul Le Guen. Sucessful in France. Failed in Govan.
Blame Barry Ferguson for that one I think.
Dunno. If PLG had been a raging success everywhere else then maybe, but as it is….no.
I think that’s a valid point LoW – it was the same when I was growing up in the West of Scotland. Football was the only leisure interest in town. Anyone who dared to pursue any other activity was viewed with suspicion. Parks were full of lads of all ages playing a game. This led to what is now known as “street football” where as a young debutant you learned to look after yourself/ avoid “tackles” designed to warn you against displaying your skills too readily. This led to problem solving, adaptability, skills’ development and physicality which assisted in developing players fit for the professional game.
As it was the only game in town and as a nation we had some genuinely world class players to look up to, there was sense of a pathway and a heritage to live up to.
Leisure patterns have changed, attitudes have changed – a football game with a range of ages playing might be questioned nowadays, the Scottish weather means it isn’t much fun playing outdoors, parents are more protective of their children and whilst Sky has improved analysis it does mean that there are more eloquent gobshites on the touchlines giving their offspring “advice.” Kids aren’t playing football as much nowadays.
The Scottish professional game isn’t helping either. It has the game organised on a national basis instead of regions. My 2 nephews live in the Highlands yet were travelling down to the central belt to play a game in which an individual player might get 12 -20 touches in an entire game (if they play in midfield) – travelling time on a Sunday of 8 – 9 hours. Is it any wonder kids are dropping out?
A all too early emphasis on winning instead of just playing and developing skills and touching the ball – a Dutch 11 year old will touch a football on average 3 times more than a British 11 year old. Small sided games until they are 12 with little pressure to win might be the best way forward.
Fat arsehole fathers shouting and bawling at their kids don’t help. I think it was Gary Lineker who drew the parallel with music performances, saying you wouldn’t shout and bawl at your kid if they played a bum note when they were learning an instrument. As a player, I was horrible: gobby, overly competitive and spiteful but played a decent standard. However, as I have coached and reffed youth football over the years, I have been sickened by the attitudes of dads living their failed dreams through their children, particularly when they had what looked like a beach ball up their jumper and couldn’t trap a bag of cement. It sickens me now to hear fathers tearing into their kids while I watch my lads.
We also got complacent, thinking there would be a constant supply of granite like defenders and tanner ba’ players, but sadly that hasn’t been the case.
The academies haven’t worked either – they exert too much control and actually stop kids playing. These kids have a feeling of entitlement and when they are cut from the pro game do not realise/acknowledge that there is an alternative in the junior & amateur leagues. They lack resilience and character and if they progress to the pro ranks can earn money that turns their heads. I think this is a problem on the horizon for the English game as well, particularly with the crazy money on offer and too many average overseas players across the leagues and clubs unwilling to take a punt on younger lower league British players. Unless something is done to improve English players then Scotland’s today could be your tomorrow.
Rant over. I’m off to watch the 1967 England v Scotland match. Loads of world class players and we still won SFA!
Top class rant!!