26th of foot

Interestingly, last evening BBC Radio Scotland played a minute long clip of a fifteen minute recorded interview with Souness. The whole interview will be broadcast Sunday afternoon. The panel at Pittodrie last evening was Richard Gordon, Liam McLeod, Wullie Miller, Tom English, Chris McLaughlin, and Pat Bonner. Covering the Rangers game from BBC Scotland's HQ at Pacific Quay, was the retired Chick Young. Souness offered the demise of Scottish football being the result of the demise of Rangers. The reaction from Pittodrie was venomous and vitriolic. Several minutes of traducing a most successful Scottish player and manager. Chick Young asked, "why bother interviewing him"? They turned on him, all six of them were determined not to allow Chick to make a point.

This last month, BBC Radio Scotland's Richard Gordon has taken to reading out a list of Rangers players/incidents that the Compliance Officer might be interested in; no other club is mentioned. Fellow Aberdeen supporter, Liam McLeod supports Gordon's accusations. It's a variation on a theme, bully the authority(and let's face it, the Compliance Officer does not need much nudging) into dealing with issues; thus building weight of evidence to be utilised as a bigger stick. On Sunday, it was left to both Wullie Miller and James McFadden to remind Gordon of other incidents that require further investigation.

Can we afford to sack him? Can we afford not to sack him? I have stayed out of the debate these last few weeks. I was not impressed by performances against ra Sellik, Hamilton Acas, or St Johnstone. The last twenty-five minutes of last night's game was an organisational shambles. We have very little organisational discipline. Further, the Board are not progressing the club in a most important issue, the Rights Issue. Six years down this road and we still do not have Banking Facilities that provides an Overdraught facility. Dave King is an absentee landlord and as such, incidents are not dealt with, they are allowed to fester. Pedro's relationships with a number of players is a case in point. There is NOT a firm hand on the tiller of Rangers, either in the Board room or in the Managers office.

I would rather he was out of breath, permanently.

The faces of three Sellik season ticket holders are on that banner.

Does this make them, 'the Hamilton Haccies'?

Graham Dorrans was outstanding tonight.

It's genetics. Malky is a tall racist. Bodes well.

It's the path of least resistance for referees. We had a Referee strike because of the actions of ra Sellik. This was a culmination of an active campaign by club and its supporters. A few examples involved the club hiring a Private Detective to follow a Referee around for a month. We had a corporate supporter take a golf club to 13 out of 14 windows in a Referee's family home. Then, there was the Referee's wife and daughters being followed to morning Nursery and Primary school gates. Brown's two game suspension being lifted at the end of last season to allow him to play in both games against Rangers, was the game changer. A flat of the boot, possible leg breaking side on assault on Liam Boyce was beyond the pale. The usual suspects in the immediate wake of the game at Dingwall, all agreed, it was a sending off. Further, even Brendan's post match interview was accepting of the Ref's decision. Two days later, it was amazing the way and the numbers that got behind and reinforced Brendan's change of mind. The proper contrast and compare is with their yellow/red card count in Europe. Maybe, the likes of Craig Gordon realises running twenty yards outside his box and kung-fuing the opposition, is a red card without hesitation in Europe. The question begs, why did he get away with it domestically on three separate occasions last season?

The oppressed Angela is a columnist on the Sunday Herald. Regularly, she appears on BBC Radio Scotland as a talking head. Saturday morning had her on as a guest of Shereen Nanjiani for two hours. Since Donalda MacKinnon becoming Director of BBC Scotland, Jum Spence was reappointed and Haggerty has become a weekly talking head across the broadcasting week.

It is Angela Haggerty that is the recipient of an HND in Journalism.

Oh, thus far I am unawares of her printed erudition. Which blatt avails us of such strident sagacity?

Despite a full curricular and extra-curricular life, Jinty keeps time spare to fulfill her destiny as Chair of her local Residents Association, leading resistance against subjugation of Springboig by Crown forces. Her day will come.

Reference BBC Scotland's lunchtime news report on Quigley's and Findlay's submissions to the Committee overseeing the possible repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, it was Chris McLaughlin voicing ove stock footage of an old firm game at Ibrox. He refers to, "bigotry" as the camera pans out from Rangers football club, then as the camera focuses on the Copland Stand display of red, white, and blue; he says,"hate crime". Thus, you have McLaughlin, an Editor, and a Producer coming together for a choreographed piece. This was the second item on today's lunchtime news bulletin. On STV's lunchtime bulletin, seven items and none of those were a report on Quigley and Findlay, and no mention of today's Scottish Parliament Committee meeting!

I wonder how many hats Jeanette Findlay wears? Here, it is Fans Against Criminalisation, another day it's the Celtic Trust, then there is Cairde na Heireann, or the James Connolly Society, ...................etc. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, it's a wonder she finds the time?

Pena lacks mobility. Surely Holt's energy is a better bet in the short to medium term? Honestly, I could not see a pattern to our play tonight. We have players content to play on the periphery and not take the necessary responsibility. We need leadership on and off the park.

Obviously, to appeal to their core support, I suspect a commercial arrangement with the Novo Hotel group, thus, 'the Provo Hotel'. A simple statement of fact, 'the Rabid Hostel', or my current favourite, 'Up the Ra-disson'. Of course, every dressing gown and slipper set contains a matching terry-towlling balaclava.

The use of the word, 'forced' in the headline will have Neil and his fellow Sellik supporters in a state of tumescence. Of course, Neil wants to sound reasonable, thus mentions a flare thrower. Here's the thing, on the front page of the Herald this morning, there is another story about L;atvian bank, 'Rietumu Banka'. This is the third front page piece in five months on the bank that is partly owned(a third) and managed by ra Sellik's majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond. Today's revelation is the bank has provided a front for the Russian Government's organisation of crowdfunding the invasion/partition of areas of Ukraine. Previously, the Bank has been accused of aiding tax evasion in France and providing a platform for North Korean money laundering. When Neil does a piece on the morality and legality of dearest Dermot, then I will consider him reasonable. Neil might have to be, 'FORCED'?

Martin Canning's resources will be stretched further, more injuries confirmed reference Georgios Sarris, Michael Devlin, and Grant Gillespie. Further, the applied for work permit, for Antonio Rojano has still not been granted. Of course, the more bleak it appears for Acas, the worse we will play.

Sounds like we are preparing to guard old Delhi's walls?

Has anyone informed Keef Klaxon? I believe Atletico Nacional of Medellin, Columbia are participating. Another article with Morelos to the fore beckons. I bet Keef has evidence of Escobar's devotion to el Siempre Verde? Will we get our Mexicans over the Donald's wall?

You are the poorer for it. Find the adventurous spirit and be reinforced by a hoat pea special. I have discussed this with a few mates and the consensus is, it must be served in a soup plate and devoured with a spoon(County etiquette).

Hamilton, the county town of Deepest, darkest Lanarkshire. Hamilton, the home of crosses. The main two being the top cross and the bottom cross. The stretch in between, Quarry Street was the location of Saturday morning misery for many a primary schoolboy of my generation. Yer Maw indulged in retail therapy whilst we were content to pity our fellow drookit weans being hauled towards a coughing bus, waiting to take them twenty miles doon'n'roon ra county to Lanark, Biggar, and Shotts. Our reward for endurance was at another confluence of roads, Peacock Cross. Specifically Equi's Cafe, purveyor of pie and peas. Now, if we were in France, this delicacy would be a, 'produit regionaux' ; a white peppered mutton filling encased in pastry, accompanied by peas marinated in black peppered malt vinegar. Hamilton, the home of a culinary triumph. Hamilton was the home town of many an international footballer, our own club were often beneficiaries, Bobby Shearer, Davie Cooper, both Derek and Barry Ferguson, ....... etc. Producing footballers that made a living from the game, was a county industry. There was a saying, 'throw a blanket from a window and it will land on four international footballers'. In a town of no Junior clubs, both schools' and amateur football thrummed. It was a pyramid system of organisation, from the bottom up. Schools and Boys' clubs fed the amateurs, and in turn fed both juniors, and seniors. A look at a Hamilton Advertiser from forty years past confirms a dozen amateur divisions of sixteen-eighteen clubs each. Today's Advertiser occasionally depicts three divisions of eight teams each. Genuinely, in the constant discussions conducted in both print and broadcast media reference the paucity of international class footballers in Scotland, why does no one highlight the gossamer thread that our future was dependent upon? Teachers and Janitors giving their time and efforts for no pecuniary reward. In the early eighties, they asked for such extra curricular to be recognised and a peppercorn compensation scheme be instated. The Scottish Education Department refused, and we live with the consequences. Hamilton had, has a senior football club. Back in the day, it was viewed as an extension of the County school, Hamilton Academy. It's an ancient school, founded in 1588 and in my day it's catchment area was the cream of the County Eleven Plus results. The Former Pupils had well organised rugby, athletics, cricket, football, ... etc clubs; all incorporating their own separate social clubs. The common currency is to refer to, 'the Accies', it was always the Acas, derived from Academicals. The County derby was always Motherwell v Airdrie; of course any permutation involving both mentioned and including Albion Rovers and Acas was a Lanarkshire derby, but not the county derby. Even the football ground, Douglas Park was a location for schools and amateur finals. Including playing and attending, I was inside the ground on no more than a couple of dozen occasions. In contrast, I attended both Fir Park and Broomfield on numerously more occasions. Despite living near to the ground, Acas supporters were hen's teeth. They were bottom of whatever division they competed, and their crowds were numbered just in excess of one thousand in the late sixties, early seventies. Simply, Hamilton and the County ignored the Acas. Respite arrived in 1972, a local entrepreneur, Jan Stepek gained control of the club and appointed John Eric Smith as Manager. In those days, the vast majority of Lanarkshire rented both their TVs and radios, and most bought into those agreements at Hamilton's top cross, the home of, 'Stepeks'. Jan was a Polish immigrant viewing opportunity knocks and playing the generational game. Collectively, his customers were the Prisoner on easier terms. Any promising schoolboy footballer was also the recipient of those easier terms, Smith had a habit of offering 'S Form' terms to all and sundry, then filing those forms away in (several) drawers. If any were likely to make it, 'an administrative fee' was necessary to ensure progress. During his six year period as Manager, I think the only young player brought throw the Acas ranks, was promising centre forward, Paul Heggarty? It was Dundee United's Jim McLean who converted him to a central defender. Before real Acas fans lose interest, I should mention their victory over Leeds United in front of several thousand, 4-3 in a friendly. A club viewed as haphazard by those closest, became hapless and homeless. Douglas Park was sold for retail development and the wandering of Maryhill and Cumbernauld began. Acas credibility was further undermined by their celebrity fan, Ian 'Fergie' Russell. His antics were more worthy than the football. It was the nadir. The right people(mostly) arrived and systematically put a plan in place to return the club to an elevated plane, by the correct route. Despite John Lambie's yo-yo interventions, the Manager responsible for implementing the component parts was Billy Reid. Raising their own became the mantra. The Acas youth system is well respected within the game. I know a couple of Dads in the last decade who praise the experience to the highest. The success is measured in Acas maintaining their Premiership position for three seasons in a row. In selling on a number of subsequent internationals, M'Carthy and McArthur. In producing a Manager from the ranks, Alex Neil going on to take Norwich City to the Premiership. In playing a team containing several home grown early to mid-twenties lads, all with in excess of two hundred top team appearances. Basically, the Acas provide young hopefuls with the means to make a living from the game. The Acas are a model cub and a success, Tomorrow evening, Martin Canning has selection problems. One of those toting a couple of hundred appearances, Darian MacKinnon is suspended. David Templeton is injured! Further, their Keeper, Gary Woods is sidelined with a lacerated kidney, his successor, Darren Jamieson was recently in Junior football at Bo'ness. We, are without Lee Wallace and given New Douglas Park is a plastic surface, I suspect Alves will remain on the sidelines. The rest will be carrying severely bruised egos from last Saturday. I hope we have spent the week working on preventing crosses coming into our box and have rectified our unwillingness to start the second half with the same energy we finish the first? My team to relieve the building pressure : Foderingham, Tavernier, McCrorie, Cardoso, Hodson, Candeias, Dorrans, Jack, Windass, Morelos, and Herrera.

Where are we at? Let's break it down into component parts. I'll begin with recruitment. Whether you accept Brendan's figure of £8 million spent in the summer, or BBC Scotland's preferred £11 million. Comparatively, in our league, it was serious money. Morelos - success. Alves - have we received the player we thought we were getting? Cardoso - struggling with the Scottish game. Herrera - appears to be a player that must play every minute of every game to remain match fit and sharp. Pena - 12 weeks at the club and still does not look fit, his mobility(or lack of it) is worrying. Dalcio - a phantom figure. Jack - steady. Dorrans - looks a player, pulls the ball down/takes it in; all in one touch, heads up, moves it on quickly. Question, are we playing him out of position? Candeias - intermittent. The attached comments to each player are my opinions so far. My collective thought on recruitment over the summer is not good enough, so far. I offer it to other Gersnetters to provide further critique on other components of where we are at?

Absolutely. Back in RST days, I remember attending several conferences at Hampden hosted by Supporters' Direct. All Scottish club Trusts would be represented and share experiences/strategies, etc. We, at the RST felt like David taking on Goliath, and as a result had youthful exuberance and a slingshot on our side. The Celtic Trust have had a dozen motions proposed at their AGMs and have lost all by a landslide.It's history(and if you know your history ....) repeating itself. When our separated brethren were founded by six families, they all had earners written into the club eg the Glass Stand, a grandstand structure containing enclosed glass panes across the frontage, built by the Glass family and all monies accrued from attendance in that stand were returned to the family.