Scott7

Unexpectedly on the move this afternoon, my only access to a score was by sportsound and even that intermittently. Thank God because I couldn’t have tholed ninety minutes. It was angry. Very, very angry. An angry Paul Mitchell was commentator with an angry John Robertson and some other angry bloke. Rangers were 0-2 up when I joined and they weren’t much interested in describing the play. Instead I quickly learned from Mitchell that Rangers had lost their first away match of the season at Tannadice, relevant to today’s proceedings I know not how. Next, the intriguing statistic that up to today, Hearts hadn’t conceded a first half goal at home all season, a record only matched by celtic. At that point I had to attend to other matters so I don’t know what further gems of non-information were ofered I next joined at halftime into an excited debate among the commentary team about whether Rangers’ first goal was offside or if there had been some other infringement. The matter was settled more in sorrow than in anger by Richard Gordon in the studio telling them that pictures revealed the goal was legal. Suddenly, like Dracula rising from his coffin, an even angrier Tom Gibberish intervened to say that Rangers had been very good for about four minutes but before and after, Hearts had been the better team. Somebody must have drawn up the studio blinds because that angry creature vanished as suddenly as he had appeared but he’d thrown a comfort bone to the commentary chaps who picked it up and started gnawing at it confident that Hearts would get the next goal and it would be a different game. Luckily, I had to tune out for the rest of the programme. Force majeure aside, I would have switched off anyway. It’s many years old since I listened to that programme. Mitchell used to be not too bad. How @26th of footcopes with this sort of stuff, I do not know. Must be down to good Covenanting stock and the rigours of the Parachute Regiment. Double armour that I do not possess.

They are indeed. Not just memories of the heroes but of players with other teams as well. What a fine inside forward Archie Robertson was. Clyde - yes, Clyde - could field three internationalists, Robertson, Harry Haddock and Tommy Ring.

Is ‘Gers ok?

Get the battery checked again, old bean. It ran out of juice for some of the Sunday scores. Brentford 2-1 Watford (the world famous Ford hell derby match) City 3-1 Wolves Arsenal 2-1 So’ton Chelsea 4-1 Leeds Liverpool 3-0 Villa Norwich 1-3 United BHA 1-2 ‘Spurs Burnley 1-0 Hammers Leicester 3-1 Newcastle Palace 2-1 Everton

Couldn’t match their effort.

The offside rule has to be changed. Something to the effect of “deriving advantage” needs to be added in. VAR can judge if a player is offside by half the breadth of a whisker and the ref can decide if that player has thereby derived advantage. That’s a discussion for a different topic, though.

No doubt. Rangers is a strong product. Scottish Football isn’t.

Sort of but if it were a conglomerate there would be a lot of winding up, merging and demerging to allow the main actors to flourish. But you can’t do that with football so,no, in Scotland it’s not a strong product as confirmed by the market.

I give the linesman the benefit of the doubt over the offside goal. It’s not so easy to see in real time at ground level. Furuhashi is a different matter. His method of operation is to push or even just brush against, an opponent and when the other player turns to look at him, he collapses clutching his face. Imagine the uproar if a Rangers player did that.

The weekend’s scores. ’ammers 1-3 Chelsea Mags 1-0 Clarets So’ton 1-2 BHA Wolves 1-3 Liverpool Watford 2-2 City Leeds 2-1 Brentford United 3-0 Palace Hotspur 3-0 Norwich Villa 2-2 Leicester Everton 2-1 Arsenal

Carrick is part of the history of failed management. If I were the new guy, I’d ban AF.

Time to close that place.

1 nil is a home victory, is it not? Either way, for Rousseau, that is recklessly optimistic.

What’s wrong with the Toffee Men? The School of Soccer Science is long gone. Since then, only a glittering half decade in the eighties. They could do what City have done if they got an avalanche of cash and a top manager. Ancelotti might have done it. It seems Benitez can’t.

Just wait, my boy. Just wait.

I joined the match on 73 minutes to see Barisic take a lifetime to place and and complete a free kick. After that I barely saw McGregor, Rangers played quite nicely and it was indeed a penalty. Tripping an opponent is a foul. The book says nothing about a severed leg as evidence. Roofe sent the ‘keeper the wrong way and dispatched the ball with power and accuracy. But, please, no jiggling run-ups with a hesitation embellishment. Too big a risk of mesmerising yourself instead of the ‘keeper.

Go fifty-fifty with him.

Forgot to post my predictions for last night’s games, Leeds to beat Palace, 1-0 and Mags to draw 1-1 with Norwich. Shame I’m only right when I don’t go public. The rest of the midweeks: The night. So’ton 2-1 Leicester Watford 0-3 Chelsea WHU 2-1 BHA (Initially, I thought a draw) Wolves 2-0 Burnley (Table top clash back in the decades) Villa 1-3 City (Bubble burst) Everton 1-3 Liverpool The morn’s night. ’Spurs 2-0 Brentford United 0-2 Gunners

Going to buy them? @compo’s School of Soccer Science. If you don’t, who will?

Now that you mention it, of course. Why didn’t ‘Spurs think of that? The bold McLeod I saw as a player at Hibs transferred from Blackburn Rovers at the end of his career. By that time he was slower than his predecessor, widden legs Ormond. Nonetheless, in my memory an ineradicable video plays of McLeod skinning Bobby Shearer on the half line at Easter Road, a remake of an identical incident a few years previously at Pittodrie. In that game, the part of the skinner was played by Jackie Hather. He was rocket fast so Bobby had an excuse on that occasion. Both times the damage was repaired by Eric Caldow coming from the other wing at warp speed. Am I the only man alive to have seen Bobby Shearer beaten twice? I saw Mcleod close up managing top division Ayr United, in a Scottish cup-tie at Borough Briggs. He arrived smiling, joking, and glad-handing. He left after ninety minutes girning, moaning and raging on the back of a 2-0 defeat. He could talk the talk, McLeod but the walk at the final hurdle was too much for him. Assembled a good Scotland side but couldn’t quite get it to work. Not alone in that, though. Never mind trivia. Concentrate on the Rangers. Jardine, Jackson, Greig, Stein, Smith, Johnston and McDonald are all at least as good as the present incumbents in their positions, yet the team performed badly in the league. It’s not as if they had to carry four duffers. The play up against the Rangers factor has always existed. Were the other teams of a better standard in terms of football ability than they are now? Of course they were, so maybe matches in Europe were just a wee bit easier.

I don’t know anything about Mayo except that he’s playing very well in a lower division. Would he be a good fit with Helander if he makes a full revovery?

Brighton diddy? They’re Galactico, man. Or so I’ve heard somewhere.

Brilliant. Thanks. Rangers had nine pretty good players, a mercurial bloke and a decent tradesmen. How come they struggled in the league? Dundee’s Philip was a player. Beckenbauer-on-Tay.

Herrorrascorrs. Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle Palace 2-1 Villa Liverpool 6-0 So’ton (or 1-2) Canaries 1-2 Wolves BHA 2-2 Leeds Brentford 0-1 Everton Burnley 1-2 ‘Spurs Leicester 3-0 Watford City 3-1 Hammers Chelsea 3-0 United

The poor conversion rate has to be sorted. The first goal was brilliant in creation and execution. The second, my granny could have scored and she wasn’t great with headers. Credit to Alfredo, though. His anticipation is uncanny. He knew what the defender was going to do. There should have been more. I’m away to girn somewhere else now.