When football doesn’t come first.

Bill Shankly was famous for quite a few quotes with “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that” probably being the one most commonly attributed to him but I think it was more a tongue in cheek comment for the reporters of that time. “What’s that got to do with buses going up The Mound Michael?” you may ask and all I’ll say is that having been at this blogging game for a while now, I sometimes start my ramblings one day then complete my offering the next. May 16th was a big day for my family, a happy event I wanted to share with you hence the Blog title above but it seems I jumped the gun a couple of years ago, got my fingers, if not rapped then a hand laid on them yesterday so you’ll have to wait 🤔. And being a lazy so-and-so, I’ve just left the title well alone.

Back to the football and Wednesday saw Celtic confirmed as Scottish Premiership Champions for the third year in a row after their convincing win at Kilmarnock. Well done them 👏👏. They lost their way a bit during the season, Rangers definitely kicked on under ‘The Petted Lippy’ but Callum McGregor’s return from injury, consistent performances all season from Joe Hart and Matt O’Riley complimented by an Indian summer from James Forrest saw them ease over the line. Are they a great Celtic team? I’d suggest I’ve seen better teams defensively come out of Parkhead , they’re not the “worst Celtic team ever” as Big Mark has told the World more than times than I can remember but this group of players got the job done and for that they should be congratulated 👏.

That takes Celtic up to the obscene number of 54 title wins since their first in 1982/83 and then the arguments come in with their bitter rivals who assure the World they have won Scotland’s top league 55 times. Wiki appears to agree with them and if nothing else, next year should be fun for us neutrals, in a voyeuristic sort of way 🥴. Are Rangers the same club after coming out of administration or as their enemies suggest, are they Sevco? Sevco Scotland Ltd having been renamed The Rangers Football Club Ltd on 31 July 2012. Like the majority of those of us blessed not to support either of the Ugly Sisters. I couldn’t give a tuppenny toss.

As an aside, over a coffee with Louis and Jim McQueen yesterday morning, the stick Malky MacKay is once again getting for historical text messages came up. This time from Hibs Ultra of course and they are far from squeaky clean. As Louis says there are over 50,000 sing sectarian songs at Ibrox and Parkhead every other week and no-one bats an eyelid. And those of a Celtic persuasion who assure us ‘them not us,’ why do you think the caring and intelligent Pat Nevin gave up supporting the team who play at Parkhead as a boy and started following the one at Easter Road? Finally on Scottish League titles for now, I see Wiki tells us Rangers shared their first win with Dumbarton in the first ever league season of 1890/91. I assume both teams were on the same points, so Kilmarnock should surely have shared the title in season 1964/65 with Hearts. Or maybe Rangers have really only won 54.5 titles 😜. Just saying like.

What else happened on Wednesday? Well in the Scottish Premiership, and after a blank first half, Aberdeen gave Livie a goal of a start then fired in five passed them, referee Iain Snedden gave Hibs a soft penalty of a start in their 3-0 win over Motherwell which had the Singing Kettlewell at boiling point, while a very late Adama Sidibeh equaliser against Ross County maybe kept Craig Levein in a job at St Johnstone and my old club still with an outside chance of avoiding the dreaded play-off place 😫. And then there was Paisley where after a poor start and the team I support going an early goal down I posted “Naismith playing ‘fuckabout’ with the team. The team playing ‘fuckabout’ on the park.” to my WhatsApp pals. In an open game with both teams assured European football next season, it was not the first time this season I posted “What a goal Lawrence Shankland. 👏👏. F***ing brilliant.” an hour or so later. Methinks Hearts are going to miss him next season 😢.

Elsewhere in Scotland on Wednesday, Hamilton will take a 2-1 lead up to Inverness tomorrow evening following their win at New Douglas Park while South of the Border, Manchester United had one of their better nights beating Newcastle 3-2 at Old Trafford while Chelsea’s win at Brighton sees them on 60 points to Newcastle and United’s 57 as the three of them squabble over the minor European competitions with one game left. And a day later Leeds thrashed Norwich 4-0 to progress to the Premiership play-off final with my worry for the Euro’s shown by my ‘That gun was slow to go off 🤔🫤’ after Leeds first goal and ‘Angus Gunn? Better with Angus Ogg’ after the second. And after the third Leeds goal went in last night I concentrated on the PGA Golf. I’ve dropped Max Fitzpatrick from my line after his poor showing last week which I might live to regret but not as much as I will should Oban Bob keep playing as he did on the first day. I’ve bet him £1 EW as an outside bet in every Major he’s competed in so far but at something like 500/1 this week and his struggle to settle over the pond despite a recent improvement, I left him alone at William Hills on Wednesday. He’s down to 90/1 and although my mate Ian’s ‘Don’t worry, Bob will make an arse of it somewhere! 😨’ WhasApp reply is liable to happen, let’s hope we are both wrong.

As well as the golf today, I’ll be keeping an eye on the football. I was going to head down to Ainslie Park for Spartans second leg promotion play-off leg against Dumbarton but the ‘patter of tiny something’ has me deciding otherwise. Raith are 2-1 at home against Partick in the Premiership hopefuls semi while down South Southampton are also at home to West Brom after they drew the first leg of their semi-final 0-0 in the fight to play with the big boys next season. I’ll leave it there for now and come back on tomorrow with my thoughts on the sport today and what’s coming up this weekend. I started with Bill Shankly and I’ll leave you with my favourite of his many famous quotes “The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It’s the way I see football, the way I see life.” Well said that man 👏👏.

A parting of the ways as four’s a first.

Wow!!!, what a day. “That was the Tuesday that was” to paraphrase Millicent Martin back in the early 60’s. Two parting of the ways, one expected, the other out of the blue and for the first time I can remember, four football games of interest at roughly the same time on TV to channel hop.

Let’s start with the Dolly ‘Parton of the ways’, the two of them. The first was unfortunately on the cards while the other was a surprise to the outside World and could influence your blogger later today. William Shakespeare’s Juliet put it one way with ‘parting is such sweet sorrow’ in 1563 while 415 years later Abba’s take on it was ‘breaking up is never easy, I know’ and in the case of a football manager there’s usually an inevitability about it, the writing on the back terracing wall so to speak 😢. Put it this was, football clubs don’t sack managers who are winning things, and in Scotland’s case outwith The Uglies, it means having the team you are in charge of at least punching at the weight their history and budget demands. And with the history and current budget Hibs have, they should be doing a lot better than sitting 9th in the Premiership table with one win in six. The knives were out and yesterday morning Hibs and Nicholas Anthony Montgomery parted company 😟😓.

Now some of my mates still work and others don’t have knackered hips and play golf, five-a-side football, tennis even, going about an active life so when I read the ‘Breaking News’ come across the bottom of the SKY Sports News screen yesterday morning, I jumped into Facebook and WhatsApp to see what the World was thinking of it. There was nothing at that time and I was never going to comment on Facebook but I did immediately post ‘Monty’s away’ to my ‘Swally’ and ‘Santa Pee’ Groups as well as a few other mates on WhatsApp. Louis had heard through Banksie, who has his finger on the football pulse, and my ex workmate and golfing buddy Ian got rather confused with an ‘Eh?’ reply. And my ‘Hibs have sacked their manager’ unfortunately got ‘I thought you were telling me that Colin Montgomerie had died!’ Oops!!!!😜

WhatsApp and Facebook were soon all over it and to really get the keyboard warriors going, it was also announced that Malky Mackay has been appointed to the role of sporting director at Easter Road. I sent out ‘I think it’s a good move. Knows the Scottish game and has lots of contacts in England. He could actually do the manager’s job.’ which got a ‘So do I’ from season ticket holder Mr Armstrong. Then the ‘woke brigade’ got involved. The supporters group Block Seven issued their response to Mackay’s arrival, insisting they have been ‘insulted’ by the club, and have threatened to protest against his new position. Their statement says “Today the club announced the appointment of Malky Mackay as sporting director. This is quite simply a disgrace of an appointment. With a track record of being racist, homophobic and misogynistic, he has no place at our club” Against Aberdeen, the group displayed anti-racism banners to show that it has no place in not only football, but the World we live in but most supporters are above all that. Another Hibee mate and season ticket holder posted ‘Block Seven are Hibs “Ultras”, they are a team of fannies. Need a stiff kicking the lot of them.’ How supporter’s views can differ 🥴.

Back to ‘Monty’s away’ and it was soon all over WhatsApp and Facebook including this from Allan Preston ‘Hibs now looking for 6th manager in 5 years. Don’t keep getting an unqualified person to pick managers, ends in tears.’ Biscuit’s post got the debate going with 35 comments. Was it the owners son or Brian McDermott who appointed Monty and was he bumped too soon? One guy told Allan ‘The Hibs manager got one Jan transfer window!’ to which he got the reply ‘Peter Leven had no transfer windows , organised , prepared and got the most out the squad he inherited , Kettlewell makes Theo Blair better , Cowie has a statement result v Rangers , Kettlewell wins at Ibrox statement result , Naismith beats Celtic home and away statement results , Leven draw with Celtic first game in charge statement result , Montgomery lost to 10 men in a semi final and not statement result in 30 odd games , 4 wins since middle of December , I know speaking to my mates who are Hibs fans they are turning away in droves’ The guy tried to come back but ‘thunder, against’ and ‘farting‘ comes to mind.

The debate about Montgomery’s sacking continued on Sportsound before the Rangers game last night, with Mikey Stewart getting quite heated with Scoop McLauchlin but let’s face it, nobody could have been surprised at this parting of the ways. And there turned out to be two parting of the ways yesterday when to the surprise of the outside World, we all heard that Rory McIlroy had filed for divorce from Erica Stoll, his wife of seven years on eve of PGA Championship. We all remember Rory sleeping in and almost missing his tee-off time in the 2012 Ryder Cup with Erica, working for the PGA, helping him get to the course on time and after a two year courtship – now there’s a nice word 🫠 – they married in 2014 and have a daughter Poppy. The big question now is ‘when I go up to William Hills this afternoon, do I still put money on Rory to win the PGA?’

His game had been all over the place too often over the last few years and here was us all thinking his prominent position in the opposition to LIV, or just a natural decline was affecting his game, when maybe marital turmoil was at the heart of it. And maybe he and Erica have known what was going to happen for a few weeks now, Rory relaxed that little bit seeing him win the Zurich Classic with Shane Lowry a couple of weeks ago and the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend. Methinks Rory is my number one pick this weekend.

Back to football and I was finding it hard enough channel hopping between Spurs/City, Rangers/Dundee and Partick/Raith when I noticed Keith Anderson’s post ‘Spartans are on ALBA’ on our Santa Pee WhatsApp Group at 20:45. F*** Me, that was a first. Trying to keep up with four games, especially when Dundee were winning and Spurs still in the game, had my fingers working overtime with the TV controls and I’m struggling to hit the keys on here this morning 🫤. Despite Rangers comeback last night, we all think Celtic will do enough to win the league at Rugby Park this evening and that they will join Shitty at the top of the pile once again this season 😡. (the 😡’s for City btw) Raith take a goal advantage back to Starks Park in their Premieship semi play-off while Spartans, three down at one stage till a Dumbarton ‘goal’ was chalked off at 2-0, run out at Ainslie Park on Friday with a goal to catch up in their attempt at a first SPFL season promotion 🙏🤞.

As well as Kilmarnock at home to Celtic this evening, Hearts play in Paisley against ‘St Mirren… back in Europe after 37 years! 🩶🤍 ‘ as Bill Leckie put up on Facebook this morning. Aberdeen face Livie at Pittodrie, David Gray once again picks the Hibs team, this time against Motherwell at Easter Road while the big game of the evening is St Johnstone against Ross County in Perth. County have a two point advantage so it’s a game my old club must surely win to avoid the dreaded play-off place. And if they lose could Craig Levein become the sixth managerial casualty in the Scottish Premiership this season? Naw!!! surely not twice at the same club in the same season, but you just never know.

From winning managers to shoogly pegs.

Can there only be one winning Scottish Premiership manager in a season? Saturday’s win over Rangers means it’s almost certain that Celtic will retain the Scottish Premiership title this midweek. Twelve teams started the season in Scotland’s top division but we all knew only two can win the league so Celtic and Clodagh Rodgers will be proclaimed winners, but what does that make Rangers and The Petted Lippy? 🤔 Sure Rangers have lost a two horse race but they can hardly be called losers. They have one cup in the bag, can win a second and Philippe Clement, to give him his Sunday name, is new to Scottish football having only taken the job on 15th October last year when Michael Beale was shown the Ibrox door. The Petted Lippy’s never a loser, for now anyway. Put it this way, even if, as the Bookie fancy, Celtic win the Scottish Cup a week on Saturday, the Rangers manager’s jacket is nowhere near a shoogly peg.

Although only one team can win the Scottish Premiership, making Europe is seen as ‘winning‘ something in our country these days so Hearts, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and their managers are ‘winners of a sort’ with their clubs, their players and their supporters, finishing the season this weekend on a high with a feeling that a job has been well done 👏👏. I was a Tynecastle on Saturday where there was a carnival atmosphere, the Ultras got a larger backing than usual from a relaxed, upbeat crowd as copious beach balls were thrown/punched onto the pitch holding up play at times ❤️⚽️. So despite early season calls for Steven Naismith’s head, especially over a lack of European level coaching badges, he Deek McGuinness and Stephen Robinson can rest easy over their jobs and enjoy their summer break ❤️☀️. And despite there being every chance that Dundee could lose their last five games, his bosses and the Dundee support would have seen Tony Docherty as a winner this season, just for keeping them up 👏👏.

Then there’s the Bottom Six and the losers. Scottish football having it’s ridiculously small sized leagues sees Premiership managers regularly being jettisoned even before who will or not make the top six after the split is known. Sure Aberdeen, after finishing third last season, should have been doing better than they were but Barry Robson wasn’t particularly a loser when he was prematurely sacked 😓. Steven MacLean had hardly warmed the managers seat in Perth when he was politely asked to leave and what the f*** were Ross Country thinking big Malky Mackay was going to get them? European football?😱 Dream on. Aberdeen as still waiting on C U Jimmy to take over leaving Peter Leven to pick the team for now, Craig Levein, despite his long managerial pedigree, is far from flavour of the month with many of the St Johnstone faithful while Don Cowie will hopefully be given plenty time up in Dingwall.

That leaves three Scottish Premiership clubs and three managers, two of who’s jackets must be in a precarious position. After beating Livie 4-1 then Ross County 5-1 since the split, any thoughts that the Motherwell hierarchy might be considering putting pulling the plug on the Singing Kettlewell will be well and truly forgotten. Livie are Championship bound and at any other club, the manager would have been relieved of his duty by now. Dave Martindale works on a shoestring budget, the club know that and although there is always a clamber for any manager’s job when it comes up, I can’t see many with a knowledge of Scottish football being interested in the hot seat at Almondvale. Jason Holt exercising a Championship ‘get out’ clause tells you just where Livie are financially with his understanding manager saying “He is a married man with a family and a mortgage. I would love to keep Jason but I can’t keep him at the club due to the finances on offer.” I’m not say Martindale is safe in his job but if and when he does leave, I don’t envy the guy who follows him trying to get Livie back in Premiership 🥴.

Then there was one. Club and manager that is. Hibs and Nicholas Anthony Montgomery. Like Aberdeen, Hibs should never be near the bottom six. If you ignore the Uglies, which is a pleasant thought on it’s own, Hibs, Aberdeen and Hearts have budgets far in excess of any of the other 37 SPFL clubs these days. The thing is that the Old Firm, Hibs, Aberdeen and Hearts add up to five so if you get two or three well run clubs with managers who know what they are doing, seasons like 2023/24 are going to happen. Who carries the can? 🤔 Should a can be carried I suppose? 🤔 Aberdeen didn’t hang about when they thought Barry Robson wasn’t going to guarantee them European football this season but Hibs have been more circumspect. They have stuck by Montgomery despite some below par performances but then there was Hibs 0 Aberdeen 4. I think James sums up what a lot of Hibs fans were thinking at full-time yesterday with his ‘Absolute garbage. F*** off Monty & take every one of these imposters with you’ WhatsApp rant.

Both the Easter Road and Pittodrie clubs haven’t been slow in sacking managers lately but there’s been more going on behind the scene in Leith than Aberdeen in the last couple of years. Dave Cormack was the interim CEO of the Aberdeen back in 2000/1, returned to the club as an investor and member of the board in 2017 and became the Chairman in 2019. Ron Gordon, also an American, paid around £6m to take control of Hibs from Sir Tom Farmer in the same year (2019) but his death last year left uncertainty at Easter Road until his family confirmed, in his memory they would continue to own the club. That didn’t stop them for accepting billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s £6m investment and a seat on the board this year. I’m not saying it’s turmoil at Easter Road but the Field Marshall has five players from other clubs in his first team squad and at least eight signed Hibs players loaned out elsewhere. So as well as what to do with the share of the £6m aimed at squad improvement, there’s more than a dozen loaned or loanee players to sort out for the man in charge in the next few weeks. Will Nick Montgomery be that man? Or is his jacket on a……….

Finally on management and the precarious job it can be at times, I read this about half an hour ago when I stopped to have my tea. It’s a club statement today from my first professional club Stirling Albion and reads – ‘Stirling Albion announces that manager Darren Young will be leaving the club with immediate effect. Assistant Manager James Creaney will also depart. We would like to thank Darren and James for the hard work and commitment they demonstrated at the club and wish them every success for the future.The process of identifying a new manager will commence immediately.’ Now I was a guest of my old club a couple of years when they beat Tranent in the Scottish Cup. Kevin Rutkiewicz was the manager that day and from what I gathered, he was well thought of at the club. He didn’t last much longer however and as I was now in a couple of Stirling Facebook Groups and friends with fans who actually are old enough to remember me playing 😜, I’ve been far more aware of what is happening at the Forthbank club since then. Darren Young followed Kevin and to begin with he could do no wrong culminating in getting The Bino’s promoted, winning the 2022/23 Scottish League Two championship. Universally loved the talk was, well the hopes were, of Darren getting the club up into the Championship. They actually started the season quite well but the wheels slowly fell off and a once hero was mercilessly panned by a lot of the Bino fan base, defeat to Dumbarton over two legs at relegation back down to League Two being the final straw. There are definitely more shoogly pegs than bolted down coat hooks in the offices of a Scottish football manager.

No kidding or a picnic as things heat up.

Why oh why did I put on my maroon jersey over my Fred Perry and wear my sleeveless padded jacket to the Hearts game yesterday? 🙄 The jersey to show my colours and a jacket to hold my mobile phone of course but I ended up carrying then under my arm most of the afternoon. Not that I’m complaining as attending a pressureless game the team I support ended up winning three zip on a lovely Saturday afternoon is a thing to savour and enjoy it to the full your blogger did ❤️⚽️. The sun was shining, the Tynecastle pitch was immaculate and although Hearts play under Steve Naismith is more possession based than dynamic, they got the job done against a Dundee team who threaten at times with a more ‘back to front’ style of play. Craig Gordon looked sharp in goal, Stephen Kingsley continues to impress anywhere across the back line, Beni Baningime and Cammy Devlin controlled midfield, Barrie McKay, though short of match fitness can find the pass most can’t, Alan Forrest shows the confidence of a more regular start, Kenneth Vargas is definitely one for the present and future while whatever Lawrence Shankland’s future holds, he’s given Hearts and their support an unbelievable couple of seasons 👏👏.

And at 2-0 a fan behind me reminded us all of the angst Dundee and one player in particular brought to the Hearts support back in 1986. Correct me if I’m wrong, as I was still concentrating on playing for Meadowbank back then, but was Dens Park on 26th April that year not the last time anyone outside the Old Firm had a chance of winning Scotland’s top division? “Come on Hearts, let’s stuff this lot. Remember what Albert Kidd did to us” was the shout and I assume like me he’d had a reminder of “Sir Albert Kidd Day” from his Hibee mates a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully not long after we could send our mates from across town a photo of Ryan McGowan following Darren Barr, Rudi Skácel and Danny Grainger but hitting the Hibs net at Hampden in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final with the caption ‘May the fourth be with you.’

Darth Vader would have been proud of John Lundstram’s assault on Alistair Johnston at Parkhead yesterday. On a day Rangers really had to win, the chance of a Teddy Bears picnic flew out the window as Lundstram threw himself into a tackle he should never have attempted. Rangers had just pulled a goal back after looking to be down and out but I assume his head was still fuzzed by his inexplicable own goal triggering a tackle he no doubt would be unable to explained after the game. I only watched the first half before heading to The Polworth so I can’t really comment on the game as a whole but I expected to hear a final score of four or five one so obviously Celtic didn’t use their extra man effectively enough and/or Rangers put up a dogged second half performance.

The talk of the first half wasn’t about the goals or Lundstram’s tackle of course but Kenny Miller’s reaction to it and his “never a red card” stance 😱. What an arse. I’d sent the WhatsApp message ‘Shut up Kenny. You’re embarrassing yourself’ to a few mates and waited until the studio pundits went over the first half goals and incidents before heading across town. F*** Me, even Kris Boyd thought it was a stonewall red card. Poor, poor Kenny showing his true colours. I wonder if he wore Rangers bawbags under his Celtic gear when he was at Parkhead? Anyway Kenny and I go away back even although I’ve never spoken to him and he won’t know Mickey Lawson from Adam. Back in 1999 when I was manager of Whitehill Welfare we drew Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup and my mate Terry Christie being manager of Stenny at the time added a bit of spice to the game. We drew 1-1 at Ferguson Park with Derek Steel missing a winning chance for us with a header from a corner at the death but we went into the replay still full of confidence. Unfortunately the landscape changed before that game took place 😟.

The draw for the Third Round – we’d already played half a dozen cup-ties including in the South Qualifying Cup – was made after our draw with Stenny at Ferguson Park and the winners of the replay got the plumb tie, away to Rangers at Ibrox. And before we travelled to Ochilview, Terry Christie approached Hibs and with a financial sweetener I’m told, persuaded the Easter Road club to let their young 19 year old striker on loan to Stenny, and who they hadn’t allowed to be cup-tied in the original game, to play in the replay. On a frozen but flat Ochilview pitch, which would never have passed an inspection these days, a young Kenny Miller scored both goals in a 2-0 win for the home side with Stuart ‘Bongo’ Thorburn missing a penalty for us at 1-0 😫. The memory still sticks with me and everyone involved with a Whitehill team denied a unique Celtic/Rangers non league cup double.

A second half double saw Livie come from behind to beat my old club St Johnstone at Almondvale yesterday. It wasn’t a good day for either play-off contender as Ross County were thrashed 5-1 – what a great scoreline that is – in Dingwall. With two games left County have a two point advantage making the game between the clubs in Perth on Wednesday a bit of a ‘winner take all‘ feel to it, especially in the visitors case. And listening to Sportsound on my way back from Tynecastle it appears that Craig Levein isn’t universally liked by the St Johnstone support. Mikey Stewart, not one of Craig’s biggest fans, was also sticking the boot in with his assertion that the Perth players are ‘tired’ rather than ‘unfit’ on the back of their manager running them into the ground at training. Anyway let’s hope Jambo bound Blair Spittal keeps something in reserve for next season while in the other Premiership fixture, Killie edged out St Mirren in a game where the usually reliable Alex Gogic appeared to have a howler. Maybe he’s been over celebrating his new contact 😜.

Who will be celebrating at Easter Road this afternoon, my Hibee mates or the large travelling Aberdeen support? And why if it’s on Sunday, is the game not on TV? Anyway Hibs are unbeaten in their last five league meetings with Aberdeen and have not lost at home to today’s opponents since August 2020 so what could go wrong? Nearly everything at the moment for my Hibee mates as the club they support are nowhere near where we all know they should be. The split on the manager’s position is more thumb’s down than up, the club have umpteen young players out on loan while arguably their best two first team players at the moment, Marcondes and Maolida are on loan from other clubs and will most likely depart Edinburgh next week, never to come back 😢. Easter Road has been upgraded, there’s billionaire’s money coming in but will their association with Bournemouth end up a Foley or a folly? Watch this space.

The sun is out again but with Norwich v Leeds at 12:00, West Brom v Southampton at 14:15, Hibs v Aberdeen at 15:00 and Man Utd v Arsenal at 16:30 followed by Rory, one off the lead at The Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow, I better rap these ramblings up now and get out into the garden with the papers and a coffee to enjoy it while it’s here. And I’ll be back tomorrow with thoughts on what we are all about to witness but I can’t finish with some congratulation and commiserations. Spartans have caused their Over 35 team some grief as their second leg promotion play-off final against Dumbarton after their brilliant 5-1 – there it goes again – win at Peterhead. The Over 35’s have a game on Friday at the same time as the first team run out against the team who beat my old side Stirling Albion 😢. I’d have loved to have been at a Stirling/Spartans final but it looks like I’ll have to settle for fartin’ in Dumbarton.

A fun day in the sun.

What a difference a bit of sun in the sky makes. Aided by temperatures around 20 degrees and suddenly there’s smiles of the population of Edinburgh as they go about their daily business. With a little less gear on unfortunately, displaying more bits of their white anatomy than is needed in most cases 🙄. When Coco and I were walking home down Mayfield Road from Leslies yesterday afternoon, there were happy looking students, the majority oriental these days, wandering in the opposite direction towards town from The Kings Buildings with smiles on their faces no doubt thinking “Ah!!! the sun does sometimes appear in Scotland and it can get above freezing.” Pity it took until 10th of May for a bit of bloody sun and a decent temperature to hit Scotland’s capital city this year. Global warming definitely ignores us at times. Anyway, it’s just 6:00 am, my Murray left for his shift at McDonalds ten minutes ago and it looks like it’s going to be another pleasant day. Let’s enjoy it while we can ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☀️.

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP – Top Six

Celtic (1st) v Rangers (2nd) – on Saturday 11th May at 12:30

Monsieur Clement, or the ‘Petted Lippy’ as he’s known on here took umbrage at his opposite number saying “We can have a bit of fun” after the Hearts game last weekend when asked about the visit of Rangers this lunchtime. When hearing Rodgers comment the Rangers manager said “That is something that I would never say about an opponent but okay, we will see. It’s not really respectful towards my team. That is what I think. So I will never say things like that about an opponent.” Now I thought ‘Fair dos’ until I heard Clement telling the media yesterday that Rangers could still win the Premiership even if they don’t win at Parkhead this lunchtime. Three points behind Celtic and three goals worse off, methinks that’s a bit disrespectful to Dundee and my lot who they have still to play 🤔😡.

Let’s face it, Clodagh’s flippant comment is par for the course in this Ugly Sisters pantomime, steeped in religious bigotry and lauded by two sets of delusional fans but generally laughed at by the rest of the Scottish football public. Allan Preston summed up what us non Old Firm fans think about a derby mired in conspiracy with his Facebook post during the week – ‘Breaking news! Willie Collum to referee the Glasgow Derby at Parkhead on Saturday. John Beaton ruled out due to away fans not being allowed to attend……’ To be fair to the pair of them, the 3-3 draw the last time the clubs met at Ibrox on the 7th April turned out to be a cracker of a game and I’ll be looking for a few first half goals this lunchtime before heading to the Polworth Tavern then Tynecastle for the Hearts game against Dundee.

And on the game at Parkhead, there was a spell this season where Celtic were struggling to find any sort of consistency, Rangers had definitely got a new manager ‘bounce’ and most of us neutrals would have said that the Ibrox team were the better of the two if asked. Rangers have stuttered a bit since then, except against Hearts of course, while Celtic although not anywhere near their very best, now look the better side. Add home advantage, no away fans at Parkhead this lunchtime and you can see why Oddschecker have Celtic odds on at 11/13, Rangers at 16/5 with 16/5 the draw. May the better team win.

Hearts (3rd) v Dundee (6th) – on Saturday 11th May at 15:00

With a home game at an almost full Tynecastle in decent weather after being confirmed in third place last week, what’s ‘not to like’ this afternoon for us Jambos. Sure I want Hearts to win but it’s a game without pressure for both sides – okay Dundee could still make Europe but it’s highly unlikely – so let’s hope we get a few goals and some good football is played. ‘Fun in the Tynecastle sun’ hopefully. And as I doubt I’ll be in Paisley midweek or Tynie against Rangers at lunch-time next Saturday, I’m thinking this might be the last time I see Lawrence Shankland in a Hearts jersey. If it is I hope he scores whatever the outcome. And I hope he stays at Hearts but I’m a realistic enough Jambo to know there are two sides in Scotland and a lot more in the English Championship who can afford to give him three or more times the money we can afford. His next contract will be the last ‘big’ deal he makes and with football being a short career, Shanks has to do what’s best for his family.

Steven Naismith was glowing in his praise of Shankland becoming the first Hearts player ever to win the PFA Scotland Premiership player of the year award last weekend saying “If you look at the roll of honour of these awards, it is 80-90 per cent Old Firm players. Inevitably, because they are in squads that are valued higher, they create more chances, they dominate more games. For Lawrence to do what he has done, not just this season but last season, shows you his level of consistency, shows his determination, shows his quality. As he has got older he has got much better as a player. It’s a brilliant, brilliant achievement” I totally agree pal. Anyway Hearts have won six of the last ten meetings with Dundee, drawn one and with home advantage are rightly 7/10 with the Bookies this afternoon. Dundee are 4/1, you can get 16/5 on a draw and although I want my team to win, I’ll happily watch a good game of football whatever the outcome ❤️⚽️.

St Mirren (5th) v Kilmanock (4th) – on Saturday 11th May at 15:00

With Killie six points above The Buddies and the Paisley side five points above Dundee with only three games left, it looks like teams four to six will probably end up where they are in the table before a ball is kicked today. Two of the three will be in Europe next season, Killie definitely being one of them so this is a bigger game for the home side than the visitors in Paisley. And it’s a hard game to call as although Killie have six more points than St Mirren, they both have only won 13 out of 35 Premiership games this season and The Buddies have home advantage. Six of the last ten meeting between the clubs have ended in draws so a share of the points at 11/5 is probably the best bet although St Mirren, without a win in their last seven league meetings with Kilmarnock, have to break that sequence sometime so maybe 7/4 on a home win is a better option. Killie are a hard nut to crack for anybody in the Premiership including The Uglies and they are 9/5 this afternoon.

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP – Bottom Six

Livingston (12th) v St Johnstone (11th) – on Saturday 11th May at 15:00

If not quite a must win for my old club this afternoon – they play County on Wednesday – this is still a huge chance to pick up three points against a dispirited side whose Championship fate is already decided. Saints manager Craig Levein says “I’ve rarely came in after any game and been highly critical of the players, so I haven’t got any question about their willingness to stand up and be counted.” so let’s hope he doesn’t have to question their commitment this afternoon. All three league meetings between the clubs this season have been drawn but with Saints two points behind County, you have to think they’ll need to better that this afternoon. The Bookies have the Saints slight favourites at 7/4 to Livie’s 2/1 but the draw at 21/10 might end up being the best bet.

Ross County (10th) v Motherwell (9th) – on Saturday 11th May at 15:00

Motherwell may have only lost one of their last eight league meetings with Ross County but with the in form Simon Murray and his strike partner Jordan White both scoring against Hibs last weekend, the home side definitely carry a physical threat up top. And with the Don Cowie bounce seeing County winning their last three home games, today is a big ask for the Singing Kettlewell and his players. The home side are 13/10 favourites, The Well are 21/10 with 13/5 the draw.

Right my thoughts on Hibs against Aberdeen can wait until tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, what else is happening in Scottish football? Two goals from Brian Graham saw Partick Thistle edge out Airdrie 4-3 on aggregate last night in the Premiership Play-offs, Quarter-final game. The tie could have gone either way, Thistle seem to be a jinx to a football playing Airdrie side and the Firhill side will now face Raith Rovers in the next step to Premiership glory. Nae luck Dougie, your team gave it their best shot 😟. And today sees four second leg Championship and League One play-off semi-finals being played. Hamilton are at home to Alloa and Caley Thistle to Montrose for an eventual Championship place with both first leg games drawn. Spartans and Dumbarton both take a one goal advantage away to Peterhead and Stirling so it’s still all to play for at the level below. Fingers crossed I’m at a couple of Spartans v Stirling games next week. Oh! and after Buckie were well and truly shafted, I see Stranraer are away to Kilbie in the first leg of their attempt to retain their SPFL status.

Away from football Rory McIlroy is in second place, four shots off leader Xander Schauffele, in his attempt to win a fourth Wells Fargo Championship title and I’ll be rooting for him this evening. Mind you playing well the week before a major – the PGA Championship at Valhalla starts next Thursday – can’t be a bad thing but winning two weeks in a row is something only Scottie Scheffler appears able to do these days. The PGA actually has two events this weekend and after a good showing with Thomas Detry in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, I see Oban Bob is second in the Myrtle Beach Classic after rounds of 64 and 67. The big man is finding is feet over The Pond at last 👏👏. Anyway the sun is out and I’m away to read the morning papers at the bottom of the garden over a cup of coffee. I hope your day in the sun is fun.

Same old, same old.

As we go through life, most of us get used to certain routines, which if we aren’t comfortable with, we end up having problems with. From stress, if they are taking too much out of us, to boredom if the sequence of actions we regularly follow doesn’t stimulate us enough. For most of my forty five year working life, a short time as an apprentice quantity surveyor then for over four decades with the Scottish Widows, first as a records clerk and eventually an IT systems tester, I was also involved in semi professional football as a player, then coach, then manager. Working with a shirt and tie on five days a week while swapping them for a track suit and training gear two or three evenings then travelling on a Saturday across the width and breadth of Scotland to kick a football, then coach younger guys to do so was never going to be boring. And luckily if you love the game and get immersed in it as much as your blogger did, it was never, ever going to feel stressful ❤️⚽️.

The Blog heading infers nothing out of the ordinary, normality, routineness, commonness, ordinariness. Pretty negative actually. ‘Same old same old’ normally used to say that a situation remains the same, especially when it is boring or annoying. Most people just keep on doing the same old same old every day. And to be fair after reading some of the build up to yet another ‘title decider’ between the Ugly Sisters this weekend, followed by watching Real Madrid once again making a European Cup Champions League Final, these four words left derogatory undertones to my thoughts on these three clubs the other night. Make that four as Man City then came to mind and only Arsenal can stop a ‘same old, same old’ fourth year title win in a row and the sixth time in seven seasons. Most competitive league in the World? Don’t make me laugh 😜.

Anyway back to routines and the Scottish Wids, football training, playing football with a visit to the pub on Tuesday/Thursday evenings and Saturdays after games was a very enjoyable ‘same old, same old’ prolonged period of my life. And although some people appear lost and are totally bored when they stop work, I was still heavily involved in football management when I left the Widows. And of course I’d started my first Blog before then and it, golf, tennis, 8-a-sides at the Corn Exchange and 11-a-side Over 35’s kept my fully occupied well into my 70’s even though I’d retired from football management as well as my office job. Then of course came Covid and a dickie hip and although Coco coming into our lives kept me busy and active at least twice a day, ‘same old‘ in my life became ‘different new’ as we slowly came out of the pandemic. My deteriorating hip meant that golf Monday, Corn Exchange Tuesday football, Tennis Wednesday and Over 35’s every other Friday became a thing of the past as I tried to find a new routine, temporarily I hope as I’ve not thrown out my football boots and Julia is getting me new golf shoes for my birthday 🙏🤞.

Same old, same old for me recently has been limping round Inch Park and Double Hedges with Coco twice a day, visiting Cameron Toll every morning, a call from the guys from the 16th green at Broomie so I can pop out and catch up in the club house on a Monday and/or Thursday and visiting Leslies on a Friday and Saturday afternoon with or without my dog. When I’m not in Santa Ponsa of course but my routine was somewhat disturbed this week. I’m early to bed and early to rise and I usually write my Blog after a morning ‘walk’ with Coco. This Monday I was at Davy Moyes funeral which I wrote up the following morning but Irene’s van needed it’s windscreen replaced after a stone hit it so while she took my car to her work, Wednesday morning saw me drive the Toyota Proace across to Autoglass in Sighthill which took up most of my morning. And a day later I picked my sister up in Kirknewton and I drove to Lenzie to spend some time with Audry, our elderly cousin who has lost her husband and her sister in the last year. I lovely day Elizabeth and I had but my daily/weekly routine went out the window for the first time in ages hence Robert’s PC not being opened since Tuesday.

It’s Friday morning and I’m back in the old routine. Coco has walked, I’ll ramble on on here, I’ll visit Sava half way through, complete my ramblings then Coco and I will head up to Leslies this afternoon. The only break from my usual routine is that unusual yellow thing lighting up our sky this morning ❤️☀️. Anyway what’s been happening football wise while my same old, same old routine was interrupted?

On Tuesday, and despite having 70% possession of the football and 30 shots to their opponents 7, PSG kept up their disappointing Champions League pedigree by losing 1-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund making it a 2-0 semi-final aggregate win for the Germans. Money can’t buy you love so the Beatles sang, or success in Europe’s premier football competition obviously. Back home Airdrie drew 2-2 with Partick Thistle, Alloa drew with Hamilton by the same score, neither Montrose or Inverness could find their opponent’s net, while Dumbarton and Spartans both won 2-1 against Stirling and Peterhead in the various play-off first-legs across the SPFL. The return legs are this evening with the Beeb showing the game from Firhill. Let’s hope it’s as exciting as the first leg from the Excelsior. And my hope for a Spartans/Stirling League One play-off final is still alive although I can’t see them both progressing 😓.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid did what Real Madrid do and that is progress to the next round, the final of the Champions League in this case. In the first quarter-final leg against Shitty in Madrid on 9th April, and despite having two more shots than their opponents, they only had 38% of the ball in a game finishing 3-3. Eight days later they had even less of the ball, 33%, and conceded 33 shots at their goal to their 8 at City’s yet drew 1-1 and won on penalties. Lucky white jerseys you might think but history says ‘same old, same old’. In the first leg of the semi against Bayern Munich in Germany they had less possession of the ball and less shots yet went back to Madrid after a 2-2 draw. At least on Wednesday, in a cracker of a game, they had more of the ball, more shots but they were spared possible extra-time by the match officials and/or the Football Gods.

Real Madrid were a goal down at home with two minutes to go, scored twice and an early offside flag where a tight decision should have been allowed to play out, saw an even later equaliser from Bayern ruled out for an early whistle. “You couldn’t write the script” they say but in Real’s case you could as it appears to happen time and again in this competition. And Thomas Tuchel could be in trouble for his “It wouldn’t have happened the other way round” comment after the game which we non Old Firm fans often expound when a decision against our team favours the Uglies. Sure a nightmare from Manuel Neuer let the home side back into the game but Tuchel’s decision to take off Harry Kane, especially when extra-time and penalties was possible, is even worse that Norway taking Erling Haaland off against Scotland thinking their game was won. We now all look forward to a Dortmund/Madrid final although there are four better teams in Germany this season.

Last night and despite a bright start by the visitors, Ayoub El Kaabi’s 10th minute goal basically made it game over in Greece with Olympiakos eventually running out 6-2 aggregate winners against Aston Villa. No European winners for the best league in the World this season then 😱. In the Europa League semi’s Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen progressed and will compete in the final on 22nd May while Olympiakos will face Fiorenina in the Conference Final a week later on 29th May. Before all that of course we have the biggest game on the planet, well supporters of two Glasgow teams think so anyway. It’s at 12:30 lunchtime tomorrow and I’ll come on in the morning to give my thoughts on the Scottish Premiership decider, the same decider between the same clubs, year after year after year. Same old, same old. Really exciting it is not.

Sad occasions bring old friends together as football life goes on.

The older you get the more funerals you seem to attend which is a sad fact of life, or death I suppose 😢. And for most people it’s about losing someone close, a family member or maybe an ex workmate or near neighbour has passed away. Now I’d never say we footballers, well ex footballers are different but if you played for any length of time and for more than one club, you got to meet and get very close to a lot more people than than your normal punter. And the bond workmates have in a office, factory, building site, whatever can get pretty strong but there no way it can compare with being part of a football team who fought to win leagues and cups together or try to avoid relegation ❤️⚽️. Not quite WW1 trench camaraderie but not far off it and if you have played for a few teams spread across the country, there’s a good chance close friends from different towns and cities drift apart when they change clubs and that’s a really sad sad thing 😓.

When I turned on SKY Sports News this morning, the two main news items were just how bad Manchester United were against Crystal Palace last night – more on that later – and how shabbily West Ham have treated the first manager to bring silverware to the club in 43 years. That is David Moyes of course and the West Ham owners have told him they are not renewing his contract which runs out in the summer 😡. Yesterday I, along with over a hundred other mourners, attended the funeral of his namesake, a team-mate we all just knew as Moysie whose contract with the man upstairs unfortunately ran out suddenly a couple of weeks ago 😟❤️. At only 68 years old and having just been declared clear of prostate cancer, Moysie was still working away as a builder, took not well and the heart of this larger than life character we all loved unfortunately gave in. It was a shock to all who knew him and although I hadn’t actually seen Davy for a few years, a week before he died the EX EOS Scribe had sent me a photo he’d taken of Moysie with Pogo Smith and Stewart Purves at a Musselburgh Athletic game. Rest in peace big man❤️🙏.

I played with Moysie at Berwick and Meadowbank and he also had a spell at Dunfermline. He spent more time playing at Shielfield than anywhere else and there was a good representation from the Border club at the Loch Centre Tranent, the graveyard then the Co-op Bowling Club afterwards. Chairman Kevin Dixon, secretary Dennis McCleary, Robert Johnson and my old team-mate Eric Tait represented The Wee Gers and Davy’s coffin was in the Berwick black and gold colours. And despite funerals generally being a sombre occasion, there’s something special about meeting up with old team-mates whatever brings us all together ❤️.

I travelled down to Tranent with Graeme Armstrong who I meet with Eamonn Bannon, Jim McQueen, Davy Roseburgh and Alan Banks once a month for a catch-up coffee. Louis, as I nicknamed Graeme at Stirling Albion, also played with Moysie and your blogger at Berwick and Meadowbank, and the big goalie who played with him at The Bankies was also there yesterday. The other ex Berwick players in attendance were Lindsay Muir, Jim Jeffries, Hugh ‘Red’ McCann, Gordon ‘Pogo’ Smith, Mark Glynn, John Sokoluk, Ian ‘Podge‘ McLeod, Ian ‘Yano’ Little, Roddy Georgeson and Brian Marshall. Wattie Boyd (Meadowbank) and Jim ‘Ziggy’ Bowie who played with Moysie at Meadowbank, and Dunfermline were also at the funeral and some of those present I hadn’t seen for a few years. Davy Moyes was an uncompromising, no nonsense, hard tackling defensive midfield player with a big heart, a big head and size 13 boots who opposing players were very wary of and stories of our time at Berwick and other clubs where we all played together came flooding back. As I say in the title, sad occasions can bring old friends together ❤️⚽️.

Selhurst Park was a sad occasion last night, for Manchester United fans at least. I headed up to bed with my latest Stuart MacBride book when the third goal went in before the hour leaving my laddie Robert to suffer alone. And to be fair to Ten Hag, United’s injury problems have got out of hand as although I didn’t tell my laddie for fear of upsetting him, I didn’t fancy an away win before a ball was kicked last night. Palace, like a good few of the ‘lesser’ Premiership teams, have far too much athleticism in midfield and up top for this United side, especially with Jonny Evans and Casemiro at central defence. What the f*** was the Brazilian doing at the first two goals? Both his and Evans legs have gone so they had to sit side by side, central and deep hoping Mainoo would slow the opposition down in midfield while trying to push any Palace striker wider onto Dalot or Wan-Bissaka. Don’t you believe it as at the first Carlos Henrique Gonemiro was dragged twenty yards forward into midfield where he fell on his arse and at the second he was up on the right wing near the half-way line giving the ball away and leaving Jonny ‘Nae legs’ Evans totally stranded. At 21:10 last night I sent this to my Haddington Swally WhatsApp Group – ‘What’s the betting? Monty or Ten Hag out the door first?’ 🤔

It’s a big football night tonight with a Champions League Semi-final second leg between PSG and Dortmund while there are play-off games both sides of the Border. The Germans take a one goal lead to Paris but they are 5/1 to PSG’s 13/25 on tonight’s game alone and fourth favourite at 7/1 to lift the trophy behind Madrid 6/5, the French side 3/1 and Munich 18/5. It should be a cracking game 👏👏. The other football tonight include the first leg of the Scottish Premiership Play-off quarter-final between D2’s Airdrie and Partick and with both games on the box, I’ll have a decision to make 🤔😜. Bolton play Barnsley and Crawly are up against Milton Keynes in League One and Two semi-final play-offs while the four Scottish Championship and League One semi-final games up here are Alloa v Hamilton and Montrose v Caley Thistle trying to make it to Tier 2 and Dumbarton v Stirling and Spartans v Peterhead start the fight to make Tier 3. I’d love, no, I’d really love to see and I’ll attend Stirling playing Spartans should that (hopefully) is the final 🙏🤞. Whatever happens tonight, the football viewing has to be better than Selhurst Park last night 😱.

Mayday. In Edinburgh at least.

You’d think with all this global warming malarkey we keep getting warned about, I’d be able to get my shorts on now and again. We’re into the fifth month of the year, it’s May FFS and it’s still bloody freezing, well on the East coast at least with this sea haar or whatever the meteorologists call this dreich, shitty, cloudy weather 😱. Haar, haar, haar, bloody haar. ‘Light rain and a gentle breeze’ the Beeb weather forecast for Edinburgh says we’re getting today with a high of 16 degrees at 16:00. It’s was meant to be 14 or 15 degrees when I took my daughter Gemma and her man Andy down to Waverley station to catch the 11:30 train back down to London earlier but it felt much colder than that. Thinning blood of a soon to be 75 years old methinks 🥴. And it’s just as well I’ve got a good memory or I’d have forgotten what the yellow thing that used to appear in the sky occasionally, is called. ‘Not a happy bunny today Michael, are we?’

Mayday is an internationally recognized radio word to ‘signal distress’ and on the first Saturday in May 2024, there were a few distressed Hearts and Hibs supporters going around the capital city last night. Sure Hearts were at Parkhead, the Bookie had them at 12/1 but most of us Jambos were hoping we’d hold out for rather more than four minutes. Hibs were 7/5 in Dingwall, had only lost one of their last six Premiership visits to the Global Energy Stadium but with a series of Jekyll and Hyde performances, my Hibee mates weren’t sure just what to expect. At least, and unlike their rival fans from across town, a Myziane Maolida tap in on fifteen minutes gave my Hibee mates something to cheer about and thoughts of three points on the road until the man I warned them about, Simon Murray equalised six minutes later. And while the writing was on the Parkhead wall as early as the 21st minute when Jonny Cashogo scored his and Celtic’s second, it took until the 88th minute after Jojo Wottaclot, in goals for Hibs yesterday, made an arse of a pass-out which gifted MOTM Jordan White an easy chance to decide the game with what turned out to be the winner for Ross County 😡. Capital capitulation by two sets of players and capital punishment for their fans 😬😨.

Elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership, Manager of the Year nominee Tony Docherty was out thought at home and his Dundee team outplayed by a Buddies side managed expertly for a couple of seasons by Stephen Robinson 👍👏. Arithmetically St Mirren aren’t in Europe yet next season but there’s no way with Hearts and Rangers away and Killie at home that Dundee are going to overturn a five point differential and nine goals needed to steal fifth place. Well done Stephen Robinson and St Mirren 👏👏. It was also a good afternoon for the Singing Kettlewell as his Motherwell side knocked four goals passed Livie, confining the Almondvale to The Championship next season. And with Aberdeen beating St Johnstone 1-0 at Pittodrie yesterday, two other things, along with Livie’s relegation, are certain 🤔.

With only two points separating Hibs, Aberdeen and Motherwell, the fight to be the ‘Best of the Rest’ will go down to the wire. Hibs play Aberdeen at Easter Road next weekend followed by Motherwell, also at home before finishing on the Almondvale Axminster. Aberdeen have Hibs away, Livie and home and finish in Dingwell while Motherwell have County up North, Hibs at Easter Road and St Johnstone at Fir Park. Interesting times. Ross County may only be seven points behind The Well with three games left but it’s almost a certainty that it’ll be the Dingwall club or St Jonstone, two points below them, who will have to win over two play-off game against Raith, Partick or Airdrie, to retain a place in Scotland’s top tier 😟.

I don’t like the Split but at least it’s meant to do away with meaningless games near the end of the season. Sure in the bottom six, County and St Johnstone have something to play for but that would be the case near the bottom of any league without a split. I assume there is ‘place money’ to play for but more than one Premiership manager has decried a twelve team league with a split which doesn’t encourage blooding younger players in so called ‘meaningless’ games. They say there is too much at stake, week in, week out. Anyway, in the bottom six we have one team relegated, two fighting for Premiership survival and other three playing for place money and pride. What about the top six?

With places three to sixth all but decided, it’s down to The Ugly Sisters to help the Scottish Premiership finish with a flourish. At this point Rangers against Killie had started at Ibrox so I ‘saved’ this draft and sat down to watch the action. F*** Me there was more VAR than fitbaw in the first ten minutes and I nearly gave up on it and came back on here. To be fair I waited until half-time, it’s 1-1 and I’ve now got Brighton and Villa at the Amex Stadium on but not before hearing Eilidh Barbour tease Kris Boyd with ‘if it stays like this, Celtic can win the league at Parkhead next week.’ during the half-time synopsis of the first 53 minutes action. My thoughts on the first-half? The Bargain Hunt ref was brave checking the VAR screen before metaphorically lifting two fingers to the Ibrox faithful and denying them a penalty. The actually penalty was probably the correct decision but the red card, although by the book, was more than harsh 😫. And a bit of praise for Deek McGuinness for taking a winger off and leaving his two big strikers on the pitch 👏.

Back to the real World of Scottish football and the Scottish Championship programme was completed on Friday evening. Below that with Falkirk and Stenny already promoted and the promotion play-off teams in League One and Two in place, the only real interest in Scotland’s Tier Three and Four was at the bottom of each league yesterday. Edinburgh City were already League Two bound but before yesterday’s kick-offs, it was between Annan and Stirling who would play off with Peterhead, Spartans or Dumbarton trying not to join the Meadowbank basket case. My links to The Binos on Facebook suggests Annan did a good bit of time wasting holding onto their lead, then the point they needed but all is still not lost for the Forthbank club. On a personal note, I’d love it to be The Albion against Spartans over two legs, two games I would definitely take in 🤞🙏.

Meanwhile in appears Robert Johnston of Berwick Rangers has a chance of getting his wish for a return of ‘The Classic Border ‘Derby’ against Stranraer next season, this time in the Lowland League. As I blogged in November when Clyde were a good few points adrift at the foot of the SPFL, appointing Ian McCall as manager would see them avoid relegation. It may have taken to the last game of the season but their 3-0 win up in Elgin means they pipped the Stair Park club for safety by a point despite Stranraer’s brilliant 2-0 win against Stenhousemuir, the League Two champions yesterday. Oh! and Rangers have gone 2-1 up against ten man Killie so I’ll switch back to the Amex.

Finally for now, and an old chestnut of mine, I see those in charge of the pyramid in Scotland have once again won a chocolate ‘how can we fuck up the lower levels of Scottish football again’ watch. Raising the ‘licencing’ bar above teams currently in the SPFL, but letting them continue to play in level’s two to four while totally ruining Highland League winners Buckie Thistle’s season was a disgrace. And if they wanted to stand by their decision surely second placed Brechin City should have got the chance against East Kilbride of the Lowland League with the winners playing Stranraer for a chance among the ‘Big Boys’. No f***ing danger!!!!😡

Anyway slightly further down the Scottish Football food chain I see Beith won the West of Scotland Premier Division for the second year in a row. Now everybody that knows anything about lower league football in Scotland is aware that thanks to Tom Johnson, there are top ex Junior teams playing way below the level they should be at in the top West of Scotland league. Auchinleck Talbot, Darvel, Clydebank and Pollock to name only four would all thrive with a chance of winning the Lowland League, a tier above them. The problem is that Beith didn’t have a licence last season and I suppose it’ll be the same this time round. Than means instead of Beith, or say Talbot, Darvel or one of the others getting a chance making it from Tier six to Tier five, Broxburn of the East of Scotland get a bye into the Lowland league and well done them of course 👏. Meanwhile there’s a ridiculous logjam in the West of Scotland Premier division. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.😱😡😨

The game’s nearly up.

As season 2023/24 nears completion, some things have already been decided while others have still to play out. We already knew the winner and ‘loser‘ of the Scottish Championship before last night’s final round of fixtures took place with Dundee United heading back up where they belong in the Premiership while Arbroath were already heading back down to League One, and as the only part-time team in Scotland’s second tier this season, it’s probably where they should be playing as well. And before a ball was kicked last, night the play-off places were already decided with Airdrie and Partick playing off home and away with the winners repeating the exercise with Raith before one of the three of them get a go at joining United in the Premiership. The SFA/SPFL don’t make it easy for teams not making automatic promotion 😡.

That left the League One play-off place which Caley Thistle were sitting in at second bottom of the table before a ball was kicked last night with Queens Park, the team one point above them, the only side they could catch and pass to definitely save their Championship souls. And as was probably expected with both teams at home against sides with other things on their minds, Airdrie with Partick in the play-offs to concentrate on while the Morton players will have been in holiday mode, Caley Thistle and Queens Park both won which will see Big Dunc and his team hope in the near future to be ‘Super Caley’ against Hamilton, Alloa or Montrose. Oh, and the Beeb covered a nothing game at Tannadice – other than the home fans seeing the Championship trophy which they could have tagged on – instead of the game in Inverness or Hampden 🫤. There’s a shock, not.

As I started outwith the Premiership, I’ll keep it that way and just like the division above them, the League One winner and loser are already known before the final round of games takes place this afternoon. Falkirk have already been promoted to the Championship while the basket case that is Edinburgh City will hopefully be able to field a side in League Two next season 😳. And like the Championship, we know that third place Alloa will play home and away against fourth placed Montrose, the winner playing two games against The Accies before one of them gets a chance of Championship football next season by beating Caley Thistle.

Thirty points above Edinburgh City – yes thirty points – are my old club Stirling Albion and Annan, and they play Scotland’s ‘Game of the Day’ at Forthbank this afternoon. I had five brilliant seasons at Annfield, scoring well over a hundred goals and I hold a great affection for the club but I also have ties with an Annan side I picked my wits against for over fifteen years in their East of Scotland days as manager of Whitehill and Spartans. Alan Irving, former Annan secretary, now Life President after over 50 years with the club is a good friend and it’s probably just as well I’m not going through to the game as my loyalties would have been divided. I remember playing golf at Kilspindie with my co Spartans manager Sam Lynch back in 2008 when after Gretna’s demise, we were on the 10th tee ** when the call came through from Craig Graham that Annan had pipped us, Cove Rangers, Edinburgh City and Preston Athletic for a place among the big boys. Anyway one of only games game in Scotland this afternoon which will actually decide something takes place in Stirling ❤️⚽️.

The other games with something still to play for all take place in League Two this afternoon. Stenny are already promoted and we know Peterhead, Dumbarton and Spartans will take part in the play-offs to possible reach League One but with Spartans on 55 points and the other two on 57, who gets a bye for the first pair of games is still up for grabs. Peterhead actually play Dumbarton up at Balmoor and with a better goal difference a draw would probably see them miss out the first two games unless Spartans travel over to Fife and knock ten passed Dick Campbell’s latest club at Methill. And it’s just as exciting at the bottom as with Bonnyrigg surely safe with a far superior goal difference than Stranraer three points below them, the Stair Park club will be hoping the Stenny players are already in holiday mode and that Clyde, two points above them, don’t pick up anything at Borough Briggs, Elgin.

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP – Top Six

Celtic (1st) v Hearts (3rd) – Saturday 4th May at 15:00

Hearts have won their last two Scottish Premiership games against Celtic which is quite hard to take in for your blogger and his fellow Jambos 🤔🙄. Can they make it three in a row? Well the last time they did that was in 1961 when Dundee won an 18 team Scottish First Division, Celtic finished 3rd, Hearts 6th, Hibs 8th, Third Lanark 11th and two of my old clubs, St Johnstone and Stirling Albion were relegated 😨. Hearts actually beat Celtic five times in a row back then, a stat that we all know will never, ever be repeated going forward, more’s the pity. And of course the home side have more to play for this afternoon as they fight out their two team Scottish Premiership One with that lot from Govan. Hearts have almost certainly won Scottish Premiership Two so Steven Naismith will have a much harder job of motivating his players than Clodagh Rodgers this afternoon. Oddschecker have Celtic at 1/4, Hearts are 12/1 with a draw I’d bite your hand off for at 6/1.

Dundee (6th) v St Mirren (5th) – Saturday 4th May at 15:00

A nominated Scottish Manager of The Year at home to a team led by Stephen Robinson, who some would say it a tad unlucky not to be on that same short list. Dundee and St Mirren both lost 2-1 to an Ugly Sister at home last weekend but both teams put in good, strong performances against sides with ten times their budget which sets this up as a cracker of a game this afternoon. And it’s very hard to call as although Dundee’s 4-0 win over St Mirren in their last home league game against the Buddies in November remains their biggest win in the Scottish Premiership since December 2018, the visitors have won four of their last five league games against the Dens Park side. Oddschecker have Dundee at 13/8, The Buddies are 19/10 with 12/5 the draw in a game with some added spice thrown in as with Kilmarnock looking likely to seal fourth spot, that leaves Dundee and St Mirren two points above them to fight it out for the final European spot next season 👏👏.

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP – Bottom Six

Aberdeen (8th) v St Johnstone (10th) – Saturday 4th May at 15:00

A debatable red card helped The Reds overcome The Well 1-0 at Pittodrie last Saturday as the home side won only their 9th Premiership game this season out of 34. How the mighty have fallen 😬. And with ‘C U Jimmy’ not going to be seen in Aberdeen until next month, Peter Leven will continue to help try to salvage something from The Don’s season. I guess like Hibs, finishing with five straight wins would regain some confidence and set them up for next season so the game between the clubs at Easter Road next Sunday is set to be a cracker. As for today, there isn’t much between the clubs with the home side 4-3 up in wins with 3 draws in the last ten meetings. And I guess their isn’t much between the managers as well, well in their surnames at least with Craig winning by an ‘i’. Boom, boom 😜. Aberdeen are 8/11 with Oddschecker, my old club are 9/2 with the draw at 11/4 and I for one are hoping that all three points head back down the road to Perth.

Motherwell (9th) v Livingston (12th) – Saturday 4th May at 15:00

The Singing Kettlewell was boiling over at Jack Vale’s sending off at Pittodrie last Saturday, called the decision “laughable” and his gas was at a peep in disbelief when Mothewell’s appeal against the red card was dismissed during the week. Hopefully he’ll have calmed down by now and with his side only having lost one of their last 13 league meetings with Livingston, he might even have a smile on his face around five o’clock this evening. Like your blogger, most people in Scotland have sympathy for Dave Martindale and the smallest budget in the league he has to work with but the same ‘most people‘ and your blogger can’t wait to see the Almondvale ‘Axminster’ condemned to the Championship. Motherwell are 7/10, Livie 9/2 with 3/1 the draw.

Ross County (11th) v Hibs (7th) – Saturday 4th May at 15:00

On the back of beating Rangers, County had a week in the Spanish sun before coming back to Almondvale where they lost 2-0 to a Livingston side still hanging on to Premiership survival despite a welcome three points. I guess I’m saying it’s very hard to work out just what the opposition are going to present Hibs with this afternoon. Maybe it’s a ‘home’ thing as Ross County are unbeaten in their last five Scottish Premiership home matches at the Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall. Against that Hibs have only lost one of their last six league visits to Ross County, looked impressive in Perth last weekend and will be wanting to finish the season with five straight wins which isn’t beyond them. As for County, it now looks like a straight fight between them and my old club from Perth to avoid a play-off games against Raith, Partick or Airdrie.

A good finish to the season would definitely help Nick Montgomery keep his job although a good few of my Hibee mates would be happy to see the back of him. I think with so many loan players, too many players actually and with the Bournemouth money/influence coming in but nor properly worked out yet, now is not the right time change the man at the helm. Since Jack Ross was prematurely binned less than three years ago – December 2021 – we’ve had David Gray, Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and now the Field Marshall picking the team and I honestly think the man currently in charge should be given more time. Pundit Mikey Stewart agrees, telling the Beeb ‘Do you now throw the baby out with the bathwater? I feel the right course of action is to stick with Montgomery, but I can understand the folk making a case contrary to that.’ Exactly my thoughts.

Mind you Monty likes a moan does he not? Hearts penalty, Aberdeen’s handball, Ross County stealing yards at the throw-in, moan, moan, moan. As I said in my last offering, the last thing officialdom should ever have done is to admit to mistakes as everybody in football makes them. Coming out with ‘VAR got this and that wrong’ just stirs up old wounds. Forget it, it’s happened to every team, well other that The Uglies of course 😳. Anyway Hibs are 7/5 this afternoon, County are 39/19 with 13/5 the draw and if the points are to head back down the road, the Hibs defence better keep a keen eye on their ex player Simon Murray who’s having a great season despite his teams perilous position.

Down South the Championship takes centre stage today with no less than twelve 12:30 kick-offs. Leicester are already promoted and either Ipswich or Leeds will join them automatically in the Premiership next season. The Tractor Boys are three points clear of The Lily Whites so a point will do them at home to Huddersfield today but if the they lose and Leeds beat Southampton, the Yorkshire side will go up with a superior goal difference. Huddersfield are all but down – three points behind fourth bottom Plymouth and fifteen goals worse off – while The Saints are definitely in the Premiership play-offs with Leeds or Ipswich. As are Norwich with either West Brom on 72 points or Hull on 70 making up the four. SKY are covering the Ipswich, Leeds and Norwich games so your blogger could be channel hopping although I assume any goal of play-off or relegation interest will be shown during coverage of all three games. Bring it on.

Right, that’ll nearly do for now. Enjoy your day whoever you support and I’ll come back on tomorrow with my thoughts on what we all witness this afternoon. We’re into May and the game’s nearly up.

** True story. Sam and I are standing on the 10th tee at Kilspindie back in 2008 when his phone goes with what turned out to be the bad news that Annan had got the SPFL place and not Spartans. As he was talking to Craig Graham, the rain came on and at the same moment a wayward approach to the 9th green directly behind us struck me on the calf, your blogger having shorts on of course. The guy shouted his apologies, I rubbed my leg, Sam told me the bad news and as he held my brolly, I shanked my tee shot at the par three out of bounds onto the adjoining Craigielaw Golf Course. Lucky white heather 😱.

Triple A, and not a battery in sight.

Let’s start with Awards. In the Film, TV or music industries, nominations for the Golden Globe, Oscars, Emmy, Grammy and Music awards are made on a completed piece of work be it for the large screen, ones rather smaller or for the ear, trained or otherwise. Those responsible for doing the nominating have had the chance to see and/or hear the film, documentary, series, album, whatever, in it’s entirety. Not so in football and I’ll stick to Scotland. The PFA Scotland Manager of the Year nominees for 2023/24 are Kilmarnock’s Derek McInnes, his former assistant Tony Docherty now in charge at Dundee and Falkirk’s John McGlynn after their League One success. All worthy candidates I must confess but sections of the Scottish media, who’s main concern is to suck up the Old Firm arses, aren’t too pleased. How about this headline from ‘football scotland’ whatever that is – ‘PFA Scotland Manager of the Year nominees revealed as Celtic and Rangers bosses miss out’

I didn’t deem what followed worthy of reading but it’s pretty obvious that in Clement’s case especially, the whole premature nomination process could end looking as embarrassed as someone guilty of being premature at something else, nudge, nudge, 😉, 😉. In Scotland a manager can win the league he’s in and the two major cups the clubs all play for. Now Celtic are odds on to win the Premiership and somehow they are also odds on to win the Scottish Cup which would be a great achievement for Clodagh Rodgers in his first season back in Scottish football. Would that be good enough to make him ‘Manager of the Year?’ Debatable but maybe worth a nomination. On the other hand if ‘The Petted Lippy’ came from abroad and picked up all three major trophies in his first season in Scottish football the whole nomination process will look a farce. Mind you I don’t think it will happen so you don’t have to worry big man 😜.

How does the nomination process work? That’s an honest question by the way as I don’t know. Do managers/clubs vote for someone in their league or can they choose anyone? Do they pick someone in their league and get a second chance to vote for someone outwith it? I played with John McGlynn at Berwick and he’s done a great job at Falkirk but not any better than Gary Naismith has at Stenny. Sure there will be Jambo’s moaning that Gary’s namesake at Hearts didn’t get a shout and should the Field Marshall win his last five games across town, their will be daft Hibees moaning because he was passed over. I joke of course but the whole point of awards in any sphere of the arts, and I include football in that, is to reward success and with two of the three major trophies in Scotland still to be decided, methinks PFA Scotland have jumped the gun.

Next comes Apologies, or Admissions of guilt I suppose. The Scottish Football Association have announced that officials have given a total of 26 errors this season. Decisions in the Scottish Premiership have been reviewed by an independent panel, compiled of former players, managers and coaches, to consider Key Match Incidents. As the Current Bun says ‘After the first three months of the season, three VAR mistakes had been admitted. That number was updated with a THIRTEEN further errors discovered in the second round of games. And now after the third round of matches, the total has hit 26. The SFA figures say there’s been a total of 1181 VAR reviews so far this season.’ Two things struck your blogger on reading that; why do the officials get it so wrong so often and why the f*** are they admitting it?

Now I’ve no interest in the ’26 errors this season’ and haven’t bothered to see what they were but I did have Bobby Croy, a Hibee moaning about one which cost the club he supports when I bumped into him in Cameron Toll this morning. A lot of decisions officials make are subjective and ‘an independent panel, compiled of former players, managers and coaches’ weeks and months later aren’t under the same pressure as the man in the middle or the VAR official at the time and I bet in most of these ’26 errors’, there are still valid arguments either way. The Swedish Allsvenskan league have decided to bin VAR, if they ever had it, but I think for offside alone, like goal-line technology, it has a part to play. The hand ball rule is a joke, VAR or no VAR, and will be until the word ‘deliberate’ is brought back into play wherever a players hand/arm is in relationship to his (or her) body 💪.

Another thing I think confuses the VAR issue is slow motion replays. Instead of helping the VAR officials, in most situations it, and still images, can give a totally distorted view of what actually happened. Football is played in the most at a breakneck pace; that’s the way the players see it, that’s the way the referee sees it and that’s the way retrospective decisions should be made. Slow motion gives no idea of the pace of the actually situation and just adds a layer of confusion to those checking an incident on a monitor. I’d bin it.

Then there’s admitting mistakes. Professional football has been on the go for over 150 years with VAR only coming into being a baw hair ago – VAR was first used in a friendly match between Italy and France on September 1, 2016 – and I can’t remember the officials admitting to mistakes before it’s introduction. I can’t remember Tofiq Bahramov, the famous Russian linesman or the Swizz referee Gottfried Dienst coming out and admitting Geoff Hurst’s header hadn’t crossed the line in 1966 😜. We all know it didn’t. Anyway players make mistakes, managers make mistakes and officials make them as well. Occasionally a player or manger may own up to a missed chance or a wrong decision but they are all part of the game. VAR has caused the football World enough grief without the refereeing community admitting to errors weeks and month ago which change absolutely f*** all and only digs up old ‘we wiz robbed’ wounds for the fans of the particular club on the receiving end of a now admitted bad decision. Give me a break 😱.

The third ‘A’ going through my head as I came round this morning was Association, or in the case of the Scottish Football variety, you could say Abomination half the time. Them and the SPFL, or the Self Preservation Football League. As Bill Leckie of the Current Bun said earlier in the week when talking about the structure of Scottish football and those who run it ‘Because when it comes right down to it, ours is the only pyramid on earth built with the pointy bit facing downwards.’ Now I get my SFA and SPFL mixed up at times but let’s face it, these two, hand in hand with The Uglies ran Scottish football for years. It was a closed shop and those further down the tables were content with their lot and the occasional ‘big game’ in the Scottish Cup.

That was before someone from outwith the ‘establishment’ in the name of Stewart Regan, the ex CEO of Yorkshire Cricker Club got the top SFA job. Without him Kelty, Cove, Edinburgh City, Bonnyrigg and Spartans would have had no chance of joining the SPFL elite. They have now however, and only Brechin of East Stirling, Berwick Rangers, Cowdenbeath, Brechin City and Albion Rovers relegated to the Lowland or Highland League have looked anything like getting back among the big boys. What did the teams who might fall to the next interloper, say like Buckie or Kilby do to protect themselves? Make it bloody harder to ‘join the club’ of course. Add more bells and bloody whistles to discourage them. Add a new licencing level to thwart them. As Bill went on ‘in the case of these Bronze Swimming Badges, they have known since last summer that only East Kilbride and Cumbernauld Colts of the entire Lowland and Highland leagues have one. Yet at no point have they thought to let the public know this.‘ And as far as I’m aware, there are five current SPFL clubs, including an Airdrie side hoping to make the Premiership next season, who don’t pass the criteria for one of the new badges. You couldn’t make it up 😡.

‘The acronym AAA is a standard designation used in the early 1900s when standardised products became popular. It refers to rechargeable and non-rechargeable standard size cells that are 44.5 mm long with a diameter of 10.5 mm.’