Congratulations to Annan Athletic on becoming the latest club to join the Scottish Football League.
By staying clear of the central belt the SFL have followed the pattern of recent years. By choosing Annan they've at least given the fans who didn't go to Gretna games the chance to not go very far to not watch Annan. You see, it all comes together.
The process did seem to throw up the possibility that the closed league structure may soon end. The pyramid system, much whispered about over the years, could finally become a reality to end the stagnation of our lower divisions. I'll believe that when I see it.
If it does happen how about a complete change of structure? The SFL, SFA and SPL. Scotland does not need three jealous, bickering, blazer filled organisational relics running the game. A streamlined body working for the good of the national team, all clubs and all fans.
Utopia beckons!
Showing posts with label Gretna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gretna. Show all posts
Monday, July 07, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Farewell Gretna as Hearts Face More Questions
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| Kick idiots out of football |
So the Gretna farce ends on a high note. The players have, if nothing else, shown some professional pride. But tonight's crowd of just over 1000 tells its own story. Gretna never belonged in the SPL. Fairytales are fine. But sport is about more than easy headlines and brief feelgood factors. The whole Gretna escapade has been embarrassing and another blackmark for Scottish football's men in suits.
What of the Tynecastle tragedy? Some things that are clear: Stevie Frail is not up to the job, too many players don't care, the fans deserve answers.
Where for art thou Romanov? Who can say. The pantomime with young Roman at the club AGM might have been entertaining but the fact is that a bottom six club with that level of debt is unsustainable. It's doubtful if Hearts can ever sustain the debt but it's a definite no go if they remain in the wrong half of the table.
Even Vladimir's most trenchant supporters must be beginning to wonder what's going on. Some Hearts fans insist on telling me that Craig Levein or Mark McGhee will be in charge for next season. Seriously? Why would these two intelligent, successful men choose to dance with the devil?
And why, if he was willing to pay for either of these men, would Romanov not have moved sooner to replace Frail as Hearts stuttered through the season? One wonders just how large Frail's mortgage is to persuade him to suffer this whole sorry saga.
Nice as it is to see the buffoon George Foulkes' weekly mea culpas there remains the possibility that, by hitching his skirt for a passing Lithuanian, George may not only have prostituted the soul of club but succeeded in only postponing the demise of Hearts. (How low a profile fellow culprit, Councillor Steve "Fester" Cardownie, keeps these days.)
Yet Vlad has the unpredictability of the madman. Perhaps this summer will see the appointment of a new coach, the arrival of some quality signings, concrete evidence of stadium development. Then we will eat our words and Hearts will rise again.
Because if that doesn't happen the Scottish game will be left with an even bigger hole than the one Gretna have just disappeared through.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Boring?
King Kev has spoken. The eternal optimist is worried that the FA Premier League is becoming boring. Indeed the messiah's second (third? fourth?) coming is not going to be like the last time around. Kev's playing for the best of the rest title. For everyone outside the 'Big Four' fifth is where it's at.
Blackburn Rovers were the last team to win the top flight outside of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea's Johnny Come Lately billionairres.
But the feeling goes that its not all that dull because the title, the UEFA Cup slot and relegation will all be decided on the last day. So a league within a league (or leagues within a league) is alright if they all provide some drama.
That is certainly the interpretation that suits the media. Sky have been able to bill every weekend for the last three months as the biggest since, well, since the last one. But what then is the point of being Wigan? Safe, sound and bereft of any real meaning except that not being relegated is an achievement. Is that enough?
And what does this say about the SPL? Not since Aberdeen in 1984-85 has the Old Firm hegemony been broken and only twice in that time (1994-95 and 2005-06) have they failed to make up the top two.
This year might be a special case because the fixture debacle has, perhaps, artificially prolonged the title race. The UEFA Cup race is still alive as Hibs, Motherwell and Dundee United scrap it out to see who can finish less badly. We now know that the failure of the grand Gretna experiment meant that relegation was a foregone conclusion before a ball was kicked.
So there is still something to play for but is it exciting? Rangers and Motherwell still have games in hand which is making it difficult to keep tabs on the runners and riders. But that's not really drama as much as a succession of unfortunate incidents wrapped up in a pitiful administrative system.
The main talking point of the weekend was the award of a corner kick that wasn't to Celtic. Sure, titles can turn on such incidents but when the referee becomes the story then the quality must be questioned.
At 1pm in Aberdeen on Saturday you wouldn't have known a game was on, even if you were driving past Pittodrie. The locals all said the same thing: for the Dons the season ended weeks ago. Last night Setanta were bigging up the battle for seventh(!) place as an important match. Clearly someone had forgotten to let the Hearts players see that bit of the script.
In essence, with relegation decided so early every team from Aberdeen down have been playing for nothing for a couple of months or more. No amount of real or imagined drama at the top can make up for the lack of quality or passion that so many nothing games delivers.
So if the English league is dull then it's hard not to see the Scottish game as duller. Should we be worried? What's the point in worrying? This is the way it is. We put up with it, we dust ourselves down and we get on with it. That's the SPL way.
Blackburn Rovers were the last team to win the top flight outside of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea's Johnny Come Lately billionairres.
But the feeling goes that its not all that dull because the title, the UEFA Cup slot and relegation will all be decided on the last day. So a league within a league (or leagues within a league) is alright if they all provide some drama.
That is certainly the interpretation that suits the media. Sky have been able to bill every weekend for the last three months as the biggest since, well, since the last one. But what then is the point of being Wigan? Safe, sound and bereft of any real meaning except that not being relegated is an achievement. Is that enough?
And what does this say about the SPL? Not since Aberdeen in 1984-85 has the Old Firm hegemony been broken and only twice in that time (1994-95 and 2005-06) have they failed to make up the top two.
This year might be a special case because the fixture debacle has, perhaps, artificially prolonged the title race. The UEFA Cup race is still alive as Hibs, Motherwell and Dundee United scrap it out to see who can finish less badly. We now know that the failure of the grand Gretna experiment meant that relegation was a foregone conclusion before a ball was kicked.
So there is still something to play for but is it exciting? Rangers and Motherwell still have games in hand which is making it difficult to keep tabs on the runners and riders. But that's not really drama as much as a succession of unfortunate incidents wrapped up in a pitiful administrative system.
The main talking point of the weekend was the award of a corner kick that wasn't to Celtic. Sure, titles can turn on such incidents but when the referee becomes the story then the quality must be questioned.
At 1pm in Aberdeen on Saturday you wouldn't have known a game was on, even if you were driving past Pittodrie. The locals all said the same thing: for the Dons the season ended weeks ago. Last night Setanta were bigging up the battle for seventh(!) place as an important match. Clearly someone had forgotten to let the Hearts players see that bit of the script.
In essence, with relegation decided so early every team from Aberdeen down have been playing for nothing for a couple of months or more. No amount of real or imagined drama at the top can make up for the lack of quality or passion that so many nothing games delivers.
So if the English league is dull then it's hard not to see the Scottish game as duller. Should we be worried? What's the point in worrying? This is the way it is. We put up with it, we dust ourselves down and we get on with it. That's the SPL way.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Gretna Make the Grady
Have you got your breath back yet? An incredible afternoon brought the curtain down on an enthralling season of First Division football.
And, at the death, when St Johnstone looked to have secured promotion up popped James Grady to snatch the title for Gretna.
Yes. Gretna will play SPL football next season. We don’t know where or what manager they will have. But all the players and the fans care about is winning. And they’ve done that in the most dramatic way possible.
Four games Gretna had gone without scoring. But in came Grady to grab a double in a three two victory. Ross County fought valiantly but Airdrie United’s victory over Queen of the South consigned them to relegation. Airdrie will now take their chances in the play off.
As I’ve said before Gretna getting promotion raises more questions than it answers. They need a ground, they need more money and better players and – at the moment – they need a manager.
The SPL don’t want them and the feeling persists that not all at Gretna really wanted the SPL.
But they’re there now. And not many people will ever write them off again.
For now though let’s look at the positives: Gretna have secured three promotions in a row and they’ve done it by scoring goals.
And Brook Mileson could not be more different from the usual SPL chairmen who think that romance in football begins and ends with a glass of port whilst reading a balanced set of accounts. Brooks might be the kick up the backside they need.
St Johnstone, of course, will be devastated but Gretna have been rewarded for their early season form. Owen Coyle’s side made a late charge that just wasn’t enough.
And maybe we need the romantic Brook Mileson rather than the pragmatic Saints Chairman Geoff Brown who had this to say before the game:
"When we played Gretna at McDiarmid Park in January they only brought 160 fans. They won't bring many to the party - if they do it then good luck to them.
"I think Brooks Mileson has a dream and he's taken it up and done extremely well. It's his money. But, at the end of the day, it's false.”
Sorry Geoff. You were horribly, horribly wrong. At the end of the day Gretna are very, very real.
Extra: read my post here to see how I wrong I called today’s events.
And, at the death, when St Johnstone looked to have secured promotion up popped James Grady to snatch the title for Gretna.
Yes. Gretna will play SPL football next season. We don’t know where or what manager they will have. But all the players and the fans care about is winning. And they’ve done that in the most dramatic way possible.
Four games Gretna had gone without scoring. But in came Grady to grab a double in a three two victory. Ross County fought valiantly but Airdrie United’s victory over Queen of the South consigned them to relegation. Airdrie will now take their chances in the play off.
As I’ve said before Gretna getting promotion raises more questions than it answers. They need a ground, they need more money and better players and – at the moment – they need a manager.
The SPL don’t want them and the feeling persists that not all at Gretna really wanted the SPL.
But they’re there now. And not many people will ever write them off again.
For now though let’s look at the positives: Gretna have secured three promotions in a row and they’ve done it by scoring goals.
And Brook Mileson could not be more different from the usual SPL chairmen who think that romance in football begins and ends with a glass of port whilst reading a balanced set of accounts. Brooks might be the kick up the backside they need.
St Johnstone, of course, will be devastated but Gretna have been rewarded for their early season form. Owen Coyle’s side made a late charge that just wasn’t enough.
And maybe we need the romantic Brook Mileson rather than the pragmatic Saints Chairman Geoff Brown who had this to say before the game:
"When we played Gretna at McDiarmid Park in January they only brought 160 fans. They won't bring many to the party - if they do it then good luck to them.
"I think Brooks Mileson has a dream and he's taken it up and done extremely well. It's his money. But, at the end of the day, it's false.”
Sorry Geoff. You were horribly, horribly wrong. At the end of the day Gretna are very, very real.
Extra: read my post here to see how I wrong I called today’s events.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Friends like these
So you've watched your league lead dwindle to one point. You're mystified about the lack of goals coming from your once prolific attack.
The last thing you probably want is your own match "announcer" taking the mickey.
But as Gretna's players slumped to the turf on Saturday after a goalless draw with Clyde - which left St Johnstone not so much breathing down their necks as enveloping them in a half nelson - they were assailed by Queen and David Bowie's Under Pressure blaring out from the tannoy.
Nice, if nothing else, to see gallows humour alive and well in Gretna.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Can The Saints Go Marching On?
St Johnstone’s cup runneth over.
A second semi final in the same season. And the chance to go one better in the Scottish Cup. They’ll fancy themselves against Celtic, of course, but will hope for Hibs (who they could have beaten in the CIS Cup) or Dunfermline (who would probably be underdogs against the Saints).
The real treasures lie, inevitably, in the SPL and St Johnstone aren’t done there yet either.
Ten points behind Gretna, St Johnstone have two games in hand and still need to play everyone’s favourite fairy tale. A one point deficit and it’s suddenly, in the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, squeaky bum time.
And, right now, I’d say that St Johnstone are probably better suited to coping with the SPL. I don’t know what Gretna will spend in the summer and they may splash out big style if they get promoted.
But people often overlook the divide between the two leagues. It is easy to create a team that can storm the First Division and be suddenly caught cold in the SPL. The best players in the lower league might be just that – First Division players.
St Johnstone have a streetwise attitude that manager Owen Coyle always had as a player and is now embodied by their more experienced players. Gretna, under Rowan Alexander, have lacked that quality in some one off games this season.
The First Division run in is one to watch and Gretna hosting St Johnstone on April 7th is not to be missed.
A second semi final in the same season. And the chance to go one better in the Scottish Cup. They’ll fancy themselves against Celtic, of course, but will hope for Hibs (who they could have beaten in the CIS Cup) or Dunfermline (who would probably be underdogs against the Saints).
The real treasures lie, inevitably, in the SPL and St Johnstone aren’t done there yet either.
Ten points behind Gretna, St Johnstone have two games in hand and still need to play everyone’s favourite fairy tale. A one point deficit and it’s suddenly, in the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, squeaky bum time.
And, right now, I’d say that St Johnstone are probably better suited to coping with the SPL. I don’t know what Gretna will spend in the summer and they may splash out big style if they get promoted.
But people often overlook the divide between the two leagues. It is easy to create a team that can storm the First Division and be suddenly caught cold in the SPL. The best players in the lower league might be just that – First Division players.
St Johnstone have a streetwise attitude that manager Owen Coyle always had as a player and is now embodied by their more experienced players. Gretna, under Rowan Alexander, have lacked that quality in some one off games this season.
The First Division run in is one to watch and Gretna hosting St Johnstone on April 7th is not to be missed.
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