Another week closer to the reconstruction that will save Scottish football.
Or another week further away from the reconstruction that will save Scottish football.
On Monday St Mirren poked their head out from under Neil Doncaster's blanket of SPL unanimity to confirm that actually they wouldn't be voting "yes" to the 12+12+18 structure after all:
"The concept of playing 22 games prior to breaking into three leagues of eight, including the middle eight losing their points gained in the first series of games, is not a system we see as taking the game forward in the long term. You will be aware that other countries have tried this system and have since rejected such a set up.
"We also feel that this system is not fair to fans who buy into their club by way of a season ticket, who are then unsure of what they are purchasing. It is also against the basic wishes of the fans for larger leagues as highlighted in all recent fan surveys."
Ross County are rumoured to be planning to join St Mirren on the naughty step, which led East Fife chairman, Sid Collumbine, to warn County's Roy MacGregor about the pressure he'll face:
"It is bullying, there is no question about that."
The "aye" camp roared to the defence of the proposals.
Stewart Milne called them "absolutely vital" for Scottish football:
"We believe it’s the right thing for Scottish football. We’ve been working on this for nearly three years now.
"We worked on the initial option of a 10-12 [structure] which we believed delivered all the things that would help Scottish football move forward.
"Unfortunately we couldn’t get enough support for that. We worked on this revised proposal over the last eight month along with reviewing all the other options."
Neil Doncaster, fresh from making a hash of releasing the SPL's post-split fixtures, wasn't for mincing his words:
"It’s really important that
we don’t decide against all the benefits that can be delivered with a positive vote. At the moment, we have a scenario where, every season, any number of teams are playing Russian roulette because we have one team relegated from 12 into the financial abyss. I do not see that is in the best interests of the game.
"The money that is distributed to clubs in the Premier League, you get a tiny fraction of that within the SFL First Division. We need to solve that."
Armageddon in an abyss?
Kenny Cameron spoke with forked tongue in Inverness:
"The numbers just don't add up, so a vote against 12-12-18 this time round would be a vote for the same again. That's also true as far as SFL clubs are concerned. This is not a 'pick and mix' offer that is on the table but one requiring a straight yes or no.”
"The majority of these requests are delivered by the new proposals, a larger top league being the only omission, he said
"Some 85 percent of what fans asked for is being offered. But defeat for the new proposals could mean defeat for all the elements of change, which is surely a step backwards.
"If the SPL gets its fingers burned this time, having come such a long way, then my fear is that it may be years before we come so close again."
Threats, half truths, a certain willingess to play fast and loose with what the fans think.
A new dawn indeed.
"85 percent of what fans asked for." Really?
Watching your team in a league structure that you want, a league structure that you actually understand, only accounts for 15 percent of what you want when you buy a ticket?
I must be doing it wrong.
We're five games from the end of the season. Can nobody find the handbrake and just ca' canny?
Why are the proposals not "pick and mix?"
Why not push ahead where there is consensus and take time to reflect on the one issue that is really not convincing the paying public?
Why can't we disband the SPL and the SFL, create a new organisation and agree on a model for redistribution within the current set up for just one more season?
Why can't we let that new organisation decide on the new structure, rather than lumbering it with a both a fix and a muddle bequeathed by the dying SPL?
This is Scotland, current world champions of the 'interminably long navel gazing over a simple yes/no question' division.
What's the rush?
"We’ve been working on this for nearly three years now," says Stewart Milne.
They've been talking about it, stalling and enraging fans for far longer.
It's never been suggested before that a "yes" vote is required weeks before the end of a season.
Is 12+12+18 going to persuade sponsors to fling money at the game, the irresistible lure of a failed Swiss model run by an organisation that doesn't yet exist?
Kenny Cameron indicates that if we don't do what the SPL wants right here, right now they're going to pick up their ball and go home.
Maybe that passes for constructive debate in the SPL, an organisation so addled it can still use Neil Doncaster as its spokesperson.
It's not healthy that St Mirren and Ross County can dictate the future to every Scottish club. It's not healthy for any two clubs to be able to do that.
St Mirren and Ross County didn't create that system.
It's a difficult decision though: stop 12+12+18 and everything is off the table and the SPL, perhaps after ushering in hand selected teams for SPL2, will raise the drawbridge.
A new start in a house divided by SPL's intransigence? Or the SPL going it alone and let them eat cake?
Bullying? It looks like it. Bullied by the SPL, the failed experiment that was going to "save" Scottish football in 1998.
What will happen on Monday?
I don't know. But whatever way the vote goes don't hold your breath for a brave new world.
Showing posts with label Inverness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inverness. Show all posts
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Friday, October 05, 2012
SPL: Inverness v Ross County
As one derby door closes, so another opens.
A Highland derby in the SPL for the first time.
Scottish football is dull, parochial, stagnating. Often it is.
But tonight offers something more positive.
A game that represents a geographic expansion that those with power in the central belt long resisted, it's about two clubs making steady rather than spectacular progress through the leagues and it shows that opening the league structure to new blood can result in different clubs being successfully integrated into the game. A game that is a sell out, despite the TV coverage and the Friday night kick off time.
Despite even ESPN's promotional dip into stereotypes.
These are good things at time when we're too often browbeaten by the bad things.
Of course it might still be dull, this remains the SPL.
But perhaps even fears of dullness should be allayed: both teams come into tonight's game after scoring four goals last weekend, Inverness beating Dundee United 4-0 and Ross County scoring four but conceding five to St Mirren.
A strange one that for County. As they carried their unbeaten league run into the opening SPL fixtures they looked like they'd be nothing if not resolute.
Now, after 40 games undefeated, they've lost two on the bounce and couldn't even salvage a point after scoring four goals.
A freak result? Or a sign that they're experiencing delayed issues in acclimatising to the top flight.
They might find comfort in the familiar tonight. Many Ross County players are veterans of lower league derbies, four of them have crossed the divide from Inverness.
Inverness started slowly - the goal fest against United was their first win - but have shown glimpses of their own stubborness.
They came from two behind to get a point at Tynecastle and repeated the trick a couple of weeks ago away to Hibs. In that game they were inspired by a commanding Richie Foran, who followed that up with a couple of goals against United.
Foran looks the man most likely for me - and for the bookies giving 5/1 on him to be the first goalscorer.
The form of the last two weeks justifies Inverness being favourites at 5/4 to win.
They rocked Hibs as they came from behind and left United in their wake. Ross County were always going to lose at some point and they encountered St Johnstone just as the Saint began to enjoy their September resurgence.
A 5-4 defeat is never a good thing though. So County are 11/5 to win, the same price as the draw.
The league table has the two sides clubs locked together. Eight points each and the same -1 goal difference.
Close, but that represents a mini revival for Inverness and a mini stumble for County.Over the course of the season Inverness have looked more capable of scoring and more capable of conceding.
When you've just won 4-0 and your opponents have just lost 5-4, you're probably untroubled by longer term trends.
Where are we tonight?
I still like the look of that Richie Foran 5/1 first goalscorer bet.
But I also quite fancy a draw.
So a half time/full time flutter.
Inverness ahead at half time, Ross County to get the draw by full time: home/draw offers 14/1.
All odds from Ladbrokes
Always remembering www.gambleaware.co.uk
Friday, September 28, 2012
SPL: The Joy of Six
A Saturday Superstore tomorrow. With Neil Doncaster as Mike Read and a half time interview with Craig Brown filling in for a wacky live link with Cheggers.
A splendid SPL smorgasbord seeing out September. Alarming alliteration aside, we can sit back and enjoy six games in the top flight.
The good lord of scheduling giveth and he taketh away. Thus the joy of a Saturday game is diminished by a noon kick off.
Hibs are looking to make it seven games undefeated in the SPL, Aberdeen are looking to make it nine undefeated in all competitions.
Last week Hibs threw away a two goal lead, Aberdeen salvaged a point after being two goals behind.
They served up some fetid feasts of boredom last season but current form suggests this might be a darn good match up.
When they weren't being hauled back last week Hibs looked confident, aggressive, capable of playing a bit of football.
Far from the finished article and still lacking any real depth to the squad. But Pat Fenlon deserves praise for how his work in progress is, eh, progressing.
Fools and bairns shouldn't see unfinished jobs? A football manager doesn't have that luxury. Fenlon must work under the glare of a support still haunted by recent experiences.
He's making a decent fist of it. And that's more than his predecessor managed.
Aberdeen's start to the season - efficiently low key but lacking goals - was vintage Craig Brown but belied a summer spent assembling what looks to be a half decent squad.
A point salvaged last week and a late win against Dunfermline on Wednesday might just give them the burst of urgency they need.
This could be tight. Certainly a Hibs win at 23/10 or the draw at the same odds look better prices than an Aberdeen win at 6/5.
Regular readers will know I don't like publicly declaring Hibs predictions on the blog.
But at more than 2/1 I will be backing them.
All that time without a win, a bit of a Moaning Minnie harrumph when they lost to Hibs at Easter Road.
What a difference a month makes.
September has delivered seven SPL points from nine and a league cup win for St Johnstone.
It started equally well for Dundee but a win at Tynecastle has been followed by two defeats. Bottom of the league, four points from seven games.
Still early but it's form that makes you think of a long struggle ahead.
If they want to haul themselves out of their current fug then winning home games against St Johnstone would be the sensible way to start.
The home win is out at 23/10 though. So is the draw. St Johnstone are 6/5 to make it ten points out of 12. I suspect they'll do just that.
Up and doon.
That's pretty much the season so far for both Hearts and Kilmarnock.
For a number of clubs actually. This could be an excitingly unpredictable season. It could also be a turgid affair with eight or nine clubs trapped together in a tedious waltz of shared mediocrity.
Depending on how full or empty your glass is.
Hearts vaulted past Dundee United last week to record their first SPL win since the opening day.
Kilmarnock eased past St Mirren to record their second SPL win of the season.
Going into this game both have played seven, won two and amassed nine points with a goal difference of plus two.
Anything John McGlynn can do, Kenny Shiels can do pretty much the same.
Which will make this a tight one today?
Hearts don't look to offer much value at 10/11, Kilmarnock might be a tad generous at 3/1.
A draw for me though. 12/5.
Inverness looked in danger of being overrun as Hibs went two ahead last Saturday.
There, laid bare, were their limitations.
From adversity, strength. With Richie Foran leading the line they hauled themselves back into it with a determination and resilience which makes you think they can again be more than the sum of their parts.
If anyone stumbles across the Dundee United side that were apparently best placed to challenge for the title could they please post it back to a Mr P Houston at Tannadice.
After winning their first two game 3-0, United are now four without a win and suffered a 3-0 defeat of their own at home to Hearts last week.
Injuries haven't helped of course. But there seems to be nobody ready to take responsibility when key players are missing.
It will be a worry for Peter Houston that they've also shipped three goals in losing to Kilmarnock and Hearts.
Not scoring and not always defending very well. 'Tis a bad combination.
I'm not sure if Inverness, still without a league win, will be able to capitalise though. They're certainly thrawn but I'm unconvinced by their ability to take the initiative.
So Inverness at 2/1? Don't fancy it. Dundee United at 13/10? Not sure.
The draw at 9/4. Go on then.
In the last week Motherwell have lost a two goal lead against an Aberdeen side that couldn't score and been dispatched from the league cup by a Third Division side.
That's pish, frankly.
The manner of their defeat to Rangers - not just the lack of marking at the goals, but the stumbling, pedestrian ineptitude of much of their play - should be a cause for concern.
But they're top of the league so everything is rosy? Hmmm. They are both bad results.
I'd be astonished if Celtic don't win this game.
The most interesting thing about it is the kick off time: The first Saturday 3pm kick off for a Celtic away game in the SPL since October 2005 when Livingston were on the wrong end of a 5-0 drubbing.
A drubbing inspired by "youngsters Stephen McManus and Shaun Maloney."
Gary Hooper looks in the mood. The Motherwell defence looks generous. The Celtic win is likely but it's a low value 8/13.
Kenny Shiels was ebullient in his praise of St Mirren last week. But his Kilmarnock side had just won the game.
Defeat too for Ross County, that lengthy unbeaten league run finally coming to an end against a rejuvenated St Johnstone.
So something for both teams to bounce back from tomorrow.
It took St Mirren until injury time to slide past Hamilton in the league cup on Tuesday.
That will please Derek Adams. County are nothing if not obstinate and he might well fancy their chances of rendering St Mirren pretty but ineffective - which is the praise Shiels faintly damned them with last week.
St Mirren go into this one as favourites at evens. The County win is 11/5.
I'd be more tempted by the draw at the same price.
OK, so where are we?
The tightness of many matches and the inconsistency of many sides is making calling SPL matches something of a challenge so far this season.
Tomorrow:
Hibs to win
St Johnstone to win
Hearts and Kilmarnock to draw
Inverness and Dundee United to draw
Celtic to win
St Mirren and Ross County to draw
An accumulator on that little lot comes in at 414.69/1. A daft bet. But this might just be a daft season.
All odds from Ladbrokes
Always remembering www.gambleaware.co.uk
In the world of sport football is king. With millions of people watching every week as their favourite team plays. In the same way slots at sites like http://www.jackpotcity.co.uk/online-slots/ is the king of the casino world with it being the most popular game both online and offline.
A splendid SPL smorgasbord seeing out September. Alarming alliteration aside, we can sit back and enjoy six games in the top flight.
Aberdeen v Hibs
The good lord of scheduling giveth and he taketh away. Thus the joy of a Saturday game is diminished by a noon kick off.
Hibs are looking to make it seven games undefeated in the SPL, Aberdeen are looking to make it nine undefeated in all competitions.
Last week Hibs threw away a two goal lead, Aberdeen salvaged a point after being two goals behind.
They served up some fetid feasts of boredom last season but current form suggests this might be a darn good match up.
When they weren't being hauled back last week Hibs looked confident, aggressive, capable of playing a bit of football.
Far from the finished article and still lacking any real depth to the squad. But Pat Fenlon deserves praise for how his work in progress is, eh, progressing.
Fools and bairns shouldn't see unfinished jobs? A football manager doesn't have that luxury. Fenlon must work under the glare of a support still haunted by recent experiences.
He's making a decent fist of it. And that's more than his predecessor managed.
Aberdeen's start to the season - efficiently low key but lacking goals - was vintage Craig Brown but belied a summer spent assembling what looks to be a half decent squad.
A point salvaged last week and a late win against Dunfermline on Wednesday might just give them the burst of urgency they need.
This could be tight. Certainly a Hibs win at 23/10 or the draw at the same odds look better prices than an Aberdeen win at 6/5.
Regular readers will know I don't like publicly declaring Hibs predictions on the blog.
But at more than 2/1 I will be backing them.
Dundee v St Johnstone
All that time without a win, a bit of a Moaning Minnie harrumph when they lost to Hibs at Easter Road.
What a difference a month makes.
September has delivered seven SPL points from nine and a league cup win for St Johnstone.
It started equally well for Dundee but a win at Tynecastle has been followed by two defeats. Bottom of the league, four points from seven games.
Still early but it's form that makes you think of a long struggle ahead.
If they want to haul themselves out of their current fug then winning home games against St Johnstone would be the sensible way to start.
The home win is out at 23/10 though. So is the draw. St Johnstone are 6/5 to make it ten points out of 12. I suspect they'll do just that.
Hearts v Kilmarnock
Up and doon.
That's pretty much the season so far for both Hearts and Kilmarnock.
For a number of clubs actually. This could be an excitingly unpredictable season. It could also be a turgid affair with eight or nine clubs trapped together in a tedious waltz of shared mediocrity.
Depending on how full or empty your glass is.
Hearts vaulted past Dundee United last week to record their first SPL win since the opening day.
Kilmarnock eased past St Mirren to record their second SPL win of the season.
Going into this game both have played seven, won two and amassed nine points with a goal difference of plus two.
Anything John McGlynn can do, Kenny Shiels can do pretty much the same.
Which will make this a tight one today?
Hearts don't look to offer much value at 10/11, Kilmarnock might be a tad generous at 3/1.
A draw for me though. 12/5.
Inverness v Dundee United
Inverness looked in danger of being overrun as Hibs went two ahead last Saturday.
There, laid bare, were their limitations.
From adversity, strength. With Richie Foran leading the line they hauled themselves back into it with a determination and resilience which makes you think they can again be more than the sum of their parts.
If anyone stumbles across the Dundee United side that were apparently best placed to challenge for the title could they please post it back to a Mr P Houston at Tannadice.
After winning their first two game 3-0, United are now four without a win and suffered a 3-0 defeat of their own at home to Hearts last week.
Injuries haven't helped of course. But there seems to be nobody ready to take responsibility when key players are missing.
It will be a worry for Peter Houston that they've also shipped three goals in losing to Kilmarnock and Hearts.
Not scoring and not always defending very well. 'Tis a bad combination.
I'm not sure if Inverness, still without a league win, will be able to capitalise though. They're certainly thrawn but I'm unconvinced by their ability to take the initiative.
So Inverness at 2/1? Don't fancy it. Dundee United at 13/10? Not sure.
The draw at 9/4. Go on then.
Motherwell v Celtic
In the last week Motherwell have lost a two goal lead against an Aberdeen side that couldn't score and been dispatched from the league cup by a Third Division side.
That's pish, frankly.
The manner of their defeat to Rangers - not just the lack of marking at the goals, but the stumbling, pedestrian ineptitude of much of their play - should be a cause for concern.
But they're top of the league so everything is rosy? Hmmm. They are both bad results.
I'd be astonished if Celtic don't win this game.
The most interesting thing about it is the kick off time: The first Saturday 3pm kick off for a Celtic away game in the SPL since October 2005 when Livingston were on the wrong end of a 5-0 drubbing.
A drubbing inspired by "youngsters Stephen McManus and Shaun Maloney."
Gary Hooper looks in the mood. The Motherwell defence looks generous. The Celtic win is likely but it's a low value 8/13.
St Mirren v Ross County
Kenny Shiels was ebullient in his praise of St Mirren last week. But his Kilmarnock side had just won the game.
Defeat too for Ross County, that lengthy unbeaten league run finally coming to an end against a rejuvenated St Johnstone.
So something for both teams to bounce back from tomorrow.
It took St Mirren until injury time to slide past Hamilton in the league cup on Tuesday.
That will please Derek Adams. County are nothing if not obstinate and he might well fancy their chances of rendering St Mirren pretty but ineffective - which is the praise Shiels faintly damned them with last week.St Mirren go into this one as favourites at evens. The County win is 11/5.
I'd be more tempted by the draw at the same price.
Coupon crazy
OK, so where are we?
The tightness of many matches and the inconsistency of many sides is making calling SPL matches something of a challenge so far this season.
Tomorrow:
Hibs to win
St Johnstone to win
Hearts and Kilmarnock to draw
Inverness and Dundee United to draw
Celtic to win
St Mirren and Ross County to draw
An accumulator on that little lot comes in at 414.69/1. A daft bet. But this might just be a daft season.
All odds from Ladbrokes
Always remembering www.gambleaware.co.uk
In the world of sport football is king. With millions of people watching every week as their favourite team plays. In the same way slots at sites like http://www.jackpotcity.co.uk/online-slots/ is the king of the casino world with it being the most popular game both online and offline.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
SPL: Wednesday Wonders
The SPL works off the turkey and mince pies with a full Wednesday evening fixture. The eyes of the world upon us once more. Or at least the eyes of those Sky viewers not tempted by the tungsten superheroes at the Ally Pally.
Apparently recent form has left some Celtic supporters confident about this one.
Yet Ally McCoist was quick yesterday to talk about his confidence in victory.
I don't understand anybody displaying confidence before a big game. Fear, misery and a sense of doom are my defaults. And who is to say I've not got it right?
If you're expecting defeat it hurts less when you lose and you enjoy it more when you win.
Avoid hubris and project pitiful pessimism at all times. It's the path to a happier life.
Still, I'll never known what it's like to support one side or t'other in the greatest sporting rivalry on earth. And, for that matter, I'll never know what it's like to support one side or t'other in an Old Firm game either.
Instead I peer into the cauldron of Glasgow and a see a game that will end another chapter in a twisting title race.
Victory for either side will not close the book on this SPL championship. Last season provided enough of a lesson that the points and goals that win or lose titles can lie elsewhere.
It's still a game chock-full of meaning though.
For Celtic and particularly for Neil Lennon victory would offer the final act of redemption in the climb back from the dark days of autumn when they looked hopeless, Rangers looked rampant and Lennon looked vulnerable.
For Rangers and Ally McCoist a win, or even avoiding defeat, would offer evidence that a suddenly feeble looking Rangers are more than capable of holding off a resurgent Celtic.
Tonight's winners, if we're to have a winner, will lead the SPL into 2012. There's no glory in that. But it's an achievement that could offer mighty psychological succour to both sides in a season of mixed fortunes.
Who's it going to be?
Celtic have the momentum. 24 points from the last eight games. The sort of autumn-into-winter run that can define a title winning season.
Rangers have stumbled, fumbled, dropped the ball. Just 16 points from the last eight games, losing ground as Celtic have gobbled up the space between them.
An Old Firm game though. Windae, form book, oot the. We've seen it all before.
One point separates the two. Rangers have won 15, lost two, drawn three. Celtic have won 15, lost three, drawn two. Rangers have scored 37 goals, conceded 11. Celtic have scored 40, conceded 15.
Different seasons, different crises, different periods of sustained victory gathering.
Fag paper thin though, the differences between these behemoths.
A draw? Maybe I'm leaning towards that outcome. Maybe I'll cover myself by betting on a Celtic win.
And, while I'm in the bookies, it would be stupid not to put a couple of quid on Rangers as well.
If you're pushing me I'd say the build-up, current form and home advantage all point towards Celtic.
Mind you I've never been confident placing a bet in my life.
Let's hear it for the Hearts players. Supposedly facing the biggest off field challenges of their careers, the club facing a crossroads signposted gloom and doom.
And they've scored six in their last two outing, kept two clean sheets and enjoyed dominance over a Motherwell side who have been all but untouchable on the road.
Crisis? What crisis?
Aberdeen were enjoying a revival before they lost to Inverness on Christmas Eve. They can see daylight between themselves and relegation dunderheids Hibs and Dunfermline though.
And Hearts' struggle on the road which makes a midweek, wintry trip to Pittodrie as welcome as a letter from HMRC.
Draw.
A new manager but not a new dawn for Hibs. Pat Fenlon criticised the players' fitness after their second half capitulation against Dundee United.
If that is the case then the cluttered festive fixture list could offer dismal tidings for Hibs.
Fenlon seems to have identified the failings but this first period of his reign doesn't appear to offer much chance to right those wrongs.
Apparently some players are upset at the way they're now being spoken to on the training ground. Which just goes to show that even mentally weak, wage thieving wasters have feelings.
Inverness have been striving to impress in recent weeks and came through against Aberdeen with a makeshift side.
There's spirit among Butcher's boys. There's not much in evidence at Easter Road.
Defeat tonight and those last few believers will surely accept that Hibs are in their fight of their lives.
Who would bet against Inverness?
Motherwell will be slightly chastened after their Christmas Eve defeat at Tynecastle.
They've also been in the strange situation of struggling more at home than they have on the road. Goals have been hard to come by.
Dunfermline, caught in a torrid run of form and looking all at sea, should offer some succour tonight.
Home win.
Joyous wins, stern-faced draws, feeble defeats. St Johnstone and Kilmarnock have had seasons of fluctuating fortunes.
Who's to say they won't bond in their inconsistency with a draw tonight?
What do St Mirren do after a famous, much celebrated win against Rangers?
What do Dundee United do after coming back to beat Hibs?
The evidence of the season suggests that both will struggle to build on the winning of three points.
Which sets us up nicely for another draw.
The Scottish Football Blog blogathon took place in November in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and the Homeless World Cup. You can still donate to help two great causes.
Celtic v Rangers
Apparently recent form has left some Celtic supporters confident about this one.
Yet Ally McCoist was quick yesterday to talk about his confidence in victory.
I don't understand anybody displaying confidence before a big game. Fear, misery and a sense of doom are my defaults. And who is to say I've not got it right?
If you're expecting defeat it hurts less when you lose and you enjoy it more when you win.
Avoid hubris and project pitiful pessimism at all times. It's the path to a happier life.
Still, I'll never known what it's like to support one side or t'other in the greatest sporting rivalry on earth. And, for that matter, I'll never know what it's like to support one side or t'other in an Old Firm game either.
Instead I peer into the cauldron of Glasgow and a see a game that will end another chapter in a twisting title race.
Victory for either side will not close the book on this SPL championship. Last season provided enough of a lesson that the points and goals that win or lose titles can lie elsewhere.
It's still a game chock-full of meaning though.
For Celtic and particularly for Neil Lennon victory would offer the final act of redemption in the climb back from the dark days of autumn when they looked hopeless, Rangers looked rampant and Lennon looked vulnerable.
For Rangers and Ally McCoist a win, or even avoiding defeat, would offer evidence that a suddenly feeble looking Rangers are more than capable of holding off a resurgent Celtic.
Tonight's winners, if we're to have a winner, will lead the SPL into 2012. There's no glory in that. But it's an achievement that could offer mighty psychological succour to both sides in a season of mixed fortunes.
Who's it going to be?
Celtic have the momentum. 24 points from the last eight games. The sort of autumn-into-winter run that can define a title winning season.
Rangers have stumbled, fumbled, dropped the ball. Just 16 points from the last eight games, losing ground as Celtic have gobbled up the space between them.
An Old Firm game though. Windae, form book, oot the. We've seen it all before.
One point separates the two. Rangers have won 15, lost two, drawn three. Celtic have won 15, lost three, drawn two. Rangers have scored 37 goals, conceded 11. Celtic have scored 40, conceded 15.
Different seasons, different crises, different periods of sustained victory gathering.
Fag paper thin though, the differences between these behemoths.
A draw? Maybe I'm leaning towards that outcome. Maybe I'll cover myself by betting on a Celtic win.
And, while I'm in the bookies, it would be stupid not to put a couple of quid on Rangers as well.
If you're pushing me I'd say the build-up, current form and home advantage all point towards Celtic.
Mind you I've never been confident placing a bet in my life.
Aberdeen v Hearts
Let's hear it for the Hearts players. Supposedly facing the biggest off field challenges of their careers, the club facing a crossroads signposted gloom and doom.
And they've scored six in their last two outing, kept two clean sheets and enjoyed dominance over a Motherwell side who have been all but untouchable on the road.
Crisis? What crisis?
Aberdeen were enjoying a revival before they lost to Inverness on Christmas Eve. They can see daylight between themselves and relegation dunderheids Hibs and Dunfermline though.
And Hearts' struggle on the road which makes a midweek, wintry trip to Pittodrie as welcome as a letter from HMRC.
Draw.
Hibs v Inverness
A new manager but not a new dawn for Hibs. Pat Fenlon criticised the players' fitness after their second half capitulation against Dundee United.
If that is the case then the cluttered festive fixture list could offer dismal tidings for Hibs.
Fenlon seems to have identified the failings but this first period of his reign doesn't appear to offer much chance to right those wrongs.
Apparently some players are upset at the way they're now being spoken to on the training ground. Which just goes to show that even mentally weak, wage thieving wasters have feelings.
Inverness have been striving to impress in recent weeks and came through against Aberdeen with a makeshift side.
There's spirit among Butcher's boys. There's not much in evidence at Easter Road.
Defeat tonight and those last few believers will surely accept that Hibs are in their fight of their lives.
Who would bet against Inverness?
Motherwell v Dunfermline
Motherwell will be slightly chastened after their Christmas Eve defeat at Tynecastle.
They've also been in the strange situation of struggling more at home than they have on the road. Goals have been hard to come by.
Dunfermline, caught in a torrid run of form and looking all at sea, should offer some succour tonight.
Home win.
St Johnstone v Kilmarnock
Joyous wins, stern-faced draws, feeble defeats. St Johnstone and Kilmarnock have had seasons of fluctuating fortunes.
Who's to say they won't bond in their inconsistency with a draw tonight?
St Mirren v Dundee United
What do St Mirren do after a famous, much celebrated win against Rangers?
What do Dundee United do after coming back to beat Hibs?
The evidence of the season suggests that both will struggle to build on the winning of three points.
Which sets us up nicely for another draw.
The Scottish Football Blog blogathon took place in November in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and the Homeless World Cup. You can still donate to help two great causes.
Monday, December 19, 2011
SPL Advent: Inverness
Day seven of the SPL advent. A trip to the frozen north to see how Inverness are coping this SPL season.
I find Terry Butcher something of an engima. In the past I've - not altogether seriously but not completely in jest - derided him as a bit of an incompetent.
The sort of chap that the Scottish managerial merry-go-round should really jettison for the greater good of the game.
But there he is, ensconced in the Highlands. He brought Inverness back to the SPL and he kept them there.
He likes to foster something of a bunker mentality: "Everybody hates us, cause we're so far away."
Fair enough. It's Scotland not China, but anyone who rails against Scottish football's central belt smugness probably deserves at least a nod of encouragement.
It also seems to foster a certain esprit de corps. They keep plodding along, occasionally producing a performance that make people sit up and take notice.
Only this weekend they were being praised to the rafters, or at the very least profusely patronised, for their bravery in losing at Ibrox.
And there's the rub. Bravery's not to be sniffed at but it doesn't help Inverness move up the table.
At the moment they're just a point off Hibs and Dunfermline at the bottom with Aberdeen's tally of seven points from three games beginning to cast the terrible trio adrift.
This is, of course, Inverness' second season in the SPL. It's a cliche that such seasons are always difficult. Maybe it's true.
Certainly it wasn't much of a prediction to say that they might find life a bit harder this time around.
Not only has the stunning away record that sustained both their promotion and excellent start to last season fizzled out but they had also lost some key players.
A season spent embracing the SPL's key themes - transition and inconsistency - always looked likely.
So it's proved.
Only four games won. More worrying still, 12 games lost. That's more than any other team and a couple more than both Hibs and Dunfermline.
As if to underline the contrast to last season they've lost seven games away from home, conceding 23 goals in the process.
At the moment they seem incapable of building any momentum. Only once have they managed to avoid defeat in the game immediately following a win.
They've taken six points from both St Mirren and Kilmarnock but have yet to beat either of the teams below them.
The goals of Adam Rooney are much missed and - as was predicted - a ready made replacement has not been found.
Although they finished in the bottom six last season must be considered a success. To beat that points total this year Inverness will need to win 13 games in the second half of the season.
It seems unlikely that they're going to manage that. So already we can say that this season has been one of regression?
Perhaps.
But there comes a stage when escaping relegation by a point is just as satisfying as finishing 27 points from last place.
Yer man, Gregory Tade?
Let's be charitable and say that his signing as a replacement for Adam Rooney intrigued us.
A wee stat though: Tade's scored six goals this season. And Inverness haven't lost when he's scored.
If they keep that up and he finds his touch more often they'll be heading for Europe next season.
Credit also to Andrew Shinnie for his seven goals so far. Keeping those two in the goals would be the sort of gift that goes a long way to keeping Inverness in the SPL.
Terry Butcher wants nothing more than a penalty or two at Ibrox right now.
But a couple of back-to-back wins - Aberdeen style - would probably bring more satisfaction in the long term.
The Scottish Football Blog blogathon took place in November in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and the Homeless World Cup. You can still donate to help two great causes.
I find Terry Butcher something of an engima. In the past I've - not altogether seriously but not completely in jest - derided him as a bit of an incompetent.
The sort of chap that the Scottish managerial merry-go-round should really jettison for the greater good of the game.
But there he is, ensconced in the Highlands. He brought Inverness back to the SPL and he kept them there.
He likes to foster something of a bunker mentality: "Everybody hates us, cause we're so far away."
Fair enough. It's Scotland not China, but anyone who rails against Scottish football's central belt smugness probably deserves at least a nod of encouragement.
It also seems to foster a certain esprit de corps. They keep plodding along, occasionally producing a performance that make people sit up and take notice.
Only this weekend they were being praised to the rafters, or at the very least profusely patronised, for their bravery in losing at Ibrox.
And there's the rub. Bravery's not to be sniffed at but it doesn't help Inverness move up the table.
At the moment they're just a point off Hibs and Dunfermline at the bottom with Aberdeen's tally of seven points from three games beginning to cast the terrible trio adrift.
This is, of course, Inverness' second season in the SPL. It's a cliche that such seasons are always difficult. Maybe it's true.
Certainly it wasn't much of a prediction to say that they might find life a bit harder this time around.
Not only has the stunning away record that sustained both their promotion and excellent start to last season fizzled out but they had also lost some key players.
A season spent embracing the SPL's key themes - transition and inconsistency - always looked likely.
So it's proved.
Only four games won. More worrying still, 12 games lost. That's more than any other team and a couple more than both Hibs and Dunfermline.
As if to underline the contrast to last season they've lost seven games away from home, conceding 23 goals in the process.
At the moment they seem incapable of building any momentum. Only once have they managed to avoid defeat in the game immediately following a win.
They've taken six points from both St Mirren and Kilmarnock but have yet to beat either of the teams below them.
The goals of Adam Rooney are much missed and - as was predicted - a ready made replacement has not been found.
Although they finished in the bottom six last season must be considered a success. To beat that points total this year Inverness will need to win 13 games in the second half of the season.
It seems unlikely that they're going to manage that. So already we can say that this season has been one of regression?
Perhaps.
But there comes a stage when escaping relegation by a point is just as satisfying as finishing 27 points from last place.
Here's to the hope in the future he brings
Yer man, Gregory Tade?
Let's be charitable and say that his signing as a replacement for Adam Rooney intrigued us.
A wee stat though: Tade's scored six goals this season. And Inverness haven't lost when he's scored.
If they keep that up and he finds his touch more often they'll be heading for Europe next season.
Credit also to Andrew Shinnie for his seven goals so far. Keeping those two in the goals would be the sort of gift that goes a long way to keeping Inverness in the SPL.
Terry Butcher wants nothing more than a penalty or two at Ibrox right now.
But a couple of back-to-back wins - Aberdeen style - would probably bring more satisfaction in the long term.
The Scottish Football Blog blogathon took place in November in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and the Homeless World Cup. You can still donate to help two great causes.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
SPL: Since Alex Ferguson Said Goodbye
Four games in the SPL today.
But I'm distracted by Sir Alex Ferguson's upcoming 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United. A phenomena. From Govan.
The SPL didn't even exist 25 years ago. We must have had football though, whatever they try and tell us.
Must have had it because I'm sure Alex Ferguson left a top flight Scottish club to take over a top flight English club 25 years ago.
But how could he have? Because football didn't exist in England 25 years ago either.
It's all very confusing.
Anyway, to celebrate here's today's match previews abbreviated to a Fergie-friendly 25 words.
Stability, wisdom has it, is the key to football success. Exhibit A is Sir Alex Ferguson himself.
Armed only with a bargain from Leeds and an Australian media tycoon with deep pockets he invented soccer as we know it. Or something.
Not every club is so lucky.
Here's a look at a quarter of a century on the merry managerial carousel endured by the eight clubs involved in SPL action today.
Hibs
Then: John Blackley
Now: Colin Calderwood
In between: Alex Miller, Jocky Scott (sustained run as caretaker), Jim Duffy, Alex McLeish, Franck Sauzee, Bobby Williamson, Tony Mowbray, John Collins, Mixu Patalainen, John Hughes
Total: 12
Dunfermline
Then: Jim Leishman
Now: Kenny McIntyre
In between: Iain Munro, Jocky Scott, Bert Paton, Dick Campbell, Jimmy Calderwood, David Hay, Jim Leishman, Stephen Kenny
Total: 9
Kilmarnock
Then: Eddie Morrison
Now: Kenny Shiels
In between: Jim Fleeting, Tommy Burns, Alex Totten, Bobby Williamson, Jim Jefferies, Jimmy Calderwood, Mixu Paatelainen
Total: 9
Inverness
Then: not a Scottish League side
Now: Terry Butcher
In between (since joining SFL in 1994): Sergei Baltacha, Steve Paterson, John Robertson, Craig Brewster, Charlie Christie, Craig Brewster
Total: 7
Rangers
Then: Graeme Souness
Now: Ally McCoist
In between: Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen, Walter Smith
Total: 7
Dundee United
Then: Jim McLean
Now: Peter Houston
In between: Ivan Golac, Billy Kirkwood, Tommy McLean, Paul Sturrock, Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm, Craig Levein
Total: 11
St Mirren
Then: Alex Miller
Now: Danny Lennon
In between: Alex Smith, Tony Fitzpatrick, David Hay, Jimmy Bone, Tony Fitzpatrick, Tom Hendrie, John Coughlin, Gus MacPherson
Total: 10
Hearts
Then: Alex Macdonald
Now: Paulo Sergio
In between: Sandy Jardine (co-manager), Joe Jordan, Sandy Clark, Tommy McLean, Jim Jefferies, Craig Levein, John Robertson, George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas, Anatoly Korobocha, Stephen Frail, Csaba Lazlo, Jim Jefferies (includes caretakers who were in charge for a month or more)
Total: 16
Conclusion based on the eight SPL games being played today:
One Sir Alex Ferguson equals 81 Scottish club managers.
Science says so.
Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011
But I'm distracted by Sir Alex Ferguson's upcoming 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United. A phenomena. From Govan.
The SPL didn't even exist 25 years ago. We must have had football though, whatever they try and tell us.
Must have had it because I'm sure Alex Ferguson left a top flight Scottish club to take over a top flight English club 25 years ago.
But how could he have? Because football didn't exist in England 25 years ago either.
It's all very confusing.
Anyway, to celebrate here's today's match previews abbreviated to a Fergie-friendly 25 words.
Hibs v Dunfermline
Puzzlingly enigmatic riddlers clash with the plummeting new kids on the block. Hibs look to turn a corner, Dunfermline to find a parachute. Home win.Kilmarnock v Inverness
Bruised but victorious at Tynecastle, Kilmarnock host table propping Highlanders. Can they pass Butcher’s boys to destruction? Intense Shiels stares down angry Terry. Home win.Rangers v Dundee United
Table topping despite titillating with slow moving financial tease, Rangers try denying Celtic the oxygen of hope. Can redeemed Houston inspire tangerine heroics? Home win.St Mirren v Hearts
Unpaid, overpaid, out of here? Visitors seek Paisley sanctuary as hosts hold tight to Lennon’s football karma. Goal gluttony afficianados should gawp elsewhere. (Tight) Draw.How much is one Sir Alex Ferguson worth? Part One
Stability, wisdom has it, is the key to football success. Exhibit A is Sir Alex Ferguson himself.
Armed only with a bargain from Leeds and an Australian media tycoon with deep pockets he invented soccer as we know it. Or something.
Not every club is so lucky.
Here's a look at a quarter of a century on the merry managerial carousel endured by the eight clubs involved in SPL action today.
Hibs
Then: John Blackley
Now: Colin Calderwood
In between: Alex Miller, Jocky Scott (sustained run as caretaker), Jim Duffy, Alex McLeish, Franck Sauzee, Bobby Williamson, Tony Mowbray, John Collins, Mixu Patalainen, John Hughes
Total: 12
Dunfermline
Then: Jim Leishman
Now: Kenny McIntyre
In between: Iain Munro, Jocky Scott, Bert Paton, Dick Campbell, Jimmy Calderwood, David Hay, Jim Leishman, Stephen Kenny
Total: 9
Kilmarnock
Then: Eddie Morrison
Now: Kenny Shiels
In between: Jim Fleeting, Tommy Burns, Alex Totten, Bobby Williamson, Jim Jefferies, Jimmy Calderwood, Mixu Paatelainen
Total: 9
Inverness
Then: not a Scottish League side
Now: Terry Butcher
In between (since joining SFL in 1994): Sergei Baltacha, Steve Paterson, John Robertson, Craig Brewster, Charlie Christie, Craig Brewster
Total: 7
Rangers
Then: Graeme Souness
Now: Ally McCoist
In between: Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen, Walter Smith
Total: 7
Dundee United
Then: Jim McLean
Now: Peter Houston
In between: Ivan Golac, Billy Kirkwood, Tommy McLean, Paul Sturrock, Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm, Craig Levein
Total: 11
St Mirren
Then: Alex Miller
Now: Danny Lennon
In between: Alex Smith, Tony Fitzpatrick, David Hay, Jimmy Bone, Tony Fitzpatrick, Tom Hendrie, John Coughlin, Gus MacPherson
Total: 10
Hearts
Then: Alex Macdonald
Now: Paulo Sergio
In between: Sandy Jardine (co-manager), Joe Jordan, Sandy Clark, Tommy McLean, Jim Jefferies, Craig Levein, John Robertson, George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas, Anatoly Korobocha, Stephen Frail, Csaba Lazlo, Jim Jefferies (includes caretakers who were in charge for a month or more)
Total: 16
Conclusion based on the eight SPL games being played today:
One Sir Alex Ferguson equals 81 Scottish club managers.
Science says so.
Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Forgotten Scotland Players: Nicky Walker
Do our footballers ever ruminate on how a modern Scotland can persuade the rest of the world that it is embracing innovation and shifting away from our old "tartan and shortbread" image?
Probably not.
But at least one star of yesteryear is probably immensely relaxed about the nostalgic power of plaid and a unleavened biscuit phenomenon.
Joseph Nicol Walker, scion of the famous biscuit empire that bears the family name, now enjoys a position of prominence with the firm his great grandfather founded.
But before becoming the Queen's official oatcake supplier Nicky Walker enjoyed a long football career. A career distinguished enough to see him become the Scottish Football Blog's fifth forgotten Scotland player and the first goalkeeper to make our list.
It was a career that began close to home. Aberlous Villa, his first club, were formed in 1924, some 28 years after Joseph Walker founded the biscuit company that would become Scotland's biggest food exporter in the same Speyside village.
From Aberlour to the bright lights of Elgin and a teenage stint in the Highland League. A stint eye-catching enough to attract the attention of Jock Wallace at Leicester City.
Walker's stay at Filbert Street was short, perhaps a city that cherished it's fried potato snacks over crumbly sweet biscuit goodness unnerved him, but it did offer the chance to build a relationship with Wallace.
When the manager took over at Motherwell his goalkeeper followed. When a diminished Rangers called on Wallace to return and steady the ship he again took Walker with him.
But these were not vintage times at Ibrox. Rangers continued to toil and Wallace struggled to recapture former glories. Walker got his chances but was missing for the only trophy that Wallace won in his second spell - Peter McLoy started the 1984 league cup final against Dundee United.
With the sacking of Wallace and the start of the Graeme Souness revolution Walker's chance of establishing himself as a long term number one were hit by the arrival of Chris Woods.
He hung about - short loans at Dunfermline and Falkirk followed - but it was clear that only a move out of Govan would bring opportunities. In 1989 he bowed to the inevitable and signed for Hearts.
Was Walker welcomed as a hero? Not so much. This was a move that perhaps reflected managerial anxiety over incumbent 'keeper Henry Smith's ability to combine occasional ball dropping moments with longevity and Tynecastle cult hero status.
But Smith rose to the challenge and cemented his place as number one in Gorgie. It was Henry who travelled with Scotland's Euro 92 squad while Walker ended the 1991/92 season on loan at Burnley.
Yet the Hearts manager couldn't make his mind up. Joe Jordan - then an oft bewildered Scottish Premier League manager still awaiting his transformation into an Italian baiting Champions League coach - turned back to Walker in 1993.
And here we have our international breakthrough. Andy Roxburgh's Scotland take on Germany (managed by some chap called Vogts) at Ibrox on 24th March 1993. Nicky Walker wins his first cap.
His Scotland clean sheet lasted 19 minutes before Karl-Heinz Reidle put the Germans ahead. But that's where the scoring stopped in a sound Scottish performance that will forever be remembered as the game that Duncan Ferguson showed what might have been had headbutts, jail terms and SFA hate not intervened.
Although he remained in the shadow of Andy Goram and eventually a resurgent Jim Leighton, Walker had now become an internationalist.
But the life of a professional footballer is an oft unsettled one, managerial changes at Tynecastle saw him slip out of favour under Sandy Clark and then out of the door completely when Tommy McLean arrived as boss.
McLean's vision for Hearts - which no doubt included something unintelligble about attacking widemen playing from "in tae oot" - had room for the potential of Craig Nelson but none for the experience of Walker.
Our hero of a trillion afternoon teas found himself as the makeweight in Nelson's move from Partick Thistle. A new dawn was breaking for Nicky Walker and it was breaking over Firhill.
Nelson would go on to make only 24 league appearances for Hearts while Walker would play 53 times for Thistle. Walker would play for Scotland again. Nelson would never play for Scotland.
But it wasn't all plain sailing. Under the stewardship of Murdo MacLeod the Jags struggled in the 1995/96 season. Only seven clean sheets were kept as the team's paltry eight wins saw them slump to second bottom.
Under the short lived play-off scheme - there is no such thing as a new idea in the world of Scottish football - that meant a two-legged promotion/relegation decider with Dundee United, runners-up to Dunfermline in the First Division.
United ran out 3-2 winners and it was a relegated Walker who doubled his caps tally with an eight minute substitute appearance against the USA in Conneticut.
That match, a 2-1 defeat, was a warm-up for Euro 96 and Walker was part of the Scotland squad that graced the tournament with the usual mixture of grit, determination, passion, fleeting glory and ultimate failure. As so often with his international call-ups there was little doubt that he was very much the third choice travelling companion to Goram and Leighton.
Domestically he had emerged from a relegation season with his reputation enhanced and Aberdeen spent £60,000 to keep him in the top flight. His Pittodrie stay didn't work out and he failed to notch up even a score of league appearances. The end was nigh after - in one of Wikipedia's more ignominious football entries - "he was supplanted by Derek Stillie."
He returned to his Highland homeland and Dingwall's finest, Ross County. The move brought his most sustained run of first team action, first on loan and then as a permanent signing. Close to 140 appearances followed as County established themselves in the SFL.
2001 saw a brief, romantic return to Aberlour Villa before he signed for County's Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
There was a strange twist in this autumn of his career. In September 2001 he was denied an appearance in the Highland derby against his old club when he was stranded in the United States during the air traffic confusion that followed the September 11th attacks.
Inverness veteran Jim Calder took his place in a match that saw County manager Neale Cooper win his first derby after five years in charge. Walker returned in time for the next match and promptly conceded six against Airdrie.
As he approached his forties Walker was going to have to devote more of his time to the family business. Inverness were his last professional club although he remained involved with football in the Highlands.
Now production director for the shortbread behomoths he's set to carry family stewardship of the firm into another generation.
He's businessman with a past though. Nicky Walker was something of a well tanned, luxuriantly haired fixture of Scottish football for the best part of two decades. Periods of that career were spent in the shadows but he often impressed.
For a while he seemed to be forever the close-but-no-cigar fall guy of the Scotland squad, always there, always willing, never playing. But twice he got his chance.
Two memories at least to sustain a man through a biscuit based board meeting or shared as a pleasant anecdote over a nice cup of tea and sample of the family's finest.
Forgotten Scotland Players number 5: Nicky Walker, Hearts and Partick Thistle. 2 caps.
Probably not.
But at least one star of yesteryear is probably immensely relaxed about the nostalgic power of plaid and a unleavened biscuit phenomenon.
Joseph Nicol Walker, scion of the famous biscuit empire that bears the family name, now enjoys a position of prominence with the firm his great grandfather founded.
But before becoming the Queen's official oatcake supplier Nicky Walker enjoyed a long football career. A career distinguished enough to see him become the Scottish Football Blog's fifth forgotten Scotland player and the first goalkeeper to make our list.It was a career that began close to home. Aberlous Villa, his first club, were formed in 1924, some 28 years after Joseph Walker founded the biscuit company that would become Scotland's biggest food exporter in the same Speyside village.
From Aberlour to the bright lights of Elgin and a teenage stint in the Highland League. A stint eye-catching enough to attract the attention of Jock Wallace at Leicester City.
Walker's stay at Filbert Street was short, perhaps a city that cherished it's fried potato snacks over crumbly sweet biscuit goodness unnerved him, but it did offer the chance to build a relationship with Wallace.
When the manager took over at Motherwell his goalkeeper followed. When a diminished Rangers called on Wallace to return and steady the ship he again took Walker with him.
But these were not vintage times at Ibrox. Rangers continued to toil and Wallace struggled to recapture former glories. Walker got his chances but was missing for the only trophy that Wallace won in his second spell - Peter McLoy started the 1984 league cup final against Dundee United.
With the sacking of Wallace and the start of the Graeme Souness revolution Walker's chance of establishing himself as a long term number one were hit by the arrival of Chris Woods.
He hung about - short loans at Dunfermline and Falkirk followed - but it was clear that only a move out of Govan would bring opportunities. In 1989 he bowed to the inevitable and signed for Hearts.
Was Walker welcomed as a hero? Not so much. This was a move that perhaps reflected managerial anxiety over incumbent 'keeper Henry Smith's ability to combine occasional ball dropping moments with longevity and Tynecastle cult hero status.
But Smith rose to the challenge and cemented his place as number one in Gorgie. It was Henry who travelled with Scotland's Euro 92 squad while Walker ended the 1991/92 season on loan at Burnley.
Yet the Hearts manager couldn't make his mind up. Joe Jordan - then an oft bewildered Scottish Premier League manager still awaiting his transformation into an Italian baiting Champions League coach - turned back to Walker in 1993.
And here we have our international breakthrough. Andy Roxburgh's Scotland take on Germany (managed by some chap called Vogts) at Ibrox on 24th March 1993. Nicky Walker wins his first cap.
His Scotland clean sheet lasted 19 minutes before Karl-Heinz Reidle put the Germans ahead. But that's where the scoring stopped in a sound Scottish performance that will forever be remembered as the game that Duncan Ferguson showed what might have been had headbutts, jail terms and SFA hate not intervened.
Although he remained in the shadow of Andy Goram and eventually a resurgent Jim Leighton, Walker had now become an internationalist.
But the life of a professional footballer is an oft unsettled one, managerial changes at Tynecastle saw him slip out of favour under Sandy Clark and then out of the door completely when Tommy McLean arrived as boss.
McLean's vision for Hearts - which no doubt included something unintelligble about attacking widemen playing from "in tae oot" - had room for the potential of Craig Nelson but none for the experience of Walker.
Our hero of a trillion afternoon teas found himself as the makeweight in Nelson's move from Partick Thistle. A new dawn was breaking for Nicky Walker and it was breaking over Firhill.
Nelson would go on to make only 24 league appearances for Hearts while Walker would play 53 times for Thistle. Walker would play for Scotland again. Nelson would never play for Scotland.
But it wasn't all plain sailing. Under the stewardship of Murdo MacLeod the Jags struggled in the 1995/96 season. Only seven clean sheets were kept as the team's paltry eight wins saw them slump to second bottom.
Under the short lived play-off scheme - there is no such thing as a new idea in the world of Scottish football - that meant a two-legged promotion/relegation decider with Dundee United, runners-up to Dunfermline in the First Division.
United ran out 3-2 winners and it was a relegated Walker who doubled his caps tally with an eight minute substitute appearance against the USA in Conneticut.
That match, a 2-1 defeat, was a warm-up for Euro 96 and Walker was part of the Scotland squad that graced the tournament with the usual mixture of grit, determination, passion, fleeting glory and ultimate failure. As so often with his international call-ups there was little doubt that he was very much the third choice travelling companion to Goram and Leighton.
Domestically he had emerged from a relegation season with his reputation enhanced and Aberdeen spent £60,000 to keep him in the top flight. His Pittodrie stay didn't work out and he failed to notch up even a score of league appearances. The end was nigh after - in one of Wikipedia's more ignominious football entries - "he was supplanted by Derek Stillie."
He returned to his Highland homeland and Dingwall's finest, Ross County. The move brought his most sustained run of first team action, first on loan and then as a permanent signing. Close to 140 appearances followed as County established themselves in the SFL.
2001 saw a brief, romantic return to Aberlour Villa before he signed for County's Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
There was a strange twist in this autumn of his career. In September 2001 he was denied an appearance in the Highland derby against his old club when he was stranded in the United States during the air traffic confusion that followed the September 11th attacks.
Inverness veteran Jim Calder took his place in a match that saw County manager Neale Cooper win his first derby after five years in charge. Walker returned in time for the next match and promptly conceded six against Airdrie.
As he approached his forties Walker was going to have to devote more of his time to the family business. Inverness were his last professional club although he remained involved with football in the Highlands.
Now production director for the shortbread behomoths he's set to carry family stewardship of the firm into another generation.
He's businessman with a past though. Nicky Walker was something of a well tanned, luxuriantly haired fixture of Scottish football for the best part of two decades. Periods of that career were spent in the shadows but he often impressed.
For a while he seemed to be forever the close-but-no-cigar fall guy of the Scotland squad, always there, always willing, never playing. But twice he got his chance.
Two memories at least to sustain a man through a biscuit based board meeting or shared as a pleasant anecdote over a nice cup of tea and sample of the family's finest.
Forgotten Scotland Players number 5: Nicky Walker, Hearts and Partick Thistle. 2 caps.
Friday, July 22, 2011
SPL: 12 To Watch - Part One
Part one of an entirely prejudiced, unscientific look at 12 players I'll be keeping track of in the SPL this season. Maybe not the biggest stars but a player from each team whose progress I'm interested to follow.
Steven Naismith turns 25 this September. No longer a kid bursting with potential but a senior member of a championship winning squad with a five year contract under his belt.
That he was considered among the runners and riders in the annual player of the award festivities last season points at a season of great accomplishment. He also played over 40 games for the first time since he moved to Ibrox.
But here's the thing, I think he pulled the wool over a lot of eyes last season. True he nabbed a player of the month gong in October - the same month he scored his first Scotland goal against Spain - and that was well deserved. But much of his best form was restricted to the opening months of the season.
It's a different Rangers now. And Naismith needs to prove himself as a main man in a squad that is being largely written offer before they've even begun. And he needs to do that in the warm glow of late summer, in the autumnal sun, the bogged down winter and the championship deciding spring.
He also needs to grab his chance for Scotland. Ten caps since 2007 is not a huge return - although injuries have played a part there - but Craig Levein seems keen to give him his chance. Time to repay the faith with a season of disciplined consistency and sustained achievement.
From the inspirational captain of a Scottish Cup winning side to the trembling mass of wibbly wobbly self doubt that saw him relegated to barely even a bit part player with Rangers.
Andy Webster's contradictions and riddles would be better suited to a British Psychological Soceity convention than a profile in a "matchday magazine".
Odd. Odder still that he's so nonchalantly returned to Tynecastle where he earned such plaudits but left amid such rancour first time around.
Scottish centre backs - the rocks upon which Craig Brown built so many of his international achievements - are suddenly a bit thin on the ground. As part of a strengthened Hearts squad can Webster grab his moment? Already known to the international manager, will this be a season of redemption?
And can he silence the doubters in Govan as a pivotal part of a Tynecastle title tilt?
A proper Scottish youngster. By which I mean he's actually young in a country almost unique in world football in excusing players for various crimes of crapness and bad behaviour because they're "young" even as they approach their mid twenties.
But Fraser Fyvie is the real deal. He's going to be playing catch up though having just about missed last season in it's entirety.
Given how things panned out for Aberdeen that might have provided just a hint of solace for him, at the age of 17 he was able to avoid any guilt by association as the Dons misfired once again.
A new season and a fresh start. A quick blast of my creaky mental arithemetic suggests that, in Craig Brown, Fyvie's development this season will be overseen by a manager old enough to be his great grandfather.
Given the hints of quiet confidence that seem to be swirling around Pittodrie at the moment could the Fyvie-Brown double act become a defining image of the season? The youngster's heroics on the pitch being rewarded by an avancular smile and a Werther's Original from the dugout?
Brown has apparently said Fyvie has the potential to be the best midfielder he has ever worked with. High praise if not, perhaps, the best way to keep pressure to a minimum.
It's going to be interesting to find out if he's right though.
I don't think I was alone in expecting Cillian Sheridan to be a Hibs player by the start of the season.
But St Johnstone struck like a bolt in blue to nab him on a six month loan deal. There are conflicting accounts of exactly how that happened but, whatever the reasons, St Johnstone will be hoping to have a found a solution to their goalscoring travails.
He's got some form here, nabbing a goal from every other league start in an earlier loan deal in Perth.
His time in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia has not been as satisfying as he would have hoped but he still managed seven goals in 26 appearances, a return that would have rocketed him up the St Johnstone scoring charts last season.
So what St Johnstone may have got, and what Hibs may have lost out on, is a 22 year old striker out to prove himself by scoring goals. Even on a short term contract that could be quite a mix, a dose of Viagra for Derek McInnes' impotent front line.
Obviously Stephen Craigan is the one Motherwell player I'll be forced to watch, a man so keen to tout himself on TV and radio that he makes tabloid hack stereotype Paul McMullan look reclusive.
But one player I'll actually be interested to see is Nicky Law. Picking up an out of contract Rotherham player for free is not perhaps the kind of thing to get the pulse racing.
Yet Law, who came through Sheffield United's youth academy and is now 23, seemed highly rated in his two seasons with the Millers. He twice made the League 2 team of the year, was near the top of the assists table and picked up a fan's player of the year award. He was also said to be attracting the interest of clubs further up the English league food chain.
A certain pedigree then.
Will that be enough? Some Rotherham fans talk of a drifter who shuns the physical element of the game. I'm tempted to borrow a pundit's phrase and ask how much will he relish a rainy night in Lanarkshire?
Time will tell. But Motherwell have unearthed a few gems in the past couple of seasons and the pressure will be on Stuart McCall to do the same.
With Law he might just have struck lucky.
As Terry Butcher moans about the early start to the season, and the rest of us wonder why he doesn't just buy an appointments calendar, the focus must surely be on his team's ability to survive the loss of Adam Rooney.
A striker whose style perfectly complements the strengths of the rest of the squad and who also pitches in with 20 goals is a rare commodity. Difficult to find, even harder to replace.
All of which leaves Gregory Tade some unenviable boots to fill.
And Tade is no Rooney. He's not without qualities - lots of them and many that SPL defenders will not relish - but he's some distance from being the finished article and remains untested at this level.
But he's bundled his way through the Scottish leagues - something of an oddity for a Frenchman - and while he might lack some of Rooney's subtlety he should be able to offer Inverness a strong and quick focus in attack.
He doesn't score a hell of a lot of goals though so much will depend on his teammates' ability to feed off his strengths in other areas and pitch in with goals themselves.
For better or worse Tade's SPL baptism could come to define the season in Inverness.
Steven Naismith, Rangers
Steven Naismith turns 25 this September. No longer a kid bursting with potential but a senior member of a championship winning squad with a five year contract under his belt.
That he was considered among the runners and riders in the annual player of the award festivities last season points at a season of great accomplishment. He also played over 40 games for the first time since he moved to Ibrox.
But here's the thing, I think he pulled the wool over a lot of eyes last season. True he nabbed a player of the month gong in October - the same month he scored his first Scotland goal against Spain - and that was well deserved. But much of his best form was restricted to the opening months of the season.
It's a different Rangers now. And Naismith needs to prove himself as a main man in a squad that is being largely written offer before they've even begun. And he needs to do that in the warm glow of late summer, in the autumnal sun, the bogged down winter and the championship deciding spring.
He also needs to grab his chance for Scotland. Ten caps since 2007 is not a huge return - although injuries have played a part there - but Craig Levein seems keen to give him his chance. Time to repay the faith with a season of disciplined consistency and sustained achievement.
Andy Webster, Hearts
From the inspirational captain of a Scottish Cup winning side to the trembling mass of wibbly wobbly self doubt that saw him relegated to barely even a bit part player with Rangers.
Andy Webster's contradictions and riddles would be better suited to a British Psychological Soceity convention than a profile in a "matchday magazine".
Odd. Odder still that he's so nonchalantly returned to Tynecastle where he earned such plaudits but left amid such rancour first time around.
Scottish centre backs - the rocks upon which Craig Brown built so many of his international achievements - are suddenly a bit thin on the ground. As part of a strengthened Hearts squad can Webster grab his moment? Already known to the international manager, will this be a season of redemption?
And can he silence the doubters in Govan as a pivotal part of a Tynecastle title tilt?
Fraser Fyvie, Aberdeen
A proper Scottish youngster. By which I mean he's actually young in a country almost unique in world football in excusing players for various crimes of crapness and bad behaviour because they're "young" even as they approach their mid twenties.
But Fraser Fyvie is the real deal. He's going to be playing catch up though having just about missed last season in it's entirety.
Given how things panned out for Aberdeen that might have provided just a hint of solace for him, at the age of 17 he was able to avoid any guilt by association as the Dons misfired once again.
A new season and a fresh start. A quick blast of my creaky mental arithemetic suggests that, in Craig Brown, Fyvie's development this season will be overseen by a manager old enough to be his great grandfather.
Given the hints of quiet confidence that seem to be swirling around Pittodrie at the moment could the Fyvie-Brown double act become a defining image of the season? The youngster's heroics on the pitch being rewarded by an avancular smile and a Werther's Original from the dugout?
Brown has apparently said Fyvie has the potential to be the best midfielder he has ever worked with. High praise if not, perhaps, the best way to keep pressure to a minimum.
It's going to be interesting to find out if he's right though.
Cillian Sheridan, St Johnstone
I don't think I was alone in expecting Cillian Sheridan to be a Hibs player by the start of the season.
But St Johnstone struck like a bolt in blue to nab him on a six month loan deal. There are conflicting accounts of exactly how that happened but, whatever the reasons, St Johnstone will be hoping to have a found a solution to their goalscoring travails.
He's got some form here, nabbing a goal from every other league start in an earlier loan deal in Perth.
His time in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia has not been as satisfying as he would have hoped but he still managed seven goals in 26 appearances, a return that would have rocketed him up the St Johnstone scoring charts last season.
So what St Johnstone may have got, and what Hibs may have lost out on, is a 22 year old striker out to prove himself by scoring goals. Even on a short term contract that could be quite a mix, a dose of Viagra for Derek McInnes' impotent front line.
Nicky Law, Motherwell
Obviously Stephen Craigan is the one Motherwell player I'll be forced to watch, a man so keen to tout himself on TV and radio that he makes tabloid hack stereotype Paul McMullan look reclusive.
But one player I'll actually be interested to see is Nicky Law. Picking up an out of contract Rotherham player for free is not perhaps the kind of thing to get the pulse racing.
Yet Law, who came through Sheffield United's youth academy and is now 23, seemed highly rated in his two seasons with the Millers. He twice made the League 2 team of the year, was near the top of the assists table and picked up a fan's player of the year award. He was also said to be attracting the interest of clubs further up the English league food chain.
A certain pedigree then.
Will that be enough? Some Rotherham fans talk of a drifter who shuns the physical element of the game. I'm tempted to borrow a pundit's phrase and ask how much will he relish a rainy night in Lanarkshire?
Time will tell. But Motherwell have unearthed a few gems in the past couple of seasons and the pressure will be on Stuart McCall to do the same.
With Law he might just have struck lucky.
Gregory Tade, Inverness
As Terry Butcher moans about the early start to the season, and the rest of us wonder why he doesn't just buy an appointments calendar, the focus must surely be on his team's ability to survive the loss of Adam Rooney.
A striker whose style perfectly complements the strengths of the rest of the squad and who also pitches in with 20 goals is a rare commodity. Difficult to find, even harder to replace.
All of which leaves Gregory Tade some unenviable boots to fill.
And Tade is no Rooney. He's not without qualities - lots of them and many that SPL defenders will not relish - but he's some distance from being the finished article and remains untested at this level.
But he's bundled his way through the Scottish leagues - something of an oddity for a Frenchman - and while he might lack some of Rooney's subtlety he should be able to offer Inverness a strong and quick focus in attack.
He doesn't score a hell of a lot of goals though so much will depend on his teammates' ability to feed off his strengths in other areas and pitch in with goals themselves.
For better or worse Tade's SPL baptism could come to define the season in Inverness.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
SPL Today: Celtic Demand Bouncebackabilty
The picture of Neil Lennon booting a bottle of water during Celtic's defeat to Inverness spoke volumes.
Which of his underperforming players was he metaphorically kicking up the backside?
Was this Celtic's bottle crashing?
Football teams often play badly. They often choose the worst game to show themselves at their worst.
That's what Celtic did on Wednesday night. The water bottle bore the brunt of the manager's understandable frustration.
From a position of strength it is now Celtic who can only win and hope for a slip-up elsewhere.
It's an uncomfortable place to be. And it was self inflicted as they surrendered their game in hand. Inverness is a tricky place to visit. But Celtic made it too hard for themselves and too easy for their opponents.
Onwards then to Kilmarnock this afternoon.
A third visit to Rugby Park for Celtic. A 2-1 in September followed by a 4-0 stroll last month. Sandwiched between the two a 1-1 draw in Glasgow in December.
That draw came in a run when Celtic won only two games out of six. It was the frailties of that sequence that resurfaced against Inverness.
The challenge for Celtic is to ensure that Wednesday night was an isolated stumble. They have to recover from it.
Even a full recovery might not be enough. But right now it's difficult to see how anything less than three wins from the remaining three games will be enough to win the title.
The consensus among Scottish football's pundits was that having more away games gave Celtic the trickier run in.
To get this in perspective Celtic have won a dozen games on their travels this season. They've drawn two and lost three. It's not a shoddy record.
But they've not been as emphatic on the road as they might have been. Only 29 goals scored in those 17 games.
Again that's hardly a poor return. But it compares poorly to the 40 goals Rangers have scored away from Ibrox. Kilmarnock have scored 26 away goals and Hearts 25.
Celtic's travelling success is down to a miserly defence. The three goals scored by Inverness on Wednesday make up more than a quarter of the away goals Celtic have conceded this season.
None of which means that Celtic, who have won 38 points away from Celtic Park, are travelling chumps.
But it does hint at a reliance on a stingy defence. Inverness brought into sharp focus what can happen if that defence goes awol.
In preparation for today's game Lennon will have had to strike a balance between the bollocking his defenders deserved and working on their confidence.
Kenny Shiels will have been impressing on his players the need to guard against the trap of playing nice football without any real thrust. That's left them attractively ineffective against the Old Firm at times this season.
If Celtic's defence are at all rocked by their experience on Wednesday then Kilmarnock have to capitalise on that by, as they say, "getting in their faces."
If they can get enough of the ball. It wasn't just the defenders who underperformed against Inverness. Celtic's midfield need to reassert their authority.
How to impose yourself in midfield when the going gets tough?
The manager should be able to help them out there, a DVD of Neil Lennon's career should do the trick.
Celtic lose games and bounce right back. That's what Old Firm teams do.
Will today be any different? Probably not. But that was a big, big game to lose on Wednesday night. A glance at the league table shows the psychological impact that could have.
If that adds to the nerves then Kilmarnock could benefit.
An away win. But it could be an uncomfortable one.
Which of his underperforming players was he metaphorically kicking up the backside?
Was this Celtic's bottle crashing?
Football teams often play badly. They often choose the worst game to show themselves at their worst.
That's what Celtic did on Wednesday night. The water bottle bore the brunt of the manager's understandable frustration.
From a position of strength it is now Celtic who can only win and hope for a slip-up elsewhere.
It's an uncomfortable place to be. And it was self inflicted as they surrendered their game in hand. Inverness is a tricky place to visit. But Celtic made it too hard for themselves and too easy for their opponents.
Onwards then to Kilmarnock this afternoon.
A third visit to Rugby Park for Celtic. A 2-1 in September followed by a 4-0 stroll last month. Sandwiched between the two a 1-1 draw in Glasgow in December.
That draw came in a run when Celtic won only two games out of six. It was the frailties of that sequence that resurfaced against Inverness.
The challenge for Celtic is to ensure that Wednesday night was an isolated stumble. They have to recover from it.
Even a full recovery might not be enough. But right now it's difficult to see how anything less than three wins from the remaining three games will be enough to win the title.
The consensus among Scottish football's pundits was that having more away games gave Celtic the trickier run in.
To get this in perspective Celtic have won a dozen games on their travels this season. They've drawn two and lost three. It's not a shoddy record.
But they've not been as emphatic on the road as they might have been. Only 29 goals scored in those 17 games.
Again that's hardly a poor return. But it compares poorly to the 40 goals Rangers have scored away from Ibrox. Kilmarnock have scored 26 away goals and Hearts 25.
Celtic's travelling success is down to a miserly defence. The three goals scored by Inverness on Wednesday make up more than a quarter of the away goals Celtic have conceded this season.
None of which means that Celtic, who have won 38 points away from Celtic Park, are travelling chumps.
But it does hint at a reliance on a stingy defence. Inverness brought into sharp focus what can happen if that defence goes awol.
In preparation for today's game Lennon will have had to strike a balance between the bollocking his defenders deserved and working on their confidence.
Kenny Shiels will have been impressing on his players the need to guard against the trap of playing nice football without any real thrust. That's left them attractively ineffective against the Old Firm at times this season.
If Celtic's defence are at all rocked by their experience on Wednesday then Kilmarnock have to capitalise on that by, as they say, "getting in their faces."
If they can get enough of the ball. It wasn't just the defenders who underperformed against Inverness. Celtic's midfield need to reassert their authority.
How to impose yourself in midfield when the going gets tough?
The manager should be able to help them out there, a DVD of Neil Lennon's career should do the trick.
Celtic lose games and bounce right back. That's what Old Firm teams do.
Will today be any different? Probably not. But that was a big, big game to lose on Wednesday night. A glance at the league table shows the psychological impact that could have.
If that adds to the nerves then Kilmarnock could benefit.
An away win. But it could be an uncomfortable one.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Scottish Football Blog Awards 2010 - Terry Butcher and Inverness
Football management is a strange beast. A good manager in the wrong job can be left looking foolish. A bad manager in the right job can be left looking like Midas.
Terry Butcher is a decent manager with both successes and failures in his career. At Inverness he has found a well run club that suits his style. The result has been a year of almost constant progress for the Scottish Football Blog's Manager and Team of 2010.
In November 2009 Inverness didn’t look like they had much hope of promotion. Butcher had been unable to prevent their relegation and together they seemed set to follow the established pattern of a relegated club failing to get straight back to the SPL.
Then something clicked. Inverness put together a 19 game unbeaten run that included seven straight wins. Dundee’s implosion helped, but Butcher clinched promotion with two matches to spare thanks to his side’s form as much as failures elsewhere.
And the return to the SPL has seen Inverness breathe fresh air into the top half of the table as well as extending their unbeaten away record to over a year.
That includes draws at Ibrox, Parkhead and Tynecastle, with a two goal deficit being clawed back against Celtic and the 1-1 draw at Ibrox repeated when Rangers headed north.
Snipers might say that many of those draws have been achieved by "parking the bus." But that overlooks the decent footballers Butcher has in the squad and some of the spectacular moments they've given the SPL this term.
Stirring stuff and, if two home defeats haven’t been a fitting end to an impressive year, there is a feeling of a young club coming of age. It's easy to forget that this is a club that has only existed in its current form for 16 years.
A top six finish looks more than achievable in 2011. Off the field the club appear to be in rude health and active at the heart of their Highland community.
The news that David Sutherland, the club’s largest shareholder, is now prepared to relinquish his 25 percent stake to suitable investors should help secure an even brighter future.
A debt free Scottish football club looking around for investment to move forward rather than to save their skins? Truly, Inverness Caledonian Thistle are at the rarest of things: a Scottish football success story.
Others might want to look and learn.
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