And the Academy Award goes to Brendan Rodgers... sorry, no it’s Duffy
THE final voting process for the 89th Academy Awards begins next week with Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic players expected to sweep the board.
Sorry. The old mind went walkabout for a moment there. That’s, of course, one of those alternative facts we’ve been hearing so much about of late; what my old granny – and anyone with a brain – used to call barefaced lies.
However, please forgive me. When writing anything about this Celtic team, the fingers almost automatically type out sentences that links them to every trophy going. As the fanzine Not the View often reminds its readers, in 1967 Celtic won a quiz making them both the best and smartest team in the world.
So why not an Oscar this time for Brendan as best director? The guy is going to win everything else because when the Scottish football awards are handed out, Celtic are La-La Land in more ways than one.
Although if, like me, you are more of a fan of the gritty indie flick about some outsider battling against the odds, then perhaps a vote for Jim Duffy for manager of the year might be more your cup of barely drinkable Bovril.
Hey, in 1978 Rangers won a treble under the guise and growl of Jock Wallace and the manager of the year, as voted by Scotland’s football writers, was… Billy McNeill of Aberdeen.
The job Duffy, one of football’s more honourable men, has done defies belief. His young Morton side sit third in the Championship, three points behind Dundee United, who have played a game more and have a slightly worse goal difference. They are nestled comfortably in the play-off places. They reached the League Cup semi-final, Premiership Kilmarnock and Hamilton were defeated in the group section on the way. And while Aberdeen were the better side at Hampden in a 2-0 win, their first goal was offside. The squad is made up of guys you go, “Oh, aye, him. Didn’t he used to play for… someone?” Ross Forbes was seen as a decent prospect at Motherwell a fair few years ago now. Jai Quitongo is a young striker with a chance, but that name is still more synonymous with his dad, Jose. Andy Murdoch was at Rangers but didn’t get much of a chance. I don’t know for sure what they get paid but it’s not a lot. These guys will have bills and mortgages like the rest of us. They know what the words “insufficient funds” mean on the screen of a hole in the wall towards the end of a long month. And when was the last time you were at Cappielow? Five years, 10 years, 20 years ago? It hasn’t changed. Not a bit. The ground which cruelly was described as a piggery – especially by those living in Paisley – retains a certain charm if not a huge amount of comfort or what could be classed as facilities. So while the club has moved on by some distance from almost going to the wall in 2001, they shouldn’t be close to where they are right now. A huge amount of that is down to Duffy.
The former Morton captain led his club to promotion from League One two seasons ago, his first go at it, and with shrewd judgment has put together an attack-minded side which, to this observer at least, could well beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox a week on Sunday.
With the help of new chief executive Warren Hawke, himself a former player, the youth academy is an undoubted success. And ask any long-suffering fan and they will tell you the club and team are in their best nick for 20 years.
Duffy is rebuilding a football club with limited funds in a town which suffers more poverty than most in this country. There is no trickledown economics in Scottish football and while the run to the semi-final and upcoming visit to Ibrox help, there is more chance of Duffy growing a perm than becoming a chequebook manager.
You have to see him on the touchline. He literally shouts orders and directions for every second of the game – telling his players where to stand, what run to make, what pass to deliver. Things do tend to go well when they listen to the gaffer.
Okay, so an undefeated domestic season which culminates in a treble and which includes a Champions League group campaign is arguably more impressive than finishing third in the second tier of Scottish football.
However, just imagine if Morton do win promotion. What if they go out and beat Rangers. Perhaps they can even get back to Hampden. Even Hollywood turn away from such flights of fancy. If this happens then Duffy is getting my vote.
Sorry, Brendan, but small independent films are always preferable to even the mightiest blockbuster.