SCEPTICISM. CYNICISM. REGRET. It’s been quite a week ..even for an old codger like me
Collapse of Super League is one danger less – but more insidious threat lurks at home
I thought I knew where I stood.
I was a “legacy fan” for three days then, following the collapse of the European Super League, I reverted back to simply being an old codger who likes football.
The legacy bit concerned me, anyway, because mine dates back a fair bit.
I’m at the stage where today’s Scottish Cup ties, with the possibility of extra time and a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner, worry me in case I’m not still here when the final whistle blows.
But the good thing about being this old is that I get my second Covid-19 jag this morning.
There are, however, some things that you cannot be vaccinated against. Scepticism, for one.
All that ESL stuff never really had anything to do with us up here, did it?
A few soap boxes came out. A bit of tub-thumping went on.
And al l the buzz words associated with r ighteous indignation were thrown around willy-nilly.
Meritocracy. Globalisation, etc, etc. But getting involved in the argument made us look like the kids who wear Barcelona shirts as a status symbol because La Liga is a posher brand than the SPFL.
At least we own our own game. It’s rubbish sometimes – but it’s our rubbish.
Now that a short-lived threat has passed with regard to the make-up of Steve Clarke’s squad for Euro 2020 we can get on with going out of the tournament with a full complement to choose from – including Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson.
That’s what meritocracy dictates will happen.
You can’t get inoculated against cynicism, either.
When the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the Champions League needed Celtic and Rangers he was selling us the bit about how you can dream of greatness in any competition.
What he actually meant was he’ll continue to make it really hard for us to get to the latter stages of the tournament, but he’s grateful for our enthusiasm while trying.
We’re cannon fodder but we draw a crowd.
Meanwhi le, there is no vaccination that immunises you against regret. And one of today’s cup ties, Rangers at home to St Johnstone, fills me with regret from a professional standpoint.
Nothing to do with the game, more the fact newspapers could be denied di rect access afterwards to Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard and may need to take what he says from a feed of Rangers TV. That ’ s what happened the day before Wednesday night’s league match against Saints when Gary McAl l ister assumed press duties.
No direct questions. No pursuit of an individual line of inquiry. Not good.
With respect, club media, at any team, is about the party line. Celtic’s apology over the ill-fated trip to Dubai in January was delivered by CEO Peter Lawwell on Celtic TV.
Dermot Desmond’s attempt to placate an outraged support disgusted by a shambol ic season, admitting “without qualif ication,” mistakes had been made, took place on the same platform. But which mistakes, specifically, was he talking about?
He didn’t say because he was not asked.
And Lawwell wasn’t pressed on the poolside photographs or the players huddled together in a hotel bar without socially distancing themselves because he wasn’t asked, either.
That ’ s where the press conferences come in handy.
Gerrard (right) always comes across as thoughtful, intelligent and well worth listening to during his media briefings.
Companies House in London
revealed last week his company, Steven Gerrard Promotions, has net assets in excess of £7million.
This man is well capable of looking after himself.
The manager thanked the press recently for the words written in condemnation of UEFA for their hopelessly inadequate handling of the case against Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela.
He also talked up the acres of print used in compassionate support of Rangers’ Glen Kamara for the racist abuse he had suffered.
Don’t close the press room door in their faces. As a hack of more than 50 years’ standing, I interviewed Willie Waddell, Jock Wallace, John Greig, Graeme Souness, Walter Smith and Ally McCoist.
Along the way there were personal kindnesses, verbal doings and pres s conferences where there were a full and frank exchange of views, as we say.
That’s how freedom of expression works. It’s one legacy worth keeping.
At least we own our game .. it’s rubbish sometimes – but it’s our rubbish