Rogic on awards shortlist backs up Mr Bell’s logic
The late and great Eastercraigs manager John Bell wasn’t a man to beat about the bush.
It may have only been boys’ club football back in the
1980s but he was as brutal as it got when giving honest assessments over how a player had performed.
It was also no coincidence that he was great mates with
Sir Alex Ferguson – that fire and fury was a shared trait.
At training he’d roll out a Subbuteo board with wee coloured stickers as players and walk us through moves and tactics that he wanted carried out to the letter.
A squad of young teenagers lived on his every word and sought a clue to whether you’d be getting a game that weekend.
He used to talk about doing the basics well, doing the simple things and not getting yourself tied in knots by attempting something above your ability levels.
He saw everything and he’d have had a laugh at recent comments criticising Tom Rogic’s nomination for PFA Scotland’s Player of the Year.
The outstanding technician in the Premiership has been in a class of his own for many a season – his ability, touch, balance and poise under stress merits a bigger stage than the one he currently struts.
Outstanding players know how to create space and Rogic’s talent at finding room to roam sets him apart from the rest.
This country has many huff and puff merchants who lack the finesse to raise their game to a higher level.
It’s why we watch European football and at times believe it’s a completely different sport. Even by our own dismal standards, the quality across the board in the SPFL has fallen through the floor.
Rogic should be celebrated for the craft, guile and class which has some who should know better belittling the nomination from his peers.
The stat obsessed have had a field day. Only managing eight 90 minutes, six goals and six assists is used as fuel to ridicule Rogic’s contribution.
There’s even been one call for Cameron Carter-Vickers to take the award as he’s been the best player in Scotland by a stretch. Quite a stretch indeed to hail a Celtic centre-half who spends most weekend’s with the cigar out being asked to split his time with a three keeping an eye on a single attacking threat from a bang average striker of the day.
Good player but the engineers make Celtic the side they are – and between Callum McGregor and Rogic it’s a toss of a coin as to who takes the Player of the Year prize.
Brendan Rodgers knew the talent he had on his hands when talking about the Australian international back in 2017. He said: “He’s an amazing player and can grow into one of the top midfield players in Europe.”
The difficult part in football is being the architect of something rather than being a player who tries to negate the threat.
Intelligence to create something of beauty is what Rogic is all about.
As Mr Bell would say, “It’s special players which make a team great, so give them the effin ball.”
And let’s not beat about the bush.
He’d have laughed at criticism of Tom Rogic’s nomination from peers