Saturday, August 21, 2010

Help Ma Boab - there's twa o them

If you know your Glasgow history, you will recognise the heading to today's post as a cleaned-up version of one punter's - one Friday night, second house, at the old Empire in Sauchiehall Street - welcome on to the stage of Bernie Winters, to join his less-funny, less-talented but more ego-driven brother Mike.

Today, it is perhaps the (again cleaned-up) response of a Scottish Daily Telegraph reader to a piece this week by Jim White. Said reader had a real go at Mr White, regarding his article, which criticised Neil Lennon.

Now leaving aside our incredulity at a Celtic supporter reading the "Torygraph" - there are Tories in Scotland, they just don't let-on - said member of the Celtic family rather shot himself in the foot. He was having a go at the Telegraph's Jim White, but thought he was hitting out at the other one - the (allegedly) Rangers-supporting flute band afficianado, who formerly plied his trade for STV and is now to be found on Sky Sports.

An easy mistake to make - Walter Smith once embarrassed himself in front of the massed ranks of the Scottish football media, because he didn't know there were two Kenny Macdonalds in membership of the Scottish Football Writers Association - but, enough meandering, let's cut to the chase.

Telegraph Jim White fell foul of a few Celtic-minded critics, because he suggested that instead of blaming English agents for his failure to sign quality players, he ought to shut up and trust in his young players.

Sound advice, I'd say and to be fair to Lenny, he has given an early season chance to young James Forrest, a product of the club's youth development programme. This is welcome and maybe, after the cheque-book years of the Blessed Martin, the Ginger Whinger and Tony Whatsisname, maybe, once again Celtic will grow their own.

They might never go back to the Kelly Kids and the Quality Street Gang, the youngsters whom Jock Stein made into Legends, but, Forrest will hopefully not be the last Kerrydale Street Kid to be given his chance.

I also have some sympathy for the Lennon view on modern players. Money has always been a factor in football, but today, in England, money has totally ruined the game.

NO players in football operate under greater pressure than those of Celtic and Rangers. Behind them they have fan bases who EXPECT to win every game, in fact they DEMAND that every game be won.

In truth most Rangers' fans don't particularly care how their team wins, just that it does and that, the Protestant team triumphs. From the Celtic end comes the additional pressure to win THE CELTIC WAY, with style and panache.

Then there is the other side of the coin - the demand of the opposition fans that the Glasgow giants be downed, so they, the fans of the underdogs, can enjoy a short spell of gloating. Then there is the challenge the Old Firm players face on the park - because, regardless of the opposition, you can always bet that any Scottish team they face contains two or three Rangers fans: determined either to beat Celtic, or show Rangers they are a better bet for them than the foreign import he is going head-to-head with - and two or three Celtic fans, determined to beat Rangers, or show Celtic he is a better bet for them than the foreign import he is going head-to-head with.

That throws additional pressure onto the import. It's an easier ride to go through the motions, for more money, with a mid-table English club, than submit yourself to the trial by expectation in front of a Glasgow audience which can be as unforgiving as that guy who gave Bernie Winters such a warm welcome all those years ago.
Who cannot forgive them taking this view.

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