26th of foot

Used to host, 'Tic Talk'; actually, still does.

Gerry has worked hard. of course, Radio Snyde is the very place to be Peter's man. Thirty years of Cooney, Martin, Delahunt, .................... and now Gerry McFcukwit. Well done Gerry, I hope you can negotiate the burst cadavers of Stephen McGowan, Chris McLaughlin, Paul Quigley, ....................... etc lying outside Peter's door? Oh, and Gerry, whilst washing Peter's car; remember, he likes three coats of wax.

Gerry has worked hard. of course, Radio Snyde is the very place to be Peter's man. Thirty years of Cooney, Martin, Delahunt, .................... and now Gerry McFcukwit. Well done Gerry, I hope you can negotiate the burst cadavers of Stephen McGowan, Chris McLaughlin, Paul Quigley, ....................... etc lying outside Peter's door? Oh, and Gerry, whilst washing Peter's car; remember, he likes three coats of wax.

............ and missed Little Feat!!!!!!! To be fair, I was corresponding last evening with a few old mates, and we reckon a pint was still under 30 pence in '75. Probably, 27/28p in the Union. Mates with better memories also revealed the six bands in order of appearance that day were : Widowmaker(fronted by the Love Affair's Steve Ellis), the Streetwalkers, the Outlaws, Little Feat, Alex Harvey, and the Who.

The piece is by Stacey Mullen of the Herald. Clearly, Stacey does NOT do irony. A decade past, the then self styled, 'Showbiz Stacey' had just graduated and doing her cub reporter bit on a local rag. She was a regular on the cobbles of Ashton Lane and known to broadcast her views, loud and proud. Her social media broadcasts reinforced her love of brave Provos, hatred of H-u-ns and Dobbers, and pyoor love o ra Sellik. Of course, Stacey quickly moved to vicTIM status, those nasty Rangers supporters had looked into her open accounts and exposed her. I remember there was a picture of a bleached blond, corkscrewed hair, Showbiz Stacey dancing with a fag in her mitt, classy girl! Recently informed, her biggest, bestest mate in journalism is Jane Hamilton, yep that Jane Hamilton. Imagine such a wretch interviewing a copper on social media vigilance?

Oh well, substitute Ted McDougall for Rossiter. Seriously, I think O'Halloran's pace and ability to take the team 40-50 yards up the pitch should be utilised, somehow?

I detect a sense of foreboding among fellow Bears, the coming weekend will be negotiated with trepidation. Predicting the course of the emotional roller-coaster is littered with caveats. We can survive that first sudden dip and acute bend if Barton remains focused. Enduring the corkscrew experience will be easier if O'Halloran's pace regularly takes the team up the park. We can be beneficiaries of the cooling water splash if referee, Wullie Collum stands up to the certain inTIMidation. It will intensify in the final hour, the grinding cogs carry the cradle higher, team news is released, speculation on formation provides moments of calm, immediately follow followed by a rush of impending doom. Constantly, I am admiring of the wild cock-eyed optimist. He sits in the very front seat of leading carriage, drink and hot dog in hand. Between bites and gulps, breathless assurances are issued to fellow travelers; most of his energy expended gesticulating towards the opposition. How do they do it? In my professional life, there was an acceptance on the super fine dividing line between genuine leadership and behaviour akin to throwing sh1te at the moon. Admittedly, I tend to objective appreciation. I have approached a number of these games over the seasons having made a pact with all gods and devils to accept the necessary punishment as long as the defeat is respectable. The League Cup semi-final two years past, saw me watching the clock and willing it to run faster and keep the score at 0-2. Today, I am serene, the clocking slaps of the winding gear is lost amid the noise of my imagination. Can we go there and win? The caveats are demanding, keep it tight for twenty minutes, deny supply to their pace by being all over Rogic like a bad rash, and score first. We must notch first, and second! Even if that were to occur, I would be demanding the ref' blow the whistle. Secure the victory, there are three months to immerse ourselves in the warm waters of triumphalism. What if they go ahead, can we recover? In over fifty years of these fixtures, I know the Yahoos are most adept at reinforcing success. They can ride the crest of that particular wave. However, the last few months have thrown up awkward and inconvenient obstacles in the progress of glittering Sellik's seamless ride. Their obsession with zombies is a collective fantasy; but defeat to Lincoln Red Imps was a reality, as was the rag dolling they endured in Israel, and last season's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat continues to burn. There are very real frailties in their team and it's up to our management team to ensure the side can prevail of the opportunities presented. Like the semi-final, we must find a way to play the majority of the game in their half. Possession must be retained and the diagonal swith regularly executed. As is often in my previews, I look to times past and games that seem to mirror today's situation. The autumn of '74 saw very similar circumstances, we had not won at ra Piggery for six years. A young Billy Jardine had starred in a deserved 2-4 mauling in September'68. The seasons in between were devoid of victory and swagger. Stein's side pinned us back and played in and around. We could not get beyond and at their vulnerable central defence. Both club and support mindset seemed to be accepting the inevitable. I had resolved not to attend, I was matriculating the Friday before, my first Freshers' Week and that would be enough interference. Aye right! Waiting for my photie to be taken, a school mate attending another faculty approached and announced he had a spare ticket. Further, he thrust a copy of the NME towards adding, "and this will be our second visit there this season". Nine months hence, a day long concert of six bands were playing Sellik Park for the outrageous price of £5. The Who were headlining, Alex Harvey was the support act, and the other three groups did not inspire. I worshiped at the altar of the Small Faces, they replicated the classic Booker T and the MGs line up. The Who were lumpen, here's the loud bit, followed by the quiet bit, there's no soul. Steve Marriott was the man and only a week later when Lowell George's(the next best thing to Stevie) Little Feat were announced as the sixth band, did I decide to find a fiver. Standing on the terrace that was the third of the jungle allocated to Bears, the Jock Wallace team announcement was bewildering. He was starting with Cutty Young and Graham Fyfe up front, and handing a debut to young midfielder, Ian McDougall. We regarded the front pair as wide players and knew nothing about the soon to become Ted McD. The first half revealed the plan, Cutty and Johan(Fyfe) began every phase up against central defenders, McNeill and Fat Pat McLuskey, then break quickly into the deserted full back areas. Ted would stride through into the box. Colin and I hugged, we had a plan. Half time murmurings were morose, born'n'bred bluenose, Kenny Dal' had struck again and were one down. Our fellow Bears were undaunted, the noise being generated from the Rangers end at the start of the second half wason amplifiers turned up to eleven. I remember a Pepsi Cola parasol being tossed around the swaying masses. Just before the hour, Cutty slapped Fat Pat and broke wide, Johan had dropped deeper, trailing Big Seezur with him, and Ted strode through on Johan's reverse pass. McDougal struck low from the edge of the box and ball found the inside of post, and subsequently, the net. Dennis Connaghan rushed to the edge of the penalty area D to berate a hapless Seezur, I rushed to the bottom of the terrace to remind Dennis, that he like his skipper was, "a useless cnut". Sellik became hesitant, the confidence was draining, and Bomber Jackson nodding a Calimero corner into the top corner; saw the Pepsi parasol finally settle track side. I think both Jim Brogan and Derek Parlane saw red? It didn't matter, the momentum had switched. we won the N'erday fixture 3-zip, and the season culminated in a league championship win at Easter Road, our first in 11 years. As you can imagine, the residual exuberance carried us through and anaesthetised me during the thrashing sound of the Who. Six of us pitched up and we took individual and collective delights dependent upon the group on stage. We were standing on a system of tarpaulins covering the pitch. Bobby's maw worked for Lanarkshire school dinners and had secured a large catering tin of tangerines. It was a 12 hour day and you could take in your own refreshment and sustenance. During Alex Harvey's over-wrought performance, we decided to tear the tarp' and dig down 3-4 feet, and buried the can intact. Over the decades, I suspect this act has kept me warmer in bed of a winter's evening, than our deserved 1-2 win. My team for Saturday would be : Foderingham, Tavernier, Wallace, Senderos, Kiernan, McKay, Barton, Kranjcar, Forrester, Rossiter, and Miller.

Four years ago, there was a bar/restaurant in Drury Street that decided to place blackboards outside the premises, advertising, 'Free Jelly and Ice Cream'. The Herald's Gerry Braiden decided to highlight this in his jolly craicster fashion. The Bar manager quipped the light hearted banter line, the readership were urged to book tables for the coming Sunday afternoon live coverage of a Hibs/Sellik fixture, and triumphalism was guaranteed. A mate logged on to TripAdvisor and penned a withering review reference food, ambiance, service, ............... and the surly manager's determination to continue watching a televised football match, despite customers' demands. It seems many took the lead, and the reviews became more damning. The establishment fell to a ranking of 37th out of 37 in city centre. Three months later, it closed/was rebranded under new management and staff.

The Rangers News was always telling us that Ally was, 'some chanter' when karaoke beckoned. Maybe Ally should seriously explore becoming a chanteur of chanson? A duet with the little sparrow is a must.

Serendipity! My OP bangs on in part about ra Sellik having services provided by proxy from both the Record and BBC Scotland. The Record scam with McFarlane is borrowed from BBC Scotland. Back in the day, they provided a platform for Fanzine Editors every weekend. Each of the then ten Premier Division clubs would be represented over a two hour slot. The likes of Jum Spence(The Final Huirdle), Div McDonald(Pie and Bovril), Gerry Dunbar(Not the View)............... were regulars. Again, BBC Scotland had difficulty securing anyone for the Rangers gig. Both George McGhee(Number One) and Mark Dingwall(FollowFollow) refused to legitimise an excuse to boot our club and support on a weekly basis. BBC Scotland found their answer in a Largs school janitor presented as, 'Jason - the h-u-n with a heart'. Over two years, we had to listen to a BBC Scotland Producer pretend to be both a janny and a Bear.

The Record had difficulty in securing a Bear to provide a weekly take/blog on all things Rangers. A lad from the Edinburgh area, Jonny McFarlane secured the gig and was presented as a Bear. After his take on the Scottish Cup Final aftermath, McFarlane was outed as a Hibee.

For almost six years, I did the RST presentations. We had several RSCs at a time in the Wee Rangers Club, travelled all around the country to individual RSCs, and even presented at NARSA in Naples and Las Vegas. The first year, I was looking for the finisher that would tip the audience over to, 'rid our club of Murray' mode. I thought the Club Deck saga was a bad deal for Rangers and it had MIM supplying the steel. As a conclusion, it laid an egg. Bears rationalised it as being good for Rangers, the Deck was aesthetically pleasing, it increased the capacity, and the concourse was first class. The second year, we hit on Azure Catering Services and if a coach had been provided, Charlotte Square would have been stormed. Caroline Black saw the opportunity, Ibrox could seat over 1,000 for match day hospitality. The kitchens were in situ, had been paid for by Rangers, but were lying fallow for a fortnight at a time. Utilise the kitchens seven days a week and provide stadia catering all over the UK. She took the idea to Murray and the 95% equity holder in Azure became, David E Murray. At the end of three years, Azure was supplying 37 grounds(cricket, rugby league, speedway, ....... etc), the turnover was £14.5million, profit of £2.5million. Caroline Black extrapolated that the next three year period would see growth to turnover in excess of £40million, with an annual profit of £6million. We had Nick Peel at retail at the time, and it was clearing a profit of £6.5million(second only to Man U in the UK). Those two several million pound profit pillars were going to keep a mighty fine roof over the old stadium. However, the catering profit did not go to the club. However, the club was responsible for the repair and replacement of the kitchens. In meetings with Murray, I suspect he was embarrassed by the success of Azure. Bain and McClelland were letting everyone know that David had decided to sell off the company. We heard a French holding company had bought it, registered in Nice. Of course, David was not so embarrassed that he would forego such profits, the majority equity was in the name of a Provencal vineter. I have been a member of Bar'72 since the day it opened. I believe Azure continues to provide the catering? The food has an appealing look, but every time I am tempted, I hear that trumpet blowing.

Wullie was the RE teacher at the very same denominational school that BBC Scotland Chief Football Reporter, Chris McLaughlin attended.

Ah, the blandly repeated, "due to the ongoing problems between Rangers and the BBC" is our sustenance. Meanwhile, BBC Scotland are delighted to fund ra Sellik's marketing strategy, utilising license fee payers monies.

Gordon Waddell continues on the path of least(no) resistance. The Daily Record/Sunday Mail provides an increasingly shaky platform for Gordon to vent his anger on all things Rangers. As the circulation continues to drop, the symbiotic relationship with ra Sellik becomes more important. Continuing to print increasing numbers of matchday programmes , Sellik Views(it's the Brendan feelgood factor don't ya kno'), and other titbits pushed their way; might just be the required ballast to keep the good ship, 'Record' afloat? Now, Gordon supports a diddy club(Falkirk) and worships at the altar of the old firm being two cheeks of the same arse. Thus, Gordon is fearless in spitting venom at ra Sellik too, isn't he? Well, Gordon knows and is constantly reminded by his Editor(it's no longer your brother, Bruce) to remain withing the agreed parameters. He can continue to punch Rangers on the face, a pursuit he never tires of; and big up the Hibees at the same time. If Gordon could only sink the boot in a bit harder, and with some more frequency; then a job at BBC Scotland awaits. Ask Tom, Hugh, Big Stu' how rewarding it is to adhere absolutely on message?

Here's the gig back in the day. Once a month, a sublime marketing strategy was enacted in your street. A shambling man, replete in bunnet, string tied and patch repaired overcoat, shod in odd wellies; would sit atop a horse and cart. He wheeled the rig to the optimum point and stepped back on to the flatbed. He reached for a piece of bent and bashed brass, then took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and let forth with a long doleful note. This Pavlovian cry demanded all children pester their mother to supply discarded old clothing. You took your bundle towards the breathless cove, and he rewarded yo with a balloon. Often, I have wondered the Dragon Den response to a pitch of such simplicity? Of course, David Murray refined the strategy. After, having decided to be be heavily influenced by Conrad Black. Yep, Davy sounded the horn twice a year, at the AGM and end of season flag party. Tales of selfless investment droned, the higher notes were private jets and succulent lamb, concluded with a crescendo of doing best for Rangers. The bugle sounded and the balloons were waved. I arrived and climbed the stairs at Annie Millers, it was the inaugural meeting of four persons embarking upon a nine month journey to launch the Rangers Supporters Trust. The Barmaid followed, noted the coolness of the room, rectified it by lighting the gas heater. She apologised that the room remained in a state of moderate distress, a function's detritus of glasses and balloons littered the bar. Two hours later, we had listed the 17 companies providing services to our club, all had David E Murray as majority shareholder. We did calculations based on provided figures reference the club's stationary contract serviced by Primus(guess who owned Primus). We reckoned for every pound being invested by Murray, his companies were taking £11.70 out. Leaving Millers, I burst the balloons. I spent five years on a mission to burst everyone of David's balloons, it was meagre reward offered in a doleful off tone. Recently, I have been hearing the clarion call again, emanating from the national broadcaster. A marketing strategy sounded on a challenging note. It's a variation on the question, 'have you stopped beating your wife'? The usual suspects are peppering discourse with key phrases, 'Celtic's champions league journey is for the good of all Scottish football', 'Celtic are doing it for Scotland' and, 'we should all be grateful to Celtic for bringing the glamour of champions league nights back to Scotland'. Pat Bonner knows there are Rangers supporters out there that will never accept such phraseology, but would like to hear from supporters of other clubs willing to offer Celtic all the best. Surprisingly, the Producers have found such fans. Tom English wants those not enthrall to explain their objections? Ah, those sonorous soothing tones of the emerald isle! These last two weekends, the blawing oan ra trumpet has begun to rasp. Big Rheinhart Gordon spent half time at the live commentary of his beloved Aberdeen and ra Sellik, reading from the scoreboards. He informed the listenership of the prices of the champions league three game package, for each stand, including the various concessions. Did a Producer prompt? That evening, Cosgrove and Cowan hosted Hugh MacDonald, and he was most anxious to spend ninety minutes telling us, "of the fantastic value the the three game package was". He ran comparisons with both theatre and concert tickets. Cowan forwarded some Hydro ticket prices. Cosgrove congratulated Celtic for staying in touch with their support, "very reasonably priced". Stu' went further, he knows several Manchester City fans that no longer attend, don't care because they have been priced out. I should remind Gersnetters that Cosgrove claimed to know two former season ticket holders at Ibrox who no longer attend because they do not consider Rangers to be the same club. It was the same night Stu' interviewed Gordon the Jambo from Glasgow who recited the songs sung that day during their victory at Tynecastle over Rangers. If you believe Gordon the Jambo was anything other than a Pacific Quay Producer, then you believe Keith Vaz is a good choice to Chair the Standards Committee? The blast of brass became louder on Saturday, the dynamic duo opened the show with an apology to Pat Bonner. Their Producer demanded they assuage Paddy's sensitivities because the week before thay had referred to Packi as, 'an official ambassador of Celtic football club'. Despite Bonner justifying every award to ra Sellik, citing every decision against as a calumny, encouraging both Tom and Liam(McLeod) to join in with the cheerleading, and littering his commentary with the pronoun, 'we'; Pat is offended and the Producer ensured justice was done. The next two hours saw Keith Warwick as their guest. He is the leading actor/cohort in, 'Celtic - the Musical'. Yep, Celtic FC are the Producers and timings, dates, prices(including concessions), and locations were duly broadcast. As ra Sellik have done with the Daily Record, cowed them with 'Thugs and Thieves' and now allow them to provide the service of printing the matchday programme and ra Sellik View; BBC Scotland now provide the marketing service. I wonder, can any Gersnetter provide the service of a photograph depicting BBC Scotland's Chief Football Reporter, Chris McLaughlin blowing with gusto on the Ragman's trumpet? All those providing will be rewarded with a balloon.

It's a race to the bottom for Mikey. Waiting there and always available for self-help group meetings and hugs, is Gerald Ratner.

Well, I refer to the posting on Bella Caledonia from a month past. At that point, 40 arrests had been made by Police Scotland, the vast majority based upon released imagery. The poster assured the readership that 36 of the 40 were Rangers supporters, based on geographical addresses. The post was removed within the hour, because the speculation was it emanated from a PF Office. The Pie and Bovril site ran with the information in a triumphalist manner for a few hours, then deleted the thread. The next part is anecdotal, I spoke with an old school friend who is neither a Bear, nor a Hibee. He is a recently retired senior police officer. He described Police Scotland as a Curate's egg, good in parts. He thought the 36 out of 40 figure was likely because the Glasgow part of the force were efficient with imagery, selecting and processing. He reckoned Edinburgh would be behind the curve, but would catch up ie the later images would be Hibs supporters. It would appear the Justice system is seeking parity on the numbers. Equal empirical evidence equals equality of blame. Reference our players being assaulted, we have to rely on the players union demanding the necessary answers.

The SFA cannot do anything about it, because it did not happen. I believe Police Scotland have arrested 64 folks on the field, none have been charged with assaulting players. A timeline on this topic would be useful. On a related matter, the recent Hearts/Sellik fixture at Tynecastle fallout continues. Today's Herald is offering the CCTV system at Tynecastle does not record sound, thus complaints of sectarian chanting cannot be progressed. The ten day delay and changes to the SPFL Observer's report are not dealt with; but again, if it did not happen, what can be done? The Emperor's new clothes indeed!

It's official. Police Scotland will NOT be arresting any Hibs fans with the specific charge of assaulting Rangers players. It did NOT happen. There is footage and stills showing the events, but these are false images and memories. We can only hope the Players' Union decide to pursue a very real injustice?

I note that Ruth Dudley-Edwards in today's Belfast Telegraph links the vandalism of Jewish graves directly with ra Yahoos anti-Israel demonstration before the Ber shava game. I can see Hamas issuing another letter of congratulations to the Green Brigade. Do not expect anyone involved in either the Scottish broadcast or print media to report either of the above, let alone amplify it.

As Albert King sang, 'I was born under a bad sign'; conditioned to be caught, again, and again.

I admit, I am remiss.

It's a leadership issue. The club and/or Club 1872 MUST provide the necessary leadership. It's difficult because it requires fighting simultaneously on both fronts. Simply, point out the very real implications in the current political situation, of continuing to sing this song with unchanged lyrics. I prefer, 'we are up to our eyes in BBC Scotland lies'. Ask the question, why continue to shoot ourselves in both feet and the head? We can see from Police Scotland and the Justice Minister's reaction to the Scottish Cup final that no Hibs supporter will be arrested, let alone charged with assaulting a Rangers player at Hampden. The evidence and the figures will not be allowed to show it occurred. Similarly, sectarianism will be a Rangers problem, the figures and evidence will show it. Individual and collective discipline is an absolute, to allow the fight to be undertaken on the other front. On Friday night, the usual suspects ploughed a well rehearsed furrow. Tom English was flagging it up on BBC Radio Scotland, Neil Cameron included it in his match report, BT Sport apologising, ..... etc. I suspect the SPFL Observer had signaled inclusion in his/her report. Ten years past at Inverness, it was the same MO. John Barnes offered BBC Scotland's listeners an apology, then assured them that Chick Young would be tasked to find the Observer, Alan Dick and ensure the chanting was included in his report. Naming the Observer paints a target on his back and also ensures the report would be submitted timeously on Monday morning. Saturday night/Sunday morning saw the usual suspects supporting the actions, thus reinforcing and legitimising the actions. Sellik's first game of the season at Tynecastle was awkward, it's a bi-annual IRA kara-oke. Ten days after that game, the SPFL Observer's report had still not been received. In fact, we did not know the name of the Observer. It was suspected that Sellik's go-to Observer, Ricky Gray had been called upon again? Yep, it was Ricky and no mention was made of the chanting, again. Why so late, was the report changed, was it originally inconvenient, will Ricky be used again, when so, ......................... etc? This is information that both Rangers and Club 1872 should be putting out and extrapolating upon. It will aid the demand for discipline on the other front. Last season in the Scottish Cup, we played Killie and their fans indulged in a few choruses of the Killie Boys. The usual suspects got excited and began demands for action against Rangers supporters. It was quickly doused on realisation it was Kilmarnock fans singing; but no one explained their comfort or lack of, at a grouping proclaiming their purpose to wade knee deep in Ayr United blood. Dundee fans are knee deep in United blood, Jambos in Hibee blood, ......etc. This would be a good place for the club/club 1872 to start, before progressing to SPFL Observers and their takes on IRA Kara-oke.

Jason Holt started the first game of the season at Fir Park, picked up an injury, and missed the next few games. He re-appeared on the bench, came off the it against Peterhead, then disappeared again. Obviously, there is an injury, a persistent/niggling/not diagnosed affair? I think a fit Jason would solve an aspect of our midfield problems. His runs and the positions he takes between opposition lines, creates the angles necessary for purposeful passing. Often, the longer a player is out, the better he becomes. I suspect not with Holt. Do any fellow Gersnetters know the nature of this injury and the effect on his general fitness(very little competitive game time)? Thanks in advance.