The Last Ever Champions' League Game at Ibrox?

[Frankie 8,146]

Travelling to last night's match, a mate remarked that the Stuttgart game could be the last CL match at Ibrox for a while. I replied - only half-jokingly - that it could be the last top level European match there forever.

 

After all, even if we win the SPL title this season and beyond, Scottish clubs' continued poor performances in Europe will lead to the inevitability of more tough qualifying matches making it even more difficult to qualify for the Group Stage of UEFA's premier competition.

 

Since the heady days of the Lisbon Lions, the Barcelona Bears and the, erm, Gothenburg Dons; our national game has fallen backwards to our current situation of being thrashed by Romanians and Slovakians every other year in between the odd point when we do manage to play half-decent. Meanwhile, our national side - once proud regular participants at the final stages of international competitions - is struggling to even finish 3rd in groups we should be qualifying from. Indeed, in less than 30 years, we've gone from competitive leagues and World Cup Finals, to a two team top division and national embarrassment. So where has it went wrong for Scottish football and, more importantly, who is going to fix our problems?

 

I think the first aspect fans of most clubs (or Scotland) can agree on is that our basic abilities appear to be lacking. The simple virtues like passing and controlling a ball, heading accurately and hitting the target when shooting look to be in short supply. Meanwhile, our physical fitness looks as poor as ever meaning we lack strength and pace in a modern game where both these assets are essential. Mentally we also appear weak with confidence fragile and self-belief eradicated. Tactically we struggle to go beyond a counter attacking 4-5-1 where scoring goals to win matches is based more on hope than expectation.

 

These basics are compounded with a lack of exciting, creative players as they're stifled by managers more interested in self-preservation than entertaining. The Jim Baxter's and Jimmy Johnstone's are no longer the staple diet of the Scottish football fan. Even the Graeme Souness' and Kenny Dalglish's are no longer found as manager's prefer headless chickens who work hard to intelligent players who can find space and dictate games. Stifled financially, the very best world players are no longer part of the Scottish Premier League and our home-grown talent struggle to be successful outwith these shores.

 

Obviously, I'm trying my best not to be negative here but the more I write, the more depressed I become. Like the media vultures desperate to gorge on the latest poor display by a home side; it is easier to list faults than offer alternatives. After all why should I offer recommendations when I myself am targeted by our authorities for singing alleged nasty songs; blamed by the media while our safety abroad is ignored; or disrespected by highly paid players who can't even return back from international duty to play for their employer? Thus, how can I be sure my opinion is listened to as I return from another match having spent in excess of �£50?

 

And that's where the blame game comes in. This new, modern culture of 'it's not my fault; what about them?' takes precedent over constructive debate about the future of our game. Scottish football needs huge improvement across the board but unfortunately I don't see much leadership from anyone. The media are only interested in the latest dozen fans singing 'offensive' songs; the authorities are held back by fans (and often directors) of each club complaining about each other; and failed politicians are appointed to chair think-tanks on how to fix the footballing problems. All a bit bizarre and counter-productive. But also the norm in modern Scotland.

 

Ergo, the question remains unanswered - where has it went wrong for Scottish football and, more importantly, who is going to fix our problems? Well, this year this website (with the help of others in the community) concentrated on Rangers' specific problems by putting together and submitting our STS report (1) regarding our challenges. Acknowledged by the club hierarchy at the time; I can only assume it's gathering dust somewhere as the arguments reign over who runs the club and who is genuinely interested in buying it.

 

In a more general attempt at improvement for our game, six months ago I also forwarded the report to Henry McLeish (yes, the failed politician mentioned earlier) for the latest 'think-tank' debating Scotland's national support (2). In his own words: ""I want this to be the biggest conversation on the future of football in this country. I want it to be the talk of the terraces, discussed in boardrooms at every club, talked about in the corridors of power, but I also want the rank and file supporters to be involved." Can you guess what reply I've had?

 

Add in an ever-increasing finance gap then Scottish football participation at the group/final stages has arguably all but finished with Manchester, Seville and France for our club and national sides. That is a sobering thought that should worry us all - no matter which club we support. The current financial challenge facing our most successful club and the less fashionable ones further down the divisions are challenges we all share so it is vital we do so together.

 

To be fair, McLeish's report on his review is not due until the end of January 2010 so perhaps the generic suggestions we put together will be mentioned then as I'm sure we wouldn't have been the only ones making certain recommendations. The pressure is certainly on but hopefully we can start to yield the improvement required to make us competitive again via positive debate instead of the gratuitous negativity we often read nowadays by people who hypocritically complain about our national sport while making a fast buck from its problems.

 

What is for sure is that 2010 should be a water-shed in terms of giving us an indication of the long term future of Scottish football and how we can achieve improvement. As such, while the title of this article is somewhat polemic it isn't as far from the truth as we'd like it to be. Therefore, I challenge everyone mentioned in (and those reading) this article to prove it is wrong.

 

 

(1) - http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/STS_short.pdf

 

(2) - http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=950&newsID=4643

Edited November 25, 2009 by Frankie

[elderslieblue 0]

QUOTE: "To be fair, McLeish's report on his review is not due until the end of January 2010 so perhaps the generic suggestions we put together will be mentioned then as I'm sure we wouldn't have been the only ones making certain recommendations. "

 

Frankie, it might be "due" then but will it ever see the light of day ? Or will it be like the last investigation into the state of our game [carried out at great cost by several 'experts' ] and never published ?

 

I can tell you right now what the main conclusion will be..................'there are several recommendations the committee can make but due to the current financial situation this is not posssible.They should be implemented when they can be afforded".

 

Turkeys don't vote for Christmas and it's blindingly obvious that Scotland doesn't need an SFA, SPL, SFL. It needs ONE governing body.

 

Been there. Read the book, etc, etc.

 

[Frankie 8,146]

No doubt about it EB...

 

Which is exactly why the media need to write the right thing while the fans (including the likes of Hamish Husband) need to stop pointing the finger at each other and unite to put these fat cats under genuine pressure.

[elderslieblue 0]

No doubt about it EB...

 

Which is exactly why the media need to write the right thing while the fans (including the likes of Hamish Husband) need to stop pointing the finger at each other and unite to put these fat cats under genuine pressure.

 

Several years ago when the mhanks got taken over by Ben Turpin and pulled themselves away from receivership I really, REALLY hoped we'd get together and make a push against the governing bodies in this country to say, "F@ck this. WE put the money into the game here. The rest of you are gonna have to change how things are done".

 

I'm old enough to remeber the postscripts after the shambles in Argentina [or further back when the development of our game was questioned by supporters and Press after a 'diddy' Holland team stuck 4 past us at Hampden ] and can guarantee that the square root of hee-haw will change after [if] this report is published in January.

 

Sorry to sound defeatist or depressing but I think know how the clowns running our game operate.

[rbr 1,247]

The Irony of our continual fall from grace in european terms is not all doom and gloom if you win the league , the way Platini's changes work is that if we as a country fall to 16th place we do indeed only recieve one place in the c/l , however we would then be seeded against much easier countries and away from the super powers , that's one reason Zurich , Macabi Haifa and Debrecen all made it this year , where we do not want to be is for Scotland to finish 14th or 15th then you still have qualification matches against the big boys and as last night shows we are not ready for that

[Frankie 8,146]

The Irony of our continual fall from grace in european terms is not all doom and gloom if you win the league , the way Platini's changes work is that if we as a country fall to 16th place we do indeed only recieve one place in the c/l , however we would then be seeded against much easier countries and away from the super powers , that's one reason Zurich , Macabi Haifa and Debrecen all made it this year , where we do not want to be is for Scotland to finish 14th or 15th then you still have qualification matches against the big boys and as last night shows we are not ready for that

 

Yeah, I'm not an expert on the latest regulations and seedings from UEFA/FIFA but suffice to say if we're falling down the rankings that far then our problems will be getting bigger instead of smaller. Moreover, if we're reliant on UEFA not changing their rules while we sit in <16th place then that is a very dangerous situation to be in.

 

As I said in the article, the threat title is an exaggeration but it's the kind of succinct analysis that may not be all that inaccurate unless we get the finger out across the board in Scotland. Looking to the rules and seedings to save us isn't the best way to find improvement.

 

[rbr 1,247]

Yeah, I'm not an expert on the latest regulations and seedings from UEFA/FIFA but suffice to say if we're falling down the rankings that far then our problems will be getting bigger instead of smaller. Moreover, if we're reliant on UEFA not changing their rules while we sit in <16th place then that is a very dangerous situation to be in.

 

As I said in the article, the threat title is an exaggeration but it's the kind of succinct analysis that may not be all that inaccurate unless we get the finger out across the board in Scotland. Looking to the rules and seedings to save us isn't the best way to find improvement.

 

 

I totally agree but for far too long Scotland as a whole has relied on the old firm , and during the last 12 years Rangers have accounted for over 52% of the coeficcient points alone . However the point is valid from a purely selfish point bof view we would much better fall to 16th and get an easy draw than finish second in the league but get the draw from hell and it is something that UEFA should be lookinfg at.

[maineflyer 0]

Actually, you could make a case for worse things in football than the state of the Scottish game. You can no longer trust officials at the top level, whether it's club or country and a whole lot of results seem strangely 'pre-ordained', if you'll forgive the pun. Corruption is rife, money and greed dictate everything, and debt grows by the day. Fat bastards get fatter and the rest, including ourselves, are starved of funds and sidelined. How long do you think this will run before it flys up its own arse. I'll give it ten years, tops, before either debt or boredom kills the golden goose.

[Zappa 0]

Actually, you could make a case for worse things in football than the state of the Scottish game. You can no longer trust officials at the top level, whether it's club or country and a whole lot of results seem strangely 'pre-ordained', if you'll forgive the pun. Corruption is rife, money and greed dictate everything, and debt grows by the day. Fat bastards get fatter and the rest, including ourselves, are starved of funds and sidelined. How long do you think this will run before it flys up its own arse. I'll give it ten years, tops, before either debt or boredom kills the golden goose.

It might not even be anywhere near 10 years MF. The total revenue for the EPL is around �£2bn p/a, but it's total outgoing in player wages alone is well over �£1.5bn, while it's clubs have amassed debts of around �£4bn. It's a bubble that can't keep growing indefinitely. It'll either need to let out serious amounts of air or it'll burst.

[rbr 1,247]

It might not even be anywhere near 10 years MF. The total revenue for the EPL is around �£2bn p/a, but it's total outgoing in player wages alone is well over �£1.5bn, while it's clubs have amassed debts of around �£4bn. It's a bubble that can't keep growing indefinitely. It'll either need to let out serious amounts of air or it'll burst.

 

 

Zappa on Talksport a few weeks ago they were discussing the fact that 7 clubs were technically insolvent and that Liverpool were given a special 1 year license to play due to their debt , last nights result wont help one bit