Ah well, they've got the Scottish Cup final against Queen of the South on Saturday to look forward to. Surely they won't mess that one up... will they?
So, Celtic have got their 3 titles in a row, vindicating Gordon Strachan and catching out We Love Fitba, who called it for Rangers a month ago. Sorry about that...
In fact, this blog should have stayed with its predictions at the beginning of the season. Not totally accurate, but not wholly wrong either!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Rangers still hoping for a party
As things stand, Manchester Utd won't be allowed to parade the Champions League trophy from the top deck of a bus. The trouble in the streets following the UEFA Cup final has scuppered that idea. It would be ironic, no, if Rangers find themselves driving around Govan in the next few days, with potentially 3 domestic trophies to show off.
So to tonight's decider, with Rangers off to Aberdeen and Celtic at Tannadice. A helicopter will be hovering above the North East, ready to swoop down with the trophy as soon as the destination of the title is decided.
We love fitba declared for Rangers some weeks ago, back when they had a 7 point lead, 1 game in hand, and looked unassailable. This may have been premature. Their subsequent wobble (and Celtic's 6 wins in a row) has put the ugly sisters level on points, but Celtic's superior goal difference makes them favourites.
Of course, everyone's assuming Aberdeen and Dundee Utd will just roll over and get beat, but Craig Levein has been particularly outspoken on this issue. Jimmy Calderwood may struggle to motivate a squad he has publicly criticised more than once, but the Arabs are making all the right noises about putting up a fight.
If that happens, Celtic could find themselves with the trickier encounter this evening. And Rangers could still win the title. We've not got it wrong yet.
So to tonight's decider, with Rangers off to Aberdeen and Celtic at Tannadice. A helicopter will be hovering above the North East, ready to swoop down with the trophy as soon as the destination of the title is decided.
We love fitba declared for Rangers some weeks ago, back when they had a 7 point lead, 1 game in hand, and looked unassailable. This may have been premature. Their subsequent wobble (and Celtic's 6 wins in a row) has put the ugly sisters level on points, but Celtic's superior goal difference makes them favourites.
Of course, everyone's assuming Aberdeen and Dundee Utd will just roll over and get beat, but Craig Levein has been particularly outspoken on this issue. Jimmy Calderwood may struggle to motivate a squad he has publicly criticised more than once, but the Arabs are making all the right noises about putting up a fight.
If that happens, Celtic could find themselves with the trickier encounter this evening. And Rangers could still win the title. We've not got it wrong yet.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Violence in Manchester exposes Daily Record bias
It's been obvious for years that certain sections of the Scottish press bias their coverage in favour of the Old Firm. Not just in terms of coverage - you'd expect those 2 to dominate the headlines, much as the Big 4 do in England - but editorially as well. Rangers have had the Daily Record in their back pocket for as long as anyone can remember, always handy when you want to unsettle a player at another club or promote your interests.
Yet, you'd assume that there are limits. No matter how cosy the relationship, basic journalistic integrity would ensure that at least an attempt at impartiality remained. Nope, not so. The Daily Ranger has been exposed for the propaganda rag it truly is.
Most media outlets described last Wednesday's violence in Manchester thus: huge crowds, unfortunate technical hitch, question marks over the planning of the event, shocking violence. While there were clearly lessons to be learned for the organisers and the police, it was clear that the Rangers supporters had gone way over the top. End of story.
Well, not in the Record, which last week led an impassioned defence of the Rangers supporters, while also claiming that it wasn't even Rangers supporters who were causing the trouble (work that one out). No, according to their editorial, "almost none of the ringleaders wore club colours or spoke with a Scottish accent. There were, however, many English and Northern Irish accents."
You can spot the obvious flaws. One being that casuals don't wear colours. Another being - roughly half the population of Northern Ireland are Rangers fans. And you also have to ask - how did the Daily Ranger know this? I'm not sure the police have identified the ring leaders yet (although you can bet they are working on it). How did the paper know?
Read an excellent article in the Scotland on Sunday by Tom English about the Manchester violence here.
And to remind yourself what happened, watch this. Or this.
Belatedly, the Daily Ranger put up their own video of the events, handily contextualised with vox pops of supporters saying how bad the organisation was, and an interview with the chief copper in Manchester cut off just before she starts to describe the violence of the fans.
Yet, you'd assume that there are limits. No matter how cosy the relationship, basic journalistic integrity would ensure that at least an attempt at impartiality remained. Nope, not so. The Daily Ranger has been exposed for the propaganda rag it truly is.
Most media outlets described last Wednesday's violence in Manchester thus: huge crowds, unfortunate technical hitch, question marks over the planning of the event, shocking violence. While there were clearly lessons to be learned for the organisers and the police, it was clear that the Rangers supporters had gone way over the top. End of story.
Well, not in the Record, which last week led an impassioned defence of the Rangers supporters, while also claiming that it wasn't even Rangers supporters who were causing the trouble (work that one out). No, according to their editorial, "almost none of the ringleaders wore club colours or spoke with a Scottish accent. There were, however, many English and Northern Irish accents."
You can spot the obvious flaws. One being that casuals don't wear colours. Another being - roughly half the population of Northern Ireland are Rangers fans. And you also have to ask - how did the Daily Ranger know this? I'm not sure the police have identified the ring leaders yet (although you can bet they are working on it). How did the paper know?
Read an excellent article in the Scotland on Sunday by Tom English about the Manchester violence here.
And to remind yourself what happened, watch this. Or this.
Belatedly, the Daily Ranger put up their own video of the events, handily contextualised with vox pops of supporters saying how bad the organisation was, and an interview with the chief copper in Manchester cut off just before she starts to describe the violence of the fans.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Throwback UEFA Cup Final proves match too far for Rangers
Last night's UEFA Cup Final was curiously reminiscent of the way European finals used to be. It harked back to a time before football was utterly dominated by money, with clubs from outside the biggest, richest Leagues able to get to the final. Of course, it's new money that is powering the resurgence of Russia's clubs, but Zenit St Petersburg lived up to the reputation of Eastern European clubs in the 80s and early 90s - mysterious, full of players unknown in Britain, and technically superior.
Interesting, too, that both clubs' line-ups would have qualified under Sepp Blatter's proposed 6+5 rule, designed to promote home-grown players instead of foreigners. Zenit, being owned by Gazprom and thus effecively a state-owned club, provide many of the players for the Russian national team, while Rangers have rediscovered how to buy Scottish after years of costly imports got them deeper and deeper into debt.
Rangers were also faithful to the traditional tactics employed by teams in finals - do everything not to lose a goal, and then try and win on penalties. In the old days, this was achieved through liberal use of the backpass to the keeper and cynical tackling from behind - both now outlawed.
Nowadays, it's done by giving one man the responsibility to attack, and instructing everyone else to defend in depth. Walter Smith - after teasing that he might employ a more adventurous line-up - was true to form, setting Rangers up to frustrate and disrupt at all costs.
This has been the plan throughout this campaign, and of course it has worked a treat - just so long as the opponents haven't scored. Last night, we got a chance to find out if there was a Plan B, and the answer was... no, not really.
Zenit finally made their breakthrough in the 72nd minute, and what followed next was bizarre. For the next 4 minutes, a suddenly silent stadium looked on as Smith made notes in his chair, deep in discussion with his assistants. The Rangers fans, who'd been so noisy throughout, had gone silent just when their team needed them most, but then they probably knew by then that the game was up. On the pitch, lacking any direction or encouragement from the dug out, the players looked very, very lost.
At long last, the reaction came, Smith sending on 3 strikers in quick succession to try and rescue the game. But he'd left it too late... Zenit, now full of confidence, mopped up everything with ease, and scored a decisive second goal in injury time. They deserved to win.
Sadly, the match was a reminder of earlier times for different reasons, too. As more and more footage comes out from last night's violence in Manchester city centre, it becomes less and less possible to blame the trouble on a few neds getting angry when one of the large tv screens failed. Hundreds of Rangers fans ran running battles with the coppers, throwing objects and doing much to undermine the "carnival" atmosphere that had been reported during the afternoon.
Few people in Scotland are surprised, sadly. The build up to the match had focused on the racist attitudes of the Russian fans, but the likelihood of trouble if Rangers lost was always there.
The truth, not often mentioned, is that not all Celtic fans behaved in exemplary fashion when they lost the UEFA Cup final in Seville in 2003. But, although there was some bad behaviour, there was little violence.
Today, Rangers should be basking in approval for their achievement in even reaching the final, if not the football they played to get there. Instead, the mindless thuggery of some fans is dominating the media attention.
Interesting, too, that both clubs' line-ups would have qualified under Sepp Blatter's proposed 6+5 rule, designed to promote home-grown players instead of foreigners. Zenit, being owned by Gazprom and thus effecively a state-owned club, provide many of the players for the Russian national team, while Rangers have rediscovered how to buy Scottish after years of costly imports got them deeper and deeper into debt.
Rangers were also faithful to the traditional tactics employed by teams in finals - do everything not to lose a goal, and then try and win on penalties. In the old days, this was achieved through liberal use of the backpass to the keeper and cynical tackling from behind - both now outlawed.
Nowadays, it's done by giving one man the responsibility to attack, and instructing everyone else to defend in depth. Walter Smith - after teasing that he might employ a more adventurous line-up - was true to form, setting Rangers up to frustrate and disrupt at all costs.
This has been the plan throughout this campaign, and of course it has worked a treat - just so long as the opponents haven't scored. Last night, we got a chance to find out if there was a Plan B, and the answer was... no, not really.
Zenit finally made their breakthrough in the 72nd minute, and what followed next was bizarre. For the next 4 minutes, a suddenly silent stadium looked on as Smith made notes in his chair, deep in discussion with his assistants. The Rangers fans, who'd been so noisy throughout, had gone silent just when their team needed them most, but then they probably knew by then that the game was up. On the pitch, lacking any direction or encouragement from the dug out, the players looked very, very lost.
At long last, the reaction came, Smith sending on 3 strikers in quick succession to try and rescue the game. But he'd left it too late... Zenit, now full of confidence, mopped up everything with ease, and scored a decisive second goal in injury time. They deserved to win.
Sadly, the match was a reminder of earlier times for different reasons, too. As more and more footage comes out from last night's violence in Manchester city centre, it becomes less and less possible to blame the trouble on a few neds getting angry when one of the large tv screens failed. Hundreds of Rangers fans ran running battles with the coppers, throwing objects and doing much to undermine the "carnival" atmosphere that had been reported during the afternoon.
Few people in Scotland are surprised, sadly. The build up to the match had focused on the racist attitudes of the Russian fans, but the likelihood of trouble if Rangers lost was always there.
The truth, not often mentioned, is that not all Celtic fans behaved in exemplary fashion when they lost the UEFA Cup final in Seville in 2003. But, although there was some bad behaviour, there was little violence.
Today, Rangers should be basking in approval for their achievement in even reaching the final, if not the football they played to get there. Instead, the mindless thuggery of some fans is dominating the media attention.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Stuttering to a close
Gretna and Hearts' seasons ended tonight, with a 1-0 win for the "home" team at Fir Park. Just over 1,000 punters were watching... somewhat less than the 50,000 at Hampden Park exactly two years ago, when Hearts beat Gretna on penalties to win the Scottish Cup.
How times change. Back then, despite some clear danger signs, most Hearts supporters were still 100% behind Vladimir Romanov. His first season in charge of the club had seen trauma - such as the ridiculous sacking of George Burley - but winning that trophy and finishing 2nd in the League above Rangers was enough to appease the doubters.
Tonight they finished the 2007/8 season in 8th after another poor display. There has been no credible domestic challenge. They have made no impact in Europe at all. They have a bloated, disinterested squad led by caretaker Stevie Frail who is called "Shaggy" by his players and is palpably out of his depth. Neither are there any signs that things are going to get better. Some Jambos hang on to tenuous rumours that a credible manager - Mark McGhee or Billy Davies - is about to be parachuted in with a multi-million warchest to sort out the problems, but they are living in dreamland. Most of the supporters, however, just seem to shrug their shoulders and accept it... afraid that if Romanov walks, things could get much, much worse.
How much worse? Just ask Gretna. This wasn't just the end of the season - it could be the end of the club, full stop. When their sugar daddy turned off the taps, the whole house of cards collapsed, and while the administrators occasionally make positive noises about potential buyers, a rescue plan is looking less and less likely. Frankly, there isn't much to rescue - the youth system has already been dismantled, there are negligible player "assets", and their own stadium is partially demolished.
There is more to save at Hearts, should it come to that, but the scale of the debt is so much worse. What the supporters need to realise is that the "Romanov era" will come to an end at some point. It just depends how bad the situation is when it happens... and whether anyone will come to rescue their club.
How times change. Back then, despite some clear danger signs, most Hearts supporters were still 100% behind Vladimir Romanov. His first season in charge of the club had seen trauma - such as the ridiculous sacking of George Burley - but winning that trophy and finishing 2nd in the League above Rangers was enough to appease the doubters.
Tonight they finished the 2007/8 season in 8th after another poor display. There has been no credible domestic challenge. They have made no impact in Europe at all. They have a bloated, disinterested squad led by caretaker Stevie Frail who is called "Shaggy" by his players and is palpably out of his depth. Neither are there any signs that things are going to get better. Some Jambos hang on to tenuous rumours that a credible manager - Mark McGhee or Billy Davies - is about to be parachuted in with a multi-million warchest to sort out the problems, but they are living in dreamland. Most of the supporters, however, just seem to shrug their shoulders and accept it... afraid that if Romanov walks, things could get much, much worse.
How much worse? Just ask Gretna. This wasn't just the end of the season - it could be the end of the club, full stop. When their sugar daddy turned off the taps, the whole house of cards collapsed, and while the administrators occasionally make positive noises about potential buyers, a rescue plan is looking less and less likely. Frankly, there isn't much to rescue - the youth system has already been dismantled, there are negligible player "assets", and their own stadium is partially demolished.
There is more to save at Hearts, should it come to that, but the scale of the debt is so much worse. What the supporters need to realise is that the "Romanov era" will come to an end at some point. It just depends how bad the situation is when it happens... and whether anyone will come to rescue their club.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Ugly anti-football reaches the UEFA Cup Final
Lionel Messi and Adrian Mutu are far from the only people to criticise the way Rangers play football this season, but they can't argue with its effectiveness. After a penalty shoot out in Tuscany last night, Rangers are in the final.
With respect to the rest of the team, at times it was Carlos Cuellar and Davie Weir against Fiorentina, as Rangers hung on and hung on against relentless pressure. Had Christian Vieri come on a little earlier, the chance that fell to him a couple of yards from goal might not have been his first touch and he might have buried it. Had Mutu gone down in the box later on when jostled by two Rangers players, Fiorentina could have had a penalty inside normal time. Ifs and buts, though... Fiorentina couldn't score in 3 and 1/2 hours of football, and Rangers came away with the prize.
Now things get really interesting. For the past few weeks, the European adventure has seemed like a distraction, allowing Celtic to win the past 2 Old Firm derbies and close the gap in the League. Without a doubt, stopping Celtic getting their third title in a row has been the priority for the blue half of Glasgow, and the narrowing race in the SPL - plus the injury list - has caused mounting anxiety.
However, Rangers have now emulated Celtic's achievement in 2003 in reaching the UEFA Cup Final. They came home from Seville empty-handed, save for the beginnings of a tale about how 4 million supporters (or something) created the best final atmosphere ever*.
It's unlikely Rangers will attempt to mythologise their own support in quite the same way. There have been enough distasteful scenes from their travelling support in the past couple of years to make such an attempt pointless. But they might just go to Manchester and win the damn cup. And that will be a far greater prize.
With respect to the rest of the team, at times it was Carlos Cuellar and Davie Weir against Fiorentina, as Rangers hung on and hung on against relentless pressure. Had Christian Vieri come on a little earlier, the chance that fell to him a couple of yards from goal might not have been his first touch and he might have buried it. Had Mutu gone down in the box later on when jostled by two Rangers players, Fiorentina could have had a penalty inside normal time. Ifs and buts, though... Fiorentina couldn't score in 3 and 1/2 hours of football, and Rangers came away with the prize.
Now things get really interesting. For the past few weeks, the European adventure has seemed like a distraction, allowing Celtic to win the past 2 Old Firm derbies and close the gap in the League. Without a doubt, stopping Celtic getting their third title in a row has been the priority for the blue half of Glasgow, and the narrowing race in the SPL - plus the injury list - has caused mounting anxiety.
However, Rangers have now emulated Celtic's achievement in 2003 in reaching the UEFA Cup Final. They came home from Seville empty-handed, save for the beginnings of a tale about how 4 million supporters (or something) created the best final atmosphere ever*.
It's unlikely Rangers will attempt to mythologise their own support in quite the same way. There have been enough distasteful scenes from their travelling support in the past couple of years to make such an attempt pointless. But they might just go to Manchester and win the damn cup. And that will be a far greater prize.
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