2009 explodes into life

Aside from the falling-out between Gordon Strachan and Aiden McGeady, 2008 ended a little flat for Scottish football. With no clubs left in Europe, domestic competition is all the clubs have, but the SPL title race is more of a procession this season, and the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup isn't going all that well.

But the opening of the transfer window has thrown some much needed chaos into the mix. Suddenly, it seems there's no hiding place for clubs with debts to pay.

Extraordinarily for a club chasing in the championship race, Rangers have accepted a bid from Birmingham for top scorer Kris Boyd, and seem determined to get him off their books. Extraordinary, that is, unless you remember the transfer of Alan Hutton this time last year, when Rangers practically bribed their full-back to reluctantly accept a transfer to Spurs.

Boyd doesn't seem to want to go either, and the BBC is reporting that talks on personal terms have broken down. It does look as if this transfer has gone too far to fall down now, however.

It's clear that Rangers are skint and need the money... but still not at all clear as to why Walter Smith bought all those forwards in the summer - Kyle Lafferty, Kenny Miller and Andy Velicka - only to now sell Boyd. The lack of Champions League income is really hurting Rangers this season, and another trophy-light season is going to empty the coffers even more. If Ferguson is sold as well, expect the supporters to well and truly lose it.

It's possible that McGeady and Strachan may still kiss and make up, but there's a good chance the winger might still leave by the end of the month. With Rangers imploding and no European football til next season, Strachan will probably calculate that he can sell his most valued asset - and probably Boruc as well, if he wants - and still wrap up 4 in a row.

Meanwhile, tonight Motherwell beat Hearts 1-0, thanks to a goal from Chris Porter - the striker Hearts' boss Csaba Laszlo identified as a signing target. Sod's law, eh? Might teach him not to engage in grubby attempts to unsettle players before playing against them... it's not an attractive trait.