Who can hold firm against the Old Firm?

By: Craig | January 10th, 2007

The most protracted appointment since the days of Sweeney Todd has finally taken place and, to be frank, nobody really emerges with much credit from it all.

First of all, for all their efforts to keep Walter Smith on board, the SFA blazers have been found seriously wanting in the nation’s hour of need. Yes, given that, as he said today himself, Rangers ‘has always been in my blood,’ they may have faced a losing battle from day one. However, they didn’t help themselves with what was rumoured to be a point of serious contention throughout the last two years: their insistence on their right to remove Smith should Scotland fail to make Euro 2008. For a country that last appeared at an international tournament when the Spice Girls were considered cool, that’s preposterous.

Secondly, the whole affair has let a whopping great tiger out of the bag: the player-politics of Rangers FC. This is no better illustrated than in the story that has emerged today with the sacking of club doctor Ian McGuinness, who it appears was best pals with the Scottish lads. On more than one occasion, we are told, he wrote sicknotes on behalf of a hungover Kris Boyd. Kris, if you’re reading, a word in your ear: asking doctors to write things for you is akin to asking Paul Lambert to do your English homework. Such behaviour led to his not being on the best of terms with PLG, who politely asked him not to take the team bus to matches. Speaking of whom, the good doctor mourned his passing in typically sober fashion. By cracking open the champers.

Finally, a hitherto squeaky-clean figure in Scottish football (or, at least, that’s what Smith’s legion of chums in the media will have you believe) has done himself few favours. Leaving aside the whole issue of his abandoning ship when the Alps are in sight, the former Scotland manager, you feel, became precisely that the moment Le Guen was sacked. Yesterday the new first-team coach Kenny McDowall (who, interestingly enough, joins from Celtic) enthused about his move. And what should have caused him to make such an audacious switch across Glasgow? Why, a phone call from Rangers manager-elect Walter Smith!

Such activity will have raised eyebrows at Hampden and the SFA are determined that the next paperwork he’ll read after signing his contract will be of a legal variety.

As for the Tartan Army (few of whose members appear to frequent the Glasgow media fraternity), well, it’s a funny old game, football, but their despair in the whole situation is not misplaced. They have once again been let down by the national team’s administrators just when things were looking up.

Furthermore, within minutes of Le Guen’s departure there was seemingly no question of the successor being anyone else. Yet among the inevitability with which today’s appointment was anticipated in the media, there was scarce reference to Smith’s employment position at that time and the implications of his departure for Scotland’s qualifying hopes - an attitude which, it appears, Smith chose to adopt himself. Once again, we have been reminded that Scotland is home to not one, but two, national teams: Celtic and Rangers.

October 7th seems a long time ago…

Your thoughts, please.