A bit about football

It is not a great time to be a Scottish football fan, i'm not really sure it ever has been as we've more or less always had a league dominated by two teams and we've always disappointed on the international stage. Yet it seems right now that we have it as bad as it has ever been. The financial clout of the Old Firm teams has the domestic game tied up as tight as it has ever been and the national team while just maybe about to restore a modicum of pride to the nation after an embarrassing end to Berti Voghts reign has a dearth of talent and confidence.

This was amply personified in the most recent game in Belarus. While a 0-0 scoreline was far from disgraceful and under better circumstances hailed as a hard earned point away from home against opposition while no world beaters, no mugs either, given the situation we were in regards qualification for the World Cup Finals not of much use. There wasn't much hope before the game anyway and certainly not a lot of pressure on the players or manager. Understandably we took a cautious approach to the game with a squad limited by numerous injury withdrawals, but as the game went on Belarus wern't showing much cutting edge and we doggedly remained in our shell unwilling to gamble even the slightest amount for the greater reward.

I can only hope that once Walter Smith is happy that organisation and confidence is somewhat restored that come the qualifiers for Euro 2008 we'll not only be hard to beat but playing some ever so slightly more expansive football. The hope for the future isn't in becoming a reincarnation of Craigie Broons team though, it is in the Likes of Derek Riordan, James McFadden and Darren Fletcher amongst others fulfilling there potential and being remembered with the likes of Dennis Law, Kenny Dalglish etc rather than being the new Eion Jess, Scott Booth or Duncan Ferguson. Promising talents one and all, that ultimately failed to deliver.