Yesterday the Premiership and Football League released their fixture lists for next season. Every year, the BBC and Sky Sport News go nuts for this administrative slice of data. It never ceases to amaze me how many hours can be wasted on the basic information of every team in the Premiership playing all the other teams.“Champions Manchester United start the defence of their campaign against Birmingham.” How can this really be breaking news – especially when the even itself is in nine weeks’ time?
Meanwhile, in actual football news is the revalation that Tony Mowbray is to become the new manager of Celtic. It is a savage indictment of the Scottish Premier League that the man whose team finished bottom of the English Premier League last season, has been poached (at a fee of £2m, if reports are to be believed) to manage one of Scotland’s two biggest clubs.
Mowbray always comes across a nice enough chap but seems to be a grey cardigan of a man. Having played for Celtic, and had a little success as manager of Hibs, he is well regarded in the Scottish game.
I’m sure he’ll do a grand job, but when Celtic take a man who couldn’t even stir his team to finish above Newcastle last season, and install him as their man of the moment, I think they are admitting that maybe their league is a bit crap.
Tony Mowbray is a much loved man at Celtic Park. He may have played for us during our darkest hours but he is remembered fondly.
ReplyDeleteHis players play football, as the song goes, the Glasgow Celtic way and us Bhoys are looking forward to the start of the season.
As for the quality of the league? Hmm, the SPL is pretty poor, all things considered. And their is the irony. Celtic are often considered to be one of the best supported teams in the world. They have a gate that most ELP teams would cut their right arms off to get and a worldwide fan base which is eclipsed only by the likes of Man U, Barca, Liverpool and Milan.
Put it this way, I've seen more Hoops in London than I ever saw Arsenal tops in Scotland.
But, despite this, they are hamstrung by playing in the SPL. The money they get in telly rights is a pittance compared to even the smallest team in the EPL and, with all due respect to the other teams in the league, playing agains the likes of Falkirk and Motherwell every week does not help you prepare for European football.
So, what is to be done? In truth, I don't know. I don't like the Celtic and TFOD (The Forces of Darkness or Rangers, for you non-beadrattlers out there) joining the EPL. What's next? Would Porto get to join the Primera Lega? Ajax and Feyenoor join the Bundesliga?
Equally, the current set up stifles the game in Scotland.
Despite all the legal, geographic, historic and even moral hurdles about the Old Firm joining the EPL it will happen if Murdoch wants it to. Liverpool v Rangers? Celtic v Man U? Scotland v England every week? Bring it on, Sky will say. And, although Celtic and Rangers will struggle to get a top 10 finish initially, after a few years they might well challenge at the top.
So, there you have it. A long ramble from a confused but happy Timalloy.
Dude,
ReplyDeleteMowbray had NO success at Hibs, they reached Europe and were knocked out sometime in June by a team of plumbers etc from eastern Europe. They reached the semi final of the scottish cup where we humped them 4-0 and many of their fans came dressed as seats. In addition, he was always complaining that he had a young team who couldnt play against big men. He's always full of excuses as to why his team didnt perform - hiding it behind his 'philosophy' of playing 'flair' football. Which again is a load of pish, i saw hibs play more long balls than many other teams that we played.
As for the Scottish Premier, yeah, it is crap in comparison to the EPL - but contrast a league of 12 from a country of 5 million against a league of 20 from a country of 60 million. A league which brands itself the best in the world when the reality is that it is the best marketed and most expensive league in the world - all down to Sky.
Give me scottish football with the blood and snotters over the EPL with the crap games dressed up as a great product.
Ally
ps - some poor monkeys got Tony Mowbrays heid..... Tony Mowbray eats bananas with his feet....
Don't care about Mickey Mouse teams I support East Fife and we have the WRaith visiting in the CIS cup on 01/08/09.
ReplyDeleteFar better news on www.aftn.co.uk