Andy’s Sting In The Tale (12/07/24) “Leadership Stuff” – Scottish Football Supporters Association – SFSA

Date: 12th July 2024

(Photo:@Homesoffootball)

After our summary dismissal from the Euros it’s time to think.
The stark, over-ruling and very hard fact is we don’t have a conveyor belt delivering the top level talent we need.
That’s what let Steve down.

That means it could be another 25 years or longer and who knows how many managers till we get lucky enough to rise out of qualifying groups again.

Is that what the SFA wants?
Is that what the Tartan Army wants?
Is that good for the game in Scotland between now and then?

So, not a bad time to think about ‘the X factor’ in all business, leadership and all it entails.

Leadership.

In reality it’s a complex mix of skills combined with vision and always underpinned with compassion and about doing the simple things well to deliver the present, and scope the long term future.

The starting point is not rocket science.
It simply requires constantly asking three questions and building a living plan.

Where are we now?
Where are we going?
How do we get there?

When you realise that the recent Henderson Loggie commissioned review of our SPFL gave a prioritised recommendation that they, The SPFL, create something as fundamental as a ‘business plan’ (i.e. they didn’t previously have one) you realise how off the pace those who run our game have been and are.
No wonder Scottish football struggles.

History shows football in Scotland has been shaped and run as fiefdoms by powerful centrally based  autocrats supported by a few, clever, self-interested clubs. (A closed back-scratching eco-system).

Some would say that is why the SPFL were formed when they broke away from the SFA to enhance the power of the few, maybe even just the two.

It’s all self-interest driven at all levels.
Stand back for a moment and look where it has all got us.

Our game is inward looking, moribund, non-customer focussed and controlled by the few for the very same few.
It has created and is effectively managing a slow, long-term decline.

At Least We Were There, For a While

Yes we all enjoyed the ‘No Scotland No Party’ fun.
It got the nation smiling and united during our daily risible and miserable election squabbling

Looking back and forward our Tartan Army is truly something to celebrate.
It’s held together by a joyous football-ish glue that in 2024 has evolved away from winning.
It’s had to.
It’s become about being there and enjoying the ride.
A vast rainbow coalition of Scotland fans together with a love of the game and none of the moneymaking bollocks we get in our own, serially boring, annual, bilateral bunfight between our two over-dominant Glasgow giants in their meaningless pursuit at all costs of our increasingly less important silverware.

Yes en-masse the Tartan Army sometimes verges on pastiche, aka ‘Centrally-Casted Jocks with beers” but we are genuine ambassadors for our country.
Free advertising too for Visit Scotland who are reporting record bookings from the continent on the back of our kilted happy hordes.
There is no doubt that our fans truly lit up Germany and gave the tournament a huge launch, the huge launch it needed.
A crying shame when we all know the  only thing our team on the park lit up was our quite obvious lack of the required technical ability and skill sets needed at top level tournaments.

Football has changed and fitness and passion are not enough, it’s great to read that people like Pat Nevin and now shouting that out loud.
We need a groundswell of those in the know to scream for change.

Our only player who looked totally comfortable in tight, tight situations with either foot was Scott McTominay who as we all know is a product of Lancashire, rather than Lanarkshire football.

If We Want Change

It starts young at the very lowest grass roots, club, non-club and schools.
All have a role.
Sadly Scotland isn’t very good at grass roots and after great insights from the likes of Graeme McDowall in his wonderful book, The System, we all know an awful lot of our ‘elite’ programmes are self-destructive and toxic.
Nobody’s doing anything very much about that and that is disgraceful.

Scotland, The Only Team to Beat Spain

I can hear it already.
We were the only team who beat the winners.
That’s as useless a hiding place as being the only undefeated side in Germany in 1974 back in the day.

ABE?

I’ll be glued to the telly,  hope it’s a good final and if England are the better team that they win.
My Scottishness is not defined by a dislike of our nearest neighbour but apart from Germany, when they dismantled us, the best team have been Spain.
Amazing and sometimes joyous.
Technical abilities off the scale and I still can’t get over the 16 year old.
In Scotland he’d be waiting for his Highers results and having his first driving lesson tomorrow.
Even the Basque country will be watching the final because they now have 8 players in the mix.

Alan Hansen famously said, “You can’t win anything with kids”, back on Match of the Day in 1995.
I hope Alan’s well enough to watch the match on Sunday and wish him well.

Andy’s Sting in the Tale

1. Time to Trust the Fans?
2. The League Cup
3. England’s Penalty
4. 11 Players and ‘It’
5. The Real Champion’s League

1. Calling Time?

In 1981 William Youngers, brewer of the ubiquitous Tartan Special sponsored the Scottish Cup and after all the usual progression of ‘warm ball’ and ‘cold ball’ draws the SFA and the sponsors got the semis and final they wanted.
Celtic v Rangers at Hampden and all sold out, and who at Hampden cares about the losing semi-finalists anyway.
Long story short, there was an after pitch riot, polis horses on the turf and fans fighting.

Nasty, ugly and all that was wrong with Scottish society.
Deeply embarrassing for the brewery, (where I worked at the time), the death knell for that groundbreaking sponsorship and a big change at Scottish sport.
– Nae Carry Oots at all outdoor sport including rugby who had done nothing wrong.

40 odd years later and rugby again has beers and wines on sale before during and after with no trouble and the Tartan Army are back from the same in Germany.
Was there trouble in licenced football stadia over there?
No.
We even had a pic in all the red tops of John Swinney enjoying a beer at a ground watching Scotland.
Is it time for a review John?
I’d suggest  a resounding YES
But it is not quite as simple because many fans who want the ban lifted feel there is maybe still a difference between Hampden filled with The Tartan Army compared to fans from our top teams.
We have actually researched this very subject.

Our last fan survey, last year, showed only 21.6% of fans were now in favour of the alcohol ban staying so it is fair to say we want change to the early 80s draconian ban.

But digging deeper only 26% of fans think alcohol should be on sale at all matches.
However 51.8% of fans want it available at matches which meet specific criteria.
Fans want to avoid a future ban and simply don’t trust some clubs and their fans.

Digging further this means fans outside the Glasgow big 2 don’t think alcohol would go well with the Glasgow derbys.

They may be right and they may be wrong.

Baby Steps?

Why not review it, involve the clubs and the fans and allow alcohol sales from the bottom up initially on a one strike and out basis?
I don’t see issues at Spartans v East Fife or Forres Mechanics v Fraserburgh and there never were anyway.

2. Better Than Pre Season But You Have to Pay

First I got an email telling me my season ticket doesn’t work on Saturday and then I heard it on BBC Radio Scotland that The Scottish League Cup is back.
No sponsor name, maybe everyone at the Beeb has a firestick?

I do however think the League Cup is better than over-subbed friendlies but wish it was included in the season ticket at my club.

3. Was it a Penalty?

Yes, it was given after VAR, and scored too.
Yes, it was a high and dangerous attempt to get the ball/tackle by the defender.
Yes, it was in the box.
But was it a penalty?

I don’t bloody know but I’m fed up with stuff happening in the box that would be a foul elsewhere with no consequences.
Fifa’s Ifab should clear up the box-wrestling and the penalty confusions as a matter of urgency even if there will be short term pain.

4. Send for Saatchi and Saatchi, Ian, David  and Frank

I didn’t know the story behind ‘It’s Coming Home’, the 3 Lions song.
Seemingly the FA wanted a song for the 1998 Euros in England to be the football equivalent of ‘Swing Low’ for English Rugby.
Someone with a blazer liked the Lightning Seeds song ‘Life of Reilly’ on BBC’s Match of the Day so called a meeting at Lancaster Gate having briefed their incumbent ad agency.
Saatchi and Saatchi turned up with three words, “Football Comes Home”.
I’ve seen them personally in meetings back in the day coming in and ‘underselling’ like that but with a big idea.
Smarmy Bs but they had some good creatives.

They delivered a big idea.

And a big idea it still is.
It says ‘England owns the game’.

Whether it was ‘coming home’ because football started in England or whether it was because it was the first tournament in England since 1966 coming home it was and always will be.
Someone in the creative process then tweaked the words a bit to the more positive ‘It’s Coming Home/ Football’s Coming Home’ and it is and remains a wonderful football chant.

Somehow, following the meeting, the FA got Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds to write the music to lyrics from Messrs Baddiel and Skinner.
Dated lyrics now, maybe, but a great chorus line and anthem.
I’ve just been reading that foreign nations don’t like it but that is their problem.
It’s jealousy, the writers say.
Well guys, I’m jealous too.
And I wish we had an anthem as good as that for Scottish football.
One that is about football not 500  year old fights with our football-owning neighbour.
Time for the 6^th floor to Send for Craig and Charlie and others.
It would make a great TV series too.

5. A Constant Uefa Disgrace

There are teams in the Champions League who are not champions and we know all the participating clubs will make millions.
This week some real champions from smaller Uefa nations started ‘Champions League Qualifying’.
Real champions from bona fide Uefa nations who have been squeezed out by the non-champions of the big five countries.
It was always just about money.
That is a disgrace.

The qualification for the Uefa Champions League should be simple.
If you’re a champion of a Uefa nation you’re in.
Simples.

That’s it from me again this week.

If you are not an SFSA please join on our web site and help us make the future brighter.

Andy’s Album of the week

Voyager Mike Oldfield

Last week we spoke about The Chieftains and Celtic seminality via Scotland and Ireland into what we now know as contemporary music.
Afterwards I actually dug out and played my old ‘Barry Lyndon’ Film soundtrack just to hear the Chieftains amazing ‘Women of Ireland’ track.
Then I remembered another album I hadn’t played for years thatbalso had Women of Ireland.
So this week I have played and been dominated by Mike Oldfield’s wonderful homage to Celtic music.
‘Voyager’, the title, shows he too knew that Celtic grass roots were the starting point of his and others lifetime musical journey.
Mike had the confidence to do what he wanted and looking back there was a strange mix of bad but also exceptional reviews.
Some of the critics just didn’t get it and wanted heavy metal.
The album was and is exceptional.

Well done Mike.

Years later your album works and is timeless.
Mike also includes a particular Scottish song, ‘Dark Island’, whose lyrics were originally written by Inverness’s very own Stewart Ross whose son Ronnie played in goals in my school team.
He took his accordion on away trips for a sing song.
He was also a better accordion player than goalie.
The Dark Island track was first known as ‘Dr Mackay’s Farewell to Creagorry and was later popularised by Calum and Fiona Kennedy, in fact I think it was her showpiece.
I’m truly amazed Vangelis didn’t steal it from Calum the way he pinched ‘For These are My Mountains’ which he sneakily nicked and turned into the much lauded ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme.

In the way that things that go around come around it is exactly 100 years since Eric Liddell won the 400 metres after refusing to run in his 100 yard heat on the Sunday.
If England and Spain players think that way we’ll be watching an empty screen on Sunday night.

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