Half-Time Orange Slice

Just struck me.

At Hampden tonight, Scotland drew with a Croatian team who had previously beaten England both home and away. Over in Paris tonight England lost to a French team that had previously lost home and away to Scotland.

That (kind of) conclusively proves that Scotland are better than England. At a push, they could even be termed unofficial World Champions. And it also explain why England continue to refuse to revive the British Home Championships. Too much face to lose. It's all falling into place.

Post-It Note

No post-mortem . . . no post-match analysis . . . not even a post-punk mp3 to cheer me up. What's done is done.

Looks like Trevorland is landing on its fucking feet again.

Good. It means that they're stuck with that Muppet McLaren for a few more years.

Christmas Number 1 if Scotland pull off the impossible today?

Lou Macari knew my father.

In anticipation of today's game - 2 hours and 21 minutes until the ninety minute nationalism kicks in - a nice wee story from the BBC Sports website about Giovanni "Johnny" Moscardini, born in Falkirk in 1897, but who played for Italy nine times in the 1920s, scoring 7 international goals (the Kris Boyd of his day?).

Funny thing is that despite being born of Italian parents, serving in the Italian army during WW1 and being an international footballer for Italy, going by the picture of him in his footballing prime that accompanies the piece, he looks like someone who could only have been born in Scotland. Is glaikit the word I'm looking for? I should know. (-----> see profile pic to your right.)

Albert Kidd knew my father.

Yeah, I hate Runrig as well.

Turn The Other Cheek, Christian

Don't mind me. I'm only four years late with this YouTube clip of what many people consider to be Christian Dailly's finest moment, and which occurred in the aftermath of Scotland's 2-1 defeat to Germany in the qualifying stages of the 2004 European Championships.

The outburst is fascinating to me if only because I never took Dailly to be the Keano type, and because the BBC Sports report of the game gives no indication that the penalty was in any way considered dubious. Obviously something was getting on Dailly's wick that night as this clip further confirms, and it suggests there should now be a rethink on Dailly's career before he retires. Maybe after all this time, it turns out a 'Keano' should in fact be entitled a 'Dailly'.

Don't mind my fluff posting on such trivial out of date matters. I'm cranking out the posts at an accelerated pace at the moment to get myself behind a blogging landmark that is currently looming on the horizon. And when you couple that with the fact that I'm suffering from a temporary bout of "Ninety Minute Nationalism", it adds up to me scouring YouTube for cinefilm of the Wembley Wizards, and putting the finishing touches to a five thousand word blog post on why I think England's fifth goal in this infamous game was offside.

This current bout of NMN better pass soon, 'cos I don't have the legs to pull off the feat of wearing a kilt. And the more I think about it, Scotland qualifying for the 2008 European Championship will seriously mar any chance I get of actually enjoying the tournament next year.

Menshevik-Salfordian

Noticed via the sitemeter that the blog is getting shedloads of hits at the moment becuase of people searching for the 'We Have A Dream' mp3, which just goes to show that Scotland football fans are never happier than at the moment just prior to slipping on the proverbial Georgian Peach. Prove me wrong, please . . .

And whilst I'm on the subject of yesterday's football, could someone please explain to me what the deal was with the positioning of the Ukrainian defenders for Scotland's second goal? When McCulloch collected that pass from Ferguson, the left side of the penalty box looked like a scene from the Marie Celeste. Strange times.

However, for this blogger that mystery pales into insignificance in comparison to another sitemeter sighting this morning. It turns out that someone found the blog via a google search for "julius martov" mark e smith.

Christ, I'll be chewing over the rhyme and reason for that particular search for the rest of the day now. Surely Smith is more of a Workers' Opposition type of guy? It casts a whole new meaning to the lyrics of 'Hey! Student'.

Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Goal)

News just in and it's official: Scotland are better than the Faroe Islands.

"They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you."

Someone call Childline.

Just this minute watching Sky Sports, and they have a report on Alex Mcleish's superstitious wee ways of taking the Scotland squad out for a curry as a means of preparing for Scotland's forthcoming match with the Ukraine.

OK, I have no problem with the tabloid television when it comes to the footie. Scotland's national team is scaling dizzy heights at the moment, and it makes a welcome change from the usual ten minute spot on Rooney's metatarsal or Owen's groin.

What with the current wave of lovebombing directed at the Scotland team, there'll be talk of a squad song next. ( Too late.) And, of course, the song won't be as good as the 1982 classic 'We Have A Dream', but the team should be lapping up all the media attention while they can, before Healy scores another brace for Northern Ireland, they get gubbed by Georgia on Wednesday and the tabloid footie journalism focuses again on whether or not Posh and Becks can play in the same team.

But back to this feature about the curry house in Glasgow where Alex's and the team are breaking poppadums; What's the name of that wee kid telling us that James McFadden's favourite dish is a Haggis Pakora? Oleg Kuznetsov Singh? That can't be right? And his older brother is called what? Mark Walters Singh? That's hellish, and possibly prosecutable. What the hell is that all about? A quick google search unearths this Daily Record clipping from three years ago to explain all.

Poor sod.

To take your mind of such an act cruelty against one's own kith and kin, here's the aforementioned 'We Have A Dream' by the Scotland World Cup Squad of 1982 (and featuring John Gordon Sinclair and BA Robertson.)

Scotland World Cup Squad - 'We Have A Dream' mp3

Forget your New Order and Baddiel & Skinner bollocks, this is the best ever football song. It reached number 5 in the charts in May'82 and was probably the third or fourth single I ever bought.

1982 - the best World Cup ever.

"Top of the charts, baby"

Hat tip to 'KW14Ultra', a regular commentator over at Scottish Patient blog.