Scotland (National Football)

That sound you can hear is Mr. Expectation, Mr. Hope and Mrs. Triple-Crown running out of the door, leaving Mr. Uhohherewegoagain nursing his pint in the corner.

Is it just me or is this not quite the team we had hoped for?

Short of Hines, Murray and Strokosch that pack looks a bit cobbled together and out of position, and without Evans at 14 a little short of killer instinct in the backs. It puts an awful lot of pressure on Godman as goalkicker and playmaker.

It could just be me, as it’s not that much different to the team I picked earlier in the week and a lot of the calls were close. If there is an injury to Thom that would explain things, but otherwise his exclusion seems dangerously close to folly. I hope this team can prove me wrong.

Scotland team:
Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh), Simon Webster (Edinburgh), Ben Cairns (Edinburgh), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow), Sean Lamont (Northampton), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Jason White (Sale), Jim Hamilton (Edinburgh), Ally Hogg (Edinburgh), Simon Taylor (Stade Francais), John Barclay (Glasgow)

Replacements: Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Gray (Northampton Saints), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors)

Wales team: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Gavin Henson (Ospreys), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt), Martyn Williams (Blues), Andy Powell (Blues).
Replacements: Tom Shanklin (Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Dwayne Peel (Sale), John Yapp (Blues), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets).

UPDATE: I’m not the only one, check out some of the comments about Evans absence on the Scotsman website…There seems to be a sense that if it doesn’t pan out, Frank Hadden is digging a rather large hole for himself on the (unused) Murrayfield back pitches.

UPDATE: Also now that the teams are announced you can make adjustments to your fantasy XVs. For example you can take out Evans and Murray. Bet they don’t let you select your half backs as Mauro Bergomasco and Andy Goode.

This would be the team I announce tomorrow, and here’s why:

15 - Chris Paterson. This was trickier than I thought, which is a good thing. Hugo has been on fire recently, but before the recent rib injury, so was Mossy.

Frank Hadden is looking for maturity of decision making from this team, having identified that as the difference between Scotland and South Africa in the Autumn. Scotland’s record cap holder displayed this in spades in the gritty Heineken Cup defeat to Leinster, out-foxing a charging Rob Kearney on a couple of occasions and showing a better ball retention than Paterson of old. Hugo on the other hand does still have a little rash streak.

If Scotland are going to live up to their potential this has to be brought under control. Then of course, there’s the kicking. It’s almost a flip of a coin between Hugo’s educated left boot and Mossy’s goal kicking. Sadly we need the points more.

14 - Thom Evans. Time for Thom to step up and make people take notice. Blistering pace, a much improved defence and now the chance to show some of these other chaps (Shane Williams, Rob Kearney) he means business.

Named by Stuart Barnes in his Lions XV at the weekend on the back of just three caps—although credited as a Welshman! He’s been in miraculous form for Glasgow and the ball seems to bounce his way almost every time. If Hadden is looking for luck, Evans should be the rabbit’s foot he needs.

13 - Ben Cairns. There’s a lot of talk about Max Evans at the moment, and both he and Cairns seem to have jumped De Luca as the bright young things of Scottish centre play.

In a tournament where they could come up against the likes of O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Jauzion, or Wales powerhouse Jamie Roberts, I think the extra grit in Cairns’ defence gives him the odds over the naivete Evans has been known to show (although he is improving quickly under Lineen). Given a free reign and a little outside space to work in, Cairns could be devastating.

12. - Graeme Morrison. Shown some fine form recently, and will add some bulk to a backline outside him that for once is more pace and raw talent than raw meat. Will need to keep breaking the line though as a Hadden-style 12 should or he’ll soon find himself back in the shark tank with the circling young bloods in the squad such as De Luca, Dewey and Houston.

De Luca may be the ideal choice, but he’s never shown ideal form at international level. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get a run at some point though.

11 - Sean Lamont. Scored a wonderful wingers try recently for the Saints and needs to recapture the form of a couple of years ago. A chance for him to escape the glare of brother Rory’s halo and prove why he’s worth his place in a Scotland team getting younger by the minute.

Remember the Sean Lamont who scored four tries in one game for Northampton in between Six Nations victories over France and England? Go on Seanie, have a wee run…

10 - Phil Godman. Hopefully the Dan Parks thing has been put to bed. Yes he is reliable, sometimes. Yes he is frequently very good for Glasgow. But Scotland just play better with a mazy runner like worldclass Phil bringing them on to the ball.

With an attacking back division they need an attacking fly half. Godman has improved his positional and goal kicking too (as has Paterson) making the usual arguments for Parks’ inclusion less relevant. A couple of steady games (dare we hope for a victory?) and the shirt should be his for some time to come.

At least until Glasgow’s young pretender Ruaridh Jackson gets picked for a Scotland squad. Oh, wait…

9 - Mike Blair. Probably the form scrum half in Europe over the winter despite a relatively poor showing from the pro-teams. Mike Philips and Danny Care are up there, but there is a coolness to Blair’s game that sets him apart—and keeps him on the pitch head up, rather than in the sin bin or at the bottom of a ruck.

Being captain gives him the chance to set the pace and the others will follow if they can keep up. Good to see Chris Cusiter coming back to form and if there is an injury he’ll be chasing hard to get his old shirt back.

8 - Simon Taylor. Damn this one was tricky, as I’m a big fan of Hoggy and Kelly Brown has been playing pretty well for Glasgow (at six). There’s Johnny Beattie too. There is a wee niggle in my mind that Taylor has been playing at lock all season.

In the end Taylor has too much class to leave him out—witness his textbook tackle in the recent Stade v. Perpignan game and a couple of solid performances in the autumn. Hogg and Brown may once again suffer for their back-row versatility and it’s a coin toss for the bench spot.

7 - John Barclay. One of the easiest choices. Hadden fumbled about without a proper seven for long enough, now he has several itching to get on the pitch. Consistently solid, aggressive yet organised, with good awareness—and sick of losing.

His battles with Martin Williams at 7 in the first match and with David Wallace in March could well set the tone for Scotland’s Six Nations, and possibly the Lions tour too.

6 - Al Strokosch. You could pick any one of Jason White, the Big Stroker, Kelly Brown (again), Ally Hogg (again); even Scott Newlands has been in good form. Al Strokosch has been consistent if unexciting for Gloucester so far this season, but in terms of regular playing at six it’s between him and Brown.

I’ve gone for Strokosch’s extra fire here but he is not yet quite the player he was last season when walked into the Italy dressing room and handed his man of the match award to Sergio Parisse after the Italy game. That shows a level of commitment and sportsmanship that can only be applauded.

5 - Jim Hamilton. In great form since his return to the fold at Edinburgh. Adds tremendous bulk to the front five and is starting to take on a little ball carrying now too. Given his proportions, this makes him hard to stop.

4 - Nathan Hines. News he did not train on Monday is a little concerning. The man from Wagga Wagga has been a fixture on the team sheet since his return from international exile. Continued knee problems could see a last minute replacement by Al Kellock who on recent form may manage to bring a similar amount of niggle as Big Nathan.

3 - Euan Murray. One of the first choices on many team sheets as a result of his sterling play since moving to Northampton to learn at the feet of the great Tom Smith. Recent news of a rib injury could open up a spot for Geoff Cross or Moray Low to make their mark but from Scotland’s point of view Murray has to be fit!

2 - Ross Ford. Offers a lot both in attack and defence. Dougie Hall is coming back to a bit of form after the switch to Glasgow while last season’s incumbent Fergus Thompson has dropped off a bit.

Ford is the front runner by some distance, and offers good handling and running as an auxiliary back-row type. In the absence of the bulky back divisions we have seen in the past, forwards like Ford and Hines will need to step up for their share of the ball.

1 - Allan Jacobsen. He might not be praised at Murray’s level but still a capable pair of hands who shows up well in attack. In fact, in last year’s Six Nations he was about the only one who showed up in attack.

We can but hope that this year’s brand of Scotland team will allow Chunk to concentrate a little more on the scrummaging. There are a number of younger props coming through though, so Chunk may do well to hold them off.

Bench: Geoff Cross, Dougie Hall, Ally Kellock, Ally Hogg, Chris Cusiter, Max Evans, Hugo Southwell

There are only 2,800 odd tickets left. Go on, you know you want one. A full Murrayfield would really help the team: I’d be there were it not for previous commitments. Damn those commitments.

Having not had the opportunity to post for a while now, I thought I had better remove my finger and provide the world with some more of my ramblings. 

You guys have had it too good since New Year, having the pleasure of Rory’s well-considered musings on the game. As with any good partnership, you need the Yin and Yang—I am the screaming, cursing, bipolar (“we’re great…nah, we’re sh*te”), Townsend sceptic rugby fan in comparison to Rory’s deer-stalker wearing, drinks out the back of the Land Rover, Townsend lovin’ rugby toff. 

As such my musings are based purely of prejudice, half-baked ideas and a tenuous knowledge of the rules (I played in the front row, no need for rules!).

The Six Nations are less than two weeks away and this years tournament looks like it is shaping up to be a cracker. The Northern Hemisphere's premier tournament is always essential viewing but this year there is a general feeling that pretty much every team has the ability to pick up results...Well, maybe except England!

Here are my thoughts on Scotland in the lead up to the big kick-off, look out for my views on the other teams in the coming days:

Scotland

Every year, without fail, I’ll look at the Scotland squad and think to myself that it looks pretty strong and that with a wee bit of luck this could be the year we string some result together and maybe claim a wee bit of glory.

Every year I’m wrong and the last couple of Six Nations have seen Scotland win two games...out of 10! Can this be the year where Scotland turn promise into results?

Well, yes!

Hadden has by far and away his strongest squad in his tenure as top dog. A pack that is possibility the best in the tournament and a set of backs that, whilst not the finished article, look like they might actually score some points.

The club sides are producing good results (think Glasgow and Edinburgh winning in France) and are pushing at the right end of the Magners League. 

Key to their success has been the breakthrough of a number of younger players and this has fed into the national side where an injection of fresh blood has been needed for sometime now.

Since the last Six Nations, the national team has toured Argentina, picking up a win in the process and put in two encouraging displays in their Autumn Internationals (didn’t see the NZ game but didn’t sound great). 

The game against South Africa, the world champions, showed just how far the team have come…and how far they still have to go. We bullied the South Africans around in the pack. The forwards were tight and very, very aggressive. 

The backs ran good angles and with a little more precision could have scored more points. That though is where they still have issue, finishing off the chances they create.

For Scotland to prosper this coming Six Nations, they need to take the form from the South Africa and Canada games and add the finishing—if, and it’s still a big if, they can do that then they may well have a very good tournament.

This Scotland team has the look of a team that is still a distance from peaking (2011 would be nice!) but if they continue to develop at the same rate as the last 12 months then the future should be good, or at least better than what has gone before.

A successful Scotland side will help ensure that the punters turn up in number ensuring more money into the SRU coffers which will then, hopefully be fed into the grass routes (and not Chris Cusiter’s pockets!) to bring on the next generation of players.

A quick note on Hadden, who like his squad, appears to have come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 months. I’ve never been a huge fan (despite the fact he put up with Rory and I dribbling drunken nonsense to him in St Etienne!) but he seems to have got a better idea of the game he wants to play.

Like most Scotland fans, I’m delighted that Dan Parks has burnt the dodgy pictures he must have had of Hadden and he is no longer compelled to pick him! Hadden has a depth of squad that has not been available to him in the last couple of years and this should allow him to develop a Plan B in the case any games are going pear shaped.

Of course this means that the excuses that Hadden has used to cover his own inadequacies1 are not going to wash. This tournament will cast a fair eye over Hadden’s abilities at this level.

Finally, the backroom staff appears to be doing a good job, the pack is tight (although the lineout is still in need of work) and provide an extremely solid base for attacking the opposition.

As much as I was never a huge Townsend fan when he was a player (way too erratic) if his coaching is half as good as his thoughts on the game then we should see a back line that will trouble even the best sides in the world.

Predictions

So, can Scotland win the Six Nations? Yes! Really? Well it’s certainly not out with the realms of possibility and we are certainly due a run of luck in terms of injuries and the bounce of the ball…

The first game against Wales is the key. Wales, off the back of a Grand Slam and a decent set of Autumn Internationals will be looking to start strong but Murrayfield is far from a happy hunting ground for the singing coal miners.

Presuming Scotland don’t forget how to tackle they will fancy bloodying the noses of the Welsh and setting up a lip-smacking clash in Paris the following week. The other home games should be winnable (the Irish are on the slide in my opinion, and Italy should still always be beatable) so a lot comes down to the trips to Paris and London. 

Scotland don’t travel that well (not lately anyway!) but this is a Scotland squad filled with players who have won on French soil (albeit at club level) so Paris may not be so scary.

As for England, who knows but this could well be the year the Scots end the Twickers hoodoo! 

Head: Midtable mediocrity.  Win against Ireland and Italy at home, lose in France, just miss out in a classic open running game versus Wales and a lack of composure in scoring position ultimately see us lost to England by a score. 4th/3rd

Heart: Get off to a flyer against Wales, lose in France but pick up 3 more victories, including a gritty display at Twickers to records a long awaited victory to finish 1st or 2nd.

Arse: Lose badly against a buoyant Welsh side, struggle for composure in France, run Ireland close but lose and face an England side that suddenly comes into form at the right time.  Sneak a win at home to Italy to avoid the wooden spoon. 5th.

Fixtures

Scotland v Wales (Murrayfield) - Sunday 8 February, 3pm.

France v Scotland (Stade France) – Saturday 14 February, 3pm

Scotland v Italy (Murrayfield) – Saturday 28 February, 3pm

Scotland v Ireland (Murrayfield) – Saturday 14 March, 5pm

England v Scotland (Twickenham) – Saturday 21 March, 3.30pm

Kilmarnock came from behind to defeat derby rivals Ayr United 3-1, despite being reduced to 10 men in their Scottish Cup match last night. And while almost 12,000 fans packed into Rugby Park, the big winners of the tie were Brownings Bakers.

You see, Brownings make the world famous "Killie Pie." And it's not just any pie, the halftime delicacy is so good that even away fans can't come to Rugby Park without tasting one of its delights. On an average Saturday, Brownings can expect to sell some 7,000 to 8,000 pies.

But what's so special about the Killie Pie? Well, for a start it tastes incredible, and that's not just my opinion. You see the Killie Pie is a steak pie, and it's actually made of steak, and not the usual offal that you find in pies around the grounds of football stadiums up and down Britain.

It is somewhat unique in the fact that it is a steak pie and not a scotch pie, which is the type of pie associated with football matches in Scotland. The pie is made in a bakery in Kilmarnock, and has received such a reputation, that even the Glasgow giants of Rangers and Celtic have opened negotiations with Brownings about making unique pies for them, too.

For last night's match against rivals Ayr, an "away pie" was brought out to a resounding success, white salt and black pepper were used with a different mixture of gravy for the new pie, the black and white colours reflecting Ayr's team kit.

The pie has built up such a following all over Scotland, that cornershop franchise Spar and Lidl have agreed a deal with Brownings to distribute the delicacy all over the British Isles.

Since the year 2000, Brownings have entered the proverbial "Champions League" of pie making. Winning "World Pie Championship" prizes for sausage rolls, Scotch Pies, and another famous pie "The Forfar Birdie."

Their Scotch Pie repeated it's success in 2001, before they went Italian in 2002 and scooped a couple of prizes with the imaginative "Macaroni Pie" and the "Lasagne Pie."

They then went into a four-year period where they failed to win anything and then in 2006 they came back in force as the Killie Pie swept all before them. Voted the best pie in British football and receiving second place in the World Pie Championships, it announced it's arrival as a force to be reckoned with.

Fellow stable mates the "Wee Dram Buffet Pie" and the Forfar Birdie also won prizes in the World Championships coming in joint second and third respectively.

In 2007, the Killie Pie continued it's domination in Britain and was now recognised as one of the best eats in Europe, too, as well as claiming second in the WPC again.

And while Manchester United lay claim to the "Theatre of Dreams" moniker, Rugby Park is fast becoming "The Theatre of Pies."

John Call is the master baker who came up with the Killie Pie and is fast becoming a major part of Rugby Park folklore.

“It’s taken me years to get the pie just right,” Gall, 43, who runs his family’s firm, Brownings The Bakers, in Kilmarnock, said. “But the recipe we have now is as perfect as I can make it. The shell is made from Canadian flour, which is the very best there is, and the steak is 95 per cent lean, best Scottish beef.

“The gravy was the most difficult part. It can’t be too runny for a football pie, because when you’re eating it in the ground you don’t want it running all down your football strip. But just now I’m delighted with the consistency. It’s what you’d call a smooth gravy.”

At the home game with Celtic on Saturday, Gall expected to sell 5,000 Killie Pies, as well as 2,000 mince pies. He boasts a pie-per-punter ratio about double that recorded by other clubs’ piemen. “Word has gone around by now, and supporters know all about our pies. They look forward to coming to Kilmarnock just to have a Killie Pie,” he said.

Gall has now moved into the export business, and he carries a consignment with him when he goes abroad with the Tartan Army. “I’ve been all around Europe with Scotland, and the pies go with me too. I see myself as an ambassador for my country’s pies,” he said.

“I’ve been to places like Italy and France, where they think they know something about food, and the locals couldn’t believe how good the Killie Pie is. It’s a real credit to Scotland and Scottish cuisine.”

Gall has won just about every prize and trophy one can win during his time as a baker, but one stands out above all others.

“In 2004 I became the first Scot ever to win the British Baker of the Year Award,” he said. “It was very emotional. You have to understand that these are the Oscars of the baking industry, and to be the first man from Scotland to win it meant everything to me.”

The Killie Pie has been so successful it has overshadowed the team. “Last season they’d been undefeated for nine games and they’d played great football. Then the Killie Pie won another award, and it captured all the headlines.

"Our assistant manager, Billy Brown, had a rant in his newspaper column, saying that the team were playing the best football anyone had seen in years, and all anybody wanted to talk about was the pies. He was none too happy about it.”

So the next time you go to a match, remember that the football on the pitch is not the only place where your team can win trophies. And if your pies are just not good enough...Well you can always make a pilgrimage to Kilmarnock, you'll enjoy the food as much if not more than the football, that I can guarantee.

Now in his fourth full season, for the first time Frank Hadden has the luxury of players who are in form on his squad. 

As Glasgow and Edinburgh proved in the Heineken Cup results, Scottish resources may not be plentiful as compared to their illustrious Six Nations rivals.  But when the braves of the highlands get it right, they can compete with any team.

The Warriors victory over a Toulouse at Stade Ernest Wallon is akin to the Scottish national team inflicting a defeat on the All Blacks on the hallowed turf of Eden Park. 

Glasgow is considered to be among the easy beats of the European championship.  Toulouse has conquered the North three times, has not been beaten at home for two years, and carried a 15 match winning streak into a match—alongside a team boasting an entire starting XV of French internationals and former All Black Byron Kelleher—named the finest player in Europe last year.

But this all accounted for nothing for the bonnie Warriors and their coach Sean Lineen.

It wasn’t so much the 33-26 score line or the Glasgow line-up that defeated the unadulterated Toulouse might.  Equally, Edinburgh’s victory over Castres, which did not attract the headlines like the miracle against Stade Toulousain, was not achieved by a glamour team.

It was the manner in which the Scottish provincial teams carried out their game plan.

When Scottish scribes speak of the way their teams play, they talk of uncertainty in their own half and a defence that waits for the opposition to run into them.

There is not so much a lack of skill in Scotland rugby ranks as much as a lack of belief.

But, they believed when they came against arguably the most awesome club team in world rugby.

It was these powers of the mind—coupled with a desire to run the ball, hold it in contact, and work through the phases that did it.  No team in the world, neither the All Blacks nor the World Champion South Africans, can dominate you if they have to continually defend.

Likewise, when defending, Glasgow employed the famed rush defence.  The same defence that South Africa and Wales have employed to unsettle Scotland.

The finest blitz defensive systems operate around a clued up and aggressive centres pairing.  In Graeme Morrison and Max Evans, Scotland may have finally unearthed a class centre combination.  With Nick de Luca and Ben Cairns from Edinburgh selected as Hadden’s centres, Scotland suddenly has surprising back-line depth.

But what about the Scottish attack?  No team can win matches without attacking players.  With Dan Parks' brilliant performance against Toulouse and Phil Godman (the incumbent in the autumn internationals) combining with the precocious talent of 20 year old Ruaridh Jackson, it seems that Scotland has a profusion of playmakers.

They will be fed quality pill with Mike Blair confirmed as captain.  Blair, who finished 2008 as one of the premier scrum halves of world rugby, again has a competent understudy with Chris Cusiter again in form with Perpignan.

Ross Ford has been in outstanding form at Edinburgh's hooker—combining in the front row with fellow Gunner Allan Jacobson.  If we throw in Euan Murray, the Northampton prop whom had the All Blacks second string forward on a leash, we will see an unexpectedly strong Scotland scrum.

The rest of the tight forwards and back row pick themselves—for it is here that we see Scotland’s great weakness (effectively only two clubs to choose from) become a strange strength.  Domestic combinations are all over the team.

There are only ten players outside of the two Scottish clubs, but all of them are there on considerable merit.  In particular, wings Sean Lamont (Northampton) and Simon Danielli (Ulster), have both been in imperious form.

If this belief can be transferred to the national side, and if they disregard the reputations of their more illustrious opponents, then we may see Scotland rise again as a power. 

The challenge is to remember the feeling of success and translate it to the Six Nations.

Scotland Six Nations Fixtures:

 

8^thFebruary 2009: Scotland V Wales @ Murrayfield

14^th February 2009: France V Scotland @ Stade de France

28^thFebruary 2009: Scotland V Italy @ Murrayfield

14^th March 2009: Scotland V Ireland @ Murrayfield

21^st March 2009: England V Scotland @ Twickenham

Scotland coach Frank Hadden springs the odd surprise in today’s announcement of his 33-man Six Nations training squad, most notably the addition of tyro Glasgow fly-half Ruaridh Jackson, presumably rewarded for a storming game against Bath in the Heineken Cup.

While it’s unlikely that Jackson will make the test 22s (barring injury), he should learn much at training at this level. It’s good that Hadden is starting to bring young players on to a big stage sooner in the same way that Australia or France have done in recent years.

If he can handle it, why not? Maybe Frank has grown a pair. Or maybe it is just the influence of crazy Gregor Townsend.

Other newcomers/returnees include prop Geoff Cross and winger Simon Danielli. Absentees include Rob Dewey, Scott MacLeod and the injured Rory Lamont and Matt Mutschin who will be sad to miss out on his Six Nations debut, having come to international rugby late in his career.

I’m glad to see Chris Cusiter—who has been a regular fixture for Perpignan depsite rumours of a move to Clermont with big Jason or a possible return home to Glasgow—back in the fold.

Ally Kellock may also have played his way back into at least a bench spot with some recent strong, feisty performances. having said that, now that Simon Taylor is playing almost exclusively at lock for Stade, perhaps he or Jason White will get a run there.

That might be the real test of how willing Hadden (who I believe sees Taylor as an eight) is to throw the dice.

This squad may well be trimmed down somewhat before the final selections are made for the Six Nations which kicks off against Wales on the 8th of February. What would be your team selection based on these?

Scotland squad

Backs: Mike Blair (capt), Ben Cairns (both Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Thom Evans, Max Evans (both Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Northampton Saints), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks (both Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson, Hugo Southwell and Simon Webster (all Edinburgh)

Forwards: John Barclay, Kelly Brown (both Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Scott Gray (Northampton Saints), Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Craig Hamilton, Jim Hamilton (both Edinburgh), Nathan Hines (Perpignan), Allister Hogg, Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Simon Taylor (Stade Francais), Jason White (Sale Sharks).

Let me paint a picture for you. 

You drive towards the Old Course at St. Andrews, alongside the road hole with the legendary R&A Clubhouse off in the distance. 

It’s a crisp spring morning, but you are lucky because at least the sun is out and there is only a mild wind blowing off the water.

You get out of your rental car and are immediately greeted by a jolly man with a thick Scottish accent. You can barely understand him but you realize that he has come to take your golf clubs out of the trunk of the car. 

After breaking out your credit card and settling your very expensive greens fees, you head over to the driving range to hit a few balls to loosen up before your round on the closest thing golf enthusiasts have to heaven on earth.

You head towards the first tee and meet your caddie, who knows every inch of the Old Course, but it will take you at least five holes to begin navigating through his thick accent to understand the insightful instructions he is giving you.

The sun is beginning to rise further into the cloudless blue sky, quickly turning a crisp morning into what looks to be a perfect afternoon.

Then, as your hands are shaking as thoughts fire through your mind about how you are seconds away from teeing off on the most famous golf course in the world, you send a perfectly struck drive between the pot bunkers, landing on the rock hard fairway and rolling an additional 30 yards. 

As amazing as the this story sounds, the most amazing part of it is that anyone and everyone, who is willing to pay an expensive greens fee, is able to live this golfing dream. 

You see, golf in Scotland is vastly different from golf in America, in that in Scotland, the average Joe can walk out and play the same courses where British Opens have been held for over a century.

You can walk the same fairways as Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Walter Hagan, and just about every one of the game’s all-time greats. 

In one trip to Scotland, the average Joe can play St. Andrews, Turnberry, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, etc.

Sure, it will cost you a pretty penny, but it’s still possible, which is what makes golf in Scotland very much different than golf in America.  

In America, we spend hours each weekend watching tour professionals play courses that 99 percent of golf fans will never even sniff unless they purchase a ticket to watch the tour event there.

Take Augusta National for example–good luck even getting a ticket to the Masters, let alone an opportunity to play the course. 

Virtually every PGA Tour event in America is played at country clubs that demand exuberant entrance fees and that one cannot even enter the front gates unless accompanied by a member. 

Golf has always been a sport enjoyed mostly by the wealthier segments of society, and that is also the case in Scotland. 

However, in Scotland, a fan of the game can save up a little money and decide to go out and play the Old Course. 

In America, you better hit a $200 million lottery and become friends with some members of Augusta National to even be considered for a round of golf, and even then, the likelihood of walking the pristine fairways of Augusta National are slim to none.

Scotland is the birthplace of golf and, remarkably, throughout history they have continued to make virtually every course accessible to anyone who wants to experience the joy of walking these magnificent, historic fairways.

Let’s just hope that Scotland remains this way for future generations to enjoy the game of golf on the same courses their heroes once walked.

Let’s face it, Rangers fans couldn’t agree on the colour of s***e these days (no, it is not green, not in this context anyway). I’m also wondering if some of us even know what s**t is?

Kirk Broadfoot is not shit, Kirk Broadfoot is not brilliant but Kirk Broadfoot is an honest player. Not a first division player as some people would have you believe but a decent Scottish Premier League player who does a top job for Rangers.

All we hear all the time is how bad a player he is and I’m fed up with it, no one has ever said he is a great player, no one has ever expected the sun to shine from his big feet but I do expect him to get respect.

Alan Hutton is gone but some people are struggling to face up to that.

News Flash: Hutton has hardly played since leaving Rangers, we got a great deal.

Anyway back to Kirk, everyone knows he isn’t the ideal solution but simply put, the now Scotland international has stood up to be counted when many of his team mates have simply been disappointing.

I was the same as most last season, watching the UEFA Cup run on TV, I cringed at the big defender and was constantly shouting at him to put his f*****g arm down.

Again however, I have since realised it was players like Kirk that got us to the UEFA Cup Final. The fact he constantly had his arm in the air and making space to receive the ball meant he was standing up, when many players were hiding, big Kirk wanted the ball.

Every team needs players like Broadfoot, players willing to take responsibility, players willing to take it on the chin.

In an ideal world, he would never have sniffed the first team, we all know that but not only did he sniff the first team, he established himself and pushed on for international honours.

Fair play to him.

I for one do not believe Scotland play first division players (not first division players in this country anyway) and when I sat 10 metres away from him at Hampden as Scotland took on the worlds best, Argentina (not Airdrie vs. Greenock Morton), I was more than impressed.

When faced with the Carlos Tevez’s and Javier Mascherano’s of this world, he didn’t change his game, he didn’t panic, he as usual wanted the ball, got forward and was willing to stand on it like any normal day in training.

After the recent defeat to Celtic, Kirk put his hand up and said he let Scott McDonald get away from him. Well done to him but as far as I was concerned, Rangers problems were at the other end.

This fan has faith in Kirk Broadfoot and looks forward to seeing his name on the team sheet for a while to come.

A bit of actual news reporting for you here! Your faithful correspondent was up at the crack of dawn today to try and snare a couple of the last few cheap seats for Scotland’s Six Nations Clash with Ireland.

By the end of the waiting process the following was clear: no “cheap” ie £30 pairs of tickets left anywhere in the stadium, let alone four! However due to some cunning use of the “back” button (that “nearby seat finder” thing is rubbish) and randomly adding single tickets to the basket, I eventually managed to get hold of two close to each other separated only by a couple of rows in a glorious and hopeflly dry corner of the lower North Stand.

This means that at least one match this Six Nations will have full Scottish Rugby Blog coverage. But probably not this particular one, as we’ll have been in the pub all day. Furthermore the SRU website reports that 4,500 tickets were sold in the first hour this morning.

Reportedly first in the queue for tickets in person was a young man unwilling to reveal his identity to the SRU press office as he’d taken a sickie off work to grab the tickets. As usual no tickets are on sale on match day, so get yours now—a sensible enough policy for the big matches which usually sell out anyway but for the Autumn Ints and Italy, it’s a bit silly. They could probably pick up a few extra quid and lord knows they need it.

Once those cheapest seats are all gone it’s the “luxury” of the West Stand… Tickets are also still available for Scotland vs Wales and Scotland vs Italy. You can also try our advertiser links in the top right as well so no excuse (other than impending global financial catastrophe) for not supporting the boys.

Why Ireland, you ask? Well, because we might beat them, I’d reply. And I’ve been at the last two home Calcutta Cups not to mention a couple of stiffings by the All Blacks and I’d quite like to see something fun in a full stadium. Okay beating England was fun, but hardly a rugby spectacle. Whether this wish will be fulfilled by the men in green from across the sea is another matter.

Still, the craic will be good.

Written by TMWWBK (rangersmedia.co.uk)

Thursday, 01 January 2009 15:02

Alex, you came in and I was skeptical. After the semifinal win though, I totally came round to you and actually thought you could be a match for O'Neill. When you got your own control however, you let us down, and not just with your signings. Many may remember you for your titles, but I remember you for the way you split the support after the Inter Milan game. "This is for the Alex McLeish fans," as the quote, I believe. You split the support, Eck, and you never took the flack for your signings in the face. Cheers for Helicopter Sunday, but No. 51 should have been done and dusted before that. You took us to third place. End of story. Paul. Paul, Paul, Paul. You were my idol for a few months. I thought you would have changed the face of Rangers, I knew how you transformed Rennes and Lyon and that had me excited to the point where I actually attended your parading. On and off the park, I'm one of your biggest defenders, but till this day, even I can't argue with some of your dissenters. The lightweight centre half from IFK? Hemdani to "shore up" the aforementioned? Sebo? Letizi? Ponroy? Stanger? God, even I could see that you ballsed up your job there. Still, you didn't have the chairman or the dressing room behind you. In the end though, you didn't have the heart for Rangers, and that's nearly as bad as not having the ability. Walter though, you've hurt me the most. When you came in, I thought the club was in a safe pair of hands, but clearly it wasn't the case. The pursuit of Hartley? The signing of Miller (and I don't have a lot against Miller, but strikers like him come ten a penny in Europe) and the general laziness in the transfer market? Don't even get me started on your prehistoric tactical skills. Out with those practicalities, you've also totally pandered to the media. Smith, one word—Kaunas. Your "comeback" has been poor to shocking and I for one wont see your UEFA Cup run as a success. You were trusted with a £30M transformation job to give us dominance for the next 5-10 years and you've failed in that job. Murray is no angel, in fact, he's still a cancer. Just don't let the poor job that those three have done blind your judgement of him. I remember a Blue Order banner a while back that said "WE DESERVE BETTER." Never has that phrase been so apt.