It was the annual knees up for the Scottish League last night, and although Celtic collected a couple, it was the one that got away which raised the eyebrows.
Stefan Johansen picked up the player of the year award, though we hear he couldn’t stand still long enough to make a speech. Well deserved and recognition from those within the game of his contribution to the team.
Jason Denaayer capped what he would call a fantastic season with the young player award, and maybe when he decides what to do after the summer he’ll take that into account.
John Hughes of Inverness, the likeable big lug who once wore the hoops, was named manager of the year in recognition of getting his club within touching distance of a Cup win and a European place.
We believe that Robbie Nielsen of Hearts and our own Ronny Deila looked at each other and shrugged.
Nielsen has just won what was largely described as the most competitive league in the country by er, a country mile with a club that was staring into the abyss a little over a year ago.
By any measure, a tremendous achievement.
Our own Ronny has won two trophies and without hand of josh interference would have been in with a shout of a treble. A fairly good shout as well.
Conspiracy theories apart, questions should be asked. No problem with Hughes winning. Good luck to him. But overlooking Neilsen and Deila?
Surely some mistake? An honest mistake?
The award is voted for by the other managers, and there is no doubt that there is a clique amongst a certain section of that group.
It could be just an old pals act, it could even be an anti Scandinavian surnames bias.
Or it could be something more sinister.
With the best laid plans of the mice and men at the sfa ganging aglae due to a succession of piss poor managers at their favourite club, combining with the aptitude and efforts at other first division clubs meaning that Second Rangers look unlikely to surge through the leagues to challenge for honours, is it just bitterness on behalf of thise within the game that want to see the old order of things restored?
In a sense, it could be argued that if it was all about the old order, then Aberdeen boss Derek MacInnes would have lifted the award.
Unless he’s made it perfectly clear he isnt going to be the latest messiah to lead the Ibrox hordes out of the wilderness.
All of which might not matter anyway.
Over on social media giant Twitter one of the contributors, Football is fixed claims to have story that will blow Scottish football out of the water. Apparently someones been on the fiddle and it coukd lead to Rangers being stripped of titles and even Celtic moving to another league.
They are looking for someone in the mainstream media to pick up and carry the story. Good luck with that north of the border.
The lack of courage amongst the hacks up there is matched only by their stubborn refusal to face facts.
There may be nothing in it, although experience tells us that there probably is.
Either way, surely someone should run with the story and either seek to discredit it or to bring the truth out into the open?
It concerns whether or not Old Rangers were allowed to participate in Europe despite owing tax money, a situation forbidden under UEFA rules but as it is down to the SFA to enforce that, the consequences could be far reaching.
The bit about title.stripping has been inthe public domain, at least on the internet, for some time.
Whats different now is that the source claims to have documented proof of various misdeeds.
At this stage it becomes the responsibility of the MSM to seek out and establish the veracity of the claims.
Yeah. I know . Stop laughing.
Are they not touching it because they know its true, and don’t want to be forever associated with being the messenger of doom that finally establishes what we are all fairly sure of anyway?
That under David Murray Rangers cheated their way to titles, cups and champions league money.
As far as opening cans of worms goes, this one may prove impossible to seal afterwards.
The legal ramifications concerning financial losses for all the clubs denied income from this cheating alone is mind boggling.
Thats just domestically.
Without exaggerating it could mean that every result featuring Toxic Fc could be struck from the records.
Its not news to most of us.
Whats news is that it appears the evidence, or lack of it, has been collected now.
All it needs is for someone to bring it out into the open, and either confirm or deny it happened.
Over to the professionals…
Stop laughing at the back.
Had a good laugh when I heard Hughes had won, a good manager for sure, but was number 4 on that list for me!
Deila
Nielsen
McInnes
Hughes
Well done John Hughes for winning……. fuck all really during the season……if you check the stats when toxic were winning title after title, they always won manager of the year!!! I rest my case and underpin your lodge members voting group…..
football is fixed should have a wee word with Alex Thompson of C4
celtic bias again it will never end.
Interesting stuff, Ralph.
We won’t hold our breath waiting for the SMSM to pick up on the Football Is Fixed story. The SMSM is every bit as corrupt & morally bankrupt as the (ex) club most of them support.
Chances are many in the media already know the story behind the story but – as with many things- they’d prefer to turn a blind eye and avoid the risk that when a large can of worms is opened, something might wriggle and squirm in their direction.
The manager of the year should be Neilsen, for bringing a Deidheid club back to success with a minscule budget.
I think his winning of the Chamionship could have gone down badly in some quarters.
Celtic appear to ebony an upward spiral and do not need awards just success.
Scott Brown was my POTY, the huge impact he has on the team was shown when he returned from injury and the team improved a lot.
MOTY going to Yogi for stopping a treble might as well have gone to steven mclean. Don’t understand why folk are suprised by this, remember, Henrik Larsson only got two POTM awards in seven years.
Doc, Henrik may have got only two PFA POTY but he is the only player ever to do so. The PFA award started in 1978, since then Celtic players have won it 20 times to rangers 10.
Player Of The Month Awards, Henrik’s two put him level with football superstars such as steven davis, allan mcgregor, steven naismith, dado prso and fernando ricksen. But as good as Henrik was he still couldn’t match all time greats of the game like kenny miller, kris boyd and barry ferguson.
MSM were backing jim jeffries in the past when we were winning titles,as he got killie into top 6 ffs,the list of candidates for player of the year were strange , who had even heard of stewart FROM DUNDEE,WHILE BITON WAS BY FAR AND AWAY OUR BEST PLAYER, AND SHOULD HAVE WON THE BIG PRIZE.YET WAS NOT EVEN SHORT LISTED
Much as I hate to say it, Robbie Neilsen would get my vote. Sure, we handled them, but a near perfect season on such low resources can’t be ignored …
Ralph
You have obviously developed a real taste for conspiracies. You ask us to believe the awards might be fixed? Come on! You want us to deem as true there has been an agenda in Scottish football all these years? Come on! You expect us to swallow the tale that the MSM would not investigate suspicious circumstances in the game? Come on! You don’t think Scottish football authorities will take action for any wrongdoing? Come on! You don’t think Yogi should have won? Come on! You want me at my age to accept all of this? Come on! You think I am not doubled up laughing? Come on!
Potentially disturbing yet welcome information in the Diary today. I have always believed that club should have been obliterated for what it did to football in this country. I have always maintained the authorities should be hung drawn and quartered for what they did and did not do. I have always hoped action would be taken. Hoped? Come on!
H H
Ronny Deila should have won it, he has won the League cup, he has one the title and watched on as his side were cheated out of a cup final place.
John Hughes? For fuck sake the world has gone mad!
Does it really matter who won what award?
Does it really matter who won a meaningless award?
I agree with Tom, I can’t remember these awards one year to the next. Who really gives a monkeys?
The SFA, aside from being a corrupt bowling club committee, interested only in their self-existence and that of their lodge brothers, are blinded by their view of success being linked to the commercial profitability of the league. Ergo, they think that this can only be maximised with a club representing a big share of the scottish football market (the dark side of the west of scotland). Commercial success follows on from an excellent product.
What puzzles me on this – aside from said self interest etc – is that this model hasn’t worked. Ever. So why the fuck do they keep trying? Try something else! Here’s a thought. A competitive league, modelled on scandenavia, based on first class youth coaching across the country (not to mention education as part of young players development), maximising the talent pool, selling these gifted players on to sodom (EPL) for astrinomical fees, but developing a competitive national team?
This model can’t work when there are 2 glasgow “giants” stifling the league, but could work if those tribes didn’t have a loyalist, anti-fenian standard to get behind and supported their local clubs in Kilmarnock, Lanarkshire, etc.
In summary, kill sevco, invest properly in youth and let the game flourish!
Yours, drunk in Hawaii, BPS
I have no problem with hughs getting a bit of recognition for this season.
I would have given it to Alex Neil for what he did with Hamilton and what he’s done with Norwich .
There’s only one Yogi and it sure is not the Leither halfwit: a donkey as a player and as a manager. Yogi, the real one, was a fabulous player. Rant over.