Gazzetta Football Scozia

Auction of football memorabilia at Christie's - some cool stuff - including a 1932 Scotland international shirt from a game v France.

Visit - Christie's LotFinder

My favourites? Well, I'm on the verge of bidding for
this Celtic shirt - from the 1994 League Cup Final - the one where they lost to Raith Rovers...

More neutrally, there's a Gordon McQueen mid-70s Scotland shirt.

A better investment - and something pretty f*cking brilliant - is this World Cup winner's medal.

Perhaps more affordable is this Wembley Wizards reunion dinner menu.

There's a ton more stuff in there, and worth a bid - you never know...
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S2M-2719# Tommy Sheridan: Smugness of English Commentators and Failure of English Football Managers-That the Parliament congratulates the two English Premiership football teams who have reached the semi-final stage of the European Champions League but regrets the continued smugness and arrogance displayed by various English football commentators in relation to this achievement; notes the failure of English-born football managers to secure success in the English FA Cup, the English Premiership, the European Champions League or indeed for the English international team, and hopes that in future years an English team managed by an English manager may reach the latter stages of domestic and European competitions and may even one day win the English Premiership.

So he does have a sense of humour after all...
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I mentioned that Bill Struth would be turning in his grave at Thomas Buffel's antics, but he might not be - Struth was a notoriously strict dresser, and would change his suit sometimes several times a day. He instituted Rangers' policy of changing strips at half-time, which they do for every game to this day.

Graeme Souness picked up a similar habit it would seem, although like all things Souness he took it to the extreme. "What do you mean, Billy?" I hear you say. Well, I am reliably informed (via a scurrilous rumour website called popbitch) that he was so concerned about looking immaculate that he would hang up his suit (jacket and trousers) in the changing room to avoid creasing when he was going to take a piss or a shit. Now that's dedication. Or, lunacy.
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This book got a bit slated in When Saturday Comes but gets an OK review here. Perhaps Thomas Buffel will feature in the next one, although doubt it; the sixties boys were a bit more original in their day than your average SPL label-whore now.

Uppers - The Fashion of Football by Paolo Hewitt, Mark Baxter (Mainstream Publishing) [cheers Amy]

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Spotted in Prestwick airport on Sunday evening after the recent Old Firm game: Thomas Buffel, with his trouser leg rolled up above his knee.

Now before you all shout "MASON" I have to point out - it was because he had a graze on his knee and he didn't want to get any blood on his designer jeans. Seriously.

Bill Struth must be spinning in his grave.
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An old article from the NYTimes - sorry but because of my slackerness you'll have to purchase it to read the whole thing - but I had to explain to my girlfriend-whose-father-was-born-in-Holland the Ajax/Jewish thing.

Read - The New York Times - A Dutch Soccer Riddle: Jewish Regalia Without Jews

That was confusing enough but then I topped it off by explaining how Celtic fans (who follow a team in the Scottish league but wave flags of Ireland and wear Ireland shirts) have recently taken to waving Palestinian flags, causing Rangers fans (who follow a team in the Scottish league but wave Union flags and wear England shirts) to take up the Zionist cause and wave Stars of David. Try making sense out of that.

[BTW I would have thought that if the Northern Ireland Protestants are an oppressed people in their homeland they should identify with the Palestinian cause?]
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...is a mechanic and lives in New York. Not that interesting to you probably, but the part-time b*stard hasn't turned up once at the Blue Room to see miracle Marv in action!
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In times of emotional stress, a sure technique to feel better is to reflect on past glories. Which for me means the CIS Cup victory last month... has it been that long?

The memories are already hazy, but the match was memorable for me for a few reasons.

Reason number one: Possibly the only time in history I've ever wished for a team to score against the Rangers. 2-0 up with less than ten minutes gone, and I was thinking what a shite walkover of a non-competition we had to look forward to. I'm not sure if I'm ashamed or (given the end result) secretly proud of this fact, but when the 'well had a free kick on the right outside the Rangers box, I thought "go on, stick a goal in and make it interesting." They did, and, hmm, at least it made it a wee bit more interesting - for a few minutes. [Rest assured, this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.]

Reason number two: hot on the heels of the Panorama doc and Murray's volte-face on the sectarian problem at Ibrox, hardcore Rangers fans were actually debating the singing of the 'traditional' tunes. Sure, there were still more than enough people claiming it was their right, etc etc, but there were Rangers fans I've known for years prepared to stand up in a true-blue boozer and say it's wrong and it's going to stop. Notable stuff and not to be scorned; history is being made.

Reason number three: several Asian Rangers fans in and about Hampden. Haven't seen that before, although on bringing it up in the pub afterwards was told it's not uncommon anymore.

Reason number four: err that's it really. I do remember some pudding running on to the park at half-time from the Gers end but after about ten seconds he realised the crowd thought he was a twat so he just stopped and got himself lifted.
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Remember those days in 1990? Classic Scotland - disaster (Costa Rica), triumph (Sweden), but finally, deep disappointment (who else - Brazil).

I will to my dying day be disappointed that I never made it. I had finals to do at Uni at the time - in fact the morning after the Costa Rica debacle I had a 9am exam, how the hell was I supposed to concentrate? I guess I could have made it to the Brazil game, but I had no money, no ticket, and no idea that there were loads of tickets still available.

So it thrills me, but at the same time pains me, to discover this site - where Fraser Pettigrew catalogues his black-and-white photos from Genoa and Turin (with a wee stop-off in Milan).

Simply fantastic. Even the famous railway tunnel gets a mention.

Nessun Dorma - No-One Sleeps
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