Deluded Mark McGhee has joined the predictable campaign mourning the loss of Hearts and Hibs from the top flight of Scottish football.
The mythical belief that the ‘big clubs’ should all be in the top division- and preferably in the top six- has gathered momentum since Hamilton beat Hibs in Sunday’s Premiership play-off.
Apparently it should be a case for national mourning that the Edinburgh clubs and Sevco won’t be in the top division while the eyes of the football world follow those clubs into combat to Starks Park, the plastic of Palmerston, Dumbarton’s Betty Butler Stadium and the stock car track at Cowdenbeath.
The difference between football and WWF is that there is a level of merit involved- despite the best efforts of Neil Doncaster and Stewart Regan the best- not the biggest- teams are in the top division.
Anyone looking in at Easter Road would have seen that Alex Neill’s side were a cut above their opponents and have much more to offer on the pitch.
Looking ahead to Scotland playing a friendly in England against Nigeria McGhee said: “A league without Hibs, Hearts, Rangers? I could never have imagined that in my lifetime.
“That’s a real shame because they are among the bigger clubs in the country and they benefit the league by being in it. The league loses something by them not being it, for sure.
“There’s absolutely no doubt about it, Hearts, Hibs and Rangers are clubs of a stature that should just about be able produce players – and have players in their team – that would be in the international squad. And they haven’t at the moment. That is a shame.”
Encouraging a closed shop in football is a dangerous game for anyone connected with the Scotland international squad.
Next month Bosnia will take part in the World Cup while ‘bigger’ countries such as Turkey, Czech Republic, Sweden and Poland look on from a distance.
Unlike Scotland the Bosnian’s qualified on merit by winning matches on the park, something that Hearts and Hibs proved incapable of over 38 and 40 matches.
Rather than mourn the loss of Hearts and Hibs McGhee should be praising Hamilton Accies and looking closely at why Bosnia and Iceland have more successful football teams.
After tonight’s jolly in London Regan and president Campbell Ogilvie will prepare for their trip to the World Cup in Brazil on Fifa business.
