Davie Provan spends most of his time watching and discussing the EPL but that doesn’t make him immune from criticising English football. Far from it.
The former Celtic winger has been in the media now for 30 years, earning a reputation for having an insight into the game and being unafraid of voicing critical opinions.
During his playing days Provan was close to Tommy Burns that didn’t prevent him from offering highly critical opinions of Berti Vogts as Scotland manager while his old team-mate was the international Number Two.
Sky Sports held the rights to Scotland international matches at that time but rather than talk things up Provan voiced his fears and concerns about the set up with Vogts banning players from interviews with the former Scotland internationalist.
The hype for the new EPL season has been heightened by England reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup.
According to some a bright new chapter awaits the England national team but they can discount Provan as a cheerleader.
Putting things bluntly in The Sun he wrote:
Gareth Southgate’s boys were the first team to make a World Cup semi-final without actually beating anyone.
When England went ahead against Croatia in the semi-final it looked as if the football gods had taken leave of their senses.
They’d allowed England to within a whisker of the final without beating a country in the top 15 of the Fifa rankings.
That’s the kind of luck reserved for lottery winners.
Let me declare myself here, I’m no Anglophobe. If Scotland aren’t involved I’m backing England all day.
Two countries that go to war under the same flag should share a mutual respect.
Last summer, I found the booing of God Save The Queen at Hampden shameful. It portrayed us as bitter little nationalists.
But if I started the World Cup rooting for England, I soon found myself backing anyone but.
Not because of the delusional English media, we know they can’t help themselves.
But you shouldn’t get anywhere near the World cup Final by beating the bang average and that’s all England had achieved.
They squeezed past Tunisia, ranked 21, in stoppage time.
Panama (55) was a training session, before losing to Belgium (3), the first bit of quality they had faced.
Then it was Colombia (16), who were beaten only because they missed their last two penalties in the shoot-out.
That took England into the last eight where Lady Luck handed them Sweden (24) for a place in the last four.
You could argue Southgate could only beat what was put in front of him but it was as if he was in charge of the draw himself.
England’s World Cup campaign, despite three defeats, has succeeded in over inflating the transfer market even further- with the knock on effect seen in the interest in Adam Rooney and Martyn Waghorn.
Fifth tier outfit Salford City are believed to be paying Rooney £4,000 a week on a three year contract, Sheffield United have made a bid of £5m to Ipswich for Waghorn.
There isn’t much that Celtic or anyone else can do to compete- but at least Provan retains a sense of perspective.
