Fly the flag

So the football season started again on Saturday.It was good to be back in the old routine wake up late get some breakfast watch some footie on the box including the return of Soccer AM and then head of to the match with my dad and a new recruit for this year my mate John bought a season ticket on Friday .

The game was a 4-1 win for rangers against Falkirk who are a good team with some good football players.They pass the ball well but just lack the cutting edge to score more goals.Rangers were sluggish and having made no signing this season the place was a little flat.The punters want a few new faces but the accountants wont let Smith spend and money.Maybe if Celtic don’t make the champions league groups the extra money we get will be spent on a few new faces.In typical Rangers supporters way there was some complaing about a 4-1 win some people are never happy.

Rangers

Picture says it all.

6 weeks no football

Its been 6 weeks since I was at a match the last home game in the league was the game against Motherwell on the 21st of September.That’s longer than a close season and far to long a gap .The SPL are a joke and cannot seem to figure out that teams can play ate home one week and away another simple instead we have to many home and away games one after another leading to long periods when you don’t get to go to matches.

This does not matter to those who run the game because they are free loaders but for supporters who go to away games it is even more important having to go to a few away games on the bounce means spending more over a shorter period.

Anyway I will be glad to get back to having a normal Saturday afternoon .

We are not sectarian part 2

So the story grows.The stupid tit for tat my dads bigger than yours where will it all end.Now the DUP from Northern Ireland have got involved.There Mp and sports minister has written to John Reid the Celtic chair.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7626038.stm.

This will only serve to show the small mindedness of some people and to fan the flames .The two clubs should be left to get on with trying to stamp this out as they have been doing over the last few years instead of this over the top “I’m telling on you”.

Now you should note that in order that I don’t get reported to somebody bigger than me I have put a picture of Celtic on this page OHHHH!!!!

Although the one on the right of the page is my favourite.

We are not sectarian.

So we have another chapter in the sectarian battle between Celtic and Rangers following a BBC report last night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7617518.stm

This story for me highlights two things.The first is no revelation there are Rangers supporters who are sectarian the second is that this reporting of songs to the authorities is like a slow creeping death to peoples free speech.

This may seem like a contradiction .But in the context of football it makes sense.Go along to any football match and you will hear things shouted and songs that will be offencive.But that is the nature of the game its all in the banter.If we were to ban all songs and chants that offend then we would watch football in silence.If we were to ban everything from the airwaves and tv or movies then again we would live in silence(which might not be a bad thing).I go along to the games and like to think I can control myself and behave but football supporters are passionate about there team and so I like to sing and shout does that make me sectarian .If the people who know me told me I was sectarian I would listen to them but not to some pundit on the tv or radio.

It is impossible to go through life and not be offended it is even more impossible to go through life and not be the offender even when you are not trying to you can offend people.My wife has often said that my face offends people so what chance do I have.

Leave people alone and grow some thicker skin or just ban supporters all together.

Overcoming

This week there was a great football story involving big Kirk Broadfoot.He played for St Mirren before Rangers signed him last year and everybody said Kirk Who.Coming to a bigger club like Rangers is sometimes to much to take for young players and they quickly disappear.But the big man has stuck at his job and despite being on the wrong end of some abuse from his own fans played far more games for Rangers than he thought he would.

So many people at Ibrox gave him stick but I couldn’t bring myself to do it to the big man,I could see an honest player giving his all and that’s always enough for me.So this week he gets picked for the Scotland squad what a boost!! until the manager decides to tell the world that the big man has “limited ability” what and idiot.That’s going to boost your confidence and make you want to play for the manager “not”.

So how does the big man respond?Well first thing is he gets picked to play gets booked in the first 10 minutes then scores a goal that sends Scotland on the way to victory.He must have been tempted to run over to the manager and ask him if that was good enough for someone with limited ability.I would.

Its just a great story of a guy who has been given the chance and has risen to the challenge unlike some others with more ability but a shit attitude.Go on the big farmer!!!!

Faith&Football.

Today was a day for these two things to go together.Its a real pain that football is not played on a Saturday afternoon anymore but that comes with taking the tv money.So when your team is playing its biggest rival on Sunday morning I have to combine the two.
Going to church as a leader can sometimes be difficult there are certain expectations on you to produce much like footballers going in to big games.This morning I felt exhausted but still willing to share some thoughts that maybe God had given to me.Part way through our service I felt God prompting me to say something I had not expected.With my heart racing I shared with the folk about the love of God being all that will remain.Everything else we have will fade but his love will prevail for us.
We also had the hearting story of someone giving away £20 prompted by God to bless someone who had just lost a child.this may not seem a big deal but when its done in love it has a great effect.The woman tracked down the person who gave the £20 and told her that she had used it to buy some flowers for her child’s grave.These small stories of peoples faith in action are what keep you going.

I gave my last £20 to the same girl and she agreed to invest it so that God could multiply it I wait with anticipation to see what happens.

As for my team they played well and won 4-2 which made my and my cousin very happy but I have to say not as happy as the story of the £20.