Andy’s Sting In The Tale (21/08/26) “Honest Debate Versus Luddism"

I know which floats my boat.

I turned on the radio on Wednesday lunchtime-ish to hear Scottish Footballs very own ‘Reg from Life of Brian’, spouting forth about an announcement and plan announced that day by Craig Naylor HM’s Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland.

Reg was railing against and casting dire, dark warnings about Polis Scotland’s plan to belatedly utilise ‘Facial Recognition’ technology to fight against things like mass fan disorder as witnessed recently by us all during ugly scenes in Glasgow.

It’s the same constantly improving and ubiquitous technology already regularly used south of the wall in English Football and against a background in our country today where we are all filmed all the time.

Recordings that we all know also help solve crimes and add to the common good.

I’m old enough to understand that technology like this is a fact of life and while it can run out of control like keyboard warriors ‘never thought through anonymity’ on and in the interweb, it can be a power for good.

Certainly worth an honest and open debate instead of classic luddite-like dismissal.

I later listened to Stuart Murphy of The Scottish Football Union mentioning that caution is needed because facial recognition can be the ‘thin end of the increasing intrusion wedge’, and that’s a fair point.

We’ve seen collectively how the unthought-through electric bike and scooter epidemic can impinge on us the public at large.

I get that there are two sides in every argument but am currently on the side that anything that helps eradicate the wrong types of mass fan misbehaviour is worth fleshing out.

The Scottish Football Union is now Scotland’s largest and most thoughtful Fans Group because we have a commitment to working ‘with’ and fighting for common good in the big picture and we welcome this kind of debate wherever it takes us.

There is nothing wrong with challenging opinions as long as both sides are listened to.

Balance and all that.

And I was assured that night to see on BBC Scotland TV fans from the blue and green persuasion seeing the bigger picture that if facial recognition is part of the solution to less extreme misbehaviour and real danger then I’m on the side of the ordinary fan like them who doesn’t want or need that cancer in the game.

I guess I’m asking for open minds and more discussions because without open debate we all fall into the trap of continually asking “What have the Romans ever done for us”?.

And I am personally pro the fact after personal experience, that facial recognition will soon make airport travel simpler and easier, like right now in Abu Dhabi where once registered the cameras do the rest.

It’s coming to airports here too.

It can be a power for good.

We just need to agree the appropriate ‘Highway Code’ and that doesn’t come from destroying the new weaving machines like the scared and disenfranchised weavers in Nottingham back in the day.

Andy’s Sting in the Tale

1. Welcome

2. Infantino’s ‘Knock Knock Joke’ was Inevitable

3. Sheer Class Maree

4. Parson’s Nose in Europe

5. If You Only Do One Thing This Weekend Please, Please, Please Share This?

(Scotland’s Other World Cup)

6. Is It Apparel?

1. If It’s Good Enough for Brentford?

First a warm welcome to Sebastien Pocognoli an ex international left back I’m ashamed I’d never heard of.

We’ve been told the data analysists were newly recruited and centrally involved in finding him and somehow shone a light to his door.

So the SFA headhunted him to now emerge from being sent rather abruptly ‘hamewards tae think again’ by Monaco and those other wannabees who ‘applied’ in the usual way were we have been told now left in the SFA’s CVs folder, maybe for next time.

Watching and caring deeply from the sidelines I have the uneasy feeling and knowledge that if Scotland were a club side our new manager would already be demanding as many new signings as we’ve witnessed ambitious clubs like Spurs and Rangers panicking into

delivering over this summer.

But the reality is he will be judged on what’s there for now, an ageing and tired squad who are big in heart and experience, but less big on first touch and high end techniques needed in international football.

In just fourteen ever-shortening days the two men who hired and paraded Sebastien will hold court in St Andrews, dispensing posh biscuits and talking about a new plan for ‘Pathways’ to eradicate the talent logjam that currently afflicts our game.

A dearth of developing Scottish talent that I think can be traced back to the mid 80s and the demise of Schools in the complex equation.

We’re not the first to make dumb decisions but 40 years has been plenty time to make amends.

This week we also heard that in 2016 Brentford myopically closed their Academy.

Pretty soon they realised that was a mistake.

And in 2022 it reopened and was classed as Category 4.

It’s now, four short years later, Category 1 and has been supplying first team players every year since reopening.

No magic wand.

Just a forever plan, some quite liberal ongoing thinking, and investment that more than pays off with future benefits.

Infrastructure Upgrades and Constant Player Attraction Were Central Tenets.

A new all-weather dome, 70 full time forward-thinking staff, 30-50 part time, a family welcome set up and fully person centred and integrated programmes twinned with players educational needs.

A constantly challenging yet supportive environment.

That’s what it takes guys.

Do we have the balls?

If we don’t then who will replace Sebastien when he realises his skills are not magical enough and he uses us as a springboard before the excuses run out.

We need to do a Brentford.

2. A Fight to the End

Knock Knock.

Who’s There?

Kevin.

Kevin Who?

That’s Infantino’s Fifa for you.

This week the Fifa COO Kevin Lamour has become a rich man after being ‘packaged-out’ of Infantino’s fiefdom because he dared speak out about the shenanigans of his boss turned ‘Mediaeval King Jahnnie’.

This week the battle lines were still being drawn all over the world and the man is looking everywhere for ‘declared support’ to shore up a position that he still believes is redeemable.

King Donald gave a wee tweet in support, more of a whisper than a shout.

Antigua came out with a printed reason behind their support. LINK/PIC

But our own SFA, and Israel shocked me by calling time.

Our SFA had a bland badly written press release that failed to mention the World Cup Ticket Prices scandal.

With a Scottish Chair of the Fifa Finance Committee maybe we’re avoiding any downstream criticism of being part of the screw the fans plan?

And Israel, who Infantino has protected with a passion became an ‘anti’.

Wow.

Fifa, IMHO needs an interim leader to clean up the fiefdom into a power for good and I’d be tasking Lise Klaveness with a key, short term role.

In the meantime Uefa are no shining light with their domination by big countries at the expense of the wee guys.

The charade that is the prelim rounds of things like “The Champions League” sums up the way football in Europe has been hijacked by money.

3. John’s Jolly

£98,442 was the published sum for the ‘expenses’ for John Swinney and his wee group of aeronautical champagne drinkers trip to see Scotland over the pond.

I don’t actually have a problem with that although I do object to some of the names being redacted.

I’d set it against wondering what the cost of hosting Donald Trump on visits here, or the cost of the Royal Family et al heading to wherever they head.

John should have been there in the USA and his wee side trip to Kentucky was exactly what our figure should be doing.

In fact there should have been more adding value, and the absence of a trip to Canada and maybe a stopover in Greenland too was maybe a shortcoming.

And it’s quite outrageous that Maree Todd had to sit in coach class but well done to her for being there and point well made.

Where I Do Have a Problem

It’s the estimate of £64 Millions as the macro cost for John’s quite naive but overtly political ‘Public Holiday’ that wasn’t.

Yes that actual sum is probably a Daily Mail over-exaggerated total but Scotland getting a day off because we played Haiti two days before was a political gimmick and a nonsense worthy of real and constant media scrutiny.

But as we know our media are sheep.

4. A Mixed Bag from Our Mercenaries

Celtic have a good chance but the Austrian side were good and thank goodness for offside.

Rangers huffed puffed and will struggle.

Motherwell had a very unlucky draw.

Hearts have a huge challenge but what a wonder goal from James Wilson, Spurs will rue the day they didn’t snap this boy up.

And Hibs did well and I hope a full Easter Road tips the balance.

I’s say our foreign mercenaries are not mostly not good enough for the European pre-stages and we’ll be lucky to get 3 out of 5 real qualifiers.

But what do I know anyway?

5. Angelina’s Amazing Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj7fYv5zTaY

Our organisation is manned by volunteers under Alastair, our Football Wonder-Historian/Ops Director’s guidance and one just graduating student, Angelina, has just secured an amazing and coveted role with a blue chip media giant.

Angelina will become a powerhouse in whatever she chooses and this is a heartwarming and insightful tale and a way to make yourself think and most importantly feel good.

Please watch it and share it with everybody who cares about football.

it should be on the BBC and shown in every school at the SFA, the SPFL, and at Holyrood.

Humbling and amazing.

Football needs more Angelinas.

6. A Hot as Mustard Idea

And a wee smile to end Sting.

French second-tier outfit has put an NFC chip into this year’s Scarf making it a season ticket.

The press release I read said, “This is a way to strengthen the visual identity of fans in the Dijon stands”

I’ve just paid for my season ticket locally and would have loved it to come as a scarf.

Nice idea.

Sting is

A fan’s weekly opinion piece that welcomes debate on key issues and feels that Football needs a reset that stops every last brass razoo being spent on wages for mercenaries who kiss our badges while looking to move onwards and upwards.

I watch documentaries like Angelina’s about real football and feel humbled.

Feel free to disagree if it makes you consider the bigger picture.

That’s healthy.

Andy’s Album of the Week

Gallagher and Lyle: Breakaway

One forgotten pressing worth revisiting or discovery

Fastback to 1976 and I was a young buck with money burning a hole in my wranglers.

Pound notes from working all the hours and more at McDermott Inc at Ardersier, and rich enough to visit ‘The Other Record Shop’ on Market Brae Steps and walk away with one of their classy drawstring brown plastic bags containing vinyls that just had to be mine.

Many black wheels bought there have since fallen by the wayside like Andy Davis’s ‘Toy Story’ characters but not this album which was one I subsequently owned on Vinyl, cassette for the car, and CD.

These guys were Scottish and my first introduction to them was via McGuinnes Flint and the music trade knew how good they were as they became highly regarded contributors to McCartney, Clapton, Townshend, Fairport, Art Garfunkel and more.

‘Breakaway’ the album showcased ‘Breakaway’, ‘I wanna stay with you’, ‘Heart on my sleeve’ and ‘Runaway’ just makes me wistful for the talent like this we had and took for granted in Scotland.

It was probably a victim of the cultural clash back then against the ever dominating birth of new wave and punkish stuff and we know what won but this is a nice listen on an August afternoon.

Worth a download because it is understated and melodic.

I actually saw them live a couple of times at the Caley on Church Street and they really delivered.

And maybe just maybe, this album could be the theme and standard adopted by Uefa et pals in the inevitable forthcoming ‘battle to end all battles’ for the soul of our game.

It will take the threat of a ‘Breakaway’ to ger rid of Jahnnie.