Andy’s Sting In The Tale (27/03/26) "Adrift for 76 Days"
- Andy Smith
- Mar 27
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 28
In 76 days 5000-ish members of the Tartan Army will descend on Boston in a special fleet of yellow school buses from their temporary ‘Heilan Hame’ in Providence Rhode Island.
A big Sesame Street adventure and journey that should take not much more than an hour on a wet night in winter but will.
It will be ‘Box Office’ and a historic and joyous parade there and I hope back too with smiles all round.
By coincidence 76 Days was the time that Rhode Island lone sailor Steve Callahan spend adrift in the Atlantic after a collision with a whale back in 1981.
I found the book back in the day on a burger joint’s bookshelf in Paros and enjoyed then forgot the story.
Finally it was made into a short film in 2024.
It’s available on YouTube.
The closer the tournament gets the more I have deep and uneasy feelings about nearly every aspect of this World Cup.
The host King Donald who has already booked Seat 1 Row 1 for the final on July 19th is wreaking havoc at home and abroad that will still be wreaking in June and July.
I well remember Newton’s third law that states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
King Donald doesn’t seem to get that and the rest of the world will have to pick up the pieces when whatever will happen duly does.
I personally will avoid any USA travel till the Post-Trumpian country reverts to the quite special place it always was and will be again.
I’m not alone.
Alan Russell of Supporters Direct Scotland was being interviewed this week and asked if the planned to go to the USA and gave the same answer that I had given a couple of months ago to Nicholas Argyll Campbell to a similar question.
“Do you plan to be at the World Cup in the USA”?
We both said.
No I won’t visit USA in any way while the current President is still in post.
I am still asking myself, “How the hell did the USA get stolen”?
And there are many like us.
Meanwhile, Donald’s Bestie, Jahnnie from Switzerland has his back.
And respect.
Jahnnie should not be taken for a mug or any kind of fool in any way.
He is a battle-hardened, shrewd and ultra-devious political animal who would make Machiavelli look amateur every day of the week and back again.
One day we’ll maybe find out what it was/is all about.
In the meantime the World Cup has become Jahnnie’s cash cow to pay off all the votes and voters he needs to stay in power and in a lifestyle that suits him and also keep his Machiavellian World spinning.
It’s all beyond my paygrade.
Doesn’t smell right and is deeply disturbing.
So I crave more insight, warily.
Surprisingly this week I read a superb William Hague piece in Murdoch’s Times titled “Donald Trump will struggle to pull off this deal”.
The ‘ex’ Tory boy Conference Star is insightful and has as Foreign Secretary some insider knowledge.
After the read as I often do I had a look at the top comments from readers.
Most were the usual left or right wing ‘scent markers with nothing to add’, but flying high was Private Eye’s and Have I got News for You’s very own Ian Hislop.
A man who usually knows a lot more than he can ever say.
Here is his comment on the excellent Hague Overview, verbatim.
“It would now appear that the only party likely to benefit from the war with is Israel. A shattered Iran is in Israel’s interest, but as long as Iran can threaten the Strait of Hormuz the rest of the world, (other than Russia) will suffer. Do Israel and Russia have some hold over Trump. One begins to wonder”.
I’ve long thought that is the only thing that makes sense.
What a dirty deceitful web we are living through.
Back to football.
Good luck to both Glasgow City and Rangers Women the holders on Sunday in the League Cup final.
After last week’s tight league game settled with what I thought was a very dodgy penalty there is nothing between these clubs.
And Scotland against Japan on Saturday live on BBC Scotland and then Cote D’Ivoire at the wonderful new Everton Stadium on Tuesday.
(No I don’t know why it’s in Liverpool or if we’ll be in our new much discussed orange-fusion tops).
And here’s the `Rhode Island Plan’ for their Tartan Army contingent from one of the local papers.
Scheduled Events Include:
• 13 June – Pre-match watch party followed by a convoy of traditional American school buses to Gillette Stadium
• 16 June – Tartan Army visit to Boston for a baseball game
• 17 June – Tartan Army Providence Booze Cruise
• 18 June – Charity presentation to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, followed by a pipe band parade through Providence and an evening celebration at G Pub, Orange Street
• 19 June – Pre-match watch party followed by a convoy of school buses to Gillette Stadium
This Week’s Sting
1. Thoughts After Watching BBC’s ‘Ultras’
2. More Orange Than Salmo Salar
3. Another Trip to the Blue Well
4. Right Sizing or Bust
5. Well Done FSE
6. When New Isn’t Always Best
7. What a Pass
1. Oliver Twist Time
Basically, Please Sir, Can I Have Some More.
First of all thanks to the production team for attempting to bottle a complex and messy phenomenon neatly.
Here is a conversation piece I sent to a journalist who had seen the series and was producing a piece for his employer.
Andy (speaking on Whats Ap)
“I’ve just watched the three programmes.
This is my first, unpolished reaction because I find that rawness is often bang on the money.
The series is well made, and entertaining but left me wanting more.
One thing that was frustrating was that nearly everyone filmed was using it as a pitch for whatever their particular self- interest is and ruthlessly self-promoting/protecting.
I’d have liked them answering more difficult questions beyond setting the scene.
I’d also have preferred more insight into why some fans feel superior to others and indeed why some ordinary fans are continually disenfranchised by the behaviour of their fellow supporters.
I don’t criticise or blame the makers because the task of identifying, analysing and steering a conclusion was simply too big and made worse by the absence of many key players.
There were no politicians, no refs, no authorities, no players and all have to be part of the solution.
The programmes were a great start to understand and address a recurring phase of youth development and we all now
need more.
This is some of what someone at the BEEB said about our contribution.
Andy Smith, chairman of the Scottish Football Union, serves as a primary voice for the broader fan perspective. His contributions focus on the disconnect between fans and authorities regarding the rising subculture.
His commentary in the series is defined by a pragmatic, "middle-ground" stance that acknowledges the inevitability of the movement while calling for a structured framework:
• Acceptance of the Subculture: Smith explicitly states that "Ultraism in football is here for good—it’s the future". He argues against trying to "stamp it out," as doing so would strip the game of the colour, noise, and passion that these groups provide.
• Critique of Governance: He is highly critical of how clubs, police, and politicians have handled the rise of these groups. He characterizes their approach as being "unclear of the best way forward," with politicians seeking "tick box" solutions and police simply wanting "no trouble".
• The Need for "Rules of Engagement": While supportive of the atmosphere Ultras create, Smith emphasizes that there must be clear rules—"what you can do, what you can’t do, what’s acceptable and what’s not". He positions the SFU as a mediator that understands the fan desire for expression but insists on obligations and consequences.
2. Scottish Strips are Blue
I loved the cleverness and insights of the late and great Harry Chapin.
One particular song came to mind this week when I saw our new away tops.
‘Flowers Are Red’
It goes like this:
“There are so many colours in the Rainbow
So many colours in the morning sun
So many colours in a flower
And I see every one”
The moral is that colours are what you want them to be.
Well the colour I see on our new ‘Away tops’ is orange.
Not tangerine, salmon pink, pomegranate, Irn Bru-ish.
Orange.
We have previous back in the 90s and still available on eBay from Hungary for a bargain £240
I like it but not for the reasons that some will.
And I get it that it’s all about revenue from Adults.
I fiercely dislike that kids tops are also seen as primary revenue streams.
Why don’t we sell Kids Strips as a bargain?
3. The Saudi PIF Fund Doesn’t Milk the Fans Annually
The rich American Consortium owning Leeds and Rangers bought their share into the Ibrox club because of the proven loyalty of the fan base.
And now the American beancounters haven’t waited long and once again Rangers fans will be milked with ‘cash for confetti’, all dressed up as what’s needed to compete.
It was and ever will be thus.
Are they worse that Chalie and his mob.
No, just sharper suits.
4. The Ticking Time Bomb Hardwired into Football
Overspend.
To either protect what they have or to try to climb the greasy pole.
It’s a one way ticket to financial disaster.
There is a need for more.
And it’s everywhere up here too.
My boyhood club ICT has been there and in many ways the authorities North of the Wall have post Rangers/Sevco imited the impacts up here because if clubs don’t pay current wages and social taxes they can’t play.
That alone would have limited the pain to Rangers fans back in 2012.
Clubs in Scotland all share the constant overspend issues but we’re small beer.
I was shocked to read that average losses per club in League 1 is currently 2-4 £Millions per annum.
Madness.
Not sustainable in any ecosystem.
And as many as 20 clubs in League 1 and 2 are seeking buyers.
Ron Couhig owner at Reading wants Football to copy America’s NBA and set that clubs can only spend the same as each other on managers and players.
5. Well Done Federation of Supporters Europe
They have taken out an action in the European Commission against Fifa.
Against ‘Excessive World Cup Ticket Prices’, and ‘World Cup Dynamic Pricing’.
I hope they win and will keep you posted.
They are fighting a fight that needs to be fought for all of us.
6. Tartan Army Songs
Since the awful ‘World Cup Willie’ was a hit back in the ‘60s every time a big football tournament offers UK fans as a commercial opportunity so we get targeted by our very own Tin Pan Alley.
Over the years this has been about selling plastic rather than getting an anthem we all get behind and along the way.
I guess ‘Ally’s Tartan Army’ and ‘I Had a Dream’ get pass marks but we’ve had some dross too.
I’m now of a mind that we don’t need a new song per se each and every time just because there is ‘money to be dredged’ from our dead horse.
But wouldn’t it be great to have an adopted football anthem that is up there with 500 miles, Loch Lomond, Yes Sir I Can Boogie, and even the slightly dirgey Flower of Scotland.
Something for BBC Scotland?
7. That Pass
Whenever I made an exceptional pass, and it did happen, it was usually by accident.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s goal for Turkey against Romania from Arda Guler’s pass was sublime.
What a pass from Arda and unlike Andy’s erstwhile genius the Real Madrid star meant it.
Andy’s Sting Blog
Just a wee weekly blog about stuff by someone who wants football to be in a better place.
Top down and bottom up.
Opinions are always mine and mine alone.
If you’ve never heard of us the Scottish Union Fans Group is all about giving fans like you a loud voice and working collaboratively to bring results.
We need you all.
And as always feel free to write to me about anything in football or beyond.
Andy’s Album of the Week
Chris Rea: Dancing with Strangers
I was wondering what to play while writing Sting and my first thought when I had Chris Rea in mind was “Wired to the Moon” like what seems to be unfolding in front of us all.
But Dancing with Strangers is Chris’s masterpiece.
I love the guitar, the tunefulness and the North Eastern ‘Warmth and togetherness’.
Play it then like me today play it again and again.
Great album.
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