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12TH MANtheTHE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL FANZINE

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SCOTS ON THE BOX

& OLD FIRMSHOWDOWN

+FRESH FACES,FRESH FITBA& BOYD v LARSSON

FOR & AGAINST | OOR FOOTBALL YEARS | CAPITAL CLASH

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AcknowledgementsEditor: Andy M.Design & Layout: Andy M.Proof Reading: Lyndon N.

CONTRIBUTORSJames Atkinson, Peter Joyce, Iain Robertson, Ronnie McDevitt, Scott McAdam and Craig Anderson.

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The irate ramblings of our editor and dictator....

Welcome to another issue of The 12th Man Scottish football fanzine.

This season so far has seen the Old Firm fall from grace in terms of football standards. Scottish Football has also fallen by the wayside as the national side once again failed to qualify for a major championship and Scottish clubs falter in Europe.

We have also endured the worst winter in 25 years and the clubs will have to play catch up as fixtures build up.

Kris Boyd became the top scorer in the SPL after surpassing Henrik Larsson’s record and now many claim that Boyd is the Greatest scorer in the SPL. And we debate that topic within this issue.

We also debate the standard of refereeing in our For & Against feature. Ronnie McDevitt continues his look at Scottish Football on the television and Craig Anderson looks at the Livingston Cup Final winning side of 1994.

The 12th Man also recaps the two New Year derby matches - Celtic v Rangers and Hibernian v Hearts.

And Scott McAdam takes a look at St. Johnstone’s first season back in the top flight.

We also continue our wee look at our Twitter followers and post another Scottish Football quiz.

Remember to send us your comments to letters@scotzine.com and we will post the best sent in.

Until the next issue,

Andy M, Editor

The Dugout

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Contents5 FRESH FACES, FRESH FITBA Scott McAdam takes a look at St. Johnstone’s first year back in the top flight.

7 BOYD v LARSSON With Boyd breaking the goal scoring record in the SPL, we compare Boyd with the previous holder Henrik Larsson and claim that Boyd is still not good enough.

10 FOR & AGAINST DEBATE Another debate and this time it is on our Referees. Two of our writers battle it out.

17 THE CELTIC VIEW We profile the world’s oldest football club magazine, created back in 1965 by Celtic football club.

19 SCOTS ON THE BOX Pt. 2 Ronnie McDevitt takes a look back at Scottish Football on the television from its beginnings to present day.

21 THE WEE QUIZ & TWITTER Take part in our wee quiz but don’t bother to send your answers in you won’t win anything. Also take a peek at who we think you should follow this month on Twitter.

22 OOR FOOTBALL YEARS Craig Anderson profiles the Livingston side of 1994 and the aftermath to the Cup Final which resulted in administration.

26 OLD FIRM SHOWDOWN Pt. 2 We take a look back at the new year derby clash between Celtic and Rangers on the 3rd January.

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If you want to sell The 12th Man in your shop then please contact us directly on 07780873536 or email us at editor@scotzine.com

30 CAPITAL CLASH We take a look back at the new year derby clash between Hearts and Hibernian at Easter Road.

34 THE FINAL WHISTLE We take a look at the current chaos in Scottish Football as the winter weather hits the country hard.

Fresh Faces, Fresh FitbaText | Scott McAdam

www.scotzine.com 5

Saintees were the new boys in the Scottish Premier League this season

and it was with a degree of surprise when it became clear in the first few weeks of the football calendar that despite performances towards the end of last years title winning season, Saints were going to try and play true football as it were, on the deck not what seems to be the traditional Scottish game of generally pointless punts up the park.

The gaffer at the Perth club seemed determined to develop his current crop of players into playing attractive football and he added several new faces into his squad during the summer to help achieve his goal. Murray Davidson, Fillip Morais, Kenny Deuchar,

Graeme Smith, and Dave MacKay have all been involved in the first team throughout this season and have had a big part to play in turning last years ‘punt up the park’ into this years ‘pass it on the deck’.

It was at home to Jim Gannon’s Motherwell that the Saintees new SPL campaign kicked off and with both of the managers on that day having the same footballing philosophy it delivered

a fantastically entertaining 2-2 draw that would set down the marker for the rest of the year. The game also set the trend for two of the problems that the Perth Saints would have for most of the first half of the year –The strikers struggling to score many goals and the defence conceding too many of them.

Of the first eleven goals of the season the only striker to hit the back of the net was Colin Samuel and that was just once, against Celtic. It has to be admitted that with natural striking duo Andy Jackson and Peter MacDonald out with long term injuries this was a fear that was travelling through the support in the summer.

Kenny Deuchar (Or Doctor Goals as the Saints fans had affectionately named him) was signed to boost the attacking ranks but unlike the first time he was at Saints Deuchar couldn’t buy a goal this time out. He managed an incredible ten goals in fourteen games when on loan with Saints in 2007 but maybe he has simply struggled with the step up from Division One standards. This is further backed up by the fact his only goals this season have come against two Second Division teams in the Cooperative Cup. Indeed he has still not scored in the SPL

6 www.scotzine.com

at the time of writing.

That said the problem with the attackers seems to have been ironed out over the last couple of months, since 17th October the forwards have bagged seven of the thirteen goals scored by Saints. This could have been down to Colin Samuel hitting form, short term signing Jonaton Johansson boosting the ranks and weighing in with a goal or two and poacher Peter MacDonald returning from injury and netting a hat-trick in just his second game back.

At least that problem has fizzled out. The same can not be said for the defensive side of things. The Perth boys conceded sixteen goals in their first SIX games of the season, an absolutely incredibly poor record. Indeed it took Saints until their seventh SPL game before they could keep a clean sheet and that was also their first win of the season, a 2-0 success away to Hamilton Accies. To further emphasis the defensive woes, they have only kept one addition clean sheet since then, meaning just TWO clean sheets in SEVENTEEN games so far.

If we look a little close at the stats however we can see that their has been an improvement since Derek McInnes opted to drop veteran keeper Alan Main and replace him with former Rangers stopper Graeme Smith. Main, still a legend around McDiarmid Park, for years gone by, played nine games and let in twenty goals. Smith however came in and seemed to settle the defence a bit thus far he has started eight games and conceded ten goals. The difference is there to see and it is hard to think it a coincidence.

It will be very interesting to watch as the season develops into the New Year, and to its conclusion.

Will Saints eventually be dragged back towards to the often boring style of Scottish play?

Or will they continue to be a breath of fresh air into the league?

Fitba Babes

Scotzine.com and The 12th Man are looking for female Scottish football

fans to showcase their talents within the fanzine.

We are looking for lassies to pose in their club’s fitba kits in a bid to win a photo shoot after the season ends with our resident photographer Geo, at a football ground of our choosing.

Each month we will pick a fitba babe to showcase out of those sent in, and at the end of the season we will open up the voting to our readers both online and within the fanzine to see who will win that coveted photo shoot.

We have to point out that all entrants MUST be over 18 and that all photos be tasteful and not x-rated.

On top of that when we select the Fitba Babe of the Month, we shall ask that lassie to answer a few questions on football by email. So remember to give us your photo - in original size - with your email also.

If you want to enter or if you want to enter your missus or girlfriend then send your photos to mail@scotzine.com with the subject title - Fitba Babes.

www.scotzine.com 7

Kris Boyd surpassed Henrik Larsson’s SPL scoring record on Wednesday

30th December 2009 as he scored five goals past Dundee United. Those five goals took Boyd to 160 and into the history books as the SPL’s Greatest Goal scorer. But does that make him the equal or better than Henrik Larsson? Not in the slightest.

If you want to talk about statistics then we have to look at both players careers n Scotland and not just limited to the SPL, given that Larsson was in Scotland before the league was reformed into the SPL. Forgetting or should we say ignoring Larsson’s first year in Scotland is out of the question.

Larsson spent a total of seven years at Celtic Park from 1997 to 2004 where he played a total of 221 games and scored 174 goals. Kris Boyd started off at Kilmarnock in 1999 spending seven years at Rugby Park, where he scored 63 goals in 153 games. He then moved onto Ibrox in 2006 and scored 97 goals in 130 games for Rangers. In total he has played 283 games and scored 160 goals.

Boyd’s goals to games ratio is superior to Larsson’s however the Swede spent only seven years in Scottish Football, while Boyd has spent ten years in the Scottish top flight. Yes, Boyd scored more goals than Larsson in the SPL, however he took longer to score his 160 goals than Larsson did with his 158 goals.

So when the stats are looked at then it proves that Larsson’s goal scoring feat is more superior to Boyd’s. But it is convenient for some to ignore the years that Boyd has been playing in Scotland’s top flight and yet ignore Larsson’s first season in Scotland to suit their own agenda.

We stated on our main website that Boyd was not fit to lace Larsson’s boots and we still stand by that. Both players are totally different in terms of being strikers.

Henrik Larsson“With Henrik leaving us at the end of the season this club is losing a great scorer, no question. But I am also losing a great friend. Henrik was my idol and now that I am playing

next to him it is fantastic.” - Ronaldinho

Larsson is a team player and not only scored goals that won games and league titles, but also provided his team mates with chances to score also. The Swede during his time at Celtic was a model professional and was respected by football fans across the country, and his stint at Parkhead earned him a move to the big time to the Nou Camp and Barcelona, where he despite only playing 40 games and scoring 13 goals was awarded legendary status by the Catalan giants fans. And in his last year he won the Champions League coming on as a substitute and assisting in both Barca goals against Arsenal.

A move away from the Nou Camp was Larsson’s own choice, despite the Catalan club wanting to extend his stay. In fact he was a man true to his word, and rejoined former club Helsingborg in Sweden, where in his second stint he scored 38 goals in 84 games. He also played seven games for Manchester United, on loan, scoring one goal.

Larsson has played for some of Europe’s top sides and has scored the goals in some huge games, including two in the UEFA Cup Final in 2003 against Porto for Celtic, despite losing 3-2.

Boyd v Larsson:Who is the Greatest?

Text | Andy Muirhead

8 www.scotzine.com

Kris Boyd“There has always been criticism towards Kris that he does not score against bigger teams, as far as scoring against Celtic, I think Kris looks as though he is going to score every time he is in the box right now. His record is absolutely sensational....” - Steven Whittaker

There is no disputing that Kris Boyd is a top striker and is lethal in and around the penalty box, but his game is one sided. He scores goals, yes, but his overall game is weak and that is why he will never achieve a move to a big club such as Barcelona nor Manchester United. The best he can achieve is a move to a club in the lower echelons of the English Premier League or possibly a move to a run of the mill German or French club.

While Larsson scored goals for fun against some top European sides, Boyd struggles to score against Rangers’ arch rivals Celtic. In his time with the Ibrox side he has only scored once against the Parkhead side and has only started once against Celtic since Walter Smith rejoined the Ibrox club back in 2007, which gives Boyd’s critics plenty of ammunition.

When his own manager does not have enough faith in his own ability to step up to the plate in the big games then Boyd’s ability as a footballer is then in question. He is a goal poacher and nothing but that. There is nothing wrong with being a goal poacher, it wins games and at times it wins titles, but when a club relies on those goals heavily it is a recipe for disaster.

Rangers’ reliance on Boyd could see them dramatically have a reversal in fortune if the Ibrox club, who are financially stricken, sell their star man to pay off the £31 million debt they owe the Lloyds Banking Group. In fact they will not make a huge dent if they do sell Boyd in the January transfer window due to him having only 6 months left on his contract, and despite his love affair with his beloved Rangers, Boyd wants more money and is in the position of holding all the cards.

And here lieth Boyd’s problem: His ego. He believes that he is better footballer than he really is and that he deserves to earn more money. Yes he showed loyalty by rejecting a move to Birmingham City last year, but for all the badge kissing and speak about the Rangers fans being great, Boyd will turn his back on the club he adores so much if the price is right.

Another reason why Boyd is not fit to lace up Larsson’s boots is his primadona attitude and none more so than the aftermath to the Norway game when he spat the dummy after Chris Iwelumo was selected over him to take to the field.

Burley’s selection with hindsight was poor, but in all honesty at that time Boyd was not a regular in the Rangers side and only became so after his decision to quit international football - coincidentally.

So should we salute a player who turned his back on his country all because he wasn’t picked. Some role model, and what a model professional. Certainly he is not worthy to walk in Larsson’s shadow let alone lace up his boots.

Whether or not Boyd stays on at Rangers is another issue altogether, but he still has 91 goals to score before he betters Ally McCoist’s tally with the Ibrox side. In fact Boyd is not fit to lace McCoist’s boots let alone Larssons. No matter what type of footballer he is or they were.

Oh and another Old Firm derby passed us by with Boyd not getting on the score sheet. Is this evidence that he is the SPL’s Greatest Goal scorer? Another big game in which he was non-existent and was nothing more than a passenger. Clearly he MUST better than Henrik Larsson. Although if anyone could enlighten me how many goals Larsson scored for Celtic against their biggest rivals Rangers, I would be very grateful.

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Name: Henrik Edward LarssonDOB: 20/09/71POB: Helsingborg, SwedenHeight: 5ft 10inPosition: Striker [retired]

Senior Career

1988-1992 Hogaborg 74 [23]1992-1993 Helsingborg 52 [48]1993-1997 Feyenoord 101 [26]1997-2004 Celtic 221 [174]2004-2006 Barcelona 40 [13]2006-2009 Helsingborg 84 [38]2007 Man United (loan) 7 [1]

International Career

1993-2009 Sweden 106 [37]

Name: Kris BoydDOB: 18/08/83POB: Irvine, ScotlandHeight: 6ft 0inPosition: Striker

Senior Career

1999-2006 Kilmarnock 153 [63]2006- Present Rangers 131 [97]

International Career

2006-2008 Scotland 15 [7]

10 www.scotzine.com

I’ll begin my view with a simple observation – without referees, there

wouldn’t be football matches. Simple.

The entire hullabaloo over refereeing performances in recent years has been grossly unfair in my opinion and for any football fans that have started following the game in the last five or ten years, they would be left thinking referees had never made any errors before the television age.

Of course referees make mistakes and like everybody else they are human and are prone to the odd gaffe. Sometimes you would think that any of the keyboard heroes that frequent message boards all over the country had never made a mistake in their life judging by their overreactions, but its part of life. Accept it.

In my early days covering junior football, I slaughtered many a referee in my somewhat youthful exuberance and really was quite scathing at times. But as I’ve got older and began to appreciate the game on a more sensible level, my new found respect is borne out of the fact that it’s a job that I couldn’t do if I’m brutally honest.

Which leads me to my next question? How many of you reckon you could go out and referee a game where you’re getting abuse from everybody? Imagine it for a second where you’re receiving really horrible personal insults about your family, your parentage, not least the vociferous questioning of your abilities.

If there is one factor that has shown

referees their flaws in all their glory is none other than the saturated television coverage that will show key incidents from half a dozen different angles, repeated over and over again for the almost perverse pleasure of the pundits to dissect and offer their expert opinion.

Are you trying to tell me that referees never made those kinds of mistakes at games that aren’t televised? If you think they didn’t, you know nothing about the game.

That said, I think further assistance should be given to referees. After all, if television can highlight an official’s mistakes, then surely there is a case for it to be used to assist the man in the middle.

FIFA say no, for reasons best known only to themselves, but you only need to look at the infamous Thierry Henry incident for France against Republic of Ireland in Paris to show that football in the 21st century needs it now more than ever.

The referee missed that particular incident,

For & Against:Scottish Referees

Text | Craig Anderson & Andy Muirhead

ForCraig Anderson

www.scotzine.com 11

you may recall, due to his positioning, but the far side linesman, I felt, was in a great position to call it. Add to that the protests of the Irish players, which surely would have led to a TV replay for another official in the stand to inform the ref what he had missed.

For all FIFA’s blatant dodging of the issue of TV replays, then they’ll do well to remember that another infamous incident in the biggest game in the world brought about a massive decision in the 2006 World Cup Final.

Zinedine Zidane’s head butt on Marco Materazzi was seen, it seemed, by everybody in the world except the four officials, who were all watching something else on the pitch, but it was only when it was replayed on the big screen in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium that the decision was taken to send off France’s captain.

FIFA claimed the fourth official saw it and brought it to the attention of the referee, but it took a while for the incident to reach the referee before action was taken and it’s that kind of blindness from the governing body that is hampering their officials.

UEFA’s scheme of an extra two officials at either goal, currently trialled in the Europa League is admirable to a point, but not if you could have one guy in the stand with

a telly helping you out.

The SFA stated a year or two back that there aren’t enough referees or aspiring referees in Scotland, but let’s face it, from what I stated earlier on, would you want to do it?

Referees are becoming scarce and in certain levels of junior football, they can be literally the loneliest men out there, with no linesmen to assist them at all. The only “linesmen” are club officials handed flags to put up if the ball crosses the line for a throw-in. Even then most of them aren’t entirely honest, especially if it leads to an advantage for their team.

This again leads to more barracking by fans and while refs at the senior level have stewards to separate them from irate fans, junior refs don’t have that kind of protection and there have been instances where officials have been assaulted.

I know football is a passionate game, but nobody deserves that for doing their job and anybody that says otherwise is an idiot.

I want it known that I’m not excusing every poor referee’s performance there has ever been and of course there will be times where you will disagree with a decision they have made, whether you’re at the game or watching it on the telly.

While experts such as Andy Gray and Craig Burley can feel they have the authority to slaughter refs having watched the same incident ad nauseam, they will do well to remember these guys can only see it once there and then and decide on it.

The bottom line to all this is our referees are flawed, as are we all and the sort of abuse they get from the fans for making decisions is getting to an unacceptable level.

At the end of the day, we need them so get off their backs and allow them to do the job they enjoy and every once in a

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while ask yourself if you could do any better, because I don’t think you could.

As I said, they are flawed, but they need our patience and understanding from time to time so please cut them some slack and start supporting them. They love the game too.

Before I begin my case for the prosecution, I have to agree that

without referees we would not have a game. But that does not allow them to get away scot-free when their incompetence shines throw on the field of play.

It is not a recent thing, referees making an arse of a decision. But it is being highlighted and picked up on more because of technological advancements and the fact that nowadays, every inch of a football pitch is covered by television cameras from Sky Sports or ESPN.

I do have to say though in their defence that referees AND linesmen, have only milli-seconds to make a decision - a decision that could affect the whole match. So who would want to be a referee in Scotland? Certainly not me.

Last season, the SFA organised a Respect campaign, so that players and managers alike would not comment on the inefficiencies or incompetence of referees. And with much predictability, the campaign failed to see out the season. And before the current season kicked off the SFA removed their ‘Whistle blower’ section from the official website, thus removing the chance for the referee to explain himself about a decision.

Hugh Dallas was on Radio Clyde earlier on in the season, claiming that the governing body was transparent when it comes to commenting on refereeing decisions. So why get shot of the Whistle

blower section Hugh? If the governing body and yourself are so transparent, why are referees not allowed to comment on a game a f t e r w a r d s , like managers and players do? It would certainly be a ratings booster to actually see a referee comment on a decision he made - but I

guess with the amount of transparency the SFA and the Referees department headed by Hugh Dallas, this would never happen.

There is one man that ALL football fans hate no matter your allegiances, and he is the man in the middle. From Junior football to International football ALL referees are hated with a passion by the fans and can you blame us?

Craig Brown on BBC Sportsound stated in December that our referees are some of the best in Europe, if not the world. And the caretaker Motherwell gaffer certainly has been around and talks from experience at both international and club level. Or maybe he was just sucking up to the SFA after his predecessor Jim Gannon launched a verbal onslaught on the SFA, Hugh Dallas and referees in general.

Gannon accused referee Alan Muir, of bringing the game into disrepute after the official oversaw Motherwell’s game with Dundee United back in December. Thereafter Gannon and Dallas were involved in a ridiculous fight in the back pages of the newspapers, on how many letters were written to each other from the start of the season. In fact the fight on newsprint made a mockery of both ex-Motherwell gaffer Jim Gannon and

Against

Andy Muirhead

the Head of Refereeing at the SFA, Hugh Dallas. It would have been wiser and less embarrassing for both parties, if they had just sat down over a pie & bovril and battered one another around the head with handbags containing all the letters they wrote to one another.

There has been calls for TV replays to be used to help referees make a call, but FIFA and UEFA are against such an introduction and the likelihood of five officials - as seen in the Europa League this season - is becoming more popular within the corridors of power in Nyon.

Yes, TV replays help prove that referees are only human and do make mistakes. But given that our referees only recently threatened strike action unless they got a huge pay rise of close to £1000 a game, they deserve all the criticism and flak they get. Certainly our referees on show are not worthy of £1000. Some aren’t worthy of a tenner.

Speaking of not worthy, Mike McCurry. The referee that all fans love to hate. He was demoted by the SFA over his much publicised errors and his off the field shenanigans with a parishioner at the Hampden car park - although we cannot state categorically that he was demoted because

he was shagging a woman that was the spitting image of the Churchill insurance dog. Oh Yes!

Last season there were three major incidents which called into question the refereeing abilities within Scotland:

May 10th - Dundee United manager Craig Levein accused Mike McCurry of bottling big decisions as he disallowed a United goal, failed to award a penalty and

does not send off two Rangers players s United lose 3-1.

August 10th - St. Mirren manager Gus MacPherson claimed that referee Eddie Smith winked at him during his side’s 1-0 defeat by Celtic. Smith awarded a penalty to Celtic for the only goal of the game and sent off Will Haining for the alleged foul.

August 17th - Referee Charlie Richmond failed to award a penalty to Dundee United after Celtic’s Gary Caldwell clearly took th legs away from Roy O’Donovan in the game which ended 1-1.

Jump to this season and out of the two Old Firm derby matches to have been played so far, a number of incidents were highlighted. Celtic’s defeat to Rangers at Ibrox in October was overshadowed by two decision made by our best referee - supposedly - Craig Thomson. Thomson failed to award two clear cut penalties to Celtic and in fact booked Celtic’s Shaun Maloney for diving with the latter.

Hugh Dallas a mere 24 hours later stepped out from behind the Hampden parapet and apologised on behalf of Thomson, stating that the referee had been wrong not to give a penalty when David Weir blatantly tripped Shaun Maloney in the box. That decision cost Celtic at least a point, possibly even three points which as former Motherwell manager Jim Gannon stated, “Celtic might look back on that result at the end of the season and decide that Ibrox in October is when they lost the league championship.”

In fact Gannon followed up the damning condemnation by stating that, “....the standard of refereeing in Scotland and the mistakes that are being made are having an effect on the league table.”

And he could be true. Celtic once again looked back on another Old Firm derby where two incidents played out in which the referee - Old Firm rookie Steve Conroy - made a boo boo. He wrongly chalked off a perfectly good goal by Marc Antoine Fortune after 19 minutes, despite

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first giving the goal. As he felt that Fortune had fouled keeper Allan McGregor. Conroy also blundered when he failed to send off Rangers midfielder Kyle Lafferty for a horrendous tackle of German Andreas Hinkel, a tackle so hard and so vicious replays showed his shun bending under the challenge. In fact Hinkel was lucky that Lafferty did not snap his leg in two. And what did Conroy dish out? A yellow card. The only man in Scotland who thought that Lafferty deserved a yellow. Even the Rangers support in the aftermath agreed that Lafferty should have been sent off. Yet where is the transparency? No comment from Dallas nor Conroy on the decisions.

Around the world we see referees being attacked by fans for making bad decisions and thankfully, it only happens now and again in Scotland and primarily in amateur games - although referees have seen their windows smashed after Old Firm derby matches. For the men in the middle to be threatened, beaten up and in fear of their life is certainly not on. But they took on the role and they should take the flak when dished out.

You may say that all human beings are flawed and we all mistakes. And in the work place when we make a mistake, we are punished for it. Either with a dock of wages, a written/verbal warning or if it is a serious issue then we would be given the sack. So what punishment is there for a Scottish referee when he makes mistakes or shows blatant incompetence of the major decisions in a match?

None. There is no punishment for the referees. And here is where the respect campaign failed. The fact that the managers and players could not come out and condemn the actions of a referee for his incompetence or bottling a major decision, yet the referees are not punished by the governing body at all. Whether it costs a club the match, an influential player, turns a win into a draw or a win/draw into a defeat, these bungling whistle blowers are free from punishment. What other job in the world

allows someone who makes mistakes get away with it scot-free and still get paid close to £1000 for it?

The SFA and Hugh Dallas must install a system where, if a referee shows blatant incompetence or fails to make the right decision over an incident, then he must be punished. Whether it is being demoted to the lower leagues for a number of weeks or being suspended from officiating for a week or so. In fact a league table for referees should be created which should highlight ALL the mistakes made by the referees and at the end of the season, the referee or referees propping up the table should be relegated to officiating lower league games or junior level matches.

So where do we go from here then? Well the SFA must not protect the referees any longer, they must be punished for poor displays. There must be transparency in the game, and not the level of transparency that Hugh Dallas thinks there is. Referees must be able to give their side of the debate whether it is in the media the day after the game or in the post-match interviews. And three if managers and players are fined for their views on referees then the money paid to the referees for the games they officiated and call major incidents wrong, then they should donate that match fee to charity.

If no action is taken, it won’t be long before the situation explodes and a referee gets hurt.

I will end my side of the debate with a quote from Sir Winston Churchill. The fat, bald, cigar smoking junkie said, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

Do you agree or disagree with any of the comments made? If so then contact us at letters@scotzine.com and we will publish the best letters.

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ScotzineFan Forum

Giving everyone the fIngerwww.scotzine.com/forum

www.scotzine.com 17

The Celtic View:the Oldest club magazine in the world

The Celtic view is the oldest club magazine in the world. It was the

brainchild of Jack McGinn - who later became Celtic director and chairman.

McGinn was working in the circulation department of Beaverbrook Newspapers and was frustrated by the lack of coverage given to Celtic in the press.

He developed the idea of the club having its own weekly newspaper, which would cover all Celtic related issues, including match reports to supporters club information. The plan behind the paper would not only allow Celtic to promote their point of view, but also allow the club to be closer to the fans who were disenchanted with the Parkhead board

and then chairman Robert Kelly.

McGinn took his idea to the club and it was endorsed by the board in March 1965. This was also the first meeting of new manager Jock Stein, and it was the best time to launch the View.

The first edition of The Celtic View was published on August 11th 1965, with a picture of the Celtic squad displaying the Scottish Cup they had won the season before.

A loan of £6000 was given to McGinn by the club to launch the paper - with the agreement that it was to be repaid in full by the end of the financial year. The launch of the Celtic View also occurred at a time when Celtic were in the midst of their greatest period. And with success on the field, the View was popular and McGinn quickly paid off the debt as early circulation figures averaged 26,000.

The Celtic View toes the party line, that much is obvious, with the View covering all the club’s highs and lows over the past four decades. And while it remains a valuable source for fans and historians of the club and is the best selling football club weekly publication in the UK.

But it is far out of touch with the feeling of the hardcore support at Celtic Park. And for long periods it was ridiculed. In the late 80s and early 90s, the Celtic View was dubbed Pravda by the fans. As the board - including Jack McGinn - blatantly used the paper for their own propaganda and to protect their own interests.

The fans always expected that the View would look through matters with green tinted spectacles on, but the level of spin and untruths that appeared in the paper was ridiculous and at a time when the

Text | Andy Muirhead

18 www.scotzine.com

club was near the brink of extinction.

The manipulation of the View by the board, significantly increased the success of the fanzine scene at the club. With those angered and sick of what the club newspaper had come to stand for, many turned to the fanzines on offer, such as Not the View - which is the most successful on offer. There is numerous fanzines on offer at Celtic Park now: Alternative View, More than 90 minutes, TAL Fanzine, Welcome to Paradise and Not the View. What other club can get away with five fanzines on sale at the same time?

There is no doubt that the abuse of the club newspaper by the board caused significant damage to its reputation.

It has been reinvented since then and in its current format, is a glossy magazine with contents including a mix of club information, match reports, player interviews, supporters notes, picture features and historical articles.

It still remains a paper that toes the party line and is uncritical of the club, but the mainstream media are more than capable of putting the boot into the club.

The View remains popular amongst the fans despite its faults, especially those abroad.

But it is loathed to criticise the board and its actions or the performances of the players and the team, however poor they may be. But with the many fanzines, websites and forums out there, which seem to criticise more often than not, the Celtic View is a much needed and at times gives a sense of balance.

Do you produce a club fanzine? Do you want us to promote it and/or sell it within our online shop then contact us at mail@scotzine.com with all the details.

www.scotzine.com 19

Scots on the Box Part TwoText | Ronnie McDevitt

Itv arrived on the scene in 1955 with its Scottish franchise STV launching on 31

August 1957.

The first edition of Scotsport was broadcast just a couple of weeks later from the studios in the old Theatre Royal building in Glasgow on 18th September and the show went on to become the longest running sports programme in the word until its demise over fifty years later.

Introduced by Arthur Montford viewers were treated to highlights of a league match each Saturday evening and there were often midweek editions. These evening fixtures presented a challenge as the films had to be rushed back to the studios processed and edited for transmission often not much more than an hour after the match had finished. This constraint inevitably placed restrictions on which matches could be covered and led to accusations of West Coast bias. The early ‘Scotsport’ commentary’s were from Montford himself or Alex Cameron.

Compared to today’s slick presentation some of those surviving recordings may appear rather crudely edited with no replays and very limited use of captions. The action replay facility for example was not pioneered until 1966 by BBC Sport just in time for their coverage of the 1966 World Cup in England.

In his book ‘Action replays’ BBC Scotland commentator Archie MacPherson reveals he was under instructions to pause at specific points such as goal-kicks to enable the editor to cut the film there and splice at a similar incident without the added worry of half finished sentences going out on air.

The earliest of the ‘Scotsport’s featured matches were actually filmed on hand held 16mm cameras which had a capacity for 100 foot rolls of film. These spools required replacing after around ten minutes of recording during which it was not unknown for something crucial to occur on the field. Often the early reels were dispatched to the studio so

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the processing and editing could begin before the final footage arrived.

On one occasion - a midweek match at Tynecastle - the driver with the final spool containing a late goal took a wrong turning and did not arrive back in the studio in time for transmission prompting an abrupt ending to the highlights and an announcement from Montford that the goal could not be shown ‘for technical reasons.’

Even when improved equipment allowed continuous recording it was still not unheard of for cameramen to miss the odd goal restricted by bulky equipment and generally just two cameras covering the event.

There is however no more famous case than the 1957 Scottish League Cup Final when it comes to missing goals.

The live pictures were relayed from Glasgow all the way to a BBC studio in London. There a film camera was positioned in front of a monitor screen to record the action later to be edited for highlights to be broadcast to the whole of the UK that evening. Crude perhaps by today’s digital standards but this method known as telerecording was standard practice then. With Celtic leading rivals Rangers 2-0 at the interval a technician in the studio placed a lens cap over the camera as was normal to protect the lens. Not until after the trophy had been presented was it realised that the lens cap had not been removed once the camera had started rerecording meaning the rest of Celtic’s 7-1 victory was lost as the camera continued to film forty five minutes of blackness accompanied by George Davidson’s commentary!

This led to accusations that the recording had been deliberately sabotaged by disgruntled employees at BBC Scotland who favoured the losing side when the damage had in fact been done in London.

The other half of the Old Firm were to suffer a similar fate a few years later in

the semi-final of the same competition. In his book Archie MacPherson relates a tale of how due to a combination of an inexperienced cameraman and the simultaneous jamming of both cameras Rangers 6-4 victory over Kilmarnock resembled more a 3-1 result - even scoring of a penalty kick had been lost.

The BBC’s coverage of the 1957 England v Scotland Wembley meeting was described by the Daily Records’ sports editor James Cameron as “the poorest piece of football coverage television has done.” Allocated a mere six minutes of action during a thirty minute ‘Sportview’ presentation. Kenneth Wolstenholme explained that “by arrangement you could only see six minutes of the game.”

As with the Cup Final in 1955 again the SFA applied the 80% ticket sales precondition before considering live coverage of the Hampden World Cup qualifier against Spain in May of 1957. With sales short of that figure and the prospect of no coverage looming a delegation from BBC Scotland demanded a meeting with the SFA the day before the match.

The head of programmes Gordon Gildard emerged from the Park Gardens heated discussions to announce there would be no live coverage and ‘no sufficient time’ to organise a highlights package. The SFA decided to accept cash at the turnstiles on the night and television viewers were deprived of watching Scotlands’ four-two victory. Some Scots with television sets in the South and South West of the country who received their signal from Northern Ireland were however able to watch the match as the game was shown in Ulster.

Scots on the Box is continued in the next issue of The 12th Man.

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The Wee Quiz

TimeforTwittertwitter.com/buyrangersSome fans having a joke at the expense of Rangers FC. Own a part of Scottish football history by helping to buy Rangers FC.

twitter.com/Craigy_AndersonFollow one of our contributors Craig Anderson. A Part time football writer in

Scotland whose looking to be the next Hugh Keevins or Chick Young. God help us.

twitter.com/ScottishFA_disFollow the Scottish FA - Disability Football Section: Coach Education, Grassroots Development, Regional Development, International Football.

twitter.com/TheHarryWraggsFollow an unofficial forum for the fans of Partick Thistle football club.

If you wish your twitter page to be featured here then email us at letters@scotzine.com

Welcome to our Wee Quiz within the confines of The 12th Man. Each month we will have some fun by giving you a quiz to test your fitba knowledge on. You will win Sweet FA, you won’t be mentioned and you won’t be mocked or hailed depending on what scores you get, it passes the time and adds some filler to the fanzine. You can send in your answers if you want to the usual email address, but in all honesty it would go down as well as a Scotch Pie from Parkhead.

We do hope you enjoy this wee brain strainer, but we all know you will google the answers before long, it is obvious just as obvious as how shite our referees are.

1. Finish the name of the Scottish football legend: Kenneth Mathieson __________?

2. Aberdeen were the last club outside of the Old Firm to win he league title. In what year did they achieve this?

3. Celtic lost two major European competition finals. Who did they lose those matches too?

4. When Dundee United were founded in 1909, what were they called?

5. Which club did Alex Ferguson join when he left Falkirk?

6. Who is Hearts’ most successful manager - interms of trophies won?

7. Who set Hibernian’s all time scoring record for league goals?

8. Who scored Inverness Caley Thistle’s 1000th goal?

9. In what years have Kilmarnock won the Scottish Cup?

10. Rangers have contested four major European finals. In what years?

Answers on a postcard to letters@scotzine.com but in all honesty it wouldn’t be worth your while since you will win bugger all....

Issue 10 quiz answers

1. Berwick Rangers2. Fiorentina3. Hibs & Hearts4. Sergio Porrini5. Tommy Gemmell6. Dumbarton7. Andy Beattie8. Belgium9. Hibernian10. Lorenzo Amoruso11. Livi Lion12. Aberdeen13. Ian Ferguson14. St. Johnstone (J)15. Denis Law

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Oor Football YearsLivingston 2004

For a definition of the word ‘adversity’ you may find a picture of Livingston

Football Club’s crest.

Their well documented financial trouble finally demoted them to Division Three at the start of this season after the disastrous chairmanship of Angelo Massone and money troubles have been a constant shadow over the aims and achievements of the West Lothian club.

They were placed in administration last summer prior to Massone’s welcomed departure and former Cowdenbeath owner Gordon McDougall along with Neil Rankin stepped in to save the day.

Wind back the clock nearly six years and Livi fans were undergoing that same gnawing feeling of déjà vu when their team were plunged into financial crisis and even now, you can look at it and say that it’s never truly gone away.

Which makes winning the League Cup a massive achievement for them when they were crippled with debt and just six weeks after being placed in the hands of the administrators as their hopes of becoming the third force in Scottish football came to a shuddering halt.

But the 14th March 2004 is a date etched in every Livingston fan’s memory as second half goals from Derek Lilley and Jamie McAllister sealed a somewhat unlikely 2-0 win over their much-fancied opponents Hibs at Hampden.

Bear in mind this was a Hibees side that contained future Scotland internationals Gary Caldwell, Scott Brown, Derek Riordan, Gary O’Connor and Kevin Thomson as well as Stephen Dobbie,

League Cup winners in administrationwho now plies his trade with Swansea City in the Championship so the victory in hindsight looks all the more impressive.

Davie Hay was the man who brought such memorable celebrations to the West Lothian and after winning a League Championship and a Scottish Cup with Celtic in the mid 80’s, he now had a full set of medals for his collection as a manager.

But the start of that season saw Hay miss out on the Livi post following the departure of Jim Leishman and replaced by little known Brazilian Marcio Maximo Barcellos, reckoned to be the one Brazilian that knew nothing about football in the eyes of some Livi fans.

Nine games into the season and Maximo was gone, with then chairman Dominic Keane turning to Hay to keep a steady hand on the club’s SPL position, which he did duly as well as take them to Hampden, but the semi-final tie with Dundee proved memorable for more than just the game itself.

It was on that day, 3rd February 2004 that the announcement came that Keane had signed the club into administration, with the Almondvale club swimming in debt of £3.5million. It put a huge dampener on what should have been a great night as Derek Lilley’s penalty sealed a 1-0 win over Dundee to book Livi’s place at Hampden.

Suddenly the future of the Livingston FC was in heavy doubt and after seeing contemporaries Dundee and Motherwell go into administration and promptly let players and staff go, Livingston were able to keep most of their players, with the likes Stuart Lovell, Marvin Andrews and

Text | Craig Anderson

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Oscar Rubio taking pay cuts.

The administrators worked with Davie Hay to preserve the squad and at times seemed very understanding to the predicament they were in, but it was inevitable most players would be gone by the season’s end so it was up to the team to make the best of things.

In the seven games between going into administration, Livingston lost four of their five league outings, but beat Spartans and drew with Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup and considering Hibs had knocked out both Rangers and Celtic on their way to the final, the Easter Road side were heavy favourites to come out as victors. Weren’t they?

Livingston didn’t read the script though and in true cup fashion, made life difficult for their opponents as 7,000 fans travelled from West Lothian to cheer them on.

Lilley’s opener was finished well courtesy of a Lee Makel cross that found Burton O’Brien ghosting in down the inside right. The now Falkirk man cut it back, allowing the former Dundee United to sweep it home from eight yards on 50 minutes.

Suddenly the dream looked very much on and Hibs pushed forward to try and gain parity quickly, but within two minutes it was Hay, rather than Bobby Williamson celebrating.

David Fernandez played a wonderful through ball, ripping the Hibs defence to shreds as Jamie McAllister timed his run perfectly to slot the ball past keeper Daniel Andersson and double the Livi lead only two minutes later.

Hibs’ subs Tam McManus and Dobbie saw chances denied and it triggered another party night at Almondvale and arguably the biggest one of all as they clinched their first ever major trophy.

Never mind winning the Third Division, Second Division or Division One. Never mind finishing third in the SPL and

qualifying for the UEFA Cup, leading to a trip to Austria to play Sturm Graz. This was a party that stuck two fingers up at their precarious financial position and gave hope the club would get out of it.

Sadly the dark economic cloud has never quite gone away from Livingston and Pearse Flynn seemed to try and restore some financial backbone to no avail. Relegation to Division One came and the club consolidated in the second tier before selling up to Angelo Massone and his consortium in the summer of 2008.

Another spell in administration again forced the beleaguered Italian to leave with Livingston’s status in the First Division taken away and dropped into Division Three at the beginning of this season and six years on, they are right back where they started.

The long climb back to emulate that sort of day at Hampden has already begun.

A Memorable, yet strange seasonIn a time when Livingston should have been elated at joining Scottish Football’s elite in having their name engraved on a major trophy, issues off the pitch soured the experience for players and fans alike.

Livi skipper Stuart Lovell looks back on the day at Hampden with nothing but fondness, but describes the season of 2003-2004 as the strangest he’s ever encountered.

Lovell said: “It was a huge thrill to reach and win the final, making it more satisfying given the club was put into administration literally hours before our semi-final with Dundee.

“We arrived in Edinburgh and had gone for a walk after hearing the news. Some of us were like zombies and the buoyant mood of playing in a cup semi-final was overtaken by speculation over what would happen to us.

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Lovell, now a media pundit and newspaper columnist, revealed he took a significant wage cut as the administrator set about tightening the Almondvale purse strings and the former Reading and Hibs midfielder said he was happy to do so.

He added: “When it came to our contracts, you were allowed to say no to what the administrator proposed. After all it’s a legally binding contract, but they would have been within their rights to tear it up and you’d be free to go.

“Myself and a few others took significant wage cuts to keep things going until the summer and then see what happens. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time and the others were also happy to do so as well.”

As for the day itself, Lovell admits that in spite of the financial problems and the uncertainty surrounding Livingston, he was supremely confident it was going to be him and not Hibs counterpart Gary Smith lifting the trophy.

Lovell said: “I just had a feeling it was going to go our way on the day and I don’t think I’d ever been that confident going into such a big game.

“The administration thing was a problem and Hibs brought 40,000 fans to Hampden, but I just had a gut feeling that it was going to be our day as we had a group of experienced players that weren’t going to be phased by the occasion and I was pleased that’s how it worked out.

“I’ve been back to Almondvale a few times since and I must admit, I do still get a shiver when I see the picture of me holding the cup aloft.”

If the day and period was memorable for the players, what about the fans that have endured nothing but heartache and worry since then? Livingston’s programme editor David Stoker has seen it all and is hopeful that the dark days are now behind them.

He said: “The first time we had gone into administration, there seemed to be some denial when it was reported in the Scotland on Sunday that it was happening before it actually did.

“Some pals and I were making a day of the semi final when the news broke and it became quite surreal as we were looking forward to such a big game, but there was uncertainty over the future of the club.

“I was absolutely confident about the final itself, especially as we had beaten Hibs twice already that season, but as I look back at it now, the game wasn’t a classic in terms of what you would want from a cup final.

“A DVD came out afterwards and I watch it from time to time. It’s not a thrilling game, but Jamie McAllister’s goal, which sealed it for us, was really bizarre. Derek Lilley had scored a lot for us, but seeing McAllister put one in was strange.

“He wasn’t known for his goalscoring prowess as he had only scored once for us before then. For some reason I didn’t see it at the time, but having watched it since, it was a beautiful finish.”

But since that day Livi have been synonymous with financial problems and questionable owners and nearly six years on, David’s hopeful that despite being plunged into Division Three due to the mismanagement of Angelo Massone, the club will prevail.

He added: “I have my doubts whether Massone and his consortium actually had any money to invest at all after they took over, but Gordon McDougall has come in and I’m encouraged by the fact that he ran Cowdenbeath for 20 years and there was no financial problem to speak of.

“When we entered administration again last summer, you woke up every day wondering if it was going to be the last day. It wasn’t like that the first time around and now under the new owners, I hope all that is behind us finally.”

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Subscription InfoWritten by like-minded fans, The 12th Man is not trying or pretending to be a glossy magazine competing against Four Four Two or WSC - we are a fanzine. All monies taken in will be ploughed back into the fanzine to produce further issues, making them bigger and better.

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26 www.scotzine.com

Old Firm Showdown Part Two

Text | Peter Joyce

As the whistle went, Walter Smith’s smile was as wide as the gap at

the middle of the Celtic defence. From what he had just witnessed, he knew the champions were lucky to escape the east-end of Glasgow with his side’s seven point lead intact.

Tony Mowbray, on the other hand, was experiencing a similar emotion as he had done at various times in his Celtic career. Free flowing, enjoyable, attacking football, with flaws as bad as those of Dr. Jekyll. A lack of killer instinct in front of goal, twinned with a centre-half pairing who continue to forget the vast majority

of their footballing talent when the ball is fired in above six foot.

The old firm match itself should have been a guaranteed three points for Celtic. In a week where the nation debates over its goal scorers supreme, Celtic fans were left ruing the fact that those on the field in green and white simply could not convert the numerous chances they created. Kris Boyd on the other hand, in the week where he newly appointed himself as top

SPL hitman of all time, effectively never touched the ball. Employed in the lone striker role the marksman, unlike the

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Celtic strikers, never even had a chance to miss. Up until the arrival of the hoops Australian striker Scott McDonald, it seemed as if both teams could have been playing until midnight, and the net would never had been touched.

However, after 78 minutes of utter domination by the Bhoys, eventually they prised open the Gers defence. A moment of magic from the premiership’s most wanted Aiden McGeady, and McDonald was left with a header from five yards, which put Celtic into a lead, which seemed u n a s s a i l a b l e . However, only two minutes later, Rangers equalised with what was their only shot on goal. A McCulloch header rifled past Artur Boruc, and sent the Rangers fans into jubilation. Waltzing away from Gary Caldwell, who along with Glenn Loovens had another inept p e r f o r m a n c e at the heart of the home side’s defence. T h r o u g h o u t history, every top side has been built on solid foundations. Celtic had McNeil and Clark, Rangers had McKinnon and Greig and Aberdeen had Miller and McLeish. To mention the two current Celtic men in the same breath, is itself, impossible.

So despite playing some good football, Celtic remain seven points behind the Gers in the title race. It is now up to Tony

Mowbray to sign at least two players. A new centre half is a must, and with reports of two trialists of that position being at Lennoxtown in recent months, Mowbray clearly agrees. Preston North End’s Sean St Ledger would appear most likely to arrive at Parkhead, but the transfer demands of the English side may prove a stumbling block for the Hoops. Others, this writer feels should be watched, are Jose Goncalves of Hearts, and Sol Bamba of Hibernian. Jose Goncalves would be

available for a reduced fee, as his contract with the Jambos ends at the end of the season. However, G o n c a l v e s recently stated he plans to remain with Hearts until the end of the season, so a pre-contract would be more likely. This would not be useful to Celtic, who need an instant fix at the heart of their defence. Sol Bamba on the other hand has had a fantastic season under John Hughes. A commanding defender, the Ivory Coast international will u n d o u b t e d l y attract attention Europe wide after

he has played at the African nations cup. Mowbray would have to act fast to guarantee the players signature. It would however seem likely that St Ledger would be the new centre half to grace the Parkhead pitch.

On the striker front, Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers seems the obvious choice for Mowbray. Attracting

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interest from a variety of European clubs, reports say that Celtic hold the upper hand in chasing the players signature. With reports of Robbie Keane moving to Glasgow appearing a little off the mark, someone of McCarthy’s quality for such a small fee would be far more attractive to the money men within Parkhead.

Moving to the other side of the Clyde, Rangers must simply fight to hold on to the pivotal members of their squad in January. Allan McGregor must be the star who Walter Smith would deem a must to stay at Ibrox. After his gravity defying stop against Celtic, the Rangers gaffer knows that the keeper is a valuable asset for any team chasing the title. However, with the financial problems facing Rangers, every player at the club has their price. And with Nicky Weaver set to sign for the club, it would appear the Scot could move to pastors new in the Transfer windows. This would be disastrous for Rangers, as although Weaver and Neil Alexander are good keepers, McGregor is world class, and ultimately worth 10 points a season for his club. This for Rangers, in the position they currently find themselves , could be the difference between first and second.

Another player who could move in the window is Madjid Bougherra. The centre half has arguably been Walter Smith’s best signing in his second spell with the club. Currently at the African nations cup, a good performance there could alert even more clubs to the players availability. However, unlike McGregor, Rangers could deal with the loss of the Algerian. Danny Wilson, despite his youth, has proved he can cut it at the highest level for Rangers, with a decent performance at the heart of the defence in the old firm match. This could mean that Bougherra would be extremely likely to leave the Gers, and move to England’s top tier, a move he has already said he would welcome.

Whatever happens, the window will prove the most important spell of the season. Celtic must seek a new centre half if they are to be successful. For Rangers, they

must keep their top Keeper if they want to hold on to the title. With the window open, it will be curtains for one of the old firm’s title hopes.

Team Line-ups:Celtic - Boruc, Caldwell, Loovens, Fox, McGeady, Crosas (70), N’Guemo, Robson, Samaras, Fortune.

Subs: Zaluska, McGinn, Zhi, Thompson, McManus, Caddis, McDonald (70).

Rangers - McGregor, Broadfoot, Weir, Wilson, Papac, Whittaker, McCulloch, Davis, Novo (12), Lafferty, Boyd.

Subs: Alexander, Fleck, Little, Ness, Edu (12), Wylde, Smith.

Match Stats:

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A Capital ClashHibs struggle to assert their

superiority

Text | James Atkinson

The Edinburgh Derby, one of football’s oldest club rivalries - has provided

some thumping results over the years. There was the famous New Years Day win for Hibs in 1973, when they thrashed Hearts 7-0, and their 6-2 win in 2000, crowned with a mesmerising solo goal by Russell Latapy. Similarly, Hearts have their own victories to cherish, such as the two 4-0 victories during the 2005/6 season (one in the league, the other at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-final) which made many Jambos believe that Vladimir Romanov was leading the club into a new era.

But both derbies so far this season have finished all square, a scoreless draw at Tynecastle in November, and now 1-1

at Easter Road on 3rd January and that’s probably about right: for all their differing fortunes this season, there is less between these two teams than might be imagined.

Hibs disappointed at Easter Road – while a draw away at your fiercest rivals is always a respectable result, in front

of their home crowd they really should have imposed themselves more on the match. But the point helps them to cement third place in the table, nine points above Hearts. If this is still the situation come the end of the season, the Leith club will be rightly pleased with their achievement.

But despite trailing Hibs in the League, Hearts had gone into the game in

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better form, having made partial amends for their disastrous start to the season with a winter run that included a victory over Celtic and a climb into the top six. They adopted a physical approach for the derby, and were clearly determined to make their neighbours battle for every single ball.As always in such fiercely-contested affairs, the opening minutes were a battle to control the midfield, with Michael Stewart charging around in his trademark demented fashion. It’s an approach that has got him into trouble on plenty of occasions (such as his sending off against Hamilton), but here he helped to set the tone for a committed Hearts performance.

After a shaky start Hibs had the bulk of possession in the first half, without really creating many opportunities, and then were undone right before the interval. Christian Nade held the ball up on the left, and then fed the ball to 18-year old Gordon Smith to score his first goal for Hearts with a brilliant first-time hit.

To their credit, Hibs got back into the match after the break when Derek Riordan set up Anthony Stokes for the equaliser. Soon after, Darren McCormack and Rueben Palazuelos were both sent off for head-butting each other at a set piece.

With both sides reduced to 10 men the game opened up, and both sides had chances to grab the winner. But a draw was probably the fairest outcome.

Man of the Match:Michael Stewart (Hearts)

Officials Rating:Not terrible, but could have let the match flow more.

Pitch Rating:Poor

Team Line-ups:Hearts - Kello, Bouzid, Zaliukas, Cinikas, Lee Wallace, Santana, Michael Stewart, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Smith, Nade.

Subs: Balogh, Black, Witteveen, Templeton, Ryan Wallace, Mulrooney, Visconte.

Hibernian - Smith, Wotherspoon, Hogg, Murray, Hanlon, McCormack, Miller, Rankin, Riordan, Zemmama, Stokes.

Subs: Flynn, Cregg, Nish, McBride, Benjelloun, Stevenson, Thicot.

Match Stats:

Player Ratings:Hibernian

Graeme Smith – 7

Hibs’ new goalkeeper had an intense debut, but handled it pretty well. Nothing he could do about the goal.

Darren McCormack – 3

He turned down Celtic to try and progress his career at Hibs, but so far there’s little sign that Celtic are ruing the one that got away. Shaky at right back, and then needlessly reacted to Palazuelos’ soft head butt by returning it with interest.

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Chris Hogg – 5

Very shaky first half and gave away possession several times, but a much better 2nd period.

Ian Murray – 8

Hibs’ best player, committed and aggressive without losing control (Darren McCormack take note).

Paul Hanlon – 6

Another graduate from Hibs’ academy, plays as a centre-back for Scotland under-21s but doesn’t look entirely assured at left back.

David Wotherspoon – 6

Offered width and verve early on, but after McCormack was sent off was moved back into defence and couldn’t get forward as much.

John Rankin – 6

Reasonably solid in central midfield, but consistently made the wrong choice when in possession of the ball. Seems compelled to have a 40-yard pop at goal every match, even when team mates are better placed.

Liam Miller – 6

Effective and economical with the ball, as usual, but didn’t get forward enough to have a more positive impact on the match.

Derek Riordan – 6

Has had much better derbies than this, but his cross for the equaliser was a peach.

Merouane Zemmama – 5

The mercurial Moroccan had a central role, but couldn’t get into the game. Subbed after an hour.

Anthony Stokes – 6

Starved of service and didn’t do much, but got one goal and saved a point for his team. Has a striker’s instinct which can overcome other deficiencies in his game.

Sub: Kevin McBride – 7

On for Zemmama, McBride reminded Hibs what they have missed during his injury spell by taking control in midfield.

Hearts

Marian Kello – 7

Steady performance from the Hearts keeper, but not given a huge amount to do.

Marius Cinikas – 5

Another tough debut, the on-loan player from Kaunas was deployed at right back and had a pretty torrid time against Riordan.

Marius Zaliukas – 7

Helped restrict Hibs’ opportunities – but didn’t do much to keep out the one they scored from. Gets an extra point for not getting himself sent off.

Ismael Bouzid – 7

Not the most technically accomplished player, but helped set the tone for a physical and aggressive Hearts performance here.

Lee Wallace – 8

Another fine game in a fine season. Defended well and offered a real attacking outlet from left back.

Eggert Johnsson – 6

Plays well as a defensive midfielder, but rarely seems to be given that role these days. Anonymous.

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Rueben Palazuelos -3

Would have been sent off even if McCormack hadn’t reacted, and then would have left his team a man down and having just conceded the equaliser. Stupid.

Michael Stewart – 8

Liable to get himself into trouble at any moment, but Stewart displayed just the right mix of aggression and nous here to stifle Hibs. Took one for the team late on with a blatant trip on Ian Murray when Hearts were looking stretched.

Suso Santana – 6

Sometimes it looks like there’s a player here, but this impression rarely lasts for long. Occasional trickery gave way to poor decision-making and fairly ineffectual display.

Gordon Smith – 7

Another debutant, and celebrated his first appearance with a fine finish to open the scoring. Replaced by Ian Black after an hour.

Christian Nade – 7

Used his formidable physique to good effect here, holding the ball up and causing Hibs plenty of problems. Is this the player Hearts thought they had signed?

Sub: Ian Black – 6

On for Smith for the last 30 minutes, and helped shore up his side.

Sub: David Templeton

Not enough time to make an impression.

What the managers will take from the gameJohn Hughes

During Hibs’ 12-match unbeaten run

which excited many sections of the media, John Hughes dismissed all talk of a title challenge. The 4-1 defeat to Rangers and then this match proved he was right to do so – Hibs are still miles away from being able to challenge the Old Firm, because they lack the consistency to grind out a win week after week.

They certainly weren’t at their best for the derby, and so Hughes will have been happy to take a point which keeps Hibs in pole position for the “best of the rest” title come May. He’ll also know – if he didn’t already – that Sol Bamba (who’s at the African Nations Cup with the Ivory Coast) is a big miss for the team.

Hughes seems to thrive on the wheeling and dealing of the transfer window, so it’s possible that the club will do some business this month. But expect more decisive comings and goings in the summer, when we will get a stronger clue about Hibs’ ambitions.

Csaba Laszlo

Laszlo claimed after the match that Hearts deserved to win, though whether he was playing to the gallery or not is open to debate. The best that you could say is that they didn’t deserve to lose.

After a couple of terrible months, Laszlo has restored some of the obstinacy that served Hearts so well last season, and it certainly helped them in this match. But he isn’t blind to the fact that the team is getting weaker year on year – and while Hibs are looking to strengthen, Laszlo fears losing even more players in the January transfer window. Lee Wallace is the obvious candidate to move on if a tempting bid comes in for him.

It would take a huge effort – and a lot of luck – for Hearts to repeat last season’s third place finish in the SPL. But, for now at least, they look good for a place in the top six.

The Final WhistleText | Andy Muirhead

We have just endured one of the worst winters in 25 years in Scotland and

with games being called off right, left and centre - it is another reason why Scottish football must impose a winter break from the SPL to Division Three.

Yes I understand that clubs would lose money through the periods of December to January, and in today’s current financial climate one or two clubs could possibly go under. But if the governing bodies as well as the clubs get together to solve these issues then such side effects would not occur - if managed properly.

SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith is in favour of a winter break and the SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has said that he would consider any such ideas.

Scottish Football hit hard by Winter

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An SPL spokesman said, “We’re obviously aware of Gordon’s views about winter breaks and summer football. Neil has made it clear that a winter break is a good idea.

“Trying to fit all the fixtures in - 10 months of fixtures - into eight or nine months is difficult given all the other pressures. So if there’s an opportunity to sit down then of course we’d be happy to do that.”

Some clubs are of course against the winter shutdown as it would hammer them in the purse strings, paying out wages for players when no football is on and therefore no income. But it is time the clubs think of the supporters.

I sat in stadiums over the Christmas and New Year period wrapped up, with layers on and still I was being battered by the severe weather. And it doesn’t help that you sit during the game also when standing and moving on your feet could help you keep warm - at least a little bit.

The clubs and governing bodies must now make a decision. Either keep playing during the winter periods and see attendances continue to fall or take a break from the start of December to the middle of January and then see the fans return in their droves.

Other leagues have imposed a winter break and have not suffered from it. In fact one such league - Denmark has in fact seen their league rise three places to 16th position in the European league standings, just three places behind the SPL, which has fallen by the same margin.

So we must take action now the curb our league’s further decline and with a backlog of games now evident, the fixture congestion may just push those in power to finally make a decision for a change.

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