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| | Friday, 2 August, 2002, 14:48 GMT 15:48 UK Rangers by a nose I belong to Glasgow...and so does the SPL Championship. There is as much chance of the trophy flitting beyond the city boundaries as there is of the world mountaineering championships being hosted by Holland. Sad but true. Proud Glaswegian that I am I would rather some other club - any other club - broke the Old Firm stranglehold before it becomes subject of investigation by the Monopolies Commision. The title race will be the sad old two horse race it has been since Margaret Thatcher was a pin-up. The Dandy Dons and the Tangerine Terrors are a distant memory. The New Firm are old hat. A two horse race, but you have to look at the plus points - at least it is a race. What I do pray is that it can go to the last hurdle. Too often recently the championship has been awarded the OBE...Over Before Easter. We can only hope that the bungling administrators of the SPL who chased away Sky and who messed around the BBC so much that they lost transmission of the opening day's games, have something up their sleeves to inject entertainment and excitement into the game. Scottish football is playing Russian roulette with its future and far from not knowing who to blame, it is difficult to know who not to blame. The 10 who broke away made a brave move which won them headlines. But it strikes me that they are short of a plan B to put into action when Rangers and Celtic do call their bluff.
In fact they aren't even going to move out of Glasgow. And the media spotlight will be on them wherever they are performing - from England to Outer Mongolia, to a two team SPL, where they knock the living daylights out of one another on a weekly basis. If you thought this close season was a shambles, just wait until two years from now when the BBC deal runs out and the 10 take their leap into the unknown. I hope God spares me to hang around to cover that story. Meanwhile, let battle commence in 2002-2003. European impact The easy bit is to say that the title remains in Glasgow. It's slightly more difficult to nail it to the east end or the south side. Rangers, I'm going for Rangers. I like what Alex McLeish has done in man management terms at Ibrox, ironically enough the real strength of Martin O'Neill at Celtic.
What is important is that both of these clubs, who are never shy in telling the planet how big they are, match their boasts by making an impact in Europe. Too often in that arena they have been all sauce and no bottle. Incidentally, Glasgow's great season will be rounded off by another chapter in the fairy story of the Harry Wraggs. In Partick Thistle's last season under John Lambie they willl survive in the SPL. Sadly though there will be a gaggle of clubs looking over their shoulder at that gaping hole which is relegation, among them Dundee, Motherwell, Dundee United and Kilmarnock. And it is inconceivable to me that Livingston can match their astonishing first season in the SPL. But stand by for the rise and rise of the Maryhill Magyars. I'm telling you. Glasgow rules. | | 
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