Blog Profile / Jim Spence
| URL : | http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jimspence/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Sports / Football | |
| Posts on Regator: | 33 | |
| Posts / Week: | 0.3 | |
| Archived Since: | July 6, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
SPL fair play proposals provoke stormy reaction
The Scottish Premier League is in troubled waters after announcing its proposals to tackle financial mismanagement.
Although the rules are badly needed, the timing sits uneasily with Rangers' lingering liquidation fears.
Now, the SPL...Show More Summary
Lennon and Celtic on threshold of long SPL dominance
Celtic's deserved title-winning success throws up two key questions.
Will we now see a long-running period of Celtic title dominance and will manager Neil Lennon decide that it is time to move on?
Let's take the second question first.
Lennon...Show More Summary
Can big crowds ever return to Scottish football?
As the debate about change to our top league rages, I found myself nostalgically leafing through old league tables and attendances.
It was a fascinating exercise and left me wondering if we can do anything to return to a time when Scottish...Show More Summary
A case of what might have been for Rangers
Celtic's Scottish Premier League title win will be well deserved when it comes, but had they shown the spirit earlier in the match at Ibrox that their nine men provided with their late rally, they might have been breaking out the champagne...Show More Summary
Golf course's loss could be Pars' and Jefferies' gain
Jim Jefferies' powers as a miracle worker are about to be put to the test as new manager of Dunfermline Athletic when he is confirmed in the post on Wednesday.
JJ has eight games to save the Pars from relegation. No pressure there then?
Dunfermline,...Show More Summary
Composed Killie deserve Cup success
Kilmarnock's Scottish Communities League Cup final win against Celtic was well deserved and a great shot in the arm for the Scottish game.
The honours do not come round often for fans of clubs other than Celtic and Rangers and they have...Show More Summary
Rangers' problems an opportunity for non-Old Firm clubs
Is the phrase "The Old Firm" now redundant, given Celtic's insistance that Rangers' well-being is immaterial to theirs?
The connectivity of the two clubs in the minds of many fans, who care not a jot for the Glasgow pair, may have been...Show More Summary
Murray must shoulder blame for Rangers crisis
Sir David Murray may be wondering if his knighthood will go the way of Fred Goodwin's gong.
Murray was honoured for services to business in Scotland in 2007.
Now though, some are asking, if there is such a thing as a football forfeiture...Show More Summary
How will Rangers fans respond to club's plight?
Will Rangers' exit from the Scottish Cup galvanise their supporters into any reaction, other than resignation and apathy?
Are the light blue legions capable of the same kind of action which supporters of other Scottish clubs organised,...Show More Summary
Is being a keeper the hardest position on the field?
Neil Lennon, talking of his keeper Fraser Forster, said: "Good goalkeepers are hard to find and we feel as if he has great potential to go on and become a great goalkeeper."
It led me to ponder the question, is being a keeper the hardest...Show More Summary
Talent drain turns focus on Scotland's youth
Aberdeen losing Richard Foster to Bristol City demonstrates what Scotland's top clubs are up against in trying to retain their better players.
Foster's rebuke that any Championship side could win the SPL may be wide of the mark but there...Show More Summary
SPL right to stand and deliver on fans' standing
The proposal for safe standing areas at Scottish football is the best news I've heard for a long time.
I've never been a fan of sitting at a game and improvements in technology mean standing could be a real boon to our game in termsShow More Summary
Part-time route may be prudent for Scotland's clubs
The news that Hearts midfielder Ian Black is working on the side as a painter and decorator might be a portent of things to come in Scottish football.
While Black's situation arises through circumstances forced upon him, it got me wondering...Show More Summary
Motherwell road show should lead to Europe
Motherwell's last venture into European football was three years ago.
I reckon they will be digging out the passports again next season.
I was with them in Nancy back in 2008 when they lost 1-0, with terrific support from around 2000...Show More Summary
A Fair day's work for a fair day's pay
What should Hearts players do about their unpaid wages ?
Withdraw their labour ?
Treat their contracts as repudiated and walk away as free agents ?
Or stick it out in the hope that Vladimir Romanov finds the cash from somewhere ?
The...Show More Summary
How do we choose which team to follow?
Was Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels right to say that you should follow your local team?
Are those who follow the Old Firm from Ayr to Aberdeen and from Dundee to Dumfries, just glory hunters?
If so, what about those who traipse from Montrose...Show More Summary
The Saints are marching in the right direction
Danny Lennon's new deal at St Mirren is a good bit of business for the club, the manager and the fans.
Lennon, ably assisted by the wise head of Tommy Craig, is well down the road to producing an entertaining and productive Saints side.
But...Show More Summary
Hibs can blossom with bold thinking
There has never been a better time for Hibernian to blossom under a new manager.
The right appointment could set the Edinburgh club on the path to real success.
Whether it is Michael O'Neill, Billy Brown, Pat Fenlon, or a mysteriousShow More Summary
Small fish are swiming towards the big pond
This weekend's Scottish Cup third round matches offer non-league clubs an opportunity to put a few noses out of joint.
The Highland League, junior and east of Scotland outfits, all have the chance to vindicate the Scottish Football Association's...Show More Summary
Scottish football needs two strong capital clubs
The crisis at the capital's two football clubs is bad news for Scottish football.
The revolving managerial door at Hibs needs regular oiling, having seen seven bosses whizz through it in ten years.
Meantime, down Gorgie way, Vladimir...Show More Summary