Only a game...

Just when it looked safe to start supporting Scotland again after our glorious and in no way painful victory over Liechtenstein propelled us to the top of our Euro 2012 qualifying group ahead of world champions Spain, it would take something monumentally stupid to deflect the Tartan army's attention off the field and on to a subject which serves to, ahem, rend apart the social cohesion that binds these British Isles...  

Yep you guessed it those benighted souls at UEFA have only gone ahead and given their blessings to GB and Northern Ireland fielding a Team GB at the 2012 London Olympics. Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this put to bed, when the presidents of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations, despite Gordon Brown's wishes, signed a letter declining the invitation back in January 2009, in which they declared they did not want to participate nor wish to be rail-roaded into taking part. UEFA as ever willing to listen to their members have simply gone ahead and ignored them.

An English FA insider said, "UEFA have made the decision that the Olympic team will be Under-23 and there will be no over-age players. Ideally we would like Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to participate and there will be talks and an open invitation. It would be lovely for us all to get together and unite.
 

“However we fully appreciate the fears that exist about the seeding process, about the International Board, about the other nations’ participation in the major tournaments. FIFA and UEFA have given assurances they won’t be affected, but we suspect that that won’t be good enough.

“We have never had an Olympic team, but we will do now, even if it has to be England alone.”

Isn't that just dandy? According to Harry Harris of the Express, all that remains is to give the job to Roy Hodgson and young Steve Bruce (49) as a trial to succeed the current England manager...

Now I would imagine that should an influential Scottish football supporter take the lead on this and tell UEFA where they can stick their ball, that person might find his popularity rising among fitba fans and voters.