Goodbye And Good Luck Dominic McKay

TODAY is a special day for my friends inside the BT Murrayfield Junta. At some point, they will gather, socially-distanced of course, to bid a tearful farewell to one of their own, as Dominic McKay departs for the greater challenge of being CEO of Scotland's second most-successful football team.

 

 

Dom's remit at “The San Giro” will be to restore Ra Sellick to what the Celtic Family demands - to primacy in Scottish Fitba, and enable the faithful to once -more assert that it is indeed: “A Grand Old Team To Play For.”

I wish my old pal Dom all the best in these endeavours, but, as I have already told him, he's moving in among a nest of vipers more-deadly than any he has yet encountered at BTM.

But, as the man I dubbed “Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen” - thanks to his propensity for changing rooms when booked into another five-star hotel on the SRU's expenses account, moves to a new employer, famous for it's “biscuit tin” mentality when it came to matters financial, he leaves behind a major problem for Scottish Rugby.

This is: to which member of The Junta does he bequeath the brain cell?

After all, and this is perhaps to damn with faint praise; Dom was the most-able member of The Junta, and with him gone: “Scotland – we have a problem.”

However, I dare say, and fervently hope, in time, that problem will be solved.

So, adieu and good luck to you Dom. I will miss you, but maybe not as much as Scottish Rugby will. You can send me over a drink some night at Largs Marina.

I WAS in at the start of the Facebook group: WTF Is It About Scottish Rugby. I had a wee fall-out with the founder/administrator, but, after being out in the cold for a wee while, I rejoined rcently.

The group has over 800 members, from across the world of rugby – from former British Lions, via Scottish internationalists, to ordinary club players and members.

Significantly, however, only a handful qualify for what might be termed: “the great and good of Scottish Rugby,” and, on a check of the members' roll this morning, I did not detect a single current SRU Council member. Mind you, one or two might be in there under false names – it wouldn't do at HQ to have TCD find out you are a member of a group which spends a lot of time poking fun at him, questioning his parentage and generally calling for his head.

I used to do that, but, well, I've got better things to do with my time now. I can spend all the time I like pointing out the Great Man's feet of clay, but, for as long as the Councillors and Board Members are prepared to back him, there's not a lot I can do.

WTF does spend a lot of time giving the concerned space in which to point-out, all is not well in Scottish Rugby, but, for as long as the elected officials are happy to stick their noses in the trough and leap up when TCD yells: “Jump,” the situation is not going to change.

Maybe we should evolve into a pressure group, hold the Council members' feet to the fire and demand change – sooner rather than later.

Maybe we could spark some sort of positive reaction when the Governance Review Group finally reports. Hopefully, that will be the catalyst for the changes which are needed.

I must say, however, I do not for one minute think the SRU apparatchiks inside BTM are deliberately cocking things up so-badly. I fear they are doing their best – but, their best isn't all that good.

We maybe need a higher calibre of elected official to keep them heading in the right direction; to question the paid officials' decisions more and to give them the proper direction.

Before I move on, a final wee thought for this post, on WTF. Some of the members have been getting hot and bothered by a piece which my old mate Stephen Jones of The Sunday Times had written, in which he “dissed” Hamish Watson.

Folks – it was an opinion piece. Two things to bear in mind:

1. “Jones the Englishman” - as I have dubbed him, lost the plot some years ago.

2. Opinions are like arseholes – everybody has one.

And finally, he might be bad, but, Jonesie is still better than Stuart Barnes, but not even half as good as David Barnes.

THE OTHER big news this week was the experimental laws variations to be tried-out in the Rainbow Cup. These have been well flagged-up and I am looking forward to seeing how they go.

I would maybe have adapted the “red card rule' slightly. The plan is, any player who is red-carded, can be replaced by another player after 20 minutes – I would have preferred 15.

And I hae ma doots about 'the captain's challenge,' which allows an unhappy captain to call for a review of a contentious decision at some point. The wording of the new initiative makes specific mention of in the final five minutes. Now, I might be a little cynical, but, I can see a team, under the cosh and defending furiously on their own line, being tempted to stop the game and interrupt the momentum of the opposition, by a challenge. If coaches could come up with stratagems such as “Bloodgate,” well, a captain's challenge is an easy one to slot in.