George Clancy - A Handy Stooge, But He Wasn't To Blame

WHEN I was a boy, getting into Rugby in the late 1950s, there was something of a religious divide in the game. Our school football teams had games against a few Roman Catholic schools, but, apart from a fixture with St Joseph's College – which was an RC school in Dumfries, with an attached seminary, I don't think we played a single RC school at rugby.

Sure, St Aloysius, even then, was a power in the West of Scotland, but, there were not many chances for good Rangers-supporting boys like the majority of our team to “Kick a Catholic” legally on the rugby field.

Therefore the Celtic/RC concept of: “Always cheated, never defeated, since 1888” has, for as long as I can recall, been unknown in Scottish Rugby.

I must therefore conclude, Glasgow Warriors must have been doing a sterling job in converting at least some of the Celtic Family to at least occasional devotions at Scotstoun. That's the only reasoning I can come up with for some of the squeals of anguish from the Scotstoun faithful, in the wake of Edinburgh's victory in the second leg of the 1872 Cup, yesterday afternoon.

My view of the game was coloured by listening to the BBC Radio Shortbread coverage – and, by the way, where was Colin Gregor? We need some West Coast counterweight to the wit, sagacity and colour of Peter Wright; having Scott Hastings, with his big brother doing a half-time guest cameo was a bit Edinburgh overkill. Balance BBC, always balance. But, I digress.

I will watch the re-run on Wednesday, however, the picture the BBC's Heart of Midlothian supporters club: Wright, Hastings and Paul Mitchell, painted was of a comfortable Edinburgh win.

George Clancy - rugby's answer to Willie Collum

As-ever, Peter Wright spent a fair bit of time “dissing” George Clancy. Can I say, I am arguably vice-president to president Peter among the members of the George Clancy is an erse-hole who should not be allowed near a rugby game as referee club. I am prepared to concede, he might have learned a little over the years, and he has certainly turned in some half-decent performances over the past two seasons.

That said, I honestly believe, rather like football's Willie Collum when faced with either half, or, perish the thought both, halves of the Old Firm – when George is given a Glasgow game, his brain goes into melt-down.

OK, maybe yesterday, Glasgow got on the wrong end of George's frequent brain farts more than Edinburgh did, but, can we be clear on this: he was bad to both sides. George's fellow principal culprit in the ranks of Irish referees sent to annoy us, John Lacey, is retiring at the end of the season – having already stood down from international duty. There are rumours that George is also about to cause more bother, by stopping match officiating, doubtless to become a referee spotter and teach the next generation how to fuck-up several thousand spectators' match-day experience on a regular basis. Perish the thought.

Any way, to disgruntled members of the Warrior Nation, I offer this sage advice, posted on Facebook this morning by one of the most-easily-recognisable members of the Edinburgh support – Scottish Rugby Forum moderator Ian Wallace. Who posted:

• If you miss 21 tackles in a match
• if you concede 9 penalties in your own half
• if you continually spill the ball
• if you only score 15 points in two games
• if your stand off goes missing for two games
• if your pack are bullied for two games
• if you are second best at set piece for two games
• if your players lack composure
• if your coach having lost the first match can't come up with a plan B for second game ...................
• Then you cannae really blame George Clancy for failing to deliver

Fair's fair, I think the baldie man with the ginger beard (pictured left), just about nailed it there. The question now is, what will Dave Rennie do to get the Warriors' wagon back on the rails?

January will be a big month for both clubs, Warriors in particular, so they need to find some form, and fast, before their current little local difficulties become major issues to be dealt with.

Back-to-back losses to Edinburgh, coupled with Munster's defeat of 14-man Leinster yesterday has seen Glasgow's lead at the top of Conference A cut to just two points, and, with a visit to in-form Benetton to start the New Year, they cannot afford any further slip-ups.

THE ENGLISH Gallacher Premiership grows more like it's round-ball cousin with every passing week. The big story this week-end was, apparently that Sale's Director of Rugby, Steve Diamond, invited a journalist from the independent to step outside and discuss a disputed point.

I have only met Mr Diamond twice, and I wasn't impressed – a Poundland Alex Ferguson was my impression. Mind you, when it comes to confrontation between stroppy managers and journalists who have upset them, I think the English Premierships are still some way behind Scottish football.

I was punched by Jock Wallace – playfully but it still stung - and once on the wrong end of what is known as: “the hair dryer treatment,” from the late Kilmarnock legend Walter McRae – I don't think anything David Beckham ever got from Fergie could have been worse. But, compared to the punch which BBC Shortbread's John Barnes had to take from wee Jim McLean at Dundee United, or the fact big Gerry McNee collected the football-writing equivalent of a VC and bar – whacked by both Graeme Souness and Billy McNeill, I got off lightly.

The relationship between a Head Coach/Team Manager and the press is a complex one. On reflection, even considering the likes of Mr Diamond, I feel things are much-more adult in rugby.

Or, maybe we rugby writers do self censorship and personal preservation better, when you consider the number of former forwards who switch to coaching.