ALEX’S ANGLE: ALLY BALLYHOO

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IT NEVER ceases to amaze me how Ally McCoist, a titan among the talking heads, has been gifted the instinctive grasp of the obvious.

Nothing escapes the scrutiny of this behemoth of the babbling brigade.

I know I have benefited enormously from his incisive examinations and comprehensive diagnoses during the Euro 24 competition.

Some may have you believe ‘Wee Super’ – as he is known to his close associates – is a doyen of drivel, a master of the mundane, a connisseur of claptrap or a guru of guff.

Include me out, as they say in Hollywood.

YOU’VE GOT TO LAUGH…Ally McCoist takes time off from enlightening a nation with his insightful broadcasts.

Okay there may be a few “To be perfectly honest, Clive”, “I have to say right now, Clive” and “At this moment in time, Clive” lacing his keen observations, but surely this orator of Olympian standards deserves to be cut some slack.

Not everyone can come straight from extended gardening leave, pick up a microphone and expect to be an Aristotle of the airwaves.

There is bound to be a hiccup in the avalanche of verbose as his mouth goes into overdrive while astutely surveying the action as it unfolds.

‘Wee Super’ can’t expect to hoover up everything with so much happening all over the pitch. Maybe he might overlook the fact one of the teams have included four extra players in their line-up, there has been an almighty brawl resulting in six red cards or the stadium is on fire.

Please remember, dear reader, no-one is perfect.

How about this gem from talkSPORT during the week?

“I thought Celtic and Rangers were average last year. I really did. I thought Celtic were slightly better, obviously, but I didn’t think the standard was particularly great.”

Of course, he is entitled to his opinion – in fact, he’s making a decent living out of it as he bombards our eardrums from every angle – but you have to query the validity of that statement.

‘Wee Super’ is lumping the champions in with the also-rans, despite the fact Celtic lifted their third successive title and their twelfth crown in 13 seasons.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT…retiring keeper Joe Hart takes the spotlight as Celtic clinch their third successive title with a 5-0 rout of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in May.

Not bad for a team rated average. Maybe this maestro of mouth music has conveniently overlooked the fact Celtic lost only one of 22 games in 2024 – the diabolical 2-0 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle where an individual who wasn’t even on the pitch – VAR’s John Beaton – had the most decisive role in proceedings.

Celtic, of course, overcame that obstacle in the capital on their way to an eight-point winning margin in pursuit of their 54th crown and a Scottish Cup triumph over the team closest to ‘Wee Super’s’ heart to seal a double in Brendan Rodgers’ second coming.

The sultan of sermons may have a point when you analyse some of the performances from the Hoops before the turn of the year.

Twelve points were shed in 21 Premiership outings and we do not require the powers of perception bestowed upon ‘Wee Super’ to acknowledge that is not title-winning form.

Add to that expulsion from the League Cup at the first hurdle and a European campaign that isn’t worth discussing and you’ll be lucky to even ascend to average status.

Clearly, though, there were mitigating circumstances that must be taken into consideration.

Rodgers was bedding in for a second stint at the club, there were injuries to influential players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Reo Hatate and summer recruits such as Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Nat Phillips, Odin Holm, Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma were coming to terms with the demands of being a Celtic player.

In such a strenuous scenario, it would have been akin to a soccer miracle if the team had survived unscathed without a wobble.

Any enthusiastic observer of the beautiful game would surely realise that.

Know what I mean, Clive?

ALEX GORDON

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