If we can't beat a freezer shop's works team we don't deserve to be playing in the five-a-side finals

PWOULD? Very pwoud? I don't think so. More like bored? Very bored.

I don't want to be too depressing or seem to be over-reacting but if we don't win in Iceland tonight that's the World Cup dream over.

And let's face it, if we can't beat Iceland, a freezer shop's works team, then we don't deserve to be playing in the finals of the Govan and district Powerleague five-a-side tournament never mind the World Cup. HEARD an interesting wee snippet on a popular radio phone-in last week.

A former Rangers player dismissed recent developments at Manchester City, claiming that winning just because you have more money than everyone else is not sport'.

A strange thing to say, we thought, given that he was part of the David Murray-funded nine in a row when Gers had more money than everyone. Given the first-half performance on Saturday, we were all getting stuck into Scotland and their tactics, but in the midst of all our angst did any of us spare a thought for Craig Burley? We were basically just slagging off the Scotland manager, but Craig was having to slag off his Uncle George. We've all been wondering but now, thanks to TV coverage, we know what Big Elvis' job is in the Scotland set-up. It seems his role is to hold the folder and it seems he performed the role well. Congrats to Partick Thistle on their win over Livingston in the Challenge Cup, a victory all the more commendable given what the Jags had to overcome - injuries, an away tie AND having to wear those pink strips.

A lot of people thought Kenny Miller might score at least a couple against Macedonia, but it should have been remembered this wasn't Celtic he was playing, so it wouldn't be quite so easy to score as it was the weekend previously.

To win matches you need to score. If you don't score, you won't win.

OK, you might not lose, you might end up with a 0-0 draw but in my book, a draw is never as good as a victory - unless your equaliser is in the last minute against Arsenal and you see the look on Big Arsene's face. However, I digress.

Macedonia's goal was well dodgy. Personally I blame Craig Gordon for not holding the shot in the first place and Stephen McManus.

Ok, it was never a foul in a million years but it was Stephen who committed the foul that wasn't a foul so I reckon it was his fault too.

Other players I would blame? Err, off the top of my head - Gary Caldwell, Barry Robson, Shaun Maloney and Paul Hartley.

In fact, for my considerable money, the only guys who were any good at all were Darren Fletcher - who was immense - and Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd who were quite good.

Would more Rangers players in the team have made a difference? Well, without wishing to criticise McManus or Caldwell, David Weir would never have conceded that foul on the edge of the box - mainly because he'd still have been sauntering back from Scotland's previous foray up the park.

Barry Ferguson? Shoulda been playing. I'm sorry but this is Scotland, crutches are no excuse.

As for the punters refused admission, weren't they the lucky ones? Bhoys lose out again ...

ANOTHER good weekend for Rangers fans after watching Celtic lose 1-0 in Macedonia. Ok, it was actually Scotland who lost but there were so many Celts in the team it was easy to imagine it as yet another Hoops failure to win away in Europe.

Many Rangers fans have turned their backs on Scotland but that doesn't mean they're not interested in international football any more. Those fans who have turned their backs on Caledonia, the nation that bore them, shaped them and screwed them up in the heid have a wide variety of alternatives to choose from - like Northern Ireland, Algeria, Portugal and the USA.

Incidentally, the Scottish press voted Pedro Mendes man of the match in Portugal's 4-0 win over Malta, even though Mendes didn't actually play.

And finally, sad to hear Brahim Hemdani saying that he must quit Rangers. Brahim is something of a European specialist and will be sadly missed by ... oh no, wait, haud on, right enough Braham, see your point. Bobo clause? It's a secret ...

WE could be wrong but we think many Celtic fans might have had more than Scotland on their minds over the weekend.

Losing to Rangers or not bringing in new players? It's difficult to fathom which is still rankling them the most.

Something else that has many fans concerned is the wisdom in selling Derek Riordan back to Hibernian. We're sure they're already envisioning the look on Gordon Strachan's face when Deek scores against his former club and runs towards the Celtic dugout.

And what about Big Bobo? Many fans' thoughts were articulated by former Bhoys, Paul Lambert and Johan Mjallby - who, let's face it, know a thing or two - when they questioned Balde's omission from a defence increasingly prone to being breenged out of games.

According to rumour, it's all because of an alleged confidentiality clause that Celtic asked him to sign.

And what does this clause that might not exist say? We can't tell you, it's confidential. Talk of such a clause however, is enough to make fans suspicious that the club has something to hide, but what?