The scenes above could be a thing of the past for many Scottish fans after the Scottish Football Association announced a £60 million pound deal with Sky that will see no Scottish national team games on free TV till 2014.
The magical results over France were all part of a brilliant campaign that restored pride in football in this country and it's a terrible shame that many will miss out on future such results.
The SFA say that the money will be used to develop young players but most are livid with the deal that cuts out Scots unable to afford Sky Sports.
ITV paid mega bucks for England's games but the BBC has decided that F1 is more important and worth £200 million.
The 700,000 Sky Sports subscribers in Scotland is a minority in a population of five million and I'm very disappointed in the SFA's decision.
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It's not all bad news in Scotland though.
Scotland remain 16th in the new FIFA world rankings and that is definitely something for the country to be proud of and I, for one, can't wait for the World Cup campaign.
Even if I do have to walk to the pub to watch it!
Elsewhere in the news has been many peoples attempts to put down the Old Firm (Rangers and Celtic) as clubs that simply aren't that big.
Well 110,000 fans to fill the two stadiums in a city of little over half a million people is proof of their size in my eyes. They are huge clubs with world wide fan bases.
Plain and simple.
Other comments have included how poorly they would perform in the English Premier League. Another unjustified attack on Scottish football.
Put Rangers and Celtic in England with the money that all English clubs are earning and you'd have a total transformation.
The two Glasgow sides have more scope to make money in such situations than 90 percent of the EPL and both clubs would grow overnight if such a situation arose.
To look and make predictions based on the current squads is subjective at best.
We'd be able to attract the best in the world!
Finally I'd like to thank the SFA for finally paying our match officials in line with other small European leagues.
To think officials in Norway were earning more was embarrassing to say the least.
The Scottish season kicks off this weekend and don't be shy to take a look.
I promise every team plays better football than Rangers and I'm a true blue!
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about 1 month ago
Dude, alot of TV companies are taking viewing rights so that people who can't afford calbe won't watch. That's what the MLS did, it signed a deal with ESPN2, so now it can only be seen once a week on that channel. Now, potential soccer-buffs won't be able to watch unless the have ESPN 2. In fact, I'm gonna write an article either today or tomorrow on what the MLS needs to do to increase its popularity. I'll let you know when it's up.
from about 1 month ago
Sounds good mate.
My gf has Sky but refuses to get the sports channels lol. Oh well an excuse for a pint :P
from about 1 month ago
I agree that it sucks if you don't have ESPN, but before ESPN took on these games you could not watch the games at all on tv. They were nowhere to be fund unless you somehow had a package to include FSC or goal. So, not everyone has ESPN, but I feel that MLS is going to get more press being on ESPN than on some channel that people would not tune into normally. Sports fans watch ESPN and now will be exposed to MLS and the Champions League and USA National Team games and that cannot be a bad thing.
And not only is it MLS, but it is also big european ties as well which helps spread good soccer around the country so I disagree with Thomas and think ESPN running the games is a very positive step.
about 1 month ago
lol...now i feel sorry for you
about 1 month ago
Well firstly anyone who views Celtic and Rangers as clubs who couldnt cut it in the EPL are foolish .
Gers and Celtic have been big parts of the Champions League and UEFA cup the past Few years and they are both steady .
Celtic Held AC Milan to a draw , its pretty special to hold Milan no matter if your home or Away , i mean that same Milan team beat Man U . so to say they arent good enough is stupid .
Rangers got to the UEFA cup final and were unlucky ( although im not happy the fans trashed my city lol ) But again you have to be very good to get to any European Final .
And i feel for you all Andrew , you as scottish people deserve to watch your team free , if i didnt have a pub next door to me id be screwed almost , MOTD just isnt enough .
Nice job on bringing this up and pointing it out , the SFA are out of order ,
My family way down the line were scottish and Gers fans , hence where my Surname's history is from . Andrew .
5 stars ( who says i hold a grudge lol )
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for the comments Mark.
It's been a tough few days north of the border. Just doing my bit.
about 1 month ago
the ignorant can always be counted on for the stupidity of their statements. When i see people in New Zealand walking down the street with Rangers and Celtic tops on , not to mention Hibernian, you know that they are big clubs, i mean hell its a long way to Glasgow from Wellington.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Illya. A great example that is likely to raise a few eye brows.
about 1 month ago
EPL wise for me we do fine without it...
Before I would have wanted it but you can keep your EPL were doing our own thing thanks...
Money aint everything, sure it buy us far better players but we are improving without the TV multi million pounds afforded to even the worst of the EPL clubs.
Our club situation demands that your scouting system be better and asks that the managers skill in choosing player purchases be of a higher standard when there is no fall back.
You must play with the hand dealt...
The idea of joining the EPL, with our fan bases into the mix of the EPL, we'd reach a platform and have a power many others would be very unhappy about i.e the top 4...
But as I say we are happy in our own world and no longer want to be a part of the EPL.
Celtic last 16 of European Cup two years running and Rangers just reached the Uefa Cup Final, for me Rangers must regroup and learn some lessons... see lines above about better scouting and managers skill in purchasing players that is what has let you down.
Kaunas was their day of reckoning. And there will be a price to pay. Like, for example, saying adios to Carlos Cuellar… The manager's tactics, his signings - in particular Kenny Miller - and his loyalty to players who look like the cast of 'Last of the Summer Wine' is what let Rangers down not the sense of not being a big club or lack of funds they will bounce back.
We are a small nation and thus small victories is the order of the day more often than not but we are doing just fine thanks...
p.s if Celtic master winning away from home we'd win the European Cup once more... but I guess we would need the EPL TV money for that kinda job.
For now I am happy at the thought of those mystical European Nights at Parkhead, Scotland taking on Holland in the World Cup Quali's and even for a Celtic fan seeing Rangers getting their act together and starting to buy a little more grace and more passers of the ball would be just the ticket...
The doubters they can only dream of what we have... and we never applied for the job of biggest club on someone else's terms we applied for it on our own.
Outwith the Old Firm as one, for me Glasgow Celtic there is no bigger we sit alongside Juventus, Barca, Real and Man Utd in terms of fan base and no other can say such a thing...
Alby
from about 1 month ago
Hey Alby. I'm in no way suggesting we join England but was just trying to silence some doubters. We're Scottish and shall remain Scottish.
Funnily enough we differ on player opinions. I'm happy with Miller as a hard working player who does a job. Darcheville has gotten lazy and Cousin well I don't even need to say.
My problem is with the signing of Velicka....a waste of £1m...why?
David Weir had to play but Dailly over Hemdani is what distressed me...he was even subbed at half time in the first leg! 4-5-1 in Lithuania another shocker.
Yes Scotland are doing great football wise Alby and I'll be right behind Celtic in Europe this season (Motherwell and Queen of the South too).
Well said mate and thanks for commenting. Bring on the Dutch!
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