When England and Australia's respective cricket teams go head-to-head, there is often drama and as I write this blog, we can have four more days of excitement left to enjoy.
The fifth and final test got underway yesterday at The Oval in London, with Australia enjoying the better of the first day's play. They know a draw or a victory will see them retain the famous little urn.
An England success, however, would see them regain the prize they won so dramatically four years ago.
England's team is not anywhere near as good as the side which triumphed in 2005. Huge concerns have been raised at the state of their batting line-up with players such as Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood consistently failing to deliver.
On top of that, star batsman Kevin Pietersen has missed most of the series through injury and talisman all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been troubled with a chronic knee problem that will see him quit test cricket at the end of this match.
In terms of bowling, England have looked quite good in the most part but toiled badly in the first test at Cardiff and were smashed all over Headingley when Australia squared the series a 1-1 a fortnight ago.
But what has made this contest fascinating is that Australia arrived on these shores with selection problems of their own. Most notably, world-class players Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath retired after whitewashing England 5-0 a couple of years ago.
While the batting has held up pretty well, despite one or two failures, the bowling has only come into its own in the past month with even the much maligned Mitchell Johnson causing England a number of problems.
What we have had are two teams currently evolving and while that has taken away a lot of what made the 2005 Ashes special, we have still been treated to some intense play.
With the bit between their teeth, I fully expect Australia to close this test out and get the result they need. But don't bet against there being a few more 'turns' as this pitch begins to spin.
*WENT up to Elgin City with the Albion Rovers squad on Tuesday night for their ALBA Challenge Cup Second Round match.
Following a disappointing 3-0 defeat, an incredible scoreline really given that Rovers dominated the first half, created plenty of chances and are a far better side than the one from Borough Briggs, we got home a three in the morning.
Everyone was desperate for their kip when Rovers chairman Frank Meade piped up and said: "Just think, we have got all this to do again next Tuesday night." He was referring to Inverness Caley Thistle away in the League Cup. Oh the joys of midweek football.
]]>Last night's latest episode which saw Aberdeen humiliated and Motherwell all but knocked out of the Europa League in the qualifying stages was another reminder of our place in the continent's pecking order.
A 5-1 defeat to Sigma Olomouc in Mark McGhee's first match in charge means the Dons can already forget any dreams they had of getting to the group stages.
Embarrassment doesn't begin to describe events at Pittodrie last night. To be thrashed in such a ruthless manner is simply unacceptable.
Motherwell had a far harder task in front of them and it was perhaps no surprise to see them lose 3-0 to Steaua Bucharest in Romania. Like Aberdeen, the second leg will be about restoring pride.
With woeful Falkirk already out on their ear after their dismal defeat over two legs to FC Vaduz, and Celtic hanging onto Champions League qualification by their fingernails, our footballing stock has suffered another blow.
Our game is clearly in trouble. Our consistent failings in Europe show that we have to work harder to find ways of improving our clubs' performances at this level.
Otherwise we will continue to make fools of ourselves when we come up against our European cousins.
*LIVINGSTON appear to enjoy the luck of the devil if yesterday's events at Hampden are anything to go by.
In a nutshell, the SFL have given their blessing for a club to be run by a court-appointed administrator who is happy for two businessmen to pump in untold amounts of cash while the original owner, who refuses to sell his shares, whistles in the dark. Good stuff.
]]>On Sunday, the Diamonds' destiny will finally be decided. We will know if we have matches against Partick Thistle, Dundee and Dunfermline Athletic to look forward to.
Or acknowledge that trips to East Fife, Arbroath and Brechin City in the second division lie ahead.
The first leg of the first division relegation play-off final at Ayr United on Thursday night was a cracker. A 2-2 draw, everyone who ventured to the South Ayrshire coast was treated to a game full of drama, excitement and incident.
It was a great advert for the SFL. Any neutrals who attended or tuned in on the telly must have been impressed at the intensity of the football served up.
For those of us following Airdrie's fortunes particularly closely, it was a night of mixed emotions. With Kenny Black's men 2-0 up, the mood was ecstatic. Come full-time, the elation had been curtailed somewhat.
The season has lasted a full ten months, and in that time, I've heard the phrase: "If there is a difficult way to do something, Airdrie will find it," on countless occasions.
I now know what those people mean.
In some ways, it is good(?) to know that we go every week to watch a team where it's best to expect the unexpected. But, on the other hand, wouldn't it be nice going along to New Broomfield on Sunday thinking that survival will be guaranteed?
With Airdrie, there are no guarantees and that is why I am not going to bother making a prediction.
If the players produce the performance they did in the first half on Thursday, they will win and stay up. If they repeat their second half efforts, they will not.
Over to you, lads. Will the good Airdrie United please stand up - your town needs you.
]]>While those of us at New Broomfield last Saturday afternoon tried to avoid being drowned in the monsoon conditions, Ross County got on with the job of securing first division survival.
And when it was confirmed that they had won 2-0 at Morton, that meant a Wednesday night trip for Airdrie United to Peterhead in the semi-finals of the play-offs.
In some ways, I wasn't too bothered about that. Peterhead's Balmoor Stadium was one of only five grounds in Scottish Football's '42' I'd yet to visit.
Spectacular scenery was on offer for those who made the journey north in warm, sunny conditions and the views of the North Sea, from the ground as well as the A90, were a sight to behold.
But this wasn't a holiday, this was about football, and the Diamonds got to work almost straight away with an early goal their early play deserved, which helped settle the nerves.
The major turning point of the match came within a minute of the restart. A Peterhead corner appeared to be headed in by Stuart McKay, but no goal was given.
Airdrie didn't bother hanging around for a post-mortem and raced up the pitch to win a corner of their own, and from a half-cleared ball, Scott McLaughlin fired home a lovely goal.
Incredible drama. For Peterhead's goal, it was thought that keeper Stephen Robertson had been fouled in the build-up, but it later emerged that referee Craig MacKay felt the ball hadn't crossed the line.
With the press area half-a-mile away, we will just have to take his word for it! Not that the Blue Toon contingent agreed. They were insistent that a goal should have been awarded.
The Diamonds weren't great, but did enough to win. With the second leg at New Broomfield, a place in the final against Ayr United is looking pretty much odds-on.
It's a case of one down, three to go.
]]>Airdrie United will take on champions St Johnstone as they fight for their first division lives on 'Survival Saturday'. The sense of anticipation is palpable.
Should Kenny Black's men defeat the Perth outfit and Ross County, who currently lie in the coveted eighth place, lose at Morton, then the Diamonds will secure outright survival and condemn the Staggies to the post-season play-offs.
Not only will we have the excitement of events on the pitch in Airdrie, those of us present will be keeping close tabs, whether it be by internet, radio or text, on how Morton are doing against County.
These are the type of football matches you want to be involved in whether you are a coach or player; fan or journalist. You simply can't buy this kind of drama on the last day of the season.
The game in this country may have problems, but Saturday will not be a day for debating such issues. All that matters is enjoying the afternoon for what it is. This is what the beautiful game is all about.
Can Airdrie do it? I believe they have the ability to beat St Johnstone, and with Ton in with a chance of finishing in the top four (this means entry to next season's Scottish Cup at the fourth round stage), I reckon they will be highly motivated to get a result at Cappielow.
It's almost impossible to predict how things will pan out over 90 mad minutes. The optimist in me says Airdrie and Morton will win and the former will stay up. However, the realist in me thinks County will get whatever points they need.
Across the country this Saturday, teams will be playing out meaningless games, counting down the minutes until school's out for summer.
But give me the thrills and spills of a battle against the dreaded drop instead of a mid-table mediocrity slugfest every day of the week. Let the action begin.
]]>They may have one of the most passionate sets of supporters in the country, a manager adored by the public and players worth millions of pounds...
But, in my view, they don't have what it takes to survive in the Premiership this season.
For some weeks now, I have felt that Newcastle were the team most in danger in the bottom half of the table. They have almost sleep-walked their way into the bottom three.
And now that they are in the danger zone, I can't see how they will get out of it.
The players on their books are not the type you want fighting a relegation battle. Alan Smith and Mark Viduka apart, just who else has spent time fighting in the trenches?
The squad is all quantity and little quality. Barely any thought appears to have gone into the signings made in recent months - Ryan Taylor and Kevin Nolan, for example, were added in January but failed to make the starting XI against Pompey.
Elsewhere, Michael Owen is the shadow of the player he once was. Viduka looks unfit. Damien Duff runs fast but offers little else. The defence looks suspect (and without a left-back if Jose Enrique is suspended or injured). The least said about the woeful Danny Guthrie, the better.
Their run-in isn't great. Away to Liverpool followed by home matches with Middlesbrough (the game means as much to them as it does the Magpies) and Fulham, with a trip to Aston Villa rounding things off.
I can see Hull City and Sunderland each carving out one more win, which means Newcastle would need seven points from these fixtures to be sure of survival.
It's not happening.
Newcastle's luck has run out. The famous Toon Army should dig out their maps and plot their journeys to Peterborough and Plymouth. The Championship beckons.
]]>Weekends don't really come much better but my mood was gloomy as I began the drive from Clyde's Broadwood Stadium to my South Lanarkshire home last Saturday night.
Before a game, I sometimes imagine how things might pan out during the 90 minutes. What sort of performance will Airdrie United produce? What's the best possible result that can be achieved? That sort of thing.
But I didn't expect for one minute that Airdrie would crash to a 3-0 defeat to rock-bottom Clyde in their basement battle in Cumbernauld.
Having watched the Diamonds pull off a determined 1-0 victory at Dundee seven days earlier, a loss to the Bully Wee seemed inconceivable. Yet it wasn't.
There has been plenty of comment about the result and performance in the pages of the Advertiser, on this site and on supporters' messageboards. I think it is fair to say that everyone was gobsmacked at the abject nature of the display Airdrie served up.
And - forgive me for being negative for a moment - something tells me this particular defeat could have major ramifications for Airdrie's first division future. Suddenly, even a place in the play-offs is far from guaranteed.
Clyde are only a point behind the Diamonds and, on paper, seem to have the easier run-in.
Airdrie face Ross County this weekend then play Partick Thistle and St Johnstone. From the previous nine games combined against these sides, Kenny Black's players have managed just two draws and been beaten seven times.
It's not looking good is it?
Three points against the Staggies are now so important.
Airdrie produced their worst performance of the season last Saturday. We can only hope they have saved their best until last.
]]>Just who will be the next club to encounter the sort of financial difficulties that puts its future at risk?
Given that we are in a recession, I suppose it was inevitable that one or two Scottish football clubs would find themselves on the brink.
Clyde appear to be in real danger with debts of around £270,000, but Livi's situation is also a concern as they consistently fail to pay the wages on time.
Stranraer appear to be on the road to salvation after a social housing landlord stepped in and offered them a £250,000 loan to clear their arrears and sort themselves out.
But not everyone will find such charity. For some, there will be no second chances.
When a club runs into serious cashflow problems, I often find myself thinking about how others do their business.
Here in Monklands, we have two chairmen who will not allow bugets to spiral out of control. Airdrie United's Jim Ballantyne and Albion Rovers' Frank Meade have their fingers very much on the pulse.
There will always be some fans who feel that 'speculating to accumulate' is a necessity if success is to be achieved. But breaking the bank does not automatically lead you on the path to glory.
Hopefully both Clyde and Livi will come through their respective problems and remain part of the senior game in this country. However, what worries me is that they won't be the last to stare into the abyss.
]]>None of us reckon George Burley's men will score a goal, never mind achieve a positive result.
Myself and Gordon reckon Holland will win 2-0. John the boss and Tom our photographer think 3-0 to the hosts (at least) while Robbie thinks the Dutch will stick four past us.
Ian tried manfully to convince us that he believes it will be 0-0 - but eventually admitted he also predicts a 2-0 reverse for the Dark Blues.
After THAT goal for James McFadden in Paris against the French, it would be easy to let the heart rule the head and feel that anything is possible.
But it's just not going to happen, is it?
We've not played well at all in the World Cup qualifying campaign thus far, and have travelled to the land of clogs and tulips minus a host of key players.
If that's not enough to dampen the flames of expectation, looking at a Holland squad filled with talent like Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben most certainly is.
Boss Burley is right to say that tomorrow night isn't the big one for Scotland - our home clash with Iceland on Wednesday night falls into the category of 'only three points will do'.
But here's hoping our boys put on a good performance and give us encouragement for future adventures. Is that too much to ask?
]]>No matter how Scotland perform in their Calcutta Cup match with England, head coach Frank Hadden should be in charge for the last time.
Once again, this Six Nations Championship campaign has been a failure and, for me, change is urgently required.
I wrote in my newspaper column before the tournament got underway of the need for Hadden to give us genuine hope for the future. But it has not happened.
From day one, the Scots have looked a team lacking in direction. Of course, a loss to Wales should be no disgrace; they are the reigning Grand Slam holders, after all.
But it was the manner of the defeat at Murrayfield which despaired me. A lack of desire and determination; physically outfought in the scrum and inept in attack. At no point were we ever going to win that match.
Hadden's team selection for that game? What more can be said when the best goal kicker in the business (Chris Paterson) and the Magners League's top try scorer (Thom Evans) are left out of the starting line-up?
To be fair, we were on the wrong end of some poor refereeing in the defeat to France and a professional display was enough to win against a disappointing Italian team.
However, the reverse at home to Ireland showed that we are in need of an overhaul. Hadden has been in control for four years and we don't look anything like a title-winning side.
What makes me even more dejected is that the 2009 crown could be won by another coach in his Six Nations debut season. Declan Kidney is on the brink of leading the Irish to glory just as Warren Gatland did for the Welsh last year.
Therefore, enough's enough. There are no more excuses left and we can't allow a win over England tomorrow - as unlikely as that prospect is - to cloud our judgement any more.
Frank's for the memories Hadden, you've given it your best shot.
But we need to move on - and in my view, the next coach is, rather convenientally, working in Edinburgh.
Andy Robinson, Scotland needs you.
]]>Airdrie United's first division home match with Queen of the South has been a game I have been looking forward to with trepidation for some weeks now.
You see, I'm a born-and-bred Doonhamer and been a Queens supporter for as long as I can remember. They are my team.
But having worked at the Advertiser since June last year, it goes without saying that I want to see Airdrie, Albion Rovers and all of Monklands' sporting teams and personalities do well.
So when one of your "professional" teams faces your "personal" team, it is fair to say the mind is plunged into turmoil. One side's success will naturally have a detrimental effect on the other's.
It won't be a pleasant afternoon for me, that's for sure. Airdrie lying bottom of the table cranks up the intensity that little bit more. This is not a game they can afford to lose if they harbour hopes of achieving eighth place before the season runs its course.
When I left Cappielow on Tuesday night after the Diamonds' 0-0 draw at Morton, I bumped into Airdrie secretary Ann Marie Ballantyne who asked if I enjoyed the game.
Endured it, I said was the better phrase to use.
At this stage of the season, given that every point is a prisoner in Airdrie's situation, that's all that can be done.
And if I am being truly honest, I'm hoping I will be "enduring" nothing worse than a draw tomorrow; as long as its entertaining, I will have no complaints.
Stoke City will avoid relegation and survive in the Premiership this season.
And they will manage such a feat thanks to the most passionate set of supporters in England's top-flight.
Most observers had written off the unfashionable Potteries outfit before a ball had been kicked in anger, yet today, they sit in 15th position, two points clear of the drop zone.
That Tony Pulis' men go into the final weeks of the season still with a fighting chance of staying up is impressive enough. But when you see that it is purely down to their home form, it is even more eye-catching.
On the road, Stoke suffer dreadful travel sickness having claimed just four points from a possible 42. At home, however, they have won more games and lost fewer than any of their rivals in the bottom half of the Premiership.
And I have no doubt that this is because of the intimidating atmosphere created by their legions of fans who turn the stadium into a seething cauldron. The noise generated in support of their heroes is matched only by the hate dished out to the opposition.
A few weeks ago, they hosted moneybags Manchester City and had Rory Delap sent-off; a couple of minutes later, James Beattie headed Stoke in front. I turned to my better half (who had no interest in the match it must be said!) and told her that the home fans would turn up the decibel levels and urge the team, to victory. They did.
So if you are going to cheer on Airdrie United, Albion Rovers or whoever you support tomorrow, remember one thing.
Never underestimate the power of the 12th man.
]]>When they kick-off at home to Annan Athletic tomorrow afternoon in a third division match with major play-off implications, it will be the first of NINE games they have to negotiate by the end of the March.
A series of postponements have led to a fixtures headache for boss Paul Martin and his part-time players.
And they know a failure to perform over the coming weeks, particularly given the fact that six of these matches will be played at their own Cliftonhill ground, will kill their dreams of reaching the top four.
I like the job Martin has done in Coatbridge this season. He has used one of the smallest budgets in the league wisely and kept Rovers in contention. Punching above their weight almost.
He snapped up the talented Bobby Barr, following his release from St Johnstone, and given the quality of his performances, this will earn Rovers a few quid when - that's right, not if - he moves.
I watched Rovers beat East Stirling a couple of weeks ago and I was very impressed with their display. They look strong all over the pitch, even though they disappointed last Saturday when they lost 1-0 at Elgin City.
Hopefully that was just a blip and Martin's men can get back on track tomorrow. Let the march to the play-offs begin.
]]>I write this piece with just over 48 hours to go until Airdrie United's biggest game of the season. On Sunday, and in front of the BBC ALBA cameras, the Diamonds will take on Clyde in a massive first division relegation battle.
Let's be clear - defeat at New Broomfield is unthinkable for Airdrie. If the Bully Wee cart three points back to Cumbernauld, then I don't think Kenny Black's men will pull clear of the drop zone - even though it would still be mathematically possible.
However, should the Diamonds win? Well, everyone would feel a renewed sense of confidence if Airdrie managed to beat a team they have lost to on each of the last four occasions, and failed to score a goal in those matches.
It's vital that every Diamonds fan gets behind the team on Sunday. Some have already lost faith in the players, others have lost faith in the manager, there are a few who appear resigned to second division football next season.
But all that matters on Sunday is getting behind the players for the full 90 minutes, becoming that all-important 12th man. There will be plenty of time for post-mortems and negativity if the result isn't the one craved.
For the moment, however, every Airdrie player, coach, official and supporter needs to pull in the same direction and focus on a getting a victory that could be the springboard to a 'Great Escape'.