The Midweek Update

Jings, listening to the news these days, you'd think the world has fallen in on itself. Banks are being nationalised (if they're not already bankrupt), inflation and unemployment are on the rise and even the Scottish Parliament is asking for a handout. We're not watching the news anymore at Inside Left HQ until something nice happens that'll cheer us up, otherwise you'd top yourself. Thank God we've always got football to fall back on eh?

It's been another gala week for the followers of the round-ball game. We're not one to gossip of course, but we reckon (OK, the BBC reckons) that there are at least three football clubs in England that are in serious doo-doo if the banks and other lenders to which they own trillions of pounds decide to call in those loans. Examples include (but may not necessarily be, likesay, it's a guess as the BBC are not giving away names) Manchester United (who still owe the bank £453m), Liverpool (£43m), Arsenal (£268m) and Chelsea (£620m), to name but four.

Look, pretty much every club is in hock to some degree, so in theory every club is in danger of getting a letter from the bank saying that their overdraft exceeds the £1,000 agreed previously, and would they mind coming in for a chat.

Why does this matter to us in Scotland? The answer is "not that much really", apart perhaps from some cheap transfers from cash strapped English clubs over the summer (Ronaldo at Pittodrie anyone? Wayne Rooney to join Adam Rooney up in Inverness?) because it is business as usual north of the border. And by that we mean that most Scottish clubs have been in financial crisis since the day they where formed, so the idea of a credit crunch is not new to us.

Reports filtered through early in the week that East European investors might be interested in purchasing Glasgow Rangers. And why not, to quote Arnold Brown. They're the most successful club in football history (in terms of domestic league and cup wins), a fanatical and loyal (with a small 'l') support and one of the finest stadiums in Britain. Safe in a mickey-mouse league from which they'll never get relegated, they only have one rival for league honours and though they have the tendency to self-destruct every now and then, they're always in the top two come the end of the season. We're not huge fans of foreign investment in football, believing instead that football clubs belong to the communities and the fans, and as such should be run along those lines. But hey, it's not 1883 anymore and we've got to get with the programme, however much we don't like it. Mind you, imagine this  nightmare scenario - the East European investor is really one 'V. Romanov' and he's looking for another outlet for his Lithuanian 'talent'.

In a seamless segue from one paragraph to another, one club who are about to reap the benefits of some tasty foreign investment are Inside Left favourites Fort William. The crew from America's Team will be in the town of Fort William for a friendly against a select team from Skye on October 18th. The match will be played at Claggan Park or an all-weather pitch at Mallaig in case of a "soggy pitch."

This is an open invitation to watch the match - ask some questions - and even take part in an on-camera interviews. Elements from the match will be used for a "pilot episode" to show to the networks in the US. We urge you all to go along and view the game and find out more about what Paul McDonald, the driving force behind this venture, is planning to do at the club. Whether you agree with it or not, it's going to be a gala day out and give yourself, the wife and the weans a chance to get on the telly. We'll have an interview with Paul McDonald on the site over the weekend.

The debate rages on about Kris Boyd and his tantrums. Most of Scotland thinks he should have played on Saturday and that he should never be let near a Scotland jersey as long as there is breath left in his body, but we say fuck it, let him back in.

Let's be honest here, Boyd will be around longer than Burley and we know who we'd rather have sitting on the bench in a tracksuit. Like we said in a comment yesterday, we are Scotland, not Brazil, and as such, we don't exactly have the agony of choice when it comes to our strikers. Plus, that shiter of a result on Saturday puts the team in an awful pickle and right now, we need un-pickling. And who better than Kris Boyd. So, this is what should happen:

SCENE: A press conference, somewhere in Scotland. KRIS BOYD and GEORGE BURLEY are sat behind a table. Between them sits SFA Chief Executive GORDON SMITH

SMITH: There will now be a short announcement on behalf of the nation.

BURLEY adjusts his tie, stands up.

BURLEY: <mumbling> I'd like to apologise to the nation for playing a 4-5-1 formation against a team we had to beat at Hampden. I also apologise for not arranging a friendly game on Wednesday to give ourselves some more time together to get the team bonded a bit better. I also acknowledge that saying that Boyd needs to prove himself at Rangers was a load of shite and is inconsistent with me picking him in the first place. Lastly, I know I'm new to the job and one win in six is not exactly good, but I promise to do better. Thank you.

BURLEY sits down. BOYD stands up.

BOYD: <staring at shoes, hands in pockets> Right, ahm jist wantin' tae say 'sorry' tae the gaffer and the Tartan Army for acting a total fanny. Ah want tae play fir Scotland and ahm willin' tae prove my worth by fighting fir my place oan the training ground and givin' it laldy when the gaffer picks me, starting with me gittin' stuck intae thae Argies in November.

BURLEY stands up and hugs BOYD. The exit stage left, hand in hand. SMITH wipes a tear from his eye.

Hey, it could happen, right?

Some sad news to round of the day - Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson died earlier today after a long battle with prostate cancer. The 67 year-old, who made his fortune through a convenience store chain has been the major shareholder in the club since 2002, and turned a £2.7m loss into an operating profit. Much liked by the United support, at the suggestion of whom one of the stands at Tannadice was named in his honour, and thousands of United fans wore "One Eddie Thompson" T-shirts at the CIS Cup final against Rangers in March.

Out of respect, the weekends fixture between Dundee United and Rangers has been postponed until a later date. On behalf of all at Inside Left, our condolences go out to Eddie Thompson's family and friends.

Still to come this week: the weekend fixture review, our game of the week (when Cowdenbeath take on Annan) and a whole host of other goodies (possibly).

Oh, one last thing: the Aberdeen page on the Offside is now active and, if you dont mind us saying this, looks rather grand. The writing is incisive and of high quality and obviously written by someone who knows what they're doing. Go check it out!