No running with the bulls for Smith and Gers

Let's be honest - there's very little competition for the Old Firm in the Scottish Premier League, and Rangers have suffered a pretty disappointing season, sitting 16 points behind Celtic in second place. With the exception of a rich foreign owner buying some of the other clubs (ala Hearts), most teams up north haven't had much success breaking up the dominance of the two, and even then, your newly-minted savior could turn out to be a raging tyrant (ala Hearts).

Since the inception of the Scottish Premier League in 1998 through last season, Celtic and Hearts have won 226 and 208 games out of 300, respectively. That's a points average of nearly 2.4 between the two of them. The nearest challenger is Hearts, who've won 126, with a points average of 1.5. So, there goes disparity in it's pleated, bagpipe-bleating, pie-eating Scottish best, summarizing why some fans hope to see the Old Firm play in the EPL instead.

Unfortunately, though still in second place, Gers have had a hard time of it this year, and it got worse last night, when they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Osasuna 1-0 (2-1 agg). To make matters worse, the Spanish club did very little to ensure Rangers fans were confined to away fan areas of the Estadio Reyna de Navarro, and ultimately some of Glasgow's finest fans were allowed to mix with the home fans. Throw in some Pamplonian riot police, and we've got ourselves a mess, and for Rangers, an ugly end to their European campaign.

Rangers slam police over Spanish stadium violence [Glasgow Evening Times]

UEFA await match report from Osasuna [The Scotsman]

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Why can't we all make a difference?

No, not another Beckham Watch; I just couldn't resist posting the pic above due to its sheer ridiculousness. Anyone see the interview where he said he was "doing it for the kids"? Good stuff. Here's a little bit of the reaction on the other side of the pond.
[Reuters]

Non-Chelsea fans have to be looking forward to the prospect of Jose Mourinho leaving the Blues. While I do believe he's worked some magic at Stamford Bridge, this should be a worthy saga in the near future. You've got the perfect clash between coaching genius and dubious wealth, with some overpaid superstars caught in the middle. And, you have a world-renowned coach that could easily make the in-house move (Hiddink is bankrolled by Roman Abramovich) from the Russian Football Federation to Chelsea.

The interesting thing about this is the nature of the rift between Mourinho and Abramovich; who'd have thought it was going to begin with disagreements over the transfer kitty? With JT still out after his recent back surgery, the Blues' spine on the pitch is quite thin, and the big money signings Sheva ($54M transfer fee) and Michael Ballack ($245,000/wk) continue to unimpress. Of course, JM's started up his bitching machine, tucked somewhere behind that frontal lobe labelled "Special One". With Manchester United re-establishing their strength, and an Arsenal squad that should compete in the next coming years, Mourinho's impending departure is more than just another manager leaving the league at the top of his game.
[Caught Offside]

Speaking of bitching gaffers, Rafa Benitez has found another reason why his squad's sucking it up so bad lately, after explaining why he just couldn't be bothered to compete in the League Cup.
[Goal, Irish Examiner]

Ally McCoist follows Walter Smith back to Ibrox. Clive Tyldesly tells us why the Scotland telly legend is good craic.
[Telegraph]

Remember when Bisan Lauren was the beast at the back that paired so well with Kolo Toure? Well, he's an old man of 29 now and hasn't touched a ball with meaningful intent in over a year, so Wenger's going to let him go in January. With a depth of young talent at the back for the Gunners, there's little chance of the Cameroonian defender to break back into the starting line-up. Unfortunately, Alan Pardew is not longer at West Ham, so I can't write a snide article about his love of foreign players.
[Sky Sports]

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The Grab: 01.12

17 points behind and the odds to win the SPL are 11-10. With Walter Smith in charge, and none of that funny continental business at Ibrox, Bluenoses have something to hope for and an accent they can understand. Maybe he'll kick some ass, too. [Glasgow Daily Record, Herald]

One of the smartest moves of a footballer in perhaps history, Becks can solidify himself in LaLa Land, but is this going to happen to him? Despite being only six points behind Manchester United, things are not well at Stamford Bridge. [Telegraph, Sky Sports, Independent]

And speaking of Becks, can American soccer fans begin hoping for a flood of topflight European players at the end of their careers? Who knows, maybe we could see Luis Figo on these shores. [The Sun, Gulfnews]

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