Mocking a club of Rangers' size for not being in Europe this season would leave you short of company, according to Hugh Keevins, who says a new reality exists where domestic success trumps continental ambition.
The most thought-provoking comments are made quickly and concisely, and Derek McInnes proved that with just four words after Rangers' victory over Kilmarnock last weekend. The Ibrox manager began a sentence by saying "We pay their wages" while referencing the extraordinary length of the Nations League international break that denied him time to work with his players.
Financial Impact and League Prospects
Rangers will be money down as a consequence of having no European football, but Keevins does not think McInnes's remark had anything to do with the club's accounts. He believes they will make up the shortfall by winning the league at a canter and going into the extended qualifiers for the Champions League.
It is the approach to international, and European, football that intrigues Keevins. The tens of thousands who went to America for the World Cup painted an artificial picture - it was not just the football that took them to the United States but the glamour of it all and the feeling of being in a gigantic home movie.
Domestic Rivalry Takes Priority
The SPFL recently paid out a record share of income to the Premiership clubs who are part of a competition that gives the Scottish game its pulse. Domestic rivalry comes before all else, and that is the new reality. Regular beatings in, or failure to qualify for, European competition do not matter in the long run.
International football is becoming a source of resentment for managers and supporters alike. Scotland's next game is against North Macedonia on a Friday night, at the expense of club football the following day - no thanks, according to Keevins.
A radio caller took Keevins to task because he told the caller he was letting his team off lightly by not criticising them for forfeiting Europe after a Conference League loss to a two-bob Czech side Jablonec. But the supporter did not care because not being in Europe strengthened Rangers' chances of finishing above Celtic in the league table. It is where the fan-base's world begins and ends.
Financial Realities
Patriotism does not stand an earthly against pragmatism. The wages McInnes was talking about are paid by tens of thousands who attend every home match. The English game at the highest level stands on the brink of financial disaster because spiralling wages do not match clubs' income.
We may be poor but we are honest and, by and large, live within our means. But it is also clear we live in an insular world where local issues write the cheques and there is no foreign currency.
