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Date: 25th September 2026
Mr. Goodwin smiling
By Donald C Stewart
A sketchy and humorous look at the outpourings of the great, the good and the not so good of Scottish fitba’ by Donald C Stewart. Readers are warned that if they take this seriously then therapy is available – just let us know where you find it so we can pass it on to others…
Here at the Scottish Football Supporter’s Association, we are perhaps last at the table to offer our sympathies and support for Jim Goodwin and his health scare. The pressures placed upon many within Scottish football are well documented. What is less well documented at times as the effects that they can have not only upon the body but also the mind as well as the families of our managers and stars as they navigate through their career.
Many in the game are driven by the hope of riches which means many have a lack of sympathy when a multi-millionaire is standing at the foot of some press conference saying how his mental health has been a struggle. You can see people looking at the difficulties of a Raheem Sterling and thinking less than positive thoughts about a man who had everything at his feet but seems to be facing the possibility now of a prison sentence.
Prison sentence is something that Joey Barton is currently going through having been put on remand whilst awaiting trial for an assault charge. I, admittedly, am a little less understanding with regards to Barton’s case when you see some of the macho mentions and posts he puts online especially with regards to women.
The pressure supporters place upon people can often be greater than the rewards available. When our favourite player or our manager decides enough is enough and they want to walk away, terraces can scratch their heads and collectively sigh that perhaps the guy wasn’t up to it.
Everybody’s up to everything.
One of the most surprising resignations and yet the most understandable one when it came to pressure was when Kenny Dalgleish walked away from his beloved Liverpool as manager. Of course he went on to manage elsewhere, having had a period of recovery but in the shadow of things like the Hysel Stadium when he was a player and Hillsborough when he was a manager, you can only just imagine what Dalgleish and his family went through during that time.
I was also heartened by the Queen’s Park player, on the Friday night Championship game between Queen’s Park nd Ayr United, interviewed at half-time with his side behind talking of his recovery from a UCL tear. What was good to hear was him contemplating the idea that there might not be a return to being on the park. Having such an open and honest conversation talking of men’s mental health with how he needed to keep that side of his body active and positive too was good to hear.
Goodwin has spoken of the support he got from people roundabout and also from inside the club. There seems to be a much healthier attitude from inside football clubs to people being ill than there has been in the past. Part of that change has come about because of policy changes within organisations and the law. Many brave people have taken their employers and former employers to court to enforce the idea that we should be better people.
Yet there is still that macho attitude that people should man up when they face struggles. Hopefully Scottish football is beginning to show that where people are ill it is not a weakness but is something that we should all show strength to support people who need to recuperate, wherever their illness is.
Mind you, a smiling Jim Goodwin – should rightly strike fear throughout the Scottish Premier League!
Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News
Tags: Dundee United, jim goodwin, oor Donald, Scottish fans, Scottish football