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Date: 21st August 2026
Tam the Bam
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…
You’ve got to love a pundit.
No, you actually do have to love a pundit.
OK just now and again then because sometimes, they get things right.
Very often they get things wrong.
Look at predictions and how at the end of the season many of them are sitting looking at their feet going, well, I thought they might be champions or they certainly flattered to deceive in the early part of the season and so on.
Tam McManus in the Daily Record has told of how he feels that Hibs manager David Gray has not quite got the style to help Hibs succeed this year.
The jury, according to him, is still out.
Are other juries out?
The jury on our new Prime Minister? In Clacton over Nigel Farage? Over Cambridge University and how they deal with academics who might be guilty of plagiarism?
All of these things might take up Tam McManus’ time more selectively in the future.
However, as for David Gray, his guilt may be compounded by beating The Rangers, beating yon Europeans in front of him, despite the fact that he was kicked out of the Europa League at the hands of the Kosovan minnows.
But are they minnows? A few years ago, Craig Brown said that there were no minnows in international football. Have we now got to the point where there are no minnows in European football either?
The Kosovan League has produced a few surprises, as indeed has the national team. team. Kosovo, I know because I’ve been there more than once, is a small enclave in the Balkans where they used to be part of Yugoslavia, but they managed to uncouple themselves from Serbia in a war.
Internationally recognised by FIFA, Kosovo run a national team that are not in the minnow’s category. They’re not in the bottom of the Nations League and they are not similar to Andorra or Liechtenstein or the Faroe Islands. They happen to be a fairly decent international team. They came close to getting into the World Cup and no doubt along with Cape Verde had they, they probably would have beaten Scotland into the round of 32.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that McManus is wrong, that there is something missing, a cohesiveness, a style, according to him.
I style a word we associate with McManus? He might be a style guru for the future, with a dapper dress sense getting him to the front page of some glossy magazine, or perhaps he can rock a hairstyle that will mark him out as a fashionista within pundits – get elevated to the best dressed teammate.
However, whether or not good old David Gray will go from the hero on the park to become the hero in the dugout remains to be seen. This year is going to be a very difficult one no doubt for him and many other managers who are managing teams in the midpoint of the Scottish Premiership.
New managers at Motherwell and Hearts as well as John McGlynn’s continued work at Falkirk, continued progress at Killie, St. Mirren, St. Johnstone and the question over what success looks like at either side of Tannadice Road as well as the Auld Firm. I am sure that at some time as a pundit Tam will bam a few of them up!
image Tam McManus Linkedin0
Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News
Tags: oor Donald, Scottish football