Good to see another ex-ICT player get a call up to the full Scotland squad.

Never happened when he was great for us, never happened when he was great for Hearts, but a couple of good performances for a 3rd division side in draws against Brechin and Peterhead and suddenly he's in!

He doesn't deserve a call up in my opinion. He could have furthered his career someone else instead he has gone to the Third Division for a pay day. I'm sure there are SPL players in that position that are even more deserving of a call up.

He doesn't deserve a call up in my opinion. He could have furthered his career someone else instead he has gone to the Third Division for a pay day. I'm sure there are SPL players in that position that are even more deserving of a call up.

rankin for one.

He hasn't even been good for rangers in the games he's played in. Stupid that he finally gets his chance just because he's with rangers, I've always thought he deserved a call up but not this time.

Surely he only got called up so he can pull out ?

Just shows how bad Scottish football has become when we're so short of players for national duty. To be fair to Black though Levien did talk about his chances of a call up long before he joined Sevco. The only thing that stopped him before was his temprament.

It should not really be a surprise ..... 'fringe' players in terms of Scotland call-ups become shoe-ins as soon as they sign for either half of the OF (Can we still call them that now that one of them is only a couple of months old at best?).

I was reading the comments of Houston and Levein on the BBC site and it sounds like Black was close to a call-up when he was at Hearts, but just didnt have that extra something that got him in .... that extra something being a Celtic or Rangers contract. However, Lee Wallace must have pissed him off somehow as the comment on his exclusion was "It is very difficult for anyone playing in the Third Division in Scotland to be up to the speed of an international match" [source: http://www.bbc.co.uk...tball/19237577]

In the short-term, he's a fair enough call-up. Nobody's played much so he won't be behind on competitive action. In the long-term, there shouldn't be call-ups for Rangers players. There's little way of judging how they'd play against quality opposition.

Scandelous decision imo. He was excellent last season for hearts and didn't get a sniff.

to be fair he had been on the verge of the squad, and had been mentioned by the press and Hearts managers last season. Playing in the third division dont make him a poor player overnight, just like he didnt become a good player overnight.

Pleased for Blackie, sponsered him when he was here at ICT. Dont see Levein picking him in the WC qualifiers really, but time will tell, and a better player than some of the others some have said should have been called up instead.

What would be the case if everyone says they aint good enough for Scotland and only play in bottom tier, but win the League cup or Scots cup this season? I can imagine the ruptions in the SPL and SFA.

As a six year old put it the other day with a shrug of the shoulders - 'whatever' ;-)

Edited August 13, 201212 yr by Tichy_Blacks_Back

Andrew Shinnie would do a hell lot better in the Scotland squad than Ian Black - Just sayin'

Andrew Shinnie would do a hell lot better in the Scotland squad than Ian Black - Just sayin'

That I agree with - our one major asset - but for how much longer?

O K so Ian gets called up for this one, past performances being the credentials for this. So he is now part of the squad.

How does he keep himself sharp enough playing against third division opposition to warrant his inclusion in the future?

I agree with those who are saying it is only because he now plays for this newco lot.

I am almost at the point where I say football enough is enough. It is the Fans of all the other clubs barring one that are being punished for Ranger's misdemeanours.

We wont see our players getting their chance no matter how good they are. We dont get live broadcasts on the BBC radio anymore unless the game is against a 'BIG' club yet third Div. Newco has its own private contract for its fans.

Youl iisten to OAM and most of the childish discussion is about either Celtic or Rangers (They still call them that) even if they are not playing that day. Blowing up their wonderful performances of the past whilst interjecting a few sarcastic or patronising remarks about the other games / Teams

Is it any wonder attendances are falling at matches, people especially kids are being brainwashed into following one of two teams.

Come on Fanpower it is time for change. It, Fanpower, worked for the integrity aspect in the Rangers saga they did fold thanks to that but would not have otherwise.

I am not clever enough to give the answers or to lead a revolution in the Scottish football world but I do know that something stinks and needs mucking out.

I hope somebody out there can resolve this parody of sport before it becomes even more rotten.

I'll finish by saying I have nothing against Ian Black except his disciplinary record, he can be a very good player but he cannot be a top performer playing in the third Division. It is even unfair to ask him to do so as it could frustrate him entirely when up against true International players. Change your Club Ian first opportunity!!!!!

Whilst the effects of playing lower league football will not quite have hit Black yet, it stands to reason that as each week goes it becomes harder to step up to international football. It begs the question then as to why you would pick a player now who may be unlikely to be picked later in the campaign (note Houston saying in the press conference that they were light on midfield players for the game - surely it would make sense to have a look at a player such as Rankin?

Of course, the arguement all falls down when you look at Scotland squads and see a number of players who are not exactly consistent choices for their south of the border teams

I am not clever enough to give the answers or to lead a revolution in the Scottish football world but I do know that something stinks and needs mucking out.

I hope somebody out there can resolve this parody of sport before it becomes even more rotten.

All it needs, in my opinion, is for the clubs to demand a more equal share of revenue. That's it.

I'll finish by saying I have nothing against Ian Black except his disciplinary record, he can be a very good player but he cannot be a top performer playing in the third Division. It is even unfair to ask him to do so as it could frustrate him entirely when up against true International players. Change your Club Ian first opportunity!!!!!

Presumably none of the bigger clubs came in for him though. And he never played for Scotland when with Hearts or Inverness.

I find it strange that, one of the only Hearts players to hold his own against Spurs is overlooked but that seems to be the reality. I doubt he was turning down Liverpool, Chelsea or Man city to sign for Rangers. Hell, I doubt he was even turning down Leeds, Wigan and Watford. What he has got out of it is a possible Scotland cap and more money when it dd look as though no-one was looking to sign him.

I am not clever enough to give the answers or to lead a revolution in the Scottish football world but I do know that something stinks and needs mucking out.

I hope somebody out there can resolve this parody of sport before it becomes even more rotten.

All it needs, in my opinion, is for the clubs to demand a more equal share of revenue. That's it.

I'll finish by saying I have nothing against Ian Black except his disciplinary record, he can be a very good player but he cannot be a top performer playing in the third Division. It is even unfair to ask him to do so as it could frustrate him entirely when up against true International players. Change your Club Ian first opportunity!!!!!

Presumably none of the bigger clubs came in for him though. And he never played for Scotland when with Hearts or Inverness.

I find it strange that, one of the only Hearts players to hold his own against Spurs is overlooked but that seems to be the reality. I doubt he was turning down Liverpool, Chelsea or Man city to sign for Rangers. Hell, I doubt he was even turning down Leeds, Wigan and Watford. What he has got out of it is a possible Scotland cap and more money when it dd look as though no-one was looking to sign him.

I think it might need a little bit more than that Starchief, if only it was that simple

Lack of competition, ability of the OF to hoover up talent from other clubs, little chance of silverware, one (or two, depending on the year) spending millions whilst everyone else has to rely on free transfers, unable to hold on to youngsters at a couple of grand a week, whilst other clubs pay tens of thousands. All solved by equitable distribution.

Clubs, with added finance, hold on to their McGuire's, Allan's and Fyvie's. The OF compete with the rest of the SPL for players, instead of the EPL by losing their cash to other clubs. The Aberdeens, Dundee Uniteds and Hearts have a chance of winning the league. The SPL gets exciting and young players stay.

Equitable distribution. That's the key.

All the 'he was on the verge of a call up last season' is nonsense.

If he had signed for Caley Thistle in the summer would he have been called up? No.

Why after over 200 SPL appearances for Caley Thistle and Hearts has he been called up now? For me it's a political reason.

Political decision yes

Equitable distribution yes

a word starting cor and ending ion comes into the equation too plus a hell of a lot more that really has to be sorted out.

The opportunity was there but nobody had the guts to start the ball rolling, they opted for the easy way out and covered eachothers backs, jobs and perques for the boys and all that.

Political decision yes

Equitable distribution yes

a word starting cor and ending ion comes into the equation too plus a hell of a lot more that really has to be sorted out.

The opportunity was there but nobody had the guts to start the ball rolling, they opted for the easy way out and covered eachothers backs, jobs and perques for the boys and all that.

But is that not what Scottish football is now? A two team domination which has not changed one iota in years, even though one of the two teams has now effectively died and theoretically no longer exists in the "real" world of the SPL or any other league under SFA auspices bar as a Newco (note the New) replacement in SFL3...and exists now only in the minds of Oldco fans, who have not inhabited the same world as the rest of us for around a century or so anyway, if truth were told..and among the cash greedy sycophants of Scottish Football.?

What is the problem with the EUFA Fair play rules...bar they may not give a few (particularly two) teams an advantage over all other Scottish football teams?

The main points of the EUFA concept......

• to introduce more discipline and rationality in club football finances;

• to decrease pressure on salaries and transfer fees and limit inflationary effect;

• to encourage clubs to compete with(in) their revenues;

• to encourage long-term investments in the youth sector and infrastructure;

• to protect the long-term viability of European club football;

• to ensure clubs settle their liabilities on a timely basis.

Can anyone else see any problem with that as a decent way to proceed in the future?

Neil Doncaster paid lip-service to the concept back in March, while working at the time to ensure it didn't apply to Oldco/Newco.or anything remotely connected with the OF. Is the SFA/SPL/SFL the most embarrassingly hypocritical organisation in world football at this moment in time? Is the discarding of all morality worth allowing clubs with as little morality to be able to sign a footballer or two for really silly money, and pay them just as silly money weekly for doing what, in the scheme of usefulness in the real world.....is less than not a bliddy lot?

Edited August 14, 201212 yr by Oddquine

ITS A BLACK DAY FOR SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL - That should suit both points of view !!

With the Wallace comments from Levein a journalist should ask him who are the other players from the 3rd division he is currently considering for the international setup and if there are any in the 2nd and 1st divisions that he has his eye on....

Whatever people's view on CL picking Black the amount of booing from the tartan army was pathetic. It's not the players fault and to hear that on your (full) international debut is awful imo. Great result though.

Whatever people's view on CL picking Black the amount of booing from the tartan army was pathetic. It's not the players fault and to hear that on your (full) international debut is awful imo. Great result though.

The Tartan Army are nothing but a bunch of kilt-wearing, cringe-inducing, drunken hooligans.

Whatever people's view on CL picking Black the amount of booing from the tartan army was pathetic. It's not the players fault and to hear that on your (full) international debut is awful imo. Great result though.

The Tartan Army are nothing but a bunch of kilt-wearing, cringe-inducing, drunken hooligans.

Better the Tartan Army than the trouser wearing, cringe inducing, drunken hooligans that have shamed the name of English football so often in the past.

Whatever people's view on CL picking Black the amount of booing from the tartan army was pathetic. It's not the players fault and to hear that on your (full) international debut is awful imo. Great result though.

The Tartan Army are nothing but a bunch of kilt-wearing, cringe-inducing, drunken hooligans.

Better the Tartan Army than the trouser wearing, cringe inducing, drunken hooligans that have shamed the name of English football so often in the past.

Just to be clear I don't have an issue with the Tartan Army per se. Hell I used to be one of them when I lived in Glasgow. But the booing tonight was very sorely disappointing.