That’s right, I’ve said it. Scottish football has more going for it than its English equivalent. You may scoff but let me at least try to make a point here before being dismissed as a stark-raving loony.

Yes, the English Premier League has its fair share of superstar strikers and big-name midfielders but it also has more than its fair share of prima donnas and diving players. I think you’d struggle to find anyone on either side of the great divide who’d disagree with me.

Also in the English game, you’ve got silky smooth, primed managers such as Jose Mourinho, Roberto Martinez and Alan Pardew, who’s now tipped on betting news site bluesq amongst others to become manager of the season after joining Crystal Palace. Whereas, in Scotland we like our managers to look a little more rugged; less cover star, more weathered centre-half – just as managers should appear (donned in duffer coat and all).

And then there are the fans. Sure, England attracts many more to games than in Scotland but the fact of the matter is the vast majority of those supporters are heading to matches once or twice a season at best – perhaps due to the exorbitant price of tickets. They’re also quick to get on the backs of their millionaire idols. In Scotland, we trudge to the match week after long week, hoping for a glimpse of something anywhere near as special as an Eden Hazard step-over or an Alexis Sánchez drive at the heart of a defence. We seldom get that. And do we complain? Well of course we do, but that’s not the point. Those fair-weather fans south of the border don’t realise they’ve got it so good. Or perhaps it’s us that have the better end of the deal? Perhaps that’s the point I’ve been trying to make.

by Alasdair Middleton

Sure, most of us are never going to get to see our team play in a cup final, never mind Europe; yes, the standard of football isn’t quite up there with the EPL; we’re unlikely to draw a superstar of the same sort of pedigree as Diego Costa, Angel Di María or even Louis van Gaal, but it’s our game and we’re arguably more passionate thanks to all of that. And what’s more, we know how to serve up a proper spot of pie and Bovril. So, long live Scottish football just the way it is, that’s what I say.