And almost as if to prove there is no end of the football chat, Graeme Black, Falkirk fan and guitarist in The State Broadcasters is back once more. We all have an opinion on the game but discussing our own team is what really gets the juices going!

Right, we’ve discussed what’s wrong with the modern game, what about Falkirk? What are the hopes for the rest of the season?

GB: Stay up. When we appointed Pressley, no one was overly confident but he has started okay. They looked more organised and more motivated. Eddie May was brilliant for Falkirk as a player and at the Academy. Within reason, no one really wanted him sacked and people were sorry to see him go.

But no one was too upset so hopefully Pressley can keep us up and we can see if he can build his team.

We are losing Darren Barr in the summer and probably Arfield too, the truth is for clubs like ours, they will be replaced by players coming through. Our chairman pointed out, unlike Hamilton or Motherwell, we haven’t made money from these players. We need to start bringing in money for players.

Eddie May could become a big hero again if his youth academy brings through players which are sold on for profit.

GB: By all accounts, the under 17s and under 19s are doing very well, there is supposed to be a good crop of players. However, we have always been bad for that. Mark Kerr, Lee Miller and loads before, we never got any money for them.

January is the wrong time to sell players like that and I’m glad they decided the money they could have got for Alan Barr wasn’t worth not having him for 6 months. Hibs had it right but they didn’t invest any of their money. Hughes is getting money now but Pataleinan or Collins never did it.

What about Hughes at Falkirk?
GB: Under Hughes at first, we did well; we had a lot of youngsters coming through. The fans knew there was a need for experience but he almost ruined the club by stretching them financially…on players who weren’t up for it.

Steve Lovell and Burton O’Brien were on huge sums for Falkirk and it was wrong.

I think under Hughes, a lot of the older guys could not relate to him, he is better with the youngsters. And of course, when you are taking players on the way down, there is a reason for that, injuries mainly. Neil McCann was a huge gamble, we thought it was a gamble worth taking but it will be interesting to see what happens.

Also, with Hughes, there was no plan B. The thing is with Hughes, now Hibs have been on the end of a big defeat, they haven’t bounced back. He doesn’t really have a plan B as a manager. They have been great to watch at times but it will be very interesting to see how they progress, if they do progress, from here.

When Latapy left the club, it was so negative and so narrow. Hughes never signed a winger in his whole time at the club or a wide midfielder…you don’t buy wingers these days. We had four central midfielders playing all the time.

If we go down, I fear the worst. No club has came back up quickly and we will have a bunch of kids.

The times I have enjoyed Falkirk the most was in the First Division and at Falkirk at Brockville. Maybe because we were the best team but we weren’t allowed promotion so you had that anti-establishment feeling about you. If you have that in your cultural life, it’s amazing to get it in your football life as well! It was good to kick against the pricks.

Now though, sitting in a shiny stadium, it would be grim so survival is the aim and yes, I am a bit more confident about it and that is maybe surprising under. I would like to see Aberdeen go down. Aberdeen are looking above at the teams above but why can’t the teams below them catch them?

McGhee has made a lot of mistakes and some of his comments defy belief and of course, if you have momentum. Last season, we should have gone, we were awful and Caley had the run into the split but we have a tremendous record up there. We should have gone down but we didn’t…….

According to Hughes, it was the best season Falkirk ever had. Which probably irked the fans because the football was atrocious. We looked quite good against the big two but against everyone else….it didn’t work.

How do you feel about raising the game against the big two and then playing terribly the next week?

GB: We haven’t done it that much, yes this season v Celtic and then being terrible but as a fan, its annoying. I’m not sure if its always lifting your game, at times you can have more space against the big two but then again, you aren’t going to turn down a win or draw against the big teams. As a fan, you are more up for it, the atmosphere is better than other games. Of course, when you have youngsters you can see it but for some of the more experienced players, it’s not excusable.

And here is some more footage of Graeme and the rest of The State Broadcasters.

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You may remember back in the days when Hearts couldn’t buy a win there was trouble in the dressing room and it was alleged that Christian Nade was involved in an altercation with Ian Black at the end of the league defeat against Celtic.

Jambo boss Jim Jefferies has announced the club have issued a final warning to striker Christian Nade over his conduct but that the matter is now concluded.

If Christian Nade showed the striking prowess on the park as he did in attacking Ian Black, he would be a favourite amongst the Tynecastle fans. As it is, frustration appears to be the overriding emotion with regards Nade and with his contract being up at the end of the season, you doubt if he will be part of Jim Jefferies plans next season.

Hearts need additional firepower up front, that is not up for debate. Csaba Laszlo talked about it on a seemingly never ending basis and it won’t have escaped Jefferies notice.

We are putting two and two together here, certainly nothing to base this rumour on but should Hearts step in for Kevin Kyle of Kilmarnock?

Jefferies managed to get the best out of the former Scotland international and the big hitman was a pivotal factor in Killie staying up last season. Kilmarnock don’t know who their manager will be come the new season and it may be that Kyle thinks a move would be good. After all, if he was contemplating Russia, perhaps Gorgie won’t be too much of a stretch?

Jambo fans, should Nade stay and if not, should Kyle replace him?

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In the previous interview with Graeme Black, Falkirk fan and guitarist with State Broadcasters, we were talking about the state of the game and we’ll stay on that theme to start with.

There has been a bit of added focus on Scottish football of late because of the Robbie Keane signing, what do you make of it?

GB: Well, its obvious that Keane is not a Tony Mowbray signing but Mowbray will be happy with it and I’m sure the manager would have to have signed it off. Whether it is good for the game, I’m not too sure. Apart from selling shirts, is it even that great for Celtic?

How many more goals is it actually feasible for Keane to score than any other forward? Can it be value for money? How much merchandise do they have to sell to recoup the wages of Keane?

They say it is good for the Scottish game but I’m not so sure. And even if Killie fans were giving him dogs abuse on his debut when Celtic lost, is that really good for the game? If you have better players, it can inspire others to raise their game but he is only here for a few months, will that raise anything. He’s not like a Larsson or a Laudrup here for a few seasons.

We brought Simon Stainrod to Falkirk, a fedora top hat wearing guy, a gifted footballer and we had a striker called Sam McGivern, a wee red haired guy and he was pretty bad. However, in the First Division, playing alongside Stainrod and he got goals.

Stainrod could have had the cigars out, as could have Latapy. Waddle may have managed that but he was only there for four weeks but then he got injured. However, it was tangible for Falkirk as we put an extra 2,000 on the gates. Much like Best at Hibs, which is why they signed him. My uncle went to see Falkirk play Hibs and the crowds were just there to see Best…and at that time, he was crap!

If you could change anything about the game, what would it be?
GB: Something needs to change with regards to the offside. It has to be a black and white thing. We need to get the interpretation out of these decisions. Linesman have a thankless job but it is almost impossible to get it right these days.

With regards to television evidence or getting another opinion, I don’t understand why they cant do it already. There is usually a refs supervisor in the stands and the higher level have all the games covered. If you never changed the rules because of all levels, then you would never change the rules. For certain things, yes, you know goals or if the play was already stopped.

I want to see less appeals from players and managers. I would love this. The ball went out last week and it was a Falkirk throw-in but the Aberdeen player put his hand up. The ref should ask him what he is claiming for and if he can’t explain it, book him.

That level of interpretative power for referees should not be encouraged. Can you imagine a ref asking a certain player a question and then booking him? The fans would go mad!

GB: It would be funny though wouldn’t it? Haha, that’ll stop them claiming. Okay, it is trained into them and this can be moralistic but they have to stop shouting at refs. Players and managers need to agree to stop this now. This is more of an attitude change than a rule change.

I find the World Cup is where everything escalates and the chat back to refs is likely to get a lot worse this summer. Maybe the rugby rule of moving the play back ten yards for backchat could work. Its embarrassing but there is no panacea is there?

I think another worry is when you tinker so much, you ruin it. An attitude change has to be brought in but that is so much harder to make it stick. The rules themselves, other than offside, not much needs to be changed, just keep it flowing quickly.

The contentious decisions are part of the game and you would miss that, as long as it isn’t your team. And especially when someone like Sepp Blatter is in charge, you don’t want too much tinkering!

We’ll be back tomorrow when Graeme tells us his hopes for the rest of Falkirk’s season and his thoughts on ex-boss John Hughes. After that, its his opinions on the national team and some football and music mash-ups….and then that should be him!

Phew!

If you have enjoyed this series, don’t worry, we have more lined up….and if you havent enjoyed it, oh well….

Anyways, here is a bit more from Graeme and his comprades from The State Broadcasters:

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Yes, we’re a bit behind the times, the site was down yesterday but this is still a big talking point for Celtic fans. And hey, it means they don’t have to talk about the on-field action!

Yesterday afternoon saw media reports suggesting that Celtic are looking to enter contract talks with Artur Boruc. Tony Mowbray, as usual, would not be drawn directly on the details but he did state that all negotiations would be kept between the club and the goalies representatives.

It can only be good business sense to discuss contracts which are due to expire in the summer of 2011.

The Polish stopper has pulled off a number of impressive saves in his last two club matches and hopes are rising that he may be regaining a run of consistency. Of course, any goalkeeper knows they are only one mistake away from criticism; such is the nature of the position.

Any criticism aimed at Boruc nowadays appears to be due to the fact that he is not at his peak of 2007 and 08. In fact, at the end of the Euro 2008 campaign, Boruc’s stock was at its highest and many Celtic fans were pleasantly surprised he stayed with the club when surely many top European sides would have been impressed with his performances for Poland.

His form has dipped considerably since then but for some fans, he is above criticism. This is partly explained by his public image and the way he interacts with Rangers fans but equally because he has been the club’s best keeper in a number of decades.

The media will be sorry to see Boruc go as he has been an easy target for them. At times the goalkeeper has made himself an easy target and has overstepped the mark on a few occasions but equally; many people have chosen to be outraged by things which sane people would not question.

There is certainly a circus that follows Artur Boruc but you get the feeling the keeper is not always the ringmaster.

It makes perfect sense for Celtic to be entering these negotiations now with the keeper. He is out of contract at the end of the 2010/11 season so this summer is the last opportunity for Celtic to raise some funds through selling the goalkeeper.

The latest rumours at the weekend were that Boruc would be off to Germany with Ruddy, currently on loan at Motherwell, being picked up to fight it out with Zaluska for the number one jersey.

That though will be very much dependent on the contract offered to Boruc and whether he intends to stay in the fishbowl that is Glasgow.

If he signs up and stays on, Celtic fans will be delighted.

If he can’t reach agreement and leaves, most Celtic fans will be thankful for what Boruc has given them over the years and will hopefully remember so many great moments.

You get the impression that other people may feel a greater loss in losing their pantomime villain as opposed to what Celtic fans will feel.

What’s your favourite Artur Boruc moment?

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You have to wonder if choosing Craig Thomson to be the ref for the League Cup final this season?

Not because he is a bad choice, you wouldn’t say Thomson is any poorer than the rest of the officials to choose from.

However, perhaps choosing a ref from Paisley isn’t the best idea.

Of course, maybe there is no ref hailing from Hillington or Ralston so they can’t select a ref that comes from the middle ground. And surely, Chick Young assisted by Bill Leckie would have given the best chance of an official who has the interests of both teams at heart.

Haha, no of course not, it’s just a light hearted look at the announcement of the ref. And anyway, it’s not as if Young or Leckie could be classed as impartial.

For Thomson, it completes his set of cup finals after having previously officiated in the Scottish Cup final and of course, the Scottish Challenge Cup. Officiating in the big games is the pinnacle for refs so he will no doubt take a great deal of pride about being given this appointment.

Lets hope we have no reason to talk about Thomson after the final.

There are still Scottish cup and league games to look forward to this weekend but it is inevitable that the build up to the League Cup final is starting to take place.

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One of the best things about being a footballer, aside from the money, the fame and the ability to play football all the time are the days off. It is quite common for players to be given the day off after a match, if they lose that can sometimes be revoked but in the interest of preventing injuries, it is not wise to have the players training again so soon after a match.

Rangers had a massive win at Rugby Park last night to open up the 13 point lead at the top of the SPL and the Rangers players would likely have enjoyed a long lie. Some of the first team squad were involved in the 6-1 reserve win over Ostersunds but most would have been still enjoying the victory over Killie.

One of the major talking points of the game was yet another goal from Steven Whittaker. He may be deployed as a full-back but that hasn’t prevented him from hitting the net with regularity this season.

It was therefore a bit of a surprise for WeKnowSFA to spot Whittaker strolling down Rose Street in Edinburgh at lunchtime today. Perhaps the player has been getting a bonus for the amount of goals he scores as he was taking in the sights of all the jewellery stores at the West End of the street.

What he did after that, who knows, we had lunch to buy and to be honest, trailing him any further would probably break privacy rules!

The 2-0 win for Rangers sets them up perfectly for two cup matches that could add the icing on their season.

This Sunday they are at home to Dundee United in the quarter final of the Scottish Cup and of course, after that, it is the League Cup final against St Mirren.

Have you trailed any footballers on your lunch hour?

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Ten points clear with a game in hand, one Cup final in the bag and a home tie in the quarters in the other. Things are going pretty sweet for Rangers fans at the moment…but there is that whole money thing to worry about.

Yes, the on field story is a complete success for the Teddy Bears but the role of Lloyds Banking Group remains a bone of contention with the fans.

There has been some better news with Murray International Holdings announcing that they entered discussion about a potential takeover. London based property developer Andrew Ellis has been cited as being involved with the takeover bid.

Ellis was linked with a takeover bid to take over Queens Park Rangers, although he withdrew that bid and was also involved in the consortium that took over Northampton Town. This has led to the situation where you will see pictures of Ellis with a football scarf with Cobblers written on it.

The jokes write themselves!

Although it should be remembered that expressing an interest is no guarantee that a takeover will take place, it at least shows some sign of progress.

There may be some concern that the parties involved do not appear to be from a Rangers minded background but any potential buyer is better than none. There is also the chance that this move may encourage some of the other groups to declare an interest and look to take over the club.

The issue with the current bid is that the new owners would be looking to come into make a profit and whether they would do this in the way that the fans would approve of. At the moment, winning the league guarantees the Champions League money and the Rangers published figures of late have been very promising.

Spending just enough money to stay ahead of the rest and getting the chance to bank the Champions League cash is the ideal scenario but of course, football doesn’t always run smoothly.

Celtic could regroup and win the league (not this season, in the future) or of course, the Scottish champions may not be granted direct entry to the Champions League and that money could be missed out on.

However, everything in football is all about if’s and buts and there is no doubt that seizing control of Rangers could bring success for the fans and a financial return for the owners.

At the moment, not too much information has been put into the public domain so we can’t delve too much into the current situation (probably just as well for us, we’re not the brightest at the financial ins and outs) but this is a story that is going to run and it won’t be the last time we come back to this.

Rangers fans, do you see this as positive news?

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There has been some decent chat on the site in the past few days about the modern game and the way fans are treated.

This takes us neatly into the third part of our interview with Graeme Black from The State Broadcasters, Falkirk fan and guitarist.

So, wheres your head at now? Are you a Falkirk fan or a football fan?

GB: This might take a while…..I’ve got a strange feeling about football. I’m a Falkirk fan; I don’t really like watching football that I don’t have emotional attachment to. The recent Chelsea v Inter Milan game, I watched it but turned it off to catch Masterchef and then returned to it when Masterchef had finished.

Football has changed so much, people say they are football fans but don’t go to football matches.

The guy who watches MOTD knows more about players than me but they aren’t a football fan. For me, it’s about having an emotional attachment to a team or number of teams. The people who watch Sky all day on a Sunday, lining Rupert Murdoch’s pockets will destroy football in the end.

Maybe they won’t, maybe it’s me but I don’t get much out of it. Football on TV used to be an event, the European finals, the FA final, the Scottish Cup final, I would watch them all.

I suppose as well, I don’t really like footballers!

Is this due to difference in wage levels between fan and player?

GB:It’s extremely vulgar but I don’t blame the players. Also, it’s not necessarily the money I dislike. Footballers are of a certain type but it’s the way they approach the game these days, the win at all costs approach that annoys me.

To me, Drogba is an embarrassment. I know he is a great player but the lengths he will go to go gain an advantage, it’s disgusting. We don’t do it as much in the Scottish game. Maybe it holds us back but the football fans in Scotland that are annoying are the guys who know all the Premier League guys.

I’m maybe coming across as a lunatic Brian Clough without the charisma but it genuinely annoys me. These people always criticise the Scottish game, saying it’s a waste of time and “Motherwell v Killie, who wants to watch that?”

Well, Motherwell and Killie fans that who. The two communities involved are interested and if the clubs weren’t around, there would be a massive hole in the communities, so it does still matter. Some people sneer at it but to me, they don’t really understand it. Football is more than sport, you could watch the Alpine Downhill skiing and appreciate but it will never give you the feeling that football gives you.

Yeah, thing is, critics will say footballers are stupid but you have the Winter Olympics. The gold medal winner for going down a hill on a pan, did you hear her speak? No offence, great achievement but she sounded like the stupidest girl alive. She used her talent and has done well but to single footballers out for this is wrong?

GB: Also, it is a media fabrication that things like the Champions League is better. Yes, they may be the most skilful or the fittest players but the games can be so dull. The players can cancel each other out tactically or physically so from the point of view of a spectator, I don’t get how the neutral can take much from it.

Just passing the ball across the midfield because there is no room to do anything else isn’t that great. Its not ballet, it’s not about technical point scoring.

There is so much phoney emotion. Maybe I’m being naive, maybe footballers have never cared; there will always have been mercenaries but nowadays? I’m not saying a player should stay at a club for all their career but its obvious most players don’t care where they are playing. A prime example would be Robinho, he didn’t even know where he was when signed for Man City.

The fans who watch TV have also gleaned the way they talk from the pundits and analysts. If you are in the pub with these guys watching a game, they just start chattering. They aren’t used to watching 90 minutes, they watch highlights and are waiting to be told what to make of it.

As I said, these players know more about the players but its a different sport for these people.

Sky have won over the real football fans, if they could afford it, they got it. Sky now have to sell football to non football fans. Mitchell and Webb do a great sketch about the hype Sky have to use to sell their games.

I’d definitely say anyone saying “take a bow son” deserves to be punched, if you are dealing in catchphrases, you aren’t enjoying football off the cuff.

GB: Of course, if people are getting enjoyment from it, that’s fine, I don’t want to be seen to criticising people for how they act. All I’m saying is, for me, the enjoyment and emotion comes from being attached to a team and going to see them. I equate these TV fans to people that watch Eastenders, it’s an entertainment thing and having something to talk about. It’s a sedentary thing and that’s okay but it is different from what I get from football.

Phew……but probably not a lot to argue with there!

When he is not ranting or baiting Didier Drogba, Graeme can be found in the band The State Broadcasters.

You may get the chance to hear a bit more from the band in the future as one of their songs, ‘Takeshi’ is being used in a trailer for a new movie, ‘Marbles Is Missing’.