WITH the Derek McInnes-Rangers tussle turning the football spotlight from playing field to coach dugout, how about ranking the current SPL managers by way of seasonal frolic? Here is my order of merit, for which I won’t expect universal agreement.

First equal: Derek McInnes and Neil Lennon. Both work within relatively confined budgets – Lennon has resuscitated careers of older players dropped by bigger clubs – ie, Stokes, Whittaker, Ambrose – while McInnes has shown aptitude for bringing in new young players and greatly enhancing their existing skills. Both operate in a modest fanbase context with home attendance very seldom reaching 20,000.

Third: Brendan Rodgers. You cannot argue with Celtic results even though some controversial ref decisions have justifiably annoyed opposition managers, most recently Motherwell. But, given a well-stocked substitute bench, abundant buying capacity that entices domestic stars from other clubs, it’s hard to tell whether the coach is possessed of natural player-selection skill or is the recipient of the means by way of club riches.

Fourth: Stephen Robinson. Motherwell’s recent successes reflect his managerial ability.

Fifth: Steve Clarke. Maybe early to make judgment, but Kilmarnock results suggest he deserves high placement.

Sixth: Tommy Wright. Steady hand at the helm and no team can treat St Johnstone or their coach lightly.

Seventh: Craig Levein. The original attack-minded manager reborn from his Dundee United and Hearts days – forget about playing for a draw in the bad dull old days when he was Scotland manager. He has clearly learned the hard lesson of unpopularity and that football has become big-time TV entertainment.

Eighth: Graeme Murty. Interim managers don’t have it easy, but the fanbase is there if the club’s recent cash history doesn’t carry the same assurance.

Ninth: Owen Coyle. Like Steve Clarke, too soon for best judgment but his team are no pushover.

10th equal: Martin Canning and Neil McCann. Both exude determination which their players exhibit and opposition teams always struggle to contain.

12th: Alan Archibald. Mainly because he is managing the team presently at the foot of the table but with a game in hand may soon overtake teams above. He manages a team that has, funnily enough, various fans who have little interest in the glorious game but have been drawn to the Jags for reasons unbeknown to anybody including themselves.

Maybe it is appropriate to end with the Partick manager, because there can be a charisma attached to the job.

This was famously exemplified by Bill Shankly, whose quotes took it to places other than sports stadiums and commentary.

Ian Johnstone
Peterhead

YOUR correspondents about Finland’s war with the Soviets (Letters, December 9 and 11) may be interested that in the late 1930s there was a plan to send a volunteer detachment of Scottish ski troops to help the Finns.

My late father was a consultant physician in Glasgow and was asked to examine the person who was to command the unit for medical fitness to do so.

The outbreak of war with Nazi Germany in 1939 ended this plan, as most Scottish participants would be joining the UK armed forces for that war.

David Stevenson
Edinburgh

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed Kirsteen Paterson’s uplifting report (‘Factory for the future’ plan unveiled, The National, December 12).

In the present climate of the possibility of a hard Brexit, and the crash that will inevitably follow, it is heartening to see that the Scottish Government is bringing the different strands of our society together, namely Rolls-Royce, Strathclyde University, Renfrewshire Council and Scottish Enterprise to create the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland.

Is it too much to hope that Ruth Davidson, Richard Leonard and Willie Rennie support the initiative and do whatever they can to move it forward?

Perhaps this is just a pipe dream, because up until now their approach has been to try to undermine anything that is pro-Scottish.

Thomas L Inglis
Fintry