Alan Herd

anyone going horse racing ?

[Robert Thomson @robertthomson55]

Field sizes at @PerthRacecourse this Sunday....7-13-13-6-10-8-14

Summer jumps done properly gets runners

[Venatour Racing @VenatourRacing]

It’s Monsieur Graffard’s world and we’re all living in it

Rayif wins the Poule D’Essai Des Poulains in good style @paris_longchamp

#RacingAroundTheWorld

[AFC1903 @AFC19035]

Born & bred in Aberdeen & my family & friends & their families made a good living in the oil & gas industry.

The City & NE has been decimated by the reduction in production.

Despite the damage done by the SNP & Greens - people in Aberdeen still voted for the SNP.

UNBELIEVABLE

[Barry Pinnington @BookieBaz]

We talk about exes in bookmaking😱, it’s starting to become a joke. I have just paid @HamiltonParkRC £322 to stand today. This figures does include the phantom marketing fee and also includes an entrance for a phantom member of staff I don’t have as I work alone. How can this be legal??🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@robertthomson55 Or Saturday

[Mike Parcej @MikeParcej]

Surely Wednesday's card at @PerthRacecourse is the best days racing of the 21st century so far in Tayside?

[The Barstewards Enquiry @BarstewardsThe]

https://t.co/jnuCxD9iYc

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@mulldog Yes !!

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@FOBRacing Taylor?

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@pauldaley73 @LeTour @letour_uk @BritishCycling Are you boycotting Tenerife this year 😂

[James Melville 🚜 @JamesMelville]

“Let’s ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea but spaff away £40billion buying North Sea oil and gas from Norway. Let’s buy coking coal shipments worth £7.2million from Japan but ban UK coal mining. Let’s plaster thousands of acres of farmland with solar panels but spend £50million on sun dimming experiments. Let’s give Drax an estimated £1.8billlion in taxpayer funded subsidies on top of the £11billion it has already received despite Drax burning an amount of wood equivalent to 300 million trees. Let’s give £500million this year alone to wind power companies not to generate power from their wind turbines. And let’s spend £30billion of taxpayers’ money on carbon capture machines but put pensioners, farmers and the disabled into financial peril by claiming there’s a £22bn black hole.”

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

I’ve just unlocked today’s window and could win a prize! Check it out at https://t.co/EW70BW6DcC

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

The image of a triumphant Scott McTominay tearing across the pitch at Hampden Park clutching a corner flag adorned with Scotland’s Lion Rampant emblem. Unforgettable. The sight of Harry Wilson holding the match-ball after his hat-trick for Wales. Memorable. Club football is wonderful, often technically and tactically better, but international football brings astonishing drama, especially on the judgement day of the World Cup qualifying group stage. Nights like these mean the world.

Elite club football storms back this weekend, eager to reclaim the headlines, and Liverpool-Forest, Newcastle-City, the North London Derby and other club collisions will swiftly seduce the gaze back the Premier League’s way. But these last few days, including Troy Parrott’s pyrotechnics for the Irish in Hungary, have been a welcome reminder of the compelling nature of international football and why it will always command such attention.

Look at the scenes online of celebrations in the bar at Dublin airport as screens showed Parrott’s third goal going in; drinks taking off, strangers hugging, a man doing a jig of joy between chairs with his suitcase wobbling behind him. Dublin Airport changed its Twitter bio to Troy Parrott International Airport 🦜. Two arrivals from Budapest declared Troy Parrott tattoos.

Few events unite a nation like a national team doing well. Work-places today will be abuzz with chatter about the patriot games, conversations perhaps even involving those not obsessed by the game but caught up in the excitement. Kids will be inspired by those leading their countries to the World Cup. Having games on terrestrial television adds to that connection. Viewing figures will be substantial.

International football is special. Look at the faces of the Scotland players, gilded with glee. International football is special because its players playing for the shirt, not money. Scotland’s players were running on pride and adrenalin, fuelled by belief in their manager and buoyed by the belief of their fans.

By added time, Scotland were staging their own Goal of the Month competition against Denmark. They had the game finally won with Kieran Tierney’s worldie three minutes into added time, 3-2, game over, passports ready, doors to manual. Kenny McLean could easily have headed to the corner flag and run down the clock but he decided to shoot from the halfway line. And score. Spectacular icing on an already special cake.

It's special for these players because all had suffered setbacks in their career. Andy Robertson rejected by Celtic - too small, apparently - but always big on determination and now celebrating his 90th cap. Craig Gordon not playing for his club but playing for his country – at 42. Tierney not making it at Arsenal but now making it to a World Cup. Scott McTominay unwanted by Manchester United but now unleashing Zico overheads.

Parrott’s not had the easiest journey towards the limelight; those spells on loan in the EFL, that failure to convince Spurs, and moving on. Now an Irish legend. Brennan Johnson hasn’t won over Spurs fans completely but he’s just starred in a 7-1 epic Wales performance.

International football is special because a manager has to address squad weaknesses with his coaching not with a cheque-book. Even then, such is the squeeze on training time, he must work his magic in meetings and with selections and in-game changes. They create cultures and buy-ins from players. So Steve Clarke brings on a left-back at right-back and Tierney scores a screamer with his left foot. Clarke builds a culture. He cares deeply about the team, his players and the country, and people respond to that.

Craig Bellamy was missing important players, facing opponents who had conceded only three goals in seven qualifying games, and Wilson, Johnson and Co promptly put seven past North Macedonia. Would Clarke or Bellamy be considered for major Premier League jobs? No. But Clarke is off to the greatest show on earth, the World Cup. Bellamy may not be far behind him.

Both could be pitting their wits against Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Didier Deschamps as the world tunes in. Knowing Scotland’s luck they’ll get drawn with Spain, Croatia and Italy. But, who cares for now, they’re on their way to the USA. International football's special because of the prize at stake, a place at the World Cup. It really does mean the world.

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@SenseiChanning @MattyOB1979 Not sure about that Neil, they moved 40 immigrants from a hotel in Aberdeen to old student accommodation, after 4 days they started to come back to hotel when they realised that they had do do there own booking and cleaning !!

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@PatrickKennelly Great shout Joe got 33/1 without the fav
Happy days

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@robertthomson55 @shugiehughie Maybe add a fifth day and have bumper meeting !!

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@nickgoff79 A few years back a few of us done
Carlisle - thirsk Monday
Ripon -sedgefield Tuesday
Cartmel Wednesday
Weatherby Thursday
York Friday then back up the road !!

[Alan Herd @herdolovesperth]

@briang2812 @Stephenh61 @AKBets @EpsomRacecourse Prize money better at leopardstown and it’s €60 for 2 day DRF says it all really

[Chepstow Racecourse @Chepstow_Racing]

To celebrate our upcoming centenary year in 2026, we are launching a special 99p ticket offer celebrating 99 years of Chepstow racecourse
For the next 48 hours, we have changed the ticket price on 3 selected dates to 99p only
Price lasts for 48 hours only

https://t.co/uuoBly5Z86

[perthracecourse @PerthRacecourse]

What a Day, What a Crowd ⬆️ @bet365 Gold Cup Day attendance up 15.1% 🏇