Hearts secure in 3rd as well

It was almost a night of complete closure in the SPL this evening with results tying up most of the outstanding issues and even the one remaining issue could be completed tomorrow.

Hamilton have threatened to keep themselves in the top flight but their hopes ended tonight with a defeat against St Johnstone. This meant that St Mirren didn’t have to win at Pittodrie but a cracking 1-0 away win sealed the Lanarkshire side’s fate and places the Buddies three points behind Aberdeen. The fact that Danny Lennon’s men sit just 2 goals behind Craig Brown’s team could see the Buddies leapfrog the Dons on the final day of the season.

It was a disappointing loss for Brown but he got a massive result earlier in the day when the SFA decided he was to receive nothing stronger than a censure for his behaviour on the touchline with John Boyle. Nothing is surprising anymore about the SFA disciplinary panels and reviews so no one can be shocked about Brown being let off with this, the second time the former Scotland manager has behaved in a poor manner on the touchline this season.

At Ibrox, Rangers came flying out of the blocks in Walter Smith’s last home game of his Ibrox career and buried Dundee United with a spirited opening. The game wasn’t even a minute old before Steven Naismith went down in the box, a feat he repeated moments later but the opener was to come from the £4m hit man and Rangers buy of the season, Nikica Jelavic.

Jelavic made Gary Kenneth look foolish (well, no more so than the Hills Have Eyes star usually looks) by creating acres of space in the box and directing the ball home. The lead was doubled when Rangers man for a title run-in, Kyle Lafferty neatly finished.

Knowing it was job done, Rangers downed tools, keeping a poor United side at bay without ever exerting themselves. The league could be won tomorrow night if Hearts beat Celtic but even if the hoops do avoid defeat in what will be a battle at Tynecastle, Rangers will complete the job in style at Rugby Park on Sunday.

With the P.A. system making Smith man of the match and the Rangers fans unfurling a banner declaring the boss to be a legned (sic), there were plenty of tears for the final home bow of a man who was worked wonders during his two spells at the Ibrox club.

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Hampden draw gets the tongues wagging

The quarter-finals of the League Cup had some notable moments with the two games on Tuesday not being decided until right at the very end. Alan Gow broke the deadlock for Motherwell against Dundee United with a few minutes on the clock and Aberdeen have a debatable penalty to thank for dispensing with Falkirk in the regulation 90 minutes.

Wednesday night saw the big Glasgow sides in action and Rangers were able to make a couple of changes to their team for the trip to Kilmarnock.

Killie created some chances but the Glasgow side looked in control and the 2-0 score-line was a fair reflection of the match.

Celtic won 3-2 at St Johnstone but that doesn’t get anywhere near in telling the full story. 3-0 up in 13 minutes, Neil Lennon’s side looked in complete control before a Glen Loovens error gave the home side a way back into the match. A cracking goal from a corner gave the Saintees a great chance but to be fair, Celtic dealt with everything the Perth side could throw at them.

It took a wonder save by Fraser Forster on the 90th minute to keep Celtic ahead but they got through, which is the key factor in the cup.

The draw for the Scottish League Cup semi final is as follows:

Aberdeen v Celtic
Rangers v Motherwell

And we all know what the talking point is:

The fact that the big two clubs have been kept apart will be greeted with no surprise from fans outside the big two who will no doubt see this as a “stitch-up.” The opportunity for the big final is there…but it also provides two opportunities for a shock and you can bet Mark McGhee and Craig Brown will not be conceding their League Cup dreams are over.

The ties are not scheduled to take place until February 2011, which frankly seems ages away…but this has been the case in the past few years for this competition. Well……that was the original date but in a break from the norm, the league cup ties are behind held on a Saturday and Sunday this year…so its January 2011 instead!

Dates for ties: Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th January 2011

This will see the SPL fixture card decimated that weekend. The affected fixtures in the SPL are:
Kilmarnock v Celtic
Aberdeen v Hamilton
Motherwell v St Mirren
Rangers v Caley Thistle

The sensible approach would be to play these games in the midweek originally scheduled for the cup semis. This should ensure a bit more exposure and hopefully bigger crowds for the semi-finals. Not a crazy move to be honest so you can see why this decision was taken.

With the final set to place on Sunday 20th March, just one win is all that is required to put a team within reach of Hampden silverware.

Is your team going to lift the Cup?

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Or just shifting chairs on the Titanic?

The top brains in the SPL are meeting to discuss proposals about changing the structure of Scottish leagues yet again, with the focus on the SPL. There is a lot of displeasure about the 12 team league and of the footballing culture it creates so the time is probably right for change.

Although the main focus should be on improving the game….the initial thoughts are likely to fall on how to make the product more attractive to marketers, TV executives and then if we’re lucky, the punters.

We don’t think that the broadcasters would take too much umbrage at expanding the SPL beyond 12 teams.

The broadcasters are mainly only interested in Celtic and Rangers, with the majority of the remaining teams merely bring seen as opposition to the big two. You can’t have a league without all the teams so every team needs to be represented and the needs of all have to be considered but we don’t think the TV execs are too fussed about who supplies the supporting role in their weekly filmed productions.

Would Sky and ESPN think Partick Thistle v Celtic or Dunfermline v Rangers are lesser clashes than St Mirren v Celtic or Kilmarnock v Rangers? Very much doubt it. (We do know that if Thistle change league this season it’ll likely be down the way but it was hypothetical).

There isn’t any noticeable gap between the bottom of the SPL and the top of the SFL.

Bringing some additional teams into the top flight will increase their income (even slightly) and will likely dilute the income from the existing lower SPL teams. These teams will therefore be on a very level playing field, increasing competition.

In this regard, an 18 team SPL doesn’t look any poorer than a 14 team SPL. It would do away with the controversial split but it would mean teams only had the big Glasgow teams at their stadium twice in a league campaign.

Non Celtic and Rangers fans are always giving it the big chat about how the “gruesome twosome” aren’t needed and that they should piss off to another country. If the chairmen of these clubs felt the same, an 18 team league would be the likely option.

It won’t be though, a 14 team SPL with a more abstract split but at least one more guaranteed big money game will see the chairmen follow the cash.

Let’s not forget it was these chairmen that have helped damn Scottish football by chasing the short term Setanta cash when the big clubs recommended against it. The tail wagged the dog and everyone suffered when it went against the wall.

A 14 team league would bring about 2 promotion / relegation spots, which should see a play-off return to the top flight. Play-offs are exciting and this is exactly what is needed in the SPL. Two possible relegation spots keep more bottom teams involved and the end of season deciders always make good watching. These games may not be about good football but they offer passion and excitement in abundance.

A 14 team split is likely to be created with a 6/8 split. The proposed plan is for two full rounds of the fixture list and then the split. This will be followed by two rounds of home and away matches in the prospective sections. No more uneven games, no more difficult decisions for the “SPL computer” to make.

If there is any sense it will be a top 6 and bottom 8 but again, chairmen will want to maximise their income so a top 8 could bring more cash. The section with 8 teams will play 40 games; the section with 6 will play 36.

Asking the top teams to play 40 games on top of the two domestic cups and hopefully European football (again, hypothetically speaking) would be madness. The two additional home games for the bottom clubs would hopefully be enough to offset any cash they may lose by not playing the bigger clubs.

There are good and bad points in the split and the WeKnowSFA team probably come down against it. Mind you, a lot of this is due to the fact that we go to games and having short notice for games can be an inconvenience. Armchair fans don’t really have this issue.

The split does bring excitement so it’s not all bad but in the crazy world of Scottish football, is this a good thing? There are crackpots on all sides who are convinced the split is against their side, so taking this away isn’t a bad idea. However, at least the split means the title race or relegation battle is evenly matched.

If the proposed split of balanced home and away fixtures comes in, it would do away with the unfair ’3 away games’ that some teams suffer to a certain stadium and will hopefully bring more transparency. Transparency is good and we need more of it in Scottish football.

Our choice would be an 18 team league (we’d like a 16 team league but 30 games a season isn’t enough) but that’s largely because we think the 4 league games against a side had become very tiring and dull. However, we don’t see the majority of SPL chairmen signing off on half of their big home games a season so we expect the 14 team SPL option to be the one that clubs prefer.

Of course, why just stop with SPL restructuring?

Surely now is the time for full change in Scottish football. The creation of a pyramid system, more emphasis on localised leagues further down the chain and helping clubs find their natural level. The massive amount of love and passion for the game in Scotland sometimes overshadows the small population size we have.

Football has to be available to all of those who want it but it needs to be done in a manner that is of benefit to all.

We are fully behind ideas that will help the national team and our top teams improve their European performances but equally SFL Division 3 teams need to be catered. Junior teams should feel as though they can go as high as they want, if they want to…and there is a need to get people back to watching games in person. It’s not an easy task….

How would you change Scottish football?

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Failure to maximise exposure yet again

It’s one of the days of the year when football fans are glued to the internet and radio stations in the hope that their team can pull off a surprising last minute signing or two that will make the difference to their season.

It therefore seems a bit strange then that the draw for the fourth round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup took place today. The games aren’t until the 21st and 22nd of September so it’s not as though there is any great rush but surely Scottish football should be trying to maximise exposure for their sponsors.

This week is an international week so holding the draw on Tuesday evening or Wednesday lunchtime would have been perfect. It would have allowed the Tuesday papers to detail the last day moves or failures before giving the draw some decent exposure before focus falls on Scotland’s first steps on the road to 2012.

Maybe we just like to moan but we don’t think the moves and shakers in the game do enough to push the product. Okay, rant over…on with the draw.

Rangers v Dunfermline
Kilmarnock v Hibernian
Aberdeen v Raith Rovers
Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian
Celtic v Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Ross County v Dundee Utd
St Johnstone v Queen of the South
Brechin City v Motherwell

Holders Rangers are at home to Dunfermline whilst two all SPL ties also catch the eye. Kilmarnock v Hibs and Celtic v Inverness Caledonian Thistle ensures that at least two SPL teams from this round will be dropping out.

Ross County get the opportunity to gain revenge for their Scottish Cup final defeat at the hands of Dundee United whilst Raith Rovers get the opportunity to dump Aberdeen out of a cup yet again.

Are you tipping any shocks in this round?

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He did guarantee that Falkirk would not be relegated.

He lied.

Falkirk head down to Scottish Football League after a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park saw Steven Pressley and his side marooned at the bottom of the table.

When you consider how long Falkirk have been at the bottom of the SPL, it is hard to argue against them finishing anything other than bottom but you can see why the club have struggled so far.

Steven Presley has been rather full of himself throughout his reign at Falkirk but it has came back to bite him on the arse on the last day of the season as the Bairns lack of ability to net goals proved their undoing.

So…Kilmarnock live to fight another day and Falkirk have to look to the Scottish Football League next season whilst hoping that league reconstruction is not too far away.

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Deadlock yet to be broken at Hampden

No one was predicting a goal-fest at Hampden and a tight encounter has certainly been the order of the day in the first half.

As has been the case between the sides on a number of occasions, St Mirren have had the better of the early proceedings. Rangers are usually able to keep the Buddies at bay and then apply the sucker punch so this is not a total shock.

In the final ten minutes of the half, St Mirren will look back on the following moments and wonder why they never scored:

Neil Alexander’s save from Steven Thomson

Michael Higdon hitting the ball into the side-netting

So often, St Mirren, and teams like them take the game to Rangers but lack the composure to put the ball into the back of the net. The Paisley side can be very happy with how the first half was went but they are likely to have a nagging feeling in the back of their mind about not taking their chances.

Both sides have a lot to think about at half-time and this Cup final remains very much in the balance.

Hugh Murray picked up the first booking of the match although television evidence indicates that Craig Thomson got this decision wrong whilst Steven Whittaker joined Murray in the book for a foul on Graham Carey

Who will clinch the cup?

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The tail can wag the dog at times

It is somewhat inevitable that when talk of SPL reconstruction surfaces, the focus falls on Celtic and Rangers. This is slightly ironic given that the voting system means these two on their own are fairly powerless. The SPL is not set up for the benefit of the two big clubs but with all due respect, neither should it be set up purely for the self preservation of other clubs.

The latest statement from Neil Doncaster raises hopes for a 16 team league.

One of the arguments is the fact that four league games versus one team per season is very dull. It does not allow for freshness and when add in cup competitions; teams could face each other up to seven times.

St Mirren and Rangers fans will be spared this outcome only through the likelihood of the Paisley club finishing in the bottom six.

However, there are financial considerations which could keep the four game set up in place.

Much of the money coming in from Sky is down to the fact that they can show the big two clash four times a season. The nature of the game makes it of interest to a wider audience than the SPL would usually obtain. If these clashes were halved, Sky may be looking to pay in less cash, which hurts all teams.

Also, the current set-up guarantees smaller clubs at least three home games versus Celtic and Rangers.

True, the attendances are not as big as they used to be for these games but they are still lucrative. Losing one, maybe two games of this nature is hardly likely to please the chairmen of the SPL.

The same can be said for Celtic and Rangers.

Their fans would have one fewer big home game and would lose out elsewhere too. A home game versus Hibs, Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen would all be lost to these clubs, replaced by visits from Dundee, Queen of the South, Partick Thistle and Inverness Caley.

More variety but less quality is no guarantee to get the punters through the door.

On a football scale, changing the number and format is unlikely to alter the familiarity at the top of the table. It will have a massive effect on the middle order of teams though.

A top 16 would leave clubs like Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Motherwell having to re-evaluate their role in the league. Barring disaster, they will be out of the relegation zone long before the climax of the season. Barring a miracle, they will have fallen short of the European slots before the business end of the season kicks in.

There will always be cup ties and the hope of giving a bloody nose to the big two but in reality, what would these clubs hope for?

Nothing much more than turning up and taking the TV money. And would the fans be happy with that outcome?

This is a topic that can be discussed endlessly so we’ll leave it here but no do doubt come back to view it from a couple of different angles.

What is your take on any proposed changes to the SPL?

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Toots and the Maytals to provide the preview

We love Toots and The Maytals.

So much so that we are using one of their songs as a weak introduction to the preview of the massive clash between St Mirren and Hamilton. Yes, there is a big game at the top of the table tomorrow but in comparison, is it bigger than this game?

The loss of an SPL place, in the current financial status, may render the game at Ibrox as being akin to two bald men fighting over a comb.

St Mirren Park is the setting for the Saturday game which sees third bottom host second bottom and only a point between them. Given that Falkirk sit at the bottom of the SPL on 20 points, these sides on 22 and 21 points will be desperate for all three points.

Falkirk are at Tannadice today so you would imagine the home side should win but you never know in the SPL.

Falkirk will consider themselves unlucky not to have won at Tynecastle recently and of course, defeated Aberdeen last week.

All of which means there is a huge pressure on both of these clubs. St Mirren have the League Cup final to look forward to next month but retaining SPL status is vital. Even though the move to the new stadium looked to have the clubs finances into the black, their last AGM suggested that the club had moved back into debt.

Relegation could have harsh consequences for the Paisley club.

The outlook doesn’t seem as depressing for Hamilton who look to have a better system and set-up and should cope with a drop if it comes but no one wants to be relegated. The First Division is a seriously tight league and one that is notoriously difficult to get out of.

Neither of these sides could honestly say they would bounce back first time.

In saying that, would relegation be a complete disaster? Fans would get lower prices, they would feel as though they have a chance of winning most games, the atmosphere would be better, it would be a change of scenery and they wouldn’t have the patronising nonsense that they get from the media (this site probably included!!).

No one wants relegation and you can bet both sides will be fired up for today’s game but there could be some positives available if it goes wrong.

Or both sides can just hope Steven Pressley fails in his rescue mission and Falkirk ensure they both stay up.

Anyways, Buddies and Accies, do you think you’ll stay up?

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Convenient time for everyone

Yes, football fans everywhere will be gutted at the prospect of missing out on the Scottish Cup draw because of a clash with work or Loose Women or whatever trash daytime television is showing these days.

Probably continuous adverts for sell your gold companies but it should at least kill some time before the stunning Rachel Riley appears with a figure and the figures on Countdown.

Footy fans will be backing Jeff Stelling but well, if you ever have a day off work or you find yourself at a loose end, we defy you to not offer up a suggestion of two from the top….and anyways, getting back to the Scottish Cup draw.

Six of the games at the weekend had a victor so the draw is slightly more straightforward than the draw for the 5th round of the Active Nation Scottish Cup.

The teams involved in the draw are:

Ross County
Dundee
Dundee United
Kilmarnock
Hibs
Celtic
St Mirren / Rangers
Raith Rovers / Aberdeen

We aren’t going to sit here and predict what the ties will be but with 5 SPL teams guaranteed to be involved (with maybe more one more), there is likely to be some big teams. There are also two (possibly three) SFL teams in the competition so there is still the opportunity for a team outwith the top flight to get to Hampden this season.

We’ll endeavour to be online with the draw as quickly as we can after it is made but you know, there is probably other things we should be doing at 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon.

Is your team still in the cup. If so, who do you want to draw?

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A season of two sides for Ibrox men

Rangers made a terrible start to the 1971-72 season. The League Cup section saw them paired with Ayr United, Morton and Celtic. Four victories over Ayr and Morton without the loss of a goal was not enough to progress Rangers to the quarter finals as they lost 2-0 at Celtic Park and 3-0 at Ibrox against Celtic. Mind you, Rangers fans got a laugh out of this when Partick Thistle humbled Celtic 4-1 in the League Cup final.

The league campaign also started horrendously for Rangers, losing four out of their first five matches. Rangers eventually finished 16 points behind champions Celtic (quite the feat in the two points for a win era) and ten points behind second placed Aberdeen.

A dismal domestic showing was completed for Rangers when they were defeated by Hibs in the Scottish Cup semi-final replay. Given that Hibs fans on Scottish Cup final day have had more quiet nights in than John Terry’s wife, this was a bad state of affairs. Hibs were demolished 6-1 in the final by Celtic.

Therefore, the domestic season was a blow-out for Rangers but this was more than made up for by their European showing. The trailers for the show have indicated that Sandy Jardine equated the winning of the Cup Winners Cup to be the equal of Celtic’s achievements in Lisbon. It is unlikely that many around Europe would agree with this but that is not to undermine Rangers achievements on the road to Barcelona.

Stade Rennais, Sporting Lisbon, Torino and Bayern Munich were all dispatched on the road to the Camp Nou, a run that deserves recognition. Playing at the top end of the European competitions in those days saw teams come up against the cream of the crop, even in the Cup Winners Cup and hopefully the show will delve into detail with the bizarre happenings of the Sporting Lisbon tie.

Onto the final and Rangers roared into a three-nil lead with two goals by Johnston and one from Colin Stein. Unlike the final in 1967 when Rangers bemoaned a lack of cutting edge, there was no shortage of striking power in Barcelona.

Dynamo Moscow were not a team to lie down though and two late goals caused consternation amongst the Rangers ranks. Such was the gripping tension, Rangers fans, mistakenly thinking the final whistle had gone, flooded onto the park. This confusion led to a break in play, providing respite and the opportunity for Rangers to regroup.

What started off as celebration quickly descended into full-blown riot as the Spanish police clashed with the travelling support. As always, the opinions of the on-field battle will differ depending on your viewpoint but there is no doubt it put a dampener on what should have been a joyous night for Rangers.

Uefa were in no doubt about what occurred and Rangers were unable to defend their trophy as they were banned, originally for two years but reduced to one on appeal. However for Rangers fans, their view on 1972 remains one of the brightest nights in the club’s history.

The Rangers Wiki gives mention of Franco’s harsh police and the fact that Barcelona were happy to invite Rangers back:

The following article from the Guardian tells the Russian story of what transpired in Barcelona:

So, there you go, two sides to every story and it was certainly a season of two sides for Rangers. Abject misery on the domestic front but joy and celebration in Europe.

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