Llanelli 0-3 Motherwell : The Steelmen Advance
By: Ian Rose |
3 Comments
Against a side of Welsh part-timers that they frankly should have dominated in the first leg, the Steelmen of Motherwell came out today and showed their quality, taking the day 3-0 away in Wales, and moving on to the 2nd Qualifying round of the first Europa League by an aggregate of 3-1. The goals came from John Sutton (2) and the last from Jamie Murphy off the bench. Jim Gannon’s first victory as Motherwell gaffer comes before the season starts, and in Europe, so that’s got to feel good.
Next up for the Well: Albanian side Flamurtari Vlore, which I’m just going to assume is Albanian for “The Flame-Retardant Velour” because that’s what it sounds like and that’s how I translate languages. The one-time (1991) champions of the Albanian superliga are actually the most successful Albanian club in Europe, and not to be taken lightly.
On July 16th and 23rd (happy birthday to me), Motherwell will take on Vlore, and Falkirk will start their European campaign against the pride of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. If Scotland doesn’t put someone into the third qualifying round, we are truly in a sad, sad state of affairs.
Category: Europe
Motherwell face early must-win in Europe
By: Ian Rose | 1 Comment
Last season was a disaster for Scotland in Europe. Rangers went out to Hearts Jr. in CL qualifying, Celtic failed to make it past the group stage, and both Motherwell and Queen of the South dropped out of the UEFA Cup without a single win. In terms of UEFA coefficient, Scotland ended up 29th, behind such powerhouse leagues as Bulgaria, Belarus and the mighty Czechs. The Well have a chance to reverse their part of that result today, and will need to if they hope to avoid another very short European campaign. Their home opener against Welsh Llanelli FC ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat, which they will have to at least equal in Wales to move on. Stephen Craigan and the rest of the boys will need to attack, something they have the ability to do, but after their slow start at home, they have a bit of proving to do.
Good luck to Motherwell. I don’t support your club, but today, you represent the country, and so today I’m a Steelman. Go get em.
Category: EuropeRangers Collect Domestic Double on Novo Strike
By: Ian Rose | Add Comments
In the last match of the Scottish club season, Rangers collected their 33rd Scottish Cup on the strength of a brilliant dipping strike from Nacho Novo. Novo came on just a minute earlier for the exhausted Kris Boyd, who apparently needs to play in Sweden, since Scotland is just too bloody warm for him. Here’s the goal:
Category: Scottish CupSPL 2008-09 is over
By: Ian Rose | Add Comments
Another SPL season is in the bag today. Here are the important things to know about how SPL 2008-09 finished up.
Helicopter Sunday
Rangers needed a win to be sure of winning the league today. On the strength of goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and (who else) Kris Boyd, they won easily over Dundee United to wrap up the club’s fifth title of the SPL era, and 52nd title in the 112 competitive seasons of Scottish football. Celtic only managed a draw with Hearts, meaning that in truth, Rangers only would have needed a draw.
Hearts, Bairns and Dons to Europe
The other major move near the top of the table was Aberdeen jumping above Dundee United with their 2-1 win over Hibs. Combined with the beating United took from Rangers, that put Aberdeen into the final Europa League qualification spot. Scotland will be represented in Europe next season by Rangers and Celtic in the Champions League, and by Falkirk, Hearts and Aberdeen (plus Motherwell with a Fair Play entry) in the Europa League. Good luck to all of them – let’s get that coefficient back where it belongs.
Heartbreak in the Highlands
After five seasons of SPL football, Inverness Caledonian Thistle were relegated Saturday with their 1-0 loss to Falkirk at home. This means that the highland region will have no representative in the SPL next season. Two highland sides will rekindle their derby next season in the first division, with Caley facing rivals Ross County for the first time in the league since 2004.
The Saints are Marching Up
Caley Thistle will be replaced in the top flight by St. Johnstone, after seven years in the first division. They will get a chance at their local derby with Dundee United, though both sides have more of a rivalry with Dundee FC. Congratulations to the Perth club, and good luck to them back in the top flight. They certainly looked to be the best side in the first division this season and deserve their promotion.
So that’s it for the eleventh season of the Scottish Premier League era. Scotland’s 2009-10 European club campaign will begin on 2 July, as Motherwell enter in the first qualifying round of the Europa League due to their Fair Play bid. Here are the dates of entry for each of Scotland’s European representatives:
2 July – Motherwell – Europa League first qualifying round
16 July – Aberdeen – Europa League second qualifying round
28-29 July – Celtic – Champions League third qualifying round
30 July – Hearts – Europa League third qualifying round
20 August – Falkirk – Europa League playoff round
15-16 September – Rangers – Champions League group stage
Thanks for a great season of Scottish football, and Mon the Scots in Europe. SPL 2009-10 kicks off on August 15, three days after Scotland’s vital World Cup qualifier away against Norway.
Category: Scottish Premier LeagueOne match left: Rangers take control, and a battle at the bottom
By: Ian Rose | Add Comments
Well, we’ve come to it at last. Each SPL side has played 37 of their allotted 38 fixtures, and next weekend, the 2008-09 SPL will come to a close. It’s had its moments, and we’ll look back in more detail at the highlights and facepalms of the season later on. For now, it’s time to look at the last 6 games.
Rangers stand one win from breaking Celtic’s recent hold on the SPL title, now up two points on the Bhoys after each side managed only a draw against Hibs in successive weeks. A Rangers win seals it, as would a Celtic loss or draw. On the slightly brighter side for the green half of Glasgow, they finish their season against Hearts, a team with nothing to play for, having already locked up third place in the league. Rangers head to Tannadice to take on Dundee United, who still need a draw to secure European play next season. It’s not over, but it’s in Rangers’ hands to lose.
At the bottom, we have what is essentially a relegation playoff match. Though a strange combination of blowouts could technically doom St. Mirren to the drop, it realistically comes down to two sides, Falkirk and Inverness Caley Thistle, who play in Inverness on the last day. A Caley win or draw wins the Highlanders survival, and dooms the Bairns to the all-to-familiar Scottish football fate of relegation combined with European qualification. If Falkirk wins, as they did the last time they played Caley, it’s Inverness headed down to the First Division, to meet old local rivals Ross County for the first time in years.
A fascinating last day of football. Will Falkirk or Caley go down? Will Rangers hold on or Celtic steal it at the final whistle? Can Dundee United fulfill everyone’s predictions and make it to the inaugural Europa League, or will Aberdeen get a chance to repeat their promising European run of last season? It’s all on the line Saturday.
Category: Scottish Premier LeagueThe Bairns are headed to Europe
By: Ian Rose | Add Comments
The Scottish Cup semifinals are over (no extra time, no replays, and hurray for that). Rangers beat St. Mirren 3-0 in a match that featured former Scotland man Kris Boyd’s 100th Rangers goal. In the other semi, Dunfermline fell to Falkirk, currently last place in the SPL. Since Rangers are certain to be headed to Europe through their league standing, this means, once again, that a Scottish team with a poor league season has booked a European place whether they win the final or lose it. First Dunfermline, then Queen of the South, and now Falkirk.
This version of the same old tale has a slightly different wrinkle. Monsieur Platini, as part of his quest to bring some fire back to the domestic cups (one I generally agree with) has set up the new, rebranded Europa League (sigh) with the cup winners getting the best of each nation’s placements. While the fourth place finisher in the league will enter in the second qualifying round, and the third place finisher will enter in the third, Falkirk, win or lose, will enter the competition in the so-called playoff round, along with 15 dropouts from the Champions League and the survivors from the previous qualifiers. They will start only one round away from the group stages.
I won’t spend too much time whining about the coefficient and how bad this decision has been for it. Good luck to the Bairns in their first-ever European berth. I hate to see losers rewarded, so for me, I’ll be rooting them on for their third Scottish Cup win on May 30th. Rangers have 32 Scottish Cups in their case at Ibrox, and who would even notice another?
Category: Scottish CupScottish Cup Semis and the Dreaded Split
By: Ian Rose | 1 Comment
This weekend sees a break from SPL action while we once again bask in the full glory of one of the most convoluted and confusing inventions in sport – the SPL split. For the uninitiated, here’s how it works. Most of the big leagues in Europe have 38 matches in a season, and 20 teams in the league. The reason for this is simple. It allows for the fairest possible fixture arrangement, with each team playing each other team once at home and once away. And then there’s Scotland. The SPL has only 12 teams, and instead of expanding to something closer to the size of a proper football league, the answer is this: each team plays each other three times for a total of 33 matches in the regular season. Then, the SPL splits in half and each six, top and bottom, play each other once more, for that magic total of 38 matches. It’s insane, and it worries me that I become more and more used to it, and comfortable with it, each season.
But before the post-split season begins and we sort out the winners and losers of SPL 2008-09, we need to decide who will be headed to Hampden for the Scottish Cup final. Here are the semifinal fixtures:
Saturday 25 April: Rangers v. St. Mirren
Sunday 26 April: Falkirk v. Dunfermline
All in all, Rangers couldn’t have asked for much more. An opponent fighting relegation in the semis (albeit one that stung them earlier in the season, and beat Celtic to get here), and then a final against either the last-placed team in the SPL or a First Division club with an unreasonable knack for making it to Cup finals.
Once the semis are over, I’ll be back to talk about the remaining SPL fixtures, and the race for the title at the top, and survival at the bottom. Both are far from decided. Enjoy the games.
Category: Scottish CupSPL set for fantastic finish
By: Ian Rose | 3 Comments
There are a few things we have to admit that the SPL is not. With the title trading places between Celtic and Rangers every year, it’s hardly the most balanced league. It doesn’t have the money to attract the world’s best talent. And some of the pitches, well, they’re hardly the best. But, this season, it may have one of the best finishes of any of the European leagues, both at the top and at the bottom.
Granted, one of the Old Firm will still win the title this year. But with six matches left, only one point separates them (Celtic having the slight edge), so either one of them could snag it. For Celtic, a title would make four in a row, and get them that much closer to the seven straight that Rangers claimed in the 1990s. For Rangers, it would break the Celtic streak, and give them their 52nd title to stretch their all-time title lead over their Glasgow rivals.
The race at the bottom may be the one to watch, though. Five teams are within 6 points of the single relegation spot, currently held by Falkirk. The other four are St. Mirren, newly promoted side Hamilton, Kilmarnock, and Caley Thistle. On form, Kilmarnock seemed the most likely to fall, until their 3-0 dismantling of Falkirk on Saturday. Until a few weeks ago, St. Mirren and Hamilton both looked safe, racking up a string of good results that had them clear of Caley, Killie and Falkirk. But both have fallen off in the past month. Because of the way the SPL schedule is organized, all of these teams will play each other in the last 5 weeks, as the bottom and top halves of the table are separated in the SPL’s infamous “split”, and now all five are in play. But the pressure is still all on Falkirk, three points adrift of St. Mirren.
It should be a hell of a run into the end of the SPL season. The Glaswegian titans battle for the title, while the entire bottom half of the table fights against the drop. Stay tuned.
Category: Scottish Premier LeagueMcGregor and Ferguson banned from Scotland NT
By: Ian Rose | 1 Comment
Stay classy, Rangers.
(image courtesy of the BBC)
I generally prefer to stay out of the pissing contest between the two big boys in Glasgow, but when either one hurts the Scotland national team, my first football love, then I’m forced to pick a temporary side. Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson were both banned for life from selection to the national side after a combination of a drunken night out after the Holland loss and a shameful display during the win over Iceland.
Good riddance. Ferguson was a captain of Scotland, and at times a quite good one, and McGregor had a real chance to challenge for the #1 shirt … and now, thanks to their childishness and idiocy, the national side is that much less deep in two vital positions. Well done.
Category: Scotland National TeamLong Time Coming: SPL Update
By: Ian Rose | Add Comments
It’s been a long dark winter for the Scotland Offside. I won’t make too many excuses, but a new job and an obsession with my own club fighting relegation have left me little time or enthusiasm for keeping the league blog updated. Here’s what’s happened in the meantime.
Old Firm tightens up:
As of this moment, Rangers lead the league by one point, but Celtic have a game in hand and should, on form, beat Motherwell tomorrow. The latest Old Firm derby was last weekend, and ended in a pretty tepid 0-0 draw.
Two at the bottom:
With 12 matches left in the SPL season, there is a very clear bottom two in the SPL. The Bizarro Old Firm consists of Falkirk and my own beloved Caley Thistle. Falkirk is ahead of Caley by a single point, but is itself five points below Kilmarnock and St. Mirren. It is likely that one of these two will be headed down.
Hamilton Rises Again:
The Hamilton Accies started the season well, and then dropped all the way to last place, and looked to be dropping back to the First Division. But in the past seven league matches, they have six wins, and now sit in 8th place, tied on points for a top-half finish.
The Battle for Third:
Most pundits predicted Dundee United for the third-place European spot, and they looked to be living up to the hype. Two points total from their last four matches, including a draw with last-place Caley Thistle and a loss to Hamilton, though, have left Hearts two points ahead of them for third, and rising Aberdeen only two points behind. The race for the Europa League (god I hate that name) might be the best one to watch as the season comes to a close.
SPL 2: Electric Boogaloo?:
Just today, the Scottish Football League finally came around to the possibility of the SPL expanding to a second division, called SPL 2, which would basically replace the SFL Scottish First Division. SPL 2 would basically take all of the biggest second-tier teams in Scotland (Partick Thistle, Dunfermline, etc) out of the management of the SFL, and make it a league of very small teams.
Category: Scottish Premier League
Home 
