Scottish Cup Semis and the Dreaded Split

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 Cup

Tags: Dunfermline, Falkirk, Rangers, Scottish Cup, Semifinals, St Mirren

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