Another Drive4show 'Anything goes' thread

[McLaren]

First topic message reminder :

Kwini

It amazes me that a professional footballer can end up one footed. Just practice with your weak foot every day.

I remember spending a summer playing with only my left foot in the garden. Came back next season two footed.

[dynamark]

We will take our £80 m for Arry.Hes been good and chipped in a few goals but still gets caught out for pace and position Friday nights friendly we replace him with a fella called Soyuncu who did very well and also have Morgan Benkovic(celtic loan) and the Rumania U23 centre back.
Bizarre thing Friday was the floodlights which were a temporary set up and it was pretty much dark by final whistle eveyone had their phones out to help.

[wiretapper]

Benkovic was excellent at Celtic last season before he got injured

Rodgers seemed to like and trust him. Lennon was in charge when he came back from injury and he hardly played again but Jozo and Ajer were pretty settled by then (plus weren't leaving at the end of the season).

I would take Benkovic back in a heartbeat.

[wiretapper]

Oli McBurnie £20 million

I think he's going to be good though, don't you?
Strange they only got 15M for Daniel James . . . . . . imagine their American owners will flog off a couple of their other good youngsters and sell up, pocket the profits.

Plus we've just sold our best two players from last year, PFC beginning to lose any momentum they might have retained from last year. I blame Mickey Mouse.

I suppose it depends on how you define good but I don't see a £20million premier league striker there.

However as a Scotsman and I supporter of our national team I would love him to prove me wrong as we don't have much quality and a regular premier league goalscorer would be magic

[super_realist]

If you thought $20m for Oli McBurnuie was funny, Man United have just spunked $80m on Harry McGuire

[McLaren]

I have no idea why they didn't buy him from Hull, wouldn't have been too much of a gamble and would have cost peanuts in comparison.

[beninho]

De light cost 77m, Hernandez 80m and maguire 80m. Militao nearly 50. Market rate is bonkers. But bayern, juve and mufc are all having to spend that amount.

Its all a bit mad.

[dynamark]

Stand by me Maguire will make a couple of Stones like errors and the Man Ure fans will be at him big time .I think we gave Hull 17m so very good business.
Looking forward to the new season now

[kwinigolfer]

Stand by me Maguire will make a couple of Stones like errors and the Man Ure fans will be at him big time .I think we gave Hull 17m so very good business.
Looking forward to the new season now

And, speaking of Stones-like errors, what becomes of Jones & Smalling?

Man Utd have some unloading to do.

[JAS]

Not sure where that nickname comes from Ralph, being the regional home of Aberdeen Angus beef I’d have thought Coo more appropriate and sheep more relevant to the Welsh outfit that humped Kilmarnock last night.

Anyways, as an Aberdeen fan I would have thought the coefficient would be of more interest. Wouldn’t you prefer entry at group stage rather than banana skin qualifiers? Personally I hate the whole approach uefa take in ranking teams/countries as it’s geared toward money laden leagues with big TV rights but it is what it is and we have to get on with it. The Dutch aren’t a big money league yet they turn out talent year after year and occasionally a PSV or Ajax light the way for lesser nations. Obviously, after the relative success of Ajax this season, their team gets broken up but at least it means money rolling into Dutch football to be recycled. That is what the Scottish League should be looking to do/aspire to. Trouble is (and this is where there are some grains of truth in what Super says), the SFA & SPFL are riddled with parochial petty jealously, infighting and a complete inability to make sound decisions for the good of the game especially in terms of selling/marketing itself. So the game in Scotland  stumbles along taking slaps in the face like Kilmarnock took last night. While the national team crawls away from places like Kazakhstan with its tail between its legs. Football does go in cycles though and with a bit of will Scottish football could/should get back to a better place than where it is now.
European football has been  going now for over 60 years, the longest period without a Scottish team appearing in a final is 16 years (Dundee Utd in ‘87 to Celtic in ‘03). It’s currently 11 years and counting, I’m pretty sure we’ve never been as low as we are now and the smart money would say it’ll be more than 5 years before a Scottish Club graces a final again. But hey, you never know when the next  Fergie, Stein or McLean will be unearthed, NOBODY can predict that, not even Super.

Scottish football doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Europe.
More than 5 years? I doubt we'll see a Scottish team in a final in the next 100 years. Why would there be? I wouldn't expect to see a Serbian or Swedish team in a final, so why would anyone think there was ever a chance of a Scottish team getting there? There's simply no financial interest in the game here.
Football wasn't always about money, which is why teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United could get to finals. That's not the case any more and I can't ever see a day when a Scottish team will ever get to a QF, let alone a final. Right now, you can't actually guarantee any Scottish club  team is going to get through a qualification campaign in Europe.

Would you care to wager about whether the coefficient will improve sufficiently this year to get Scotland back within the top 16? At the point Rangers fell off the cliff I think Scotland were 9th/10th, When Rangers reappeared they were 26th and are now circa 20th? Given last night (and the night before) group stage football looks a decent possibility for both the OF...TBH I wouldn’t rule out Aberdeen either. Either way OF group stage football for both would significantly up the CoEff. You still reckon things are so Poopie that Scotland can’t climb significantly above 20th??
From what I see, the biggest issue Rangers have is holding on to Gerrard. In my head I think there are only 2 jobs that would entice him away from his current role (Liverpool and England) obviously none of which are available. I simply don’t see him taking a role that won’t involve the opportunity of European football or a role which would involve him squaring up to his beloved Liverpool. Ergo I see him at Rangers until Klopp retires/moves. Of course if he really shines this year it may well mean french/Spanish/German/Italian opportunities.

[McLaren]

Gerard in charge of a foreign team is like something from a sketch show.

[JAS]

Gerard in charge of a foreign team is like something from a sketch show.

.

Not following, as in not sure what you mean Mac? Gerrard the player worked for managers from at least half a dozen different nationalities.

[Roller_Coaster]

Due to a lack of attention being paid by me, I thought the references to Oli McBurnie were about a joke player called Oil McBurnie. What with, erm, lots of you being Scottish, and Oil, well, erm, burning.

My bad.

English skills.

[dynamark]

Boaty McBoatface just signed for Heart of Midlothian .
I did think that was cruel to change that name in truth Attenborough with his straws up seals noses-they are not my straws !
Played today medal 120 gross appalling but best I can do at present

[super_realist]

Not sure where that nickname comes from Ralph, being the regional home of Aberdeen Angus beef I’d have thought Coo more appropriate and sheep more relevant to the Welsh outfit that humped Kilmarnock last night.

Anyways, as an Aberdeen fan I would have thought the coefficient would be of more interest. Wouldn’t you prefer entry at group stage rather than banana skin qualifiers? Personally I hate the whole approach uefa take in ranking teams/countries as it’s geared toward money laden leagues with big TV rights but it is what it is and we have to get on with it. The Dutch aren’t a big money league yet they turn out talent year after year and occasionally a PSV or Ajax light the way for lesser nations. Obviously, after the relative success of Ajax this season, their team gets broken up but at least it means money rolling into Dutch football to be recycled. That is what the Scottish League should be looking to do/aspire to. Trouble is (and this is where there are some grains of truth in what Super says), the SFA & SPFL are riddled with parochial petty jealously, infighting and a complete inability to make sound decisions for the good of the game especially in terms of selling/marketing itself. So the game in Scotland  stumbles along taking slaps in the face like Kilmarnock took last night. While the national team crawls away from places like Kazakhstan with its tail between its legs. Football does go in cycles though and with a bit of will Scottish football could/should get back to a better place than where it is now.
European football has been  going now for over 60 years, the longest period without a Scottish team appearing in a final is 16 years (Dundee Utd in ‘87 to Celtic in ‘03). It’s currently 11 years and counting, I’m pretty sure we’ve never been as low as we are now and the smart money would say it’ll be more than 5 years before a Scottish Club graces a final again. But hey, you never know when the next  Fergie, Stein or McLean will be unearthed, NOBODY can predict that, not even Super.

Scottish football doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Europe.
More than 5 years? I doubt we'll see a Scottish team in a final in the next 100 years. Why would there be? I wouldn't expect to see a Serbian or Swedish team in a final, so why would anyone think there was ever a chance of a Scottish team getting there? There's simply no financial interest in the game here.
Football wasn't always about money, which is why teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United could get to finals. That's not the case any more and I can't ever see a day when a Scottish team will ever get to a QF, let alone a final. Right now, you can't actually guarantee any Scottish club  team is going to get through a qualification campaign in Europe.

Would you care to wager about whether the coefficient will improve sufficiently this year to get Scotland back within the top 16? At the point Rangers fell off the cliff I think Scotland were 9th/10th, When Rangers reappeared they were 26th and are now circa 20th?  Given last night (and the night before) group stage football looks a decent possibility for both the OF...TBH I wouldn’t rule out Aberdeen either. Either way OF group stage football for both would significantly up the CoEff. You still reckon things are so Poopie that Scotland can’t climb significantly above 20th??
From what I see, the biggest issue Rangers have is holding on to Gerrard. In my head I think there are only 2 jobs that would entice him away from his current role (Liverpool and England) obviously none of which are available. I simply don’t see him taking a role that won’t involve the opportunity of European football or a role which would involve him squaring up to his beloved Liverpool. Ergo I see him at Rangers until Klopp retires/moves. Of course if he really shines this year it may well mean french/Spanish/German/Italian opportunities.

From what I have read Scotland have NO CHANCE of getting back into the top 15 regardless of performances this year which is what is required to have two teams playing in the CL. Apparently the Croats only have to have a moderate performance this year to maintain themselves ahead of anything the SPL could possibly do.

Rangers are terrible JAS, no matter what you say and they still have another round to get through if they beat Midtjylland which certainly isn't guaranteed given how ropey the Huns defence is. Celtic also are not guaranteed to get through to the next round, and even if they do face stiff opposition, as do the Huns, as for Aberdeen. They went out to bloody Burnley last year. Can't see them getting through to the competition proper either.

Celtic will have to beat Slavia Prague, can't see that being easy.
The Huns will play someone decent too looking at the list.



The coefficient going from 26th to 20th also has NOTHING to do with Rangers being back in the competition. Rangers have stunk the house out in Europe since they've been back in the EL. They have contributed virtually NOTHING to the Scottish coefficient since they returned.

The decline of Scottish football was happening long BEFORE Rangers were liquidated. You keep ignoring Artmedia Bratislava, Malmo, Maribor and Braga knocking the OF out of Europe BEFORE they were rightly kicked down to the lowest division. We've been through this before and you didn't address it then either.

[JAS]

Not sure where that nickname comes from Ralph, being the regional home of Aberdeen Angus beef I’d have thought Coo more appropriate and sheep more relevant to the Welsh outfit that humped Kilmarnock last night.

Anyways, as an Aberdeen fan I would have thought the coefficient would be of more interest. Wouldn’t you prefer entry at group stage rather than banana skin qualifiers? Personally I hate the whole approach uefa take in ranking teams/countries as it’s geared toward money laden leagues with big TV rights but it is what it is and we have to get on with it. The Dutch aren’t a big money league yet they turn out talent year after year and occasionally a PSV or Ajax light the way for lesser nations. Obviously, after the relative success of Ajax this season, their team gets broken up but at least it means money rolling into Dutch football to be recycled. That is what the Scottish League should be looking to do/aspire to. Trouble is (and this is where there are some grains of truth in what Super says), the SFA & SPFL are riddled with parochial petty jealously, infighting and a complete inability to make sound decisions for the good of the game especially in terms of selling/marketing itself. So the game in Scotland  stumbles along taking slaps in the face like Kilmarnock took last night. While the national team crawls away from places like Kazakhstan with its tail between its legs. Football does go in cycles though and with a bit of will Scottish football could/should get back to a better place than where it is now.
European football has been  going now for over 60 years, the longest period without a Scottish team appearing in a final is 16 years (Dundee Utd in ‘87 to Celtic in ‘03). It’s currently 11 years and counting, I’m pretty sure we’ve never been as low as we are now and the smart money would say it’ll be more than 5 years before a Scottish Club graces a final again. But hey, you never know when the next  Fergie, Stein or McLean will be unearthed, NOBODY can predict that, not even Super.

Scottish football doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Europe.
More than 5 years? I doubt we'll see a Scottish team in a final in the next 100 years. Why would there be? I wouldn't expect to see a Serbian or Swedish team in a final, so why would anyone think there was ever a chance of a Scottish team getting there? There's simply no financial interest in the game here.
Football wasn't always about money, which is why teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United could get to finals. That's not the case any more and I can't ever see a day when a Scottish team will ever get to a QF, let alone a final. Right now, you can't actually guarantee any Scottish club  team is going to get through a qualification campaign in Europe.

Would you care to wager about whether the coefficient will improve sufficiently this year to get Scotland back within the top 16? At the point Rangers fell off the cliff I think Scotland were 9th/10th, When Rangers reappeared they were 26th and are now circa 20th?  Given last night (and the night before) group stage football looks a decent possibility for both the OF...TBH I wouldn’t rule out Aberdeen either. Either way OF group stage football for both would significantly up the CoEff. You still reckon things are so Poopie that Scotland can’t climb significantly above 20th??
From what I see, the biggest issue Rangers have is holding on to Gerrard. In my head I think there are only 2 jobs that would entice him away from his current role (Liverpool and England) obviously none of which are available. I simply don’t see him taking a role that won’t involve the opportunity of European football or a role which would involve him squaring up to his beloved Liverpool. Ergo I see him at Rangers until Klopp retires/moves. Of course if he really shines this year it may well mean french/Spanish/German/Italian opportunities.

From what I have read Scotland have NO CHANCE of getting back into the top 15 regardless of performances  this year which is what is required to have two teams playing in the CL. Apparently the Croats only have to have a moderate performance this year to maintain themselves ahead of anything the SPL could possibly do.

Rangers are terrible JAS, no matter what you say and they still have another round to get through if they beat Midtjylland which certainly isn't guaranteed given how ropey the Huns defence is. Celtic also are not guaranteed to get through to the next round, and even if they do face stiff opposition, as do the Huns, as for Aberdeen. They went out to bloody Burnley last year. Can't see them getting through to the competition proper either.

Celtic will have to beat Slavia Prague, can't see that being easy.
The Huns will play someone decent too looking at the list.



The coefficient going from 26th to 20th also has NOTHING to do with Rangers being back in the competition. Rangers have stunk the house out in Europe since they've been back in the EL. They have contributed virtually NOTHING to the Scottish coefficient since they returned.

The decline of Scottish football was happening long BEFORE Rangers were liquidated. You keep ignoring Artmedia Bratislava, Malmo, Maribor and Braga knocking the OF out of Europe BEFORE they were rightly kicked down to the lowest division.  We've been through this before and you didn't address it then either.

Oh dear, this is hard work as always but here goes

“Rangers are terrible” should read “I think Rangers are terrible regardless of what facts are presented to me and I’ll go back as many years as I have to to find as many embarrassing shocks as I can to justify my position but not as far back as 2008 as that would undermine my argument”

So a 4-2 win away from home in Europe against a team ranked 100 places above them followed by a 6-1 thrashing of a team who took points off them last term suggests s that things might not be as bad as you make out. As ever though the first important benchmark test will come in the first OF meeting of the season, even if it’s lost (I think the first one is at Celtic park) it’s certainly won’t be season over. In the past couple of seasons they’ve gone from “will they qualify for Europe?” to pretty much guaranteed top 2. From where they’ve come from and against the power and resources that Celtic have been able to amass since 2012, the gap was never going to be closed in a season or 2. It would still be a HUGE task to do it this season but for the first time in 7-8 years it does look at least possible.
They might well fall at the next European hurdle which while disappointing may end up doing them a favour by being able to focus 100% on a domestic challenge.

Also I still stick with my original assertion that the Scottish coefficient plummeted in the years 2012 to 2017, has bottomed out and is now on the rise again, should both the OF get group stage football this year it WILL rise further.
Btw who said anything about getting 2 CL entries? What Scottish football needs to do is get itself to the point where it’s top teams get into the top trophies and not be relegated to Europa League2 which starts in season 21/22

[McLaren]

The really odd thing about Supers post is that he doesn't watch any football and yet he knows how the defense of a quite obscure team is doing.  

[JAS]

The really odd thing about Supers post is that he doesn't watch any football and yet he knows how the defense of a quite obscure team is doing.  

“ defense post” available at most B&Q garden centres!!

[super_realist]

Defense Mac?

How on earth did any of your essays not come back covered in red ink?

[super_realist]

Not sure where that nickname comes from Ralph, being the regional home of Aberdeen Angus beef I’d have thought Coo more appropriate and sheep more relevant to the Welsh outfit that humped Kilmarnock last night.

Anyways, as an Aberdeen fan I would have thought the coefficient would be of more interest. Wouldn’t you prefer entry at group stage rather than banana skin qualifiers? Personally I hate the whole approach uefa take in ranking teams/countries as it’s geared toward money laden leagues with big TV rights but it is what it is and we have to get on with it. The Dutch aren’t a big money league yet they turn out talent year after year and occasionally a PSV or Ajax light the way for lesser nations. Obviously, after the relative success of Ajax this season, their team gets broken up but at least it means money rolling into Dutch football to be recycled. That is what the Scottish League should be looking to do/aspire to. Trouble is (and this is where there are some grains of truth in what Super says), the SFA & SPFL are riddled with parochial petty jealously, infighting and a complete inability to make sound decisions for the good of the game especially in terms of selling/marketing itself. So the game in Scotland  stumbles along taking slaps in the face like Kilmarnock took last night. While the national team crawls away from places like Kazakhstan with its tail between its legs. Football does go in cycles though and with a bit of will Scottish football could/should get back to a better place than where it is now.
European football has been  going now for over 60 years, the longest period without a Scottish team appearing in a final is 16 years (Dundee Utd in ‘87 to Celtic in ‘03). It’s currently 11 years and counting, I’m pretty sure we’ve never been as low as we are now and the smart money would say it’ll be more than 5 years before a Scottish Club graces a final again. But hey, you never know when the next  Fergie, Stein or McLean will be unearthed, NOBODY can predict that, not even Super.

Scottish football doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Europe.
More than 5 years? I doubt we'll see a Scottish team in a final in the next 100 years. Why would there be? I wouldn't expect to see a Serbian or Swedish team in a final, so why would anyone think there was ever a chance of a Scottish team getting there? There's simply no financial interest in the game here.
Football wasn't always about money, which is why teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United could get to finals. That's not the case any more and I can't ever see a day when a Scottish team will ever get to a QF, let alone a final. Right now, you can't actually guarantee any Scottish club  team is going to get through a qualification campaign in Europe.

Would you care to wager about whether the coefficient will improve sufficiently this year to get Scotland back within the top 16? At the point Rangers fell off the cliff I think Scotland were 9th/10th, When Rangers reappeared they were 26th and are now circa 20th?  Given last night (and the night before) group stage football looks a decent possibility for both the OF...TBH I wouldn’t rule out Aberdeen either. Either way OF group stage football for both would significantly up the CoEff. You still reckon things are so Poopie that Scotland can’t climb significantly above 20th??
From what I see, the biggest issue Rangers have is holding on to Gerrard. In my head I think there are only 2 jobs that would entice him away from his current role (Liverpool and England) obviously none of which are available. I simply don’t see him taking a role that won’t involve the opportunity of European football or a role which would involve him squaring up to his beloved Liverpool. Ergo I see him at Rangers until Klopp retires/moves. Of course if he really shines this year it may well mean french/Spanish/German/Italian opportunities.

From what I have read Scotland have NO CHANCE of getting back into the top 15 regardless of performances  this year which is what is required to have two teams playing in the CL. Apparently the Croats only have to have a moderate performance this year to maintain themselves ahead of anything the SPL could possibly do.

Rangers are terrible JAS, no matter what you say and they still have another round to get through if they beat Midtjylland which certainly isn't guaranteed given how ropey the Huns defence is. Celtic also are not guaranteed to get through to the next round, and even if they do face stiff opposition, as do the Huns, as for Aberdeen. They went out to bloody Burnley last year. Can't see them getting through to the competition proper either.

Celtic will have to beat Slavia Prague, can't see that being easy.
The Huns will play someone decent too looking at the list.



The coefficient going from 26th to 20th also has NOTHING to do with Rangers being back in the competition. Rangers have stunk the house out in Europe since they've been back in the EL. They have contributed virtually NOTHING to the Scottish coefficient since they returned.

The decline of Scottish football was happening long BEFORE Rangers were liquidated. You keep ignoring Artmedia Bratislava, Malmo, Maribor and Braga knocking the OF out of Europe BEFORE they were rightly kicked down to the lowest division.  We've been through this before and you didn't address it then either.

Oh dear, this is hard work as always but here goes

“Rangers are terrible” should read “I think Rangers are terrible regardless of what facts are presented to me and I’ll go back as many years as I have to to find as many embarrassing shocks as I can to justify my position but not as far back as 2008 as that would undermine my argument”

So a 4-2 win away from home in Europe against a team ranked 100 places above them followed by a 6-1 thrashing of a team who took points off them last term suggests s that things might not be as bad as you make out. As ever though the first important benchmark test will come in the first OF meeting of the season, even if it’s lost (I think the first one is at Celtic park) it’s certainly won’t be season over. In the past couple of seasons they’ve gone from “will they qualify for Europe?” to pretty much guaranteed top 2. From where they’ve come from and against the power and resources that Celtic have been able to amass since 2012, the gap was never going to be closed in a season or 2. It would still be a HUGE task to do it this season but for the first time in 7-8  years it does look at least possible.
They might well fall at the next European hurdle which while disappointing may end up doing them a favour by being able to focus 100% on a domestic challenge.

Also I still stick with my original assertion that the Scottish coefficient plummeted in the years  2012 to 2017, has bottomed out and is now on the rise again, should both the OF get group stage football this year it WILL rise further.  
Btw who said anything about getting 2 CL entries? What Scottish football needs to do is get itself to the point where it’s top teams get into the top trophies and not be relegated to Europa League2 which starts in season 21/22

Be realistic JAS, it seems fairly unlikely that either Celtic or the Huns are going to qualify for Europe on a regular basis. Why would they? There are 4 rounds required for CL qualification, and if you don't get in there then the coefficient isn't going to build quickly enough to get top 16. So if they get in one year the coefficient will go up ONLY if they get results in that competition, but like last year they didn't get in, so the coefficient stays static or goes down and the EL doesn't provide many coefficient points, especially if you're rubbish in it like Rangers were.

You seem insistent that the coefficient went down when the Huns went down, and it might of, but Scottish football was ALREADY declining way before that as many results have shown. They didn't qualify every year BEFORE the Huns were relegated either. The coefficient was already starting to decline.

Mac is correct though, Rangers (and Celtic) are now pretty obscure and minor teams.

As for Rangers in the SPL, they only looked comfortable against Hibs when Hibs got a man sent off (it was 2-1 before that) and they only barely won their opening game last week with a last gasp winner in the 91st minute. So I'd hardly say that Rangers have made much progress at the moment.

[McLaren]

Super

Are we to assume you are watching football again given your last few posts seem to be written as if you watched the games?

[Davie]

You seem insistent that the coefficient went down when the Huns went down, and it might of, .....

People in glass houses etc.....

[JAS]

Ok, we can put argument and counter argument all day long but looking at it objectively I would make the following predictions
1. The OF will finish top 2 in the SPL, I wouldnt commit to which one will win but the sensible odds will still be with Celtic but a helicopter may be involved.
2. There will be at least a 12 point gap to 3rd place, possibly as much as 18 points
3. Both the OF will make the group stages of their respective European tournaments but neither will qualify for the knock out stages.
4. Enough coefficient points will be secured to improve The nations current standing.

There....why don’t you put your own predictions down and we’ll park this until next May?

[Roller_Coaster]

Mine, despite not being involved in any such discussion, not following Scottish football beyond who wins league at the end and not really caring, but throwing in an opinion in an anonymous forum for no real reason because it's in the form of a list and I'm a bloke:

1 Celtic to win by at least 8 points to Rangers
2 Rangers will have at least 9 points over third (so, 17 from top)
3 Neither will make group stages
4 Coefficient points may improve but not enough to improve the standing of Scotland-land

[McLaren]

Coefficient fcked now.

[super_realist]

Ok, we can put argument and counter argument all day long but looking at it objectively I would make the following predictions
1. The OF will finish top 2 in the SPL, I wouldnt commit to which one will win but the sensible odds will still be with Celtic but a helicopter may be involved.
2. There will be at least a 12 point gap to 3rd place, possibly as much as 18 points
3. Both the OF will make the group stages of their respective European tournaments but neither will qualify for the knock out stages.
4. Enough coefficient points will be secured to improve The nations current standing.

There....why don’t you put your own predictions down and we’ll park this until next May?

You went a bit early there JAS.

I don't care who wins the SPL. It's one of the worst leagues in Europe  and one of the least competitive. I have no idea why the SPL don't switch to summer football to give the league more of a selling point. I've been at Pittodrie in February and it is horrible. Scottish football is terrible partly because there's no money in it. What is the point in it trying to compete for TV money when most leagues ahead of it in the rankings play during autumn/winter and early spring too? Who's going to watch the SPL when you could watch a dozen better leagues?

I watched some highlights at the weekend and I hadn't realised just how laughable the stadia is in Scotland. I've been to a lot of the grounds, but I'd never been to Partick Thistle. I've seen better grounds in the Conference in England. No wonder no decent players go to Scotland. Who would want to play in such a dump?

I'd be surprised if there was enough coefficient points accrued to move to 19th. Either way, even if they got to 18, it's still EIGHTEENTH. That's atrocious.

[JAS]

Ok, we can put argument and counter argument all day long but looking at it objectively I would make the following predictions
1. The OF will finish top 2 in the SPL, I wouldnt commit to which one will win but the sensible odds will still be with Celtic but a helicopter may be involved.
2. There will be at least a 12 point gap to 3rd place, possibly as much as 18 points
3. Both the OF will make the group stages of their respective European tournaments but neither will qualify for the knock out stages.
4. Enough coefficient points will be secured to improve The nations current standing.

There....why don’t you put your own predictions down and we’ll park this until next May?

You went a bit early there JAS.

I don't care who wins the SPL. It's one of the worst leagues in Europe  and one of the least competitive. I have no idea why the SPL don't switch to summer football to give the league more of a selling point. I've been at Pittodrie in February and it is horrible. Scottish football is terrible partly because there's no money in it. What is the point in it trying to compete for TV money when most leagues ahead of it in the rankings play during autumn/winter and early spring too?  Who's going to watch the SPL when you could watch a dozen better leagues?

I watched some highlights at the weekend and I hadn't realised just how laughable the stadia is in Scotland. I've been to a lot of the grounds, but I'd never been to Partick Thistle. I've seen better grounds in the Conference in England. No wonder no decent players go to Scotland. Who would want to play in such a dump?

I'd be surprised if there was enough coefficient points accrued to move to 19th. Either way, even if they got to 18, it's still EIGHTEENTH. That's atrocious.

Yep, within a day and Celtic have managed to shoot one of my predictions to Poopie!! Most currant Buns will be ecstatic but I’m not, I do think improving our coefficient is more important than parochial petty rivalry, having said that I’ll still raise a chuckle at my Celtic supporting mates.

Super I’ve been to Aberdeen in September and it’s horrible, that’s nowt to do with the SPL!! You do hit the nail on the head about the money thing and I’m not sure how that can be changed, as football finance in general and the commercialisation of the game really started to take off the old firm tried to keep competing and rangers in particular stupidly overstretched themselves not having the commercial nous to back up their ambition.
It does still seem crazy to me that 2 teams with 45000 to 50000 season ticket holders (with waiting lists) can’t attract more lucrative sponsorship and better benefactors than they currently have but that I suppose again comes down to a lack of commercial/marketing nous. With the OF fan base and supporter base among the better clubs just behind the OF suggests Scottish football should be in a better position than it currently is. Maybe they should try summer football, not really sure of how much better that would make things other than the European qualifiers being slightly better placed not to get caught cold.
A bugbear for me has always been the games administrators, they are and always have been petty, parochial and completely devoid of leadership and innovative thinking.
If I had anything to do with it i’d have tapped up Fergie and given him some sort of part time consultancy role to rip a hairdryer right through the SPFL & SFA tip brass.

[McLaren]

It does still seem crazy to me that 2 teams with 45000 to 50000 season ticket holders (with waiting lists) can’t attract more lucrative sponsorship and better benefactors than they currently have but that I suppose again comes down to a lack of commercial/marketing nous.

It might have something to do with the scum bags that predominantly make up those 95000 (and a lot of the other fans). No major brand in their right mind would want to be associated with the low life image of the OF.

[JAS]

It does still seem crazy to me that 2 teams with 45000 to 50000 season ticket holders (with waiting lists) can’t attract more lucrative sponsorship and better benefactors than they currently have but that I suppose again comes down to a lack of commercial/marketing nous.

It might have something to do with the scum bags that predominantly make up those 95000 (and a lot of the other fans).  No major brand in their right mind would want to be associated with the low life image of the OF.

Aye Mac because all the money men in football are all completely squeaky clean and altruistic. The OF (love them or loathe them) are still potentially box office. They’ve both significantly cleaned up their sectarian culture although there still some Neanderthals left. If you’re saying they are no longer box office you’re effectively saying that sanitising them has made them boring and uninteresting. What kind of message does that send?

[McLaren]

Jas

I have no idea if they have sanitised themselves, what I am saying is that in their current state they are an unattractive proposition for a brand to associate with. Also, it is you making the claim they were ever box office outside the insular world of Scottish football.

[super_realist]

Ok, we can put argument and counter argument all day long but looking at it objectively I would make the following predictions
1. The OF will finish top 2 in the SPL, I wouldnt commit to which one will win but the sensible odds will still be with Celtic but a helicopter may be involved.
2. There will be at least a 12 point gap to 3rd place, possibly as much as 18 points
3. Both the OF will make the group stages of their respective European tournaments but neither will qualify for the knock out stages.
4. Enough coefficient points will be secured to improve The nations current standing.

There....why don’t you put your own predictions down and we’ll park this until next May?

You went a bit early there JAS.

I don't care who wins the SPL. It's one of the worst leagues in Europe  and one of the least competitive. I have no idea why the SPL don't switch to summer football to give the league more of a selling point. I've been at Pittodrie in February and it is horrible. Scottish football is terrible partly because there's no money in it. What is the point in it trying to compete for TV money when most leagues ahead of it in the rankings play during autumn/winter and early spring too?  Who's going to watch the SPL when you could watch a dozen better leagues?

I watched some highlights at the weekend and I hadn't realised just how laughable the stadia is in Scotland. I've been to a lot of the grounds, but I'd never been to Partick Thistle. I've seen better grounds in the Conference in England. No wonder no decent players go to Scotland. Who would want to play in such a dump?

I'd be surprised if there was enough coefficient points accrued to move to 19th. Either way, even if they got to 18, it's still EIGHTEENTH. That's atrocious.

Yep, within a day and Celtic have managed to shoot one of my predictions to Poopie!! Most currant Buns will be ecstatic but I’m not, I do think improving our coefficient is more important than parochial petty rivalry, having said that I’ll still raise a chuckle at my Celtic supporting mates.

Super I’ve been to Aberdeen in September and it’s horrible, that’s nowt to do with the SPL!! You do hit the nail on the head about the money thing and I’m not sure how that can be changed, as football finance in general and the commercialisation of the game really started to take off the old firm tried to keep competing and rangers in particular stupidly overstretched themselves not having the commercial nous to back up their ambition.
It does still seem crazy to me that 2 teams with 45000 to 50000 season ticket holders (with waiting lists) can’t attract more lucrative sponsorship and better benefactors than they currently have but that I suppose again comes down to a lack of commercial/marketing nous.  With the OF fan base and supporter  base among the better clubs just behind the OF suggests Scottish football should be in a better position than it currently is. Maybe they should try summer football, not really sure of how much better that would make things other than the European qualifiers being slightly better placed not to get caught cold.
A bugbear for me has always been the games administrators, they are and always have been petty, parochial and completely devoid of leadership and innovative thinking.
If I had anything to do with it i’d have tapped up Fergie and given him some sort of part time consultancy role to rip a hairdryer right through the SPFL & SFA tip brass.

It's just an idea, but the reason that they have such a terrible coefficient is because they are so bad in Europe. Celtic have won just ONE match in the Champions League in the last 6 years, have failed to qualify 4 out of the last 6 years (and only got in one of them because Legia Warsaw fielded ineligible players). As Tom English said, both Glasgow clubs are European irrelevancies. Celtic have been knocked out by Malmo, Maribor, Warsaw and AIK and in some years not  getting to the  final qualifying round. You can't keep carrying on the same way in Scottish Football and expecting that result to improve.

The SPL HAVE to change something or the coefficient will only improve very marginally on the far less valuable EL points system. Celtic have been knocked out by a club from the 29th ranked league for goodness sake and the teams that have beaten in the qualification in the last 6 years them have also been from leagues ranked lower, so if anything the SPL is ranked far too highly at present in the coefficient league. Only AIK came from a higher ranked league.


Both clubs are pretty much toxic brands to those who are not fans. They are deeply unpleasant institutions riddled with bigotry, fan problems, petty rivalry and infantile behaviour and politicking. I wouldn't want to sponsor them either. Also being from Glasgow doesn't help them. It's an ugly city  and not a particularly trendy one with terrible weather so it struggles to attract decent players. Not to mention the fans are pretty scummy too.


I also hear how if Celtic and Rangers were in the Premier League, then with the money they'd be challenging in the league. Never understood that. It's never really helped Newcastle who have a massive fan base in their city (the plastic OF fans around the world bring nothing to the club), and Liverpool have never won it either so why would either of the Ugly Sisters?

If they played summer football, then at the very least they'd be better prepared for the qualification because they'd be in the middle of their season and maybe they'd qualify for 3 out of 6 Champions Leagues instead of 2.

[McLaren]

Good to see Greta Thunberg picking up the accolades she deserves.


Such a wonderful young woman.

[JAS]

Good to see Greta Thunberg picking up the accolades she deserves.


Such a wonderful young woman.

Behave yourself Mac she’s under age!!

So who (or what) is funding/promoting her? What is their “skin in the game” as it were?

[JAS]

Super, your responses are getting repetitively boring now, well I say now but to be honest you’ve always trotted out the same negative Super enhanced drivel. There are some valid points among your anti Scottish football rants but the overall impression is just one of negative embitterment.

[pedro]

Good to see Greta Thunberg picking up the accolades she deserves.


Such a wonderful young woman.

Behave yourself Mac she’s under age!!

So who (or what) is funding/promoting her? What is their “skin in the game” as it were?

Her parents as far as I know.

[navyblueshorts]

Good to see Greta Thunberg picking up the accolades she deserves.


Such a wonderful young woman.

[McLaren]

As far as I am concerned greta is doing great work if she has angered the group of people who whinge about her.

[super_realist]

As far as I am concerned greta is doing great work if she has angered the group of people who whinge about her.

She's intolerable Mac. Aren't you sick of being lectured to by massive hypocrites like Thunberg, Emma Thomson, David Attenborough, Prince Harry and Leonardo Di Caprio?

What expertise in the environment or climate do any of them have? None whatsoever, furthermore just ONE of them probably has a higher carbon footprint than the entire 606 board put together.


No one denies that the climate is changing and that mankind has had a role in it, but irresponsible idiots using words like "crisis", "emergency" etc are talking absolute tosh.

What is the crisis? What is the emergency. I want examples and proof it is going to happen.

[dynamark]

I'm not sure encouraging a million schoolkids to miss school is good work.
Pretty pointless and quite disturbing that children took part.
Has she popped over to China,India and Russia with the message ?
The racing yacht she is in to the Us is a very costly piece of kit if she was on the Kon Tiki it would be more relevant

[super_realist]

Super, your responses are getting repetitively boring now, well I say now but to be honest you’ve always trotted out the same negative Super enhanced drivel. There are some valid points among your anti Scottish football rants but the overall impression is just one of negative embitterment.

Can you refute any of what I've said? Just because you're a Rangers fan, doesn't mean you have to wear your blue tinged glasses and deny the blatantly obvious. What is the point in trying to be positive about a turd of a league?

Scottish football is unlikely to improve the coefficient because they are so terrible in Europe, the SPL is unwilling to do anything which will cause this to change. Scottish teams have proven they aren't good enough to be in the Champions League and are pretty hopeless in the EL too. They haven't done well in over a decade and look very unlikely to do so.


What is there to be positive about in Scottish football? Poor stadiums, poor players, poor quality of football. For the product it's also far too bloody expensive. Why would anyone waste their time following such poor quality football? If your golf club went downhill like the SPL you wouldn't pay your fees anymore, you'd find something else to do.

[super_realist]

I'm not sure encouraging a million schoolkids to miss school is good work.
Pretty pointless and quite disturbing that children took part.
Has she popped over to China,India and Russia with the message ?
The racing yacht she is in to the Us is a very costly piece of kit if she was on the Kon Tiki it would be more relevant

Carbon fibre racing yachts are not especially environmentally friendly, furthermore she needs 4 weeks of food to sustain her, rather than it being perfectly feasible not to have any meal en route to New York via a plane. How much carbon footprint has her 4 weeks of food cost? I'm doubting she brought 4 weeks of homegrown food with her (plus what she'll eat in environmentally unfriendly America). She also needs 4 weeks of clothes, which need washed compared with just a few days worth if she took a plane.

Like virtually all of these environmental morons she is a MASSIVE hypocrite.

The yacht also has a petrol engine and she got to the boat via a motorboat because it wasn't moored at a pier. Also, how did she get from Sweden to the place where she disembarked? It departed from the UK. Did she sail there too?

As for her cover on the GQ magazine. Doesn't she care about the carbon footprint of printing, distributing, promoting and selling the magazine? How about the carbon footprint of the team that no doubt visited her to take the pictures and conduct the interview?

[super_realist]

What a C*** Corbyn is. He's always going on about democracy, but now he wants to be the stand in Prime Minister for an unelected party.
How is that democratic? Is there a more unpopular leader in Labour's history?

The three worst PM's in Conservative history have all existed within the reign of Corbyn's Labour leadership and he's so bad he can't make a dent in it.

[JAS]

What a C*** Corbyn is. He's always going on about democracy, but now he wants to be the stand in Prime Minister for an unelected party.
How is that democratic?  Is there a more unpopular leader in Labour's history?

The three worst PM's in Conservative history have all existed within the reign of Corbyn's Labour leadership and he's so bad he can't make a dent in it.

The country simply doesn’t deserve a principled leader with left of center views. We deserve to get shafted by Etonian elite leaders because that’s what a majority believe is good for us. Despite Capitalism falling on its arse in 2008 these privileged Muppet still tell us that Socialism can’t work (unless it’s to bail out the banks). And before you chirp up that Blair was a Socialist...NO he was a Fettes educated barrister so in effect Very similar to an Etonian elite, global corporate back pocket, Bush/Clinton loving Neo liberal disciple (or put more simply NOT a Socialist).

Having got all that off my chest and feeling much better for it, I do have concerns about Corbyns leadership qualities. He’s a quiet principled man who will argue a good case on anything he fundamentally believes in but an Attlee or a Bevan he his not and I think if this current mess is going to be sorted from the left, that what will be required.
I can’t see the ideological zealots on the right not doing everything they can to destroy him. Such is the level of hatred swilling around and being pumped up at the moment it wouldn’t even surprise me if someone tried to take him out if he looked like securing the top job. Incredibly sad state of affairs but this is where 9 years of austerity and an open wound of EU membership has got us. The old Tory what set of capitalists (EU or British) should have the exclusive right to screw the gullible British masses into the ground.

[super_realist]

If Corbyn was a moderate, principled man with left of centre views I probably wouldn't mind, but he's a dishonest Marxist with some very reprehensible views and associations.

You might not like capitalism, but you are a capitalist and it is still the best system. When has socialism (Corbyn's version) ever worked?

[JAS]

Super, your responses are getting repetitively boring now, well I say now but to be honest you’ve always trotted out the same negative Super enhanced drivel. There are some valid points among your anti Scottish football rants but the overall impression is just one of negative embitterment.

Can you refute any of what I've said?

Yes  but you don’t listen and continue to cherry pick isolated facts to reinforce your negative prejudices

Just because you're a Rangers fan, doesn't mean you have to wear your blue tinged glasses and deny the blatantly obvious.

I’m not really a fan, admittedly I used to be but I haven’t been inside Ibrox since I took my mum on a hospitality package for her 80th birthday, so well over a decade ago.

What is the point in trying to be positive about a turd of a league?

In life in general whether it’s about a league, a team, a golf game, a woman....what the hell is to be gained by being negative. If you can’t have a positive outlook on the world in general then you head toward old age storing up a wealth of mental health issues

Scottish football is unlikely to improve the coefficient because they are so terrible in Europe,

Celtic are ranked 47th (incidentally only 1 behind Milan, 2 ahead of Marseilles). Rangers are ranked 206th (mainly because they only have 2 years of counting points and one of them was the Progress humiliation 2 years ago) another 3 years of reaching the EL group stage would comfortably get them top 60. The whole original point I was trying to make
many posts ago was that with Rangers being out out for 5 years and therefor having no points to contribute at all , that is now changing and will continue to change. The low water mark for the Scottish coefficient was 2 years ago when it got as bad as 26. Yes Celtic struggling in CL is an issue (but what do they expect if they help create a one team league with no realistic domestic opposition for 5 years). Aberdeen and the others are consistently disappointing but the Rangers returning effect WILL have a positive effect on the coefficient regardless of how much it grinds your gears.

[Roller_Coaster]

Good try for the weekly "who's filled with the most anger" award

Dyna - reasonably points out a few inconsistencies/issues in Thunberg's approach. Third.

JAS in second. An eloquent dig at the right and how the recent(ish) left were more right than left (and more wrong than right) and how we all deserve the shafting by some stuck up so and so's that we have brought down upon ourselves.

However, Super has (again) taken the title through sheer diversity of vitriol. By 8.10 am. On a Friday. The best day of the working week.

Climate campaigners (all c**ts), Scottish Football (all c**ts, run by c**ts, c**ty coefficient, no c**ting future and Corbyn (the "C***"). All repeats, but executed with such power and hatred that his journey to the dark side is now complete.

Drives, if taken by the 3 posters this morning:

Dyna - 195 yards, weak fade into first cut right.

JAS - 250 yard draw, lovely shape, well executed, just ends up stymied behind the one tree down the left.

Super - Wild axeman smash 320 carry, lands on concrete "50 to green" distance marker, kicks on so wildly it shoots through the back of the green and onto the car park beyond the boundary of the course and OOB. Architect of course is a c**t, greens staff are c**ts for not having rough before the OOB, captain is a c**t for not parking in his space behind green to enable ball to bounce back in to play.

[super_realist]

Jas it is laughable that you think that some random ranking places Celtic on a par with Milan.
There's not a single person in the entire world who would think that ranking actually reflects reality.

Celtic are a million miles away from Milan.

It's also hilarious that you are blaming the SPL and not Rangers for the SPL being a one horse race. It's like a fat person blaming the government for them being fat.

[pedro]

Just read that 5 people will fly over the Atlantic to sail Gretas boat back to Europe. Nice.

[Roller_Coaster]

Just read that 5 people will fly over the Atlantic to sail Gretas boat back to Europe. Nice.

Is that real?

Or an "internet" fact?

[McLaren]

she needs 4 weeks of food to sustain her, rather than it being perfectly feasible not to have any meal en route to New York via a plane.

You do know that she would have to eat for those 4 weeks regardless of what she was doing?

Just read that 5 people will fly over the Atlantic to sail Gretas boat back to Europe. Nice.

Is that real?

Or an "internet" fact?

What is it about a publicity stunt that people don't get? She is not saying this is how everyone should cross the Atlantic, she is drawing attention to the issue she is trying to promote. All she is doing is using an invention of the capitalist system, advertising.

[pedro]

Just read that 5 people will fly over the Atlantic to sail Gretas boat back to Europe. Nice.

Is that real?

Or an "internet" fact?

Sorry if it hasn’t reached The Guardian yet.

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