tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:48:55 +0000Scottish football and nothing less. Although sometimes maybe a bit more.http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/noreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)Blogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-4967695367721286444Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:40:00 +00002009-11-20T00:50:45.063ZSPL predictionsSPLSPL 2009/2010SPL fixturesAnother international break and it all went a bit medieval. After being slain in a distant land we embarked on a spot of regicide. So it's bye, bye George and hello .... ? God save the king, whoever he might be.We don't know. Walter Smith and Mark McGhee have already said they don't want the job. Jim Jefferies won't talk about it, Craig Levein is hotly tipped but United are extending a half http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/eiu7of1m1sI/back-to-business.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/back-to-business.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-2743688938310398884Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:21:00 +00002009-11-17T19:38:37.165ZScotlandSFAgordon smithGeorge BurleyScotland ManagerIt was a contrite and regretful Gordon Smith that broke the news of George Burley's departure. Or was it? Interpreting for the cynical:The decision was taken after a meeting with the board of directors and, subsequently, the national coach. The board was in unanimous agreement. The rest of them agreed with my decision. I then met George and told him to “get tae.”It should be stressed the decisionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/hC5yH-ujs-c/say-what-you-mean.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)2http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/say-what-you-mean.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-4322592869855898099Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:36:00 +00002009-11-17T01:12:22.945ZScotlandChick YoungBarry FergusonScotland ManagerKris BoydAllan McGreggorIt did not take Chick Young long. In his obituary of George Burley's reign as national team boss the great oracle of our game points out that a new manager means a new chance for Kris Boyd, Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson.Fair enough. A new broom and new beginnings. No manager taking the job should have his hands tied.Likewise the new man (if it is indeed it is a man: let's not reduce our http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/JaEkh-jcr7g/chance-of-second-chance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)1http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/chance-of-second-chance.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-7414450939148214521Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:55:00 +00002009-11-17T00:08:29.037ZScotlandSFAGeorge BurleyScotland ManagerAnd so George Burley's reign ended as we knew - and in his heart of hearts he must have known - it would. The sheer inevitability of his sacking was blatantly obvious at around 3.30 Saturday afternoon.In truth it has been inevitable throughout a 14 game reign that never looked like building momentum. The flickers of life that were detected during the defeat to Holland and the win over Macedonia http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/LD9RCgA89QE/it-could-be-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/it-could-be-you.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-5207641379221444960Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:19:00 +00002009-11-15T00:24:58.820ZScotlandScotland Under 21sBad news follows bad follows worse.That's the season so far.So, as a special treat, some good news and heartfelt thanks to the youngsters:Azerbaijan U21 0 - 4 Scotland U21JAMIE Murphy, scorer of a last-gasp winner in Scotland's previous qualifier at home to Belarus, continued his impressive form with a double as Scotland moved to the top of European Under-21 Championship Qualifying Group 10 with http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/ZE_5bb4Hycs/scotland-in-win-shock.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/scotland-in-win-shock.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-1447150523801908616Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:09:00 +00002009-11-16T16:30:24.485ZSFAgordon smithIt's funny the things that play on your mind when you head to the hills for a week to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation.One question kept flickering through my mind. What is the point of Gordon Smith?His tenure at the SFA has coincided with a dismal downturn in the national team's fortunes. Boozing players and a manager with only the grudging support of his employers. The SFA looks http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/VIPs5ALi8dU/and-smith-mustgo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/and-smith-mustgo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-5034068457134108720Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:38:00 +00002009-11-14T23:41:48.559Zdismal Scottish footballGeorge BurleyWales v ScotlandOnce more, with a little less feeling.That probably sums up another abject Scottish performance as well as anything could.This was bad, bad, bad. Scotland were humiliated again by Wales. The question remains: how many of these performances can we endure before a change is made.Before the game George Burley justified his selection of a full back, Danny Fox, because "he'd worked ever so hard" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/dGDSKd1BFFY/bye-george.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/bye-george.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-6770621702048039611Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:35:00 +00002009-11-12T08:35:00.400ZFootball Booksscottish football booksYou might have noticed that I often link to books that are listed on the Scottish Football Blog Bookshop.This is my own Amazon aStore. It doesn't make much money but I'd like it to be useful as a library of decent football books.So feel free to let me know of any books that you think I might have missed.There are hundreds of books on football available now. What are your favourites? From Nick http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/MguT7KIScnk/brought-to-book.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/brought-to-book.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-1518274088489773416Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:10:00 +00002009-11-11T08:10:00.198ZMcCrae's BattalionWorld War OneHeartsAs football remembered the fallen over the weekend, one of the most poignant acts of remembrance came at Tynecastle.13 Hearts players volunteered to fight in 1914. The McCrae's Battalion website takes up the story:In August 1914 Great Britain went to war with Germany. As eager young men flocked to join Lord Kitchener’s volunteer army, professional football became the target of a vitriolic http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/FprBsIc4o9g/we-shall-remember-them.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)1http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/we-shall-remember-them.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-5036916260446146290Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +00002009-11-10T09:00:05.161ZScottish FootballcharityMovemberYou may have noticed that some of our footballers have been sporting moustaches recently.This is not some bizarre tribute to the perfectly groomed Graeme Souness but part of Movember, an annual campaign to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer.Danny Fox, Gary Caldwell, Paddy McCourt, Kris Boyd and Allan McGreggor have already signed up. So to, with the backing of the Scottish Sun, have http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/y62Xia3aHyA/movember.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/movember.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-299395334582385411Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:15:00 +00002009-11-09T13:02:40.954ZScottish FootballGeorge BurleyKevin ThomsonI remember when I was young.I remember it always being sunny with quick witted street urchins running happily on the car free streets performing footballing miracles with tennis balls.Actually, I don't.I do, however, remember our old sage Craig Brown. How he would puff his chest out with pride when talking about the sudden availability of “young Alistair” or “young Paul.” He looked just like the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/COxuSmJRcFw/age-old-problem.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/age-old-problem.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-151983775082430587Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:58:00 +00002009-11-09T00:12:00.963Zrangers supportersCelticCeltic supportersRangersThey hate being lumped together. Which is as good a reason as any for writing about them together.And, yet again, it's an article that I don't really want to write. Another article about how the sections of idiots that both Rangers and Celtic have in their support are making numpties of us all.On Wednesday night Rangers fans got involved with police in Romania. The club are walking a tightrope ofhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/vvDcH_dPZh4/another-day-of-pride.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)1http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/another-day-of-pride.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-6286209970413882077Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +00002009-11-08T18:35:38.394ZEngland v Scotlandsir alf ramseyReading Leo McKinstry's excellent biography of Sir Alf Ramsey (of which more later) I've been struck by Ramsey's long standing loathing of the Scots.It's not unusual to hear ex-Scottish internationals talk about how much beating the Auld Enemy meant to them, with Denis Law and Pat Crerand both lingering on this in their autobiographies.And England players often talk about how much the annual http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/xWEqNGDsrN4/lifelong-hatred.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/lifelong-hatred.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-176496527732506514Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:24:00 +00002009-11-07T01:05:12.988ZSPL predictionsSPL 2009/2010SPL fixturesRushed this week as I prepare to host a dinner party. Middle class excess and all that. Still I hold on to the fact that I'll always be more Morrison's Value than Bullingdon Bertie. Such small moral victories keep us on the side of the righteous.On football matters I have been a bit detached this week. That two draws on the road is some kind of European triumph says all that needs to be said http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/C8PtZYzKTKk/weekend-ahead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/weekend-ahead.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-3045431532340633466Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:29:00 +00002009-11-04T11:37:00.729ZChampions League 2009/10Rangers v UnireaUnirea v RangersWalter SmithRangers4-1, 4-1. Not only Walter Smith’s most likely formation for tonight but also the defeats Rangers have suffered in their last two European games. The perceived wisdom is that it’s a formation that works better away from home. As it’s the formation that will be in use against Unirea Urziceni you’ve really got to hope that’s the case.Do Rangers go into tonight’s game in crisis? Domestically they’re http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/zV11_WJtn3Q/champions-league-chumps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)1http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/11/champions-league-chumps.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-5644037931239255336Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:24:00 +00002009-10-31T15:22:19.219ZLondon 20122012 OlympicsScotland 2012 OlympicsCultural OlympiadScotland will be tenuously linked to football at the 2012 Olympic Games after artist Craig Coulthard won a commission as part of the Cultural Olympiad.Coulthard's work is called Forest Pitch and according to the Highlands and Islands Arts website:Craig Coulthard’s Forest Pitch involves a football pitch hidden within a forest. Trees are felled to make way for a football pitch and used to create a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/zytztVm43AU/london-calling_31.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/london-calling_31.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-6134155622139755228Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:17:00 +00002009-10-30T01:37:54.649ZSPL predictionsSPL 2009/2010SPL fixtures Monday morning and you find yourself reflecting on a Lehman Brothers style financial armageddon at Ibrox and the Tynecastle faithful turning on their own captain.But by the end of the week Rangers are looking odds on for the first silverware of the season and Csabo Lazlo is touting himself as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.The season so far has been a bit mental. If you're struggling to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/FbbXBn53Qsg/life-is-roller-coaster.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/life-is-roller-coaster.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-2925302672908433930Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:32:00 +00002009-10-29T10:13:09.268ZScottish FootballGordon StrachanCelticTony MowbraySir Alex FergusonMiddlesbroughGordon Strachan has not lost his fan club in the English press if Kevin Mitchell's column in today's Guardian is anything to go by.His quick wit and popular side career as a pundit have given birth to a "Cult of Wee Gordon" amongst sections of the English media. His perceived differences to another famous Scottish manager have helped in this. Perhaps unwittingly he has gone along with the idea http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/jXKF2ZplA9o/whole-different-country.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)2http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/whole-different-country.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-2913571208327776928Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:47:00 +00002009-10-28T21:28:12.843ZVladimir RomanovCsabo LazloHeartsVladimir Romanov. Lock up your managers. The giant of Lithuanian football once more walks among the gnomes that populate the cradle of the game.I thought we'd lost him. First there was the lure of the televised dance floor and then the threats to his not quite global banking empire caused by the worldwide recession.The Edinburgh branch of the Ukio Bankas remained unopened. Hearts seemed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/OfVuIQYeORs/and-so-youre-back-from-outer-space.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)2http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/and-so-youre-back-from-outer-space.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-1771841936553448175Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +00002009-10-27T18:34:18.949ZOld Firm leaving Scotlandrangers crisisMartin BainChick YoungDave KingWalter SmithRangersDavid MurraySuch has been the forensic focus on Ranger’s perilous finances over the last couple of days that following Scottish football has been like studying for an accountancy degree. Not so much fans with typewriters as fans with calculators.To save everybody the hassle of crawling into every nook and cranny of the internet in the search for news about the country’s most bombastic football club http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/iDKCH99OhIM/in-rich-mans-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/in-rich-mans-world.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-3114121143243963916Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +00002009-10-27T05:00:04.442ZScottish League Cup 2009/10Scottish football predictionsScottish football fixturesA midweek prediction special as Scottish football's least revered competition reaches the quarter final stage.Dundee v RangersRangers rediscovered some vim on Saturday but, crucially, still couldn't overcome Hibs. This is a poor Rangers side further distracted by off the field disasters. Quite a contrast to Dundee who are flying high and luxuriating in new found riches. Walter Smith will be keen http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/TeTPsCEaWk0/whats-in-store-co-op-cup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/whats-in-store-co-op-cup.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-5979130670559727798Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:01:00 +00002009-10-27T10:22:30.173Zrangers crisisWalter SmithRangersDavid MurrayJohn Hughes described Walter Smith as the "godfather" of Scottish football managers the other day. In recent weeks, however, Smith's traditional taciturn gravitas has been replaced by a more haunted look, the look of a man who spends his long, sleepless nights wondering what went wrong.When he returned to Rangers he knew there would be hard work ahead. At times he must struggle to comprehend thathttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/9N6sO-AnvPU/great-depression.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/great-depression.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-6379497846502191828Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:09:00 +00002009-10-25T12:42:15.718Zspl championsSPL Family ChampionsNeil DoncasterA bit of a tongue in cheek article on the ever busy Mirror football site the other day asking what football could learn from American football.Thankfully noses are turned up at cheerleaders and overseas games. Salary caps (some chance) make the cut along with referees explaining their decisions on the spot (unworkable and ridiculous) and instant replays (similar technology is inevitable in some http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/gRPt5erero8/nfl-not-effing-likely.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)1http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/nfl-not-effing-likely.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-3720197728804595056Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:51:00 +00002009-10-25T02:14:58.536ZSPL resultsSunday PostSPL 2009/2010SPL roundupThe clocks have gone back. How did you spend the extra hour? This year I decided not to waste it squeezing in yet more alcopops or sleeping off the day's excess.Instead I've chosen to resurrect an old favourite. The Sunday Post of my childhood used to run a “What They Said” feature on the back page. This involved collating quotes from each of the Premier League managers about their team's http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/CqvpjqVRjjQ/clocks-have-gone-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/clocks-have-gone-back.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125237999223639219.post-1960282770234497881Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +00002009-10-24T12:44:22.449ZOld Firm dominanceRangers v HibsSPL 2009/2010Because a football league is such a protracted affair it poses problems in a society that continues to demand instant gratification.Football is not a game that lends itself to a Twenty:20 style abbreviation and leagues remain the most lucrative format for clubs and the media.This means that over the course of a forty week season the media feels the need to engineer a number of different http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheScottishFootballBlog/~3/biPCcpsxiVY/cracking-big-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (the scottish football blogger)0http://www.scottishfootballblog.co.uk/2009/10/cracking-big-time.html