Showing posts with label Kilmarnock v Hearts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kilmarnock v Hearts. Show all posts

Sunday, August 21, 2011

SPL: Welcome Home

After the party, the hangover. The fear. The self loathing.

Rangers thought they'd pulled the good looking girl only to see her disappear into the bedroom with a handsome stranger.

Celtic were ignored most of the night, left to stand in the kitchen nursing a lukewarm can of Skol.

And Hearts? Well, poor Hearts, they lost their invite and got kicked up and down by the bouncer when they tried to get in.

Never has a banging Euro hardcore soundtrack delivered such a poignant reminder of Scotland's footballing frailty.

But what did we learn from this week of European misadventure?

We learnt that within every Scottish football fan lurks a doomladen Private Frazer.

Other than that we learnt nowt. Not a thing.

Rangers and Celtic endured their own frustrations but the results are not yet fatal to their chances of progressing.

And few of us would have argued that either half of the Old Firm were without flaws going into Thursday night.

We should also have accepted that a clash between the best of the rest in England and the best of the rest in Scotland was going to highlight a glaring gulf in quality.

We might have hoped that Tynecastle wouldn't witness quite such a massacre but nor should we have been surprised at what happened.

The disparity in skill reflects the disparity in available resources. The apparent disparity in fitness - "who's the little fat man chasing Gareth Bale?" asked one tweet - and basic technical ability raises different questions but, again, should be no surprise to those who watch both Scottish and English football.

It's also important to note that this Spurs team have won big in their own league before. The inequality that afflicts football has not chosen Scotland as its sole victim.

Depressing. For sure. Surprising. Not so much.

Maybe the truth is we should disregard our European results for the next few years. While they can provide a valuable yardstick they also lead to kneejerk reactions.

From the recriminations and the phonecalls to The Samaritans comes only the window dressing of the inconsequential quick fix.

The sort of reaction that left us with the early SPL kick off, an ineffectual gimmick so confused and mishandled it delivered resentment without any benefits.

The work has to be done in getting our own house in order. Without that the SPL's international forays will forever be doomed to play out like latter day Darien schemes, bringing our once great footballing reputation to its knees.

Don't tell me that we're doing something that will help "save the co-efficient" next season. I won't believe you.

Show me the five year plan that will allow SPL footballers to convince that they are actually "footballers" in the modern, world game sense of the word. Then I'll have something to buy into.

Anyways, our remaining Euro representatives are concentrating on domestic duties today:

Motherwell v Rangers

A top of the table clash to while away a Sunday afternoon.

Are Motherwell the team to take the challenge to the might of the Old Firm this season?

Is Alistair Murdoch McCoist trapped in an Ibrox nightmare, pining for the days of witty banter with Sue Barker as the realisation dawns that he is the worst manager in the history of Rangers?

Asking either of those questions this early in the season is an act of total muppetry.

Motherwell have impressed, Ally has toiled.

Such is the way of the early season. Anything else is wild conjecture, premature hysteria or the construct of a media that has to find something to talk about even when nothing is happening.

It would be nice if we could leave all that to one side and just enjoy the game. A game against a Motherwell side who have started strongly and a Rangers team still searching for its rhythm. That could make for an appealing spectacle.

Score draw.

Celtic v St Johnstone

Frustrated by drawing a blank against Sion on Thursday night, Celtic return to the SPL and give St Johnstone a right old spanking?

We've seen it happen before.

Or St Johnstone set out to frustrate the hosts, ride their luck but don't concede and an increasingly desperate Celtic can't find a way through?

Perhaps.

But I'd lean towards the first outcome.

Home win.

Kilmarnock v Hearts

How do a chastened Hearts side recover from Thursday night?

By hitting Ayrshire and proving that they very much intend to remain the third force in Scotland, whatever ills beset them in Europe.

Kilmarnock, of course, will be pure buzzing after essentially doing unto the Hibs defence what Spurs did to Hearts last week.

There was much to be impressed by in a flowing, clinical Killie performance. But we must also concede that this is a Hibs side very much there for the taking.

So Hearts will be wary of a Kilmarnock side with the ability to take emphatic advantage of failings in the opposition.

Any lingering flatness or tiredness in the Hearts team is likely to be punished.

Much will depend on how well Paulo Sergio has rallied his troops.

Home win.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

SPL Today: Two Up, Two Down

The SPL season heads inexorably towards its conclusion. Did last Sunday decide the destination of the title?

Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

All Rangers can do is keep winning, keep hoping and wait for Celtic to slip up. Not much else for it.

Celtic, of course, need to avoid slipping up. And keep winning.

All very simple in a season when we seem to have somersaulted ourselves into positions of needless complexity.

Still, anything can happen. It's not over until the fat woman sings a tasteful, non-sectarian song.

Time aplenty then to read my predictions, get the best betting odds for football, free bets and free betting offers and put your money where my mouth is so frequently wrong.

Motherwell v Rangers

Arguably Rangers toughest fixture of the rump of the season. Having spent a number of months caught betwixt and between alright and awful Motherwell suddenly seem to have forgotten how to lose.

Securing a Scottish Cup final appearance proved their rediscovered verve, last week's three goal comeback at Tynecastle proved their rediscovered spirit.

During that strange old run when Stuart McCall first took over at Fir Park Motherwell managed to lose 6-0 to Rangers and beat Celtic.

Is their another sting in the Motherwell tail, can they still provide a twist to the title tale?

Four games to go for Rangers. Four wins needed. That still might not be enough. No room for error though.

The stakes being so high, I'll back Rangers. But I'll not be surprised if they get a fright today.

Kilmarnock v Hearts

Life after Mixu has not been more a bucket of warm spit than a magnum of champagne for Kilmarnock.

Hearts too have floundered a bit of late, the surrendering of a three goal lead last weekend providing the most illuminating example of a tailing off form over the past couple of months.

So spot the form team at Rugby Park today.

Based on little more than a hunch I'll pick a home win.

Aberdeen v Inverness

A word of warning for any newly weds, famous, infamous, royal or proletarian. The ending of a honeymoon period can be painful.

Craig Brown's arrival at Aberdeen sparked an upturn in form, a new enthusiasm and left that septuagenerian manager giddy with the possibilities of pastures new.

Now the malaise seems to have returned. Once again it seems that even getting out of bed is a sair fecht up Pittodrie way.

Inverness started brightly enough to give us a glimmer of optimism in this SPL season. A slump dashed their top six chances but they are showing form enough to be favourites to finish seventh. The best of the rest of the rest.

Away win.

Hibernian v St Johnstone

Hibs have confirmed that ten out of contract players will be allowed to depart this summer. Question marks remain over Derek Riordan and Liam Miller.

The cynic in me predicts that Riordan will be offski but a premature announcement might just provoke a backlash that could nudge season ticket wavererers away from the Easter Road ticket office.

My own view is that Derek and Hibs have reached the end of the road. The talent remains, new horizons might offer him the best chance of unleashing it more consistently.

All of which is something of a diversion as I search in vain for ways to describe how unenthused I am by this meaningless fixture between two side who would be better packing up and going on their summer jaunts to Blackpool, Skeggy and the Costa del Tennents.

A home win. If anyone can be bothered.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

SPL Tonight: Kilmarnock v Hearts

Kilmarnock v Hearts

Two of this season’s SPL’s success stories go head to head. Big game for Hearts this as they look to pick themselves up from their Scottish Cup disappointment before a potentially season defining double header against the Old Firm.

Jim Jefferies’ anger at the defeat to St Johnstone must have been partly fuelled by his frustration that this could be a team on the verge of achieving something special. What they can’t afford is too many slip ups, too many bad performances.

A tough game in store tonight though against a Kilmarnock side who will have their own frustrations at being brushed aside by Rangers in the Cup and then losing a late equaliser to St Johnstone at the weekend.

Hearts are nine games undefeated in the league since Kilmarnock rolled them over 3-0 at Tynecastle. Killie themselves are in the middle of a six game unbeaten run in the league.

A big game between two form teams. Could be a very interesting game this one. I’ll back Hearts to take the points and set themselves up for the challenges to come. Away win.

Rangers v Inverness

Terry Butcher was less than pleased at the scheduling of this game but Rangers, apparently now relieved of the services of a Bursapor bound Kenny Miller might not be relishing the visit of an Inverness side that have won plaudits aplenty since their SPL return.

There were signs over the Christmas period that Inverness were going off the boil a bit and it's now seven games since they beat SPL opposition, although that run includes draws with Rangers, Celtic and Hearts.

Rangers were impressive in demolishing Kilmarnock in the Cup and made short work of Hamilton on Saturday. A fourth home game in a row gives them the chance to move just two points behind Celtic with two games in hand.

I’d expect Butcher to translate his anger into another obdurate display but I’m not sure that will be enough. Rangers to win and set up a rather tasty old affair at Tynecastle on Saturday lunchtime.

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Friday, December 24, 2010

SPL: Boxing Day Bonanza

A full SPL card on Boxing Day to help you digest the turkey leftovers.

Well, maybe. Weather permitting. At the moment all the games are on. But that's subject to change. Motherwell are working on a burst pipe but are apparently confident the TV game will go ahead. A decision on the Hibs game and Aberdeen's ability to get to Edinburgh is being made tomorrow.

Fingers crossed.

Celtic v St Johnstone
It's nice to be home at Christmas. Even nice to get a win though. Lennon's lads have been lacking at home recently. Poultry related lethargy and poor form will give St Johnstone hope. A home win for me though.

Dundee Utd v Hamilton
United haven't played since 20 November. Hamilton since 27 November. Refreshed or rusty? Home win.

Hibernian v Aberdeen
Hibs capitulation at Pittodrie in October temporarily lifted some of the pressure on Mark McGhee. Aberdeen haven't won a league game since, sit bottom of the league and have a new manager. Can Craig Brown turn it around? Hibs' own revolution under Colin Calderwood has been stuttery. Draw.

Inverness CT v St Mirren
SPL shock troops Inverness host St Mirren who, under Danny Lennon, have been better than some predicted but not strong enough to be safe. Home win.

Kilmarnock v Hearts
Both teams off the back of 1-1 draws, Kilmarnock's at Celtic and Hearts at home to Inverness. It's a measure of both team's season that neither manager seemed happy to settle for a point. They might have to again though. Draw. GAME POSTPONED

Motherwell v Rangers
Will this game go ahead? Possibly. Will managerless spring a surprise? Possibly not. Away win.

SFL Postponements

Matches off on Sunday, 26 December
Scottish First Division
Queen of the South v Dundee
Stirling Albion v Morton

Second Division
Airdrie United v East Fife
Brechin City v Ayr United
Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic
Peterhead v Stenhousemuir

Third Division
Annan Athletic v Berwick Rangers
Elgin City v Clyde

Monday 27, December
First Division
Ross County v Cowdenbeath

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