A January weekend to cast off the shackles of league pressure and revel in the romance of what is, at this stage, the most egalitarian of our competitions.
A Scottish Cup weekend. Breathe in the fresh air of potential shocks and brace yourself butchers, bakers and candlestick makers making SPL defences look like part-time amateurs.
The Old Firm both travel to the north-east and the live TV coverage follows them, hoping for excitement and scares amid the trawlers and seagulls.
Cowdenbeath manager Colin Cameron is adamant Sky have made the wrong choice.
Celtic fighting their way out of jail in Peterhead and Rangers looking to avoid a smoking in Abrbroath are all well and good but Cameron feels it should be Hibs in Fife for shocks this weekend.
Hard to argue with him. Cowdenbeath have form, home advantage and nothing to lose.
Hibs have a haunted look, seem scared of their own shadow, lack fortitude in defence and are searching for invention in attack.
Apparently Cowdenbeath haven't beaten Hibs since 1930. Hibs haven't won the cup since 1902. Maybe something will give in 2012.
It's going to be an interesting Saturday afternoon at Central Park. Not to say an uncomfortable one for the green half of Edinburgh.
Across the capital Hearts entertain Auchinleck Talbot. Exactly the sort of fixture that the cup should throw up. If not one where a shock seems likely.
One never knows though. Isn't it about time we had a seismic upset of this kind? It might be. But I still can't see it happening.
Where else might we look to see (relative) giants a tumbling?
Aberdeen have offered much entertainment in this area in recent years but they should be able to negotiate their way past Forfar.
Dundee will be relishing having a go at Kilmarnock in front of the BBC cameras and that should be enough to ensure there's trepidation on the trip from Ayrshire to Dens Park.
Motherwell will be happy enough at facing Queen's Park at home while Dundee United will be respectful of the trip to Airdrie but feel consolations that it's a fixture that no longer holds the same terrors as it used to for "big" clubs.
Hamilton's trip to Paisley looks intriguing and St Mirren will be expecting a rough afternoon while St Johnstone and Brechin might have offered more interest if it was being played at Glebe Park.
An SPL club will fall in Inverness where straggling stugglers Dunfermline will be on the look out for some cup cheer. I'd back Inverness to come through that one though.
Elsewhere I'm drawn to Livingston v Ayr with the visitors enjoying a recent tradition of upsetting bigger odds than they face in West Lothian.
Ross County have haunted SPL clubs in recent seasons and will be looking to progress beyond their home tie with Stenhousemuir while Falkirk will hope to make the best of home advantage against East Fife to set up a shot at some more giantkilling in the next round.
Raith Rovers host Morton while Queen of the South visit Partick Thistle in the sort of fixtures that could provide enthralling games even as attention is drawn elsewhere.
Not, perhaps, a weekend stuffed full of shocks. But more than one SPL team is likely to fall and a couple of lower division sides will fancy their chances of making a statement.
All of which should be enough to, even briefly, engage us with a competition we should celebrate more.
It will also give those in favour of a more inclusive top flight the ammunition they need to fire off their annual volley of "look at what Minnow X did to Sort-of-big-club Y" tirades.
At least one player that we've probably hardly heard of will finish this weekend a hero. An Adrian Sprott for 2012.
Other players will wake up on Monday morning and have to face the season ahead knowing they've played their part in bringing shame and humiliation to their club.
That's the thing about romance. There are winners. And there are those left sitting on the kitchen floor drinking vodka from the bottle while snivelling wretchedly.
Makes for a great weekend though.
The Scottish Football Blog blogathon took place in November in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and the Homeless World Cup. You can still donate to help two great causes.
Showing posts with label Brechin City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brechin City. Show all posts
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Brechin City: A Question For Neil Doncaster
Tuesday night saw the end of Brechin City's cup run with a 1-0 defeat in a quarter final replay against St Johnstone.
So the chance to patronise the underdog in a semi-final is gone. It might now be St Johnstone's lot to fill that role if they face Dundee United for the chance to reach their first ever Scottish Cup final.
Cup shocks tend to be quite thin on the ground in the Scottish Cup, the pond being too small, the big fish too big.
They do happen though. Trust me, I'm a Hibs fan.
And they add to the colour of the game. That Brechin are managed by Jim Weir, Mr St Johnstone himself, provided the ideal narrative for the quarter final clash.
But watching snippets of St Johnstone's win I found myself asking questions of SPL supremo Neil Doncaster, the Marie Antoinette of Scottish football.
Brechin are currently lying in third place in the Second Division. That's 25th out of Scotland's 42 senior clubs.
That would mean no place for them in the two tier, 22 team SPL of Doncaster's dreams.
Where would that leave them and others like them?
Neil Doncaster's official response to such questions seems to be along the lines of:
"It'll be great for them we'll sort it so they mumble, mumble, bzzzz, bzzzz, do something."
The truth is we don't know. But we can guess that Doncaster's aim is to make the rich richer, the slightly less rich a bit richer and the poor can go hang.
Which means the romance of the cup would be further diluted, clubs like Brechin would be further threatened.
And that would be a shame.
It's a concern that, at the very least, deserves better answers than have so far been forthcoming.
Edit: a quick change to the second paragraph. Thanks to @markpross for pointing out that Dundee United are by no means in the semi final of the cup yet.
So the chance to patronise the underdog in a semi-final is gone. It might now be St Johnstone's lot to fill that role if they face Dundee United for the chance to reach their first ever Scottish Cup final.
Cup shocks tend to be quite thin on the ground in the Scottish Cup, the pond being too small, the big fish too big.
They do happen though. Trust me, I'm a Hibs fan.
And they add to the colour of the game. That Brechin are managed by Jim Weir, Mr St Johnstone himself, provided the ideal narrative for the quarter final clash.
But watching snippets of St Johnstone's win I found myself asking questions of SPL supremo Neil Doncaster, the Marie Antoinette of Scottish football.
Brechin are currently lying in third place in the Second Division. That's 25th out of Scotland's 42 senior clubs.
That would mean no place for them in the two tier, 22 team SPL of Doncaster's dreams.
Where would that leave them and others like them?
Neil Doncaster's official response to such questions seems to be along the lines of:
"It'll be great for them we'll sort it so they mumble, mumble, bzzzz, bzzzz, do something."
The truth is we don't know. But we can guess that Doncaster's aim is to make the rich richer, the slightly less rich a bit richer and the poor can go hang.
Which means the romance of the cup would be further diluted, clubs like Brechin would be further threatened.
And that would be a shame.
It's a concern that, at the very least, deserves better answers than have so far been forthcoming.
Edit: a quick change to the second paragraph. Thanks to @markpross for pointing out that Dundee United are by no means in the semi final of the cup yet.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Scottish Cup: A Biblical Epic
An itsy bitsy weekend for the top flight clubs with the Scottish Cup quarter finals spread out over Saturday and Sunday and Rangers and Kilmarnock squeezing in a league clash tomorrow.
But a day with an almost biblical narrative: Saints, David and Goliath, a prodigal son and no doubt some sinners by 5pm this evening.
Aberdeen got half a dozen against East Fife to set up a huff and puff performance against Dunfermline settled only by a 92nd minute own goal.
Mindful of that game at Pittodrie the neutral might be less than enthralled at the prospect of the BBC cameras tracking Craig Brown's every move.
Still, it could be a belter.
In the league this season the two sides have met twice and have a win each. Aberdeen did the business in a 2-0 home in January while St Mirren prevailed 2-1 in October.
Following that defeat in Paisley, Mark McGhee's Aberdeen travelled to Celtic the following week and lost 9-0.
All seems a long time ago now.
Aberdeen will be favourites here. They were poor on Monday in losing to Dundee United but, with both top six dreams and relegations nightmares out of the way, the cup offers interest in a season that's dwindling away.
St Mirren, trapped between the safety of teams like Aberdeen and the anguish of Hamilton, still have other battles to fight.
An away win for me.
Not today though as the cathedral city bedecks itself in red and white to celebrate a Scottish Cup quarter final.
Second in Division Two, Brechin are a side whose 105 year history (following the merger of Brechin Hearts and Brechin Harps, wiki fans) has been marked by a stolid underachievement.
I don't mean that to be as disrespectful as it sounds. They are every inch the lower league side, the sort of side that helps make Scottish football what it is.
So a quarter final is a rare achievement and we should be thanking Brechin for allowing us to rediscover some of the romance of the cup in the dully predictable Scottish game.
And an added layer of intrigue offered by Brechin manager Jim Weir who spent 13 years of his playing career at St Johnstone.
Romance, David v Goliath stuff, divided loyalties. The BBC commentators might be slightly annoyed that the powers that be chose Paisley over Brechin this afternoon.
Brechin's lofty league position seems based on goals (43 in 24 games) and a solid defence. Much is also being made of their fitness which could dent one of St Johnstone's most obvious advantages.
I'm a giant feartie-cat who loves stories like this.
Brechin in a semi final, just a couple of years of being kicked out of this very competition.
Brechin in a semi final just a year or so after David Will, Mr Brechin and FIFA administrator, died.
It would all bring a tear to glass eye.
But they have to beat St Johnstone to get there. I'll back the magic to continue - if only for a bit - with a scoring draw today.
But a day with an almost biblical narrative: Saints, David and Goliath, a prodigal son and no doubt some sinners by 5pm this evening.
St Mirren v Aberdeen
Both clubs have survived scares to get this far. St Mirren quite comfortably negotiated a way past Ayr United in the last round but needed a replay to hit Peterhead for six back in January.Aberdeen got half a dozen against East Fife to set up a huff and puff performance against Dunfermline settled only by a 92nd minute own goal.
Mindful of that game at Pittodrie the neutral might be less than enthralled at the prospect of the BBC cameras tracking Craig Brown's every move.
Still, it could be a belter.
In the league this season the two sides have met twice and have a win each. Aberdeen did the business in a 2-0 home in January while St Mirren prevailed 2-1 in October.
Following that defeat in Paisley, Mark McGhee's Aberdeen travelled to Celtic the following week and lost 9-0.
All seems a long time ago now.
Aberdeen will be favourites here. They were poor on Monday in losing to Dundee United but, with both top six dreams and relegations nightmares out of the way, the cup offers interest in a season that's dwindling away.
St Mirren, trapped between the safety of teams like Aberdeen and the anguish of Hamilton, still have other battles to fight.
An away win for me.
Brechin City v St Johnstone
Brechin, I often quite cruelly feel, is the sort of place one drives through en route to somewhere else you don't really want to be.Not today though as the cathedral city bedecks itself in red and white to celebrate a Scottish Cup quarter final.
Second in Division Two, Brechin are a side whose 105 year history (following the merger of Brechin Hearts and Brechin Harps, wiki fans) has been marked by a stolid underachievement.
I don't mean that to be as disrespectful as it sounds. They are every inch the lower league side, the sort of side that helps make Scottish football what it is.
So a quarter final is a rare achievement and we should be thanking Brechin for allowing us to rediscover some of the romance of the cup in the dully predictable Scottish game.
And an added layer of intrigue offered by Brechin manager Jim Weir who spent 13 years of his playing career at St Johnstone.
Romance, David v Goliath stuff, divided loyalties. The BBC commentators might be slightly annoyed that the powers that be chose Paisley over Brechin this afternoon.
Brechin's lofty league position seems based on goals (43 in 24 games) and a solid defence. Much is also being made of their fitness which could dent one of St Johnstone's most obvious advantages.
I'm a giant feartie-cat who loves stories like this.
Brechin in a semi final, just a couple of years of being kicked out of this very competition.
Brechin in a semi final just a year or so after David Will, Mr Brechin and FIFA administrator, died.
It would all bring a tear to glass eye.
But they have to beat St Johnstone to get there. I'll back the magic to continue - if only for a bit - with a scoring draw today.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Scottish Cup Week: Preamble
A cruel accident of birth dictates that I celebrate my birthday just as the big beasts of Scottish football enter the Scottish Cup.
Thus each year my birthday marks the start of another failed leg of Hibernian's apparently never ending Scottish Cup odyssey. If the jinx hadn't begun more than 70 years before I was born I'd consider myself a bit of a Jonah.
Anyway, a full preview of this weekend's cup action to come. But it's been remiss of me not to mention the two Tuesday third round replays. Two seven goal thrillers.
In the Tuesday afternoon game Airdrie raced into a four goal lead before Beith hit back with three goals in 17 minutes, forcing Airdrie to endure a nervy final ten minutes.
On Tuesday evening Brechin's over powered Annan by five goals to two. That, incidentally, was Annan's first match since the original game ended in a draw over six weeks ago.
So it's old and maybe not as glorious as it once was but the Scottish Cup can still put on a show. Let's hope for more of the same this weekend.
The Scottish Football Blog On Facebook
Thus each year my birthday marks the start of another failed leg of Hibernian's apparently never ending Scottish Cup odyssey. If the jinx hadn't begun more than 70 years before I was born I'd consider myself a bit of a Jonah.
Anyway, a full preview of this weekend's cup action to come. But it's been remiss of me not to mention the two Tuesday third round replays. Two seven goal thrillers.
In the Tuesday afternoon game Airdrie raced into a four goal lead before Beith hit back with three goals in 17 minutes, forcing Airdrie to endure a nervy final ten minutes.
On Tuesday evening Brechin's over powered Annan by five goals to two. That, incidentally, was Annan's first match since the original game ended in a draw over six weeks ago.
So it's old and maybe not as glorious as it once was but the Scottish Cup can still put on a show. Let's hope for more of the same this weekend.
The Scottish Football Blog On Facebook
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Not so Blue Brazil
Those of us who want our football measured against fairytales and romantic epics were left disappointed yesterday at Hampden.
Our fault, we were looking in the wrong place.
Cowdenbeath today sealed promotion to the First Division with a 3-0 win at Brechin.
It's the first time they've reached the second tier in 20 years.
That would be an achievement in itself.
But there is more to this story. Cowden only reached the Second Division thanks to Livingston's relegation to the Third Division.
They've also managed to get promoted with no money. Not just a bit skint. Totally potless. Impecunious to the point of disappearing.
Somehow Danny Lennon has managed to galvanise his players against that bleakest of backdrops and they've responded in the best possible way.
Remarkable really.
The money questions won't disappear, Spartans might still be waiting in the wings, a takeover bid prepared.
Let's hope not. In their own way Cowdenbeath are an iconic name in the Scottish game. They've shown resilience in turning a season that was all about survival into a season that brought success.
Sadly many of our clubs now fight their biggest battles in lawyer's offices and banks rather than on the pitch.
Thanks, then, to the Blue Brazil for showing that football can still provide some salvation.
Brechin 0 (0) v 3 (0) Cowdenbeath - Mbu 17, Wardlaw 25, 45
Around the web:
BBC
STV
Elsewhere: Martyn Fotheringham and Bryan Deasley gave Forfar a 2-0 win against Arbroath to clinch a spot in the Second Division.
First Division
C: Inverness Caledonian Thistle
R: Airdrie
R: Ayr
Second Division
C: Stirling Albion
P: Cowdenbeath
R: Arbroath
R: Clyde
Third Division
C: Livingston
P: Forfar
Our fault, we were looking in the wrong place.
Cowdenbeath today sealed promotion to the First Division with a 3-0 win at Brechin.
It's the first time they've reached the second tier in 20 years.
That would be an achievement in itself.
But there is more to this story. Cowden only reached the Second Division thanks to Livingston's relegation to the Third Division.
They've also managed to get promoted with no money. Not just a bit skint. Totally potless. Impecunious to the point of disappearing.
Somehow Danny Lennon has managed to galvanise his players against that bleakest of backdrops and they've responded in the best possible way.
Remarkable really.
The money questions won't disappear, Spartans might still be waiting in the wings, a takeover bid prepared.
Let's hope not. In their own way Cowdenbeath are an iconic name in the Scottish game. They've shown resilience in turning a season that was all about survival into a season that brought success.
Sadly many of our clubs now fight their biggest battles in lawyer's offices and banks rather than on the pitch.
Thanks, then, to the Blue Brazil for showing that football can still provide some salvation.
Brechin 0 (0) v 3 (0) Cowdenbeath - Mbu 17, Wardlaw 25, 45
Around the web:
BBC
STV
Elsewhere: Martyn Fotheringham and Bryan Deasley gave Forfar a 2-0 win against Arbroath to clinch a spot in the Second Division.
Promotion and relegation
First Division
C: Inverness Caledonian Thistle
R: Airdrie
R: Ayr
Second Division
C: Stirling Albion
P: Cowdenbeath
R: Arbroath
R: Clyde
Third Division
C: Livingston
P: Forfar
Friday, May 04, 2007
Play off, play off and play the game
First Division Play-Offs
Brechin City 1 (Russell) – 3 Airdrie United (Harty,2, Twigg)
Raith Rovers 0 – 0 Stirling Albion
Second Division Play-Off
East Fife 4 (Reilly,3, Gibson) – 1 Stranraer (Moore
David Longmuir accepted the post of Scottish Football League Chief Executive today. He made no mention of the play-offs. He probably didn’t know they were being played.
Anyway they were. Wednesday night in fact. Three games. And nine goals between them. Which is nothing to be sniffed at.
 |
| Queues formed early at Glebe Park |
I don’t know. Maybe it means a lot to the clubs and their fans. But the play offs strike me as a monumental waste of time. The SFL needs major surgery. The play offs are a miserable piece of cosmetics.
As for Mr Longmuir:
He loves football – would he admit to hating it?
He has a strong background in the alcohol industry and he will be charged with revamping the marketing of the three divisions, the CIS Cup and the Challenge Cup.
Good luck to him. But having come from drink it may only be a matter of time before he is turning to it for solace.
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