Do Hibs feel the hand of Scottish Cup history on their shoulder? Or does it have them by the throat, threatening to throttle them once again?
They head to Hampden as favourites to beat Falkirk in the semi final - 1.6 to win at Unibet to Falkirk's 5.5 - but demons lurk in every corner.
What do we chew on at the betting online feast? Back the SPL side against a team 20 points off the pace in the First Division?
But what if the SPL side haven't won this cup for 111 years, are attempting to reach back to back finals for the first time since 1924 and haven't played at Hampden since suffering their most traumatic defeat there last May?
What if the SPL team is Hibs?
A third Scottish Cup trip to Hampden for Pat Fenlon in less than two seasons in charge.
He might wish it was only the second but, as I said before last year's final "incident," his record in reaching finals in Ireland proved attractive to the Hibs board when they gave him the job. The limited evidence to hand suggests he might struggle to convert finals into trophies but, still, he got us there.
That Fenlon has brought Hibs to consecutive semi finals in the Scottish Cup belies his league record. While Fenlon inherited a mess from Colin Calderwood, just 15 wins from over 50 SPL games shows how difficult he's found it to wade through the rubbish.
The league form includes a run of just 16 points from the last 60 available, just one more than Dundee. A season of progress?
So Hibs, being Hibs, battle not just history this weekend but also fling a dollop of dreadful form into the mix.
What's gone wrong?
It seems a long time ago that they were topping the table in the autumn, putting together an early run of results that looked like making a top six place little more than a formality.
Players have lost form, an over reliance on Leigh Griffiths - who has so often sparkled on the pitch and covered a myriad of his team's sins - has been exacerbated by a roster of senior strikers that includes only the departing Eoin Doyle and the never-quite-here Shefki Kuqi.
Injuries and loss of form have highlighted a lack of cover in defence and if the signing of midfielders - extending beyond the transfer window with the reintroduction of Kevin Thomson - has become a fetish, it's not always led to satisfaction in the middle of the park.
At times inept, occasionally overly cautious and often just devoid of ideas, the promise of an Easter Road resurrection has been replaced by hints of insurrection.
Rod Petrie's towering 'tache might not yet be twitching but there are many in the support now convinced that a Petrie board has yet again picked the wrong manager.
Despite it all, just like they did last year, Hibs have carried on regardless in the Scottish Cup.
A mildly cathartic deflection in the Edinburgh derby, a hen's tooth of a stotter from Gary Deegan against Aberdeen, a Griffiths hat-trick at Kilmarnock.
And now just another 90 minutes away from a chance to laugh at 111 years of history while curing a little of the post traumatic stress suffered in Leith since last year.
Better to forget all that. Hibs have suffered at Hampden as underdogs and as favourites, Falkirk have upset the odds against better teams than this.
A semi final win is the only thing that can energise this comatose season at Easter Road.
Why wouldn't Falkirk revel in the chance to deny Hibs even an outside shot at redemption? Nothing sweetens an upset like the sight of suffering on the other side.
Hibs must find focus where too often they've looked detached, leaders must rediscover their qualities, players who have spent too many games coasting must find a spark.
Defeating 111 years of misery can wait, this semi final is about throwing off the pain of another wasted season.
What's gone before will show itself in empty terraces but there will be passion there.
Passion too from Falkirk. Will the Hibs players match it?
I'll troop loyally to Hampden once again, joining the rest of the victims returning to the scene of the crime.
All too often I've been mugged by own team.
Not this time, boys. Please, not this time.
Showing posts with label Hampden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hampden. Show all posts
Friday, April 12, 2013
Friday, July 13, 2012
Olympic football: Faster, higher, stricter
It's not often this blog quotes Friends, that one time global sitcom phenomenon.
But it was the great sports philosopher Monica Geller who once said "rules help control fun."
An everyday tale of spectacularly camera friendly folk with nothing much to say seems fitting for the soulless, uniform customer experience that modern sport seems determined to become.
For the old fashioned among us that's another blow against spontaneity, a step along the road to sport as uniform customer experience rather than something more raw.
It was with increasing unease that I read the lengthy instructions issued ahead of the Olympic football at Hampden.
Certainly turning the Hampden entrances into the equivalent of an airport customs check seems a novel way of attempting to enhance the fan experience.
If all those free tickets given out to school children are actually used it will be like sharing a departure lounge with a school sports day.
It could prove a long couple of hours if you turn up for the gates opening. In the case of the Honduras v Mexico, Spain v Japan double header that would mean getting to Hampden at 10am on a Thursday morning.
The only people who can reasonably be expected to ever arrive at Hampden that early in the morning tend to be voting on the future of the Scottish game.
Some of the rules and prohibited items are actually quite standard. Anybody taking a frisbee to a football game deserves to be used as target practice in the warm up.
But the po-faced dullness grates. Ticket holders received a text message advising them they were soon to receive an email. That email coupled with information on prohibited items runs to over 1200 words. That's without the "ticketing terms and conditions."
The enforced monopoly for Visa continues to rankle, part of the corporate whoring of the Olympics wonderfully punctured by The Spectator.
Berlin, Beijing, Britain. These days the hosts are almost an irrelevance, the International Olympic Committee are quite capable of realising their own vision of dystopia wherever they temporarily lay their hat.
(A hat available to buy from official merchandise outlets. If you pay with Visa.)
And, yes, I know I'm a bloody idiot for buying tickets in the first place. A hypocritical bloody idiot at that.
What can I say?
I'll shuffle into Hampden wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt under a bland logo free top.
Then I'll sit meekly in my allotted seat, head bowed in deference to Visa, Coca-Cola and McDonalds, the real gods of modern sport.
When it's all over I'll be able to say that I've been to an Olympic event.
And that, for now, is why the killjoys and the marketing men are winning.
The sport, the events and the athletes still have a pull, despite the hatred we may have of what the organisers stand for.
But one does wonder what they'll do if the gullible and the sports daft like me ever reach our tipping point.
This email contains critical information about your Olympic Football event at Hampden Park.
If you have tickets for more than one London 2012 event, you may receive multiple emails. Please read each one carefully as important details, such as when to arrive and what you can and can’t bring, may vary. In particular, the Olympic Football Tournament has key differences to other events.
Arrive early so you have plenty of time to go through security: gates open two hours before kick-off of the first match in your session. It will be busy so expect to queue. You will need to empty your pockets before you go through security checks.
We strongly suggest you do not bring a bag: the security procedure for Football is different to other London 2012 venues. If you do bring a bag, your entry to the venue will be delayed and you may miss your event.
Read the lists of prohibited and restricted items for your venue: if you are carrying any of these items with you when you arrive, you will be asked to surrender it and won’t get it back. You cannot bring in liquids over 100ml. There are no storage facilities available.
Book your travel now to make sure you get to your event on time: the transport network will be much busier than usual and local transport arrangements for the stadium are different during the Games. The venue’s car parks will be closed and other parking and road restrictions will be in place for matches – see below for details of how to get to the stadium or read the travel information online.
Remember the only way to pay is by Visa (debit, credit or prepaid card) or cash: for details of services and facilities at your venue, check your venue information online. Food and drink outlets at Hampden Park accept cash only, and there are no ATM cash machines available inside.
Ticketing Terms and Conditions also apply. Ticket holders aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Inside the venue, please keep your ticket with you at all times. If you decide to leave, you won’t be allowed back in.
Things change, so check online!
View the latest sports schedule now now as there may have been changes since you received your tickets. Before you set off, check the weather and come prepared.
Travel information
Use the spectator journey planner to plan your journey and book your travel in advance. A free rail shuttle will be running from Glasgow Central station to Mount Florida, the recommended station for Hampden Park – from there, it’s around a 7-minute walk to the venue. Alternatively, you catch the free shuttle bus running from Buchanan bus station to the stadium.
Park-and-ride is also available, with spaces available for cars and minibuses. This service is not included in your event ticket and must be booked in advance. For larger groups, pre-booked coach parking is also available. We strongly recommend you make your final travel arrangements now for a more comfortable journey on the day.
Best wishes
London 2012 Ticketing team
Prohibited items are things you cannot bring into London 2012 venues – you won’t be allowed to enter venues if you’re carrying any of these items when you arrive. If you’re carrying an item that is illegal under UK law, or could be used in illegal activities, this will be escalated to the police.
There are no storage facilities available and if you surrender an item, you won’t be able to get it back.
Items that are prohibited from Hampden Park are:
Items that are restricted in London 2012 venues are:
Exemptions:
Hampden Park is an alcohol-free venue.
You will get through security more quickly if you keep all your liquids, aerosols and gels in a separate toiletry or plastic bag. There is no need to remove the bag containing your liquids from your main bag, unless specifically asked.
Baby food, baby milk and sterilised water are allowed into venues but must be carried in containers with a maximum capacity of 1 litre per baby. You may be asked to verify baby food by tasting it.
Examples include:
But it was the great sports philosopher Monica Geller who once said "rules help control fun."
An everyday tale of spectacularly camera friendly folk with nothing much to say seems fitting for the soulless, uniform customer experience that modern sport seems determined to become.
For the old fashioned among us that's another blow against spontaneity, a step along the road to sport as uniform customer experience rather than something more raw.
It was with increasing unease that I read the lengthy instructions issued ahead of the Olympic football at Hampden.
Certainly turning the Hampden entrances into the equivalent of an airport customs check seems a novel way of attempting to enhance the fan experience.
If all those free tickets given out to school children are actually used it will be like sharing a departure lounge with a school sports day.
It could prove a long couple of hours if you turn up for the gates opening. In the case of the Honduras v Mexico, Spain v Japan double header that would mean getting to Hampden at 10am on a Thursday morning.
The only people who can reasonably be expected to ever arrive at Hampden that early in the morning tend to be voting on the future of the Scottish game.
Some of the rules and prohibited items are actually quite standard. Anybody taking a frisbee to a football game deserves to be used as target practice in the warm up.
But the po-faced dullness grates. Ticket holders received a text message advising them they were soon to receive an email. That email coupled with information on prohibited items runs to over 1200 words. That's without the "ticketing terms and conditions."
The enforced monopoly for Visa continues to rankle, part of the corporate whoring of the Olympics wonderfully punctured by The Spectator.
Berlin, Beijing, Britain. These days the hosts are almost an irrelevance, the International Olympic Committee are quite capable of realising their own vision of dystopia wherever they temporarily lay their hat.
(A hat available to buy from official merchandise outlets. If you pay with Visa.)
And, yes, I know I'm a bloody idiot for buying tickets in the first place. A hypocritical bloody idiot at that.
What can I say?
I'll shuffle into Hampden wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt under a bland logo free top.
Then I'll sit meekly in my allotted seat, head bowed in deference to Visa, Coca-Cola and McDonalds, the real gods of modern sport.
When it's all over I'll be able to say that I've been to an Olympic event.
And that, for now, is why the killjoys and the marketing men are winning.
The sport, the events and the athletes still have a pull, despite the hatred we may have of what the organisers stand for.
But one does wonder what they'll do if the gullible and the sports daft like me ever reach our tipping point.
The email and the list of prohibited items:
This email contains critical information about your Olympic Football event at Hampden Park.
If you have tickets for more than one London 2012 event, you may receive multiple emails. Please read each one carefully as important details, such as when to arrive and what you can and can’t bring, may vary. In particular, the Olympic Football Tournament has key differences to other events.
Arrive early so you have plenty of time to go through security: gates open two hours before kick-off of the first match in your session. It will be busy so expect to queue. You will need to empty your pockets before you go through security checks.
We strongly suggest you do not bring a bag: the security procedure for Football is different to other London 2012 venues. If you do bring a bag, your entry to the venue will be delayed and you may miss your event.
Read the lists of prohibited and restricted items for your venue: if you are carrying any of these items with you when you arrive, you will be asked to surrender it and won’t get it back. You cannot bring in liquids over 100ml. There are no storage facilities available.
Book your travel now to make sure you get to your event on time: the transport network will be much busier than usual and local transport arrangements for the stadium are different during the Games. The venue’s car parks will be closed and other parking and road restrictions will be in place for matches – see below for details of how to get to the stadium or read the travel information online.
Remember the only way to pay is by Visa (debit, credit or prepaid card) or cash: for details of services and facilities at your venue, check your venue information online. Food and drink outlets at Hampden Park accept cash only, and there are no ATM cash machines available inside.
Ticketing Terms and Conditions also apply. Ticket holders aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Inside the venue, please keep your ticket with you at all times. If you decide to leave, you won’t be allowed back in.
Things change, so check online!
View the latest sports schedule now now as there may have been changes since you received your tickets. Before you set off, check the weather and come prepared.
Travel information
Use the spectator journey planner to plan your journey and book your travel in advance. A free rail shuttle will be running from Glasgow Central station to Mount Florida, the recommended station for Hampden Park – from there, it’s around a 7-minute walk to the venue. Alternatively, you catch the free shuttle bus running from Buchanan bus station to the stadium.
Park-and-ride is also available, with spaces available for cars and minibuses. This service is not included in your event ticket and must be booked in advance. For larger groups, pre-booked coach parking is also available. We strongly recommend you make your final travel arrangements now for a more comfortable journey on the day.
Best wishes
London 2012 Ticketing team
Prohibited and restricted items – Hampden Park
Prohibited items are things you cannot bring into London 2012 venues – you won’t be allowed to enter venues if you’re carrying any of these items when you arrive. If you’re carrying an item that is illegal under UK law, or could be used in illegal activities, this will be escalated to the police.
There are no storage facilities available and if you surrender an item, you won’t be able to get it back.
Items that are prohibited from Hampden Park are:
- Bottles, glass vessels, cans and containers
- Banners, or other articles which could, or might be used as a weapon, or to cause annoyance or unnecessary obstruction or offence
- Liquids, aerosols and gels in quantities greater than 100mls
- Alcohol
- Tents, placards, spray paint or any other item which could be used to demonstrate within the venue or sabotage property
- More than one soft-sided bag of 25 litre capacity (you must be able to fit your bag under your seat
- Walkie-talkies, phone jammers and radio scanners
- Personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not be used as wireless access points to connect multiple devices)
- Laser pointers and strobe lights
- Items too large to be electronically screened
- Bicycles, folding bikes, roller-skates and skateboards
- Pets or animals (excluding service animals
- All types of knives and bladed items, including pocket knives and knives carried as part of cultural dress
- Offensive weapons or implements such as bayonets, flick knives, extendable batons, sharpened combs, modified belt buckles and loose blades modified into weapons
- Personal protection sprays such as CS or pepper sprays
- Firearms and ammunition (including replicas, component parts or any device suspected to be a firearm)
- Fireworks, explosives, flares and smoke canisters
- Hazardous and toxic materials
- Controlled drugs, including substances which look like controlled drugs
- Items that resemble prohibited items such as replica guns or hoax explosive devices
- In addition, there are restrictions on the size and use of some items inside venues. Check with staff if you’re unsure about using an item inside venues, as some items may disrupt competition, obstruct the view of other spectators or create a safety hazard.
Items that are restricted in London 2012 venues are:
- Large flags (bigger than 1 metre x 2 metres), banners and poles
- Oversized hats
- Large golf-style umbrellas
- Large photographic and broadcast equipment over 30cm in length, including tripods and monopods. You cannot use photographic or broadcast equipment for commercial purposes unless you hold media accreditation
- Excessive amounts of food
- Balls, rackets, frisbees or similar objects or projectiles
- Noisemakers such as hunting horns, air horns, klaxons, drums, vuvuzelas and whistles
- Any objects or clothing bearing political statements or overt commercial identification intended for ‘ambush marketing’
- Flags of countries not participating in the games (this excludes the flags of nations under the umbrella of a participating country such as England, Scotland and Wales)
Exemptions:
- You are allowed up to 10 containers of up to 100ml capacity each, giving a combined maximum capacity of 1 litre. Part-filled containers with a capacity greater than 100ml (excluding sun cream) are not allowed. You may bring up to 200ml of sun cream, but it must be in its original packaging and in a container with a maximum capacity of 200ml.
- Essential medications must not exceed a combined total of 1 litre, and we recommend you bring a prescription or letter from your doctor to accompany it.
- Drinks bottles and other containers are not allowed inside the venue, glass or otherwise, and there is nowhere to dispose of them at the venue entrance – so please don’t bring one.
- Free drinking water will be available inside the venue, and soft drinks are available to purchase.
Hampden Park is an alcohol-free venue.
You will get through security more quickly if you keep all your liquids, aerosols and gels in a separate toiletry or plastic bag. There is no need to remove the bag containing your liquids from your main bag, unless specifically asked.
Baby food, baby milk and sterilised water are allowed into venues but must be carried in containers with a maximum capacity of 1 litre per baby. You may be asked to verify baby food by tasting it.
Examples include:
- Soya milk for babies
- Sterilised water for the baby
- Formula, breast milk or cow milk specifically for babies
- Baby food of various consistencies
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Scottish Cup: Aberdeen v Celtic
Aberdeen v Celtic.
Four games so far this season and Celtic have racked up an aggregate score of 17-1. They probably just edge it as favourites today.
Coming into the weekend this was seen as the semi-final that would likely turn out the more one sided affair. Then marvellous Motherwell led the sorry Saints on a first half dance at Hampden yesterday.
Can Aberdeen offer us some nerve tingling excitement today?
It’s a tough ask. Aside from a brief revival when Craig Brown arrived as manager this has been another season of underwhelming struggle at Pittodrie.
Their last four league games have resulted in four defeats. In losing to Hibs and St Mirren they haven’t indicated an intent to rail against their lowly status by cutting a swathe through the bottom six.
I still feel that in Brown they have a manager who can bring some positive northern light to Aberdeen. But that’s in the future.
Right now they need to find a way of leaving their league form behind them and figuring out how to perform against a team that has destroyed them more than once this season.
Celtic, in a season of distraction and complication, have a simple enough task ahead of them. Win every game and a new team with a novice manager will have won the double.
It would a hell of an achievement. Delivering that will, of course, not be quite as easy, but dispatching Aberdeen today will be the removal of another important obstacle.
The last time these sides met at Hampden Celtic’s first half performance was outstanding. The pace of their play, their attacking verve showed them at their best. It was a game that confirmed the impression that the depth and quality of the Celtic squad is without equal in Scotland this season.
That the league is not yet sewn up, that a treble chance has eluded them is because their consistency has not always matched their abilities.
In recent weeks a ruthless first half dismantling of Hibs on the back of the league cup final defeat offered the most articulate example of their superiority.
Another 45 minutes like that today, in a game that doesn’t carry the tightness of the SPL’s nip and tuck battle with Rangers, will beat Aberdeen. Even an Aberdeen free from the fug of their league despondency will not be able to live with that kind of Celtic performance.
So Celtic are massively strong favourites with the ability to render even a markedly improved Aberdeen performance meaningless. The ability, in fact, to make just like Motherwell and have this game done and dusted before the first half is out.
But football often rages against the most obvious plots, the underdog occasionally destroys the script.
At this stage my mind drifts back to a very different version of Neil Lennon’s Celtic arriving at Hampden at the same stage of the Scottish Cup last year.
Ross County proved that anything can happen. That stinging experience is likely only to strengthen Celtic’s resolve today.
I’d expect - I’d hope in another semi final with a TV reach beyond our own limited border - that Aberdeen will make a game of it today.
But it’s Celtic all the way for me.
Four games so far this season and Celtic have racked up an aggregate score of 17-1. They probably just edge it as favourites today.
Coming into the weekend this was seen as the semi-final that would likely turn out the more one sided affair. Then marvellous Motherwell led the sorry Saints on a first half dance at Hampden yesterday.
Can Aberdeen offer us some nerve tingling excitement today?
It’s a tough ask. Aside from a brief revival when Craig Brown arrived as manager this has been another season of underwhelming struggle at Pittodrie.
Their last four league games have resulted in four defeats. In losing to Hibs and St Mirren they haven’t indicated an intent to rail against their lowly status by cutting a swathe through the bottom six.
I still feel that in Brown they have a manager who can bring some positive northern light to Aberdeen. But that’s in the future.
Right now they need to find a way of leaving their league form behind them and figuring out how to perform against a team that has destroyed them more than once this season.
Celtic, in a season of distraction and complication, have a simple enough task ahead of them. Win every game and a new team with a novice manager will have won the double.
It would a hell of an achievement. Delivering that will, of course, not be quite as easy, but dispatching Aberdeen today will be the removal of another important obstacle.
The last time these sides met at Hampden Celtic’s first half performance was outstanding. The pace of their play, their attacking verve showed them at their best. It was a game that confirmed the impression that the depth and quality of the Celtic squad is without equal in Scotland this season.
That the league is not yet sewn up, that a treble chance has eluded them is because their consistency has not always matched their abilities.
In recent weeks a ruthless first half dismantling of Hibs on the back of the league cup final defeat offered the most articulate example of their superiority.
Another 45 minutes like that today, in a game that doesn’t carry the tightness of the SPL’s nip and tuck battle with Rangers, will beat Aberdeen. Even an Aberdeen free from the fug of their league despondency will not be able to live with that kind of Celtic performance.
So Celtic are massively strong favourites with the ability to render even a markedly improved Aberdeen performance meaningless. The ability, in fact, to make just like Motherwell and have this game done and dusted before the first half is out.
But football often rages against the most obvious plots, the underdog occasionally destroys the script.
At this stage my mind drifts back to a very different version of Neil Lennon’s Celtic arriving at Hampden at the same stage of the Scottish Cup last year.
Ross County proved that anything can happen. That stinging experience is likely only to strengthen Celtic’s resolve today.
I’d expect - I’d hope in another semi final with a TV reach beyond our own limited border - that Aberdeen will make a game of it today.
But it’s Celtic all the way for me.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Scotland v Denmark, 10th August 2011
The SFA have confirmed that Scotland will play Denmark on 10th August in a Vauxhall International Challenge Match.
Last year, of course, Scotland travelled to Sweden at the same stage of the season.
That trip produced both a number of managerial moaning-minnies and a bit of a doing for a makeshift Scotland side.
Different circumstances this time around though. The Denmark game will be played at Hampden. And it offers a last get together before Craig Levein's squad face what we should always now call "the must win double header" in September when Czech Republic and Lithuania come calling.
So the feelings of club manager's must be cast asunder, sacrificed for the greater good of our Euro 2012 hopes.
Strangely enough our recent record against Denmark has been honking.
In nine games between 1951 and 1975 we beat the Danes eight times.
But since Willie Ormond's side enjoyed a 3-1 victory at Hampden with goals from Bruce Rioch, Kenny Dalglish and Ted MacDougall the worm has turned. The pendulum has swung.
In the five most recent games Scotland haven't enjoyed a victory. Or a draw. Or even so much as goal.
Starting with the 1-0 defeat at the 1986 World Cup we've lost 2-0 and 1-0 in Copenhagen and endured two 1-0 defeats in Glasgow.
So slaying a bogey team, going where Alex Ferguson, Craig Brown (twice) and Berti Vogts (twice) failed to go, will be the order of the day for Levein.
Upsetting 25 years worth of results will be as good a way as any to build some momentum going into "the must win double-header."
Fingers crossed.
> Ranked 28th in the world, Denmark at 22 places above Scotland in FIFA's world order. That means they're three spots ahead of our Group I rivals Czech Republic who they drew 0-0 with last November.
In Group H of the Euro 2012 qualifying the Danes lie in third place on seven points after four games, behind Portugal on goal difference and three points adrift of table topping Norway.
Last year, of course, Scotland travelled to Sweden at the same stage of the season.
That trip produced both a number of managerial moaning-minnies and a bit of a doing for a makeshift Scotland side.
Different circumstances this time around though. The Denmark game will be played at Hampden. And it offers a last get together before Craig Levein's squad face what we should always now call "the must win double header" in September when Czech Republic and Lithuania come calling.
So the feelings of club manager's must be cast asunder, sacrificed for the greater good of our Euro 2012 hopes.
Strangely enough our recent record against Denmark has been honking.
In nine games between 1951 and 1975 we beat the Danes eight times.
But since Willie Ormond's side enjoyed a 3-1 victory at Hampden with goals from Bruce Rioch, Kenny Dalglish and Ted MacDougall the worm has turned. The pendulum has swung.
In the five most recent games Scotland haven't enjoyed a victory. Or a draw. Or even so much as goal.
Starting with the 1-0 defeat at the 1986 World Cup we've lost 2-0 and 1-0 in Copenhagen and endured two 1-0 defeats in Glasgow.
So slaying a bogey team, going where Alex Ferguson, Craig Brown (twice) and Berti Vogts (twice) failed to go, will be the order of the day for Levein.
Upsetting 25 years worth of results will be as good a way as any to build some momentum going into "the must win double-header."
Fingers crossed.
> Ranked 28th in the world, Denmark at 22 places above Scotland in FIFA's world order. That means they're three spots ahead of our Group I rivals Czech Republic who they drew 0-0 with last November.
In Group H of the Euro 2012 qualifying the Danes lie in third place on seven points after four games, behind Portugal on goal difference and three points adrift of table topping Norway.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Memories
A video that I hadn't seen before, so apologies if you have.
Quick tour of the museum at Hampden and a bit about both Queen's Park and Third Lanark. Worth a watch.
Vote for Scottish Football Blog at Top Ten Scottish Football Web Awards
Quick tour of the museum at Hampden and a bit about both Queen's Park and Third Lanark. Worth a watch.
Vote for Scottish Football Blog at Top Ten Scottish Football Web Awards
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Scotland 2 v 3 Spain: Gallant Failure Again
Amazing what happens when you just have a little bit of belief, a soupcon of adventure.
As Scotland somehow clawed back a two goal deficit to get on level terms with Spain last night suddenly there seemed reason to believe again.
A Naismith header and an own goal had all but wiped out the memory of the disaster of Prague last night Friday night.
Life was great again. At least until Fernando Llorente restored order and gave the world champions a 3-2 win.
Quite a night. The gallant failure, the Hampden roar. Just like old times.
And, in getting back to two each, Scotland played as well as they have managed in this qualifying campaign.
So last night was a boost to country that has seen almost all of its footballing confidence drain away.
But the harsh reality is that this was another defeat. In the circumstances, against this opposition, an honourable one but still a defeat.
When we next kick off in Group I we are likely to be in fourth place. Four points from four games is a poor return from the opening two weeks of fixtures, particularly in a group where Spain’s sublime talents serve only to amplify the absolute ordinariness of the other teams.
The insipid performance against Lithuania, a team that was there to be beaten, and Craig Levein’s risible selection against Czech Republic meant that even the positives from last night were laced with lingering thoughts of “if only…”
Not something that the manager himself was prepared to entertain as he stormed out of a Sky interview. But that doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the country were thinking it.
“If only…” Maybe the real tragedy of this latest gallant failure was that it highlighted just how poor we have been up until the fightback began last night.
Some pride might have been restored. But it’s difficult to escape the thought that the damage to this campaign has already been done.
* Spain were a delight to watch at times. There seems to be a devastating combination of speed and patience that leaves them looking unplayable at times. For large periods in the first hour it looked like two teams thrown together on the same pitch who were playing different sports.
And then they were undone by the combined talents of Kenny Miller and Steven Naismith. Spain tend to provide the aesthetics but maybe it’s the unpredictability of the game that offers its real beauty.
* David Weir can never be allowed to retire. At some point his body is going to force him to call it a day. A worry, then, that its Stephen McManus who looks the centre back in most desperate need of being replaced.
* Allan McGregor is a difficult chap to like. Easy to respect him as a footballer though with performances like that. With Craig Gordon waiting in the wings McGregor’s performances against the Czechs and again last night have at least proved we’ve got two goalkeepers we can rely on.
As Scotland somehow clawed back a two goal deficit to get on level terms with Spain last night suddenly there seemed reason to believe again.
A Naismith header and an own goal had all but wiped out the memory of the disaster of Prague last night Friday night.
Life was great again. At least until Fernando Llorente restored order and gave the world champions a 3-2 win.
Quite a night. The gallant failure, the Hampden roar. Just like old times.
And, in getting back to two each, Scotland played as well as they have managed in this qualifying campaign.
So last night was a boost to country that has seen almost all of its footballing confidence drain away.
But the harsh reality is that this was another defeat. In the circumstances, against this opposition, an honourable one but still a defeat.
When we next kick off in Group I we are likely to be in fourth place. Four points from four games is a poor return from the opening two weeks of fixtures, particularly in a group where Spain’s sublime talents serve only to amplify the absolute ordinariness of the other teams.
The insipid performance against Lithuania, a team that was there to be beaten, and Craig Levein’s risible selection against Czech Republic meant that even the positives from last night were laced with lingering thoughts of “if only…”
Not something that the manager himself was prepared to entertain as he stormed out of a Sky interview. But that doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the country were thinking it.
“If only…” Maybe the real tragedy of this latest gallant failure was that it highlighted just how poor we have been up until the fightback began last night.
Some pride might have been restored. But it’s difficult to escape the thought that the damage to this campaign has already been done.
* Spain were a delight to watch at times. There seems to be a devastating combination of speed and patience that leaves them looking unplayable at times. For large periods in the first hour it looked like two teams thrown together on the same pitch who were playing different sports.
And then they were undone by the combined talents of Kenny Miller and Steven Naismith. Spain tend to provide the aesthetics but maybe it’s the unpredictability of the game that offers its real beauty.
* David Weir can never be allowed to retire. At some point his body is going to force him to call it a day. A worry, then, that its Stephen McManus who looks the centre back in most desperate need of being replaced.
* Allan McGregor is a difficult chap to like. Easy to respect him as a footballer though with performances like that. With Craig Gordon waiting in the wings McGregor’s performances against the Czechs and again last night have at least proved we’ve got two goalkeepers we can rely on.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Real classic
A bit late with this one - it was 50 years ago today that Real Madrid taught the world to play. Well, not quite.
But 50 years to the day since Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in what is still regarded as the definitive European Cup final.
At Hampden of course. Where else?
Would it be particularly Scottish to point out that the most famous, celebrated game to be played out at our footballing citadel didn't involve one Scottish player? Possibly. So I won't.
But 50 years to the day since Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in what is still regarded as the definitive European Cup final.
At Hampden of course. Where else?
Would it be particularly Scottish to point out that the most famous, celebrated game to be played out at our footballing citadel didn't involve one Scottish player? Possibly. So I won't.
No one who was there will forget the 1960 European Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Today is the 50th anniversary of that iconic match, a breathtaking 7-3 triumph for Real that moved a generation of Scots. In what many describe as the greatest game played, Ferenc Puskas scored four, Alfredo Di Stefano three, and a crowd of 127,620, almost all natives, stayed behind for an hour after the final whistle in recognition of what they had seen.
Alex Ferguson, Andy Roxburgh, the entire Celtic team, many of whom would go on to become Lisbon Lions: all would later admit that the glistening spectacle of pristine white on the emerald Hampden turf made a big impression. The Times
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Bring it on?
Today the Mother of Parliaments took time off from discussing the lack of salt and blaming each other for the weather to discuss a return for the Scotland v England football fixtures.
The Record reported:
I don’t really see how it fits in with the English FA’s current policy of glamour friendlies for big money to try and recoup some of the cash that was poured into Wembley though. And I’m sure there are some in English football who would see this as a backward step that clashes with the shiny new face of the game down south.
I would also imagine some consultation over the cost of policing the game would also need to begin before anything was decided. I was at Hampden for the play off back in 1999 and arriving in Glasgow was like entering a police state. That’s money that would need to be found.
So a good thing for Scottish football but a strong case needs to be set out to attract the English. Sounds like a job for a Sky Sports exec with a briefcase full of cash.
The Record reported:
Independent MP Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central) has suggested that the promotion of Scottish culture throughout the UK could be encouraged by having both Celtic and Rangers play in the English leagues.Quite why this needed discussed at Westminster is beyond me. Not sure about "enhancing" the "cultural" exchange either but I can see that it has its attractions for Scotland. It would be a meaningful fixture in the way that a friendly against Hungary never could be.
Mr Murphy said he had to declare an interest as a "part-time follower of one of those teams".
He said: "That is of course a decision for the football authorities and the football clubs themselves.
"But what I do think would enhance cross-border cultural exchange would be a return of the Scotland versus England friendly football matches.
"The Home Internationals will return shortly I think, with Ireland replacing England, but I think there's now a commitment for a return of the Scotland v England football matches.
"I've spoken to the SFA about it; there was an agreement to have it in 2008 but Scotland withdrew from that."
He added: "I think it would be a remarkable sporting event and a highlight of the football calendar so bring it on."
I don’t really see how it fits in with the English FA’s current policy of glamour friendlies for big money to try and recoup some of the cash that was poured into Wembley though. And I’m sure there are some in English football who would see this as a backward step that clashes with the shiny new face of the game down south.
I would also imagine some consultation over the cost of policing the game would also need to begin before anything was decided. I was at Hampden for the play off back in 1999 and arriving in Glasgow was like entering a police state. That’s money that would need to be found.
So a good thing for Scottish football but a strong case needs to be set out to attract the English. Sounds like a job for a Sky Sports exec with a briefcase full of cash.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
When will we see your like again
Can we look forward in anything other than trepidation?
The all conquering Dutch stand between Scotland and a place in the play off. Except they don’t really. We know three points is a must but even then it might not be enough. What a classically Scottish story that would be.
Can we do it? Well, yes we can. This isn’t the team that put the French to the sword twice. But the team that beat the Netherlands when Berti was in post wasn’t much good. And this time we worry only about the 90 minutes today.
Will the Dutch relax? Not intentionally but these are high quality players with big seasons ahead. Some sort of reaction to having already qualified can be expected. But we can’t rely on it.
We need big games from every player. For some that will mean performing above the standard that their talent dictates. It’s a great thing about football that it allows players to do that. Let’s hope it happens tonight.
Let’s hope also that Craig Gordon is passed fit. We look a different team with Gordon in goal. For all the talk of talismen at the front, it is Gordon who consistently provides them with a platform to perform. No wonder he’s being asked to play on one leg.
No McFadden tonight. Step forward Kenny Miller, time to repay the manager’s loyalty. Step forward Steven Naismith, time to show the manager’s gamble hasn’t be made in hope rather than expectation.
Step forward too Scott Brown. Another dynamic display and, with the temper kept under control, another Olympian display of niaff-y niggliness. It might annoy people but it also unsettles people. It might not be Corinthian but tonight’s a night for Scotland to win not a night for us to rediscover football’s lost soul.
The manager? There’s little he can do now. He’ll be the scapegoat if it all goes wrong but it’s for the players to win the game now. The conduct of this whole campaign should be looked at, the SFA scrutinised from top to bottom, the manager and his employers. But not tonight. Tonight is all about the football.
1998 was too long ago. There are children at secondary school now who have never seen Scotland in a major finals. Unthinkable to my generation. We grew up as Thatcher’s children and our deal with that devil was the chance to watch Scotland at World Cups and European Championships. Pride in the national game means we have to demand a seat at these international events.
Tonight we can take a small stride towards getting back there. It may, ultimately, prove futile. If it does then no talk, please, of glorious failure. Failure is failure and failure has been a theme of this campaign.
But tonight we can at least bury some of that. Scream, shout, believe. Tonight’s about a footballing nation coming together to get a job done.
The rest, the shouting, the incrimnations and the rolling heads, will just have to wait. There’s a game on.
So, come on! Let’s get intae them!
The all conquering Dutch stand between Scotland and a place in the play off. Except they don’t really. We know three points is a must but even then it might not be enough. What a classically Scottish story that would be.
Can we do it? Well, yes we can. This isn’t the team that put the French to the sword twice. But the team that beat the Netherlands when Berti was in post wasn’t much good. And this time we worry only about the 90 minutes today.
Will the Dutch relax? Not intentionally but these are high quality players with big seasons ahead. Some sort of reaction to having already qualified can be expected. But we can’t rely on it.
We need big games from every player. For some that will mean performing above the standard that their talent dictates. It’s a great thing about football that it allows players to do that. Let’s hope it happens tonight.
Let’s hope also that Craig Gordon is passed fit. We look a different team with Gordon in goal. For all the talk of talismen at the front, it is Gordon who consistently provides them with a platform to perform. No wonder he’s being asked to play on one leg.
No McFadden tonight. Step forward Kenny Miller, time to repay the manager’s loyalty. Step forward Steven Naismith, time to show the manager’s gamble hasn’t be made in hope rather than expectation.
Step forward too Scott Brown. Another dynamic display and, with the temper kept under control, another Olympian display of niaff-y niggliness. It might annoy people but it also unsettles people. It might not be Corinthian but tonight’s a night for Scotland to win not a night for us to rediscover football’s lost soul.
The manager? There’s little he can do now. He’ll be the scapegoat if it all goes wrong but it’s for the players to win the game now. The conduct of this whole campaign should be looked at, the SFA scrutinised from top to bottom, the manager and his employers. But not tonight. Tonight is all about the football.
1998 was too long ago. There are children at secondary school now who have never seen Scotland in a major finals. Unthinkable to my generation. We grew up as Thatcher’s children and our deal with that devil was the chance to watch Scotland at World Cups and European Championships. Pride in the national game means we have to demand a seat at these international events.
Tonight we can take a small stride towards getting back there. It may, ultimately, prove futile. If it does then no talk, please, of glorious failure. Failure is failure and failure has been a theme of this campaign.
But tonight we can at least bury some of that. Scream, shout, believe. Tonight’s about a footballing nation coming together to get a job done.
The rest, the shouting, the incrimnations and the rolling heads, will just have to wait. There’s a game on.
So, come on! Let’s get intae them!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Viva Espana
The Spanish are coming. But hopefully nobody will be playing bowls this time. Hampden hosts the UEFA Cup Final in a couple of weeks with either Sevilla and Espanyol set to take the trophy home to Spain.
Financially it's great for Scotland. And it puts us at the centre of European football for the night – although admittedly it would be preferable if we could achieve this by having two Scottish teams playing in a final in Spain.
I can’t help but think that people will be underwhelmed by Hampden though. Of Scotland’s four big stadiums it surely trails in a fairly miserable fourth place. Going to the toilet is a demonic exercise in patience and bladder control that really shouldn’t happen in a modern football ground.
At the moment this isn’t a problem for the SFA. They can brag about a UEFA Cup Final to go with their Champion’s League Final of a few years ago.
Hearts, however, are set to host to Barcelona at Murrayfield in July. A sell out crowd there, with a good atmosphere and facilities to match, will increase the clamour for certain games to be played in Edinburgh. And the SFA will not like that one little bit.
Good. Hell mend them. They mucked up the new Hampden by doing it on the cheap. For all the emotional resonance of the National Stadium – and yes, the Hampden Roar etc, Real Madrid etc, I know the list – it was redundant in a country of our size when three stadiums already existed that held more fans.
The money they did spend could have been put to better to use. Instead we’re lumbered with a monumental folly that we neither need nor like.
Financially it's great for Scotland. And it puts us at the centre of European football for the night – although admittedly it would be preferable if we could achieve this by having two Scottish teams playing in a final in Spain.
I can’t help but think that people will be underwhelmed by Hampden though. Of Scotland’s four big stadiums it surely trails in a fairly miserable fourth place. Going to the toilet is a demonic exercise in patience and bladder control that really shouldn’t happen in a modern football ground.
At the moment this isn’t a problem for the SFA. They can brag about a UEFA Cup Final to go with their Champion’s League Final of a few years ago.
Hearts, however, are set to host to Barcelona at Murrayfield in July. A sell out crowd there, with a good atmosphere and facilities to match, will increase the clamour for certain games to be played in Edinburgh. And the SFA will not like that one little bit.
Good. Hell mend them. They mucked up the new Hampden by doing it on the cheap. For all the emotional resonance of the National Stadium – and yes, the Hampden Roar etc, Real Madrid etc, I know the list – it was redundant in a country of our size when three stadiums already existed that held more fans.
The money they did spend could have been put to better to use. Instead we’re lumbered with a monumental folly that we neither need nor like.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Spiders Trap Red Lichties
Second Division Play Off First Leg
Queen's Park 2 (Weatherston, Trouten) - 0 Arbroath
Play-off time again. Don’t understand why they are played. Don’t understand why the Scottish Football League promote them so miserably.
I have an idea that faced with the realisation that the lower leagues need a major overhaul the SFL chiefs hurriedly scribbled down a compromise on the back of a fag packet but agreed not to mention it to anyone except the teams involved. So play-offs it is.And first up tonight Queen’s Park against Arbroath. The first leg of a fixture which promises the winner the chance to play another two leg tie for the right to play in the Second Division next year.
And it’s advantage to the Spiders after David Weatherston and Alan Trouten scored late goals. I believe there was nothing fishy about Trouten’s penalty. Boom Boom. Arbroath’s misery was compounded by Robbie Raeside’s dismissal in the lead up to the penalty.
The game was brought forward by 24 hours because the UEFA Cup Final means Hampden can’t be used for two weeks after this evening. Which seems a silly rule and also leaves me wondering what Queen’s Park will do if they hold on to their advantage.
Arbroath had to rely on the largesse of Roddy Black’s firefighter colleagues to ensure he had the night off after the last minute change of schedule. Try dealing with that kind of difficulty, Jose Mourinho.
Jose, incidentally, may well have been in the 974 strong crowd at Hampden because he certainly seemed to be watching a different game to everyone else at Anfield.
The second leg is on Saturday – and away goals don’t count so the Red Lichties will be hoping to turn things round come the weekend.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Lennon's Old Firm fairytale (Sorry Neil, not you)
Old Firm games always matter or so I’ve been told – often quite forcibly by Old Firm supporters.
Celtic fans might well be willing to argue with that today after their team’s annihilation in the Scottish Youth Cup final yesterday.
But how the Rangers fans will revel in the irony that a young man named Lennon scored a hat-trick against the old enemy.
I dare say Neil will not be unduly bothered by young Steven’s achievement but it will no doubt raise a titter in Govan.
Youth teams, of course, can promise much and not translate that potential to the bigger stage but let’s hope the Rangers team can make an impact in Scotland – and that their hooped counterparts can recover and make similar strides.
Young Scots playing in Europe for the Old Firm can only be a good thing for the Scottish national team – however much that sticks in the craw of those of us who seek succour outside of Glasgow’s dominant forces.
The next challenge is for the players – and their clubs – to show the desire and commitment to stick with it and progress. That is often easier said than done – although John Kennedy’s return to action shows that Old Firm youngsters can prosper in adversity.
Perhaps the bleakest note of the night was the attendance. That 11,486 supporters watched the match at Hampden should fill us with joy. That 3000 less people watched two SPL sides in a Scottish Cup semi final only 48 hours earlier is on a par with any embarrassment the young Celtic players felt.
Hampden this week has provided a forensic examination of the Scottish game: and the future is far from rosy.
Celtic fans might well be willing to argue with that today after their team’s annihilation in the Scottish Youth Cup final yesterday.
But how the Rangers fans will revel in the irony that a young man named Lennon scored a hat-trick against the old enemy.
I dare say Neil will not be unduly bothered by young Steven’s achievement but it will no doubt raise a titter in Govan.
Youth teams, of course, can promise much and not translate that potential to the bigger stage but let’s hope the Rangers team can make an impact in Scotland – and that their hooped counterparts can recover and make similar strides.
Young Scots playing in Europe for the Old Firm can only be a good thing for the Scottish national team – however much that sticks in the craw of those of us who seek succour outside of Glasgow’s dominant forces.
The next challenge is for the players – and their clubs – to show the desire and commitment to stick with it and progress. That is often easier said than done – although John Kennedy’s return to action shows that Old Firm youngsters can prosper in adversity.
Perhaps the bleakest note of the night was the attendance. That 11,486 supporters watched the match at Hampden should fill us with joy. That 3000 less people watched two SPL sides in a Scottish Cup semi final only 48 hours earlier is on a par with any embarrassment the young Celtic players felt.
Hampden this week has provided a forensic examination of the Scottish game: and the future is far from rosy.
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