The first national cup competition starts tomorrow as the CIS League cup gets underway , clubs from all Scotland's 4 divisions take part in this round but only Inverness the 1st division champions last season will be representing the SPL.
Match of the round has to be the derby between Raith Rovers and East fife , Rovers will be looking to get back to winning ways as they were knocked out of the ALBA challenge cup last weekend by Cowdenbeath , East Fife arguably were in the tie of the round as they finally beat Brechin City 4-3 in extra time.
When the draw was made I'm sure Berwick Rangers were happy...NOT , they make the long journey north to Peterhead , Dunfermline again take on Arbroath at East End Park , Ross County take on Livingston in a tasty game in Dingwall and Inverness start their campaign 2 weeks before the rest of the SPL with a home game vs Queens Park.
Sunday's only game is between East Stirling and Alloa Athletic
My tip for this round?? , well I'm going for the same teams as i did last week , Dundee to beat Montrose and Queen of the South to beat Dumbarton , both will get you just under even money.
The full draw is as follows.......
Dundee vs Montrose , Elgin City vs Ayr Utd , Dunfermline vs Arbroath , Annan Athletic vs Partick Thistle , Stirling Albion vs Forfar Athletic , Albion Rovers vs Airdrie Utd , Ross County vs Livingston , Stenhousemuir vs Brechin City , Raith Rovers vs East Fife , Clyde vs Cowdenbeath , Peterhead vs Berwick Rangers , Stranraer vs Morton , Queen of the South vs Dumbarton , Inverness vs Queens Park , East Stirling vs Alloa Athletic.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Murphys's law and Hibs hammered
At the end of the night for Scottish teams in European action , it was certainly a mixed bag of results , Motherwell again put in a very good performance whilst Hibs were totally outclassed in Slovenia.
First the good news , Motherwell look favorites to make it through to the last qualifying round of the Europa League as they travelled to Northern Norway and came back with a very positive 1-1 draw vs Aalesunds , A Jamie Murphy goal 3 minutes after half time nearly secured another win for manager Craig Brown. Murphy is now Motherwell's all time top European scorer although his night along with the manager and fans was ruined when Aalesunds equalised with a penalty in the last minute. In a weeks time Motherwell will surely be able to finish the tie and join Dundee Utd in the play-offs.
Now the bad , many including myself think that John Hughes got his team selection wrong when he dropped Anthony stokes and Derek Riordan from his starting line-up. Why drop your 2 biggest goal threats and just invite a team like NK Maribor onto you??. It all started to go wrong in 32 minutes when Josip Ilicic got the Slovenians first , the same player then added another goal on 52 minutes before the game was put out of reach for Hibs as Tavares put Maribor 3 in front. John Hughes responded with finally putting on Stokes and Riordan but the damage was already done and Hibs look all but out.
First the good news , Motherwell look favorites to make it through to the last qualifying round of the Europa League as they travelled to Northern Norway and came back with a very positive 1-1 draw vs Aalesunds , A Jamie Murphy goal 3 minutes after half time nearly secured another win for manager Craig Brown. Murphy is now Motherwell's all time top European scorer although his night along with the manager and fans was ruined when Aalesunds equalised with a penalty in the last minute. In a weeks time Motherwell will surely be able to finish the tie and join Dundee Utd in the play-offs.
Now the bad , many including myself think that John Hughes got his team selection wrong when he dropped Anthony stokes and Derek Riordan from his starting line-up. Why drop your 2 biggest goal threats and just invite a team like NK Maribor onto you??. It all started to go wrong in 32 minutes when Josip Ilicic got the Slovenians first , the same player then added another goal on 52 minutes before the game was put out of reach for Hibs as Tavares put Maribor 3 in front. John Hughes responded with finally putting on Stokes and Riordan but the damage was already done and Hibs look all but out.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Celtic destroyed in Portugal...
Well first of all , i got it wrong , i couldn't see Braga scoring anymore than 2 vs Celtic , i even took a scoring draw (1-1) but the reality is that Neil Lennon's Celtic never turned up last night as Sporting Braga totally dominated the SPL runners up.
After a slow start by both team it all started to go wrong when Braga were given a penalty when ki handled the ball in the box , Lennon complained furiously both at the time and at half time but it made no difference as Alan side footed his effort into the top corner on 25 minutes. At half time Celtic were still in the game but didn't have a real effort on goal
The heat in the stadium rescinded a bit in the 2nd half , only for the on field action to heat up , still Celtic were not posing much of a threat as Lennon's 4-2-3-1 was holding Braga but offensively there was nothing , Murphy made his debut by coming on for the in-effective Maloney , 5 mins later though this game was over as Elderson pounced on poor marking at a corner to make it 2-0.
Mexican Efrain Juarez was the replaced by James Forrest as Celtic tried to rescue an away goal , worse was to happen as 2 mins from time an excellent 35 year free kick from Matheus made it a night not to remember for Neil Lennon's 1st official game in charge.
At 3-0 the tie looks dead , i just cant see Celtic score 3 without reply at Parkhead , Braga were decent but Celtic were terrible , poor poor night for the fans and for Scottish football.
After a slow start by both team it all started to go wrong when Braga were given a penalty when ki handled the ball in the box , Lennon complained furiously both at the time and at half time but it made no difference as Alan side footed his effort into the top corner on 25 minutes. At half time Celtic were still in the game but didn't have a real effort on goal
The heat in the stadium rescinded a bit in the 2nd half , only for the on field action to heat up , still Celtic were not posing much of a threat as Lennon's 4-2-3-1 was holding Braga but offensively there was nothing , Murphy made his debut by coming on for the in-effective Maloney , 5 mins later though this game was over as Elderson pounced on poor marking at a corner to make it 2-0.
Mexican Efrain Juarez was the replaced by James Forrest as Celtic tried to rescue an away goal , worse was to happen as 2 mins from time an excellent 35 year free kick from Matheus made it a night not to remember for Neil Lennon's 1st official game in charge.
At 3-0 the tie looks dead , i just cant see Celtic score 3 without reply at Parkhead , Braga were decent but Celtic were terrible , poor poor night for the fans and for Scottish football.
Aalesund vs Motherwell preview.....
As Motherwell's European adventure continues in the North or Norway tonight it is hoped that Craig Browns team can continue the good work and results they had in the last qualifying round vs Breidablik. The opponents are Aalesund , Norwegian cup holders and currently 4th in the Norwegian league.
Tonight match takes place in the excellent Color Line Stadium , capacity 10,778. When Motherwell take to the field tonight well AstroTurf , they will be hoping their superior European experience counts as this will be Aalesunds first ever game in a European competition. Its already been reported in the Scottish press that Steven Craigan and co will be up against man mountain Tor Hogne Aaroy , at 6 foot 8 and a half inches , hes Europe's tallest players and Aalesunds top scorer this season.
Motherwell will probably name an unchanged side that beat Breidablik 1-0 in Iceland last week , Craig Brown still hasn't had a chance to add to his squad although if "well" get through this tie its expected some money will be made free. Brown will also know that Aalesund will be a step up in class from breidablik although he will set his Motherwell team up to get that important away goal and hopefully keep it tight at the back.
Prediction - the 2 games "well" have played are really going to help them here , Aalesund are better than breidablik but the Motherwell management team will know that they hold the aces in terms of experience. How will Aalesund react to their first euro game?? , will they be nervous and invite Motherwell onto them?? or will they be more attacking trying to get the tie over in this first leg?? , I'm going for a 1-1 draw here as i think there is not much between the sides , a good result for Motherwell and for Scottish football.
Tonight match takes place in the excellent Color Line Stadium , capacity 10,778. When Motherwell take to the field tonight well AstroTurf , they will be hoping their superior European experience counts as this will be Aalesunds first ever game in a European competition. Its already been reported in the Scottish press that Steven Craigan and co will be up against man mountain Tor Hogne Aaroy , at 6 foot 8 and a half inches , hes Europe's tallest players and Aalesunds top scorer this season.
Motherwell will probably name an unchanged side that beat Breidablik 1-0 in Iceland last week , Craig Brown still hasn't had a chance to add to his squad although if "well" get through this tie its expected some money will be made free. Brown will also know that Aalesund will be a step up in class from breidablik although he will set his Motherwell team up to get that important away goal and hopefully keep it tight at the back.
Prediction - the 2 games "well" have played are really going to help them here , Aalesund are better than breidablik but the Motherwell management team will know that they hold the aces in terms of experience. How will Aalesund react to their first euro game?? , will they be nervous and invite Motherwell onto them?? or will they be more attacking trying to get the tie over in this first leg?? , I'm going for a 1-1 draw here as i think there is not much between the sides , a good result for Motherwell and for Scottish football.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Nk Maribor vs Hibs preview
John Hughes takes his first steps in to European club side management tomorrow night as his exciting Hibs side take on NK Maribor of Slovenia in the the 3rd round of the Europa League Qualifiers. Hibs have just finished a beneficial tour of Holland where Hughes squad was tested against decent oppositions like Vitesse Arnhem , NEC Nijmegen , Den Haag and Heracles.
As the Hibs squad prepare for their first match in Europe since 2005-06 (they have played in the now defunct Inter Toto Cup) they will have to do it without towering defender Sol Bamba who broke club rules by returning late from international duty at the World Cup , he has been left at home but manager Hughes will take heart that he has signed 3 very decent players in Dutchman Edwin de Graaf , Michael Hart from Preston and David Stephens from Norwich city.
The Slovenians have just recovered from financial hard times , they came 2nd in the Slovenian league last season although at the end of the 90s and the start of the this decade they were completely dominant winning 7 league titles in a row. Having already beaten old Hibs foes in Videoton (3-1 on agg) , Maribor will be confident of putting John Hughes euro rookies to the sword. Nk maribor will also have the advantage of playing 2 league games , a 5-0 home win over Triglav was followed with a 0-0 draw away to Rudar , Hibs will need to be aware of top scorer Viti Plut who has scored 3 times already this season.
The Hibees will be relying on their front line tonight to get the vital away goal or goals , when you players such as Derek Riordan and Anthony Stokes then you will always create chances , Riordan can create and score something from nothing and Stokes has just enjoyed and excellent season where he scored over 20 goals.
Prediction - I'm really looking forward to see how John Hughes sets his side up tomorrow , i think he is an exciting young coach who will move on to massive things , his side play nice attractive football (probably the best in the SPL) , although Hibs faded badly in the 2nd half of the season , I'm hoping that Hughes positive mentality can get Hibs a result tonight , so i would not rule out a goal scoring draw for Hibs , BUT...... the European experience is with the Slovenians here , that's why i think they will sneak this game 2-1 , i hope I'm wrong but i do expect Hibs to score in this game and make it a cracker at Easter road in a weeks time.
As the Hibs squad prepare for their first match in Europe since 2005-06 (they have played in the now defunct Inter Toto Cup) they will have to do it without towering defender Sol Bamba who broke club rules by returning late from international duty at the World Cup , he has been left at home but manager Hughes will take heart that he has signed 3 very decent players in Dutchman Edwin de Graaf , Michael Hart from Preston and David Stephens from Norwich city.
The Slovenians have just recovered from financial hard times , they came 2nd in the Slovenian league last season although at the end of the 90s and the start of the this decade they were completely dominant winning 7 league titles in a row. Having already beaten old Hibs foes in Videoton (3-1 on agg) , Maribor will be confident of putting John Hughes euro rookies to the sword. Nk maribor will also have the advantage of playing 2 league games , a 5-0 home win over Triglav was followed with a 0-0 draw away to Rudar , Hibs will need to be aware of top scorer Viti Plut who has scored 3 times already this season.
The Hibees will be relying on their front line tonight to get the vital away goal or goals , when you players such as Derek Riordan and Anthony Stokes then you will always create chances , Riordan can create and score something from nothing and Stokes has just enjoyed and excellent season where he scored over 20 goals.
Prediction - I'm really looking forward to see how John Hughes sets his side up tomorrow , i think he is an exciting young coach who will move on to massive things , his side play nice attractive football (probably the best in the SPL) , although Hibs faded badly in the 2nd half of the season , I'm hoping that Hughes positive mentality can get Hibs a result tonight , so i would not rule out a goal scoring draw for Hibs , BUT...... the European experience is with the Slovenians here , that's why i think they will sneak this game 2-1 , i hope I'm wrong but i do expect Hibs to score in this game and make it a cracker at Easter road in a weeks time.
Braga or Bust for Celtic
In the north of Portugal tonight Celtic take their first steps in trying to reach the lucrative UEFA Champions league when they take on Portuguese Liga 1 runners up Sporting Braga. Neil Lennon's new side travel to Portugal with 6 new signings the latest being Gary Hooper who finalised his deal to join the hoops from Scunthorpe Utd in a deal worth £2.4m.
So what do we know about Sporting Braga??? , well their stadium that only has 2 stands , holds 30,112 and was used for the EURO 2004 finals , Domingos Paciencia (the manager) is also a Braga hero because he guided his side to their best ever finish as runners up to eventual champions Benfica last season , Braga has only 1 other major triumph in their history , a 1966 Portuguese cup win was as good as it got until Paciencia took over at the beginning of last season.
With Celtic desperate to join arch rivals Rangers in Champions League group stages , manager Neil Lennon will look to some of his new signings to provide the firepower as they try to break down what was a very organised Braga team last season , players like Joe Ledley and Efrian Juarez will be asked to create the chances for either Georgios Samaras or Mark-Antoine Fortune as Celtic will probably go with 1 up front with added support from midfield. There is also a possibility of Aiden Mcgeady starting as Lennon will be looking to get the vital away goal , although with Mcgeadys lack of match fitness it would possibly be unwise to start the Irishman.
Braga will be looking for more European success , they recently won the minor UEFA inter toto competition in 2008 but in recent seasons have respectively reached the last 16 and 32 of the old UEFA Cup. Brazilian captain Vandinho along with winger Alan are Bragas danger men , the fact that there are 15 Brazilian players in this Braga squad show why the "Arsenal of Portugal" like to play very nice football but have also a solid defence with only 20 goals conceded in Liga 1 last season.
The game is a genuine 50-50 , it will be both teams 1st game of the season also so expect some nerves , the fact that Braga don't score many goals , 1-0 being a favorite result means Celtic will probably not need to score many goals in the 2 ties to progress.
Prediction.... a close game with both teams looking to find match fitness , all depends on Celtics defence keeping the talented Braga forwards out , if they can do that i expect Celtic to score and bring back a positive 1-1 result , this is based on Braga playing nice football but rarely scoring 2 at home last season , Celtic are always dangerous so against a side that doesn't score many , Celtic then will always have a chance.
So what do we know about Sporting Braga??? , well their stadium that only has 2 stands , holds 30,112 and was used for the EURO 2004 finals , Domingos Paciencia (the manager) is also a Braga hero because he guided his side to their best ever finish as runners up to eventual champions Benfica last season , Braga has only 1 other major triumph in their history , a 1966 Portuguese cup win was as good as it got until Paciencia took over at the beginning of last season.
With Celtic desperate to join arch rivals Rangers in Champions League group stages , manager Neil Lennon will look to some of his new signings to provide the firepower as they try to break down what was a very organised Braga team last season , players like Joe Ledley and Efrian Juarez will be asked to create the chances for either Georgios Samaras or Mark-Antoine Fortune as Celtic will probably go with 1 up front with added support from midfield. There is also a possibility of Aiden Mcgeady starting as Lennon will be looking to get the vital away goal , although with Mcgeadys lack of match fitness it would possibly be unwise to start the Irishman.
Braga will be looking for more European success , they recently won the minor UEFA inter toto competition in 2008 but in recent seasons have respectively reached the last 16 and 32 of the old UEFA Cup. Brazilian captain Vandinho along with winger Alan are Bragas danger men , the fact that there are 15 Brazilian players in this Braga squad show why the "Arsenal of Portugal" like to play very nice football but have also a solid defence with only 20 goals conceded in Liga 1 last season.
The game is a genuine 50-50 , it will be both teams 1st game of the season also so expect some nerves , the fact that Braga don't score many goals , 1-0 being a favorite result means Celtic will probably not need to score many goals in the 2 ties to progress.
Prediction.... a close game with both teams looking to find match fitness , all depends on Celtics defence keeping the talented Braga forwards out , if they can do that i expect Celtic to score and bring back a positive 1-1 result , this is based on Braga playing nice football but rarely scoring 2 at home last season , Celtic are always dangerous so against a side that doesn't score many , Celtic then will always have a chance.
ALBA Challenge Cup 2nd round draw....
Today saw the draw for the 2nd round of the ALBA Challenge Cup , these ties will all take place on either the 10th Aug or the 11th Aug.
Tie of the round has to be Dunfermline facing fellow 1st division promotion hopefuls Queen of the South , holders Dundee are away to Stenhousemuir , whilst Morton and East Stirling face long trip north to face Ross County and Peterhead respectively.
the full draw is as follows......
Queens Park vs Forfar Athletic
Ayr Utd vs Cowdenbeath
Ross County vs Morton
Partick Thistle vs Berwick Rangers
Dunfermline vs Queen of the South
Stenhousemuir vs Dundee
Peterhead vs East Stirling
East Fife vs Stirling Albion
Tie of the round has to be Dunfermline facing fellow 1st division promotion hopefuls Queen of the South , holders Dundee are away to Stenhousemuir , whilst Morton and East Stirling face long trip north to face Ross County and Peterhead respectively.
the full draw is as follows......
Queens Park vs Forfar Athletic
Ayr Utd vs Cowdenbeath
Ross County vs Morton
Partick Thistle vs Berwick Rangers
Dunfermline vs Queen of the South
Stenhousemuir vs Dundee
Peterhead vs East Stirling
East Fife vs Stirling Albion
Monday, 26 July 2010
Lennon cant complain...for once
At the time of writing this post , Celtic are in the final stages of signing Scunthorpe Utd striker Gary Hooper for a fee around £2.5m , add to this the probability of Israeli international Biram Kayal making his way to the east side of Glasgow , then you have a contented manager who goes into the biggest financial game of the season vs Sporting Braga on Wednesday night.
It took a while for Celtic chief Peter Lawwell to confirm Lennon was indeed to become the new mananger but since then he has backed the former Celtic captain by opening the checkbook to close to £10m , Lawwell has also got these guys in before a serious ball has been kicked in anger. If Hooper and Kayal do sign the they will follow Charlie Mulgrew , Cha Du Ri , Joe Ledley , Daryl Murphy and Mexican internationalist Efrian Juarez to the celtic squad.
Lennon has indicated that he might want more faces in , the celtic fans are happy that board have backed Lennon , they cant really complain either as the money has been spent and some high earners have left the club eg: (artur boruc).
Wednesday will see the first signs of Lennons own team in action , the Braga game is a genuine 50-50 tie so it will be interesting to see how the manager fits in his new players to his system and to the squad he was left with from Tony Mowbrays reign.
So far the game is only on BBC Radio Scotland MW , Kick off at 8pm , that could all change if hopefully a TV station picks this game up.
It took a while for Celtic chief Peter Lawwell to confirm Lennon was indeed to become the new mananger but since then he has backed the former Celtic captain by opening the checkbook to close to £10m , Lawwell has also got these guys in before a serious ball has been kicked in anger. If Hooper and Kayal do sign the they will follow Charlie Mulgrew , Cha Du Ri , Joe Ledley , Daryl Murphy and Mexican internationalist Efrian Juarez to the celtic squad.
Lennon has indicated that he might want more faces in , the celtic fans are happy that board have backed Lennon , they cant really complain either as the money has been spent and some high earners have left the club eg: (artur boruc).
Wednesday will see the first signs of Lennons own team in action , the Braga game is a genuine 50-50 tie so it will be interesting to see how the manager fits in his new players to his system and to the squad he was left with from Tony Mowbrays reign.
So far the game is only on BBC Radio Scotland MW , Kick off at 8pm , that could all change if hopefully a TV station picks this game up.
ALBA Challenge Cup 1st round results
The new season for SFL clubs got underway yesterday with the 1st round of the ALBA Challenge Cup , there were shocks , none bigger than at Starks park when Jimmy Nicholl returned to haunt his old club Raith Rovers , who were beaten 1-0 by Cowdenbeath , there were also wins for Dunferline who saw off Arbroath 1-0 , Ross County who beat fellow highlanders Elgin 2-1 and Peterhead ran out 5-0 winners by thrashing Montrose.
ALBA cup holders Dundee had to come from behind to beat a spirited Alloa 2-1 , Partick Thistle also beat old neighbours Clyde 2-1 whilst Stirling won their derby with Falkirk 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw,
Match of the round was at Bayview where East Fife beat Brechin 4-3 in a 7 goal thriller after extra time , there were other high scoring matches at Hampden as Queens Park bested Livingston 3-2 and in Stenhousmuir the home team beat Annan Athletic 3-2.
Other scores on the first game of the season were , Airdrie losing to Ayr 2-1 , Queen of the South beating Albion Rovers 2-1 and East Stirling making the long journey to Dumfries to win in extra time 2-1 against Stranraer.
Sundays only match was a local derby between Dumbarton and Morton where there was no goals before Morton won on a penalty shoot-out 4-3.
Now more bragging from ME , my tips in my previous post came up (Dundee and QOS) so if you backed it the well done as it should have returned even money , i was able to catch the 2nd half of the matches on the BBC sportsound radio show when i was down in Girvan at the weekend , 2 late goals saved me as Dundee scored in the 90th minute and QOS struck their winner in the 73rd.
This winning money is easy......NOT
ALBA cup holders Dundee had to come from behind to beat a spirited Alloa 2-1 , Partick Thistle also beat old neighbours Clyde 2-1 whilst Stirling won their derby with Falkirk 3-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw,
Match of the round was at Bayview where East Fife beat Brechin 4-3 in a 7 goal thriller after extra time , there were other high scoring matches at Hampden as Queens Park bested Livingston 3-2 and in Stenhousmuir the home team beat Annan Athletic 3-2.
Other scores on the first game of the season were , Airdrie losing to Ayr 2-1 , Queen of the South beating Albion Rovers 2-1 and East Stirling making the long journey to Dumfries to win in extra time 2-1 against Stranraer.
Sundays only match was a local derby between Dumbarton and Morton where there was no goals before Morton won on a penalty shoot-out 4-3.
Now more bragging from ME , my tips in my previous post came up (Dundee and QOS) so if you backed it the well done as it should have returned even money , i was able to catch the 2nd half of the matches on the BBC sportsound radio show when i was down in Girvan at the weekend , 2 late goals saved me as Dundee scored in the 90th minute and QOS struck their winner in the 73rd.
This winning money is easy......NOT
Friday, 23 July 2010
ALBA Challenge cup round 1 preview
For all the SFL sides , the season starts now , Saturday 24th July is the date of the 1st round of the ALBA challenge cup , holders Dundee will be looking to match the records of Airdrie and Falkirk as the only teams to win this competition 3 times.
Last years final was an excellent match with Dundee finally beating Inverness 3-2 at Mcdairmid Park , Dundee will start their defence against Alloa at Dens park.
Some of the best ties in the round include derbies between Stirling and falkirk , Clyde and Partick Thistle and Dumbarton vs Morton
The full draw is as follows.....
Airdrie vs Ayr Utd.....Dundee vs Alloa.....Dunfermline vs Arbroath....East Fife vs Brechin....Elgin vs Ross County.....Partick Thistle vs Clyde....Peterhead vs Montrose....Queen of the South vs Albion Rovers....Queens Park vs Livingston....Raith Rovers vs Cowdenbeath....Stenhousemuir vs Annan Athletic....Stirling Albion vs Falkirk.....Stranraer vs East Stirling
All these game are on Saturday , only Dumbarton vs Morton is on the Sunday
Tip of the day - Dundee and Queen of the South to win , even money with Hills
Last years final was an excellent match with Dundee finally beating Inverness 3-2 at Mcdairmid Park , Dundee will start their defence against Alloa at Dens park.
Some of the best ties in the round include derbies between Stirling and falkirk , Clyde and Partick Thistle and Dumbarton vs Morton
The full draw is as follows.....
Airdrie vs Ayr Utd.....Dundee vs Alloa.....Dunfermline vs Arbroath....East Fife vs Brechin....Elgin vs Ross County.....Partick Thistle vs Clyde....Peterhead vs Montrose....Queen of the South vs Albion Rovers....Queens Park vs Livingston....Raith Rovers vs Cowdenbeath....Stenhousemuir vs Annan Athletic....Stirling Albion vs Falkirk.....Stranraer vs East Stirling
All these game are on Saturday , only Dumbarton vs Morton is on the Sunday
Tip of the day - Dundee and Queen of the South to win , even money with Hills
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Craig Brown does it again
Motherwell became the last team to reach the Europa League 3rd qualifying round when they disposed of Breidablik 1-0 in Iceland tonight. A Jamie Murphy goal 3 minutes before the break was all it took for Motherwell to see off the brave Icelanders.
Tonight was also a victory for the "well" management team , Craig brown and Archie Knox masterminded this "smash and grab" much like Browns old Scotland tactics. Breidablik could have been a couple of goals ahead early though , the team who tops the Icelandic league missed 3 great opportunities before Jamie Murphy side footed the ball past the breidablik keeper , the 200 odd Motherwell fans celebrated as they knew it was all but over.
The "well" now travel to Norway where they will face Euro first timers Aalesund , if Brown can get a few new players in before this game then Motherwell have a great chance to make the 4th and final qualifying round where they could draw euro giants such as Juventus or Liverpool.
All in its a great start for the Scottish teams in Europe , 2 wins = 2 co-efficient points.
Great result.
Tonight was also a victory for the "well" management team , Craig brown and Archie Knox masterminded this "smash and grab" much like Browns old Scotland tactics. Breidablik could have been a couple of goals ahead early though , the team who tops the Icelandic league missed 3 great opportunities before Jamie Murphy side footed the ball past the breidablik keeper , the 200 odd Motherwell fans celebrated as they knew it was all but over.
The "well" now travel to Norway where they will face Euro first timers Aalesund , if Brown can get a few new players in before this game then Motherwell have a great chance to make the 4th and final qualifying round where they could draw euro giants such as Juventus or Liverpool.
All in its a great start for the Scottish teams in Europe , 2 wins = 2 co-efficient points.
Great result.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Ash Thursday for Motherwell
Tomorrow night Motherwell will attempt to reach the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League when they are in Iceland to take on Breidablik , the first leg finished 1-0 to "well" and hopefully they can finish the job against the Icelandic high flyer's.
Breidablik continued their fine form in the Icelandic league with a 2-0 win away from home against 4Th place Keflavik , this result still keeps them top on goal difference.
The Motherwell team travels with a full squad , so don't be surprised if manager Craig Brown selects the same team who basically kept the Icelanders to only a few chances in the 2nd half. Brown has also said that Motherwell will not sit back , GOOD , Motherwell should be looking to go here and getting that vital away goal. With that competitive match under their belt Motherwell should be more match fit although the Breidablik team will still have the advantage in fitness as they are now more than half way through their season.
As mentioned in my previous post the match fitness and extra training of another week should be the difference , Motherwell have all the experience here , Brown and Knox will have seen this sort of game 100 times before during their times with Scotland and Rangers , that's why i see Motherwell making it through to the 3rd round as i can see the Scottish side scoring but not conceding 3 in reply.
Prediction - Breidablik 1 v 1 Motherwell , again hopefully a "well" win as it helps Scotland co-efficient
Breidablik continued their fine form in the Icelandic league with a 2-0 win away from home against 4Th place Keflavik , this result still keeps them top on goal difference.
The Motherwell team travels with a full squad , so don't be surprised if manager Craig Brown selects the same team who basically kept the Icelanders to only a few chances in the 2nd half. Brown has also said that Motherwell will not sit back , GOOD , Motherwell should be looking to go here and getting that vital away goal. With that competitive match under their belt Motherwell should be more match fit although the Breidablik team will still have the advantage in fitness as they are now more than half way through their season.
As mentioned in my previous post the match fitness and extra training of another week should be the difference , Motherwell have all the experience here , Brown and Knox will have seen this sort of game 100 times before during their times with Scotland and Rangers , that's why i see Motherwell making it through to the 3rd round as i can see the Scottish side scoring but not conceding 3 in reply.
Prediction - Breidablik 1 v 1 Motherwell , again hopefully a "well" win as it helps Scotland co-efficient
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
The Walter in OZ
Today Walter Smith flies out with his depleted Rangers squad to participate in the Sydney festival of football. With only 16 first team players (2 of them goalkeepers) Smiths squad will be severely tested when they come up against Blackburn Rovers , Sydney fc and AEK Athens.
Sundays game vs Queen of the South gave Smith another headache when Sasa Papac joined Andrius Velicka on the injured list , both wont travel to Australia where it is expected some of the most promising youth players will get their chance to stake a claim before the new season. The Rangers fans will need to get used to the names of Wylde , Ness , Shinnie etc as right now the Rangers first team squad stands at 18.
Walter spoke to the press after Sundays 1-0 win and hopes to add 2-3 players to his squad before the season starts , most Rangers fans think this is a minimum amount needed as they watch their main rivals flash the checkbook by signing 5 players.
Right now this is what i perceive to be the Rangers squad for the forthcoming season.....
goalkeepers - Mcgregor , Alexander
defenders - Broadfoot , Whitaker , Weir , Bougherra , Webster , Wilson , Papac
midfielders - Davis , Edu , Mcculloch , Fleck ,
strikers - Miller , Lafferty , Velicka , Naismith , Little
Anybody can see that Rangers are lacking in midfield , they also need another striker , if walter is going to sign 2-3 then they have to be in these positions , probably 2 for midfield and 1 striker. Defensively they are solid , probably even more secure after Webster returning from Dundee utd , the goalkeeper remain the same with Mcgregor an Rlexander so rangers have 2 very good keepers
The next 6 weeks before the transfer window closes will be very interesting.
Rangers fixtures in OZ are.....
Blackburn rovers vs Rangers - Sunday 25th July
Sydney FC vs Rangers - Wednesday 28th July
AEK Athens vs Rangers - Saturday 31st July
Sundays game vs Queen of the South gave Smith another headache when Sasa Papac joined Andrius Velicka on the injured list , both wont travel to Australia where it is expected some of the most promising youth players will get their chance to stake a claim before the new season. The Rangers fans will need to get used to the names of Wylde , Ness , Shinnie etc as right now the Rangers first team squad stands at 18.
Walter spoke to the press after Sundays 1-0 win and hopes to add 2-3 players to his squad before the season starts , most Rangers fans think this is a minimum amount needed as they watch their main rivals flash the checkbook by signing 5 players.
Right now this is what i perceive to be the Rangers squad for the forthcoming season.....
goalkeepers - Mcgregor , Alexander
defenders - Broadfoot , Whitaker , Weir , Bougherra , Webster , Wilson , Papac
midfielders - Davis , Edu , Mcculloch , Fleck ,
strikers - Miller , Lafferty , Velicka , Naismith , Little
Anybody can see that Rangers are lacking in midfield , they also need another striker , if walter is going to sign 2-3 then they have to be in these positions , probably 2 for midfield and 1 striker. Defensively they are solid , probably even more secure after Webster returning from Dundee utd , the goalkeeper remain the same with Mcgregor an Rlexander so rangers have 2 very good keepers
The next 6 weeks before the transfer window closes will be very interesting.
Rangers fixtures in OZ are.....
Blackburn rovers vs Rangers - Sunday 25th July
Sydney FC vs Rangers - Wednesday 28th July
AEK Athens vs Rangers - Saturday 31st July
Friday, 16 July 2010
Decent european draws for Scottish clubs
Now before i start , im going to have a gloat , look at my post below and i have picked the teams for the Scottish clubs in the european draws today. Anyone want the euromillions numbers???
Back to the serious stuff , Celtic will play Sporting Braga from Portugal , the away leg will be first for Celtic who have avoided the likes of Fenerbache and Ajax in this round. Surely this give Celtic a great chance to make the 4th and final round of the champions league qualifiers.
Hibs will either travel to Hungary or Slovenia as they have drawn Videoton or Maribor , again the first leg will be away from home in which John Hughes takes charge of his 1st european tie
Motherwell if they can see off Breidablik will travel to Norway to play Aalesund , first leg away for the travelling Motherwell fans.
Overall it could have been much worse , all 3 could qualify and really help Scotlands co-efficient
Good luck to the Scottish teams
Back to the serious stuff , Celtic will play Sporting Braga from Portugal , the away leg will be first for Celtic who have avoided the likes of Fenerbache and Ajax in this round. Surely this give Celtic a great chance to make the 4th and final round of the champions league qualifiers.
Hibs will either travel to Hungary or Slovenia as they have drawn Videoton or Maribor , again the first leg will be away from home in which John Hughes takes charge of his 1st european tie
Motherwell if they can see off Breidablik will travel to Norway to play Aalesund , first leg away for the travelling Motherwell fans.
Overall it could have been much worse , all 3 could qualify and really help Scotlands co-efficient
Good luck to the Scottish teams
Celtic , Hibs and Motherwell await euro opponents
Today in Nyon the draws for the 3rd round of the champions league and europa league qualifiers will be made with Scottish clubs , Celtic , Hibs and possibly Motherwell finding out their fate.
At 11am the champions league qualifiers will be drawn with Celtic who are not seeded facing either , Ajax , Fenerbache , Dynamo Kiev , Zenit st Petersburg or Braga , whoever celtic get will be tough , probably the best draw is braga who had their best ever season when they came 2nd in the Portuguese liga.
We the move onto the europa league where Hibs and Motherwell will be seeded , the draw is at 12.30pm.
Hibs possible opponents are , FC Nordsjaelland (DEN) , Sloven Bratislava (SVK) , Inter Turku (FIN) , FC Videoton (HUN) or NK Maribor (SVN) , Valleta (MLT) or Ruch Chorzow (POL) , could hibs face old European foes in Videoton???
Motherwell if they get through will draw 1 of these teams , Kalamar FF (SWE) or Dacia (MOL) , FK Jablonec 97 (CZE) , Aalesunds FK (NOR) , OFK Beograd (SER) or Torpedo Zhodino (BEL) and Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) , for travel purposes the best draw for the "well" fans is the Norwegian or Swedish team
At 11am the champions league qualifiers will be drawn with Celtic who are not seeded facing either , Ajax , Fenerbache , Dynamo Kiev , Zenit st Petersburg or Braga , whoever celtic get will be tough , probably the best draw is braga who had their best ever season when they came 2nd in the Portuguese liga.
We the move onto the europa league where Hibs and Motherwell will be seeded , the draw is at 12.30pm.
Hibs possible opponents are , FC Nordsjaelland (DEN) , Sloven Bratislava (SVK) , Inter Turku (FIN) , FC Videoton (HUN) or NK Maribor (SVN) , Valleta (MLT) or Ruch Chorzow (POL) , could hibs face old European foes in Videoton???
Motherwell if they get through will draw 1 of these teams , Kalamar FF (SWE) or Dacia (MOL) , FK Jablonec 97 (CZE) , Aalesunds FK (NOR) , OFK Beograd (SER) or Torpedo Zhodino (BEL) and Jagiellonia Bialystok (POL) , for travel purposes the best draw for the "well" fans is the Norwegian or Swedish team
Motherwell get the ball rolling
Motherwell got Scotland's European season of to a fine start last night with a 1-0 win over Icelandic league leaders Breidablik. The only goal of the game came in the 63rd minute when Ross Forbes cross ball flew straight into the net.
Manager Craig Brown will also be delighted with the clean sheet , the result put Motherwell in the driving seat for next weeks return match
Last nights crowd was 5990
Manager Craig Brown will also be delighted with the clean sheet , the result put Motherwell in the driving seat for next weeks return match
Last nights crowd was 5990
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Starting "WELL"
Well here we go again , 4 days after the world cup final , the Scottish football season officially begins tonight with Motherwell taking on Icelandic cup holders and current league leaders Breidablik.
Motherwell go into tonight's game with a small squad , only new goalkeeper Darren Randolph looks like starting , manager Craig Brown will have to do without a host of players who have either been sold (Jim O,brien , Giles Coke) or players who have went back to their clubs from loan (John Ruddy , Lukas Lutkiewicz and Michael McGlinchey).
With 3 pre-season wins out of 3 , Motherwell will be confident but must be aware of the match time their opponents have , Breidablik are just about half way through their season , they are top scorers with 26 goals and sit top of the Icelandic league , top scorer Alfred Finnbogason has 8 goals , he is the dangerman , the Icelandic U21 internationalist has also 3 goals in 4 U21 games , Finnbogason is the man motherwell must stop is they are to get a result tonight. Motherwell must also keep an eye on goal scoring midfielder Kristinn Steindorsson who has 6 goals , the Icelandic team in total have 6 U21 players so this will not be an easy game.
As Motherwell enter their 3rd straight European adventure , the smart money is on a "well" win , they still have the core of the players who managed to get through 2 rounds in the europa league last season before being knocked out by Romanian giants Steaua , hopefully this experience counts tonight as it will be Breidabliks first ever game in Europe.
Prediction - as much as i would like Motherwell to get the win , i can only see them getting a scoring draw , the match fitness of the Icelandic team must have an effect on this game , if Motherwell were 10-11 games into their season then id expect a home win but tonight I'm going for 2-2 , i hope I'm wrong as Scotland need as many co-efficient points as we can get.
come on the "well"
Motherwell go into tonight's game with a small squad , only new goalkeeper Darren Randolph looks like starting , manager Craig Brown will have to do without a host of players who have either been sold (Jim O,brien , Giles Coke) or players who have went back to their clubs from loan (John Ruddy , Lukas Lutkiewicz and Michael McGlinchey).
With 3 pre-season wins out of 3 , Motherwell will be confident but must be aware of the match time their opponents have , Breidablik are just about half way through their season , they are top scorers with 26 goals and sit top of the Icelandic league , top scorer Alfred Finnbogason has 8 goals , he is the dangerman , the Icelandic U21 internationalist has also 3 goals in 4 U21 games , Finnbogason is the man motherwell must stop is they are to get a result tonight. Motherwell must also keep an eye on goal scoring midfielder Kristinn Steindorsson who has 6 goals , the Icelandic team in total have 6 U21 players so this will not be an easy game.
As Motherwell enter their 3rd straight European adventure , the smart money is on a "well" win , they still have the core of the players who managed to get through 2 rounds in the europa league last season before being knocked out by Romanian giants Steaua , hopefully this experience counts tonight as it will be Breidabliks first ever game in Europe.
Prediction - as much as i would like Motherwell to get the win , i can only see them getting a scoring draw , the match fitness of the Icelandic team must have an effect on this game , if Motherwell were 10-11 games into their season then id expect a home win but tonight I'm going for 2-2 , i hope I'm wrong as Scotland need as many co-efficient points as we can get.
come on the "well"
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