The Morton Collapse of 03/04

[HoBNob]

More likely that they hit a bad patch of form when the pressure was starting to go and they just got into an irreversible tailspin

[Poet of the Macabre]

I agreed with what Chris Millar said. You might win money betting against your team and throwing games but you'd lose out on the win bonuses as a result. Interesting that it actually caused tensions in the dressing room though.

[Mr.Blue]

I remember speaking to Peter weatherson about it a while after. He seemed genuinely upset about it and was amazed that some people thought he could afford to spend the amount of money that was being banded about. 

[Coventry Saint]

They obviously didn't fucking gamble against their own team, FFS. 

 

They simply remembered they were Morton.

[btb]

16 hours ago, Poet of the Macabre said:

I understand this issue has likely been done to death over the years on P&B but was reading about this in the latest issue of Nutmeg and wanted to hear from the Ton fans about their memories of this incredible collapse. Where did the rumours of a betting scandal come from? How bad were the team at the end of that season?

 

A Saints fan I know who worked at the PO in Greenock at the time insists he started the rumour.

[Poet of the Macabre]

Apparently all was revealed at a Morton POTY event a few years later but no details have been made public...

 

[Toby]

What a season that was, absolutely bizarre from start to finish. I'd argue that the club still hasn't properly recovered from it.

After winning the title in May, it felt like the longest close season ever, such was the feeling of euphoria around the club. We started off with a three game midweek tour of the Highlands, and there must've been about 250 of us enjoying the delights of Buckie, Keith and Deveronvale. Keith especially was one of the fondest remembered awaydays for any Morton fan that was there. IIRC there was only one home friendly, against SPL Partick, which we drew 1-1 and acquitted ourselves quite well.

We then started with a Challenge Cup game at home to Arbroath which was a good indicator for what was ahead. With Alex Williams suspended (Queens fans will remember his red card in the shame game in the previous year's Challenge Cup tie at Palmerston), everyone and his granny lumped on Weatherson FGS. He scored after two minutes, we threw away a 3-2 lead in injury time, then went straight up the park and won it 4-3. The bookies downstairs from the Norseman ran out of cash to pay folk out after the game as there were queues down the street looking for their winnings.

The first league game was a cracker- a 3-1 win against Airdrie, who most saw as the biggest threat to any title ambitions. The main controversy about that game was the injury to the referee, resulting in a Morton fan coming from the Cowshed, in his Morton shirt and running across the park to get changed into a referee's kit and run the line, with the game delicately poised. Think we were 2-1 up at the time, but it could've been 1-1. We played Airdrie again three days later and lost 2-1 in the Challenge Cup, and their fortunes would be worth following for the rest of the season.

Our home form wasn't exactly amazing- we drew with Dumbarton and Hamilton before our first defeat, 3-1 to Berwick at Cappielow. But more often than not they were rattling goals in. We came from 2 down at Station Park to beat Forfar 3-2 and then beat Stenhousemuir 5-2 after a few scary moments before reaching our peak. In November we went to Airdrie and thumped them 6-1. Possibly one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen from a Morton team, we absolutely destroyed them.

It was downhill from then on though. We had a couple of turgid draws against Forfar and East Fife, and got out of jail at Hamilton in a midweek game. They hammered us that night, but Williams headed a last minute goal and we got away with a 2-1 win that we scarcely deserved. The cracks started to really show in a 6-4 win against Arbroath at Cappielow just before Christmas. Our defence was abysmal, but as we were scoring for fun we got away with it.

As well as the defence, I always felt the squad lacked maturity. There were too many gallus we guys that loved being local celebrities, but weren't prepared to accept the responsibility that went with it. Not living in Greenock, there were too many nights that I'd get picture messages from mates of players crashed out steaming on someone's couch after nights out.

It started to go wrong at new year, with a pretty timid 1-0 defeat at Dumbarton, and a hounding from Partick in the cup at Cappielow. Thereafter, form was patchy, but not abysmal. The goals were still going in, but not at the rate to negate our defensive difficulties, and the wins were turning into draws. McCormack signed Chris McLeod from Rangers to shore up the defence and he sold a goal 30 seconds into his debut, a 2-2 draw at home to Hamilton. His Morton career didn't get any better.

By the time Airdrie came to Cappielow in March, the tide was well and truly turning and they got away with a 1-1 draw. I'd have fancied us to have gone on and won it if we'd have got the three points that night. The next month was an inconsistent mix of results before going to Hamilton who were motoring right up behind us by that point. Pumped 6-1, and our goal was an injury time consolation. New Douglas Park doesn't hold too many happy memories, surely we'd never have to experience a worse result there in the future though.

The following week we beat Alloa 2-1, with a last minute winner from Paul Walker. You'd have thought we'd won the league that day, such were the celebrations. I can't remember much of the 2-0 defeat at Berwick the following week, other than sitting in the sunshine at the Ducket side half cut.

Dumbarton away a week later was the real shame game though. The stories had gathered pace that week and the atmosphere was really, really nasty that day. Of course there was a bigger Morton support at Dumbarton than at Berwick too. We got hammered 3-0, Derek Collins got sent off, there were fans fighting amongst themselves in the crowd and the players took a torrent of abuse on their way off. After the game, as they were getting on the bus, a mate of mine sarcastically said to Marco Maisnao "Is that you off to collect yer winnings, Marco?" Maisano lost the plot and went for him, resulting in players and fans trying to drag him off my mate on the car park in front of the press, who were loving it. Pretty sure that was the day Airdrie were confirmed as Champions.

It then became ridiculous when already relegated Stenhousemuir came to Cappielow and scudded us 4-1. Again, not a game I remember a lot about. We could've been promoted that day if results had gone our way, but the feeling of shock is my main memory of the day. Nobody could quite believe what was unfolding in front of them. Hamilton got a result that day, and all of a sudden, with one game to go, away to Champions Airdrie, on the day they collect the trophy, promotion was out of our hands for the first time all season.

We went to Airdrie, were soundly beaten 2-0 whilst Hamilton won 4-0 at Forfar and that was it. To rub salt into the wound we even dropped another place to fourth below Dumbarton. The comical moment of the season came at the final whistle when the Airdrie fans ran towards us celebrating and one guy ran out of the Morton end, booted one and tried his luck with his mates before getting lifted. Bizarrely though, the team got an applause from the fans and there were plenty of tears from some of the players at least. I stayed to watch Airdrie lift the trophy before getting a train back into Glasgow and getting ridiculously drunk.

We'll never know what actually happened, and I don't doubt they liked a punt, but I'd say what they were most guilty of was being a collection of wee fannies. Williams is still looked fondly upon by our support, if only he wasn't batsh!t crazy. The Maisanos were likeable lads. If you met them in a pub they'd be quick to say hello and get the beers in, but that wasn't what they were here for. Two of the players who were wee fannies were the only ones to actually go on and do something with their careers. Weatherson had a reasonable ten years at Morton, but openly admitted that if he was more professional he could've been more successful. Chris Millar screwed the nut and has had a good career. As for the rest of them? Who cares? Some stayed for a while, some were away quite sharp. Can't say I give any of them a second thought.

A mental time to support the club, and that for a club that has had more than it's share of ups and downs, but we probably fitted about 20 years worth of drama for some clubs into one season. It's little wonder we think so highly of the current squad when you think about some of the nutjobs that played for Morton.

[AyrTroopMajor]

Did Andy McLaren play for the Ton then or did he come later?

[Toby]

1 minute ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Did Andy McLaren play for the Ton then or did he come later?

He signed the following season, when we finished third behind Brechin and Stranraer. The hangover from the previous season, and the decision to keep McCormack probably cost us, but McInally should've been able to at least take us up a runners up that season.

[M0rtonfc]

36 minutes ago, Toby said:

What a season that was, absolutely bizarre from start to finish. I'd argue that the club still hasn't properly recovered from it.

After winning the title in May, it felt like the longest close season ever, such was the feeling of euphoria around the club. We started off with a three game midweek tour of the Highlands, and there must've been about 250 of us enjoying the delights of Buckie, Keith and Deveronvale. Keith especially was one of the fondest remembered awaydays for any Morton fan that was there. IIRC there was only one home friendly, against SPL Partick, which we drew 1-1 and acquitted ourselves quite well.

We then started with a Challenge Cup game at home to Arbroath which was a good indicator for what was ahead. With Alex Williams suspended (Queens fans will remember his red card in the shame game in the previous year's Challenge Cup tie at Palmerston), everyone and his granny lumped on Weatherson FGS. He scored after two minutes, we threw away a 3-2 lead in injury time, then went straight up the park and won it 4-3. The bookies downstairs from the Norseman ran out of cash to pay folk out after the game as there were queues down the street looking for their winnings.

The first league game was a cracker- a 3-1 win against Airdrie, who most saw as the biggest threat to any title ambitions. The main controversy about that game was the injury to the referee, resulting in a Morton fan coming from the Cowshed, in his Morton shirt and running across the park to get changed into a referee's kit and run the line, with the game delicately poised. Think we were 2-1 up at the time, but it could've been 1-1. We played Airdrie again three days later and lost 2-1 in the Challenge Cup, and their fortunes would be worth following for the rest of the season.

Our home form wasn't exactly amazing- we drew with Dumbarton and Hamilton before our first defeat, 3-1 to Berwick at Cappielow. But more often than not they were rattling goals in. We came from 2 down at Station Park to beat Forfar 3-2 and then beat Stenhousemuir 5-2 after a few scary moments before reaching our peak. In November we went to Airdrie and thumped them 6-1. Possibly one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen from a Morton team, we absolutely destroyed them.

It was downhill from then on though. We had a couple of turgid draws against Forfar and East Fife, and got out of jail at Hamilton in a midweek game. They hammered us that night, but Williams headed a last minute goal and we got away with a 2-1 win that we scarcely deserved. The cracks started to really show in a 6-4 win against Arbroath at Cappielow just before Christmas. Our defence was abysmal, but as we were scoring for fun we got away with it.

As well as the defence, I always felt the squad lacked maturity. There were too many gallus we guys that loved being local celebrities, but weren't prepared to accept the responsibility that went with it. Not living in Greenock, there were too many nights that I'd get picture messages from mates of players crashed out steaming on someone's couch after nights out.

It started to go wrong at new year, with a pretty timid 1-0 defeat at Dumbarton, and a hounding from Partick in the cup at Cappielow. Thereafter, form was patchy, but not abysmal. The goals were still going in, but not at the rate to negate our defensive difficulties, and the wins were turning into draws. McCormack signed Chris McLeod from Rangers to shore up the defence and he sold a goal 30 seconds into his debut, a 2-2 draw at home to Hamilton. His Morton career didn't get any better.

By the time Airdrie came to Cappielow in March, the tide was well and truly turning and they got away with a 1-1 draw. I'd have fancied us to have gone on and won it if we'd have got the three points that night. The next month was an inconsistent mix of results before going to Hamilton who were motoring right up behind us by that point. Pumped 6-1, and our goal was an injury time consolation. New Douglas Park doesn't hold too many happy memories, surely we'd never have to experience a worse result there in the future though.

The following week we beat Alloa 2-1, with a last minute winner from Paul Walker. You'd have thought we'd won the league that day, such were the celebrations. I can't remember much of the 2-0 defeat at Berwick the following week, other than sitting in the sunshine at the Ducket side half cut.

Dumbarton away a week later was the real shame game though. The stories had gathered pace that week and the atmosphere was really, really nasty that day. Of course there was a bigger Morton support at Dumbarton than at Berwick too. We got hammered 3-0, Derek Collins got sent off, there were fans fighting amongst themselves in the crowd and the players took a torrent of abuse on their way off. After the game, as they were getting on the bus, a mate of mine sarcastically said to Marco Maisnao "Is that you off to collect yer winnings, Marco?" Maisano lost the plot and went for him, resulting in players and fans trying to drag him off my mate on the car park in front of the press, who were loving it. Pretty sure that was the day Airdrie were confirmed as Champions.

It then became ridiculous when already relegated Stenhousemuir came to Cappielow and scudded us 4-1. Again, not a game I remember a lot about. We could've been promoted that day if results had gone our way, but the feeling of shock is my main memory of the day. Nobody could quite believe what was unfolding in front of them. Hamilton got a result that day, and all of a sudden, with one game to go, away to Champions Airdrie, on the day they collect the trophy, promotion was out of our hands for the first time all season.

We went to Airdrie, were soundly beaten 2-0 whilst Hamilton won 4-0 at Forfar and that was it. To rub salt into the wound we even dropped another place to fourth below Dumbarton. The comical moment of the season came at the final whistle when the Airdrie fans ran towards us celebrating and one guy ran out of the Morton end, booted one and tried his luck with his mates before getting lifted. Bizarrely though, the team got an applause from the fans and there were plenty of tears from some of the players at least. I stayed to watch Airdrie lift the trophy before getting a train back into Glasgow and getting ridiculously drunk.

We'll never know what actually happened, and I don't doubt they liked a punt, but I'd say what they were most guilty of was being a collection of wee fannies. Williams is still looked fondly upon by our support, if only he wasn't batsh!t crazy. The Maisanos were likeable lads. If you met them in a pub they'd be quick to say hello and get the beers in, but that wasn't what they were here for. Two of the players who were wee fannies were the only ones to actually go on and do something with their careers. Weatherson had a reasonable ten years at Morton, but openly admitted that if he was more professional he could've been more successful. Chris Millar screwed the nut and has had a good career. As for the rest of them? Who cares? Some stayed for a while, some were away quite sharp. Can't say I give any of them a second thought.

A mental time to support the club, and that for a club that has had more than it's share of ups and downs, but we probably fitted about 20 years worth of drama for some clubs into one season. It's little wonder we think so highly of the current squad when you think about some of the nutjobs that played for Morton.

3-2 away to Forfar, was that the Marco winner from about 40yrds out that took a deflection and the wind took it right over the keeper?

That 4-1 defeat to Stenny was a sickener right at the end, I mind at 3-1 leaving for the boozer and as I got to the corner flag they went thru with a 1 on 1 and scored a lob over the keeper which I watched in disbelief as the ball bounced it's way into the net. Crazy season, apart from the collapase I loved that season, some cracking away days!

I don't believe for a second any betting scandal took place, speaking to a few of the players in the boozer you could just tell it wasn't true, it was basically down to pressure and a shocking dip in form.

 

[Coventry Saint]

Outstanding post, @Toby, interesting read.

 

 

Here are some of Cowboy's recollections:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/i-remember-morton-squad-bet-on-teammate-1078560

It's nice to be The Famous for something, isn't it?

[P475]

53 minutes ago, Toby said:

What a season that was, absolutely bizarre from start to finish. I'd argue that the club still hasn't properly recovered from it.

After winning the title in May, it felt like the longest close season ever, such was the feeling of euphoria around the club. We started off with a three game midweek tour of the Highlands, and there must've been about 250 of us enjoying the delights of Buckie, Keith and Deveronvale. Keith especially was one of the fondest remembered awaydays for any Morton fan that was there. IIRC there was only one home friendly, against SPL Partick, which we drew 1-1 and acquitted ourselves quite well.

We then started with a Challenge Cup game at home to Arbroath which was a good indicator for what was ahead. With Alex Williams suspended (Queens fans will remember his red card in the shame game in the previous year's Challenge Cup tie at Palmerston), everyone and his granny lumped on Weatherson FGS. He scored after two minutes, we threw away a 3-2 lead in injury time, then went straight up the park and won it 4-3. The bookies downstairs from the Norseman ran out of cash to pay folk out after the game as there were queues down the street looking for their winnings.

The first league game was a cracker- a 3-1 win against Airdrie, who most saw as the biggest threat to any title ambitions. The main controversy about that game was the injury to the referee, resulting in a Morton fan coming from the Cowshed, in his Morton shirt and running across the park to get changed into a referee's kit and run the line, with the game delicately poised. Think we were 2-1 up at the time, but it could've been 1-1. We played Airdrie again three days later and lost 2-1 in the Challenge Cup, and their fortunes would be worth following for the rest of the season.

Our home form wasn't exactly amazing- we drew with Dumbarton and Hamilton before our first defeat, 3-1 to Berwick at Cappielow. But more often than not they were rattling goals in. We came from 2 down at Station Park to beat Forfar 3-2 and then beat Stenhousemuir 5-2 after a few scary moments before reaching our peak. In November we went to Airdrie and thumped them 6-1. Possibly one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen from a Morton team, we absolutely destroyed them.

It was downhill from then on though. We had a couple of turgid draws against Forfar and East Fife, and got out of jail at Hamilton in a midweek game. They hammered us that night, but Williams headed a last minute goal and we got away with a 2-1 win that we scarcely deserved. The cracks started to really show in a 6-4 win against Arbroath at Cappielow just before Christmas. Our defence was abysmal, but as we were scoring for fun we got away with it.

As well as the defence, I always felt the squad lacked maturity. There were too many gallus we guys that loved being local celebrities, but weren't prepared to accept the responsibility that went with it. Not living in Greenock, there were too many nights that I'd get picture messages from mates of players crashed out steaming on someone's couch after nights out.

It started to go wrong at new year, with a pretty timid 1-0 defeat at Dumbarton, and a hounding from Partick in the cup at Cappielow. Thereafter, form was patchy, but not abysmal. The goals were still going in, but not at the rate to negate our defensive difficulties, and the wins were turning into draws. McCormack signed Chris McLeod from Rangers to shore up the defence and he sold a goal 30 seconds into his debut, a 2-2 draw at home to Hamilton. His Morton career didn't get any better.

By the time Airdrie came to Cappielow in March, the tide was well and truly turning and they got away with a 1-1 draw. I'd have fancied us to have gone on and won it if we'd have got the three points that night. The next month was an inconsistent mix of results before going to Hamilton who were motoring right up behind us by that point. Pumped 6-1, and our goal was an injury time consolation. New Douglas Park doesn't hold too many happy memories, surely we'd never have to experience a worse result there in the future though.

The following week we beat Alloa 2-1, with a last minute winner from Paul Walker. You'd have thought we'd won the league that day, such were the celebrations. I can't remember much of the 2-0 defeat at Berwick the following week, other than sitting in the sunshine at the Ducket side half cut.

Dumbarton away a week later was the real shame game though. The stories had gathered pace that week and the atmosphere was really, really nasty that day. Of course there was a bigger Morton support at Dumbarton than at Berwick too. We got hammered 3-0, Derek Collins got sent off, there were fans fighting amongst themselves in the crowd and the players took a torrent of abuse on their way off. After the game, as they were getting on the bus, a mate of mine sarcastically said to Marco Maisnao "Is that you off to collect yer winnings, Marco?" Maisano lost the plot and went for him, resulting in players and fans trying to drag him off my mate on the car park in front of the press, who were loving it. Pretty sure that was the day Airdrie were confirmed as Champions.

It then became ridiculous when already relegated Stenhousemuir came to Cappielow and scudded us 4-1. Again, not a game I remember a lot about. We could've been promoted that day if results had gone our way, but the feeling of shock is my main memory of the day. Nobody could quite believe what was unfolding in front of them. Hamilton got a result that day, and all of a sudden, with one game to go, away to Champions Airdrie, on the day they collect the trophy, promotion was out of our hands for the first time all season.

We went to Airdrie, were soundly beaten 2-0 whilst Hamilton won 4-0 at Forfar and that was it. To rub salt into the wound we even dropped another place to fourth below Dumbarton. The comical moment of the season came at the final whistle when the Airdrie fans ran towards us celebrating and one guy ran out of the Morton end, booted one and tried his luck with his mates before getting lifted. Bizarrely though, the team got an applause from the fans and there were plenty of tears from some of the players at least. I stayed to watch Airdrie lift the trophy before getting a train back into Glasgow and getting ridiculously drunk.

We'll never know what actually happened, and I don't doubt they liked a punt, but I'd say what they were most guilty of was being a collection of wee fannies. Williams is still looked fondly upon by our support, if only he wasn't batsh!t crazy. The Maisanos were likeable lads. If you met them in a pub they'd be quick to say hello and get the beers in, but that wasn't what they were here for. Two of the players who were wee fannies were the only ones to actually go on and do something with their careers. Weatherson had a reasonable ten years at Morton, but openly admitted that if he was more professional he could've been more successful. Chris Millar screwed the nut and has had a good career. As for the rest of them? Who cares? Some stayed for a while, some were away quite sharp. Can't say I give any of them a second thought.

A mental time to support the club, and that for a club that has had more than it's share of ups and downs, but we probably fitted about 20 years worth of drama for some clubs into one season. It's little wonder we think so highly of the current squad when you think about some of the nutjobs that played for Morton.

What a fantastic and insightful post neebur, thanks for sharing. 

[Hank Scorpio]

One of the most enjoyable posts I've read on here,@Toby. The first time I've really read about it as I was too young to properly take it in at the time.

[Dunning1874]

I've now read the Nutmeg article which inspired the thread. Chris Millar summed it up nicely at the end of the article with "perhaps, ultimately, we just weren't as good as we thought we were." While that about covers it, I'm doing a post that's going to turn into an essay anyway.

Obviously none of us were thinking it in December 2003, but with the benefit of hindsight the warning signs were always there. It was a mediocre squad being carried by a few talented individuals, with the attack consistently bailing out a defence that lost too many goals, and when those talented individuals lost form or got injured the weaknesses were exposed to an embarrassing extent.

At the turn of the year we were 16 league games into the season. In those 16 games we'd conceded 21 goals, (with 4 clean sheets) a rate of 1.3 goals conceded a game. That's not a terrible defensive record, but you'd expect better from most title challenging sides - for comparison, Hibs this season have conceded 0.6 per game, Livingston 1.03. We'd won 3-2 twice, we'd won 5-2 and 6-4. Throw cups in there and we'd also had a 4-3. Basically, the defence just wasn't dependable at all and we were only getting away with it because Weatherson and Williams were in utterly ridiculous form to help us outscore the opposition.

So, we got to January 12 points clear despite the defensive weakness. McCormack publicly volunteers the information that Rae has given him a budget to add to the squad if he wants to, but he's happy with what he's got and is confident the squad we have can get us the title - we're comfortably clear after all.

We start January with the 1-0 defeat at Dumbarton where their goal comes from Robbie Henderson clean air swiping a simple clearance after 5 minutes to give Iain Russell a tap in. We follow that up with a 3-0 pumping from Partick in the cup and McCormack decides he will sign another defender after all - enter Rangers loanee Chris McLeod (Raith fans should remember him too) who goes straight into the team v Hamilton. He starts his Morton career by misjudging a simple header, leaving his man unmarked and giving away a goal inside the first two minutes - he only got worse from there and was binned after five games.

That Dumbarton game was the start of six games without a win. By the time we won again (1-0 at Stenhousemuir, John McVeigh was sent to the stand and was seething) Weatherson had picked up his mysterious injury. John Maisano had a few knocks and missed a few games, but was mostly playing while he clearly wasn't fit. With Maisano off form, there was no one capable of playing a through ball which meant no one in the midfield could give Williams service - he was hopeless with his back to goal. The goals dried up and the defence continued to concede at the same rate.

The complete lack of depth in the squad was exposed. With Weatherson out along with 33 year old Warren Hawke, we were left with Phil Cannie starting up front. He tried hard but he was miles out of his depth; signed from the juniors and returned there as soon as he left us. As desperation set in when it became clear that not just the title but promotion was disappearing, we saw McCormack not only changing the team but the formation every week, chucking youngsters into big pressure games - 18 year old Jim McAlister at centre forward was a good one.

Junior bound non-entities like John Adam and Paul McGlinchey featured wherever McCormack could fit them. Just about the only constant through all the formation changes was Paul Walker, who was the epitome of a gubbins seaside league sand-dancer with no end product, being given a free role up front to buzz around the corner flags doing bugger all. This was the clearest example ever of a manager having no idea how to stop a poor run of form escalating and losing the plot.

Weatherson returned from injury in late March, his return coinciding with Williams getting injured. We went three games without defeat but the damage was done already and the capitulation was confirmed as we lost 6-1 at Hamilton. At that point we were still 5 points clear of them but everyone knew there was no chance a team in that kind of form could salvage promotion and we were going to collapse. We followed that with a 2-1 win over Alloa before losing our last four games, scoring 1 and conceding 11.

Now, the idea that collapse was caused by the players betting against the team. There's a point no one considers here: if they were going to make a concerted attempt to blow the league in favour of another team, why would they have placed a bet on Airdrie? At the time our collapse started Airdrie were fourth, 17 points behind us. They weren't in good form at all. Betting on second placed Berwick or third place Hamilton would have made more sense. You can point to signings they made - Paul Lovering, Willie McLaren, Owen Coyle - and say it was obvious players of that calibre would turn them round, but that doesn't stand up either. McLaren was brilliant in the second half of that season, but when he signed he was an unknown youngster getting his first senior contract, who'd failed to get contracts on trial elsewhere in the bottom two tiers previously. Owen Coyle had a great pedigree but he'd been there since November and had made little difference at first. Paul Lovering? Good player, but one left back isn't going to turn a season around. It makes no sense.

It's now a matter of public record that Alex Williams has received treatment for gambling addiction. Would it surprise me if a gambling addict was to place a bet against their own team? Of course not, Dean Brett's only just been sacked for it. I'm not saying Williams did bet against Morton by the way, and I was interested to see in the article that Weatherson now knows where the rumour started from (to me that further confirms my belief that it didn't happen) but if we ignore that and say for argument's sake that a player did place that bet - it would be an utter disgrace and unquestionably a sackable offence, but it still doesn't add up to the whole team deliberately throwing games.

The reality is that we had a squad lacking in depth being carried by a few individuals, got away with it for half a season then our luck ran out. Even in the third tier, you can't expect to maintain a title challenge with players like Phil Cannie, Robbie Henderson and Emilio Bottiglieri playing regularly. John McCormack didn't appreciate this, didn't strengthen when he had the chance and didn't win the league as a result.

Ever a fan of a costly mistake, Dougie Rae rewarded McCormack for only winning 5 games of the last 20 with a new contract, only to then sack him five games into the next season. For many years some Morton fans argued that this was a terrible mistake, that he should have sacked the entire squad instead, losing McCormack and the squad having too much power was what led to us taking another three years to get out of the second tier. Personally, I felt the mistake was not sacking him quickly enough: had McCormack gone in March, another manager could have had a chance of dragging that squad, bad as it was, over the line. As it happened, he was allowed to build another sub-standard squad and ensure we failed once again.

[Dunning1874]

Heh, typed that up offline, came straight to the thread and pasted it in without reading through first - Toby had already said it all better than me.

[madton]

Toby has pretty much summed it up perfectly, great post.

I don't for a second think players put a bet on Airdrie to win the league. Why would they, as Toby said, we absolutely destroyed them in Nov and were 13 points clear of them at the end of Jan. They were also 6th in the table after 18 games played.

We had came up after winning the 3rd div title on the last day in front of 8500 at Cappielow and the club and town was buzzing all Summer. The promotion bounce allowed us to really kick on during the 1st half of the season and we only lost 1 game in our first 16 league matches. During that run though, we were still conceding too many goals ( 21 in 16 matches)  and teams learned how to play against us and started picking up more points against us. That kind of snowballed and we only won 5 games during the second half of the season.The players never really handled the pressure that was building and the scenes at Dumbarton were without doubt my lowest point ever watching football. It was a truly poisonous atmosphere, stemmed from a rumour!

People often forget that Airdrie actually went on an 18 game unbeaten run for the second half of the season, winning 13 and drawing 5. A remarkable run when you compare it to their first 18 games.( W7 D5 L6)

As Tony said, Our club changed that year. Its not been quite the same since and I doubt it will be until the Raes move on. Jim Duffy has managed to bring the club  and fans together again and with Hawke more involved now, hopefully we can move on and fulfil the potential we showed back in 2003.

[AyrshireTon]

Toby and Dunning have summed it up very well.

We were scoring freely and and managing to compensate for our leaky defence (even if only just at times) with ridiculous scorelines such as 5-2 and 6-4. When the goals for dried up, the goals against kept coming and confidence noticeably dipped. There were also stories of the players not getting on with Cowboy and asking DDFR to get rid of him - players weren't allowed to drink yet Airdrie players were going out on team casino nights out and it didn't seem to affect them at all.

Betting - don't see it. Betting against your own team is one thing but betting on Airdrie a quite another when you have no way on influencing their games. It was nothing more than a rumour which inevitably unsettled the club as a whole.

 

Our present squad are much the opposite of that one - when goals don't come freely they are keeping it tight at the back and generally seeing games out. They also have a good team spirit, both on the park and away for it.

[Sarto Mutiny]

I can't imagine what it must be like to support a team who completely collapse in the second half of the season.

Must be awful.

[AyrshireTon]

@Toby - the score was 1-1 in the Airdrie game when the referee got injured. He then awarded us a penalty for a pull on Greacen's jersey which very few in the ground saw (but I have to say I did at the time), and Weatherson took it. The other goal was a deflected free kick from Wlliams.

[Rugster]

Interesting reading. I must say it feels much more recent than 13 years ago! How time flies.