HibeeJibee

Remember the Home Championship doubled as WC 1950 and 1954 qualification; plus we played 3 of our 4 qualifiers for 1958 and 1962 in quick succession during May of 1957 and 1961. It's pretty clear to me SFA and its clubs felt the only internationals during the season should be the Home Championship, the Army and Scottish League challenges, plus high profile home friendlies (themselves pretty rare). Indeed: Scotland friendlies during the season in 25yrs to 1970 13 Dec 1950 Scotland v Austria 08 Dec 1954 Scotland v Hungary 12 Mar 1956 (Scotland XI v Anglo South Africans) Olympic fundraiser only 'friendly' we arranged in 2nd half of season during entire period! 21 Nov 1956 Scotland v Yugoslavia 07 Dec 1963 Scotland v Norway 16 Oct 1968 Denmark v Scotland correct... we did not arrange an away friendly during the season until 1968! 21 Sep 1969 Eire v Scotland Scotland qualifiers during the season in 25yrs to 1970 06 Nov 1957 Scotland v Switzerland 26 Sep 1961 Scotland v Czechoslovakia 29 Nov 1961 Scotland v Czechoslovakia (tie-break playoff in Brussels) 21 Oct 1964 Scotland v Finland 13 Oct 1965 Scotland v Poland 09 Nov 1965 Scotland v Italy 07 Dec 1965 Italy v Scotland correct... we did not arrange an away qualifier during the season until 1965! 06 Nov 1968 Scotland v Austria 11 Dec 1968 Cyprus v Scotland 16 Apr 1969 Scotland v West Germany only qualifier we arranged in 2nd half of season during entire period! 22 Oct 1969 West Germany v Scotland 05 Nov 1969 Austria v Scotland

Finland were only others not to enter*; as late as 1971 we played Euros qualifier at Pittodrie as it wasn't seen as 'proper' tournament. Scotland was only FA to vote against womens football in 1972. *Cyprus joined UEFA after qualifiers began; and for complex reasons West Germany didn't enter due to issues over East Germany participating after Berlin Wall went up a few months prior.

As simple an adjustment as Premiership and SPFL1 starting 1 round earlier (R3 and R2 respectively) could mean more varied cup, no prelims, and space for 128 non league clubs in R1 (up from 60).

It's rare for any cup outside SPFL to not be "all in". Incidentally for about a decade SJFA Cup has exempted SFA member clubs & Scottish Cup qualifiers past R1, so it's not entirely all-in from off. (This season they were actually to be exempted past 2 rounds until a few withdrawals reduced the entry meaning there didn't need to be 2 rounds before Last 64).

Stranraer & Clyde achieve 3 entries in the 1 match:

Portugal won Euro 2016 from 3rd in group. Argentina reaching Final of WC in 1990; Italy in 1994; Mexico of Copa America in 1993, Uruguay in 1999, Paraguay in 2011, and Peru in 2019; plus Jordan of Asian Cup this year; are only other examples of making showpiece.

I noticed them mention during commentary last night the next edition in Morocco - which ludicrously is as soon as next year - will be June & July... This clashes with FIFA's new Club World Cup, so I'm sure that will be popular among European clubs with African players, and indeed also the African clubs which qualify... Al Ahly and Wydad have already done, so and had 10 and 1 players respectively in Ivory Coast i.e. you'd be depriving Al Ahly of most of their starting XI!

Saturday 10th February R5: Kennoway P-P Ashfield Tuesday 20th February R5: Ashfield v Kennoway (7:45pm) Ashfield vs Kennoway Star Hearts - South of Scotland Football League

Never happened before except for Rangers season. Indeed only from 2014-15 to 2016-17 then last season had more than half the division exceeded 500... just 2 did in 1998-99, 2005-06, 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Updated state of play across southerly tier 6: East of Scotland League (30 games) South of Scotland League (22 games) West of Scotland League (30 games)

Saturday 10th February R5: Dunipace 1-0 St Andrews (aet) SFs: Dunipace v Dundonald/Dunbar/Uni of Stirling/Musselburgh Tranent/Broxburn v Gala/Inverkeithing

Friday 1st March Burntisland Shipyard v Crossgates Primrose Hutchison Vale v Coldstream (7:45pm) Leith Athletic v Armadale Thistle (8pm) Saturday 2nd March Bo'ness Athletic v Oakley United Dunbar United v Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts Easthouses Lily v Dunipace Edinburgh Community v Vale of Leithen Edinburgh United v Kennoway Star Hearts* Fauldhouse United v Whitehill Welfare Haddington Athletic v Luncarty Harthill Royal v Ormiston Primrose Hill of Beath Hawthorn v West Calder United Linton Hotspur v Blackburn United Livingston United v Hawick Royal Albert Lochgelly Albert v Musselburgh Athletic Lochore Welfare v Dalkeith Thistle Newburgh v Preston Athletic Newtongrange Star v Edinburgh College Peebles Rovers v Arniston Rangers Penicuik Athletic v Jeanfield Swifts Pumpherston v Camelon Sauchie v Dundonald Bluebell Stoneyburn v Kinnoull Thornton Hibs v Edinburgh South Tweedmouth Rangers v Kirkcaldy & Dysart Whitburn v Stirling University EOS

Saturday 10th February R1: Harthill 1-3 Thornton (aet, FT 1-1) R2: Arniston 3-2 Preston Blackburn 0-3 Lochore Burntisland v Stoneyburn Kirkcaldy & Dysart P-P Bo'ness Athletic Ormiston P-P Vale of Leithen Newtongrange 4-0 Coldstream Pumpherston P-P Newburgh West Calder 5-4 Oakley Saturday 9th March R2: Kirkcaldy & Dysart v Bo'ness Athletic Ormiston v Vale of Leithen Pumpherston v Newburgh R3: to be drawn

This is Broxburn's schedule through February-March... Sat 03 Feb Tranent 4-1 Broxburn (SCC R5) Sat 10 Feb Penicuik 0-1 Broxburn Sat 17 Feb Broxburn v Musselburgh Sat 24 Feb Broxburn v Luncarty Wed 28 Feb Tranent v Broxburn (EQC QF) Sat 02 Mar no game - odd team after bye in ELC R1 - Tranent have SCC QF Sat 09 Mar Broxburn v Inverkeithing Sat 16 Mar Glenrothes v Broxburn Sat 23 Mar for outstanding league games + EQC Sat 30 Mar Broxburn & tbc (ELC R2) ... literally a game every Saturday plus 1 midweek and it precedes 1 blank Saturday. (You also have 1 outstanding league game - at Dundonald - needing redated before mid-May).

Hibs v Rangers must be Sun afternoon due to EL tie presumably meaning Celtic v Livingston be Sat lunchtime, on Viaplay... with Morton v Airdrie/Hearts on Fri (or Mon?) and Aberdeen-Killie on Sun evening, on BBC. (Aberdeen have a league game the following Wednesday and BBC are showing Wales v France in Six Nations on Sunday afternoon).

Having checked in contemporary newspapers the game was down for White City immediately from the draw in January. It had been announced in July 1965 that England would play there and Wembley. HQ of the World Cup organising committee - and venue for in person London ticket sales - was actually White City not Wembley. Venues were selected in October 1963 - even then just 1 game at White City - and Middlesbrough was substituted for Newcastle in mid-1964 after dispute over leases. QPR tried to leave Loftus Road for White City during 1964-65. Of course it was originally suggested that WC 1966 should be a Home Nations bid not just England.

Led Zeppelin's lesser-known hit. There's now under 3 months left... Saturday 27th April 2024 Semi-Final 1st leg Saturday 4th May 2024 Semi-Final 2nd leg Saturday 11th May 2024 Final 1st leg Saturday 18th May 2024 Final 2nd leg SPFL2 ends May 4th and Clyde - homeless, hapless, increasingly helpless - are now 10pts adrift with a worse GD. Beached like some great whale on the sandbar of last place, it'll take enormous efforts to make-up 11pts in 13 games. Lowland finishes on April 20th and most contenders have 9 or 10 games left. East Kilbride are out in front - and it looks like only a collapse in their form plus perhaps a surge from Tranent could overturn that. They meet at K-Park on Tuesday. Disturbing situation exists in Highland - due to conclude April 13th but it'll surely go on another week - where Brechin narrowly lead Banks o'Dee, but Buckie + Brora haven't reached halfway yet with 18 + 19 left respectively. Difficult speculating who'll prevail.

... but top division clubs now join at Last 128 not Last 32. That would be like our Premiership clubs joining in R2 instead of R4. There are about 10 countries in Europe with League Cups, so more than 5 but clearly a minority. Tbh this is actually fairly irrelevant in the context of the discussion: nobody wanting a big Scottish Premiership will say they'd be happy with a small if we scrapped our League Cup!

Part of the issue are the unresolvable tensions in what people want. They don't want to play more than twice, as it's boring - but it means having to expand to 18 or 20, as otherwise you only get 26 or 30 games. (Different splits or new cups don't work as well - and anyway they're boring). Expanding to 18 or 20 then means a large mid-table and a weak Championship - which are boring.

Basically they claim it's stopped deaths rising more than they have (i.e. it hasn't improved the situation but otherwise matters would have got even worse) - and it needs to be higher to work better (i.e. it's not ineffective it's that we need more of it). Minister sets the level via 'statutory instrument' e.g.: The Alcohol (Minimum Price per Unit) (Scotland) Order 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)

Traditionally each group was based in 2 cities (with 1 of 4 nations usually only playing in 1 venue) which also saved fans on travel. Sadly it got dropped after Italia 90 and Euro 2012 respectively.

UEFA has jumped the shark with all these playoffs tbh... only 6 sides from 54 don't go up/down/to playoffs this edition: Worse still NL playoffs are 2-legged - but playoffs for WC/Euros are 1 tie !

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