Syme

Sheep not wanting to avoid the Erse Cheeks in the last sixteen, then? Settle for a payday in Glesga? Raith are 6-1 to win in 90 minutes. Draw is 10-3. So Raith to win on pens will be close to 8-1. Good price for a stick on.

Not unless the Hibernian secretary / penpusher / clipboard-carrier has a relative we've yet to hear about at another club.

Harsh taskmaster, Craig, man! You'd get an Oscar as Pharaoh in a remake of a DeMille biblical epic. Or as Edward Longshanks. Or Captain Bligh. They're a part-time 4th division club. What should their ambition be in cups? Tanking Real Madrid in the last week of May at the Bernabéu? Making the Europa League group stage was a quest for the holy grail to Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs fans before the European revamp. I suppose it still is. As it is to most biggish clubs in medium-sized countries. Semi-pro clubs in England want to make round one in the FA Cup and draw Sunderland, Portsmouth or whichever big club is lurking in division 3. The treasurer's purse is the main priority at part-time clubs. They've more chance of assembling a promotion squad and upgrading their grassroots set-up on the proceeds of a tie in Glesga than on the prize money for beating Arbroath at home and losing a QF at Dundee.

Have to hope Annan get a game in Glesga and some shillings for their achievement... But sod's law says they're likely be drawn away at Arbroath.

It's almost 30 years since Simon Kuper's "Football Against the Enemy" was published. It's numerous globetrotting narratives include Argentinian death squads in the lead-up to the 1978 World Cup, the East German Stasi spying on players, the Yugoslav civil war, corruption in Africa and the recently deceased USSR, undocumented migrants in the USA following Latin American teams and Gazza's antics in Rome. Even in a book examining surreal situations, the 10 most jawdroppingly unbelievable quotes in the book all come from one chapter. "Celtic and Rangers... Or Rangers and Celtic." I'd already left the UK by the time "Football Against the Enemy" was published. Many of the places spotlighted in the book have moved on in 30 years. I'm back here now. Scotland in general hasn't. As for Glasgow...

Given the current shambles, a Hibs game v. the Premier League wooden spoon holders brought this to mind. https://www.google.com/search?q=top+rank+derek+and+clive+youtube&client=ms-android-vf-gb-revc&sxsrf=ALiCzsb8aK-e7nZsXUxHB8ieUNzZrVpd-A%3A1658575370928&ei=CtrbYvWcOInKgQaqjofQAg&oq=top+rank+derek+and+clive+youtube&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBQghEKABOgcIABBHELADOgYIABAeEBY6BQgAEIYDOgcIIRAKEKABSgQIQRgAUNsKWJAcYJcsaAFwAXgAgAGpAYgB8QeSAQMwLjiYAQCgAQHIAQTAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp# Could easily re-write this for a Hibs v. Norwich game. Plenty of fans would rather be at home with a hand shandy. The closing line, "Is this a way to run a f*****g football club?" would be apt

I was roped in at a biggish non-league club when I worked in London. This was pre-Internet. About November. Cub signed a player from the league below. He'd missed a couple of games with a wee niggle. Club was playing a minor cup tie. Middlesex Cup or London Cup. No big deal. Day out, blazers and 1st XI if you make the final, but a squad game in the early rounds. Ideal chance to give the new boy a run out. "Have you played in the London Senior Cup this season?" the secretary asked him. This was last 16. Last 32 had been maybe 4 weeks ago. Perhaps a prelim before that. "No." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." Secretary phones secretary at the boy's last club. "Did our new signing play for you in the London Cup?" "Yes. Last round. Scored twice. We won 4-1. Why?" "No reason." Whatever the level, you'll struggle to find a footballer who's smarter than the average bear. Rupert, Yogi, Paddington or Govan variety.

Scarcely registers on the "Grovelling Apology" scale one associates with the BBC. Not even the same sport as last week's... In either sense of the word. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/07/18/fallon-fox-trans-mma-bbc-transphobia-fair-play-for-women/

Anyone have a link to August '97 threads? About 3 or 4 games in. Jim Duffy. Good young manager. Getting a tune out of Chic Charnley. Great signing. Passports at the ready. How about a link to August '98 threads? About 3 or 4 games in. Lucky injury time winners. Stranraer? At home!! Get Eck tae feck. And that fat unfit finished Finn. I suppose drama queen is traditionally an amusing role. Chill the f**k out.

Bookies have the Bonnyrigg game as a "pick 'em" match up... As the Yanks say. Cannae see that. Aye, squad needs maybe 3 players. But on the rumoured budget, McGlynn is highly likely to get this bunch to a points total that will go close to winning League 1 in an average year. Bonnyrigg look of a standard that might be expected to come 3rd in a typical League 2. 3rd League 2 v. 2nd League 1 is not a "pick 'em" game in most seasons Bairns should be 5-4 at most here. I'd say 11-10. Can get 8-5 with Betway and 7-5 most anywhere. Just sayin', likesay

It's the parents of these people who should have been taking precautions.

Give over! That's clearly Pedro Caixinha spying on someone.

Not looking like it. See Sligo lost 2-0 at home to University College Dublin this afternoon . Only the 2nd game UCD have won this season. From 23 . Ace keeper McGinty not in the side. Reportedly in England and signing for Oxford United tomorrow.

Been waiting to see who'd pipe-up first. The "right-wing" nutter mentioning vaccines. Or the "left-wing" nutter blaming heatstroke & "climate change." Gratifying that neither species has surfaced. Yet. Maybe this country's not quite as much of a basketcase as I fear.

*Was going to say Marco Negri, but that might be misconstrued.

Phenomenal deal for The Famous. Still nowhere near sure about the lad. Grangemouth Bairn says Chelsea may pay over the odds in 3 years. Apt, as Bassey reminded me of Doug Rougvie until recently. Form is temporary. Lack of class is permanent. Toto Schilacci comes to mind. Next club more likely to be Birmingham or Derby than Chelsea.

Shocking lack of diversity in that XI. May as well have a pic of the Ing-Ger-Land lassies.

... and I'll wager ye cannae get Rice Krispies over there.

When you get beat off a 3rd division team, "Somebody Else Is To Blame!" is a good starting point for the inquest.

As "tolka" says above, Sligo Rovers don't have any realistic options when it comes to ticket allocations for visiting fans They're well-supported. Pull 2,000+ for normal league games. The Bala game sold out. I went to a game at Sligo when I lived in Dublin in the 1980s. The Showgrounds has improved a wee bit since then. Only holds 5,000 though. It intrigued me why Sligo was a "soccer" town. It still does. And it still is. There are no other "soccer" towns out west. East coast, aye. The BBC was accessible on the east coast before satellites. Markievicz Park likely holds 15,000 or 20,000 these days. Less than a mile away... ag an preachan eitilte. A mite longer by the walking football fan. Can't be using that, though. Politics and football, eh?

Whit's gaun aun? How many times have Shamrock & Dundalk qualified for the groups in 15 years odd since the Sheep did it? Thought this was an OK League. Derry hoyed out 4-0 by a Latvian mob. Sligo taken to extra time by Llandewi Breffi.

Here we go. I'm definitely back in the UK. Not back in Scotland. Yet. Fortunately.

Antti Niemi is not Scottish

Premiership was generally reckoned sub-standard last season. 6 of the 7 Premiership clubs screwing up within 5 days of the League Cup starting is still a mite surprising. Checking reactions on bookie sites. BetVictor's compiler's clearly keen on reverting to a straight knockout. He's a man of principle. He's hoyed oot Killie & the Fermers. Nowhere to be seen the list. Spoonburners now 20-1 with Bet365. They've the Fermers at 40-1 & St.Mirren at 50-1. Killie, Ross & Livi all 50-1 with Billy Hill. Sheep still 16-1 at Bet365. Performances so shite prices on the Gruesome Twosome have been shaved already. Depressing.

Bad result 'n' aw... but removing Killie from the betting is a wee bit premature. Fermers missing too.