ropy Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 The Scottish Cup is the show piece finale of the season (play off finals now obscure this). Winning the cup is the best way to finish the season, winning the league is bigger in terms of effort but winning the cup eclipses it for pizzazz. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 51 minutes ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: Yes indeed. We've done well in recent years. There are usually one or two semi-pro (or part-time, as they're generally called here) clubs in the second tier, and it's quite tough for them to stay at this level. Dumbarton managed it for six consecutive seasons recently, and even had a year where they had an outside chance of promotion to the Premiership, the money from which would've enabled them to turn fully professional, at least temporarily. Hamilton are an example of a club who were on their knees financially in the recent past and had to drop down to part-time status, but gradually worked their way back to becoming fully professional, and have been a permanent fixture in the Premiership for about a decade. That's the dream for most of our clubs, but it takes a long time and a lot of work. It's the most important trophy that Premiership (and a few Championship) clubs who aren't Celtic have a chance of winning. Clubs take it seriously for that reason, and the smaller teams do also as it brings in big crowds, so a decent run of wins in the cup can bring in enough money to fund stadium improvements, additional youth development projects, and that kind of thing. Plus, the cup is one of the few occasions where smaller clubs will have the opportunity to take on the big names and maybe embarrass them, so you can understand why that would be popular. It's also still considered prestigious to have won it - there are fans who still insist their diddy club is important because they managed a single Scottish Cup win back at the dawn of the 20th century. It's not unheard of for a team to rest important players for a league game if there's a Scottish Cup tie in a few days, especially in the latter stages. The League Cup isn't as big a deal. The top clubs will rest some of their best players until the semi-final or final, as league matches are considered more important. It doesn't attract crowds in the same way, and there have been moves in recent seasons to alter the format to make it more appealing to fans. Cup games generally aren't included in a supporter's season ticket and, while most people will pay the extra money to see a Scottish Cup tie, a lot of people won't bother with the League Cup unless the club has reached the latter stages. There's also the Challenge Cup, which is a tournament invented for a single season about thirty years ago, but it was popular enough that it continued through to the present day. It's essentially the Scottish Cup, but without the teams from the top division, so it's a tournament that all the other clubs have a feasible chance of winning. It was a nice idea, but unfortunately it's unlikely to be around much longer. Crowds are risible even in comparison to unimportant league games, and nobody takes it seriously until their club has reached the semi-finals, at least. The SPFL have attempted to breathe life back into it in recent years by adding Premiership youth teams, and random semi-pro teams from England, Wales, and Ireland that are generally even smaller than the Scottish clubs, but if anything that's made matters worse, leading to double-digit crowds at some games and a general feeling that the tournament has been devalued even further. Best put out of its misery as soon as possible. Appreciate it. All very interesting and informative. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, Romeo said: Phenomenal atmosphere. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgie greatness Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Here yank wouldnt like you to be getting the wool pulled over yer een Edited June 23, 2020 by Gorgie greatness 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) 16 minutes ago, AmericanFan said: Appreciate it. All very interesting and informative. It's absolutely surreal to see someone being polite on here Apologies if I've been droning on a bit, but this is taking me back to explaining Scottish football to the wife and her friends/family. Only because they asked about it; I don't randomly walk up to people and say, "have I ever told you about the delights of freezing winter evenings at Recreation Park?" Edit: here's a popular Scottish football phrase you might not be familiar with: Hibsing it. To have Hibsed something, one must have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, no matter how unlikely failure appears to be. Named after Hibernian FC, who had a long and storied history of making an arse of everything, until their glorious Scottish Cup win in 2016 (their first in over a hundred years). If you ever find yourself watching a game that your team is winning 3-0 with five minutes to play, and have a sudden overwhelming premonition that they're somehow going to avoid winning, the phrase to use is, "we're going to Hibs this". Everyone will know what you mean. Edited June 23, 2020 by BigFatTabbyDave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 15 hours ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: The cup winners would probably get a letter of congratulation back from the president if they dropped him a line celebrating their accomplishment, and maybe enclosing a wee pennant. You could always kid on that it was completely unsolicited. Sounds pointless, but I bet Dunfermline's letter from Kennedy would be taking pride of place at East End Park these days. It takes pride of place in the Kennedy Suite at East End. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 14 minutes ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: It's absolutely surreal to see someone being polite on here Apologies if I've been droning on a bit, but this is taking me back to explaining Scottish football to the wife and her friends/family. Only because they asked about it; I don't randomly walk up to people and say, "have I ever told you about the delights of freezing winter evenings at Recreation Park?" haha, nah, it's been good learning all of this, so thanks. I guess I now know how my ex-girlfriend and her parents were when they were peppering me with questions about some American sports, haha. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 3 minutes ago, AmericanFan said: haha, nah, it's been good learning all of this, so thanks. I guess I now know how my ex-girlfriend and her parents were when they were peppering me with questions about some American sports, haha. Yeah, US sports are very confusing to people from here. I think the general feeling is that they're unnecessarily complicated. You've also probably already gathered that there's a bit of resentment here that soccer is mainly a game for women and kids in the US, so don't be surprised if you see a bit of denigration of beloved American pastimes! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 14 minutes ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: Yeah, US sports are very confusing to people from here. I think the general feeling is that they're unnecessarily complicated. You've also probably already gathered that there's a bit of resentment here that soccer is mainly a game for women and kids in the US, so don't be surprised if you see a bit of denigration of beloved American pastimes! How diplomatic! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tree house tam Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 20 hours ago, AmericanFan said: I'm getting the impression Dundee F.C. and Dundee United don't like each other, haha. Biggest misconception on the planet. They love each other, it's not called the utility derby for nothing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alert Mongoose Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Has Swampy been outed here yet? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rector Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 What you need is an old school ground and atmosphere; a sense of faded glory and old-world lustre; a proper football club,; baggy and a bit loose at the seams; and the best nickname. Forget the Prem glory boys. There can only be one club for you: Ayr United - the Honest Men. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Foot Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Gorgie greatness said: Here yank wouldnt like you to be getting the wool pulled over yer een Fake news. A half-arsed attempt at video manipulation. Don't listen to him, AmericanFan. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Partick Thistle are Glasgow's 'third' and non-sectarian football club. We finished 6th in the Premiership, our highest finish in 30 years, in 2018. Since then we have been relegated to the Championship via the play-offs, avoided relegation to League One via the play-offs on the last day of the season and now relegated again - due to a mix of global pandemic, refereeing decisions and Gary Caldwell. Our only saving grace is that our mascot is pretty fucked up and we're not Rangers or Celtic. Think this ship has sailed. Edit: Oh, we're also suing the SPFL along with Hearts if you like a good suing. It's not even our money. Edited June 23, 2020 by Smurph 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tree house tam Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, Smurph said: Partick Thistle are Glasgow's 'third' and non-sectarian football club. We finished 6th in the Premiership, our highest finish in 30 years, in 2018. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, tree house tam said: France won that game 2-0. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tree house tam Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, Smurph said: France won that game 2-0. Are you, in a round about way, trying to tell me Partick will be better than St Johnstone at some point in the future? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 3 hours ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: Yeah, US sports are very confusing to people from here. I think the general feeling is that they're unnecessarily complicated. You've also probably already gathered that there's a bit of resentment here that soccer is mainly a game for women and kids in the US, so don't be surprised if you see a bit of denigration of beloved American pastimes! This is inaccurate, just fyi. In the metropolitan areas, loads of males play the game. Nearly every high school with a population above 500 has a team, and there are tons of university teams. It is also slowly getting taken up in the rural areas. Personally, I played competitively through the age of 20 and then in recreational leagues after that. We may not be very good, but we do play, haha. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 2 hours ago, The Other Foot said: Fake news. A half-arsed attempt at video manipulation. Don't listen to him, AmericanFan. haha 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanFan Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, Smurph said: Partick Thistle are Glasgow's 'third' and non-sectarian football club. We finished 6th in the Premiership, our highest finish in 30 years, in 2018. Since then we have been relegated to the Championship via the play-offs, avoided relegation to League One via the play-offs on the last day of the season and now relegated again - due to a mix of global pandemic, refereeing decisions and Gary Caldwell. Our only saving grace is that our mascot is pretty fucked up and we're not Rangers or Celtic. Think this ship has sailed. Edit: Oh, we're also suing the SPFL along with Hearts if you like a good suing. It's not even our money. Appreciate it. What is your mascot? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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