Next non-Old Firm title winner

[PauloPerth]

I think this season we can see what happens when teams try to stand upto the old firm.

St Johnstone have clearly been the third force in Scottish football over the past decade, and dominated domestically last season.

Is it really any surprise this season that the football authorities have ensured there was never going to be a similar occurrence, with shocking decisions against Saints on a regular basis. If it was happening to the OF, there'd be outrage and cries of cheating.

Whilst it's funny for other diddies in the short term, by allowing this to happen to St Johnstone, it is basically accepting OF dominance for the foreseeable, as sadly there are no other clubs capable or with the bottle to stand up to the big two, as we all know.

Sponsors and tv companies don't like it when clubs spoil the script. No cup wins, cup final appearances or even semi-final appearances was never going to be accepted again. Prepare yourselves for an OF Scottish Cup Final this season.

But don't come begging us in a few years to return to the top flight, telling us you miss us and need us. We'll be busy with the challenge cup.

[Highlandmagar]

1 minute ago, PauloPerth said:

I think this season we can see what happens when teams try to stand upto the old firm.

St Johnstone have clearly been the third force in Scottish football over the past decade, and dominated domestically last season.

Is it really any surprise this season that the football authorities have ensured there was never going to be a similar occurrence, with shocking decisions against Saints on a regular basis. If it was happening to the OF, there'd be outrage and cries of cheating.

Whilst it's funny for other diddies in the short term, by allowing this to happen to St Johnstone, it is basically accepting OF dominance for the foreseeable, as sadly there are no other clubs capable or with the bottle to stand up to the big two, as we all know.

Sponsors and tv companies don't like it when clubs spoil the script. No cup wins, cup final appearances or even semi-final appearances was never going to be accepted again. Prepare yourselves for an OF Scottish Cup Final this season.

But don't come begging us in a few years to return to the top flight, telling us you miss us and need us. We'll be busy with the challenge cup.
 

You have forgotten to take your prescription today!

[ahemps]

2 hours ago, Sonam said:

All this must be boring for old firm fans as well, each year, gap getting bigger due to huge financial advantage that increases every year. 

Yet every year the old firm fans cant help their massive over celebration in winning a financially fixed title, then the inevitable over praise by the media, when the financial advantage grows even more. How exciting!! BBC pundits were genuinely pleased when Celtic & Rangers back to thumping teams 5-0 / 4-0 (Hearts / Motherwell). 

You would think they'd find it boring but it is in their psyche (Rangers especially) to see themselves as the superior people (WATP) therefore unchallenged domination is appealing to them and reinforces their superiority over people who have not simply chosen to select the most advantaged teams in Scotland. 

I would like to see more reporting from Scottish media on the gulf in Scottish football finances. There is plenty of resources that show the finances and how stark they are but they are never reported on by the Scottish media. I suppose they have to sell their papers and they do so by massaging the egos of OF fans and they lap it up (Aaron Ramsey talking of the pressure at Rangers....a guy who has played for Arsenal and Juve and has the weight of his nation on him when he plays but yet Rangers is where he feel the pressure because he's daunted by the fact he has to beat the likes of Dundee and Livi). The media has to portray this idea rather than calling it out that these 2 sides have amongst the biggest domestic advantages in football as that would be patronising to their readers so it wouldn't sell. However you only need to listen to any English pundit who dismisses immediately any domestic success either of them have and the fact that recently a player choose Middlesbrough over Celtic that the view from outside Scotland of winning easy trophies and getting a free pass to Europe doesn't make them appealing as they like to think.

[Kyle Reese]

I think I'll see it in my lifetime. I think it'll be HMFC.

[pozbaird]

I won’t see it in the rest of my lifetime. If it didn’t happen following 2012, it won’t happen now there’s the tribute act masquerading out of Govan. Scottish top flight football is now back to two disproportionally large clubs in a small country being watched by 50,000 every second week, sitting a hundred points clear at the top, and hardly ever losing to anyone bar each other. They have all the power, hold all the aces, and it is now impossible to imagine anyone coming out on top of both of them over the course of an entire league season.

The only way, the absolute only way it will happen is if some mental Saudis, Asians, or Russian oligarchs decide they want to buy a non-OF team and that team would have resources to possibly do it if enough daft money was thrown at it. The only other way is if the two of them weren’t there at all, and had fcuked off to some artificially created European League for big clubs that aren’t as big as the real big boys. Even then, the kunts would demand that they have B Teams in the new-look Scottish top flight. Chances of them fcuking off though are about as high as the chances of San Marino winning the World Cup.
 

With all due respect to my team and the others, Celtic were a team in transition and a mini crisis not so long ago, but their recruitment has seen guys like those Japanese guys and Jota turn up and look more than decent. Who are the rest of us able to sign?

It’s game over in regard to anyone bar two clubs winning Scotland’s top flight. Dead as a Norwegian Blue. Hearts currently Scotland’s third best team? The closest challenger? Who has one of their best players signed a PCA with. Any decent players pop up at a non OF club and one of the OF clubs will whisk them away. 
 

Fun and games, eh.

Edited February 15, 2022 by pozbaird

[tamba_trio]

22 minutes ago, pozbaird said:

I won’t see it in the rest of my lifetime. If it didn’t happen following 2012, it won’t happen now there’s the tribute act masquerading out of Govan. Scottish top flight football is now back to two disproportionally large clubs in a small country being watched by 50,000 every second week, sitting a hundred points clear at the top, and hardly ever losing to anyone bar each other. They have all the power, hold all the aces, and it is now impossible to imagine anyone coming out on top of both of them over the course of an entire league season.

The only way, the absolute only way it will happen is if some mental Saudis, Asians, or Russian oligarchs decide they want to buy a non-OF team and that team would have resources to possibly do it if enough daft money was thrown at it. The only other way is if the two of them weren’t there at all, and had fcuked off to some artificially created European League for big clubs that aren’t as big as the real big boys. Even then, the kunts would demand that they have B Teams in the new-look Scottish top flight. Chances of them fcuking off though are about as high as the chances of San Marino winning the World Cup.
 

With all due respect to my team and the others, Celtic were a team in transition and a mini crisis not so long ago, but their recruitment has seen guys like those Japanese guys and Jota turn up and look more than decent. Who are the rest of us able to sign?

It’s game over in regard to anyone bar two clubs winning Scotland’s top flight. Dead as a Norwegian Blue. Hearts currently Scotland’s third best team? The closest challenger? Who has one of their best players signed a PCA with. Any decent players pop up at a non OF club and one of the OF clubs will whisk them away. 
 

Fun and games, eh.

If Rangers hadn't been reincarnated, there's a strong chance Aberdeen (or Hearts or Hibs) would have won the league by now. It's not so long ago Aberdeen were top of the league into the New Year and genuinely challenging in March. And, as they improved, Celtic's gates were dropping and they were getting poorer.

Rangers return proved the degree to which Celtic want them in the league. Aberdeen lost their captain (to Rangers, obviously) and their squad pretty much fell off a cliff. Aberdeen's smallest league crowd in 2014/15 was more than their biggest crowd so far this season.

So now the Old Firm can play off each other, sharing league titles to all eternity.

We'll never see anyone else win the league again.

[Sonam]

I'm old enough to remember there used to be a time at the start of each season when it really felt like any number of teams could win the title. Was proper exciting! Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United, proper competition. Sure, mostly that didn't happen, but each new season felt like a real possibility, a team that never won title could, if signings hit it off, luck went their way. Was exciting living through that as a child.

Its a shame for the youth now when we already know it know it's Celtic or Rangers before season kicks off. Then old firm both scoop the Euro money, increasing their advantage year on year. Pundits raving at how good old firm players are, how great signings are, how tactically superior tge nanagers are, never mentioning the massive financial advantage.

Imagine if there was proper fairness, share of finances and actual competition!! Crowds and TV money would go through the roof! If shared out fairly... Not going to happen, until old firm eventually piss off to some sub euro league, Div 2. Never make the main one, hehe. Would be great if they eventually sodden off to England, anywhere. Scottish league would kick off proper without them I reckon.

[Phillips455]

I would assume hearts may become the potential team to win simply due to the highly likely fact of them getting guaranteed group stage European football. Similar to the old firm that will simply increase the budget and likelihood of signing better players which leads to more European football and better league results etc.

The only way they don't get the Europa League Play off spot this season is if they lose 3rd spot (as if) or if someone outwith the top 3 wins the cup.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Phillips455

[Leith Green]

8 minutes ago, Phillips455 said:

I would assume hearts may become the potential team to win simply due to the highly likely fact of them getting guaranteed group stage European football. Similar to the old firm that will simply increase the budget and likelihood of signing better players which leads to more European football and better league results etc.

The only way they don't get the Europa League Play off spot this season is if they lose 3rd spot (as if) or if someone outwith the top 3 wins the cup.

Guaranteed group football may add a lot of money (for them) to their footballing budget, but its nothing to what Celtic and Rangers spend.

Hearts best chance was Dens when Albert Kidd did his stuff.

It isnt happening again for them unless Anderson ups his donations by several million and even then its probably still nowhere near enough.

[Kyle Reese]

Beautiful.

[gannonball]

3 hours ago, AndyM said:

Your wage bill was about 30 million under Delia and that was probably 5 times as much as Aberdeen's.  I know that Celtic and Rangers fans don't like us diddies talking budgets but you have to be realistic in what you can achieve when you are running on a fifth and usually much less of the biggest club.

did you even read the quote I was replying to?

[Derryboy62]

2 hours ago, Kyle Reese said:

I think I'll see it in my lifetime. I think it'll be HMFC.

You've got to be 'Kidd'ing us on....

 

[Kyle Reese]

4 minutes ago, Derryboy62 said:

You've got to be 'Kidd'ing us on....

 

Baddum tisch 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

I doubt it will happen in my lifetime, however if anyone is going to upset the applecart it would most likely be Hearts or Hibs with some significant investment and an outrageously lucky season with recruitment and hardly any injuries. Realistically though, no one outside the bigot brothers is winning the title unless they f**k off to a super league or something. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

I remember speaking to a  Sellick fan at Central station before one of the many cup finals that Aberdeen shat the bed at and asking him if it was boring going to watch his team beat Ross County 5-0 again. He said it was but he then said he couldnt understand why teams didnt try harder against Celtic. 

I made my excuses and left. 

[jamamafegan]

Not sure what can be done to stop the OF now. Aberdeen had their chance recently - twice - to do it. They blew the league when Celtic were shite and then they blew the chance to change the league voting structure.

What can be done now? Player salary caps? Better distribution of funds across Scottish football? “Lesser clubs” writing into players contracts that they won’t sell them to the Old Firm under any circumstance? That would noise the bigot brothers up. Think of all the great players who get poached by the OF. Soutar this season for example. If there was a way to prevent that from happening it would maybe help slightly.

I hate, absolute hate, how narrow minded the authorities of Scottish football are. Obviously a competitive league would be far more exciting and is in the best interests of the game. It’s not in the best interests of Celtic or Rangers though so it doesn’t matter.

[Kyle Reese]

5 minutes ago, Melanius Mullarkay said:

I remember speaking to a  Sellick fan at Central station before one of the many cup finals that Aberdeen shat the bed at and asking him if it was boring going to watch his team beat Ross County 5-0 again. He said it was but he then said he couldnt understand why teams didnt try harder against Celtic. 

I made my excuses and left. 

I'll never forgive Dundee United for not trying harder after they lost Gary MacKay-Stevens, Willo Flood, Ciftci and Armstrong to them in a short space of time. Lazy b*****ds.

[jamamafegan]

“Lesser clubs” writing into players contracts that they won’t sell them to the Old Firm under any circumstance? That would noise the bigot brothers up. Think of all the great players who get poached by the OF. Soutar this season for example. If there was a way to prevent that from happening it would maybe help slightly.

Just to expand on this - how funny would this be? Rangers and Celtic would be frothing at the mouth when they find out a club had the audacity to do such a thing. If this was allowed to be done I genuinely think it could make a difference.

Players signing the contract would know what they are getting themselves in for - there can be no complaints from them. Good players would still get their move to a bigger club down south or abroad if they are good enough. If a player is hell bent on joining the OF they could play out their contract and get their move then. It could mean teams like your Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeens that have managed to build a genuinely good squad might actually have a chance of retaining them instead of the OF just nabbing the players off them. I don’t think it would put players off signing for clubs either. Anyone who’s desperate to play for the OF anyway can f**k off as far as I’m concerned. Away you go to your “boyhood club” you gimp.

[CO2000]

On 08/04/2021 at 19:39, jamamafegan said:

I think it’s partly down to a mentality thing. Aberdeen had their big chance a few seasons ago and they blew it. Celtic were not at the races that season. Aberdeen recently as well only finished 9 points (3 wins) behind Celtic under Rodgers. I believe if a professional was brought in to deal with the mentality of the players, like they did at FK Bodø/Glimt in Norway, it might change the fortunes of a team if they can catch Celtic and Rangers on an off season. Leicester City were excellent in their title winning season but they took advantage of the other traditional top teams being quite poor.

The key thing is consistency and routinely beating lesser sides. Then you have to take points off the OF. Aberdeen were getting good at until the shat it.

Could this have been some sort of long range prediction!?

[velo army]

9 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

 

Just to expand on this - how funny would this be? Rangers and Celtic would be frothing at the mouth when they find out a club had the audacity to do such a thing. If this was allowed to be done I genuinely think it could make a difference.

Players signing the contract would know what they are getting themselves in for - there can be no complaints from them. Good players would still get their move to a bigger club down south or abroad if they are good enough. If a player is hell bent on joining the OF they could play out their contract and get their move then. It could mean teams like your Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeens that have managed to build a genuinely good squad might actually have a chance of retaining them instead of the OF just nabbing the players off them. I don’t think it would put players off signing for clubs either. Anyone who’s desperate to play for the OF anyway can f**k off as far as I’m concerned. Away you go to your “boyhood club” you gimp.

 

It wouldn't stop PCAs like Souttar's, but it would prevent the utterly daft situation of talent hoovering of which the OF are routinely guilty.

I don't want the OF to leave and join some Frankenstein European Diddy League, they would only keep poaching players to use in inflated squads (a la EPL teams). I want the rest to break away from the OF. Create a new top league with equitable voting and TV revenue. 

We do need radical solutions to create genuine competition and excitement. The McLeish report was a very good start, but anything that doesn't tackle the vast gulf in wealth and therefore competitiveness is just deckchair rearrangement.