I was disappointed for St Johnstone at their exit from the Europa League last night but not for Scottish football, or our coefficient points. Saints are a provincial club in a very rural part of Scotland. You only have to travel through the hills to Perth to realise that pocket of Scotland, with its tractors, knitwear and wellie boot shops, has no God given right to beat a team from any municipality anywhere.
They have done very well for the last couple of seasons, from a tiny catchment area, but managed to reach Europe by pipping Dundee United, who ironically were good enough to have key players poached midseason.
St Johnstone don’t have potential superstars, they are also the oldest team in the league, which gets you through a long campaign but they are never going to sparkle. Or earn Scottish football a hatful of coefficient points.
Dundee United were decimated by the loss of those two players midseason, and were done no favours with the shadow of uncertainty which enveloped backroom and boardroom for months, but they, Aberdeen and Celtic are the only Scottish clubs capable of getting their act together to the extent required to reach European group stages. For everyone else, Europe is strictly a July pursuit, so don’t stress about it, and Tommy Wright is well within his rights to talk up his own club.
If Scottish football wants to get all introspective about last night, we should concern ourselves with concentrating resources on clubs who are independently financially viable: Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, Celtic, Hibs and maybe Dundee. If more of our sponsorship and TV money went to Aberdeen and United and less to the thirty-or-so hangers on, they would be better placed to consolidate their development work and compete in Europe.
Celtic are five days away from their opening competitive game of the season, so I would think tonight’s friendly against Davie Moyes’ Real Sociedad will be the last strenuous exercise the players go through after what will have been a taxing first few weeks of preseason. After this workout it should all be about recovery before the visit of Stjarnan on Wednesday. The usual caveats apply to Nadir Ciftci, if he looks like he couldn’t run upstairs, he’s about where I’d expect him to be right now.
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BMCUWP
Happy Buffday from all in NC.
:o)
DB
Aye
They orcs will return from ml1 even more hate filled and ugly about 6pm
Monaghan1900
“So be patient, remember the big picture and that we are all here for the long game –
– Rome was not built in a day as they say!”
Funny to hear Rome being name checked in a non negative way in such a forum.
HH
Desertbhoy
Not crieff little Ireland
The Commercial is where all the time drink.
Tims not time
Rwe
Funny also how they’ve effectively grasped towards transubstantiation to convince themselves they’re a different clumpany but same club.
Stooopid, stoooopid non ecumenical stickies!
HH jamesgang
RWE… you anywhere near Raleigh??
papajoe55
13:54 on
11 July, 2015
Desertbhoy
Not crieff little Ireland
The Commercial is where all the time drink
……………………………………………………………………….
that’s interesting.. didn’t think there were many Tims in Crieff.. where is the Commercial??
JAMESGANG
Transsubstantiation?
Did it in Oxford about a year ago. Bliddy weird talking about a fella from miles away when he walks past the pub.
DESERTBHOY
Close enough to get on his bike…
RWE
13:51 on
11 July, 2015
Funny to hear Rome being name checked in a non negative way in such a forum.
——
The guy will no doubt cop a ban.
HH
Grateful and humble thanks to all once again. Problem is,these cyber pints will take their toll.
Still,yeez urnae daft. Saves me boring the nipples off you overnight!
(See,I should have a birthday every day.)
you just put the brakes on his response!
Bobbio
;-)
HH jamesgang
desertbhoy
In Charlotte.
But gawn tae the beach at North Topsail ramorra.
:o)
Desertbhoy
Little Ireland is Muthill 3 miles south of Crieff so called because a lot of inhabitants from Donegal Mayo came to work on potato farms. My dad came here in 1930s when all labour was manual , not like mechanised ways of today.
Season tickets arrived, flights booked, hotel booked, roll on 31 July return to Paradise
….pfayr supports weeoscar
10:15 on 11 July, 2015
Saltires
Time to front up …no more hiding behind the internet
Or maybe that’s your style
Your pathetic attempts at internet empowered hassling and bullying of me is tiresome and boring
I’ve been ignoring you please do me the same courtesy
Btw ..if you don’t think that our current system gets exposed in Europe you should try watching another sport …maybe cycling
–///—///–///
Bullying ha!
You are offering me advice on dishing it out?
Behave
Your judgement on matters fitba is never in doubt.
papajoe55
…………………….
Muthill eh… well i never!!
Usually take the moors road out of Braco, but occassionally have to reroute through there for bad weather.
Can’t recall seeing any hoops on view… in fact can’t remember seeing many folks around the place.
Did play sclaffbaw there a couple of years back, but must have been ladies day!!
well they said they were ladies….
RWE….
played a lot of sclaffbaw in Hungary with a septic from around there.. can’t remember the exact place but he had a baccy plantation.. in fact worked all his life with BAT.
jamesgang
Ya naughty man ye. :o)
BMCUWP might be needing some of that transubstantiation later if funds become overly depleted.
RWE
Shark-fishing wi budgie smugglers?
Desertbhoy
Any Celtic trophy winning occasion the Celtic flags are on the lampposts , Crieff has quite a big hoops supporting group I know maybe 40 season book holders. I take it you go to Comrie when you use the moors road good 9 hole course there
desertbhoy
Our first trip to the coast 9 years ago we saw our first tobacco plants, then sweet potatoes, the corn…
“We’re not in Castlemilk any more Toto.”
Regarding entry to Wednesday’s game. Can someone confirm whether season book holders just use the season ticket to get in or will separate paper tickets be posted out?
Papajoe55
Is Sweeneys coaches not from there ?
Hail Hail
RWE
Aye,mibbe so. And I’m delighted at how well you and yours have settled.
What delighted me just as much was that you and P haven’t lost your accents!
I read a post the other day from CONEYBHOY about the ‘oral’ part of the French O-level. An ooooo-er missus comment if ever there was one.
But similarly,I argued that I canny be expected to be understood in French when I canny be understood in English.
Hail hail and here’s to many years ahead of your accent befuddling your neighbours!
papajoe55
……………………
best wee course in Scotland according to Gerard Butler’s maw.. or was it Ewan Mcgregor’s maw…..
can’t say i’ve noticed any hoops in Crieff either…
Cowiebhoy… yes… some bloody awful drivers!!
Rwe
Lol
HH
Papajoe55:
You’ll know the Coll, Maclellan and the Sweeney families, one of which from Arranmore.
Desertbhoy
Yes Gerry butlers mum lives in Comrie and plays golf nice lady,
Cowiebhoy
Yes sweeneys coaches from here big hoops supporting family , my sons partner is a lovely cowieghirl they stay in Stirling now you probably know her family
Hoopy Happy Birthday to
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
hope you have a good one
HH
Magnus
Yes know them all , the coll family’s mother was my dads younger sister
My dads family from Arranmore
John Guidetti signs for Celta de Vigo I’l give him a season then it will be pastures new again for the football playing rover
johann murdoch
Aye but the second half was apparently more like watching MY paint drying!
DaliCSC
Mullet Day on Sky Sports. The Uk waiting with baited breath on words of wisdom from the man who with the second biggest budget in Scottish football couldn’t get out of the second division.
Rwe go to the beach just don’t get in