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Wright within rights, Ciftci running upstairs caveat

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

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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  4. RWE on

    BMCUWP

     

     

    My sons ripped into me 20 years ago about them and I have apparently been sporting age appropriate beach wear since.

     

     

    In Longboat Key last May – an early morning beach walk with Mrs RWE – and then we spy walking towards us, an old geezer wearing a thong thing..

     

     

    We walked past very quickly and completely avoided any eye contact…burst out laughing.

     

     

    I would like to thank both my sons for their fashion advice all those years ago.

     

     

    :o)

  5. Magnus on

    papajoe55

     

     

    14:48 on 11 July, 2015

     

     

    Small world. Me too also. Making more visits to The Rock from Oz as the years stretch out.

  7. desertbhoy on

    RWE……

     

     

    Wilson comes to mind.

     

     

    Izzat no a long drive with the possibility of getting chewed up??

  8. RWE on

    ginger

     

     

    I can do that, no I really can….thing is..

     

     

    I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old grandchildren who are beach bonkers and have been talking about nothing else except boogie boarding and such for weeks now.

     

     

    My budgie smugglers won’t make the beach but my baseball bat will.. :o)

     

     

    Topsail Sharks CSC

  10. Maestro on

    Good afternoon,

     

     

    I am considering taking Mrs M to Santa Ponsa at the end of September.

     

     

    Any advice on the best places to stay self catering or hotels etc would be greatly appreciated.

     

     

    HH

     

    M

  12. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    RWE

     

     

    Whatever’s comfortable.

     

     

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ygeWsoYYMuQ&oref=https%3A%2F%2Faccounts.google.com%2FCheckCookie%3Fhl%3Den-GB%26sarp%3D1%26checkedDomains%3Dyoutube%26checkConnection%3Dyoutube%253A516%253A1%26pstMsg%3D1%26chtml%3DLoginDoneHtml%26service%3Dyoutube%26continue%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fm.youtube.com%252Fsignin%253Fhl%253Den-GB%2526feature%253Dmobile%2526action_handle_signin%253Dtrue%2526next%253D%25252Fverify_age%25253Fclient%25253Dmv-google%252526layout%25253Dmobile%252526next%25253D%2525252Fwatch%2525253Fv%2525253DygeWsoYYMuQ%252526tsp%25253D1%252526utcoffset%25253D60%2526app%253Dm%26gidl%3DCAA&has_verified=1&client=mv-google&layout=mobile

  13. papajoe55 on

    Magnus

     

    Where are you in oz , my old boss retired to Melbourne 25 years plus ago promised myself a visit but never got round to it , he died a couple of years ago . My wife has 2 sisters in California and a brother in Canada so holidays in that direction instead

  14. RWE on

    idbleedgreenandwhite

     

     

    Can I just say to you, that in the context of my imminent encounter with sharks ….

     

    …that your nom de blog is unnerving…

     

     

    :o)

  15. Billybear on

    It’s a tad unfair on saying Stuart McColl couldn’t get rangers out of the championship. He was thrown in at the deep end with Super’s shambolic assembly. He almost made it, seeing off the mighty Queens and dumping Hibs. It just seems like normal service had resumed re Rangers Motherwell matches, i.e. He was always the losing manager in those games.

     

    Watch Weirburtons Wonders Win With Wizardry

  18. RWE on

    desertbhoy

     

     

    About 3hr 45 mins door to door.

     

     

    Oh and I get chewed up the whole way there and back :o)

     

     

    The sharks only bite :o)

  19. hankray on

    Looks like the steroid queen on way to Wimbledon victory. Serena Williams more muscular than any of the men contenders. The Williams camp are always a glum looking lot do they ever smile.

  20. Houl yer wheest on

    Below is an excellent summary of the NAMA debacle in the north of Ireland. This story will run and run.

     

     

     

     

    Nama deal: debtors helped uncover £7m at centre of Northern Ireland loan sale… new

     

     

    A team of special investigators working for a group of disgruntled Nama debtors managed to trace the £7m payment at the centre of the Northern Ireland loan sale scandal

  21. Magnus on

    papajoe55

     

     

    Headed to Sydney many years ago and managed to get myself transfers to Perth, WA and Brisbane for several years before returning to Sydney and eventual retirement. Now enjoying slower driving trips north and south depending on the seasons and sampling the coastal detours and lovely beach venues I used to bypass when hammering up and down the motorways. Just back from another flying visit to the Red Centre and Uluru (Ayers Rock).

  29. Turkeybhoy on

    jamesgang,

     

     

    Pronounced,”Saeedi”,but I have to say,I like Sady better.Sady Janko.Reminds me of a lumber I got in Victorias.Not physically,or gender,I have to add.

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