SPL Weekend Review

On Thursday I asked if the SPL would continue with the draw and close games that had so far been played. Turns out the answer was no. Over the weekend four of the matches were won by two or more goals, and a total of 18 goals were scored. Here is a look back at the best of the action.

Saturday Fixtures:

Inverness 0 - 2 Rangers

Inverness vs. Rangers BBC Video

Rangers picked up their second away win of the season under fortuitous circumstances in Inverness. Rangers got their first with a penalty from Nikica Jelavic, however, the decision to award the penalty was very dodgy, with Ross Tokely looking to win the ball from Steven Naismith who went down under the challenge. Inverness has further room for complaint as the big defender was also sent off for the tackle. Rangers doubled their lead with Maurice Edu converting after Jelavic had missed a second penalty. Again though, Terry Butcher had the right to complain, with Rangers centre half, Dorin Goian going down very easily under the challenge. Edu seen his game finish early though, with a second book arriving late in the second half for a rashly timed tackle on Nick Ross. Rangers though get the three points to move them up to third in the SPL.

Hearts 3 - 0 Aberdeen
Hearts vs. Aberdeen BBC Video

Hearts got their first league victory under the control of Paulo Sergio as they demolished a very average looking Aberdeen side. Arvydas Novikovas got the first goal for the Jambos, as a cross from Danny Grainger was cleared by the Aberdeen defence, however the ball fell for Novikovas, and the Lithuanian found himself in tonnes of space to fire past the Dons keeper. A sharp run from David Templeton into the Aberdeen box, saw him square the ball for the unmarked John Sutton who tapped the ball into the empty net from a few yards out to give Hearts the two goal cushion just before half time. Sutton got his second and Hearts third in the second half, a toe poke from Templeton deceiving everyone and the ball ran through for Sutton to place the ball past Gonzalez for the third. Aberdeen still haven’t scored in the SPL this season, while Hearts get their first win of the campaign.

St. Johnstone 0 - 1 Dunfermline

St. Johnstone vs. Dunfermline BBC Video

Dunfermline got their first win of the season, as St. Johnstone continued to struggle for goals. A corner from Dunfermline was played short and picked up by Jason Thomson and his long range effort was turned in by Andy Kirk for the only goal of the game. St. Johnstone had their chance to draw level, Francisco Sandaza being brought down by John Potter in the box, and the ex St. Mirren man was sent off for the challenge. However, Liam Craig seen his penalty saved by Paul Gallacher in the Pars goal, and Dunfermline held on for the remainder of the match to pick up a well earned three points.

St. Mirren 0 - 1 Motherwell

St. Mirren vs. Motherwell BBC Video

Motherwell remained top of the league after the fourth set of fixtures in the Scottish Premier League after defeating St. Mirren with a late winner. Motherwell dominated the second half of the game, after an even first half, but it took them until injury time until they got the breakthrough. Gary Teale conceded a free kick on the edge of the area, after taking down Nicky Law. Motherwell midfielder Tom Hateley stepped up and curled a delightful shot past the outstretched arm of Craig Samson to get a well deserved three points for the Lanarkshire side.

Celtic 5 - 1 Dundee United

Celtic vs. Dundee United BBC Video

Celtic continued their flawless start to the season with a commanding win over Dundee United. Anthony Stokes continued his record of scoring in every game in the league for Celtic so far as he tapped home from a corner, however, Dundee United fought back and Johnny Russell equalised, as a mishit shot from Garry Kenneth fell to the youngsters feet and he comfortably slotted past Zaluska. Celtic though were back into the lead only a few minutes later, Mulgrew’s cross being met by Stokes who watched his header hit the bar only for the rebound to fall for Gary Hooper who put the ball in the net. A superb flowing counter attack by Celtic gave then their third, Scott Brown and Kris Commons working well to play Ki Sung Yeung in, and the Korean finished well. Joe Ledley got his first of the season, after good work from Shaun Maloney down the right wing, and the Welshman was in the right place to tap home the Scotsman’s cross. Celtic wrapped up the victory with Jamie Forrest finishing a well worked goal for the Glasgow side.

Sunday Fixture:

Kilmarnock 4 - 1 Hibs
Kilmarnock vs. Hibs BBC Video

Kenny Shiels got his first league win as Kilmarnock manager with a rout over a lacklustre Hibs side. Paul Heffernan got his first for his new side after only three minutes, a lovely floated pass from Rory McKeown being brought down by Heffernan and he slid the ball under the onrushing Graham Stack. Garry O’Connor drew the Edinburgh side level though, after a poor pass by Ryan O’Leary was picked up by Wotherspoon who fed the Scottish internationalist, and he showed all his class to chip the ball over Cammy Bell in the Killie goal. The skilful James Dayton created Killie’s second his twisting a turning taking him past the Hibs full back and his cross was met by the outstretched leg of Paul Hanlon who sent the ball into his own net. Dayton got a goal of his own when he curled a free kick into the top corner from twenty yards out, after Wotherspoon had brought down Danny Buijs. The goals were completed in the 71st minute as Heffernan found space in the box and he connected with a cracking cross from Buijs to power the ball past Stack and give Killie the three points.

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SPL Weekend Preview

The fourth week of fixtures in the Scottish Premier League will see all sides compete in the same weekend for the only the second time this season. Both the Glasgow sides will compete on the Saturday, with Kilmarnock and Hibs playing in the Sunday game on ESPN. With the SPL now in full swing are we now going to see a change in results or will the league continue to be as tight as it has started out as? Starting with the Saturday fixtures here is a run down of this weeks SPL previews.

Saturday Fixtures:

Inverness vs. Rangers - 12:45

Rangers make the tricky trip to the North to take on Inverness in what should be a close contest. Inverness have started the season playing well but not getting the points or goals that their play deserves. Rangers meanwhile are unbeaten and will be hoping to keep that run going with a win at Inverness. However, Inverness always raise their game when the Old Firm come calling and this one will be tighter than many people may be expecting. Rangers should still sneak it though.

Inverness 2 - 3 Rangers

Celtic vs. Dundee United - 15:00

Celtic are the only team with a flawless record in the Scottish Premier League at this early stage, with two wins from two games. Dundee United meanwhile have an unbeaten run of two draws and one win, so something will have to give in this fixture. United are still looking for their perfect strike partnership, and the injury to Scott Severin is a major blow for United. Celtic are still to concede a goal, however they have concerns over midfield talisman Beram Kayal who suffered an ankle injury playing for Israel in midweek, while their hunt for a ‘keeper continues. Celtic to win by a two goal margin seems the likely outcome though.

Celtic 3 - 1 Dundee United

Hearts vs. Aberdeen - 15:00

The only fixture this week which features two teams that have already suffered a defeat in this years campaign. Hearts getting beat from Dundee United and Aberdeen getting defeated by St. Mirren. Both teams will be looking to kickstart their seasons and start climbing the table. Mehdi Taouil and Andy Webster are likely to miss the game for Hearts, while Aberdeen are waiting to see whether Fraser Fyvie and Chris Clark are match fit to feature at Tynecastle. Both teams are very goal shy with the Dons will be looking for their first goal of the season, while Hearts have only scored one goal. A low scoring draw is the reasonable assumption.

Hearts 1 - 1 Aberdeen

St. Johnstone vs. Dunfermline - 15:00

Francisco Sandaza is likely to get his first start for his new club St. Johnstone against newly promoted Dunfermline. The Saints have been needing a goal scorer over the last few matches, and they hope the former Dundee United striker will be that man. Dunfermline have had a decent start to the season, with two draws from two games. However, these games were against teams which finished bottom six last season in Inverness and St. Mirren and they will have to start picking up wins against teams around their level before they start facing the bigger teams in the SPL. St. Johnstone are another of these bottom six teams, however, I still wouldn’t bet on the Pars getting that victory.

St. Johnstone 2 - 2 Dunfermline

St. Mirren vs. Motherwell - 15:00

The two surprise packages of the SPL thus far with St. Mirren playing some sublime football while Motherwell sit at the top of the table with seven points from three matches. Nigel Hasselbaink is missing for the Buddies after losing his appeal against his dismissal last week, while Steven Saunders misses out for Well with an injury to his Achilles tendon. While St. Mirren have been playing very well, Motherwell have been winning matches by catching the opposition on the counter attack. They also managed to subdue Kilmarnock in their second fixture of the season, and while St. Mirren are higher in the table than Killie, Killie are probably the better passing side. Motherwell can catch St. Mirren out and should take the three points.

St. Mirren 1 - 2 Motherwell

Sunday Fixtures

Kilmarnock vs. Hibs - 12:15

Osasuna striker, Jorge Galan finally received international clearance a couple of hours ago and goes straight into the side for Killie’s game against Hibs. The Spanish Under 20 Internationalist joins on a season long loan from the La Liga side and will add to the firepower already at Killie. Hibs may also have a few new faces in their side, with Junior Agogo and Isaiah Osbourne likely to play some part. Both teams are likely to get the ball down and the crowd are sure to be entertained by a free flowing match. Scoring goals has been a problem for both sides in recent matches, and both managers will be hopeful that their new signings will make the difference.

Kilmarnock 2 - 1 Hibs

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Is The SPL Destined For Its Tightest League Ever?

The SPL season will have its first full schedule of games this weekend, however, if the first few weeks are to be considered then it is very likely that draws may be the order of the day. Seven of the first 15 matches played in the Scottish Premier League this season have ended in draws, while another five have been one by the odd goal and only four of the matches have seen a team score more than one goal.

So what is resulting in the increase in draws between clubs? The Full Ten Yards argues that an increase in the quality of the so called ‘bottom six’ , plus the continued closing gap between the ‘other’ ten and the Old Firm is causing games to be tighter and the inevitable increase in draws is due to the ten teams outside of the big two slowly becoming on level par with each other.

Last season, it was only Killie that upset the top six, rising from 11th the previous season to a 5th position finish. However, this season it looks as if any of last seasons bottom five plus newly promoted Dunfermline could challenge for a top six position.

The Full Ten Yards looks at the strengthening of the bottom six and the increase in quality throughout the league.

Last Season’s top four outside the Old Firm: Hearts, Dundee United, Kilmarnock and Motherwell have all lost big players from last season, with only Hearts seemingly replacing their lost talent. However, Hearts do have the poison chalice of their managerial position and the pressure that has been put on new manager Paulo Sergio to follow Jim Jefferies third placed finish last season. From last season Hearts have lost Lee Wallace, while bringing in Jamie Hamill, Danny Grainger, Mehdi Taouil and John Sutton. At first look the players seem good additions, but again it is the manager and how he performs that will decide where Hearts finish this year.

Dundee United and Kilmarnock have been the two biggest losers of their stars, Craig Conway, Morgaro Gomis, Prince Bauben and David Goodwillie leaving United, while Taouil, Bryson, Hamill and Eremenko departed from Killie. The respective managers at both teams have tried to replace them, but it is how the new players gel with the squad that will decide where they finish.

Motherwell have only lost John Sutton, and if they can keep a hold of Jamie Murphy they should do well. However, the have also lost Steven Saunders to a season long injury, and it is making sure if they do lose Murphy that Michael Higdon is a decent enough replacement who will get them goals.

So the top four outside the Old Firm have lost key players/managers and that will bring them back to the level of everyone else, making the league as open as ever. Furthermore, while the top four have been weakened, the bottom six have added to their squads and look stronger than they did last season.

Aberdeen have lost Zander Diamond and Chris Maguire, however, both were very hot and cold with some moments of brilliance but also some horror moments from both individuals. Their replacements are steady decent players and the returning Ricky Foster is a good boost for the Dons. The other positive is this being Craig Brown’s first full season at the club, and he is sure to have the defence sorted out and not conceding as much as they did under Mark McGhee.

Calum Woods was the only loss for newly promoted Dunfermline, as he left to join Huddersfield in league one. Moreover, Jim McIntyre has added to his squad very astutely bringing in some players with experience in the SPL and also players who have played for a while in the First Division that now deserve a chance at a higher level. From their opening two games, they have shown that they will be no pushovers.

Colin Calderwood has also not lost many players at Hibs, and those he has lost, he has replaced with better players in Garry O’Connor, Ivan Sproule and Isaiah Osbourne. If they manage to sort out their goalkeeper curse, or if one of their current ‘keepers finds a bit of form then they are likely to have a very good season.

Inverness have lost their talisman Adam Rooney to Birmingham, however, they have strengthened in other positions with both Greg Tansey and Gregory Tade looking exciting acquisitions. If Terry Butcher can find a goalscorer who can score double figures in a season then they will win games against everyone else.

St. Johnstone have lost of a few good players but they have replaced them with experienced SPL players in Frazer Wright (5 years at Killie), Carl Finnegan (3 years in SPL at Falkirk), David Robertson (5 years at Dundee United) and Cillian Sheridan (3 years in SPL at Celtic and Motherwell). All these players are solid players at SPL level, however, it is scoring goals that could be St. Johnstone’s problem.

St. Mirren have started the season in a blaze of glory, receiving praise from all areas of the press for their silky football. Danny Lennon really has made his own team this season, and the signings of Gary Teale and Steven Thompson have added experience to the side. Nigel Hasselbaink has also shown more than he did at Hamilton last season and looks to be a player who can add a bit of flair to the Buddies.

All six of the bottom six teams last season have strengthened, while only Hearts and maybe Motherwell could say that in the top six. This season shall show a closer league and a very open division below the Old Firm. All teams will be able to take points off each other and shall do for most of the season. The teams in the top six this year will be those that can put together decent unbeaten runs in the middle of the season. The lowest points separating third from bottom was 22 in the 08/09 season and if things continue going the way they have started it is very likely that that total may be close to being matched or even beaten. It is safe to assume that this year will be the most open SPL in years.

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SPL Weekend Review

Saturday Fixtures:

Dunfermline 3 - 3 Inverness

Dunfermline vs. Inverness BBC Video

Inverness picked up their first point of the season in a thrilling draw with Dunfermline at East End Park. Andy Kirk gave the hosts the opener with a good right footed finish before a deflected shot from Greg Tansey looped over Paul Gallacher in the Pars goal to equalise. A second goal from Andy Kirk put Dunfermline back into the lead, his powerful header beating Ryan Esson. Johnny Hayes brought the scores back level at 2-2, after Paul Gallacher couldn’t deal with a Jones shot. Inverness then took the lead for the first time in the match with a few minutes remaining, Tansey appearing at the back post to head home from yards out. However, there was a final twist to come as Martin Hardie curled home a superb free kick in injury time to deny Inverness the win and give both teams a share of the spoils.

Dundee United 1 - 1 St. Mirren

Dundee United vs. St. Mirren BBC Video

Both teams continued their unbeaten start to the season with a hard fought draw at Tannadice. There was an horrific incident to the start of the game, with an innocuous challenge by Jim Goodwin on Scott Severin seen the former Aberdeen man be stretched off with a triple leg break. Steven Thompson got his first goal after returning St. Mirren after good work by Nigel Hasselbaink on the wings set him up for an easy finish. Hasselbaink then turned into the villian of the piece, striking Sean Dillon with a flailing arm after beating the Irishman for pace. Hasselbaink deservedly seen red, and St. Mirren were down to ten men. An onslaught against the St. Mirren goal soon followed, and United were eventually rewarded for their pressure with a Jon Daly goal after smart work by Scott Allan.

Sunday Fixtures:

Aberdeen 0 - 1 Celtic

Aberdeen vs. Celtic BBC Video

Celtic made it two wins from two with a close victory at Aberdeen. Like the Dundee United game previously, the game started with another horrible injury. Last seasons player of the year Emilio Izaguirre breaking his ankle after a good tackle by Peter Pawllet saw the Honduran land very badly on his right ankle. The only goal of the game came in the second half, Anthony Stokes stealing the ball from Aberdeen captain Ricky Foster, before playing a neat one-two with Kris Commons and then finishing past Gonzalez in the Aberdeen goal.

Motherwell 1 - 0 Hearts

Motherwell vs. Hearts BBC Video

Hearts continued their bad start to the season, a defeat by Motherwell leaving them sitting ninth in the table. After a very even first half, he game sparked into life in the second, with an over the top challenge by Jambos midfielder Ian Black on Keith Lasley which seen the ex Inverness player see red. Motherwell finally took advantage of the numbers are returned to the top of the SPL with a Jamie Murphy goal. A good ball by Lasley sending Nicky Law free and his squared ball to Murphy was finished off by the ‘Well striker to give his side the three points.

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SPL Weekend Preview

While the English lower leagues are just starting and the English Premiership is still a week away, the SPL reaches its third week, and with friendly matches still being played by certain clubs, the fixture list composes of only four matches. Starting with the Saturday fixtures here is a run down of this weeks SPL previews.

Saturday Fixtures:

Dundee United vs. St. Mirren - 15:00

Dundee United begin life without David Goodwillie with a tricky looking home tie against St. Mirren. The Buddies have been labelled ‘this years Kilmarnock’ with the way they have played during their first two fixtures, which have netted them a joint top position alongside their opponents. Both teams have unbeaten runs to defend with both gaining a win and a draw so far in the campaign and both will be looking to extend that. St. Mirren will hopefully continue their passing football, however, Tannadice is a very difficult place to gain a result from and the Arabs should see the game through by the odd goal.

Prediction:

Dundee United 2 - 1 St. Mirren

…

Dunfermline vs. Inverness - 15:00

While other clubs have been playing glamour friendlies in their weekends off, Dunfermline played out a League Cup match last weekend and came through a tricky tie away to Annan Athletic to reach the second round. The Pars are another team with an unbeaten record, having came out of their only game of the SPL season so far with a creditable draw against St. Mirren. Inverness however, are the only side without a point on the board, and they will hope to make amends for this after disappointing results against Motherwell and Hibs. Inverness should come out of this game with their first points, however, it is very likely that they will have to settle for a draw against a resolute Dunfermline side.

Prediction:

Dunfermline 1 - 1 Inverness

…

Sunday Fixtures:

Aberdeen vs. Celtic - 12:15

The live game in Scottish Football this week comes from Pittodrie where Celtic will look to continue their winning start to the season. Having played in the glamour ties of the Dublin Cup last weekend, their stars will be brought back down to Earth with a fixture at a very strong Aberdeen side. The Dons were very poor last week against St. Mirren and Craig Brown will be looking for much more a fighting spirit about his team on Sunday. His side however, are probably going to be missing a few of their star players, while Neil Lennon should be able to call on his full team and that should be enough to give Celtic the three points to take back to Glasgow.

Prediction:

Aberdeen 0 - 2 Celtic

…

Motherwell vs. Hearts - 15:00

Paulo Sergio will get his first taste of the Scottish Premier League as he takes his new side to Motherwell. Coming off a good win in Europe and the drawing of English giants Tottenham Hotspur in the next round of the Europa League, the Hearts players are very likely to be on a high. Motherwell will be looking to continue their good start to the season, being joint top alongside St. Mirren, Rangers and Dundee United. Against Killie last week they looked very good in the first two thirds, however in the final third they lacked a cutting edge against a strong Killie backline. Hearts’ defence is also very strong and robust and that should make it a struggle for the Motherwell strikers and Hearts may just sneak this one in what should be a very tight game.

Prediction:

Motherwell 0 - 1 Hearts

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Dundee United Look For New ‘Goodie’ As Goodwillie Departs

David Goodwillie finally left Scottish Football yesterday as he completed his prolonged transfer to Blackburn Rovers from Dundee United in a bid said to be worth 2.8 million. The transfer was delayed due to some problems in completing a medical at the Lancashire side, and also for the seven bids that Rangers made for the striker. All seven bids by Rangers were deemed to be lower than what Dundee United chairman Steven Thompson valued Goodwillie, and eventually the young Scotsman completed his move to the English Premiership. While Dundee United have picked up a very handsome amount for a home grown player, they have been left with the tricky situation of finding a replacement for a player who scored 17 goals in the Scottish Premier League last season. With this dilemma on the hands of United manager, Peter Houston, The Full Ten Yards looks at the options that he has.



Johnny Russell: The most likely choice to replace Goodwillie as Jon Daly’s strike partner at United, the 21 year old has experience playing in the SPL having made 29 appearances in the league last season. These appearances mainly came in the form of substitute appearances or replacing Jon Daly in his absence or positional switch, with Daly sometimes deployed as a makeshift centre back. The young striker managed a very healthy return of nine goals for the campaign last season, and looks sure to add to that tally this season with a first team position now in his hands. The striker will be hoping that he can use his experience from loan spells at Forfar and Raith Rovers (where Goodwillie also spent a season on loan), and his games last season, to further his game and make the United fans forget all about Goodwillie.

Ryan Dow: A diehard Dundee United fan, Dow has scored goals at nearly every he has played at. Whether it be at Dundee United’s youth side, their reserve side and their under 19 side or with Forfar during a loan spell in 2011, where his record of 3 goals in 8 games helped Forfar to third placed finish in the second division. Dow was used as a winger on his only first team appearance for the Arabs, assisting their only goal in a 2-1 loss to Rangers. His performance in that game also netted him the man of the match award, and he has shown that he has the ability to perform at the top level. With Johnny Russell likely to get the first team position, Dow may have to settle for a place on the bench, however, he is sure to get more chances to shine this season.

Dale Hilson: Another who can play down either wing or as an out and out striker, 18 year old Hilson has a big future in the game. Having came from the same boys club as both Goodwillie and United legend, Duncan Ferguson, Hilson has the ability to go far. He showed this ability in the 2009-2010 season where he ended up as top goalscorer for United at under 19 level. His performances didn’t go unnoticed and Hilson received the award for Scottish Youth Player of the Year and also Scottish Rising Star in 2010. Moreover, he has also made two full team appearances for United, and featured in over half of Forfar’s games last season while he was on loan with them. Hilson may not be the immediate choice to replace Goodwillie, however, give him a season or two, and Hilson could be the next big money player that United have on their books.

Playing A Lone Striker: While United may not have a wide range of experienced strikers to call upon after the departure of Goodwillie, they do have a plethora of talented midfielders. This may make Peter Houston think about going for a five man midfield, a tactic that has worked well for many Scottish teams over the past years. A midfield of Willo Flood, Scott Robertson, Danny Swanson and John Rankin with Scott Severin as a sitting midfielder would be able to match the talent of any club outside the Old Firm in the SPL.

The main option though is continuing with the 4-4-2 formation that has suited Peter Houston and his team over the past few years. Johnny Russell is very likely to be the replacement for Goodwillie, but can him and Jon Daly score the goals now missing from the United side?

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Renfrewshire Rivalry Reignited As Buddies Draw The ‘Ton In League Cup Second Round

St. Mirren and Morton will meet in a Renfrewshire derby in the Second Round of the Scottish Communities League Cup. Both teams share a fierce rivalry which has been kept separated in recent years competitively due to St. Mirren’s stay in the SPL, while Morton continue to be a mid table side in the first division. However, league form will go out the window, as the SPL side descend upon Cappielow for the game.

Both sides fans forums have been filled with posts in anticipation of the game with the rivalry rekindled and both sets of supporters looking forward to the match. The match will surely bring a big gate to Morton, with the Tuesday/Wednesday evening kick off unlikely to damper any of the excitement for the match.

In other cup news, Aberdeen will face a very tough fixture when Dundee come calling to Pittodrie. Dundee are many peoples favourites to get promoted to the SPL this year, and a match against an Aberdeen side who are known to falter occasionally in the cup competitions versus lower league opposition will provide a very intriguing match up. Aberdeen will be hoping to avoid being the big name scalp, while Dundee will look to show that they have the quality required to play in the SPL.

East Fife will play host to another rivalry as their Fife neighbours Dunfermline will visit Bayview. Both teams make up half of the senior teams playing in Fife with Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath being the other two. While Dunfermline fans probably see Raith as being their main rivals, this will not make the tie any less enthralling, and Jim McIntyre at Dunfermline will need to make sure his team take this one seriously if they are to avoid any slip-ups.

Falkirk will also play their neighbours Stenhousemuir, with both sides from the Falkirk area, this is another match that is sure to be feisty.

The full draw is as follows:

Hibernian v Berwick Rangers

East Fife v Dunfermline Athletic

St. Johnstone v Livingston

Airdrie United v Raith Rovers

Falkirk v Stenhousemuir

Ayr United v Inverness

Queen of the South v Forfar Athletic

Morton v St. Mirren

Hamilton Academical v Ross County

Clyde v Motherwell

Aberdeen v Dundee

Rangers, Celtic, Dundee United, Hearts and Kilmarnock all get byes to the next round due to their top five finish in the SPL last season, and all five teams will be seeded in the draw for the third round.

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The Good, The Vlad and The Ugly - Jefferies Sacked As Hearts Boss

Heart of Midlothian today sensationally announced that manager Jim Jefferies and assistant Billy Brown had been sacked from the club, with current first team coach Gary Locke being put in temporary charge. The details concerning the sackings are still being kept very quiet, however, many are suggesting it is a combination of the Craig Thompson saga and the feeling that Vladimir Romanov wants to place a manager in charge who has European experience for their crunch game on Thursday against Paksi.

Jefferies and Brown are no strangers to altercations with chairmen, having been involved in a high profile feud with Killie chairman, Michael Johnston, which led to both men quitting, leaving the club at a time when they were struggling to stay in the SPL. At Killie it was a sense of relief for the fans after the incident, with many claiming that Jefferies had took them as far as he could, however, with Hearts, Jefferies had just led the team to a third place finish, and a great chance of qualifying for the next round of the Europa league.

Hearts fans are split over the decision, with some seeing it as being an understandable decision, but the timing of such a call, must bring up some questions. A run of eleven games without a win, is a worrying statistic, however, a new season deserves a new start with a draw at Ibrox and an away draw in Europe not being the worst of starts.

Yesterday’s match against Dundee United at Tynecastle was more of a bad result, with Hearts struggling to match their opponents. Lucky not be already one down after a John Rankin free kick smashed against the crossbar, Hearts could have took the lead through either Stephen Elliot or John Sutton, but both missed glorious chances. Jon Daly took two chances to get the only goal of the game, his first chance being superbly stopped by Kello in the Hearts goal, before the resulting corner was met by the head of the big man and he powered the ball past Kello. Elliot and Templeton both had chances to equalise for the Jambos, but in the end United ran out comfortable winners and could have added more to their tally.

This result, with Romanov being in attendance may have been the final nail in Jefferies coffin, however even this result was not that catastrophic. A good Dundee United side will take points off many teams this year and Hearts may still have been feeling some fatigue from their European trip in midweek.

If you were to sack Jefferies then the time to have done it would have been during the pre-season, giving a new manager time to bring in his own signings and work with his new squad to prepare them for a new season. Romanov’s decision has left the new manager with very little time to work in both the transfer market and in the run up to difficult fixtures, a difficult European match being the first one to navigate. Furthermore, it is very likely that Gary Locke will be put in charge for this match, leaving Hearts with a caretaker manager who has no experience of any management at the top level, for a match that could be worth quite a lot of money for Hearts.

The Craig Thompson debacle could be more of the reason for Jefferies being let go, with it being reported that Jefferies quite rightly refused to play or keep Thompson training with the team. Romanov though, firmly views Thompson as being a player that could be worth a considerable sum of money for Hearts at some point, and failed to take Thompson off the wage bill. The question though is, who does Romanov believe will purchase Thompson any time in the future? A known sex offender has no place in modern football in any league across the world, and moving him to Lithuania is just an attempt to sweep everything under the carpet and try to make people forget what he did.

Football fans are not that stupid though, and they will make sure that he is not welcome at any club in Scotland and probably even further abroad.

Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown though seem to have been caught in a situation where they have been told “if you don’t like it, then you can get out”! TheFullTenYards understands that Portuguese manager Paulo Sergio will take over from Jefferies, and his record of six jobs in eight years is not one that is going to set the world alight. A yes man for Romanov to control, we shall wait and see?

The only thing we do know for sure though is that Mad Vlad is still as mad as ever, while Jefferies and Brown are added to the ever constantly updated list of sacked managers at Hearts.

Please like TheFullTenYards facebook page and follow me on twitter @fulltenyards.

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SPL Weekend Review

Week two of the SPL season seen ten teams compete in five matches, with four games played on Saturday and one of the Sunday. TheFullTenYards will now take a look back at the fixtures played and report on what occurred in each match. For those wondering, the Hearts - Dundee United game will be looked at in more detail tomorrow.

St. Johnstone 0 - 2 Rangers

Ally McCoist managed to pick up his first competitive win as Rangers boss at the third attempt, defeating a lacklustre Saints side in Perth. However, it was the Saints who had the opening chance, Callum Davidson forcing a good save from Allan McGregor after a decent long range effort. And his namesake Murray Davidson had the next chance for St. Johnstone, his effort just flashing past the far post. However, then Rangers started to get a stranglehold on the game, Jelavic heading a fine powerful header at the Saints goal, only for Enckleman to make a fine save from the Croat. Then came the sucker punch, a flighted ball in by Lee Wallace was met by the head of Stevie Naismith, and he added to his goal against Hearts last week with a second headed goal, which flew past Enckleman and into the net.

Early in the second half, Jelavic wrapped up the points for Rangers, a great run from Steven Davis his pass being played on by Naismith to Jelavic who was in acres of space, and he fired past Enckleman for his first of the season. Jody Morris had a chance to bring St. Johnstone back into the game, but his low drilled shot went the wrong side of the post. In the end though, Rangers picked up a deserved victory, while St. Johnstone continue to struggle in front of goal.

Man Of The Match - Nikica Jelavic (Rangers): The big striker worked well up front with Naismith, taking his goal well, and should prove a big part of Rangers’ season if he can keep fit.

St. Mirren 1 - 0 Aberdeen

The Buddies got their first win of the campaign, leaving them joint top of the league alongside Rangers and Motherwell after two weeks of the season. Steven Thompson should have scored very early on though, his volley from the six yards line, flying over the top of the bar, when a striker of his experience should have been scoring. Gary Teale being another to fire over, after a good run by the ex Derby man. St. Mirren looked very good on the ball, and a delightful pass by McGowan to Teale, was crossed in by the summer signing, but Nigel Hasselbaink messed up his header completely.

Aberdeen survived a massive penalty shout by the home side, but camera angles made it hard to see where the ball struck Osbourne so no further comment can be made. St. Mirren continued to show their passing focus, a nice bunch of one touch passes, culminating in Hasselbaink being played through, and the Dutchman showed the composure that was lacking in his earlier chance to fire past the Dons keeper. Aberdeen could have equalised soon after, however, a Vernon header was well cleared by the outstretched arms of Samson in the St. Mirren goal. The final chance of the match fell to Aberdeen, but Michael Paton could only send his shot inches past Samson’s left hand post. The result sends St. Mirren climbing the table, while Aberdeen start the season with only one point on the board.

Man Of The Match - Nigel Hasselbaink (St. Mirren): The young striker took his goal very well, needs to work on his composure in front of goal though, and if he does then he may become a very good player for the Buddies this season.

Inverness 0 - 1 Hibs

The match between the only two sides without a point on the board already, ended with Hibs picking up the vital victory. Ivan Sproule had the first chance of the match, but his shot from a few yards out was well blocked by the Caley left back. Hibs continued to dominate, Garry O’Connor seeing his powerful shot being well dealt with by Esson, before Sproule and O’Connor combined, the latter seeing his shot blocked by Esson. Caley got their first chance of the game, when a cross ball fell at the feet of Richie Foran, however, his shot went well over the bar. Gregory Taddei eventually got the ball in the Hibs net, but the goal was ruled out for being offside.

Into the second half and Caley looked very unlucky not to be awarded a penalty, when a cross was blocked by the arm of Lewis Stevenson, however, the ref waved play on and Caley were left fuming. Ryan Esson was once again called upon to stop Hibs, as Matt Thornhill’s ambitious scissor kick was tipped over the bar by the keeper. Aldridge and Tansei then missed very good chances to give Caley the lead, and they were left to rue these misses as deep into the third minute of injury time, Garry O’Connor powered a shot through the arms of Esson to give Hibs the victory.

Man of the Match - Ryan Esson (Inverness): The Inverness goalkeeper was in fine form as he kept out Hibs until the final minute of the game. Very unlucky to end up on the losing side.

Kilmarnock 0 - 0 Motherwell

A very good match ended in the only draw of the weekend, as both goalkeepers kept out their opponents with some good saves. James Dayton may have been awarded a penalty early in the match, his touch past Keith Lasley in the box drawing the tackle from Lasley, and the Killie winger went down under the block of Lasley. The referee waved play on, and Killie looked right to feel aggrieved by the decision. Jamie Murphy then couldn’t get a boot on a delightful cross by Stevie Hammell. A flurry of corners for Motherwell soon followed, and one of them fell on the head of Hutchinson, but the Well centre half couldn’t direct his header onto the target. Minutes later, a powerful shot by Liam Kelly was well saved by Darren Randolph in the ‘Well goal. Dayton also managed to pull a good save out of Randolph, his left footed drive being parried away by the keeper. Cammy Bell was then called into action at the other end, having to save well from McHugh and palming his powerful effort over the bar.

Into the second half and it was once again the keepers who were on top, Bell producing a fantastic save to stop Jennings long range effort from flying into the net. A mistake under pressure by Randolph, resulted in Kelly picking the ball up thirty five yards out with an empty net, but he tried to take the effort first time, when a touch would have been better, and the ball went harmlessly wide. Killie centre half Zdenek Kroca then made a tremendous last ditch tackle to stop Nicky Law from opening the scoring, after Law had been left clear through on goal. The last chance of the match fell to new Killie signing Dean Shiels, but he tried to take on one to many men, rather than picking out the free Dayton who was in a much better position. In the end though, no-one really deserved to lose what was a very entertaining scoreless draw.

Man of the Match - Cammy Bell (Kilmarnock): The choice was mainly between him and his Motherwell counterpart, Darren Randolph. Bell gets the award though for his save from Steve Jennings which kept the game goalless.

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SPL Weekend Preview

The second set of fixtures in the SPL season are set to be played, however, with Celtic on friendly duty their match against Dunfermline has been postponed, while Hearts’ fixture against Dundee United is being played on the Sunday due to the Jambos European exploits in midweek.

Saturday Fixtures:

St. Johnstone vs. Rangers - 12:00

Stupid time for a kick-off, with even the half twelve kick off being at a better time than this. Both teams will be looking for wins to really get them started in the league, after both could only gain a point in their first fixtures. Gers boss Ally McCoist will be looking to ease the tension within the Ibrox support with a comfortable win in his first away fixture, while Derek McInnes will be hoping his Saints side can pile more pressure on the rookie manager. Rangers should get the points, however I did say the same last week.

St. Johnstone 0 - 2 Rangers

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Inverness vs. Hibs - 15:00

Caley looked very toothless against Motherwell in their opening fixture, going down 3-0 at Fir Park, while Hibs were beaten by a very good side in Celtic. With these two teams being the only sides without a point already, they will both be looking for that victory to get them off the mark. I firmly believe that this will be a battle, and while Hibs may look the better prospect on paper, their record at Caley is horrendous and I can see a scoring draw being the most likely of results.

Inverness 1 - 1 Hibs

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Kilmarnock vs. Motherwell - 15:00

Complete opposite to the previous fixture as both these teams got very decent starts to their campaign, Motherwell defeating Inverness convincingly and Killie gaining a point in a very entertaining match against Dundee United. Kenny Shiels will be looking to get his first win as Killie manager and get the monkey off his back of not having won, while Motherwell look to continue their 100% start to the season. Both teams are likely to be disappointed as again a draw looks like the best option.

Kilmarnock 2 - 2 Motherwell

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St. Mirren vs. Aberdeen - 15:00

Both of these teams will probably have felt they could have done better in their first fixture, St. Mirren controlling their game against Dunfermline, missing a penalty as well, while Aberdeen did everything but score against St. Johnstone. Aberdeen with Craig Brown in charge should be able to keep a solid back line against keep Steven Thompson at bay, while their decent attacking options should give them their first win of the season.

St. Mirren 1 - 2 Aberdeen

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The Next Generation Of Young SPL Stars

With David Goodwillie looking like he may be on the move from Dundee United, with a 2million pound price being talked about, another top talent looks set to leave the SPL, or at the very least join one of the Old Firm.  This is an all too common scenario with the ten SPL clubs outside of the SPL, and this is how business works in the Scottish game.  Youngsters are brought through the ranks to be sold at a later date.  So, in this editorial, TheFullTenYards will look at 5 other youngsters that are coming through at clubs throughout Scotland, that are likely to join Goodwillie in making a big money move very soon.

1:  Jamie Murphy (Striker) - Motherwell - 21 Years Old - 147 Games (27 Goals)

A product of the fabled Motherwell youth system, famous for bringing through players such as James McFadden and Mark Reynolds, the next star to come through is Jamie Murphy.  The young Scotsman made his debut in 2007 as a substitute against Celtic.  This was to be his only appearance of that season, however, the following season he made 17 appearances, albeit with all of them coming from the bench, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs.  From that, Murphy has developed into a better player every season, making more appearances and scoring more goals each season.  Moreover, from what was seen of him at the weekend against Inverness, that trend is not likely to stop.

A striker who is also able to play on the wings, Murphy is a star that is currently being watched by many clubs throughout England.  Motherwell fans though are hopeful that Murphy decides to continue to develop at the Steelmen for one more season, before making his big money move.

2: David Templeton (Winger) - Hearts - 22 Years Old - 54 Games (9 Goals)

The young Hearts winger lit up the SPL in the final few months of the previous season, having been described by Hearts manager as being 15 million pounds worth of talent.  Having been nabbed at a young age while playing Third Division football at Stenhousemuir for £20,000, this shows how much the youngster has came on under the guide of Csaba Laszlo and Jim Jefferies.  He continued to dazzle at a loan spell with Raith Rovers in 2008, and was eventually brought into the Hearts first team in 2009 making 17 first team appearances.

His stock continued to rise throughout last season , with two young player of the month awards for his performances in November and December.  He also started to add goals to his game, culminating in a cracking solo effort in the first Edinburgh derby last season.  Templeton was also recognised by both fans and players as he was nominated for both the PFA Young Player of the Year and the Hearts Fans Young Player Of The Year, the latter of which he won.

If Templeton does continue to play the way he is, then a big money move is surely inevitable.

3: Paul Hanlon (Centre Back) - Hibs - 21 Years Old - 65 Games (3 Goals)

Hanlon used to be an attacking midfielder while playing for youth sides in Edinburgh, however, having been converted to a centre back when joining Hibs, he has became a solid defensive minded player, excelling at both left back and centre back.  Having came up through the youth side, Hanlon has used the previous two seasons to really assert himself as a fixture in the first team, either at left back or centre half.  Hibs have been his only team throughout the last four years, apart from a short loan spell at St. Johnstone.

Having captained Scotland’s Under 19 and Under 21 sides, Hanlon finally became club captain of Hibs in the second half of last season, and enjoyed his most fruitful season, making a total of 33 games and scoring 2 goals.  Furtermore he also won Hibs Player Of The Year last season and his future looks bright in the game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing in the Premiership in the next few seasons. 


4: Liam Kelly (Central Midfielder) - Kilmarnock - 21 Years Old - 47 Games (8 Goals)

Kelly was a number of youngsters who were released by MK Dons in 2008 as the club could no longer afford to keep him on.  The young Englishman found himself out of the game for a few months before he eventually joined Kilmarnock in 2009.  The youngster had to wait until the second half of the 2010/11 season before being given a start by Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nicholl, after the sacking of Jim Jefferies.  Grabbing this chance he took full advantage and ended up being a regular under the two Jimmy’s, scoring his first goal for the club in a Scottish cup tie against Inverness.

After Mixu Paatelainen took the reigns at Killie, Kelly continued to hold down a first team position, playing alongside Alexei Eremenko and Craig Bryson in a strong Killie midfield.  He also made his first Scotland Under 21 appearance (being eligible through both his parents being Scottish) in a match against Belgium last season.  The midfielder continued to prove himself and has the talent and tenacity to go far in the game, and follow both Bryson and Eremenko to better things in the future.

5: Fraser Fyvie (Attacking Midfielder) - Aberdeen - 18 Years Old - 32 Games (1 Goal)

One of the most highly rated youngsters in Scotland at this point, Fyvie looks to make this season his breakthrough season at Aberdeen, having had last season be a write off after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in the early part of last season.  However, Fyvie has had a promising start to his career before the injury, having made his debut at the tender age of 16, where he was also awarded the man of the match for his performance.  He also scored his first goal for the Dons in January 2010, the goal seeing him become the youngest ever player to score in the SPL, beating the record set by David Goodwillie.

At 18, and having missed most of last season with injury, Fyvie has already made an astonishing 32 appearances for the club, which shows the faith they have in the youngster, and I will be very surprised if he is not plying his trade at a higher level within the next five years.

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SFA's New Cash For Kids Incentive Hits A Dull Note

David Goodwillie of Dundee United a young Scottish player brought up through the ranks at United

The governing body of Scottish football recently announced a new cash incentive for Premier League clubs to play Scottish players who are under the age of 21, offering a cash sum of £750 a game for any team featuring two Scottish player who meet the required age limit in their first eleven, while offering a maximum £1000 if a team featured three or more players who meet the criteria. Sounds a simple plan to help aid the development of young talent in Scotland, offer the cash strapped teams money to play Scottish youngsters in their first team. But is it the right thing to do, or is this just another nonsensical idea that the SFA have thought up just to look as if they are doing something?

Firstly I have to state that I firmly agree with the SFA in their bid to improve the level of youngster being brought through in the country, and I’m sure fellow Scottish football fans would say the same. We all want to see the next generation being nurtured and brought into the first teams of teams throughout the country, it is the only way that we can move forward.

However, the first problem with the idea is the ridiculous pay structure which separates the SPL and the SFL. SPL teams will be due £750-£1000 if they can meet the standards set by the SFA, however, SFL will only receive 10% of this, meaning they will only get £100 a game for playing three Scottish youngsters in their first eleven. This means that if a club in the SFL plays three Scottish youngsters for the full season in every game, they will receive a total of £3600 from the SFA, while SPL clubs doing the same will get £38000! I would rather see the funding more evenly split between all forty two teams, even going as far as offering the lower leagues more money than their SPL counterparts, in a bid to have them focus on youth development, bring through kids into their teams, let them develop their game at a lower level and then be purchased by a top level club when they are at a suitable level to go on and progress more. This would mean the lower league clubs would bring through the players, have them for a few years, give them first team football, have an SPL club buy them if they are good enough, and then put the money they receive into bringing through more youth players. It’s a perfect circle of continuous development throughout the four Scottish leagues.

With this strategy though, we are going to throw the youngsters in at the deep end, give them first team football at a level they may not be good enough for, and then probably replace them after a year or two finally throwing them on the scrapheap.

Secondly, I do not think such an amount of money is going to change the way clubs bring through their youth players. It should be a case of, if they are good enough then give them a chance. Don’t just throw them in at the first chance because you want a cash bonus for your team. It may also cause trouble between chairmen and managers, with tension occurring if the chairmen want to see the money, while managers believe that the players aren’t good enough. Chairmen should not meddle in first team affairs, as it only leads to confrontation between managers and those in charge, as fans of Hearts and Kilmarnock could attest to.

I also think that the rule should not only be set for Scottish youngsters, and believe that we should be handing benefits out for teams that play Under 21’s of all nationalities. It is not fair on youngsters that may not be from Scotland who see their careers being hampered because they are not from a certain country. Furthermore, it is also not fair to the fans, who may not be able to see the best youngsters that their team is developing because they are not of a Scottish descent. From a better quality of player in the league, comes a higher standard of football, which brings players up to that level and it would bring better Scottish players through as well. As the saying goes, quality before quantity.

Finally I believe that we need to develop a way for these young players to take the step in between Under19’s and the first team. Whether this be creating a new reserve league in the SPL, which would allow the youngsters to develop competitively without being under the pressures of first team football. Or if we were to go the Spanish way and allow a B team to play in the lower divisions. Either way, a continuing development of players is needed up until they are good enough for first team football.

Scotland does need to nurture its young players, and bring them through with the technique that their European counterparts have, however, this should not be in sacrifice of the quality of game being played.

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Dull Affair As Pars Return To Top Flight

Dunfermline 0 - 0 St. Mirren

Dunfermline unfurled the first division champions flag in front of just over five thousand fans in a lacklustre game against a St. Mirren side looking to put their newly signed players to use. Nigel Hasselbaink and Gary Teale provided the early opportunities for an opener, with the former going close after being put through by Jerome Tesselaar. St. Mirren continued to have most of the game and the Pars looked very overwhelmed by the occasion. A curling Martin Hardie free kick being the closest the Pars fans got to seeing a home goal on the night. Things began to heat up near the end of the first half, when ex Buddies captain John Potter was penalised for what looked like a soft push on new signing Steven Thompson, but the new recruit from Burnley could only watch as his penalty was saved by another ex Buddie in Paul Gallacher in the Pars goal. The second half continued to produce not a lot, with Teale and Thompson both going close for St. Mirren while Hardie had another free kick that went close.

Not the fairytale return to the SPL that Pars fans may have wanted, however, a draw against a strong looking St. Mirren side is not as bad as it could have been.

Man of the Match - Jim Goodwin (St. Mirren): The new St. Mirren captain looked very assured in the middle of the park, his strength and passing set him a class apart from the rest of the players on show. St. Mirren fans will be hoping that his standards don’t fall throughout the season.

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Weekend Review

With the Scottish season now up and running, with only one game left to be played in the opening set of fixtures (Dunfermline vs. St. Mirren) which shall be looked at tomorrow, it is now time to review the opening set of games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, starting with the Saturday fixtures.

Rangers 1 - 1 Hearts

Ally’s McCoist’s first game in charge of the Glasgow giants ended in disappointment as they could only salvage a draw against a good Hearts side. Ryan McGowan’s pressure and good ball skills led to a corner being conceded by new Rangers signing Juanma. The resultant corner was floated in by Hearts new signing Danny Grainger and was powered home by the leaping David Obua for an unlikely lead for the team from Gorgie. Two claims for penalties were then turned down, as first Jelavic took a tumble under pressure from the Hearts defence, and then Stevie Naismith went down on the edge of the box. Both decisions were rightfully played on, much to the disgust of the home fans. Naismith should have equalised early in the second half, after a lovely dummy by Jelavic left him one on one, but his shot went well over the bar. Rangers eventual equaliser came more from a mistake by Hearts than anything else, as Ryan McGowan was robbed of possession on the half way line, and the marauding Sasa Papac made him pay, swinging in a cross for Naismith to comfortably head home. Both Obua (denied by a superb save by McGregor) and Papac could have won the game for their teams, but in the end a draw was a fair result.

Man Of The Match - Marius Zaliukas (Hearts): Showed why he is considered one of the best defenders in the SPL with a stand out performance. Marshalled his defence well, and continues to look a class act.

Aberdeen 0 - 0 St. Johnstone

A very windy game at Aberdeen produced a rather dire game of football, with few decent talking points. Ricky Foster thankfully not getting booed by his own fans after his experience with Rangers last season, creating the two best Aberdeen chances in the first half with long range efforts which were comfortably dealt with by Peter Enckleman. The excellent Fraser Fyvie played a delightful through ball to Darren Mackie early in the second half, but the Dons were stopped again by Enckleman. The wind nearly became the most talked about moment in the game, as a high corner from the Dons was caught in it and a scrambling Enckleman had to deal with a ball at his near posts which a few seconds ago was heading deep for his back post. Fyvie came the closest to opening the scoring as his cross hit the inside of the post after looping over Enckleman, before bouncing harmlessly back to a Saints player. The major talking point of the game occurred when a loose pass by Ryan Jack was picked up by Murray Davidson, with the former coming in with a late studs up tackle onto the ankle of the Saints midfielder. A red card was produced by referee Conroy and upon looking at it, it was a very late challenge and probably justified the sending off.

Man of the Match - Fraser Fyvie (Aberdeen): The youngster looks like he could have a very big future in the game, and performances like this will continue to enhance his reputation.

Motherwell 3 - 0 Inverness

Jamie Murphy heightened his growing reputation within the game, and sent the watching scouts home with a glowing report. Michael Higdon also looked like he could be a decent signing for the steel men looking very good in the air. Richie Foran for Inverness came closest to opening the scoring, hitting the post with a curling shot from twenty yards. The opening goal came at the other side though, with an unlikely source in Stevie Hammell getting the goal in a fortunate manner, his volley hitting the post and then cannoning off the head of Ryan Esson and back into the net. Murphy got his goal after good work from Jennings and Law, which seen the new signing Law send the striker through on goal, and he showed the composure to side foot the ball past Esson to double Well’s lead. Inverness could have been back in the game though, but Greg Tansey seen his effort beat Randolph but come back off the post. Randolph then denied Tansey with a cracking point blank save, which was more a reflex than anything else. The third Well goal came from a superb shot from Keith Lasley, the ball dropping to him just outside the box and he powered it into the top corner, leaving Esson with no chance.

Man of the Match - Jamie Murphy (Motherwell): The young striker showed that he may be ready for a step up in class very soon, Motherwell will do very well to hold onto him during this transfer window.

Hibs 0 - 2 Celtic

Celtic get a good first win under their belts with a comfortable win against Hibs, however, the result was marred by the fact they were playing in the horrific “bumblebee” strip, which was a constant eyesore when watching the game. Anthony Stokes opened the scoring for the Hoops after a calamity from Hibs keeper Graham Stack who overstretched for the Celtic free kick and could only fumble the ball to the ex Hibs striker, who calmly placed the ball high into the net. The Hibs goalkeeper curse looks set to continue for a while yet it would seem. Marc Wilson then had a goal disallowed for offside and on further inspection it looked very tight, with the full back looking to be in line with the final Hibs defender. Claims for a Hibs penalty after Sproule fell under the challenge by Kelvin Wilson were rightfully turned away, the Hibs winger already falling before any contact was made. Ki Sung Yueng wrapped up the points for Celtic and completed an excellent display by the Korean, with a cracking strike that fizzed into bottom corner past the outstretched arm of Stack. Celtic were then awarded a penalty after Izaguirre was brought down by Sproule, however the resulting Hooper penalty was saved by Stack who palmed it onto the post.

Man of the Match - Ki Sung Yueng (Celtic): The Korean looked very assured in the middle of the park, did well in replacing Scott Brown and was at the heart of everything Celtic did.


Dundee United 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

Both teams fought out an even contest, with both teams trying to adjust to life after some of their star players had departed. New signing for United, John Rankin sending a shot flying past Cammy Bell’s goal. James Dayton will look to come on this year after missing seven months for Killie last season, and he was next to take a shot after a direct run from the half way line, however, his shot missed the target. David Goodwillie should have opened the scoring after a cracking cross from Paul Dixon was met only six yards out by Goodwillie, however the Scottish young player of the year missed when it looked easier to score. Cammy Bell then had to be alert in the Killie goal to stop a deflected cross sneaking into his bottom corner, while Harkins missed at the other end after hitting his own player with the ball. Killie new boy Rory McKeon then lit up the game in the second half, as he brought down a clearance twenty five yards out, before thumping the ball past the stretching Pernis and sending it crashing into the roof of the net, for a debut to remember. Dundee United soon equalised though, through a free kick that was struck against the wall only for it to fall to Danny Swanson, who then powered the ball into the bottom corner leaving Bell with no chance. It fell to Goodwillie though who had the opportunity to wrap up the three points for United in the last minute, however, he tried to take the ball by Bell and the Killie keeper managed to grab the ball, much to the relief of the Killie fans in attendance.

Man of the Match - Patrick Ada (Kilmarnock): The new recruit from Crewe looked very assured at the back, strong in the challenge and looks to have already set up a decent partnership with other new signing Zdenek Kroca in the backline.

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First Game Fixtures

The SPL season starts off with a bang with a new season which is sure to promise to be as exciting as previous seasons, with many teams strengthening, many preparing for the earliest start to a league season in many years, while Rangers and Celtic will fight it out for the title, the remaining ten will fight it out for the rest of the places and the honour of being the best of the rest or have the disaster of being relegated. This weekend a full set of fixtures kicks us off with a 12.30 Saturday start for Hearts and champions Rangers. Without further ado, here is my look at this weekend’s fixtures:

Saturday fixtures

Rangers vs. Hearts - 12.30

Rangers kick off their season with the tough visit of Hearts who will be looking to continue their season promise and look to challenge the Old Firm as much as possible. Several new players may make debuts for both sides. I am not going to announce something as spectacular as an away win at Ibrox as my first prediction, but I do foresee Hearts given Rangers, under new boss, Ally McCoist, a bit of a challenge.

Verdict: 3 - 1

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Aberdeen vs. St. Johnstone - 3.00

Craig Brown’s first full season in charge of Aberdeen promises so much, with a new team shaping up and a different outlook from different seasons. A nice home win for the Dons is predicted, and St. Johnstone will be lucky to look past this game and move forward at their first home match.

Verdict: 2 -0

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Motherwell vs. Inverness - 3.00

The start of the season is always a tough one to predict, especially with two teams so closely talented. If Terry Butcher can continue the Inverness away results feat, then they should do ok, Motherwell as well, will look to start the season at home with a bang.

Verdict: 1 - 1

...

Sunday Fixtures

Hibs vs. Celtic - 12.30

Even at this early stage in the season Celtic will be looking to capitalise on any mistakes that Rangers may make, and an away game at Easter Road may prove to be quite a decent opportunity for a good start to the season. Hibs will probably take time to gel and Colin Calderwood will probably be looking towards the next fixture for their first chance at points. Celtic should get the win and start their season perfectly, before they go on their start of season, pre season fixture!

Verdict: Hibs 0 - 2 Celtic

...

Dundee United vs. Kilmarnock - 3.00

Dundee United disappointed their fans on Thursday after getting eliminated from the Europa League at the first hurdle, getting put out by Polish side Slask Warclaw. They will look to put that behind them against the team they beat for the European slot last season. United won this fixture 4-2 last time, and both teams have lost near enough their full midfield during the pre season, Bauben and Gomis leaving United, with Bryson and Eremenko departing from Killie. Killie will be looking for a decent start to the season, and prove some of their doubters wrong. Therefore a close struggle should ensue.

Verdict: Dundee United 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

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Pre Season Predictions

The Scottish Football Season kicks off in a few hours, much to the disgust of many Scottish football figures including Inverness manager Terry Butcher, who declared it a farce, and I have to agree with him. Being three weeks early of the English Premiership starting, and allowing for pre season friendly’s to occur after the season has started is taking the biscuit quite clearly. The Scottish football season put bluntly should start at the same time as its English counterparts, be it either the Championship or the Premiership.

However, with it starting tomorrow, it is time for the annual pre season predictions, which is a reason to look back in ten months time and laugh at how hopelessly I get it wrong. So here goes:

1st - Rangers: Should make it four in a row in a tightly contested competition with Celtic. The only reason for having Rangers ahead of Celtic is due to the managers at both clubs. While Neil Lennon at Celtic is likely to continue hogging all the spotlight, Ally McCoist will be happy to leave him to it, and will instill his players with the confidence to take the top position.

Key Player: Nikica Jelavic

2nd - Celtic: See above.

Key Player: Kris Commons

3rd - Hearts: Not a shock to many, as Hearts ran away with third position last season and I presume they will do the same this season. Some assured signings from Jim Jefferies in Mehdi Taouil, Jamie Hamill and John Sutton are likely to see Hearts continue cementing third position as their own. They may not push the Old Firm as much as many would like, but they should confirm third place and keep the status quo going in Scotland.

Key Player: Andrew Driver

4th - Aberdeen: Did not have the season they were expecting last season, with Mark McGhee not having the return to Aberdeen that he was expecting, culminating in some shocking defeats and an embarrassing exit for the former Don great. However, with Craig Brown now at the helm, he is likely to do the same as he did at Motherwell and continue to prove that he grows better with age. They should make sure of 4th quite comfortably if Brown gets his team gelling together in the manner he usually does.

Key Player: Scott Vernon

5th - Dundee United: After Aberdeen it comes down to a straight fight between roughly everyone else to fill the remaining two positions in the top six. Dundee United have been gutted of a few strong players over the pre season weeks, and will be weakened for it, however, if they continue to keep David Goodwillie at the head of their attack then he should get the goals to keep them strong in the top six. If they do fail to keep him though, they could struggle for a top six position.

Key Player: David Goodwillie

6th - Kilmarnock: Alexei Eremenko has now left them, after being the star of the league last season, and along with Bryson, Hamill and Taouil they may struggle over the first few weeks with a new team trying to work together. However, if Kenny Shiels continues to keep the Mixu way of playing then they should be comfortably safe, maybe even sneaking a top six position. Paul Heffernan and Gary Harkins should get a few goals between them and that should get the Killie into the top six.

Key Player: Liam Kelly

7th - Motherwell: Rookie manager in Stuart McCall could give them a bit of a problem, and their first full season without Craig Brown may prove that the old manager made the team, especially with what I predict him to do at Aberdeen. They have enough quality about their team though to make sure they are comfortably clear of relegation and should fight both Dundee United and Kilmarnock, alongside Hibs and St. Mirren for a top six position.

Key Player: Jamie Murphy

8th - Hibs: The speculation over the future of Colin Calderwood has finally went away, with the ex Newcastle assistant finally confirming that his future lies with the Edinburgh side. Shrewd signings in both O’Connor and Sproule returning to the Hibees has led many to believe that Hibs could push into the top six this season. I however, look at the record of Calderwood at Hibs, and still believe that he may struggle this season with greater expectations on his shoulders.

Key Player: Garry O’Connor

9th - St. Mirren: Steven Thompson will prove to be a very good signing I feel and I am quite confident in predicting that he will get over a double figure total scores for this season. Gary Teale can provide him with the deliveries the big man needs to score goals. However, it is at the back that the Buddies will once again come unstuck, cracks will open and inconsistency will appear. A season of some cracking and some weird results will occur, but St. Mirren should be safe and have the nack of fighting off relegation that should see them clear by the start of the split.

Key Player: Steven Thompson

10th - Inverness: Losing Adam Rooney was a bitter blow for Terry Butcher, and the second season curse should strike in, after losing that “new kid in town” effect they may struggle. A lack of firepower and a touch of inconsistency will see them in a three team battle for the relegation spot, but they should succeed in avoiding such a fate, if not for their team, but for the fear of God, Butcher will put into them.

Key Player: Richie Foran

11th - Dunfermline: The difference between previous seasons and this season is that a lot of teams that would usually be fighting relegation season after season have got a hell of a lot stronger. Kilmarnock and St. Mirren should easily clear the relegation battle, and that only leaves a few teams. Jim McIntyre is currently trying to build a team worthy of a position in the SPL, but his team is littered with those only good enough for the 1st division and I can only envisage a struggle in their, and McIntyre’s first season in the big league.

Key Player: Paul Burns

12th - St. Johnstone: It just sometimes happens that a manager finally reaches a period where he can’t take a team any further, it happened with Jim Jefferies at Kilmarnock, Gus MacPherson at St. Mirren and it may now happen with Derek McInnes at St. Johnstone. There was a period of struggle last season with the Saints and McInnes managed to navigate that period, just. This season though is a different matter and with a load of better teams, the Saints are my pick for the drop. The quicker that McInnes gets his deserved move down south, the better for St. Johnstone, or he could just become another manager who should have moved on to better things, but instead held on to long and everything ended in disaster.

Key Player: Murray Davidson

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Kick Off

Welcome to the blog that discusses Scottish Football outside the Old Firm and its majority of supporters. I apologise to any Rangers or Celtic fans who have arrived at this site thinking they were going to get an in depth look at the top two in Scottish football, because, well they aren’t. However, if you are a fan of any of the ten SPL clubs outside of the two Glasgow giants, or any of the thirty clubs in the Scottish Football League then I am trying to aim this blog at you lot. The fans of the clubs not on the backpages, the fans of the clubs not mentioned when talking about Scottish football to a foreigner and the fans of the clubs who are continually asked, “no really, who do you support, Rangers or Celtic?”!

Scottish football is currently in a decline, long gone are the days of television money flooding in, where European football was a thing that lasted more than just one home leg and one away leg. These days Scottish football is seen as a joke, a laughing stock of European football, be it Deportivo fans poking fun at the game in Scotland, declaring that they didn’t want to be involved in a two team league as well, or having to draft referees in from around the continent in a bid to make sure top flight games are played, the game is currently in the doldrums.

Every player, team, manager, fan, has to work together in order to try and bring us out of this descent and bring us into an era where we are not laughed at, and where clubs can actually challenge the top two.

So basically, what I want to achieve from this blog is to have a list of entries that fans can look through and see items ranging from Hearts and Dundee United editorials, to East Stirling and Forfar news. I want to try and avoid as much Old Firm items as I can and try to discuss the Scottish Footballing world outside of Rangers and Celtic.

I look forward to writing for you, and hope that you can take the time to read some posts and hopefully leave a comment or two. I am all for reasonable debates with fellow fans, and will enjoy getting involved in some light hearted banter with as many people as I can.

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