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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