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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

…

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

…

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

…

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

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More