Shoulda backed Hearts at 100-1 at the start of the season, George Burley, good manager. Still they haven't played the Old Firm yet so we'll see.......
Printable View
Shoulda backed Hearts at 100-1 at the start of the season, George Burley, good manager. Still they haven't played the Old Firm yet so we'll see.......
100/1 ?????? They were 350/1 fifth favourites after Hibs and Aberdeen who were both 250/1 at start of seasonQuote:
Originally Posted by Aldini98
Skysports.com can reveal that Rangers are trying to land Nigerian striker Julius Aghahowa on a season-long loan deal.
more...
:(
I have asked in the local about that Northern Ireland fanclub of Stranraer... Apparently they have exactly 5 members and they just randomly picked a team in Scotland to support as an excuse to go away from home during some weekends :D
100-1 to finish in the top 2Quote:
Originally Posted by Hibs4Ever
Celtic defender Bobo Balde turned down a deadline day offer from Premiership side Birmingham City to stay at Parkhead, it has been revealed.
The Guinea international has been courted by a host of clubs over the past six months, but Birmingham were a late arrival on the scene this week.
Blues boss Steve Bruce stepped in to try to bring the 29-year-old to St Andrews after Fulham ended their interest earlier this week.
A clause in Balde’s contract allowed him to leave the club for nothing this summer, but the stumbling-block appears to have been his wage demands, which none of Fulham, Birmingham or French side Olympique Marseilles were willing to match.
He is now contracted to Celtic for the next four years, and Bhoys fans will hope he can put thoughts of a move elsewhere out of his head and lead the club to domestic glory this season.
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/celtic/...p?newsid=18948
Celtic signed Chinese defender Du Wei before the deadline. Rangers signed Francis Jeffers, Olivier Bernard and Pippo Maniero. They let Michael Ball, Mo Ross and Khizanishvili go.
Well Rangers certainly strenghtened their squad, mainly by letting Ross go!
Why let him go? :confused:. I thought he was an important player for them?Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Norway defender Claus Lundekvam has announced his desire to join Celtic in the New Year – if Bhoys manager Gordon Strachan still wants him.
Lundekvam was a transfer target for Celtic in the summer, but no move materialized before the August transfer deadline.
But the Southampton star remains hopeful of a move to Parkhead when the window opens again in January.
The 32-year-old, who scored a rare goal as Norway defeated Slovenia in a World Cup qualifier at the weekend, said: "There was real interest from Celtic but they had to sell a couple of guys before I could go and that didn’t happen. I would have been keen to play for them if an offer was accepted but it wasn’t to be.
"The fact Celtic are a massive club and Gordon is boss would have been factors in me wanting to go there. I know him from his time at Southampton. He did a great job for us.
"Of course I would consider going to Celtic in January if they still wanted me. It’s my testimonial year so it would be a hard decision but I would definitely look closely at what they had to offer."
I was at Croke Park on Sunday so it was the longest I went without knowing a Celtic result!! Great to come back and find a 4-0 win especially without Magic's goal drought ending (he also scored a cracker vs Austria which I watched in the pub with a Polish lad :) ) and Nakmura putting one in!
Great to see Hib's result as well-I'd like Hibs to finish above Hearts as I do like a lot of Hibs fans so needless to say I can't wait for the wheels to come off for the jambos and see them slip back down the table!
With regards to ICT their fan base has deffinatly been bolstered by promotion. I rememebr when they played Celtic a couple of seasons back their captain was saying about how they had lots of fans turnming up for it but was very dissapointed week in week out with the attendance.....manylocals just not bothering.
It probably won#t happen but i'd like to see ICT go down and see how many of their fans stay on the bandwagon.
ICT will not go down this season nor would it be a good thing if they did.
Inverness is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe (seriously it is) although it's population is still only 60,000. It's no shock that it took them a while to develop a fan base as they used to be two seperate Highland league clubs, Inverness Thistle and Caledonians. Despite what some reports say (I think it was in WSC last year) Highland league attendances are awful.
They've progressed quite quickly through the divisions in Scotland and have constantly improved turnout...at least while in Inverness. Unsurprisingly not too many of their fans were bothered with the 3 hour trip to Aberdeen for home games during their enforced stay there.
For the SPL's sake the team they could best do without are Livi. A bit of an MK Dons job, not quite as bad but what they did is still pretty awful, and no potential in the club.
What bout Hearts just heard they won 4-1 at Livi and they're five points clear at the top. When was the last time a non Old Firm team won the SPL? I'm pretty sure it was Aberdeen with Ferguson in charge.
Early days yet but can't see them staying up this season....was an outside hoep they do an Northern Ireland and do the job against Hearts today but alas.... :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu
ICT's loss the otherday meant they couldn't jump Rangers.....shame really could have been nice to see :D
Two great reuslts for Celtic yesterday.....would like to see the league a bit closer this season but I still think that it's going to be Celtic or Rangers and the more results like yesterday the better :D
Well done Falkirk-great comeback against a much bigger team.
Aberdeen in '85.Not exactly competitive is it? :(Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
http://media.putfile.com/stanpetrov
Lovely :D
(and the Pogues int he backgrond when it goes in....)
Who? :confused: ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
Alex Ferguson's achievements at Pittodrie rank right up there with what he's done at United, indeed the big man even says so himself.
He took a team that had been a regional side with little success in recent years (well recent relative to the time) bar a shock win in the Scots Cup final at the start of the season. He joinedat a time when the town was becoming more affluent because of oil and this helped attract some good signings. He broke the Old Firm dominance taking 3 league titles, and several domestic cups.
In 1983 he led the Gothenberg greats to a famous 2-1 victory over Real Madrid (who?) in the European Cup Winners Cup final and their subsequent victory over Hamburg in the European Super Cup made Aberdeen the only Scottish club to win two European trophies.
He then joined a club down south, nearly lost his job, won a few of league titles, and a couple of European trophies.
Interestingly Ebbe Skovdahl is liked almost as much as Ferguson because he brought respecatability back to the club for a while. Hopefully the Jimmys can exceed the Danes efforts, although obviously it's unthinkable that they'll match Ferguson's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerrit
Sounds like a laugh Gerrit, but I despise 'fans' who do this.
I'll bet they never go to watch Irish League football and have turned their back on their local teams.
Apparently there's even an Accrington Stanley supporters club in Omagh. That's the same Omagh who's own senior club side recently went out of business, by the way....
The Dublin branch of the Blackburn Rovers fan club has had up to 400 members in recent years - and mostly Irish. Doubtless all real passionate football fans - who couldn't even tell you if Tolka was on the north or south side of the city. Absolutely absurd. Whipping's too good for them...
He (Ferguson) was also Scotland manager at Mexico '86.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu
I quite like Aberdeen, partly cos my sister lives there. I don't actually support any Scottish teams but they would be my favourite, although I'd be happy just to see anyone beat the Old Firm.
Not mutually exclusive though. I believe there is a Bohs/Wolves season ticket holder who rarely misses a game played by either team.Quote:
Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
I was staggered eveasdropping on a conversation prior to Pats v Carlisle a few years back re a group of Dubs who go over regularly. One of them was telling the English Carlisle fan that our league was muck. The Leinster league was muck too as a couple of their sides could only draw with Carlisle. :D
2,000-4,000 Irish at any Manyoo home game (not sure if the stat refers to RoI or whole island but this is travelling support).
I think the positives here though is the huge potential support for football here. Rememebr it is the biggest sport by playing numbe rin the Republic and presumably across thw whole island. I imagine a successful Irish side regularly playing in the group stages of the champions league could tap into that latent support. Shels v Depor gave us a taste of this. Unfortunately I think we are still a few years away here.
Keep it on topic lads.
Rangers are truly shocking at the moment. Their defence looks quite poor and disorganised and they are totally blunt in attack. They are fortunate to have taken a win against Celtic or they'd be languishing further down the table. I don't think realistically by the season's end they'd be outside the top 3 though.
Considering Celtic's recent form a trouble free win against Aberdeen is a great result. Zurawski had another good game. Scored a great goal and played well to set up the second. He looks like developing into a great signing. He can score goals and create, somewhat the same role as Larsson. His form for Poland has also been great. Hibs away is the real acid test for Celtic's aspirations this season. With Strachan and his signings settled there can be no more excuses.
I watched Hearts yesterday on TV and I think they're going to win the league. Great going forward, swift, fluid, inventive and clinical. Also very solid at the back. If Celtic fail to beat them in the next month and by then they've not suffered a form dip it could well be their title.
I would feel a happy man if for once a non-"political party in disguise" would win the league (= no Old Firm club) and am I being too optimistic or not, but it seems Hearts really have a strong side this year. For Scottish football it'd be good as well to see the title go to Edinburgh, the real capital which seems like a wee city though football-wise as all attention goes to Glasgow...
As for Inverness CT: I followed them for the first time when they were in Third Division. I was attracted by their northernness (my Far North fascination...) and because of the Highland atmosphere by the city, but I started to also look out for the club's backgrounds.
It was Third Division back then when I started to sympathise with them. I every week looked out for their results via the BBC, they played teams like East Fife, Stenhousemuir, Queen of the South, ... And now, about 10 years later, they play Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen... I really got attracted to the club because of their stadium surrounded by mountains and a lake. The dream for every true stadium fanatic like myself.
I feel like a trip to a game of them. My main focus has been EL when in Dublin, now that I live in NI it's the IL. I will never prefer a televised cross-water game over an EL/IL game, but a once-off trip to Inverness during a weekend there's no IL games would be nice.
As for fanclubs BTW: Hearts has a Belgian fanclub! I never knew this...
They even have fans in New Zealand... I wonder if there's ever been a Kiwi at a Hearts game. This seems a bit exagerated to prefer a club AT THE OTHER END OF THE WORLD above a local club. Maybe those few lads should try to catch a game in the New Zealand league, or a NZ Knights game (the only NZ professional club, they play in Australia's professional league)
Inverness is a hell of a journey. Three hours from Aberdeen, the nearest city with an airport.
I have to disagree with Poor Student on Hearts winning the title. It would be great but I don't think it will happen.
My money is still on an Old firm side, despite the drop in form. Remember Hearts haven't played either yet. They will get results against the Old Firm but I think both Old Firm sides will come out on top overall in their clashes.
Inverness has an airport?
Hearts have been able to build up momentum by having a relatively easy start (apart from Hibs). I agree Hearts, The Dons & Hibs will all take points off Celtic & Rangers, meaning a closer league.
Whether Hearts have the experience and the consistency to win it I am not so sure.
My point was that to the best of my knowledge Inverness has NO airport. Aberdeen's is the nearest and is actually in Dyce, the next town over, so you could add a half hour to any trip out to another city.
But Dyce is also on the north-west way out of the city.
Sorry, PS.
Yes but if you're travelling anywhere from there having gone to the airport the odds are you'll have to go back into the city and go to either the bus station or train station, which are beside each other making a journey out of the city longer.
Say you flew from Dublin to Aberdeen and you then rented a car at Dyce airport, you could then drive to Inverness and cut out Aberdeen and all their roundabouts that say "Oil Capital of Europe".
For Frank?Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
The whole Aberdeen to Inverness debate.
Rangers beat Porto 3-2. :(
I'd say this league will be much closer this year then in recent years gone by, but I'd say Celtic will prob win it. I think it would be brillent for the Scottish League for Hearts to win it, but I don't think it will happen. Then again I could be wrong.
Everytime an announcment went over the PA telling the Porto fans what to do after the game the Rangers fan gave a really loud boo and drowned it out :( ....not a very welcoming atmosphere at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
I hope Rangers come 4th in the group :D
It's mainly the dcfcsteve thing. We do not allow attacking people for lending their support to foreign clubs this forum, it's not up for debate or condemnation here as per the rules which you are required to read before posting in the thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
Ok, but it does? http://www.invernessairport.com/Quote:
Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu
To follow on from this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
Hearts are away to ICT this weekend, on current form, they should pick up 3 pts.
Celtic are away to Hibs (tough game, Hibs have an identical record to Celtic and have already thumped rangers at Ibrox - they will fancy their chances)
Rangers are at home to Killie. Killie are also joint 3rd at the moment, after Rangers win in the CL, they could possibly suffer another domestic hiccup.
If Celtic & Rangers drop points and Hearts win - Hearts confidence will continue to rise (as will Hibs and Killies for that matter) The first real crunch game of the season (apart from the early Celtic v Rangers disaster) will be the following week when Hearts entertain Rangers at Tynecastle.
Jnr
Junior - I wasn't aware of the airport but you can't fly direct from Dublin.
Frank - I know car rental is an option but it's a bloody expensive one which also limits potential drinking on any trip.
Am I the only one who finds this incredibly boring?
They always do that!!Quote:
Originally Posted by liam88