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Quo Vadis ? GLOW at the crossroads..

mimanifesto — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:34:25 +0000

Over the course of this year so far, this blog has documented my own GLOW journey and experiences. Regular posting on here, and comment and discussion on other blogs has been invaluable in helping me to refine my thoughts about and approach to working with GLOW in my school and with others. I've been involved in quite a few meetings and events this year, and the latest of these last week presented a particular challenge, involving a presentation on how GLOW has impacted upon the teaching and learning in my classroom so far... with a time limit of 5 minutes! I've put it on slide-share as I think it just about sums up where I've got to at this point in time.

[slideshare id=575491&doc=glow-at-cathkin-high-school-1220100856041172-8&w=425]

Of course, the whole process of preparing to deliver this presentation and the discussions between the other two presenters (mine was the last of three segments) as well as the recent publication of my research study into attainment and GLOW/ICT represents the end, for me, of perhaps one chapter and the start of the next one. I also feel it could be the same for GLOW. As more authorities sign their agreements and commence their own roll-outs those of us who have been working away for the past year also have to move forward. I believe that nationally, we have reached a sort of 'tipping' point, at least in our secondary schools. The primaries look to me to have embraced GLOW, taken it to their hearts even in so many ways across the country, but this battle for hearts and minds has perhaps stalled somewhat in the secondaries. Bigger staff cohorts, the artificial divisions evident sometimes between subject specialties and competing demands on CPD time, as well as challenging financial constraints and sometimes even ambivalent school leadership compound the difficulties in establishing the free-flow out of ripples of good practice from the school mentors and enthusiasts. The last HMIE report on ICT in education highlighted the ongoing resistance of the 'hardcore of staffroom cynics' who remain to be convinced of the benefits of integrating ICT into their teaching. I suppose I could be regarded as a competent practitioner, an ICT evangelist even. And so could more than a few like me, but GLOW wasn't made just for me. If we want to widen access and drive up effective use by increasing numbers of teachers and pupils then we have to examine the financial commitment necessary to underwrite this expansion of opportunity.

John Connell posting last year on his own blog about the SNP government's commitment to continued development and funding of GLOW asked for reassurances from the new power in the land...

http://www.johnconnell.co.uk/blog/?p=428

Of course the roll out of GLOW in each LA has been funded by the NPAF, or 'GLOW grant', a £20 million annual pot split between authorities which has been used to fund the activities of LA GLOW teams and mentor training and support. However recent changes to the way this money is distributed means that 75% of it is now retained for ICT capital expenditure and distributed via the school funding allocation, leaving only 25% left available to be spent on 'revenue' costs. The probationer scheme has released staff to undertake development roles with GLOW but this is easier to organise in the primary sector. In secondaries, matching up probationers with the same subjects as teachers willing and able to undertake mentor roles is logistically more complex to organise. So is it time once again to examine the roles (and costs) of the central support teams to see if the money would be better utilised by individual schools, or would this remove a vitally important administrative and support function ? difficult questions here, and even more difficult decisions. A quick web search reveals minutes of meetings all over the country called to examine the costs of implementing and rolling out GLOW in the light of the changes to external revenue funding and to address the shortfall with many LA's now not having enough money to fund their central GLOW teams and mentor support. Falkirk council's implementation strategy estimated that a 0.1 FTE commitment per establishment was necessary for staff development and training as well as ongoing support. I think that this is actually closer to 0.2 FTE in secondary schools as well as supply cover for whole department training sessions. Of course staff can attend twilight training organised by their LA teams, but all the research shows that this type of training must be sector-specific, run by experienced and current practitioners and be pedagogically not technology focused. This is rarely the case unfortunately at this present moment in time and anyway, not all staff are willing or able to attend such sessions, even if they met this criteria. So for me anyway, it has to be a mixture of central GLOW team support with on the job training in schools during the teaching day - but this does not come cheap, and competition for increasingly scarce resources is fierce in every school.

I believe we are now at a crossroads with GLOW, and the direction each LA goes down will determine the level of eventual success. We've had the big launch, the novelty value has worn off, and it's down to the nitty-gritty of embedding GLOW into everyday regular use into the teaching and learning in all our schools. It's going to need leadership and vision to move this forward by finding creative solutions to the funding issues. Good management is all about making the case for adequate funding but also managing efficiently and effectively the resources you do have by searching for solutions to difficult challenges. GLOW can help here - schools getting together to teach advanced higher via GLOW meet could free up resources, and there will be many other ways I'm sure.

What is certain however is that we have to take the right direction away from this crossroads, and the map charting the best direction will not be found in the budget shops or bargain bins. Quite simply, I believe that success with GLOW will be exponential - we will get what we are prepared to pay for, so lets be creative and invest wisely. The benefits of doing so are clear to see with GLOW and the dividends from successful investment now will be significant for generations to come...

Inside Left Performance of the Week Award

Inside Left — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:43:49 +0000

This week we have another three candidates for "Performance of the Week" for you to chose from. Simply vote for your candidate by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.

Fort William, for scoring their second goal in all competitions in the Highland League this weekend. Michael Gillespie's goal in Saturday's 3:1 defeat to Forres Mechanics has doubled the goals scored tally this season for The Fort in one fell swoop: Richard Finnie lays claim to the only other goal scored so far in the opening day defeat away to Lossiemouth. We've been a little flippant with the Fort this season, what with the whole "America's Team" thing, but judging by the results so far, Fort William are showing signs of improvement. This weekend's defeat is the lowest score of the season and, before you say "ah, but Forres Mechanics are guff", consider that they inflicted 6:0 and 7:0 defeats on the Fort last season. Fort William had already conceded 19 goals (including an 8:1 tanking by Cove Rangers) at this stage last year but, admittedly, they'd also scored more. But goal difference is what counts, and so far this season is turning out a little better, with a goal difference of -12, compared with -15 at the same stage last season. It's still not quite the form that's going to win you trophies, but manager John Haggerty should take heart from this weeks result.

Scottish referees, who this week proved they're worth every penny of their pay rise, produced three decisions of such ineptitude that Inside Left is still tut-ting three days later. Things got off to a start in the early game of the day at Pittodrie where linesman Bill "Billy" Baxter, proved all those conspiracy theorists wrong: sometimes Rangers do get a taste of their own medicine. Baxter made a monumental clanger at the end of the game when he incorrectly flagged Demarcus Beasley offside despite the fact that the American was clearly about a foot onside. Baxter was probably confused by Kris Boyd, who was offside but not interfering with play, as it's so neatly called, and in the heat of the moment raised his orange flag and so incurred the wrath of mild-mannered Rangers manager Walter Smith. Not that we're implying anything of course, but with a name like Billy Baxter you'd have thought he'd have kept his flag down.

Later on in the day, Ian Brines got the entire Falkirk team riled when he allowed a Stephen McManus goal when the Celtic captain appeared to have used his arm to score. Falkirk's Michael Higdon claims that even McManus admitted the goal should not have stood, it was that blatantly obvious (according to Higdon). And if that wasn't bad enough, the same referee then wanted to report Falkirk gaffer John Hughes to the SFA for visiting his teams dressing room during half time. You see, Hughes is serving a 6-match touchline ban which, as Brines claimed, prevents him from even talking to his team. It took much fur and handbags-a-flying from Falkirk director George Craig to prove Brines wrong, even so far as getting the rule book out to prove his point. Remember folks that the referees are due another pay-rise next season, so if there are kids out there looking for a career that involves earning lots of money with little accountability or regard for the rules and for which you don't need to run the risk of being caught in a dark alley handing over tablets to undercover polis, then contact the SFA and ask for the brochure "Become a referee!"; they have plenty to spare, apparently.

Lastly, what do Scottish referees and Bobo Balde have in common? The answer is that both earn loads of money for doing fuck-all.

Yes, our last nominee is Celtic's very own Bobo Balde, for wanting to stay on at Celtic when pretty much everyone involved with Celtic FC, from the manager to the lady who cleans the toilets wants rid of the money grabbing toe-rag. He's already turned down lucrative offers from Birmingham (and driven Alex McLeish demented with his procrastination), but the Guinea international claims to love it at Celtic and wants to honour his contract, even suggesting that Gordon Strachan might change his mind. Now, Inside Left has more chance of turning out in the center of defence for the Hoops than Balde has, so why he insists on hanging around and draining the resources of his employers is beyond us. OK, it might have something to do with getting paid loads for doing absolutely bugger-all, but who are we to judge that? Balde reckons that he's being 100% professional about the whole thing and says that "if Celtic don't want me they should let me know". Balde obviously doesn't spend his hard earned cash on newspapers, nor does he check the forums. In case you're reading this Bobo: Celtic don't want you!

Shock rise in drug deaths

cathypeattie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:11:52 +0000

from the Falkirk Herald, 14 August 2008

By Jill Buchanan

Chief Reporter

SHOCK new figures reveal drug deaths in the Falkirk area are spiralling.
Last year, 15 lives were lost, a rise of 50 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Despite high-profile operations by Central Scotland Police to crack down on dealers – £2 million-worth of drugs were taken off the streets in 2007-08 – the human cost of addiction continues to rise.

Now an MSP has called for everyone to work together to tackle the problem.

Cathy Peattie said: "There has to be a joined up approach across all services if we are going to do something about this.

"And let's be quite clear, it isn't just affecting one group, it's all sections of society which are affected. It's a terrible situation and we need to do something now."

The grim statistics were revealed in a report by the Registrar General for Scotland which analysed drug-related deaths across the country.

Across Scotland there were 455 deaths through drugs in 2007, an eight per cent rise on the previous year and 103 per cent more than in 1997.

Forth Valley had one of the highest increases in deaths through drug misuse.

Last year, there were 26 fatalities, a rise of two from 2006 but compared to just four in 1997.

The Falkirk Council figures show deaths had been rising steadily from 2003 but jumped from 10 to 15 last year. A decade ago there were no drug-related deaths in this area.

Eight people died after taking heroin or morphine, two from methadone, three from diazepam and six through alcohol abuse.

Admitting drugs remain readily available in communities, Central Scotland Police chief constable Andrew Cameron said his officers had worked hard to dismantle and disrupt supply networks.

Highlighting the £2 million of seizures, he paid tribute to communities "which have decided they will not tolerate this activity on their doorsteps and have given information which has led to this quite incredible quantity of drugs being taken out of circulation".

Mr Cameron said: "We arrest drug dealers and work with partners to really try and raise awareness of the dangers of drugs. We are keen to ensure that young people make choices around this issue and are fully aware of the devastating impact it can have on family life."

The Falkirk East MSP also stressed that drugs don't just affect those misusing the substances but also their family and friends.

Mrs Peattie said: "It's heartbreaking to listen to parents tell of how they've tried to get support because they're desperate to do whatever they can for their bairns.

"These figures clearly show drug deaths are on the increase. The police are doing a smashing job tackling the dealers but we need to do more to ensure that no more young people's lives are lost or wasted.

"We need all agencies working together to tackle this. The time people are having to wait for treatment and follow-up support – which needs to be longer than a couple of months – is currently too long. Those at risk need to be identified and action taken much quicker if we are to get results and drive down these figures."

The local authority is also involved in the war on drugs. Fiona Campbell, head of policy and performance review, said: "Substance misuse can have devastating consequences resulting in real tragedy for families involved.

"Falkirk Council looks to ensure the delivery of services for substance misusers and their families by our leading role in the Falkirk
Substance Action Team. This includes the provision of a tiered approach from basic information and education to intensive rehabilitation therapy.

"Addressing the issues of substance misuse is a priority for elected members and the council."

Falkirk 0-1 Rangers - Gers still papering over the cracks

thelightblues — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Okay, saying a team is 'papering over the cracks' is a cliche, but like all cliches it has more than an ounce of truth. It never fails to amaze me that regardless who we line up against we get outplayed in midfield. It was the same even with Fergie in the team - remember the Scottish Cup final - and with him out it is even more arresting.

Speaking of arresting, I think someone should send PC Plod around to Lee McCulloch and give him a wee fright. There hasn't been such an invisible performance since we were graced with the skills of the great Dragan Mladenovic. To be fair though, it isn't big Lee's fault as his Manager continually plays him anywhere but his rightful position. That position being centre-forward at Stoke City.

But why is it that Rangers cannot seem to keep possession for more than four passes without the ball going to an opposition player? Usually this is in the form of a long high ball to strikers not noted for their aerial ability. A tactic so inept that school teachers moan if their under 10 team continues to do it without effect.

If you get the chance watch the game again and notice two things. The first is that Falkirk play the ball from the back while Rangers get McGregor to lump the ball forward like a poor imitation of Wimbledon FC, and second that Falkirk patiently look for a breakthrough while Rangers always look for a killer pass regardless if it was on or not - thereby repeatedly giving back the ball.

This sort of basic stuff should be stamped on by the Manager because against a limited team like Falkirk we can escape unscathed, but against any good team it is like giving away a goal a start. Keep possession, be patient and the rest will follow. Falkirk were only using football basics and it nearly gave them parity against a club they shouldn't be able to cope with even on a good day.

Apart from a decent first five minute spell, and a decent last five minute spell, the first half was dominated by Falkirk. They are a lovely passing team but as they are a bit of a toothless tiger Rangers were hardly troubled where it mattered.

That changed in the second-half when in the 54th minute a silly challenge by Steven Whittaker on Kevin McBride led to a Falkirk penalty. Up stepped Michael Higdon and a mixture of a decent save and a poor shot left the Rangers goal intact. The save changed the mood of the game and there was an inevitablity that Rangers would take the lead.

Ten minutes later a nice piece of work on the right by the impressive Kyle Lafferty led to a low ball cross across the Falkirk six-yard box. The two Rangers poachers were sniffing about and it was Andrius Velicka who got the vital touch. It was good to see the two new strikers link up well. Kyle Lafferty in particular looks like he can do some damage this season.

So three vital points in the bag and Walter keeps the wrath of the fans at bay for another week at least. As worried as we all are at the state of the current Rangers team, and with the awareness that big changes in attitude, tactics and personnel must be made soon, today at least proved that papering over the cracks is always better than falling through them.

Harmony restored after theft on train

karriegillett — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:47:03 +0000

by Alexander Lawrie

A MUSICIAN who had a rare instrument stolen after a gig has had it returned – after finding it for sale on Ebay.

Rob St John, 22, and his band were travelling back to Edinburgh by train after playing a gig in Glasgow in April when he noticed the band’s prized harmonium had disappeared.

After reporting the theft to the transport police, the up-and-coming singer songwriter put the experience down to bad luck.

Thinking the harmonium was gone for good St John started to scour websites looking to buy a replacement.

But as the Edinburgh-based musician searched Ebay for a similar piece, he could not believe his eyes when he spotted the band’s stolen harmonium advertised for sale.

St John immediately contacted Ebay and the police to alert them to the sale and the expensive musical instrument was instantly pulled from the auction site.

Mr St John said: “We were traveling back to Waverley from Glasgow after playing a gig at Tchai Ovna and had all our gear packed away in the luggage compartment.

“The train was really busy and we were keeping our eye on things, but must have turned our back for a couple of minutes when the train stopped at Falkirk High.

“We only noticed it was missing when the train pulled away, and by then it was too late.

“The harmonium actually belongs to Rob Waters, a bandmate of mine, and he was absolutely gutted to have it nicked.”

But police managed to track down the sneak thief who had taken the £400 harmonium after the former Edinburgh University graduate spotted it for sale on Ebay.

He said: “Luckily for us the thief was a bit dozy because he used a picture of the tea chest we had the harmonium stored in on the Ebay site. It was covered in our handwriting making it really easy to spot.

“I just couldn’t believe our luck. We had been searching for a new one, and in the faint hope of finding our own one, but I really thought it was gone for good.”

“It actually sold to some unlucky punter for £50. I just hope he managed to get his money back.”

The rare instrument was put up for sale on the Ebay auction site by a seller in the Falkirk area calling himself paulpat1964.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “On a positive note, the harmonium has been recovered and has been returned to its rightful owner.

“Our enquiries regarding the theft are still ongoing.”

A spokesperson for Ebay said: “We are the most transparent online marketplace.

“When an item is confirmed as stolen by law enforcement agencies, we remove it promptly from the site, as we understand happened on this occasion.

“We work very closely with the Police and last year alone, we helped to secure over 200 arrests and guilty verdicts in nearly 70 cases.”

Good clean Karting fun. So how come the photos look such a bummer?

scottdouglas — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:47:29 +0000

For no reason other than it's summer and we were all overdue some light relief, we decided to throw a bit of a staff party.

Originally we planned to give all the workers at Deadline Press & Picture Agency and their colleagues at Holyrood PR a half day on Friday, then head off down to East Lothian for a boozy beach barbecue.

Unsurprisingly, the Scottish weather had a say in the matter. When it became clear Friday was due to be particularly dreich, the idea of eating soggy sausages on a windblown mud and sand patch lost its allure.

As a last minute fix we booked into Xtreme Karting near Falkirk and blew off some serious steam in an inter office Grand Prix. Magic.

Later we all met in town for a boozy night out (on the company) and with the drink flowing freely and a trip to a karaoke bar (me and Raymond duetted excruciatingly on an Abba number), you'd think there would be any number of embarrassing incidents and stories to be keeping quiet about.

Fortunately though, the whole thing seemed to pass off without any inappropriate, embarrassing, shady or criminal behaviour.

But there's always a sting in the tale. In this case the photos came back to haunt me. Not from the night out, but from the karting session, before a drop of the hard stuff had passed any of our lips.

The first sign was the tittering round the office. Within minutes it was full blown guffawing and finger pointing - with us bosses looking at each other in bafflement. It wasn't long before the pics arrived. Caught bang to rights I'd say:

[caption id="attachment_309" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Xtreme Karting"][/caption]

Aye, it looks innocent enough at first glance, I grant you. So just in case I missed the point, some kind sould sent me the close up:

[caption id="attachment_310" align="aligncenter" width="323" caption="Compromising at the karting"][/caption]

Bummer. There's no real defence. I can't say I'm happy about. But at least Raymond looks really pleased with himself.

No need to add your own captions, thanks very much.

Meat Pie - SPL 2008/09 Predictions, Part II

Inside Left — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:49:03 +0000

Following on from our look at how we think the top half of the league will finish, we conclude our Scottish Premier League season predictions with the lower half of the league.

Hearts

Hearts ended the season in eighth place last year, their worst finish since they where relegated from the old Scottish Premier league in 1981, so improvement is clearly required. The potential is certainly there - Hearts, together with Motherwell are the only other club in the SPL to have finished second in the league in the last ten years. Two years ago a team that featured Hartley, Gordon, Skacel, Pressley and Bednar romped into second place, nineteen points clear of fourth-placed Hibs. Since then, a lot has happened. Gordon, Pressley and Hartley all left (some say pushed) and though a fourth place finish in season 2006/07 is not bad these days, life at Tynecastle was anything but easy. A revolving door of managers and players, mainly Lithuanian, meant that the club was in a total state of flux and getting a settled team was not easy. Stephen Frail (the sixth manager since the end of the 2005/06 season) took over in a care-taker role and did as well as can be expected given his position was never secure. With the arrival of a new coach, after almost seven months of searching, life at Tynecastle should be returning to normal any time soon. Hungarian Csaba Laszlo is probably the best of the various names to have been associated with the job and should go some way to repairing the damage owner Vladmir Romanov has done to the reputation of the club, providing he can get the results, and providing Romanov will leave Csaba to the job of running first team affairs. Like new England coach Fabio Capello, the new manager has been ringing in the changes: the team reports to the Riccarton training facilities early and has breakfast together before training starts as Csaba rebuilds some of the team unity. The sale of Roman Bednar to West Bromwich Albion (where he was out on loan) for £2.3m will bring some revenue to the club, which presumably will be used to buy a new striker. Super-sub Velicka had scored fourteen before was sold to Viking Stavanger (and then to Rangers) back in February while next top scorers Laryea Kingston and Andrew Driver both scored five in all competitions. Left-back David Obua is the only new signing of the new season so far while Neil McCann and Ibrahim Tall have left. We think the Csaba revolution will take some time to kick in while he gets used to the squad, and Roman and Csaba get used to each other. Like every Hearts season these days, what happens on the pitch is very much determined by what happens off it. Not league winners, better Cup runs should be a target for Csaba and Vladimir will expect better than a fourth round exit in the League Cup. With all the changes going on we think Hearts will do marginally better than last year. Season 2010/11 will be a good one for the Tynecastle side, but for now we predict a 7th place for the Jambos.

Inverness Caley Thistle

In the last four seasons that Caley have played in the top flight, they've finished ninth, eighth, seventh and eight again. It tells a story doesn't it? Caley are one of those mid-table teams that get the results without ever really getting anywhere. They reached sixth place about midway through last following good wins over Hearts and Dundee United, but from the end of February right up to the end of the season Caley got stuck in ninth position. Very much a team that prefers to play at home Caley scored the most goals and won the most of the teams in the bottom six. Their ninth place is probably due to their thirteen defeats away from home - only Gretna had a worse away record. Good news: Inverness scored 51 goals last season, more than the three teams above them in the league and better than Aberdeen and Motherwell. The bad news: apart from Gretna, Inverness also conceded the most goals, a massive sixty-two! Joining for this season is defender Djebi-Zadi (who also had a spell at Ross County) and Ryan Esson, returning back to Scotland after a lengthy spell in England. Manager Craig Brewster also brings in Andy Barrowman from Ross County where he scored twenty-four league goals as he helped the Staggies win promotion back to the First division. A shrewd move, assuming Barrowman can handle life in the SPL, because it looks like Marius Niculae wont be staying at Caley for much longer - expect the Romanian to be gone in the January transfer window. Attacking midfielder Don Cowie (yet another former Ross County player!) was the clubs top-scorer last season. And if things get tight, manager Craig Brewster can still play: he scored in the pre-season friendly against Brora Rangers. We think that Brewster will push the team harder this year and if they can keep the "Goals Against" column nice and low, while scoring at the other end, we think Caley will improve from last year. So, Caley for eighth.

Falkirk

Falkirk start their fourth season in the top flight. Manager John Hughes brings in a lot of defenders this year, suggesting perhaps that he thinks there might be problems there. Jackie McNamara and Lee Bullen join Dermot McCaffrey and Gretna's Erik Shultz-Eklund in defence giving Falkirk a total of nine first team defenders. Strangely enough however, with only forty-nine goals against, Falkirk conceded the fewest goals of all the teams in the bottom six. Neill McCann joins from Hearts where he played a minor role this season, spending most of it on the injured list but he'll add experience to a relatively young midfield together with Russell Latap. Scoring wise, Falkirk like to spread it about a bit: not a single player reached double figures last year, but the forty-five goals they scored last season had to come from somewhere. With the exception of Pedro Moutihno, all the clubs scorers from last season are still with the club. Michael Higdon and Carl Finnigan scored fifteen goals between them, while Graham Barret contributed six. With that kind of goal scoring however you're not going to push the top six and we don't see Falkirk improving greatly this season. Ninth place for the Bairns.

Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock and Mount Vesuvius have something in common: both lie dormant for a few years and then suddenly explode. Like we outlined in a previous posting Kilmarnock are due a good season, but we doubt it is going to be this one. Kilmarnock were truly dreadful last season. Their eleventh place finish was their worst finish in years, and it was only thanks to Gretna that Kilmarnock survived at all. Ten wins and ten draws got them trough the season and their thirty-nine goals scored was one of the lowest in the league. Much to ponder on then for manager Jim Jefferies as the start of the season approaches. Allan Russell joins to help score some more goals (he scored 26 for Airdrie last season) and fill in for previous top scorer Colin Nish who left for Hibernian in the January transfer window. An anxious season for Kilmarnock then. We think they'll survive, but only just. We also have Jim Jefferies as favourite for first managerial casualty this season.

Hamilton Academicals

Ten years after their last appearance in the SPL, the Accies make another return to the top flight. We think they'll do better this year than they did last time out when they where relegated again straight away. This time though, Hamilton are a team in good form. Runaway winners of the First Division (a very tough league to get out of), with sixty-two goals scored and only twenty-seven conceded, well, that's a better record than Motherwell last season. Ok, so we're comparing apples and oranges - the SPL is a much stronger league than the First - but Hamilton where undefeated at home where they scored twenty-nine goals and conceded only three. Richard Offiong scored twenty-one goals last season, the only player to get into double figures. James McCarthy (a player tipped for greatness), Simon Mensing and James McArthur where the other goal scorers. With the addition of Derek Lyle, signed from Dundee, Billie Reid now has plenty of firepower up front. The trick will be keeping the goals out at the other end. Hamilton have a shocking record against the other SPL sides (and especially Celtic, who beat The Accies 8-0, 8-3 and 7-1 in recent years) so it'll be up to the experienced players in the side to keep the campaign on track. If they can keep that winning mentality from last season going, the Accies will be fine. We think they can, so we've got the them in eleventh place.

St Mirren

When considering who to pick for the team to go down, we knew it was going to be one of Hamilton, Kilmarnock or St Mirren. After much debate, we went for St Mirren. Aside from Gretna, St Mirren where the only other team in the league never to get out of the bottom six for the duration of the season: seventh was the highest position reached. For the most part, the Buddies hovered around the ninth and tenth places. The problem is easy: they can't score. With twenty-six goals, St Mirren had the lowest 'Goals For' score in the league - even Gretna scored more. If the Paisley side are to survive this season, they're going to have to score and stop conceding so many goals. Manager Gus McPherson obviously recognises this problem, bringing in Dennis Wyness from division rivals Inverness Caley Thistle, while Tom Brighton will bring some pace to the front line. Billy Mehmet, top scorer last season with eight goals has committed his future to the club for another three years. Jack Ross strengthens the defence, and Steven Robb gives McPherson another option on the left wing. A good cup run might brighten up what will be a long season, so hopefully they'll do better than last years sixth-round exit to St Johnstone and the embarrassing defeat to East Fife in the second round of the League Cup. St Mirren move to their new stadium on January 31 but we're not sure that the stadium will be seeing Premier League football for much longer. For us, St Mirren are the team to go down this year.

So, that's it, our predictions for the new season. We reckon the final table will look like this come the end of May:

1 Celtic (C)
2 Rangers
3 Aberdeen
4 Dundee United
5 Motherwell
6 Hibernian
7 Hearts
8 Inverness
9 Falkirk
10 Kilmarnock
11 Hamilton
12 St Mirren (R)

Do you agree with us? Let us know via the comments or the forum. Tomorrow we'll bring you our First, Second and Third division predictions to keep you going while Inside Left goes on a wee pre-season break to Ireland.

Keith Amor takes another podium finish on his debut at the Skerries 100 road races

scottishbiker — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:59:59 +0000

Keith Amor added more silverware to his already impressive 2008 collection when he scored a fine second place at Saturday’s Skerries 100 races. Riding the Wilson Craig Honda Superbike, Keith got the runner’s up spot in the opening Superbike race and backed this up with 4th in the Supersport 600cc event, an overheating engine denying him of further podium success.

It was another new circuit for the Falkirk ace to learn but he soon got to grips with the 2.92-mile course and was able to place 3rd and 4th in the Superbike and 600cc practice sessions respectively, well in contention for race day honours. Saturday dawned extremely damp but the organisers made a wise move to delay proceedings and racing got underway at lunch time, the rain having given way to sunny, but breezy, conditions.

In the 8-lap Superbike race, Keith got a great start and slotted into second place, tucked right in behind the pace setting Ryan Farquhar. Keith hung on to him in the first few laps but the experienced Farquhar slowly edged away and Keith, also feeling slightly under the weather, settled for a safe, but excellent, second place.

In the Supersport 600cc race, again held over 8 laps, Keith was in trouble from the start with an overheating engine and the lack of power severely damaged his chances. Nevertheless, he still brought the Honda home in a solid 4th place and hopes were high going in to the feature Grand Final race. Everything was looking good for Keith as he grabbed an early lead but, on the second lap, the red flags came out for an incident on the circuit and with a substantial delay the race was eventually cancelled.

Talking about his Skerries debut, Keith commented:

“It’s been a good day on the whole even if the weather and the red flags did their best to upset everything. I got a good start in the first Superbike race and followed Ryan for a few laps and it was good to pick up a few lines from him around the course. As the race wore on though he began to edge away and I had to settle for second place. It’s my first time on the Superbike since the TT and it’s had a few updates so it was good to get back out on it and it felt good.”

“The 600 was overheating from the start and it was running 14 degrees higher than what it normally does so it just wouldn’t pull and the lack of speed did me but I still picked up a strong finish. As for the Grand Final, I got the start I wanted and was feeling good at the front but the red flag came out and safety is paramount so the organisers made the right call. They did an excellent job throughout the day in what was quite tricky circumstances.”

“The circuit itself is very technical and the Superbikes are possibly too powerful for it but it’s great fun to ride and I’ve enjoyed myself very much again. Dunlop were over in force and they had some new tyres for me to try and they were, yet again, the best things out there whilst everyone one in the team – especially Wilson Craig and Phoenix Motorcycles - did a terrific job once more.”

Keith’s next outing will be at the Walderstown road races on Sunday July 13th, where he will also be making his circuit debut.

Hibs 0 Falkirk 2, 19 April 1995

thehiblog — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:44:08 +0000

Although the Scotsman's report gave Jim Jeffries' Falkirk side an outside chance of qualifying for Europe thanks to this result, they eventually finished in fifth place, five points behind Hibs.

The three points dropped by Hibs however, proved crucial in the race for second place. They finished strongly, with three wins and a draw in their remaining four games, but ended up two points adrift of Motherwell, rueing what might have been, as the Scotsman's round up of 15 May noted (below).

Golden cagoules

thehiblog — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:29:46 +0000

Hibs 2 Falkirk 2, 10 December 1994

There they sit, like the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, so many cowled, pointy-hooded devotees of the great game, worshipping at the shrine of Football. Or is it bin day?

Just another bunch of miserable fans subjected to the Scottish climate on the pitiless open terrace of the Dunbar End, some of the last unfortunates to be forced to sit down on a cold bucket seat in the pissing rain.

At least they were treated to a relatively exciting game by the looks of things, a 2-2 draw between Hibs and Falkirk. Former Hibs and Nottingham Forest midfielder Brian Rice thought he had won it for Falkirk with a late penalty, only for Michael O'Neill to nick an equaliser in the last minute, his 10th goal of the season so far.

Where next for those moving on?

nickogs20 — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:42:17 +0000

For most United fans, all the focus now and over the next couple of months will understandably be on players coming in (or potentially coming in), but spare a thought for those leaving Old Trafford - in particular those leaving to an uncertain future. Several players are set to be released or not have their contracts renewed this summer, and while United do everything they can to ensure these players find another club, there are essentially only so many professional contracts up for grabs each year and there are an awful lots of players competing for them.

Reserve players Séan Evans, Michael Barnes, Michael Lea and Chris Fagan will all leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of this month, as well as second year academy scholar Conor McCormack. United's reticence when it comes to revealing contract details makes it hard to know who else is facing an uncertain summer, although Ritchie Jones is one player you'd expect to also see leaving the club. As yet, none of these players have found a new club, which is somewhat unusual. It's not been through lack of trying, as most of them have spent a lot of time out on trial all over the country.

Chris Fagan has been the busiest. First-choice in the under-18 side that came so close to winning the Youth Cup in 06-07, Christy has had a frustrating first season as a pro, his appearances for the reserves being extremely limited. Over the last few months the young Irishman has been on trial with Falkirk, Colchester United, Carlisle United and Cheltenham Town, featuring in reserve games and even first-team friendlies at those clubs but as yet not recieving a solid offer of a contract. Fagan has also had a trial with the Glenn Hoddle Academy - a new project headed up by the former Spurs, Chelsea, Monaco and England midfielder (and later Chelsea and England manager, among other clubs). The GHA aims to offer a route back into professional football for the scores of youngsters discarded by top clubs every year - youngsters that Hoddle and his team believe are discarded too early and could, with another couple of years of the right training, develop into talented professional players. 40 released players will be chosen to join the academy, which will be based in Jerez in Southern Spain.

Conor McCormack has also held trials with the GHA - the 18 year old was informed of the decision to release him back in April, a decision that he says was put down to the arrival of Brazilians Fábio, Rafael and Rodrigo Possebon. The Dundalk midfielder accompanied the rest of his academy team-mates to the European Cup Final last month but while they headed back to Manchester, McCormack arrived back in London, where he headed straight to Chelsea's Cobham training base where the GHA trials are being held. He told the press "It was strange to celebrate winning the Champions League in Moscow with all the United staff - and then step off the plane back at Heathrow realising you don't belong to them any more". Decisions on places at the GHA are likely to be made over the next couple of months (we'll keep you informed of the two Irishmen's progress), but McCormack has other irons in the fire, with supposed interest from Italian side Triestina and Premier League new-boys West Bromwich Albion.

There has been no shortage of trial spells for the other players being released either. Michael Lea has spent time in the south-west with Plymouth Argyle and Yeovil Town, Séan Evans has been assessed by Cheltenham Town and Burnley while Michael Barnes has trialled with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, as well as going to Shrewsbury on loan with a view to making a permanent move - sadly not doing enough there to earn a permanent contract. Ritchie Jones is also expected to move on and Burnley boss Owen Coyle has shown interest.

Most of the players released by United each year tend to find clubs eventually, even if just for a season or so - of last year's discarded players for example, Floribert N'Galula signed for Randers in Denmark, Phil Marsh was picked up by Championship side Blackpool, Danny Rose signed with Oxford United, Lee Crockett joined Boston United, Jamie Mullan was picked up by Rochdale and Aaron Burns joined FC United. It's tough to adjust to life at a lower level though, as shown by the fact N'Galula and Marsh are both currently without a club having been released without making a first-team appearance, Mullan has dropped down to the Blue Square Premier with Northwich Victoria (where Burns is also now playing) and Lee Crockett is now at Corby Town. That won't make encouraging reading for the 5/6 being let go this summer, but ultimately they all have the ability to make decent careers for themselves (they wouldn't have spent time at United if they didn't). It'll all be down to how well they can adapt mentally to surroundings, conditions and a level of football a world away from what they're used to.

It's all kicking off in Falkirk...

theginna — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:56:19 +0000

Good lord. "Armed police deployed in Falkirk".

I used to stay not that faraway from Glen Village (not really Falkirk) in Rumford, a matter of miles away.

'Thomas English, who lives in the neighbourhood, described the situation [...] "I looked out of my window and saw the police armed response vehicles," he said. "It's usually a quiet, wee place."'

"...a quiet, wee place", aye right. Full of crack dens and brothels probably.*

I wonder what was going on? Got to be drugs related. And who the man was. Do you know him?

Someone of the "tattooed f*ck-wit fraternity" I bet...

*Anyone from Glen Village reading this, I was only kidding about the "crack den and brothels" comment. Just going for the cheap laughs you understand.

La fábrica de milagros de Charlie Tully

elhacha — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:54:29 +0000

[por Rubén Uría]

Cuenta la leyenda que la paternidad del gol olímpico, del tanto directo desde el saque de esquina, pertenece a un argentino, Cesáreo Onzari. Su gran gesta acaeció en octubre de 1924, en un amistoso entre Uruguay y Argentina, y la sorpresa de los treinta mil aficionados fue mayúscula. El wing izquierdo de Huracán lanzó desde el córner con tanta colocación y precisión que la pelota se coló como una exhalación por el primer palo. Después de la hazaña de Onzari, muchos han sido los futbolistas que han dominado la suerte del gol olímpico. El irlandés Steve Staunton anotó cinco goles de esa guisa - dos en partidos internacionales-, el inglés Peter Beagrie fue otro consumado especialista en sorprender desde la esquina y un argentino, Juan Román Riquelme, fabricó tres goles desde el córner en su periplo en Villarreal. Otro nombre propio, quizá el más famoso, capaz de convertirse en la pesadilla de cualquier portero si se bota un córner, es el británico David Beckham. Del pie de seda de Becks suelen salir misiles teledirigidos, auténticas "bananas", que acababan en goles tan hermosos como, en principio, imposibles. Sin embargo, en la década de los cincuenta, un chico de Belfast, un tal Charlie Tully, se destapaba no sólo como el mejor especialista de la historia, sino como el ídolo de la hinchada del Celtic de Glasgow. No en vano, según el relato de prestigiosos periodistas de la época, los saques de esquina de Tully eran tan peligrosos para los porteros que, cuando el árbitro señalaba córner a favor del Celtic, toda la hinchada gritaba gol antes de tiempo. De hecho, la fama de Charlie Tully, "el francotirador de Belfast", fue tan grande que se convirtió en el primer futbolista mediático del Reino Unido. Las tiendas comercializaron un helado de crema verde con su nombre, los pubs patentaron un cocktail especial llamado "Charlie" y en los grandes almacenes se podían comprar balones de fútbol profesional con la firma de Charlie. En los primeros años de la década de los cincuenta, Glasgow era una ciudad poseída por la "Tullymanía", que invadía tiendas de comestibles, bares y restaurantes. De hecho, la popularidad de Tully llegó a ser tan grande que, cuando Su Santidad El Papa visitó las calles de Glasgow, un chiste recorrió las calles de la ciudad y se hizo muy popular. Los hinchas del Celtic, irónicos, se preguntaban: "¿Quién es ese tipo de blanco que está al lado de Charlie Tully?".

Cuenta la leyenda que Charlie Tully, el terror de los porteros si se lanzaba un saque de esquina, llegó a anotar once goles olímpicos con el Celtic. Sin embargo, dos de esas auténticas obras de arte permanecerán, para siempe, en la memoria de los aficionados británicos. La primera obra de arte de la fábrica de Charlie llegó contra el Falkirk en un partido de Copa en 1953. Saque de esquina, Tully toma carrerilla, dispara un chut curvo y la pelota, obediente con su amo, entra directamente para besar las mallas. Sorprendentemente, mientras jugadores y público gritaban el tanto, el árbitro no daba validez al gol. Se había despistado por un instante y estaba mirando al corazón del área, por lo que había perdido de vista la pelota. Así que, cuando el juez de la contienda reaccionó y vio la pelota en la portería, no quiso dar crédito a que Tully hubiera conseguido marcar de manera directa. Fue entonces cuando el árbitro anuló el gol y le ordenó a Charlie Tully que volviera a repetir el saque de esquina. Tully estaba indignado, pero aceptó la petición arbitral y, antes de sacar de nuevo, se dirigió al colegiado en tono chistoso. "No hay problema, puedo hacerlo dos veces". Acto seguido, mientras el árbitro pensó que Tully fanfarroneaba, hizo sonar su silbato. Charlie armó el pie, disparó un chutazo seco y el balón se elevó durante un par de segundos, para caer a plomo sobre la portería enemiga y colarse por la escuadra izquierda del portero. Cuando marcó, Charlie Tully se giró al público, hizo una reverencia y le dio una palmadita en la espalda al árbitro y le espetó: "¿Ha visto? Le dije que podía hacerlo dos veces". Aquella gesta de Charlie corrió como un reguero de pólvora. Tully había conseguido lo imposible, y lo había hecho dos veces seguidas. Una milagro por partida doble.

La segunda pieza de museo futbolístico protagonizada por Charlie Tully llegaría un año antes, en 1952, en un choque internacional entre Irlanda del Norte e Inglaterra, en el mítico Windsor Park. Esa tarde, Tully mantuvo un curioso diálogo con el entonces defensa Alf Ramsey, que después sería seleccionador inglés. Una conversación que se reflejó en los periódicos al día siguiente del encuentro.

Charlie Tully: "¿Te gustaría que jugara para Inglaterra, verdad, Ramsey? "

Alf Ramsey: "Sería un absoluto privilegio Charlie"

Charlie Tully: "Disfruta hoy entonces, será la última vez que exista esa posibilidad"

Ninguno de los dos se equivocaba. Aquella tarde, Charlie Tully anotaría un golazo de saque de esquina directo, y Alf Ramsey sólo pudo aplaudir a su rival y amigo. Irlanda del Norte e Inglaterra empataban (2-2), pero al día siguiente, los diarios ingleses encabezaban sus crónicas del partido con el siguiente titular: "Nos gustaría que jugaras para Inglaterra, Charlie".

Criado en un barrio humilde y obrero de Belfast, Irlanda del Norte, Charlie Tully se hizo un hueco en el mundo del fútbol al enrolarse en el Whiterock Juniors y posteriormente, en el Belfast Celtic. En 1940 jugó varios partidos para el Cliftonville y el Ballyclaire, donde se destapó como un gran talento desde la banda, y en 1948, llegó su gran oportunidad. El club más grande de Escocia, el Celtic de Glasgow, la bandera del sentimiento de la comunidad católica, llamaba a su puerta. Una soleada mañana de junio de 1948, los boletines horarios de las radios británicas anunciaban el fichaje: "El Celtic ha pagado 8.500 libras esterlinas por un tal Charlie Tully". Ese día comenzó uno de los mayores romances futbolísticos de la historia entre un irlandés y una afición, la escocesa, que le recuerda a día de hoy como uno de sus más grandes ídolos. El bueno de Charlie jugó un total de 319 partidos para el Celtic, anotando 47 goles - once olímpicos- en un total de once temporadas.

Nadie en la longeva historia del Celtic puede presumir de haber sido tan querido por una afición como lo fue Tully. De hecho, ninguno de los hinchas del Celtic le reprocharía que llegara a jugar algún partido con su gran rival, el Rangers. Al contrario. Siempre le encumbró en lo más alto del santoral de Celtic Park. Buena prueba de ese cariño se hizo palpable cuando Tully fallecía en su lecho de muerte en Belfast, el 27 de julio de 1971. A su funeral, en Falls Road, acudieron millares de hinchas, de los que la gran mayoría eran escoceses que habían viajado hasta Irlanda del Norte. Ninguno quiso perderse el último adiós a un tipo genial, irreverente y comprometido. Charlie Tully fue un artista que marcaba goles de saque de esquina y que tenía un regate eléctrico. Un tipo que, en Glasgow, era más famoso que Su Santidad El Papa. No en vano, Charlie Tully era una fábrica de milagros desde el córner.

Tall Tails

adamcouper — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:30:48 +0000

As a player Hearts fans had to wait over half a season to see one of our highest earners pull on the famous maroon jersey. He came with a big reputation but was never given any opportunities until late on in the season after a row between Romanov and Andy Webster's over Websters contract. Webster agent told him not to sign a new deal and Romanov made an example of Andy by not letting him play for the rest of the 05/06 season.

This same situation happened to Ibrahim Tall this season when Vlad offered him a take it or leave it contract extension. Tall rejected the wage cut and was told that he would not play for the club again.

This led to Tall leaving the club at the end of the season however he did not go quietly. He branded Romanov a "dictator" as well as calling him arrogant over the way that he dealt with the situation. This does open the eyes of the fans. We wanted Romanov and now we have him. Anyone who thought the ride was going to be easy is greatly mistakedend. Talls outburst is just one of many that have come about the way that the club is being run.

Anthony Basso has claimed that Romanov banned Stevie Frail from playing him after he refused to sign another deal and since that day Basso didn't even make the bench. But the problem goes further back than that. The Riccarton three was a proof enough that the club was not being run correctly. Paul Hartley, Stephen Pressley and Craig Gordon spoke publically to the press about the internal problems that were occuring at the club. All three have since been sold on to Celtic and Sunderland respectivly. On top of this we have heard countless managers saying that they have not had control of the team and of signings. Tall was just the latest in a long line of unsatified former employees of Mr Romanov.

Tall has was part of the Scottish Cup winning side and also helped Hearts acheive second place in the SPL.

Tall is the third player to leave the club following Roman Bednar; who also fell out with Romanov, and Neil McCann departed as Hearts have began to build for next season.

The New Craig Gordon

adamcouper — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:24:21 +0000

Well Rangers managed a double after what was a hectic season for them. On Saturday they played their 68th game of the campaign against "the pride of the first division" Queen of the South. The cup final was a huge success providing excitment throughout, none more so than when Queens can back from two goals down to equalise. Unfortunatly they could not complete the job and went down 3-2 after Kris Boyd's header.

A big part of their run to the cup final and the final itself was on loan Hearts goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald and former Hearts stallwart Neil MacFarlane.

Jamie played well in the final and is hopeful that his impressive displays will have been noticed by the Jambos hierarchy. He has come out today saying that he hopes to return to Hampden next season, however not on loan to anybody but with Hearts. The fact that we don't have a manager as of yet will not help his case however hard work and commitment will do when they return after the summer break.

Current number 1 Steve Banks has stated that he will play on for at least two more season as he juggles being both the first choice keeper and goalkeeping coach after former goalkeeping coach Jim Stewart left for Rangers last season. However it may be time for Jamie to finally step out of the shadows and force his way into the reckoning.

He can look to Craig Gordon who was at Hearts for many years without playing in the first team. He was understudy to Antti Niemi and Tepi Moilinan before he was drafted into the starting eleven. He didn't get off to the best start as he was on the wrong end of a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Falkirk. But that only made him stronger and look at him now. His stand out performances earned him the British record fee of £9 million for a goalkeeper when he moved to Sunderland. He has completed his first season with in the English Premier League and earned rave reviews from his manager and fans.

The other player on display with links to the Jam Tarts was Neil Macfarlane who throughout the 90 minutes nulified the threat of Ferguson and Thomson showing that he may still have a future in top tier of Scottish football. MacFarlane played for Hearts for being part of the team which achieved back to back third places and the run to the group stages of the Uefa Cup.

Let's hope that the new manager, whoever he may be will see the talanted young keeper that we have and use him as we did with Scotlands number 1 Craig Gordon. This can be the start of the new revolution with the promise that Romanov made when he arrived about the team being made up of 70% Scottish players.

Off The Ball 17.05.2008

Inside Left — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:07:30 +0000

Ah well, that's the FA Cup out of the way. Not a great match and personally I thought Cardiff where the better side. Congratulations to Our 'Arry and Portsmouth for at least bringing back the spirit of the FA Cup by having someone other than the usual suspects playing out a cautious 1-0 victory.

So now your wondering "wait a minute here, this blog is supposed to be about Scottish football, and here he is talking about a bunch of Southern poofters!". True, but there is a link, because playing for Cardiff today was ex-Aberdeen player Kevin McNaughton who, being an ex-Aberdeen player had a cracking game. Ehm, by which I mean he was good when he played for Aberdeen too, not that he became better because he no longer plays for Aberdeen ...

Hey look bawbag, it's my blog and I'm biased, right?

Anyroad, in the end Kevin didn't win a medal, but this got me thinking right throughout the game about ex-Aberdeen players who have gone on to win FA Cup medals. Fortunately I only had 90 minutes to think about this, because the amount of thinking involved nearly killed me, so bad is the migraine I have now. Thank goodness it didn't go into extra time, that's all I can say. So this is the list I came up with. Can anyone correct or add to this list?

Gordon Strachan (Manchester United, 1985)
Jim Leighton (Manchester United, 1990)
Willy Young (Arsenal 1979)
Martin Buchan (Manchester United 1977)
Charlie Cooke (Chelsea, 1970)

So, with that done, on to today's news and once again, my predictions turned out to be utter shiters.

Rangers did what I thought they'd never do: lose points to Motherwell. A more developed opinion on this game will follow, but put it this way: the league has just got a lot more interesting! See also the article below this one to see what I mean.

Kilmarnock beat Falkirk by 2 goals to 1, with Taouil and Di Giacomo scoring for Kilmarnock after Moutinho had opened the scoring for The Bairns. This result has no impact whatsoever on anything, so lets say no more about it.

Inverness CT and St Mirren played out a no-score bore in front of lots of equally bored people no doubt. Caley tried to make it easier for someone, anyone to score by having one of their players sent off, but to no avail. 0-0 it remained and let the record show that like the Kilmarnock v Falkirk game, it has no bearing on anything at all. Other than ninth place which is like, yeah, you know, whatever.

With these results behind us, the SPL table now looks like this (important team highlighted in bold):

             P W D L   F A Pts GD
Celtic      37 27 5 5   83 26 86 +57
Rangers     36 26 5 5   81 31 83 +50
Motherwell 37 17 6 14 48 46 57 +2
Dundee Utd 37 14 10 13 53 46 52 +7
Hibernian   37 14 10 13 49 43 52 +6
Aberdeen    37 14 8 15 48 58 50 -10
Falkirk     38 13 10 15 45 49 49 -4
Hearts      38 13 9 16 47 55 48 -8
Inverness   38 13 4 21 51 62 43 -11
St Mirren   37 10 11 16 26 51 41 -25
Kilmarnock 38 10 10 18 39 52 40 -13
Gretna      38 5 8 25 32 83 13 -51

Here's one result I got right, even though the score line flattered to deceive. Fort William 1 vs 7 Deveronvale. Either Fort William played a stormer or Deveronvale sent out the U11 team, because I really was expecting a few more goals in this one. Ah well, shows you what I know eh?

Till next time!

The Saturday Preview

Inside Left — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:38:10 +0000

It's hard to believe that with the end of season play-offs still raging in England, the Uefa Cup final (and subsequent steamie where the Rangers fans did themselves no favours) just gone in Manchester, the Champions League Final and FA Cup finals still to come, the Scottish season is still in full swing. Well, in the SPL at any rate.

Normally at this stage of the season things are done and dusted and we'd all stand around in the pubs and clubs of Alba sipping our warm pint of Bellhaven discussing the season's highlights and lowlights. But there is still a lot of unfinished business to tidy up, not least Rangers' backlog of games which has them playing three games as well the Scottish Cup Final in two weeks, and of course whether or not Strachan will get the heave-ho at Celtic.

In fairness, there are only two games on this week that are in any way meaningful. The rest are just there because Setanta already had the outside catering (i.e. "Big Morag's Burger Van") booked up in Inverness and cancelling would have set them back literally hundreds of pennies.

Rangers go into the first of a series of away games that they must win (and hope Celtic slip up). And with the mighty Aberdeen not playing till the 22nd (against none other than Rangers), the only game worthy of note north of the Clyde is between my other Scottish team Deveronvale and Scotlands worst team this season (and possibly ever) Fort William FC. We look ahead to this one and try and guess how many goals Fort William will concede in this, their last game for the season. So, lets get started.

Motherwell vs. Rangers

I said in an earlier article that this is the crunch game for Rangers, the one that I think determines whether they'll win the league or not. I've changed my mind on that, because I think they'll beat Motherwell tomorrow, and though Rangers still have to travel north to face Aberdeen in a game that's traditionally very fiery (to put it mildly) and which I also think they'll win, the banana skin game for them is going to be the St Mirren game on Monday night. A typical top vs bottom game, this is the one where, should Rangers lose the league, then its on the green, green fields of Paisley where it'll happen.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

So far this season it's been Rangers all the way, with three wins and a draw to show for their efforts. With the exception of a 3-1 drubbing in the Boxing Day game, these two generally don't go in for massive score lines. Only six goals in three outings (leaving aside again the Boxing Day game) is not much so I'm expecting much of the same. It was Rangers that knocked Motherwell out of the League Cup last October so it's a bit late for Motherwell to get revenge for that particular defeat. And anyway, in every subsequent chance they had to extract revenge they lost on both occasions.

With Rangers not reporting any serious injuries from the game in Manchester they'll be out to put behind them the disappointment of that Uefa Cup defeat. And what better way to do that than a solid thrashing of some SPL cannon fodder, right? But Motherwell have proven they're no push-overs this season, and even though they have nothing to play for (having secured 3rd spot when Hibernian lost to Celtic last week), I can't imagine Mark McGhee allowing his side to put in a sub-standard performance against their rivals from up the M74.

I cant see anything other than a Rangers win, simply because they have to win. Tomorrows game will be a typical Scottish affair (i.e. scrappy and lots of cards). Rangers to win 0-1.

Inverness CT vs St Mirren

St Mirren managed to draw 0-0 with basement boys (but not in an Austrian sense) Gretna last week in a game so devoid of anything of interest to note that I'm not even going to bother. St Mirren are third bottom, Caley just above them. The only thing at stake is a possible 9th place but with only 6 goals scored in 3 meetings (a win, a loss and a draw) between these two sides this season, dont expect either of these teams to surprise us with a goal avalanche. Hard to call really. 1-0 to Caley.

Kilmarnock vs Falkirk

Much to everyone's surprise, Kilmarnock managed to beat a very poor Hearts side last week giving them the possibility of not finishing bottom (forgetting Gretna for a minute) if St Mirren lose to Caley and Rangers in the upcoming games. It's worth fighting for right? Falkirk have had a good season by their standards and they'll be looking to continue that going into this game. The rebuilding has already started for next season with Jackie McNamara joining the Buddies from Aberdeen, and Dermott McCaffrey, Lee Bullen and Neill McCann joining from Hibernian, Dunfermline and Hearts respectively.

In terms of past results, rearrange the following to make a well-known phrase or sentence: "arse, duck, tighter, a, than". A massive three goals all season between these two gives you an idea of the sort of game we're facing here. A 1-0 win for Falkirk.

Fort William FC v Deveronvale FC

Meanwhile, up in the Highland League, Fort William conceded 39 goals in a run of 4 games - that's one more than Gretna conceded all season! The last time these two played, Banff based Deveronvale put 11 past 'The Fort', so expect more of the same. Deveronvale are currently lying fourth in the table, just outside the European places (only joking) and a win would have them leapfrog over Buckie and into third spot.

It's hard to predict anything other than another massive drubbing. For Fort William, the 11th season spent looking up the skirts of the teams above them on the league ladder beckons. Which is nice. A thumping 8-0 win for Deveronvale.

But sure, what do I know about football. My predictions this season have been pure gash, so don't go bet the farm on the basis of what I say, awright? If you think you can do better than me, then leave a comment and show us your mettle! A massive prize is at stake(*)

(*) not actually true.

Clearout Begins

adamcouper — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:44:34 +0000

News of a much needed clearout at Hearts has brought a wide smile to my face. The first player being shipped out of Tynecastle is veteran Neil McCann. The former Southampton midfielder looks like he will join up with John Hughes at Falkirk after it was announced that Hearts will not be renewing his contract. Hughes who has made it clear in recent days that he is looking to add experience to his ranks see's McCann as a player who can take the Bairns to the next level.

McCann will join up with experienced new signings Lee Bullen, 38, and former Celtic defender Jackie McNamara, 34. They will all join up with former Hibies midfielder Russell Latapy, 39 who has agreed to play on for another season. This works out well for Hearts who will free up some money from McCann's wages. McCann's second spell on Tynecastle has been blighted by injury and even when he has managed to hobble onto the pitch he hasn't been able to live up to the form that he achieved in his first spell. Obviously he was a much younger man during the 90s but a combination of age and bad luck with injuries has meant that his second coming has been much less memorable.

He will be followed out of the door by Czech striker, Roman Bednar who completed a successful loan spell with promoted West Bromwich Albion. The forward never made the impact that everyone believed he would after a cracking start to his Hearts career. Again a player who was struck down with injury and never looked the same. However he has shown with his spell with the Baggies that he can score goals by the hatful. He will now ply his trade in the Barclays Premier League, were how he will fare will be interesting to see. I wish him luck and hope he sets the Premier League alight. Hopefully this will lead to a recall to the national team for the big Czech and he can finally fulfil his potential as "the best young player" that George Burley has ever worked with.

He will be earning the club in the region of 2.5 million which should be added to the 9 million that we received for Scotland's number 1 Craig Gordon. This now must be reinvested in the team if we are ever to challenge the Old Firm again.

I wish both players every success in the new chapters in their careers.

Rueda de Falkirk

Hermes — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:47:45 +0000

La rueda de Falkirk, llamada asi por estar cercana al pueblo de Falkirk, Escocia, es una esclusa giratoria que funciona como un ascensor para buques y conecta el canal Forth-Clyde y el canal Unión.

En este punto los dos canales difieren 24 metros de modo que un sistema de esclusas normales no sería factible en un tramo corto. La rueda consta de dos brazos opuestos que se extienden 15 metros a partir del eje y que toman una forma que recuerda a un hacha celta. Dos canastas o cajones diametralmente opuestos, con capacidad de 300 metros cúbicos cada una.

La rueda opera de manera similar a como lo hace una noria. Los mencionados cajones o canastas giran dentro de unos rodamientos gigantes, y siempre pesan lo mismo, con o sin carga, por el principio de Arquímedes o ley de la flotación. De este modo los brazos están equilibrados y asi, a pesar del enorme peso, gira 180º en menos de 4 minutos con relativamente bajo consumo de energía, sólo 22.500 vatios.

Fue inaugurada el 24 de mayo de 2002 por Isabel II como parte de las celebraciones de sus Bodas de Oro con la Corona. El coste de construcción de la rueda fue de 17,5 millones de libras. A partir de 2005 dar una vuelta en la rueda cuesta 8 £ para adultos y 4 £ para niños.

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Money well spent?

adamcouper — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:01:07 +0000

Well I was wrong, Hearts couldn’t even make the top six. Too many gutless displays against teams that in the past we have proven should beat. No shots on goal against Falkirk, nothing to play for now. And lets face it we don’t deserve to achieve anything from our season. At home we have lost in Inverness, St Mirren and failed to beat Gretna twice who have only managed seven points all season.

Now we have five meaningless games against fellow members of the bottom six. I’d be surprised if these overpaid players will have the gumption to win all of these games. The glorious cup winning sides of 98 and 06 would have disposed of these teams. And the team we have now should have no excuses. They are on huge wages compared to all the team that on this seasons results are our equals. Outside the Old Firm we spend the most money on wages so it should be accepted that the least the fans deserve is third place and a run in the cup.

It has to asked have Hearts got value for money since Romanov came in. The answer is no. A prime example of this is Mirsad Beslija, apparently the fastest player in Belgium when we signed him two years ago. So much trust was put in this player that then manager Graham Rix forked out a record transfer fee for Hearts of £850,000. Since this bog money move the player has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch playing just four games including four minutes against Livingston and 24 against Dunfermiline. He has spent this season on loan to Sint-Truidense, a team which are currently sitting 17^th out of 18 teams in the Belgian league. Money well spent then.

This is not the only example of Hearts being bad with money. It was announced recently that the debt had risen from £28 million to £38 million over the past year which can be put down to some bad signings and high wages.

It hasn’t all been bad as Hearts have managed to recoup money from Czech Republic internationalists Roman Bednar and Rudi Skacel. Both of these players were currant Scotland manager, George Burley signings, one of the best managers Hearts have ever had although he only stayed for 11 games of which Hearts won eight, drew two, and lost only one. Rudi Skacel, who scored in seven consecutive games and scored a goal and a penalty in the cup final win against Gretna was signed for free and sold for £1.6 million. While fellow Czech, who had less of an impact on Tynecastle is set to make the club £2.5 million after impressing on a loan spell to West Brom. Another excellent piece of business was the signing of highly rated Ghanean internationalist Lareyea Kingston who Hearts signed for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £500,000.

We have acquired from six different managers since Romonov era and they have brought with them more players than you can count on two hands. Graham Rix brought eleven players in during his short spell at the club of which only Jose Goncalves and Bruno Aguair have made an impact. Whereas players such as Chris Hackett and Martin Petras played very few games and disappeared at the end of the 2005/06 campaign. Ludek Straceny a signing made at in the final minutes of January 2006 transfer window made just one appearance for the Tynecastle outfit were he was brought on as a substitute only to be substituted minutes later as it was clear he was not good enough for the SPL.

Romanov needs to leave the signings to the manager. He is there to bankroll the club, not to pick the team. Out of Romanov's many signings none have had the impact that the fans or the he would have liked. Would it be too much to ask for the manager to be able to choose his own players? Only time will tell.

Hamilton Win 1st Division Title

Ross Cormack — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:04:37 +0000

Hamilton Accies won the 1st division title and promotion to the SPL on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Clyde. The victory was just the climax of a fantastic season for the club, who were in the 3rd Division as recently as the 2000-2001 season. The club have spent just four seasons in the 1st Division, as the Accies established themselves as a 1st Division club with 7th, 3rd and 4th placed finishes in the first three seasons.

This season, manager Billy Reid has put a squad together which has been full of mainly youth players and only a few old heads to guide the youngsters to the title. Richard Offiong has been in inspired form this season for the Accies contributing 19 league goals along with two young midfielders James McCarthy and James McArthur, who have each scored 6 and 5 league goals respectively.

Building on their youth development reputation, Hamilton Accies has had the lowest age squad in the division, helped especially by regular starters: 17-year-old James McCarthy, 19-year-old Tony Stevenson, 20-year-old James McArthur and 20-year-old Brian Easton. McCarthy caused controversy when he decided to play for the Republic of Ireland instead of Scotland. The midfielder has recently attracted interest from Chelsea and was subject to a £1m bid from Liverpool in the summer of 2007.

Chairman Ronnie McDonald has vowed to carry on their youth development programme in the SPL, and replace outgoing stars (potentially McCarthy and McArthur) with players from the Under-17 squad. He has also declared to the fans that he will not follow some SPL club's methods in signing old pros who are looking for their final career pay-packet and instead concentrate on bringing through their own young players.

Accies will however, be counting the cost of being promoted to the SPL. A new stand will need to be in place by the start of the season to comply with the SPL's minimum requirement of a 6,000 seater stadium. The Lanarkshire club will also need to replace their current AstroTurf pitch with grass and an undersoil heating system, again to comply SPL rules. The chairman and the board will be hoping however that TV revenue, increased attendances at games and increased sales in merchandise will balance out the expenditure for next season.

It has been Hamilton Acidemicals' first 1st division title in 20 years and their first ever season in the newly formed SPL and they will be looking to make the most of it, following clubs such as St. Mirren, Inverness CT and Falkirk in establishing themselves as an SPL side. They will also be trying to avoid the situation which Gretna got themselves into, by getting their stadium ready on time and not lavishly spending out on contracts for 'old-pros'. With Hamilton's stadium, New Douglas Park, accomodating office space for local businesses, there is already an income flowing in even when there is no football on.

Accies will be confident of emulating the success of smaller SPL clubs, especially if they are able to keep a hold of their young stars. Most SPL clubs will welcome the freshness they will bring to the league and will also be happy with the current financial situation which Hamilton are in.

A801 Avon Gorge: meeting with Minister

cathypeattie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:42:00 +0000

On Thursday 12th June in the Scottish Parliament, Falkirk Council and West Lothian Councils met with the Minister for Transport, Stewart Stevenson, and other MSPs.

The meeting was arranged by Falkirk East MSP Cathy Peattie, to give the councils an opportunity to make their case for funding for the A801 Avon Gorge upgrade.

Cathy said: "I think the Minister and his officials have taken on board the arguments that this is not just a local road safety issue - important though that is - it is also a strategic improvement that will bring economic and environmental benefits to the whole of Scotland, and as such, it should be given funding from central government.

"The Scottish Government has identified the Grangemouth intermodal transport hub as a crucial element of Scotland's economy - and the transition to more environmentally friendly freight transport. In this context, the A801 is not just a local road. It is the shortest arterial route south to the M8. If it wasn't already so congested and dangerous, more traffic would use it, reducing travel distances and times.

"While there is clearly still much to do to ensure that the plans go ahead, I believe that in conjunction with other improvements around Grangemouth that are supported within the National Planning Framework, the A801 is a strong candidate for government support."