craigkillie

Yeah he would have offered something very useful off the bench, and has real top level experience which would have helped. We still have the likes of Christie and Armstrong so it's not like we've got nothing there, but it's a definite blow. Wonder if Clarke will look for some sort of like for like replacement in terms of an attacking midfielder now, struggling to think of exactly who is an option. In terms of guys he's used before, Turnbull hasn't really turned it on at Cardiff and Fleck is done, so it could be someone more left field, but it feels too early for any of the U21s or U19s in that position. Obviously you can go back to the Anderson question but you assume he's not going to have changed his mind.

There are only three occasions where a team has lost 4 consecutive matches and still went on to win the title. Dundee in 1961/62 are the only team to do this in the top flight. Bob Shankly's side had picked up 18 wins, 3 draws and just a single defeat from their opening 22 league games and found themselves 5 points clear of Rangers at the top of the league by early February. They lost their next 4 games, and Rangers won their next 4, meaning they slipped 3 points behind with just 8 games remaining in the season. Their next match was against Rangers at Dens Park, and finished 0-0, leaving them with it all to do to win the league. However, Dundee went on to win their final 7 games, and Rangers stumbed badly in the run-in (including failing to win any of their last 3 games, having still led by a point with 3 to go) to hand the Dees their only title. The above mentioned Queen's Park side of 1999/00 lost four in the row in the midst of that poor run of form, but as mentioned managed to bounce back in the latter part of the season to seal the title. Albion Rovers in 2014/15 is the most recent. At the end of January they were level on points with leaders Arbroath, and had a game in hand, but they lost their next 4 games on the bounce. Fortunately, Arbroath also lost two games in that period meaning that Rovers were still level with them but now had played a game more. Queen's Park had moved 2 points ahead of both, but Rovers had a game in hand on them (and Arbroath had two). Rovers won their next 5 games to build up a close to unassailable lead and ultimately took the title by 10 points.

I've crunched the numbers on this, and Stenhousemuir's current run is just the fourth time that the eventual champions have had a run of 10 (or more) matches where they've only won a single game. In 1978/79, Celtic started with 6 wins out of 7 to go top of the league at the end of September. However, over the next three months they had a run of 1 win 11 matches (W1 D5 L5). Due to a terrible winter, they then didn't play another game until March, at which point they were sitting 8th in the table and only two points off the relegation places. However, they were also only 6 behind leaders St Mirren with 4 games in hand. They would go on to win 14 of their remaining 18 fixtures to win the league by 3 points. In 1991/92, Dumbarton won on Boxing Day to go 6 points clear at the top of the league. They then embarked on a run of 1 win in 10 (W1 D5 L4), but still found themselves 4 points clear, albeit with Cowdenbeath now having 2 games in hand. They beat Queen of the South in their next game, but then failed to win the next two, making their overall run P13 W2 D6 L5, and this left them 3 points behind Cowdenbeath with 6 matches remaining. However, they finished with 5 wins and a draw, including a win over Cowdenbeath, to win the title by a point. Cowdenbeath were promoted as runners-up. In 1999/00, Queen's Park started like a runaway train, picking up 10 wins and 3 draws from their opening 13 matches to build up a 10 point lead by early November. However, they then went on a run of 1 win in 11 (W1 D5 L5) through to early February and found themselves behind Forfar Athletic on goal difference, having played two games more. They turned things back around by beating Forfar in their next game, and won 9 of their last 12 matches to win the league by three points.

They're recruiting a new head of referees because Crawford Allan is stepping down. This role existed before VAR so it's not a specific VAR role.

Without including regional competitions, wartime football and so on, I'm pretty sure the record is 8 meetings. It has actually happened quite a few times, including a couple of years ago. 1978/79 - Hearts v Morton - 4 x League, 2 x Scottish Cup (replay), 2 x League Cup (2 legged tie) 1980/81 - Celtic v Dundee Utd - 4 x League, 2 x Scottish Cup (replay), 2 x League Cup (2 legged tie) 1986/87 - Aberdeen v Celtic - 4 x League, 3 x Scottish Cup (2 replays), 1 x League Cup [the first 6 meetings were all draws!] 1987/88 - Dundee v Dundee United - 4 x League, 3 x Scottish Cup (2 replays), 1 x League Cup 1988/89 - Aberdeen v Dundee United - 4 x League, 3 x Scottish Cup (2 replays), 1 x League Cup 2009/10 - Alloa v Cowdenbeath - 4 x League, 2 x Scottish Cup (replay), 2 x Playoffs 2021/22 - Airdrie v Queen's Park - 4 x League, 1 x League Cup, 1 x Challenge Cup, 2 x Playoffs The last one between Airdrie and Queen's Park is the only time it has included meetings in four different competitions, which I suppose does point to it being a less likely occurrence now with the removal of replays and two-legged League Cup ties. Prior to last weekend there was a chance it could have happened with Dunfermline and Raith this season - they've met 6 times already across the League, Scottish Cup and League Cup, and could have faced off in the play-offs.

I should have the data to be able to answer this, but I'm trying to define what the question is. Are you looking for the fewest wins in a 10 game run for champions?

They were unbeaten in their last 10 games, 5 wins and 5 draws.

Or threatening to knife his ex-partners.

It means they have a bunch of players who they would have previously released who they now hold on to a bit longer to be teammates of the guys who they actually think can make it. The clubs were desperate to replace an U21 league with a reserve league, and then the bigger clubs deliberately sabotaged that to pursue their own desires to push their B team agenda. If Celtic, Rangers and Hearts all still entered the reserve league it would be much stronger. A discussion about the merits of B teams clearly has its place here given that the whole reason it started was because more clubs are planning to enter B teams into the East of Scotland League.

You can look at loads of other youngsters who broke into the Hearts team over the last decade who did not require a B team. Hearts will love it because it lets them stockpile players at that level.

I have watched loads of live football in my years, and I am struggling to think of a more annoying co-commentator than Steffen Freund. He simply would not shut the f**k up at any point.

The B teams in the Lowland League have consistently fielded different XIs depending on the needs of the senior clubs. Hearts especially, but also Celtic, promoted youth players to their first team long before they gatecrashed the Lowland League. It is absolutely no reflection on them having B teams.

Why don't they just play it at some other point now?

I wonder if booing at 2-0 down is better or worse than hounding out a manager who had led you to seven consecutive top four finishes and nine cup semi-finals?

The game also doesn't absolutely have to go ahead this week either.

Fraserburgh's chances dwindling after today's results, if they beat Brora they will need to absolutely smash Strathspey next weekend to have any chance.

Would still be one more than Stevie May I suppose.

A lucky escape for St Johnstone indeed.

No piece of technology is ever going to be 100% perfect, there are always going to be false positives and true negatives. The cameras are not continuous, so even if you up the frame rate you are never going to be absolutely certain on anything.

Sorry, I see Italy and Mexico already use it, and Spain will be joining them this summer, leaving just the 50+ leagues including the Bundesliga as being "bargain basement".

I reckon the athletics would potentially end up in Birmingham, Manchester or London.

I don't think Celtic avoiding another trip to Rugby Park would go down well, nor would the imbalance of home Old Firm games between Killie and St Mirren. I feel like it's a bit more likely that they end up with Killie and Hearts going to Dundee for a third time, Dundee and Rangers going to Paisley for a third time and St Mirren going to Parkhead for a third time. Home Fixtures Celtic - Hearts, Rangers, St Mirren Dundee - Celtic, Kilmarnock, Hearts Hearts - Rangers, St Mirren Kilmarnock - Celtic, Hearts Rangers - Dundee, Kilmarnock St Mirren - Dundee, Kilmarnock, Rangers

Does it? England will the only country using this incredibly expensive technology in their domestic league for now. Would that make every other country in Europe "bargain basement"?

If he's back training now then I don't see why he's unlikely to make Germany. There's quite a big gap between the end of Brentford's season and the start of the Euros, so missing one doesn't mean missing the other.

The SFA own Hampden now and you'd expect it would take a lot of money for them to be moving games away from there.