[Asia Cup 2023]

A comfortable, expected win for hosts and holders Qatar over Lebanon in the opening game last night, the highlights can be watched here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c21LiQfIZ1c

 

[Partick Thistle 🔴🟡Vs Queens Park ⚪️⚫️ - A Match For The Ages]

2 hours ago, jagfox said:

Some finish by Billy Jag!

The QP twitter guy is a proper lunatic for thinking this took a deflection.

[Third Division 23/24]

Took in West Park's dramatic loss to Threave today, the home side started slow and Threave were good value for their 2-0 lead until WP fought back.

 

West Park were much better after the break and deserved to be ahead, I thought. The decision-making of their #9 perhaps cost them from putting the game out of sight.

 

The Threave winner was a stunner, a proper thunderb*****d.

[N H L Returns: Official Ice hockey thread]

Adam Johnson, Center for the Nottingham Panthers and one-time Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, has died in hospital after an utterly horrific accident when he was sliced across the throat by the skate of a player who was sent flying in a body check.
 

[La Liga / Copa Del Rey Ole]

A midweek round of fixtures this week, with three games tonight, five on Wednesday and two on Thursday.

In the two earlier fixtures today, Celta drew 1-1 with Girona and Real Sociedad beat Almeria 1-0, which has La Real all but confirmed for the Champions League next season.

There could be a big surprise in the late game, as Real Valladolid are leading Barcelona 2-0 at HT.

 

Tomorrow, already-relegated Elche host Sevilla, Real Madrid host Rayo Vallecano, Real Betis are at home to Getafe and Atlético Madrid are away to Espanyol.

Some spicy games in the battle to avoid the drop during this game week, especially if Valladolid hold on against Barcelona.

[Hamilton Academical thread]

That Colin McGowan video message on Facebook can be summed up in one image.

[WWE PPV Thread]

That was utterly sensational.

[FM23]

Recently posted two new posts towards the end of last week on my blog covering my save with Thistle, which you can read here.

 

Away from my own game, I've been doing a wee update on my own that focuses mainly on Scotland, but with other leagues done too, and you can download that  here.

Most SPFL moves up to today done, same goes for EFL and most Bundesliga too.

Very basic work done, apart from creating the Japanese players Celtic and Hearts have signed from scratch due to no J-League.

[FM22]

I'm into April 2024 now with Alemannia Aachen and our promotion bid has taken a hit in the final furlong.

Can we get it back on track this month?

Read here -- https://kartoffelkapers.wordpress.com/2022/10/22/schanzerfreud-april-2024/

[Pitch Invasions]

Have a few times for the ones you would expect for Thistle in the last 10 or so years.

Do think there's a lot of pent-up stuff post-pandemic happening just now and that's probably a factor in why they're happening as much lately.

[Play Off Final]

Any particular reason why Annan aren't using the new SPFL shirt font two years after it changed?

Appreciate it's likely cost-cutting but surely something like that is subsidised by the league?

[FM22]

Just finished my second season with Alemannia Aachen in the German third tier after promotion in my first.

A dramatic season that went all the way to the final day, and you can read it all here.

[Thistle vs Pars]

I have, with great misfortune, have seen some absolutely dogshit goalkeepers both for and against Thistle in nearly 20 years going but that boy for Dunfermline today is making a right go for the podium, utter mince.

[Queens vs Thistle - Friday night football - 8th April 2022]

Immensely satisfying to watch a team batter and batter you and you get the winner with a sucker punch on the counter.

McCall correct in assessing that as dugmeat, we've capitulated to teams putting that amount of pressure on us in recent games too.

[Other Leagues 15/16]

On 19/02/2022 at 09:08, Snafu said:

I've been watching the plight of Legia this season and after winning all their winter break friendlies it would be expected that they might regain the confidence to start climbing the table but after watching them play Warta last week they look to be even worse, contributing to their own downfall unable to score goals along with bombscare defending and also Artur Boruc losing the plot and getting himself red carded.

Has there every been a league champion club relegated the following season? Can't think of any in Scotland, in England also no one springs to mind though Aston Villa came close during the 1981-82 season spent much of the time in the bottom three before finding some late season form that also won them the European Cup. This must have happened somewhere in Europe at some time?

Manchester City were relegated from the English top-flight in 1937/38, the season after they won the league.

They were also the league's top goalscorers that season, a fairly unique acheivement.

[Thistle vs Queens - Tuesday 8th March 2022]

50 minutes ago, Broony88 said:

Fully understand it must be a nightmare trying to commentate on players he doesn’t know but telling Paton and Debayo/Junior apart is fairly easy. 

He has previous, he spent a good portion of our first game back after the shutdown last season against Cove at Firhill telling us we were playing Peterhead.

Guy is one of those part of the furniture types, but he's an abysmal commentator.

[Thistle vs Queens - Tuesday 8th March 2022]

3 hours ago, Broony88 said:

Commentator has so far got confused between Paton and Debayo, and then Junior and Paton. Seriously ? 

If there is one thing that unites most of our support is that the commentator is abysmal.

[Divisional Round]

Utter madness, gutted I'm having to go to bed after that.

[FM22]

Been doing a blog on my current save in the German fourth tier with 2004 cup finalists Alemannia Aachen who have fallen on some hard times in the last decade or so.

I'm about halfway through writing the blog entry for April 2022, you can read everything here.

Feedback appreciated, folks.

[Thistle v Diamonds]

We started poorly but once we took the lead, we should have been out of sight.

The red card for Akinola looked questionable in real time, but seeing it back on the highlights it was utterly preposterous.

Then there was the non-award of a card for an Airdrie player pulling  down Tiff when he was by him and the goalie, utterly diabolical refereeing.

[RIP Jimmy Greaves]

The BBC Archive posted this today, him being interviewed by Ian Wooldridge about what it felt like to miss out on the 1966 World Cup Final.
 

Honestly worth a watch, a very frank, moving account of a man who felt his life's dream was cruelly taken away from him.

[A Photographic History Of Scottish Football]

Bobby Walker (1879-1930) pictured in 1901.

He scored 124 goals in 328 appearances for The Jambos between 1896 and 1919, collecting 29 Scotland caps along the way - scoring eight goals.

 

His fame was such, that when Hearts travelled to Norway in 1912 on a tour, King Haakon VII of Norway and the son-in-law of Edward VII of England, attended the game as Walker was apparently the King's favourite footballer.

 

Until Steven Pressley surpassed him, he was Hearts most-capped Scottish player.

[A Photographic History Of Scottish Football]

Hampden Park burns amidst a riot stemming from the belief among both Celtic and Rangers fans that the 1909 Scottish Cup Final between the two sides was being deliberately fixed to line the pockets of the SFA blazers.

The cup was withheld that season after the riot and the press compared it to The Battle of Langside that took place nearby in the 15th century.

I wrote about it in more detail here.

[La Liga / Copa Del Rey Ole]

This weekend sees the return legs of the promotion playoffs for the final place in La Liga.

Both ties, however, appear to be settled barring any serious collapses.

Girona defeated Almeria, who have Rangers legend Umar Sadiq in their ranks, by three goals to nil while Rayo Vallecano defeated Leganes by the same scoreline.

The winners, presumably Girona and Rayo, will face each other over two legs, these take place on the 13th and 20th of June.

[A Photographic History Of Scottish Football]

Celtic legend Jimmy McMenemy bandages the feet of Mohammed Salim, who played in a handful of games for The Hoops in 1936 as an amateur.

Though he never signed a professional deal, Salim was never forgotten at Celtic and when he was ill and subsequently died in 1980, the Celtic board sent his family money.

McMenemy's career was incredibly successful , he spent 18 years with Celtic, collecting several league and cup doubles before leaving to sign for Thistle, where he was part of the 1921 Scottish Cup-winning side at 41 years old.