JamesM82

FYI, the red dot is for using "soccer".

True, but it would have been more than a bit embarrassing for Hibs if they had kept testing on Fridays and the company had met those 24-hour deadlines last week and this week, but had then fucked up next week (ahead of the first league game).

It was at ER because they were trying out the new facilities / procedures (e.g. the dressing room in the away end).

I'm just waiting for the Tom English meltdown when he finds out the Brechin guy is still on the board.

St Mirren wouldn't get anything (other than some youth training money) if McGinn moves again. The sell-on only applies to the next deal. e.g. Hibs got a sell-on when Burnley sold Steven Fletcher to Wolves, but they didn't get anything when he moved from Wolves to Sunderland. Apparently the bounce game scheduled for today v County didn't happen. Bit mysterious as the pitch should have been okay.

Aye. Fine them enough to cover the legal costs of the respondents. Means that doing this isn't a "cost free" option (as Thistle imagined).

It's all a massive anti-Jambo and anti-Thistle conspiracy. Involving a bloke who worked for Thistle for ages.

8 million looks downright conservative if you consider all that 2021/22 Champions League money that Hearts have lost out on.

I know it's a high bar to clear, but this may be peak Kickback.

True, but the big advantage of starting in the CL for TNS is that when (not if) they lose in CL qualifying, they parachute into the EL. TNS have sometimes got to QR3 by winning the CL first round, losing the second round and then parachuting into EL third round. Whereas the Welsh teams in the EL don't normally get any further than QR1, unless their seeded opponent (hello Killie) make a hash of it.

The real reason for the gripe from TNS is probably that they have gotten used to receiving a few hundred grand from UEFA for making up the numbers in CL and EL qualifying each summer.

To explain: FAW curtailed the Welsh league due to covid. TNS (champions in most recent seasons) complained about this because Connah's Quay (old friends of Killie and various Challenge Cup teams) were awarded the title on PPG. TNS sued the FAW, but the (English) High Court has told them to get stuffed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53182025

I think Josh Doig is more likely to get a chance at left back than Mackie.

Hearts: we are uniquely affected by Covid and need £8 million in compensation if we are not reinstated to the Premiership Also Hearts:

If there's one thing that this pandemic has proven beyond any reasonable doubt, it's that most Hearts fans talk utter mince. (Hibs should say something about the existing player contracts before they announce any signings, as they did promise that back in March/April.)

Because it's impossible to win the Scottish Cup as a Championship club, of course.

If Neil Doncaster had phoned up Ann Budge and said "hey, Ann, we recognise what happened to you is a bit unfair, so the rest of the clubs are willing to offer you £1 million in compensation", what do you think would have happened? Ann Budge would have said "gee thanks, Neil, that's really thoughtful of you all. We're more than happy to accept your kind offer and will drop any legal actions" Ann Budge would have rejected the offer and presented it as evidence of the SPFL accepting their guilt.

Naismith played the last time Scotland had a game (3-1 v Kazakhstan) and is/was probably hoping to hang on for the Euro playoffs. It seems unlikely that he would get picked for the squads in September and October if he stays with Hearts, because as it stands they won't be playing proper games before October.

True, but it makes some sort of sense for top division(s) to carry on while the lower leagues stop, e.g. for economic reasons. That's what is happening in England. But the Belgians seem to be doing it the other way round, which makes no sense whatsoever.

Old enough to remember vaguely having some sympathy for the Hearts / Thistle / Stranraer predicament. Hearts fans have completely fucked it since they went to court.

I think you're talking at cross purposes. Lord Clark said it was a football dispute, but also said that the arbitrators would need legal expertise. What you will end up with is a panel of lawyers and/or judges who have some familiarity with football, rather than staying in court and risking having some crusty old judge that doesn't know anything about football (e.g. the classic "who is Paul Gascoigne? judge). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Harman_(judge)

What's really daft about that argument is that even if United, Raith and Cove had said they were all in favour of reconstruction (of whatever variety), it wouldn't have been anywhere near passing. So what were they supposed to do about it?

Tom English showing more of his impartiality.

It will fall apart as soon as they start winning some games, which is more than likely in the Championship. This is where forums *are* unrepresentative of fans as a whole - we are folk who think more about the issues than the average fan, and this means we have the greatest motivation to do something about it (like a boycott). The pushback against including the Rangers newco in the SPL (or the First Division, as a fallback plan) started from forums like this.