Sneckboy

I don't think they've thought it through...lazy journalism! As I said in my initial post, I worked it out through the format. Simply put: Those First Round ties will eliminate 15 teams, leaving 27 left for round 2. Round 2 : The 15 winners from Round 1 are joined by 7 teams...Aberdeen, Ross County, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Dundee United and Hearts.....................[22 teams : 11 games] The 11 winners of these ties are joined by 5 other teams (Celtic, Hibernian, Inverness, Motherwell and St .Johnstone) =16 teams. Simple! The BBC and other media outlets just haven't cottoned on yet!

I see the draw for the League Cup 1st Round is made tomorrow. I noticed Partick Thistle (now SPL) are to be included in it and I had a look at the format for this season. It's not explicitly been mentioned anywhere, but I can only see that Inverness have a bye to Round 3 - the last 16!!! The format employed assumes 5 Scottish teams in Europe but there are only 4 this season. They automatically get byes to the last 16. However, there seems to be a clause that, in the event of there not being 5 European representatives, then the highest placed team from the league (not European qualified) will assume the position of team 5. If I've interpreted it correctly, this would be a nice unexpected boost! The format is from this link with section 2 being the relevant bit. http://www.scottishfootballleague.com/football/league-cup/format/

I'd consider going to a boxing match for the first time if he was fighting a big bout in the Ironworks. I nearly went to a boxing night at the Drummosie a few years ago...until I saw the ticket prices! Hope he can keep up his excellent record and maybe get a major fight soon. He's got an experienced manager who won't throw him in too deep, too soon. I'd like to see him take on Martin Rogan, the Northern Irishman.

I didn't realise Arbroath's 36-0 had been beaten. It was in the Scottish Cup and strangely that same afternoon another fixture in the round ended up 35-0! I remember Australia beating American Samoa 31-0 a few years back which is easily the biggest win I can recall. Watching the Confederations Cup last week, I wondered how many Spain could have beaten Tahiti by if they'd really needed to. Say, 20 goals?

I hope they are declared null and void so that Arbroath's long standing world record remains intact.

They must have been getting mixed up with the forthcoming friendly at Clach! It's definitely at Mosset Park tonight. The Courier will feel a bit foolish if 2000 ICT fans turn up in droves in Merkinch. But the Nip Inn would be pleased!

Thread for tonight's friendly in Forres. Lovely night, for a pre-season friendly. More of the same from the lads tonight, I hope. Good luck guys!

I note that Martin Bavidge has left Peterhead to sign for Inverurie Locos. He's 33 so has a few years left - a good signing for the Highland League side. Also, Stuart Leslie of Elgin City has similarly moved to the Highland League, transferring to Nairn County. Good luck to them both.

The first time I heard the expression was in the film, 'There's Something About Mary' - "Have you seen my weiner?"!!! It's an American term for the male organ. Sorry to lower the tone...

Owain Tudur Jones scored for Hibs aginst Nottingham Forest in a 2-1 defeat in Portugal.

Hearts paying £850,000 for an over-rated foreigner...and relatively recently (2006). And he was reputedly on £9,000 a WEEK on top of that. He made just 4 league starts in 3 years and was released for nothing. Total financial mismanagement and now they're begging fans to dig deep. They effectively 'bought' the Scottish Cup win that year. They should have the trophy retrospectively erased from their history for financial doping.

I have a feeling you're serious!! I have to strongly disagree. There is no chance of anyone getting close to Celtic. I suspect they'll cruise it by 20 points. If they're in any difficulty in January, then they'll just buy the players they need to win it. It's no contest.

And he expects us to spell his name right...?!

Got to remember, this season, it could be TWO who go down!! Lets be honest, everybody bar Celtic could get involved in the scrap for survival now the play-off has been introduced. As a yard stick, St Mirren were 11th last season on 41 points. Need to be looking at 45+ points it seems, to be sure to survive!

I think Aberdeen will be much improved this coming season - will be looking for top six at the very least - don't think they've managed that since Jimmy Calderwood was manager. For a city of the size of Aberdeen, with one senior club and a huge catchment area, they really under perform. Even in the cups, they haven't had a Scottish Cup Final win in nearly a quarter century. Pathetic.

I think we have a keeper called Nick Draper, who will probably be the 3rd choice.

Thats 27 players now! Not short of 'bodies' for the new season. Despite initially thinking we'd have 'virtually' the same squad as last season, there really is a new look to it! Significantly, the core is still there - we may yet get Charlie Taylor back on loan too. But, as it stands, the squad looks good...although maybe slightly light up front? Only 3 recognised goal grabbers - (obviously) Billy McKay, his fellow countryman, Curtis Allen and our local lad, Calum Ferguson. Can Billy be as prolific again? With Andrew Shinnie away, perhaps Doran should be looking to replace those missing goals! Signed up till the end of season 2015-16: • Aaron Doran Signed up till the end of season 2014-15: • Josh Meekings • Graeme Shinnie • Billy McKay • Nick Ross • Gary Warren • Daniel Devine • David Raven • Liam Polworth • Ryan Christie Signed up till the end of season 2013-14: • Ross Draper • Ryan Esson • Richie Foran • Conor Pepper • Matthew Cooper • Jay Cheyne • Calum Ferguson • Ben Greenhalgh • Danny Williams • Adam Evans • James Vincent • Marley Watkins • Harry Hooman • Curtis Allen • Joe Gorman • Nick Draper (Butcher and Malpas and Marsella are also in this category) On loan until January 2014 • Dean Brill

He could be a Brill-iant signing!

You'd think by reading one of the Hibs fans forums that he was the new Bobby Moore! Comments like 'wins every header', 'a huge presence' and ' looks really good' just goes to show how fickle we fans are and how we give all our players the benefit of the doubt initially!

23 or 24 Neil Draper? I'm assuming that's a typo... Also missing are Joe Gorman, Calum Ferguson and Curtis Allen. But we're getting there, piecing it all together!

Well, he's good at shooting! Allegedly.

He went to play in the USA.

You would think so! Although, to be fair, his claim wasn't so exaggerated as to make it unbelievable. Former Aberdeen dud, Eugene Dadi, has 1 cap for them! And Sol Bamba is a regular.... Thierry Gatheusi has a 1 cap for Cameroon! And Bert Vogts used to cap some real dross for Scotland! I posted on a previous thread - Andre Martins - (who, incidentally, is onto his 3rd club since leaving us), about the classic Graeme Souness gaff in fielding a guy he'd signed without having seen. Souness inexplicably believed that Ali Dia was a great player, capable of being thrown into a Premiership game, on the basis that he was related to George Weah, former world player of the year. In reality, Ali Dia was dreadful! Not even non-league standard. What I'll never understand is how he wasn't found out sooner! Did Souness not see him in training being unable to control a ball? A DVD, showreal or word of mouth just isn't good enough. Thorough research, first hand viewing and experience in scouting is essential - that's why we're fortunate to have Steve Marsella at our club.

Quality.

Did former Wimbledon champion, Goran Ivanisevic, not get 5 minutes playing for his beloved team, Hajduk Split? I believe Usain Bolt was told by Fergie at Man Utd that he could get a cameo role at some point in a testimonial or friendly. Bolt's got a very high opinion of himself as he also claims he could have been a first class cricketer!