SCOTTISH FOOTBALL THREAD

At least the SPL will have a two team league instead of the 1 team league it has been for the last few years.

You really think The Rangers are going to be competitive in the Premiership?!?! Did you not see their non -existent defence in the Cup FInal!

The quality of the other teams are nkt that great either except Celtic until their financial irregularities get found out and they too get sent down several divisions.

Yep hearts were immediately a top team when promoted, rangers and hibs should be mid table.

I'd say Hearts that won the Championship were/are a better team than the current The Rangers side. Without significant investment (from where?!? - they are a club making a loss with no line of credit with any bank) they're unlikely to do much better than mid table.

That actually says more about how close the top half of division 1 and the premier league are and why Scotland should move to a 16 team top division (disclaimer - the fact my team, Dundee United, were relegated this season has nothing to do with my argument - really!!!)

The only thing Rangers really bring back to the top league in Scotland is the fact TV companies will pay more for 4 old firm games a season, but when Gary Lineker earns more in a season as a presenter than the SPFL TV contract does what really is the point?

Celtic have opened their European campaign in the Second Qualifying Round of the Champions League with a 1-0 loss to Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar.

I was going to make some sort of joke but one's not needed really.

Brilliant. Gibraltar's population is about half the size of Celtic Park.

audrupsHair ‏@LaudrupsHair 27m27 minutes ago

The @LincolnRedImps Twitter account hasn't been updated yet. As their social media guy was marking the captain of Scotland.

Tom EnglishVerified account
‏@BBCTomEnglish
The Imps' left-back was driving a taxi until 1pm today apparently. A colossal humiliation for Celtic.

6 years lag for drugs now working as a shipping agent. Hmmm

Lol@Rodgers

Frank Abagnale got a job with the federal government after serving time for fraud and forgery. These things happen.

I wonder how you become a member of the Gibraltar Metal Detecting Society. Sounds interesting.

Imagine having Rodgers as your manager...

I'm having flashbacks....

Character, resilience, long term goals, brand of football...aaaaaarrrrgggghhh!!!!

Probably owning a metal detector I'd guess...and living in Gibraltar. Although I hear they'll give you a temporary membership if you have your own magnet. 

You realise how small Gibraltar actually is when you find out the guy who scored the goal spent 6 years in prison for selling hard drugs and is still employed as a Police Officer.

Outstanding.

Apparently these facts were all fake Sky Sports were duped. Pretty funny if that's true. I can't find any mention anywhere of the striker going to prison for selling drugs other than this as the source. The Casciaro family do seem to be about a quarter of the population though.

The stats were all nonsense made up by a Rangers fan. I did want to believe them though.

LOL!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully Scottishbhoy is ok. Haven't seen him on here since the defeat. Probably spent a lot of time crying in to his Scott Brown duvet i guess.

.

watched my beloved Rangers at the weekend, looking ready

To challenge the wee team from the east end 

Unfortunately but expectedly Celtic come back to win 3–0 and 3–1 on aggregate. 

There is a silver lining. We get to see Celtic embarrassed again in the next round(s).

They've got Astana in the next round - will be interesting. Massive away trip, unattractive opponent that's really hard to beat, one of the worst draws at this time of the competition.

Didn't Celtic play Shakhtar Karagandy a few years ago and almost lose? Or did lose? Mind may be playing tricks on me here.

Yep, they jut squeeked by 3-2 on aggregate, with the 3rd goal coming in stoppage time.

Astana was in group stages of the Champions League last season and did well - only lost 2 games (though they didn't win any).

Celtic sign Kolo Toure from Liverpool. He'll probably be really good for them; another league title for Celtic? Is there a point to me adding a question mark to the previous sentence?

Well the ugly sisters are back together so there will be some competition this season - but who cares - the Scottish Championship is where its at! (well I have to say that now Dundee United are in it :-( )

The two team SPL is back in action.

The EPL hasn't actually had, in the majority of seasons, a huge number of clubs who had a realistic chance of winning. 3, maybe 4, in most years. Out of curiosity, I had a look at La Liga and the Bundesliga as a couple of examples. It would appear that since 1984/85 one of two clubs has won La Liga every year except on 5 occasions. In the Bundesliga, apart from 8 occasions, one of two clubs has won it every season since 1984/85. So, although it's not as spectacular a domination as it is in Scotland, it does show that 2 clubs dominating domestic football in a country isn't confined to the SPFL, although the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Scotland is wider.

Some if us just get on with supporting Scottish teams other than 'The Ugly Sisters'.  :-)

Brendan Rodgers hails Celtic's "character". Classic Brendan.

Celtic 5 'Gers 1 !!!!!

My Hearts supporting mate reckons Rangers will be lucky to get to 8th this season and that the manager will already be on thin ice losing to Celtic in that manner

Still love this quiz:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/quiz/2013/apr...

Happened to catch the sport on One News last night and in reporting on the thrashing yesterday they said something like "all is not lost for Celtic, there is a return leg in November and they will need to score 8 goals to progress." Do they not understand it's a group stage and not the 2 leg knockout rounds yet?