gerontophile wrote:

QUOTE:
In other leagues, I quite fancy a good run from Queens Park in DIvision 2, as they have (apparently, hearsay from my brother) a seriously good crop of youngsters on the way.

Hmmmm, I wouldn't be rushing to put any money on it. Queens Park had a good team last season and managed to play some very pretty but largely ineffective football finally finishing 8th in the league. Since the season ended many of their best players have signed for first division and other second division teams. The youngsters that they've got coming through would need to be very good indeed before I would expect them to make any real impact on the top end of the table.

Nowt wrong with talking about the Old Firm, except when their more deluded followers try to claim that all of their ain mob are model citizens and only the other side go in for sectarianism these days.

I've just discovered that Thistle are playing Queen's Park in the Challenge Cup when I'm up in Glasgow next weekend. I may have to break the habit of a lifetime and actually go to a CC game.

Well, apologies to the assembled community for being an arse, just didn't want to see the thread going the same way as last season's. Not apologising for the sentiment though.

What Dink said about Queen's Park, they've lost Kettlewell, Ferry and (especially) Trouten and well probably bite your hand off for eighth place again.

Apologies for discussing the biggest football club in Scotland on a thread about Scottish football, but Celtic have done what may well turn out to be the best bit of business of the whole close season by signing Aiden McGeady to a new five year contract.

We've signed Jamie Stevenson on loan from Morton until Christmas, he returns for his 3rd spell at the club. I'm very, very happy with this and he should be one of the outstanding players in the division if he reaches the heights of his previous spells at the club.

More old-firm-bashing I'm afraid.

QUOTE:
Falkirk F.C. have decided that all tickets for the forthcoming SPL match with Rangers on Saturday, August 9, will be sold locally…>>

The decision was made after both Rangers and Celtic stated an intent to impose a five per cent levy on the tickets they sold to their own supporters for away matches throughout season 2008-09.

Falkirk FC, however, have resisted the move by the Old Firm to charge for providing such a service and, in a change to normal procedure, will facilitate the sale of North and North East Stand tickets to away supporters.

Managing director George Craig explained the change in procedure, “Since we returned to the SPL in season 2005-06, it was always the preference of all concerned that the away club would facilitate the sale of tickets to their own supporters."

"Recently, along with all other clubs in the league, we received letters from Rangers and Celtic informing us that if we wished them to continue to provide this service then a five per cent handling fee would be charged to the home club.”

"Over a season this would mean that a considerable amount of Falkirk FC gate revenue, which has already been allocated to the playing budget, would have to be re-directed.Therefore, we have decided not to take up this offer and we will in future co-ordinate the sale of tickets for home matches involving the Old Firm. We also hope that by having tickets available for the away sections we will minimise the instances of home tickets being bought by visiting supporters, which has caused problems in the past."

The Club has now teamed up with The Falkirk Herald, their official media partners, to ensure that the bulk of tickets for the opening game of the new campaign will be made available to Rangers supporters who live in the local area.The sale will initially be by postal application.

This week’s edition of The Falkirk Herald (available from usual outlets on Thursday, July 24) will include a special application coupon.
Away fans who wish to attend the match are asked to complete the coupon and return it to the club by 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 31.

On the one hand the acknowlegdement that there are more than enough Rangers fans in the area is a bit sad, but well done Falkirk for not caving in anyway.

In other news: Peterhead beat Aberdeen 4-0 in a friendly, and five East Fie players were arrested for having a food fight on a ferry back from Belfast. Oh, and East Fife have signed Steve Crawford.

Surely you can't be suggesting BOTH the Old Firm came up with the same revenue protecting initiative simultaneously?

I'm necessarily rounding figures here, but 5% of 5,000 £15 tickets is £3,750 per game. Does it really cost them anywhere near that to hire another bod for the ticket office?

The Methil boys must be on good money, given what Stena and Irish Ferries charge for at-sea catering nowadays ;)

Surely Dundee must go very close in Div 1 this year even with a disagreeable little ned like Alex Rae in charge.

Alex Rae is indeed a disagreeable little ned, but he also appears to be a capable enough manager.

Dundee ran Accies mighty close last year, and although they've lost a couple of good 'uns they've also added the likes of Colin Cameron and Jim Lauchlan.

Add in the European distraction for Queens, and St.Jings, Dunfermline and Thistle's apparent inability to get their shit together and sign anybody decent and I really can't see past Sandeman Street's finest.

Jim Lauchlan is the archetypal gritty muscular SPL defender. He'll be a great signing for Dundee.

I note with dismay that he is actually younger than me.

League Cup first round

Montrose v Cowdenbeath
Ross County v Airdrie United
Dumbarton v Annan Athletic
Peterhead v Dunfermline Athletic
Stranraer v Morton
Alloa Athletic v Elgin City
Clyde v Queen's Park
Albion Rovers v Raith Rovers
Ayr United v Berwick Rangers
East Fife v Brechin City
Arbroath v Stirling Albion
Partick Thistle v Forfar Athletic
East Stirlingshire v Livingston
Stenhousemuir v St. Johnstone

When're the games due to be played?

5th/6th August.

Not really sure how that is Old Firm bashing? There are a few clubs applying this 5% are there not? I suppose it makes a change from clubs increasing their ticket prices when Rangers (& Celtic I assume) come to play.

While my instinct is to side with the clubs challenging the 5% levy, AMMS makes a very fair point. What's the difference between the money-grabbing of the clubs who put their prices up when Celtic and Rangers come to visit, and the money-grabbing of Celtic and Rangers in this instance? It's not as if a handling/booking charge for selling tickets on is an unheard of concept, after all, and presumably selling tickets on behalf of other clubs incurs certain costs.

Well, I guess all clubs implement differential pricing, even the Old Firm. So another attempt to squeeze the smaller clubs even more is just scurillous, monopolistic behaviour. The have got everything else in their favour including ensuring that the away team gets paid more by the TV company than the home team.

Then they complain about the state of the opposition.