Season ticket holders get the first Scottish cup game free each season, assuming we have one at home. Champions League and Uefa Cup are more expensive though I've never heard anyone complain about it, it's kind of expected.

Thistle 2 Queen's Park 1

A ridiculously early date to start the season on, but there we are. Challenge Cup games are usually pretty listless affairs - regarded as they are as something halfway between a pre-season friendly and a game that actually means something - but this was actually a fairly lively game.

The person who tipped Queens to do well this year may just have a point. Despite losing half-a-dozen talented players over the summer (including Paul Paton, who was Thistle's best player today), they seem to have found some decent replacements, particularly ex-Alloa lad (and Kenny Miller lookalike) Adam Coakley, who outran, outfought and outwitted our defence for significant spells of the game. And even once they went down to ten men, they continued to press forward and put together good moves.

Mind you, their defence could do with some work - we were two up inside nine minutes after some Magninesque marking let in Damon Gray and Mark Roberts to score easily, and we had a further three shots cleared off the line before the game was over. If they can get that sorted, they'll stay up with ease.

Elsewhere, Annan started life as a senior team by losing narrowly away to Clyde, and Alloa surprised Dundee at Recs Park. Cheer up Aaaaa-lex Rae...

Alloa 2 Dundee 1

No complaints about the result from the Dundee fans; Alloa played pretty well and took their chances, Dundee had a few half-chances which might have gone in on another day (before the late consolation) but didn't deserve anything. They'll have to play much better than this to justify the favourites tag, though they do have a few of the new signings still to come in.

But then Alloa still have Dougie Wilson to come in too, they look set to play their part once again in what's going to be a very competitive second division.

Bob Crampsey has died.

Yeah, I saw that. The guy was a legend, and someone, a bit like John Peel, who has no obvious successor. A great man.

Yeah heard that last night, very sad, he used to have a great column in the Glasgow Evening Times.
Someone told me at lunchtime that Paul Sturrock has Parkinsons disease, anyone else heard this as I didn’t see it reported?

Reported here.

Meanwhile, Kenny Miller sneaks out the back way after Rangers' weekend friendly with Raith Rovers.

From what I hear half a dozen of them could have sneaked out at halftime for all the difference they were making.
BTW if you think that’s sneaking out I’d suggest you don’t become a burglar. Still nice to see Rangers remain foremost in your thoughts even this early in the season!

That's a bizarre piece of footage.

The season hasn't even started yet, and already he's hurrying away like a murder suspect being hustled into a police van outside the Four Courts. By October, he'll have a coat over his head.

That's "sneaks out" in the sense of climbing over a railing round the back and then moving quickly to his car. Rangers aren't "foremost in my thoughts", and I wasn't trying to score points. Just thought it was a funny video, is all.

It has amusing qualities I agree, however it’s broad daylight, he jumps a barrier to pose for a photo with a group of fans and then he heads for his car. He lives in the east, as does Whittaker, so I assume that is why they weren’t on the team bus back to Glasgow. It’s not really that bizarre.
Miller has his critics but he’s not in fear of his life just yet.
I’m happy to accept no point scoring was intended, it remains nil nil.
When you guys going to buy someone, has the lid gone back on the old tin? Although with Rangers current injury list you could probably sell a few and still win the league.

I know it was only a friendly but if Celtic can score goals like this away to Porto with only about half of their first choice starting eleven on the pitch (their midfield was Caddis, Hartley, Caldwell and Wilson) then maybe they don't need new signings all that urgently. And there's plenty of time anyway.

Another Derry City player will be plying his trade in the SPL next season -- Kilmarnock are about to sign Conor Sammon, a striker who looks like a younger, more svelte John Hartson.



Hofzinser wrote:

QUOTE:
maybe they don't need new signings all that urgently.

They do in defence.

The Tamas stalemate is grinding on endlessly and there is still no sign of a left-back. If we go into the new season with the same defence as last year, serious questions need to be levelled at the board as to what exactly they think they are doing.

In other Rangers news, Walter Smith has given up on signing Steve Davis (£4m was too much), and is taking a look at Dickson Etuhu of Sunderland instead.

I thought the Tamas deal was completely dead.

Strachan's policy seems to be to not buy players just for the sake of it, and not to pay more than he thinks a player is worth - and if there's no one available for a reasonable fee who will strengthen the squad then he'll wait until there is.

Assuming that McManus, as captain, is assured of his place, he also possibly feels that as Caldwell finished so strongly last season (he looked a different player from the one in the first half of the season) it's worth seeing if he can continue that form into the new season.

Caldwell's Celtic career consists of three months of good form, and one season and six months of shit form.

It'll take more than that to convince me he's an asset to the team.

Just been checking on G Tamas and the whole thing has indeed collapsed over money. Wonderful.