Jings. We really, really, really must stop doing this. Our predictions are pure gash folks! To wit: this week, we continue with what is fast becoming a tradition by getting none of our predictions right.
Posts Tagged ‘Scottish Football League’
Four to Follow Round-up
Monday, November 30th, 2009Livingston – The Neverending Story
Monday, September 7th, 2009It is certainly not easy being a fan of Livingston FC these days. The club is in administration for the second time in its short history and facing a very uncertain future, back in the division from which they started their ascent to the SPL in 1995.
Today, Livingston will appear before the SFA appeals committee, chaired by Lord McLean, hoping their case against their demotion will fall on sympathetic ears.
In the last few days, stories have emerged in the press that casts a very negative spotlight on the men that run Scottish football. Neil Rankine, one of a group of five who invested in the club in an attempt bring it out of administration has alleged that leading members of the SFL are guilty of serious misconduct, including breaching the leagues own rules on dual interests in member clubs and – more seriously – an alleged ‘cash for votes’ attempt by the SFL’s own treasurer.
Rankine claims that Donnie MacIntyre asked him for £43,000 in exchange for a favourable vote in an upcoming meeting to decide Livingston’s fate as a First Division club: MacIntyre later resigned over these allegations.
Rankine is also seeking an investigation over the conduct of Jim Ballantyne. Like MacIntyre, Ballantyne is a member of the League Management Committee and, according to draft minutes leaked to te Scotland on Sunday newspaper, took an active part in a meeting that eventually confirmed Livi’s demotion to the Third Division.
At first sight, this may not seem unusual until you take into account that Ballantyne is also chairman of Airdrie United, the club promoted back to the First Division.
Neil Rankine is clearly not a happy man. Some might say he has a point. The credibility of the committee that effectively oversaw Livi’s demotion to the Third Division has been called into question, with a treasurer who is open to bribery, and a voting member whose club stands to gain from Livi’s demotion.
The outcome of the appeal could have far-reaching consequences, not just for Livingston, but for the 12 other clubs directly, and indirectly involved in this long running saga.
Should their appeal be successful, the results of all games played by Livingston, Airdrie United and Cowdenbeath (the third club promoted following Livi’s return to the Third Division) will be declared null and void. For Livingston, who have won only 1 of their 3 games so far, this is probably the best outcome. Neither Airdrie or Cowdenbeath (9th and 8th respectively) have exactly had good starts to their seasons, but a return to lower league football is not something they’re exactly looking forward to.
And for the opponents of the teams involved (Berwick, Albion Rovers, Arbroath, Brechin, Alloa, East Fife, Ross County, Queen of the South, Dundee and Dunfermline), it’s not hard to imagine that they’ll be too happy about having these games, in which most of them where the winning side, declared null and void.
Whatever happens to Livingston, we can be sure that this story will rumble on and on, as the various appeals are heard.
Score Prediction Bawbaggery
Sunday, August 30th, 2009Score Prediction Bawbaggery.
30.08// Inside Left plumbs new depths of football prediction incorrectness, failing to pick so much as one winner in its Four To Follow.
Hearts drew 2-2 with St Johnstone (we tipped Hearts to win), Inverness Caley suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Ross County (again, we went for Caley) and in the other Fife derby, Cowdenbeath and East Fife’s game ended in a 1-1 draw (And guess what? We went for Cowdenbeath win).
Our final prediction, like all the others we made, seemed such a sure thing we even placed a cheeky bet on it. We reckoned that Livingston where going to overturn Albion Rovers by an enormous margin that our £2.50 stake would return a healthy £6.56 in winnings, or £4.06 profit.
Enough for 6 Aberdeen butteries.
But alas poor Livi: ‘t was not to be, Albion Rovers won 1-0. When we heard that Livi defender Ewan Moyes had put the ball through his own net, a new internet acronym was created: LALAL. Lets All Laugh At Livingston.
Predicting the outcome of a football game is a tricky business.
You can look at league form, a particular player’s form, the head-to-head fixtures from the past and so on. But really, you just have no idea how it’s going to turn out. You might as well sacrifice chickens to read their innards or gather round the ouija board for all the insight it’ll give you.
I mean, he may have predicted the assassination of JFK, but I reckon even Nostradamus would be sitting in front of the telly on a Saturday evening, scratching his head going “Whit?!? Dundee only drew with Airdrie? I was sure they where due a win.”
So how did we do?
Well, Hearts drew 2-2 with St Johnstone (we tipped Hearts to win), Inverness Caley suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Ross County (again, we went for Caley) and in the other Fife derby, Cowdenbeath and East Fife’s game ended in a 1-1 draw (And guess what? Yes, we went for a Cowdenbeath win).
Our final prediction, like all the others we made, seemed such a sure thing we even placed a cheeky bet on it. We reckoned that Livingston where going to thoroughly pump Albion Rovers by an enormous margin that our £2.50 stake would return a healthy £6.56 in winnings, or £4.06 profit.
Enough for 6 Aberdeen butteries.
But alas poor Livi: ‘t was not to be, Albion Rovers won 1-0. When we heard that Livi defender Ewan Moyes had put the ball through his own net, a new internet acronym was created: LALAL. Lets All Laugh At Livingston.
So, complete shite then. At least the one football certainty we know of didn’t disappoint: Fort William lost again. 1-0. To Brora Rangers.
