Scott7

Aguero scored the first. Change you mind, Pep or make sure he goes abroad. He could damage you nex season.

Your post above @der Berliner is learned and in its terms no doubt accurate readily understood by well educated Germans. In Scotland, however, the word has been repurposed over many decadesto mean Catholic in a pejorative sense.

That’s always been my view. If someone’s forever blabbering on about “their dear land across the sea” what’s wrong with asking the question?

Easy this week. So’ton 0-2 Leicester Palace 1-2 City BHA 0-2 Leeds Chelsea 3-0 Fulham Toffees 2-1 Villa Mags 2-0 Gunners United 3-1 Liverpool Hotspur 1-2 Blades Throstles 2-2 Wolves (Hell Derby) Burnley 2-1 Hammers

Is that not why they’re in the team?

1951/52 Dundee v Thirds and Motherwell v Hearts. No recollection whatsoever of the Cup that season apart from Rangers 6-1 Elgin City in the second round. Don’t even remember Rangers going out to Motherwell the eventual winners beating Dundee.

Play two strikers. Morelos and one from Defoe, Roofe, Itten. I’d start Defoe hoping his speed of thought will let him take advantage of Morelos knocking the defenders about a bit. The opposition will have geared themselves for one man up.

55 years ago tonight the First Prince of Denmark banged one in to keep the spalpeens’ hands off the Scottish Cup. Residual traces of that evening’s delirium can still be found in my brain.

There seems to be some of the Negri diffidence about Roofe but it could be because of a professional attitude - it’s a job, get on with it.

Hibs, Hearts, Dundee were the teams that could compete with and indeed beat Rangers when I was a lad more so than celtic who were pretty average post-war. For the sake of the game, it’s a pity they weren’t able to keep it up past the 1960sI would miss playing against them and Aberdeen because in my sub-conscious, I still think they are big teams even when they are not. Villa, Everton, Newcastle and Wolves would be more interesting. I’ll be in a minority with this but Porto, Brugge and the rest of the “Atlantic League” do not excite me at all, except Ajax. Again I will be a minority but I don’t care if Rangers never play celtic again due to the ridiculous posturings and rancid behaviour of so many of their adherents whom the club itself seems unable to bring itself to eradicate..

Just has to get in his way, not out-jump him.

The centre forward. You don’t need a man up at that stage of the gsme.

I was a bit older and it wasn’t my first but I was awestruck too.

Fifty seven years ago yesterday sixty thousand blue scarved fanatics, the Daily Telegraph subsequently reported, attended the Scottish Cup Final, myself and @compo among them. There was also a big number of Dundonians and a fair few non-aligned. All witnessed an entertaining spectacle with both teams studded with household names attacking to win the game. Yesterday I tholed ninety minutes of turgidity and gave up. In a cup tie at home against what the league table tells you is less competent opposition, a fast tempo must be set from the start. No point in daundering about with the ball and then studiously passing it backwards in relays to the goalkeeper to carefully resume the sorry process all over again. The other team gets the chance to settle in, line up the defence boxes and let time go by. I thought St Johnstone played the modern containing, frustrating game very well laced with some thuggery but not the extremes we’ve seen from dome other teams. They deserved their victory but it wasn’t worth watching and Rangers players have the talent to overcome blanket defence. They just didn’t deploy it. The 1964 final was in my mind unbidden on several occasions last week. The euphoria had continued on the train back to Edinburgh and it was only well past Linlithgow that a wee thought occurred to me. Supposing this is the culmination of success and not the beginning of a surge to greater heights. The malign thought was quelled by hubris but we all know what happened over the next ten years. Is Gerrard the man to prevent something similar with his ream? Of course he is. But the players have got to play.

That’s why we’re all here, old bean.

If I were Guardiola I’d be telling Aguero I’d changed my mind and could he stay after all. No tracking back required, no linking play, just bang the ball in the net.

Well said.

What manner of ju-ju is this?

So did I. Should be a good match which means it will turn out to be dire. If Foden plays from the start and City don’t get into crab-dance mode they should win 3-1. If they play the way they did last week ‘Spurs have a chance. Even if both teams play to their best it wouldn’t be as good a game as 1960 ‘Spurs against 1968 City. @compo will tell you the same.

Gunners 2-2 Toffees Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle Hammers 1-3 Chelsea Blades 2-0 BHA Wolves 2-0 Burnley Leeds 1-3 United Villa 2-0 WBA Leicester 2-0 Palace

I sort of know what you mean but then I wonder which fixture would be more attractive, Livingston v Rangers on the plastic macaroni or Aston Villa v Rangers at Villa Park? But wait, I say to myself. Livingston and the Villa are not good comparisons. Swap Villa for Hearts and Southampton for Livingston and I might say stay where we are. On the other hand Everton, Newcastle, Leeds, Wolves. Hmmmm.

It’s already crashed and burned.

If true the Spaniards must have a grounds for action against Uefa. Inducement to breach contract, perhaps.

That’s a lot of face painting.

England will always have a viable domestic league. I wonder if the fourteen would accept a replacement giant from what may soon be a foreign country.