RANGERRAB 3,737 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 It was a sore one for St Johnstone because as well as getting put out they apparently had to charter a flight to Armenia which cost them £110,000. Ouch! They were one of the ten who voted us out the SPL. How sad for them.........NOT 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangersitis 0 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 It was a sore one for St Johnstone because as well as getting put out they apparently had to charter a flight to Armenia which cost them £110,000. Ouch! UEFA used to regionalise the early draws to cut down on expenses for the smaller sides. That charter would have been filled up with fans as well as players and staff, so some of that would have been recouped. I looked at flights for Yerevan as West Ham might have been drawn there. Looking at £350 minimum flying from London. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,737 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Getting put out of the EL by a team from Armenia must be the ultimate embarrassment. What does that tell you about the standard of Scottish football? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,803 Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Getting put out of the EL by a team from Armenia must be the ultimate embarrassment. What does that tell you about the standard of Scottish football? As I said above, being forced to play for the European stage when your team is about one week back in training is an utter shambles. If you square up against teams from leagues a that play summer football it sure puts you at a disadvantage (even though that does not seem the case here). Likewise, we should keep in mind that football has moved on in other countries too, so the attribute "Scottish" is much like the name Rangers nothing that guarantees you success against supposedly "lesser teams" from "lesser nations". In this case, Armenia might be ranked as a "lesser light" in the game, but it likewise breeds people like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. When was the last time a Scot played for a bigger German team? Hence, a bit of up-to-date perspective is required. That aside, we all know what sort of state the Scottish game is in and of what standard St. Johnstone can be ranked in there. It will hardly be a surprise that they fail in such contests, nor does it paint the Scottish league any worse than it actually is. For we all know it is bad and that all the decent Scottish players either play for the OF or down in England. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 10,822 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 As I said above, being forced to play for the European stage when your team is about one week back in training is an utter shambles. If you square up against teams from leagues a that play summer football it sure puts you at a disadvantage (even though that does not seem the case here). Likewise, we should keep in mind that football has moved on in other countries too, so the attribute "Scottish" is much like the name Rangers nothing that guarantees you success against supposedly "lesser teams" from "lesser nations". In this case, Armenia might be ranked as a "lesser light" in the game, but it likewise breeds people like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who plays for Borussia Dortmund. When was the last time a Scot played for a bigger German team? Hence, a bit of up-to-date perspective is required. That aside, we all know what sort of state the Scottish game is in and of what standard St. Johnstone can be ranked in there. It will hardly be a surprise that they fail in such contests, nor does it paint the Scottish league any worse than it actually is. For we all know it is bad and that all the decent Scottish players either play for the OF or down in England. Perhaps the Armenian league is a better league than we think, and the Scottish league is lesser than we think. I think our estimation of the SPFL is based on the performance on the Old Firm. The Old Firm can/should be getting to the CL Group Stages, our domestic rivals can give us a game every once and a while, therefore 'Scottish' sides are not much worse. The truth is the Old Firm are on another level. The rest of the SPFL are on a level with Armenia. The irony is both are blaming the other for their failures. The Old Firm are being held back, the rest are being squeezed out of prize money. Like you said, we all know the state of the game in Scotland, so it shouldn't come as a surprise, but it's still a slap in the face. We like to believe we're better because what's the point in 'analysing', following and getting so wrapped up in the drama when we're so poor? It becomes an existential question. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,803 Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Maybe it would help starting summer football, as it a) would avoid being caught (fitness) flat by "lesser" opponents, and b) may actually help Scottish football getting better TV contracts, as by default summer is a rather lean affair in terms of British or any sort of football on TV. But there are simpy factors that you have next t no chance to fight, like dearth of Scottish talent and the draw of the English money. For as soon as there is some talent, you can bet that some English scouts will try to get them signed for "lesser" English teams, but on wages the common Scottish player dreams of. And that's just one thing. Lesser clubs blaming the OF does have some irony, as they been feeding off the "Big Two" for decades. Now that the "Big Two" have been cut apart and the monetary influx both to the Scottish game (via TV money) and the individual clubs (both halfs of the divide spend their money rather prudently now) has dropped, they blame essentially their own strategy for their very own failures by pointing at the OF. Nothing new there, of course. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barristan Selmy 222 Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Perhaps the Armenian league is a better league than we think, and the Scottish league is lesser than we think. I think our estimation of the SPFL is based on the performance on the Old Firm. The Old Firm can/should be getting to the CL Group Stages, our domestic rivals can give us a game every once and a while, therefore 'Scottish' sides are not much worse. The truth is the Old Firm are on another level. The rest of the SPFL are on a level with Armenia. The irony is both are blaming the other for their failures. The Old Firm are being held back, the rest are being squeezed out of prize money. Like you said, we all know the state of the game in Scotland, so it shouldn't come as a surprise, but it's still a slap in the face. We like to believe we're better because what's the point in 'analysing', following and getting so wrapped up in the drama when we're so poor? It becomes an existential question. The old firm have not had much success either in fairness. We have won something like one of our last 21 games. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearman 9 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 H-T Astra 0-0 ICT....(1-0 Agg) 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,737 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Hopefully we'll be discussing Rangers in the EL this time next year. Need to win the SC next season or at least get the final 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearman 9 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Hopefully we'll be discussing Rangers in the EL this time next year. Need to win the SC next season or at least get the final I'm sure I read somewhere that reaching the cup final won't be enough, the higher placed league club gets favour over the runners-up, we'll need to win it I think. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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