Scottish football 2022/23

[Lubomir25]

I'm excited about Hearts playing group stage football this season. I hope Motherwell and Dundee United can join them. It I highly doubt it based on what we seen last season.

I saw this article and it's a good read and insight about what Hearts are capable of...

https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl ... s-24077079

[Lorric]

Hey, I already made this thread!

viewtopic.php?t=5847

Doesn't matter though. I'll just put my OP in this one:

Not wasting any time, League Cup group stage draw is done:



Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts together. We haven't seen the limit of these teams yet as they rise, who will come out on top between them and can either challenge for a place in the KO stage? Getting Inverness as second seed though is tough luck. Will be interesting to see how Bonnyrigg Rose do as well as Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle, the top two from the Highland League. There's no Lowland League team because 1st got promoted and the 2nd slot goes to Cowdenbeath, who fall into the Lowland League.

[Lubomir25]

Hey, I already made this thread!

viewtopic.php?t=5847

Doesn't matter though. I'll just put my OP in this one:

Not wasting any time, League Cup group stage draw is done:



Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts together. We haven't seen the limit of these teams yet as they rise, who will come out on top between them and can either challenge for a place in the KO stage? Getting Inverness as second seed though is tough luck. Will be interesting to see how Bonnyrigg Rose do as well as Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle, the top two from the Highland League. There's no Lowland League team because 1st got promoted and the 2nd slot goes to Cowdenbeath, who fall into the Lowland League.

Sorry my bad, never seen it

[Michael S Collins]

Hey, I already made this thread!

viewtopic.php?t=5847

Doesn't matter though. I'll just put my OP in this one:

Not wasting any time, League Cup group stage draw is done:



Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts together. We haven't seen the limit of these teams yet as they rise, who will come out on top between them and can either challenge for a place in the KO stage? Getting Inverness as second seed though is tough luck. Will be interesting to see how Bonnyrigg Rose do as well as Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle, the top two from the Highland League. There's no Lowland League team because 1st got promoted and the 2nd slot goes to Cowdenbeath, who fall into the Lowland League.

Don't think we've ever played Fraserburgh before. A new team to lose to!

You've pointed to Group G as the only semi Group of Death. Although note Cove Rangers didn't take the League Cup very seriously last year. Livingston wont be happy with that draw (watch them win every game 4-0 now to spite me). Interesting to see Queens Park against Dundee and Hamilton too.

[Lorric]

Hey, I already made this thread!

viewtopic.php?t=5847

Doesn't matter though. I'll just put my OP in this one:

Not wasting any time, League Cup group stage draw is done:



Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts together. We haven't seen the limit of these teams yet as they rise, who will come out on top between them and can either challenge for a place in the KO stage? Getting Inverness as second seed though is tough luck. Will be interesting to see how Bonnyrigg Rose do as well as Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle, the top two from the Highland League. There's no Lowland League team because 1st got promoted and the 2nd slot goes to Cowdenbeath, who fall into the Lowland League.

Don't think we've ever played Fraserburgh before. A new team to lose to!

You've pointed to Group G as the only semi Group of Death. Although note Cove Rangers didn't take the League Cup very seriously last year. Livingston wont be happy with that draw (watch them win every game 4-0 now to spite me). Interesting to see Queens Park against Dundee and Hamilton too.

I'd say there's another semi group of death - D. Hibs probably one of the best teams at this stage. Then after Morton you've got Falkirk, a professional team, Clyde, another League One team, and Bonnyrigg Rose, who might follow the path taken by Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts.

[MartinW]

Could someone give a quick explanation of the format for the Scottish League Cup? I can see the 5 teams qualified for Europe aren't in this group phase. Does that mean there are 11 qualifiers from the groups, plus the 5 teams with a bye, making 16 for the knockout stage? How do they rank teams or organise play-offs to get an odd number of teams out of the groups?

[Lubomir25]

Could someone give a quick explanation of the format for the Scottish League Cup? I can see the 5 teams qualified for Europe aren't in this group phase. Does that mean there are 11 qualifiers from the groups, plus the 5 teams with a bye, making 16 for the knockout stage? How do they rank teams or organise play-offs to get an odd number of teams out of the groups?

It's the group winners and 3 best runners up that go through. Similar to how UEFA used to determine the best runners up for Play offs in qualifying

[Lorric]

Interesting news about the Lowland League. The Celtic and Rangers B teams got in there last year, paying for the privilege with £25K each. The fee was upped to £40K each this season, and they accepted. Now Hearts want in too, and that would have been another £40K, but in a vote, the clubs rejected having a third team in, but not necessarily Hearts. They would have had another vote to choose which two to allow in, but in a move I don't understand, all three clubs are united in saying it's either all three of us or none of us. Surely they'd pick Rangers and Celtic? Why do Rangers and Celtic want to help Hearts? Unless they have concerns Hearts would get picked and they might be the one left out. But I don't know why you would. The B teams can't compete for promotion, so you'd want the bigger names and bigger fanbases to attract to buy tickets at your home game surely?

[Todor]

Don't think we've ever played Fraserburgh before. A new team to lose to!

Allow me to borrow this when the opponent of my Levski in ECL QR2 is drawn

[Lubomir25]

Interesting news about the Lowland League. The Celtic and Rangers B teams got in there last year, paying for the privilege with £25K each. The fee was upped to £40K each this season, and they accepted. Now Hearts want in too, and that would have been another £40K, but in a vote, the clubs rejected having a third team in, but not necessarily Hearts. They would have had another vote to choose which two to allow in, but in a move I don't understand, all three clubs are united in saying it's either all three of us or none of us. Surely they'd pick Rangers and Celtic? Why do Rangers and Celtic want to help Hearts? Unless they have concerns Hearts would get picked and they might be the one left out. But I don't know why you would. The B teams can't compete for promotion, so you'd want the bigger names and bigger fanbases to attract to buy tickets at your home game surely?

Ye seems a bit baffling, I'm surprised the club's didn't just look after number one but then they've attempted to bully the lowland league which just seems nuts... They've killed any chance of ever getting B teams in the lower leagues now

[Michael S Collins]

Lowland league fans weren't happy with the B-teams, feeling they'd been browbeat into accepting them. (And it sounds like the Lowlands board keeps going against the clubs.) Sounds like a lot of bad blood between all parties.

Btw, Lorric, if you hadn't heard, playoff favourites to join the lowlands league Darvel (lots of money) lost to Tranent in their playoff final. Turns out some of the Darvel squad was so confident of success they went to a stag night before the playoff match. And lost!

[Lorric]

Lowland league fans weren't happy with the B-teams, feeling they'd been browbeat into accepting them. (And it sounds like the Lowlands board keeps going against the clubs.) Sounds like a lot of bad blood between all parties.

Btw, Lorric, if you hadn't heard, playoff favourites to join the lowlands league Darvel (lots of money) lost to Tranent in their playoff final. Turns out some of the Darvel squad was so confident of success they went to a stag night before the playoff match. And lost!

No, I hadn't. Oops!

[Lubomir25]

A very unexpected announcement today

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61719534

[Lorric]

A very unexpected announcement today

Https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61719534

Interesting. There's some quotes here:

https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/lowla ... ?rid=13929

Doesn't give anything new that's concrete though. Presumably all parties will try to find a way to open up the pyramid while being mutually beneficial. It seems to me the best way would be league expansion. Either more teams in the leagues or create a League Three. But possibly you could just bribe clubs to open up the pyramid.

[Lubomir25]

Scotland's golden age for Goalkeepers is almost at an end with only Craig Gordon left available for international duty.

Gordon, McGregor and Marshall have all been outstanding for the past 20years but Marshalls penalty saves that took us to the Euros was by far the highlight of it all so far.

https://fb.watch/dvctNY6kjD/