Hearts In European Action.

Hearts tonight take on Paks in Hungry in the Europa League qualifying stage.

The Jambos are full with confidence after drawing 1-1 with Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday and will look to continue their good start to the season by getting a good result in Hungry.

If they come back with a decent result then they will have a great chance of making the next round with the second leg at Tynecastle, A place where many teams go and struggle.

Midfielder David Obua has finally joined up with the Hearts squad in Hungary after his passport expired and he had to secure a new one.

Andy Webster and Mehdi Taouil haven't travelled with the squad after picking up injuries at the weekend.

I hope Hearts can get a good result and use full advantage of the second leg being at home.

Fancy a bet on the match?. Hearts are 8/5 to win the game, Paks 6/4 and the draw at 2/1 at William Hill. I cant look past the Hearts win and will be investing some money on it

Rangers On The Brink Of Early European Exit?

Rangers now need to go to Sweden and win on Wednesday night after failing to beat Malmo at Ibrox yesterday.

The Gers went down 1-0 as Daniel Larsson got the only goal of the game. Rangers should have got a few goals in the second half but Steven Naismith was unable to convert two different taps ins.

David Weir had to be subsituted and it looks like he might miss the second leg but new signing Dorin Goian might be able to play if his work permit comes through in time.

Both teams went on to create chances but were unable to score and it leaves Rangers with a lot of work to do if they want to progress to the next round.

Weekend Results.

Just a quick post getting back into the swing of things.

Weekends results:

Rangers 1-1 Hearts
Aberdeen 0-0 St Johnstone
Motherwell 3-0 Inverness
Dundee United 1-1 Kilmarnock
Hibernian 0-2 Celtic.

Return Of The SPL!!

So today is the return of the SPL and this weekends fixtures see's the following games.

Rangers v Hearts.
Aberdeen v St Johnstone.
Motherwell v Inverness.
Hibernian v Celtic.
Dundee United v Kilmarnock.
Dunfermline v St Mirren.

I will post results and match reports later!

Lee Wallace Signs For Rangers.

Rangers have completed the signing of Hearts left-back Lee Wallace on a five year contract.

Gers had a £1.5million bid accepted earlier on Thursday and the Scottish champions acted swiftly to tie up the move to beat the European deadline of 11pm so he can play in the next round of the Champions league.

Rangers had been after Wallace for a few weeks and had 2 bids rejected but finally got an offer worth £1.5m accepted early on Thursday morning.

10 Team League Plan To Be Scrapped?

At Monday's AGM the SPL comitee will examine the possibility of changing the current 12-team structure by introducing different promotion/relegation play-offs.

The 10 team league was met with various SPL club chairmen speaking out about the negative outcomes some clubs could be faced with.

Also expected to be spoken about it an SPL TV channel which was spoken about in 2002 but clubs voted against it and took out deals with SKY, ESPN and Setanta Sports which have now gone out of business.

I would be happy to see an SPL tv provided it was organised correctly, If not a lot of clubs could find themselves in an financial crisis.

Victor Wanyama Signs for Celtic.

Celtic's new signing, Victor Wanyama has revealed it was always his 'dream' to sign for the club after completing his move. 

The Kenya youngster sealed the move after the SFA panel granted him a work permit.

Wanyama has been signed from Germinal Beerschot and he is now looking forward to linking up with his new team-mates when they return from Australia.

He told the official Celtic website

"I am delighted to sign for Celtic Football Club,"

"It has always been a dream of mine to play for a club like Celtic."

"After reading the club's incredible history I have chosen 67 as my squad number to show appreciation to the 1967 squad."

It is believed Waynama moved to Glasgow in favour of some interested English clubs.

McCoist Gets His First Signing.

Juan Manuel Ortiz.

Juan Manuel Ortiz has become McCoist's first signing since he succeeded Walter Smith as manager joined up with his new team-mates before flying out from Glasgow Airport for their pre-season trip to Germany.

The Light Blues manager welcomed his new recruit who played for Almeria in La Liga for 4 years before they were relegated last season.

"We are delighted," said McCoist. "There were one or two little hiccups along the road, unfortunately, but it's done and dusted and we are all pleased.

"I think the fact that he can play a number of positions was a big thing. He probably runs Steven Whittaker close.

Rangers Duo Sign Long Term Contracts.

Allan McGregor and Steven Whittaker have today put pen to paper in new deals that will see them tied up for the next six and five years respectively.

McGregor currently 29, came through the youth ranks at the club and now looks set to spend the rest of his career at the Gers.


Whittaker, who signed from Hibs in 2007 also put an end to speculation he would be leaving for Turkey with a five year deal.


Thats all for now guys.!

Craig Thomson Suspended By Hearts.

Hearts have suspended defender Craig Thomson after being convicted of indecent behaviour regarding underage girls on the internet.

Thomson was also placed on the sex offenders register for his actions which have sparked outrage throughout Scottish football.

The Hearts board came to a decision to keep Thomson employed by the club despite his conviction but after various complaints were made by fans the board moved and quickly suspended him which will most likely see the end of his career in Edinburgh.


The club will be able to terminate the players contract if they wish because I think there is a sort of insurance policy in there that prevents the players getting money for the termination of contracts in events of convictions.


Sponsers have also terminated their deals with the club after their decision to defend Thomson.


I personally see this as the right move by the club despite it coming too late. The abuse he would get from the fans would be unreal aswell.


So,would you be happy to see a registered sex offender playing for your club or in your league?

Kenny Shiels - The Best Man For The Job?

Kenny Shiels and Jimmy Nicholl have been put in charge of Kilmarnock FC on a full time basis after taking over managing duties when Mixu Paatelainen took the chance to return to Finland and become the National team's manager.

Shiels has limited managerial experience after becoming the Coleraine manger in 2000 he has went on to manage Ballymena United, Carrick Rangers and Larne. He also spent a few years at Tranmere Rovers as the head of youth coaching before moving to rugby park.

In the 8 games Shiels took charge of his side won none and only managed to score 7 goals while conceding 19.

Obviously people could argue this means little towards the end of the season and that he will start a fresh in the new campaign but he took over a team that were playing some of the best football Kilmarnock fans have witnessed in a few years after some relegation battles.

Shiels will also have work to do in pre-season as he has already lost some members of his team with, Craig Bryson, Jamie Hamill and Mehdi Taouil all heading for the exit. Playmaker Alexei Eremenko who was on loan from Metalist Kharkiv for the season. It is unlikely that he will return to Scotland as it is rumoured his parent club want in the region of £1 million which Kilmarnock seem unwilling to pay.

So it will be a difficult task for the new management team and I personally feel they will be facing a relegation battle come May. 

What do you think?

 

SPL Fixtures Released!

Who will emerge victorious this season?

Today the SPL fixtures for the new season have been released with the season to start on 23rd July.

These are the games to be played for the first 2 weeks.

Saturday July 23, 2011
Aberdeen v St Johnstone
Dunfermline v St Mirren
Hibernian v Celtic
Motherwell v Inverness CT
Rangers v Hearts

Sunday July 24, 2011
Dundee United v Kilmarnock

Saturday July 30, 2011
Celtic P-P Dunfermline
Inverness CT v Hibernian
Kilmarnock v Motherwell
St Johnstone v Rangers
St Mirren v Aberdeen

Sunday July 31, 2011
Hearts v Dundee United


Rangers kickoff their defence of the title with a game against Hearts who finished in 3rd last season so it will be interesting to see that game.

This was just a quick post and I will bring you more news later.!

Hearts Summer Signings Continue.

Hearts have acted quickly in securing new signings for the return of the SPL season on July 23rd.

Former Kilmarnock midfielder Jamie Hamill has joined up with his former manager,Jim Jefferies on a free transfer.

Jefferies also managed to capture striker John Sutton who found the net 17 times last season.

St Johnstone defender Danny Grainger was the other to be enticed to Edinburgh after two years in Perth.

Another player who Jim Jefferies knows from his Kilmarnock days is Mehdi Taouil who has been signed on a three-year deal after his contract expired at Rugby Park.

So Jefferies has set about creating a new look squad ahead of the new season and hopefully they can push on in the league and also in the Europa League where they will enter at the third qualifiying stage.

Kyle Bartley To Return To Rangers?

Arsenal defender Kyle Bartley has revealed he would love the chance to return to Rangers after a successful loan spell in Glasgow.

“I’m a professional and Arsenal are my club,” he told the Scottish Sun.

“I’m under contract and it will be Arsene Wenger who decides what’s best for me.

“But it’s no secret that the idea of another loan spell at Rangers would be very attractive.”

“I was only at Rangers for a short while but I’ve got so many good memories,” he said.

Yesterday Arsenal confirmed the signing of defender Carl Jenkinson from Charlton which could spell the end of Bartley's career at the Emirates Stadium.

Dunfermline Athletic, Welcome To The SPL.

Club crest.

 Dunfermline Athletic will be preparing for a return to the Scottish Premier League after winning the first division in May. The Pars last played in the SPL in 2007 but were relegated after a poor season that saw them get to the Scottish Cup final and also qualify for the Uefa Cup.

On December 2007 the board appointed Jim McIntrye as caretaker-manager following the sacking of Stephen Kenny. McIntrye was appointed manager on  full time basis and was given a two and a half year contract.

In McIntyre's first full season as manager they finished third place,missing out on the title by 13 points. The Pars again started the 10/11 season well, they were unbeaten in their first six games and this time managed to win promotion with a 10 point lead over second place rivals Raith Rovers.

I look forward to seeing how Dunfermline prepare for the new season after a long time out of the SPL.

Good luck to the Pars!

East End Park, where Dunfermline play their home games.