Plenty of Nothing

Oxters

It's a Renfrewshire derby as St Mirren travel to Cappielow for a Friday evening of association football rivalry. The match is being televised on BBC Alba.

A recurring theme in the Greenock-Paisley rivalry is the comparative smelliness of the opponents' supporters' armpits, or oxters, to use the word from the Scots dictionary. What is the Gaelic word for armpit? That word is achlais. Other Gaelic words relevent to this evening's broadcast:

Grianaig (Greenock)

Pàislig (Paisley)

ball-coise (football)

telebhisean (television)

soaral (odor)

deoch (booze)

Will today's attendance better the 2,811 who showed up for the latest Renfrewshire Cup final on July 19th, 2014?

Whatever happened of the Renfrewshire Cup, anyway?

Morton and St Mirren last played in the same division from 1995-96 till 1999-2000. In that spell the Buddies won 12 games, Morton 6, with 2 draws. Morton and St Mirren have met in the League Cup twice since then, with St Mirren winning twice, and once in the Challenge Cup, St Mirren winning again.

Following Week 1 of Championship play Morton were tied for fifth place, along with Falkirk, due to their 1 - 1 draw. After Week 2, the clubs with a win and a loss occupied the middle of the table, and Morton were reduced to seventh place. To return to the middle of the pack Morton must win today.

[0 - 0. Attendance 5,343.]

The second round of the Challenge Cup was played this midweek. Morton were not involved. The winning sides were: Dunfermline, Stenhousemuir, St Mirren, Peterhead, Queen's Park, Livingston, Rangers and Elgin.

In UEFA Champions League play it was Celtic 3 - 2 Malmö.

This is the weekend in which prefecture championships are decided preparatory to the first round of the Emperor's Cup in Japan. Let's watch these finals from the north of Japan:

Hokkaido: Club Fields Norbritz Hokkaido [1 - 2] Sapporo University

Aomori: ReinMeer Aomori [3 - 1] Hachinohe University

Akita: Blaublitz Akita [9 - 0] TDK Shinwakai

Iwate: Grulla Morioka [1 - 0] Ganju Iwate

Yamagata: Sakata Takuyu Club [2 - 6] Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine

Miyagi: Sony Sendai [1 - 3] Sendai University

Fukushima: Fukushima United [4 - 0] Primeiro Koriyama

[And in the J League: Kashima Antlers 3 - 0 Montedio Yamagata.]

They recently handed out the Nova Scotia soccer Golden Boots.

Tomorrow it's Karşıyaka vs Şanlıurfaspor. [Kaf Sin Kaf (Karşıyaka) win 1 - 0.]

Lucas Cranach in Canada: Nervous Elbows

This lady with nervous elbows resides at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Twenty Bristol Pounds

Apparently designed by the same bloke who did those Billy Bragg album covers. Source. The Bristol Pound.

Vote Gowron

Blackberry

"Blackberry: Rubus Villosus" by Annie L. Prat. Source.

Okuyama Gihachiro

Suburbs of Yamagata by Okuyama Gihachiro.

Easter Road

Easter Road in its context.  Source.

Morton visit Hibs.

These two clubs have not met since Round Two of the 2008-09 League Cup, when Morton won 4 - 3. They were last in the same division in 1998-99, in which year Hibernian took all available points. Morton's last win against Hibs in league competition came on December 1st, 1984 at Cappielow, and their last league win at Easter Road was October 2nd, 1982. (All statistics from fitbastats.com.)

Who are more illustrious, Morton or Hibs? Hibs have won the Scottish Cup twice to Morton's once, the Scottish league championship four times to Morton's never, the League Cup three times to Morton's no times. Neither club has touched that rare prize, the Challenge Cup. Hibs are more illustrious.

In the friendly pre-season, Hibs beat Berwick and Dunfermline, and played Ayr to a scoreless draw. Dumbarton beat Hibs last weekend in the season opener. (Morton and Hibernian have both fallen to Dumbarton in recent weeks.) Hibs lost four of their first six Championship matches last season.

Morton squad numbers.

Morton have signed 17-year-old winger Jai Quitongo.

[Hibs 1 - 0 Morton.]

The First Preliminary Round of the Scottish Cup takes place today. There are now two preliminary rounds owing to the increased number of non-league clubs with SFA membership. Counting the preliminary rounds 92 clubs are in competition for this year's Cup. It sounds like a lot, but compare France where 8,506 clubs compete for the Coupe de France.

Five matches take place today:

Civil Service Strollers [3 - 0] Newton Stewart

Harestanes AFC [0 - 3] Girvan

St Cuthbert [3 - 1] Burntisland Shipyard

Golspie Sutherland [1 - 6] Cove Rangers

Wigtown & Bladnoch [1 - 0] Vale of Leithen

Before 2007-08, non-league SFA clubs qualified for entry into the Scottish Cup by winning the Qualifying Cup. The Qualifying Cup began in 1895 and so has a large body of historical statistics. You can view a partial summary of Qualifying Cup play here. Which clubs were best at qualification? 1) Inverness Caledonian, 2) Gala Fairydean, 3) Elgin City.

The Lowland League clubs have already played four games, most of them, and Edinburgh City are on top with four wins, 10 goals for and 2 against.

Hearts are atop the Premiership.

In the UEFA Super Cup Tuesday it was Champions League winners Barcelona 5, Europa League winners Sevilla 4. These two clubs are both in La Liga and will meet again in league play on October 4th and February 28th. Proof that Spain has the best league in Europe.

Wednesday, Montedio Yamagata were away to Kawasaki Frontale. Final score 0 - 0. Tomorrow they're home to Sagan Tosu. [Tosu win 1 - 3. After seven games in Stage Two Montedio are in last place.]

Canadian Championship final, first leg: Montreal Impact 2 - 2 Vancouver Whitecaps.

Yesterday UCD hosted Cobh Ramblers and won 3 - 0. Monday they play Athlone Town at the UCD Bowl. [UCD win 3 - 1.] The Students are making up games they missed during their Europa League adventure.

Turkey's second flight Lig 1 starts tomorrow: Adana Demirspor [2 - 0] Karşıyaka.

Someone's home movie of Edinburgh in 1936.

Shade

Plastic Murray Band

Lennon, Murray, Nilsson, Cooper and Dolenz, 1974. I play their record over and over again.

Panther Disappointment

Panther-form handle. Source.

To Valerius Maximus

You did well to put on a show of gladiators for our people of Verona, who have long shown their affection and admiration for you and have voted you many honours. Verona was also the home town of the excellent wife you loved so dearly, whose memory you owe some public building or show, and this kind of spectacle is particularly suitable for a funeral tribute. Moreover, the request came from so many people that a refusal would have been judged churlish rather than strong-minded on your part. You have also done admirably in giving the show so readily and on such a lavish scale, for this indicates a true spirit of generosity.

    I am sorry the African panthers you had bought in such quantities did not turn up on the appointed day, but you deserve the credit although the weather prevented their arriving in time; it was not your fault that you could not show them.

The Letters of the Younger Pliny, pages 183-4.