Plenty of Nothing

Black Deeds

Will St Mirren's black away team dressing room demoralize the Ton before they take the field?

It's a Friday night game under the lights at St. Mirren Park. My God, St Mirren are having a horrible season. After dropping out of the Premiership they sit in eighth place, twelve points behind Morton, who you'll recall played in League One last year. They have two wins (QoS and Livi), four draws, and seven losses. They have yet to win at home. They are contenders for the relegation playoffs in May, along with Livi and Dumbarton. The Buddies have never played in the third tier.

Morton are on a four-game winning streak.

[1 - 1. Morton goal by Samuel.]

This weekend it's Round Three of the Scottish Junior Cup. Port Glasgow Juniors, Largs Thistle and Greenock Juniors are out so let's watch:

Clydebank [0 - 1] Kelty Hearts

Whitletts Victoria [1 - 5] Dalkeith Thistle

Hurlford United [4 - 1] Falkirk Juniors

Scone Thistle [pp] Saltcoats Victoria

Kinnoull [pp] Auchinleck Talbot

Linlithgow Rose [5 - 0] Cumbernauld United

It's also Round Three of the Empress' Cup.

Match No. 33: Nippon TV Beleza [5 - 0] Waseda University

Match No. 34: Speranza FC Osaka Takatsuki [1 - 2] Iga FC Kunoichi

Match No. 35: Albirex Niigata [2 - 1] Stella Kanagawa

Match No. 36: Nittaidai FC Ladies [0 - 2] JEF United

Match No. 37: Vegalta Sendai Ladies [4 - 1] Daito Bunka University

Match No. 38: Urawa Red Diamond Ladies [2 - 0] AC Nagano Parciero Ladies

Match No. 39: Yunogo Belle [2 - 6] AS Elfen Saitama

Match No. 40: Angeviolet Hiroshima [0 - 5] INAC Kobe Leonessa

Tomorrow: Giresonspor [3 - 1] Karşıyaka. Greenock Juniors [0 - 2] Largs Thistle.

It's the final weekend of the league schedule in Japan.

Consadole Sapporo has changed its name to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.

Kagoshima United has been admitted to J3. Reinmeer Aomori is promoted to the JFL.

Northern Dancer

Canada's most famous horse, Northern Dancer. Source.

Bécassine Mobilisée

 

Akino Kondoh

I'm a sucker for well-composed panels. This one by Akino Kondoh has the formality of a Japanese room in one-point perspective, over which the speach balloons have been arranged like flowers on a branch. And the wind.

Louisbourg Sentry

Seems that King Louis is not behind the times in employing female staff. Tour Louisbourg with John, Marie, Rob and Lisa. Compare.

Republic Day

Efígie da República by Manoel Lopes Rodriques. The Brazilian Republic came into being on this date in 1889.

Three of Cups

Three of Cups, from the Steampunk Tarot. Source.

Morton host Queen of the South. This is their fourth meeting of 2015-16, and 2016 hasn't even started. In head to head competition each club has a win, a loss, and a draw, and they're even on goals. Morton's win came in the League Cup.

Morton are on a three game winning streak in league play, their first since the tail end of last season. Right now there is a nine-point gap between Morton and seventh-place Livingston. This season's schedule seems to pit Morton against all the weak clubs, and then all the strong clubs, so they need to pile up the points now. There might not be any in December. Morton's five losses have come at the hands of the five clubs that are above them in the table.

In the fan forums the supporters of both sides agree that a draw would be acceptable.

There's a 31-point gap between top and bottom in the Championship. Rangers are top and Alloa bottom. Rangers finally gave up some points last weekend, against hungry Hibs. And the latest appeal in the big tax case has gone against them, so they could conceivably implode before the end of the season.

East Stirlingshire hold their accustomed position of tenth place in League Two, but with only ten points separating top and bottom in that league anyone could end up in the g̶r̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶s̶i̶l̶o̶  pyramid playoff. The leaders of the Highland and Lowland Leagues are Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

It's between Ayr and Dunfermline in League One.

One of the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup goes today: Queen's Park [1 - 2] Peterhead. The other one is in two weeks.

Waghorn Watch: Waghorn 14 goals for; Greenock Morton 13 goals for.

Largs Thistle [2 - 1] Yoker Athletic.

Emperor's Cup, Round Four. Let's watch:

Match No. 75: Vegalta Sendai (J1) [2 - 1] Matsumoto Yamaga (J1)

Match No. 78: Sagan Tosu (J1) [4 - 3] Montedio Yamagata (J1)

Match No. 79: FC Tokyo (J1) 2 - 0 Mito HollyHock (J2)

Empress' Cup, Round Two. How about:

Match No. 21: Albirex Niigata Ladies [5 - 0] Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

Match No. 25: Vegalta Sendai Ladies [3 - 0] Japan Soccer College Ladies

Match No. 29: Yunogo Belle [3 - 1] Yamato Sylphid

[Morton win 2 - 0. Two goals by Johnstone. Morton are in fourth place.]

NASL Championship final tomorrow: New York Cosmos [3 - 2] Ottawa Fury. Winner gets the Soccer Bowl. Ottawa have won the NASL Fair Play Award, and their goalie Romuald Peiser got the Golden Glove.

Canadians Drafted by KHL Teams

Spencer Humphries.

The KHL has held a junior draft each year since 2009. Which Canadian players have been chosen?

Player -- Junior Club -- Drafted by -- Played in KHL?

2009

Zach Kassian -- Peterborough Petes -- Dynamo Moscow -- No

Erik Gudbranson -- Kingston Frontenacs -- Dynamo Moscow -- No

Taylor Hall -- Windsor Spitfires -- Ak Bars Kazan -- No

2010

Olivier Roy -- Cape Breton Screaming Eagles -- Barys Astana -- No

Tyler Toffoli -- Ottawa 67s -- Traktor Chelyabinsk -- No

2011

Jonathan Huberdeau -- Saint John Sea Dogs -- Vityaz Podolsk -- No

Matt Dumba -- Red Deer Rebels -- Vityaz Podolsk -- No

Ryan Murphy -- Kitchener Rangers -- Lokomotiv Yaroslavl -- No

Ryan Strome -- Niagara IceDogs -- Amur Khabarovsk -- No

Mark McNeill -- Prince Albert Raiders -- Vityaz Podolsk -- No

Sean Couturier -- Drummondville Voltigeurs -- Salavat Yulaev Ufa -- No

2012

Nathan MacKinnon -- Halifax Mooseheads -- Vityaz Podolsk -- No

Spencer Humphries -- Calgary Hitmen -- Traktor Chelyabinsk -- Yes -- He played 17 games for Lev Praha, but not Chelyabinsk, in 2013-14.

2013

Jake Virtanen -- Calgary Hitmen -- Medvescak Zagreb -- No

Brayden Point -- Moose Jaw Warriors -- Traktor Chelyabinsk -- No

Aaron Ekblad -- Barrie Colts -- Vityaz Podolsk -- No

2014

Travis Konecny -- Ottawa 67's -- Dinamo Riga -- No

Jeremy Roy -- Sherbrooke Phoenix -- Dinamo Riga -- No

Connor McDavid -- Erie Otters -- Medvescak Zagreb -- No

Jesse Gabrielle -- Brandon Wheat Kings -- Medvescak Zagreb -- No

Callum Booth -- Quebec Remparts -- Traktor Chelyabinsk -- No

Dylan Strome -- Erie Otters -- Metallurg Magnitogorsk -- No

2015

Jordan Weal -- Manchester Monarchs AHL -- Sochi -- No

Boris Katchouk -- Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds -- Sochi -- No

Nick Cousins -- Philadelphia Flyers NHL -- Sochi -- No

Astrid Lindgren on Set

Astrid Lindgren on the set of Pippi Longstocking, 1969.

Street Collection

Masakazu Ishiguro parodies Kantai Collection in this portrait of Hotori Arashiyama, the main character in his And Yet the Town Moves.