Plenty of Nothing

Madame Tussaud

Isabela Neamtu as Madame Tussaud. Source. Somebody build a horror film franchise around this woman.

Alice Braga

Alice Braga stars in the crime drama Queen of the South.

Morton visit Palmerston Park in Dumfries for their second league match against Queen of the South. The first meeting, on August 4th at Cappielow, ended in a 2 - 2 draw. Morton enter this evening's match in 6th place with 13 points and a -6 goal difference; QoS are 4th with 16 points and a +9 gd.

Morton are coming off a 5 - 0 scelping in Dingwall Saturday. They also surrendered 5 goals to Ayr United on Sept 29th. It's worrisome. Three 5-or-more goal losses in a season is the record for Morton in the 21st Century: it happened in 2000-01, 2011-12 and 2013-14.

The Ton will end the evening in 6th or 7th place. QoS can finish 3rd, 4th or 5th. (Okay, Morton can finish 4th or 5th, but it means scoring something like 15 goals.)

Stephen Dobbie leads the league with 12 goals. Collectively Morton have 11.

Michael Doyle and Gary Harkins have played for Morton. Bob McHugh and Gary Oliver have played for QoS. On the QoS roster is a Canadian named David Norman Jr., on loan from the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Other Championship matches:

Ayr United (2nd) vs Alloa (9th)

Ayr won the first match. [Ayr 3 - 0 Alloa]

Falkirk (10th) vs Ross County (1st)

Ross County won the first match. [Falkirk 1 - 1 Ross County.]

Inverness CT (5th) vs Dunfermline (7th)

A scoreless draw between ICT and the Pars would serve Morton best, and it just so happens that ICT are riding a streak of five draws in a row, three of them scoreless. [ICT 2 - 2 Pars]

Leagues One and Two do not play this midweek, but the Premiership have a full slate of games tomorrow evening.

[Morton win 1 - 2. Goals by McHugh and Lyon.]

Morton's most recent win at each 2018-19 Championship home ground:

2018/8/11      Alloa 0 - 2 Morton

2018/2/24      Inverness CT 0 - 2 Morton

2018/1/27      Dundee United 0 - 3 Morton

2018/1/20      Dunfermline 1 - 2 Morton

2017/11/25    Falkirk 0 - 3 Morton

2017/9/16      QoS 1 - 2 Morton

2017/1/28      Ayr United 1 - 4 Morton

2012/12/26    Partick Thistle 1 - 2 Morton

2003/1/25      Ross County 1 - 2 Morton

Who has beaten whom so far in Championship play?

Who:                Whom:

Ross County:   Ayr Utd, Dundee Utd, Morton, Dunfermline, Partick, Alloa, Falkirk

Ayr Utd:            Dundee Utd, Morton, Dunfermline, Partick (2), Alloa, Falkirk

Dundee Utd:     QoS, Dunfermline, Partick (2), Falkirk

QoS:                 Ayr Utd, Dunfermline, Falkirk (2)

ICT:                   Dunfermline, Partick, Falkirk

Morton:             Ross County, Alloa, Falkirk

Dunfermline:     Dundee Utd, Partick, Falkirk

Partick:             QoS, Morton, Falkirk

Alloa:                Partick

Falkirk:              Alloa

(A name in bold indicates a higher-placed club.)

Queen of the South versus the world:

2008/8/14      QoS 1 - 2 Nordsjaelland

2008/8/26      Nordsjaelland 2 - 1 QoS

2016/10/9      QoS 2 - 0 Linfield

2017/11/12    The New Saints 0 - 0 QoS (TNS won on PK.)

2018/9/8        QoS 4 - 3 Crusaders

QoS got into the 2008-09 UEFA Cup as 2007-08 Scottish Cup finalists.

Arthurlie versus Queen of the South. These two clubs played five seasons together in the Twenties, one in Division Three, and four in Division Two. Arthurlie won five games, QoS four, with one draw. Arthurlie outscored Queens 22 to 17.

Denny Johnstone's goals for Morton:

date              venue             opponent     goalkeeper             competition

2015/8/1       Cappielow      Elgin            Stewart Black         League Cup

2015/9/5       Almondvale    Livingston    Darren Jamieson    league

2015/9/19     Palmerston    QoS             Robbie Thomson    league

2015/10/27   Cappielow     St Johnstone    Alan Mannus      League Cup

2015/10/31   Dumbarton    Dumbarton    Mark Brown           league

2015/11/7     Cappielow      Livingston     Marc McCallum      league

2015/11/14   Cappielow      QoS             Robbie Thomson    league

2015/11/14   Cappielow      QoS              Robbie Thomson    league

2015/11/28    Cliftonhill   Albion Rovers   Ross M. Stewart    Scottish Cup

2016/2/13     Cappielow     Dumbarton    Jamie Ewings         league

2016/2/24     Easter Road    Hibs             Mark Oxley            league

2016/3/11     Ibrox               Rangers     Wes Foderingham    league

2016/3/15     Cappielow      QoS            Robbie Thomson     league

2016/3/15     Cappielow      QoS            Robbie Thomson     league

2016/3/19     Cappielow      Alloa            Scott Gallacher       league

2016/4/9       Cappielow     Livingston     Marc McCallum       league

2016/4/16     Paisley          St Mirren       Jamie Langfield      league

How have Morton fared in Match Eleven this decade?

2017/10/28    St Mirren 2 - 2 Morton

2016/11/1      Morton 3 - 1 St Mirren

2015/10/17    Falkirk 1 - 0 Morton

2014/10/25    Dunfermline 1 - 2 Morton

2013/10/26    Raith Rovers 2 - 1 Morton

2012/11/10    Morton 0 - 1 Hamilton

2011/10/29    Morton 0 - 2 Ross County

2010/10/30    Morton 0 - 1 Raith Rovers

2 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses.

The First Astérix

The first instalment of Astérix was released on this day in 1959. Source.

Sous le N: Vallon-en-Sully

Alain-Fournier was born here. Source.

Eddie Morton

Eddie Morton, "I'm A Member of the Midnight Crew" (1909).

Ross County host Greenock Morton.

The Championship season is one-quarter complete. Morton have 3W 4D 2L for 13 points, which puts them on track for 52 points at the end of the season, good for sixth place in last year's Championship.

Statistical Third Lanark sit in 5.5th place.

Morton enter today's game in 6th place, and can end the day anywhere from 3rd to 7th. Ross County will either hold on to first place or slip to second. Morton beat Ross County in their first encounter August 25th. Ross County, Alloa and Falkirk are the only teams Morton can sweep this season. But have Morton ever defeated Ross County twice in one season? No. And when was the last time Morton won in Dingwall? 2003.

Ross County's Michael Gardyne, Jamie Lindsay, Declan McManus and Brian Graham have all played for Morton at some point. Ross County have two players named Dingwall -- Tony Dingwall and Russell Dingwall.

Reghan Tumilty has played for Ross County.

Other Championship matches today:

Alloa (9th) [0 - 0] Inverness CT (3rd)

These two played to a 2 - 2 draw in their first encounter.

Dunfermline (7th) [0 - 2] Dundee United (4th)

Dunfermline won their first meeting.

Partick Thistle (8th) [0 - 1] Ayr United (2nd)

Ayr won the first league meeting, and their League Cup match.

Queen of the South (5th) [2 - 0] Falkirk (10th)

QoS won the first time.

Another top-half versus bottom-half day. The last one was September 1st, but Morton were in the top half and QoS in the bottom half.

[Ross County 5 - 0 Morton.]

It's the League Cup semi-finals. Both games take place tomorrow, one after the other, to suit television. The original plan was to stage both matches at Hampden, but nobody was having it, least of all the police who have got to control the mobs. Eventually the SPFL moved Hearts vs Celtic to Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

Hearts [0 - 3] Celtic

Aberdeen [1 - 0] Rangers

When was the last time these four were the semi-finalists? 1976-77.

Managerial chairs: Albion Rovers axed John Brogan after last Saturday's loss to Formartine United. On Sunday Dumbarton hired Jim Duffy who was sacked by Morton at the end of last season. On Monday Stirling Albion hired Kevin Rutkiewicz as manager. He played for Morton during the magical season of 2012-13.

Morton's complaint against Falkirk over the poaching of Ray McKinnon and staff has been taken seriously enough by the SPFL that they have convened a hearing.

A third of SPFL clubs have changed managers since the end of last season. By way of comparison, Theresa May has been in her current job for two years and four months; only eleven SPFL managers have been in theirs longer.

1928-29. Morton hosted Dumbarton and won 3 - 1.

1951-52. Morton visited Motherwell and won 1 - 2.

Games without a loss, league + cup:

8            Ross County

7            Inverness CT

3            Alloa

2            Dundee United

2            Morton

1            Queen of the South

0            Ayr United

0            Dunfermline

0            Partick

0            Falkirk

Morton goals for and against, after nine games, the last ten years:

                      for       against

2018-19        11        12

2017-18        12          9

2016-17        13        12

2015-16          9        12

2014-15        16        12

2013-14          9        17

2012-13        20        13

2011-12        12        16

2010-11          7          9

2009-10          6        17

average       11.5    12.9

So far 2018-19 is a very average year.

Arthurlie vs St Johnstone. These were both members of the Scottish League Division Two from 1911-12 to 1914-15. Arthurlie won four, St Johnstone three, with one draw. St Johnstone scored 18, Arthurlie 17.

Angus derby: Brechin [1 - 3] Montrose

Scottish Cup Round Two replay:

Auchinleck Talbot [2 - 1] Cove Rangers

It's Round Three of the 2018-19 Scottish Junior Cup. I've totally ignored this cup so far this year. Let's watch:

Arthurlie [1 - 3] Dundee Violet

Auchinleck Talbot vs Lesmahagow Juniors [Postponed because of above. How Talbot find time for league matches is a mystery to me.]

Kilsyth Rangers [2 - 0] Irvine Meadow

Largs Thistle [4 - 0] Shotts Bon Accord

Pumpherston [1 - 4] Blantyre Victoria

Troon [4 - 2] Nairn St. Ninian

Tier 6. The Scottish FA's Pyramid Working Group has announced that the SJFA West and East Regions have agreed to join the Scottish pyramid. They'll be fitted in immediately below the Lowland League. The West Region are ready to make the move now, having restructured into what will be tier 6, 7, 8 and 9 divisions this past summer. The East needs some work, though, with the East of Scotland League and the East Region having to accommodate each other somehow. Part of the difficulty that the SFA has faced in creating the Scottish Pyramid stems from the fact that they -- unlike the Egyptians -- began at the top and worked down.

Europa League group stage, matchday 3 (Oct 25):

Group B: Red Bull Leipzig 2 - 0 Celtic

Group G: Rangers 0 - 0 Spartak Moscow

Group I: Sarpsborg 1 - 1 Malmö

AFC Champions League, semi-finals, second leg:

Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3 - 3 Kashima Antlers

Kashima advance on aggregate.

Allsvenskan: AIK vs Malmö FF (Oct 29)

J2: Montedio Yamagata [0 - 1] Mito HollyHock (Oct 28)

Kanto University League: Juntendo [0 - 1] Tsukuba

Danish 1st Division: Fredericia 1 - 2 Viborg (Oct 25)

Fredericia [1 - 2] F. Amager (Oct 28)

Swiss Challenge League: Schaffhausen [2 - 2] Winterthur

Regionalliga Südwest: SSV Ulm [1 - 1] 1. FC Saarbrücken

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm.

The 54th All Japan Senior Football Championship was played from October 19th to 24th. Thirty-two tier V and VI clubs participated, including six from the Kantō region (Tokyo Int'l University, Tochigi Uva, Vonds Ichihara, Tokyo United, Esperanza SC and Ryutsu Keizai University) and two from Tōhoku (Fuji Club 2003 and Iwaki FC). The top four finishers were Matsue City FC (tournament champions), FC Kariya, Iwaki FC, and Tochigi Uva. Some of these will move on to the Regional Champions League in November. Iwaki FC cannot, however, because they are still only in the 2nd Division of their league.

Patron Saints of Austria

The patron saints of Austria by Albrecht Dürer (1517).

They are:

Quirinus.

Maximilianus.

Florianus.

Severinus of Noricum.

Colomanus.

Leopoldus.

Poppo.

Otto.

Source: National Gallery of Victoria.

Today is Austria's national holiday.

Izu Dancer Cosplay

Kawabata's story "The Dancing Girl of Izu" starts off just here, at the north entrance to the Amagi Tunnel. They held a dance festival there in 2010. Source.

98th Emperor's Cup, Quarter-Finals

Dear old Waseda University, pictured in 1909. Source.

It's the quarter-finals of the Emperor's Cup. The matches are:

Match No. 81: Urawa Red Diamonds [2 - 0] Sagan Tosu

Match No. 82: Kashima Antlers vs Ventforet Kofu [to be played Nov 21 because Kashima Antlers have an AFC Champions League semi-final at the exact same kick-off time.]

Match No. 83: Júbilo Iwata [1 - 1] Vegalta Sendai. [Vegalta win on PK.]

Match No. 84: Kawasaki Frontale [2 - 3] Montedio Yamagata [Upset!]

[Kashima Antlers' successes are causing fixture congestion on an international scale. Kashima play Tehran club Persepolis in the AFC Champions League final on Nov 3 and Nov 10. If they win that tournament they will advance to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, with games on Dec 15, 18 and 22.

Right now the Emperor's Cup semi-finals and final are scheduled for Dec 16 and 24. If Kashima win their Nov 21 Emperor's Cup quarter-final and the AFC Champions League final, then the Emperor's Cup semi-finals will be brought forward to Dec 5 and the final to December 9.]

Seven of the quarter-finalists are from J1. Montedio Yamagata play in J2 and are therefore our favourite, though if Vegalta Sendai win the cup that's okay too. Three were quarter-finalists in last year's Emperor's Cup: Kashima Antlers, Júbilo Iwata and Kawasaki Frontale. Three were League Cup quarter-finalists this year: Kashima Antlers, Ventforet Kofu and Kawasaki Frontale.

Only three of the eight have ever won the Emperor's Cup: Kashima Antlers five times, most recently two years ago; Urawa Red Diamonds six times, most recently in 2006; and Júbilo Iwata twice, most recently in 2003.

Which teams have won the Emperor's Cup/League Cup double? Kashima Antlers (1997, 2000); Gamba Osaka (2014); Cerezo Osaka (2017).

Waseda University in the Emperor's Cup:

96回        R1        Grulla Morioka 4 - 0 Waseda University

77回        R1        Kagawa Shiun Club 1 - 0 Waseda University

76回        R1        YKK 0 - 5 Waseda University

                R2        NTT Kanto 1 - 0 Waseda University

73回        R1        Waseda University 3 - 0 Hokuriku Electric Power

                R2        Waseda University 0 - 2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

71回        R1        Waseda University 1 - 2 Mazda

70回        R1        Waseda University 0 - 3 Yomiuri

66回        R1        Waseda University 0 - 1 Yanmar Diesel

63回        R1        Waseda University 0 - 2 Yamaha Motors

61回        R1        Waseda University 6 - 0 Gonohe Town Hall

                R2        Waseda University 0 - 3 Mitsubishi Motors

59回        R1        Waseda University 2 - 1 Tanabe Pharmaceuticals

                R2        Hitachi 1 - 0 Waseda University

58回        R1        Toyota Motors 0 - 1 Waseda University

                R2        Waseda University 1 - 3 Mitsubishi Motors

57回        R1        Waseda University 5 - 1 Sapporo University

                R2        Fujita Industries 3 - 2 Waseda University

56回        R1        Sapporo University 0 - 6 Waseda University

                R2        Waseda University 0 - 1 Mitsubishi Motors

55回        R1        Nippon Kokan 2 - 0 Waseda University

54回        R2        Honda 1 - 2 Waseda University

                R3        Toyota Motors 1 - 0 Waseda University

53回        R2        Meijo University 0 - 1 Waseda University

                R3        Furukawa Electric 2 - 2 Waseda University (Furukawa won on penalty kicks.)

52回        R1        Waseda University 2 - 3 Nippon Light Metal

51回        QF        Yanmar Diesel 3 - 1 Waseda University

48回        QF        Toyo Industries 0 - 2 Waseda University

                SF        Waseda University 3 - 4 Mitsubishi Motors

46回        QF        Mitsubishi Motors 1 - 3 Waseda University

                SF        Yawata Steel 1 - 2 Waseda University

                 F         Toyo Industries 2 - 3 Waseda University

45回        QF        Waseda University 3 - 0 Hitachi

                SF        Yawata Steel 4 - 3 Waseda University

44回        GS        Waseda University 1 - 2 Yawata Steel

                GS        Waseda University 4 - 0 Mitsubishi Motors

                GS        Waseda University 2 - 0 Kansai University

                GS        Waseda University 7 - 0 Nihon University

43回        QF        Waseda University 2 - 1 Toyo Industries

                SF        Waseda University 2 - 1 Kansai University

                 F         Hitachi 0 - 3 Waseda University

42回        R1        Waseda University 5 - 1 Kyoto Shiko

                QF        Waseda University 0 - 1 Toyo Industries

38回        R1        Waseda University 1 - 3 Yawata Steel

37回        R1        All Hokkaido 0 - 7 All Waseda University

               QF        All Waseda University 1 - 2 Toyo Industries

35回        R1        Waseda University 2 - 2 Chuo University Club (Chuo won by lottery.)

31回        R1        Waseda University WMW 8 - 0 Sapporo Club

                QF        Waseda University WMW 0 - 1 Sendai Soccer

30回        R1        Waseda University WMW 4 - 2 Nagoya Soccer

                QF        Waseda University WMW 7 - 0 Nittetsu Mining

                SF        Waseda University WMW 2 - 4 All Kwangaku

26回        R1        All Waseda University 2 - 1 Shonan Club

                QF        Tokyo Shukyu-dan 1 - 6 All Waseda University

                SF        University of Tokyo LB 2 - 0 All Waseda University

20回        QF        All 延禧 1 - 2 Waseda University WMW

                SF        Imperial University of Kyoto 1 - 2 Waseda University WMW

                 F         Waseda University WMW 0 - 1 Keio BRB

19回        QF        Waseda University 6 - 0 Kobe Higher Commercial School

                SF        Waseda University 2 - 2 All 普成 (Waseda won by lottery.)

                 F         Waseda University 2 - 3 Keio BRB

18回        SF        Yonhi College 2 - 2 Waseda University (Waseda won by lottery.)

                 F         Keio University 1 - 4 Waseda University

 8回        QF        Nagoya Technical College 0 - 2 Waseda University WMW

               SF        Keio BRB 1 - 5 Waseda University WMW

                F         Imperial University of Kyoto 1 - 6 Waseda University WMW

 7回        QF        Waseda Gakuin 1 - 0 Sendai Club

               SF        Kobe-Ichi Junior High School Club 1 - 0 Waseda Gakuin

I'm unsure whether Waseda Gakuin is connected to Waseda University.

Swedish Classics Illustrated

Classics Ilustrated Comics were published in Swedish. Most numbers were Swedish translations of comics originally issued in English, but here's one specifically for the Swedish market. Source.

Where's Cyclops?