Plenty of Nothing

Ólavsøka

Saint Olaf's Day is tomorrow, but the people of Tórshavn like to get things started the day before with a boat race. Source.

Empress of Ireland

On this date in 1914 the Empress of Ireland was struck by the SS Storstad off Rimouski and sank with a loss of 1,012 lives. Source.

Red Seal Ship

From 1592 till 1635 Japan sent armed merchant vessels to trade with the countries of south-east Asia. These vessels operated with the approval and protection of the shogunate, and are known by the official red-sealed permits they carried. Source.

The Barque Kilblain

The Barque Kilblain Becalmed Off the Cloch Lighthouse, by William Clark. Source. The Cloch Lighthouse also figures in this Clark painting and this one.

Developments:

Monday: The Lowland League declared its season finished and Kelty Hearts champion.

Tuesday: The new West of Scotland League officially launched with 67 clubs. The clubs are listed here.

Wednesday: Dundee FC voted in favour of the SPFL's proposal to end the 2019-20 Championship and Leagues One and Two. Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers gained promotion. Ann Budge of Hearts was put in charge of a SPFL taskforce on league restructuring.

Friday: the SPFL paid out £1.8m in year-end prize money to the 30 clubs of the Championship, League One and League Two. Budge struck a 15-member committee (including David Mackinnon for Morton), expecting to have a proposal ready within three weeks. Coincidentally the UK and Scottish governments extended the lockdown by three weeks.

Year-End Stats Wowzerooney:

First and last place teams week by week (3 of 3):

Week 25        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 26        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 27        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 28        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Mar 14           cancelled

Mar 21           cancelled

Mar 28           cancelled

Apr 4              cancelled

Apr 11            cancelled

Apr 18            cancelled

Apr 25            cancelled

May 2             cancelled

How did Morton fare against the other Championship clubs?

Alloa                      2 wins, 1 draw. 10 gf, 5 ga, +5 gd. 7 points.

Arbroath                2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. 4 gf, 3 ga, +1 gd. 7 points.

QoS                       1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss. 6 gf, 3 ga, +3 gd. 4 points.

Dundee                 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss. 3 gf, 3 ga, 0 gd. 4 points.

Dunfermline          1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss. 5 gf, 6 ga, -1 gd. 4 points.

Partick Thistle       1 win, 2 losses. 5 gf, 6 ga, -1 gd. 3 points.

Ayr United             1 win, 2 losses. 6 gf, 8 ga, -2 gd. 3 points.

Inverness CT        1 win, 2 losses. 4 gf, 9 ga, -5 gd. 3 points.

Dundee United      1 draw, 2 losses. 2 gf, 9 ga, -7 gd. 1 point.

Big wins:

2019/7/16      Morton 6 - 1 Dumbarton        League Cup

2019/7/23      Annan 0 - 5 Morton               League Cup

2020/2/29      QoS 0 - 4 Morton                   league

Big losses:

2019/7/19      Motherwell 4 - 0 Morton        League Cup

2019/8/30      Inverness CT 5 - 0 Morton    league

2019/9/7        Inverness CT 3 - 1 Morton    Challenge Cup

2019/9/28      Dundee Utd 6 - 0 Morton      league

Did Morton meet Plenty of Nothing's objectives?

1) Play a Premiership club at Cappielow.    No.

2) Play a non-Scottish club.    No.

3) Make the promotion playoffs.    No.

4) Win the Challenge Cup.    No.

5) Score 50 goals in league play.    No.

6) Knock Falkirk out of any cup.    No.

7) Finish above Ayr United.    No.

8) Finish above Queen of the South.    Yes.

1907-08. Morton hosted Queen's Park and won 3 - 2.

1963-64. On April 13th Morton visited Dumbarton at Boghead and won 0 - 2. On April 18th they went to Central Park in Cowdenbeath and won 1 - 5.

SPFL Reserve League: Hamilton vs Morton (April 13) (no)

The Reserve League is done.

SWF Championship South: Morton vs Edinburgh Caledonia (no)

CPL: Pacific vs Wanderers (no)

The CPL clubs instituted 25% wage cuts this week.

Swiss Challenge League: Aarau vs Winterthur (no)

Grasshoppers Zurich has been sold to a Hong Kong group.

Bolivian league: The Strongest vs Santa Cruz (no)

In Japan the dates of the prefectural finals and the first round of the Emperor's Cup have been pushed back.

Which Scottish League clubs have finished with the most points each year this century?

2019-20        80        Celtic (Premiership) (as it stands)

2018-19        87        Celtic (Premiership)

2017-18        82        Celtic (Premiership)

2016-17      106        Celtic (Premiership)

2015-16        86        Celtic (Premiership)

2014-15        92        Celtic (Premiership)

2013-14      102        Rangers (League One)

2012-13        92        Queen of the South (2nd Division)

2011-12        93        Celtic (Premier League)

2010-11        93        Rangers (Premier League)

2009-10        87        Rangers (Premier League)

2008-09        86        Rangers (Premier League)

2007-08        89        Celtic (Premier League)

2006-07        84        Celtic (Premier League)

2005-06        91        Celtic (Premier League)

2004-05        98        Gretna (3rd Division)

2003-04        98        Celtic (Premier League)

2002-03        97        Rangers (Premier League)

2001-02      103        Celtic (Premier League)

2000-01        97        Celtic (Premier League)

Japan Football League 1999

There might not be any new soccer to report on this spring, so let's follow our guys Mito HollyHock through the 1999 season, which began this weekend 21 years ago.

In 1999 Mito HollyHock were members of the Japan Football League, which had just been downgraded from tier II to tier III through the creation of the J2 league. The 1998 JFL was made up of 16 teams, nine of which left to become the core of J2. The seven remaining JFL clubs were joined by two new teams, and the JFL played as a nine-team league in 1999. The JFL then as now was the top amateur league in Japan, though some clubs were effectively professional and just waiting for their turn to move up to the J League.

The nine clubs of the 1999 JFL were: Denso SC, Honda Motors, Jatco SC, Kokushikan University, Mito HollyHock, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Sony Sendai, Yokogawa Electric and Yokohama FC. The teams played each other three times for a total of 24 games each. The season ran from April to November.

1999/4/18      Sony Sendai 0 - 4 Mito HollyHock

Why did Mito HollyHock not join J2 in 1999? Probably because they finished in 14th place with only 23 points and a -32 goal difference in 1998, lower than any of the successful candidates.

(Your source for 1999 JFL scorelines is soccer-db.net.)

The Captain Molly Kool

Source. Molly Kool.

RRS Discovery

RRS Discovery, the ship of Scott's 1901-04 Antarctic expedition, was built in Dundee and is now on display on the Dundee waterfront. Source.

Morton visit Tannadice for a match against Dundee United. Morton are eighth in the division, Dundee United are first. The Tangerines have not lost a match since Oct 19th and are 17 points clear of second-place Inverness. United have outscored Morton 8 goals to 1 in their two meetings so far this season. Lawrence Shankland is the top scorer in the SPFL with 22 goals.

It might appear hopeless, but Morton have taken a win from Dundee United in each of the last three seasons.

Morton are 6 points out of third place and 4 points out of tenth place.

Stephen Welsh has been recalled to Celtic. Peter Grant has departed Morton for Queen's Park.

Michael Tidser has left Falkirk.

The other Championship matches:

Alloa 2 - 0 Arbroath (Jan 21)

Dunfermline (5th) 2 - 0 Dundee (4th) (last night)

Arbroath (7th) [2 - 1] Partick Thistle (9th)

Ayr United (3rd) [1 - 0] ICT (2nd)

QoS (6th) [2 - 3] Alloa (10th)

[Dundee United 1 - 1 Morton. Morton goal by Orsi.]

League One:

Airdrieonians (3rd) [0 - 0] Stranraer (10th)

Clyde (7th) [2 - 1] East Fife (4th)

Falkirk (2nd) [6 - 0] Forfar (9th)

Peterhead (8th) [1 - 0] Dumbarton (6th)

Raith Rovers (1st) [4 - 3] Montrose (5th)

Since 1994, which clubs have played the most seasons in tier III (the Second Division or League One)?

19        Forfar

18        Stranraer

17        Stenhousemuir

17        Brechin

15        East Fife

14        Alloa

13        Stirling Albion

13        Ayr United

12        Airdrieonians

12        Arbroath

When was Morton's last scoreless draw against each of the other 2019-20 Championship clubs?

2019/2/16      Morton 0 - 0 Ayr United

2019/1/26      Morton 0 - 0 Dunfermline

2016/11/19    Morton 0 - 0 Dundee United

2012/2/18      Partick Thistle 0 - 0 Morton

2009/1/17      Dundee 0 - 0 Morton

2008/9/13      Morton 0 - 0 Queen of the South

2006/3/18      Alloa 0 - 0 Morton

1967/4/22      Morton 0 - 0 Arbroath

never             Inverness CT

1907-08. Jan 25th was Round One of the Scottish Cup. Morton hosted Vale of Atholl from Perthshire and beat them 7 - 0.

1963-64. Celtic visited Cappielow for Round Two of the Scottish Cup and won 1 - 3.

Morton in the Glasgow and District Midweek League 1912-13:

1912/9/10      Morton 2 - 1 St Mirren (at Shawfield)

1912/11/5      Partick Thistle 2 - 0 Morton

1912/12/3      Third Lanark 3 - 2 Morton

1913/4/9        Morton 1 - 1 Kilmarnock

Every game took place in Glasgow. Each team was to meet each other team once. Morton's games against Clyde and Falkirk did not occur or have not been found. Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive.

Morton's record on Burns Day.

SPFL Reserve League: Morton 2 - 2 Hearts (Jan 20)

It's the Scottish Junior Cup, Round Five:

Auchinleck Talbot [2 - 1] Tayport

Broughty Athletic [2 - 1] St. Roch's

Hurlford United [5 - 1] Gartcairn

Kello Rovers [2 - 1] Irvine Meadow

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy [0 - 1] Neilston Juniors

Petershill [1 - 1] Darvel Juniors

Pollok [4 - 0] Fauldhouse United

Stoneywood-Parkvale FC [0 - 4] Beith Juniors

Swiss Challenge League: Kriens [0 - 0] Winterthur

2020 AFC Champions League East, preliminary round two (Jan 21):

Kedah (Malaysia) 5 - 1 Tai Po (Hong Kong)

Buriram United (Thailand) 2 - 1 Ho Chi Min City (Vietnam)

Port (Thailand) 0 - 1 Ceres-Negros

Melbourne Victory (New Zealand) 5 - 0 Bali United

2020 Copa Libertadores, First Stage, first leg (Jan 22):

San José (Bolivia) 0 - 1 Guaraní (Paraguay)

The Copa Libertadores is the top club cup in South America. 47 teams compete for a place in the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament goes from January 'til November. There are four Bolivian clubs in it this year: San José, The Strongest, Jorge Wilstermann, and Bolívar. San José are the only Bolivian club in the first stage.

The División de Fútbol Profesional, Bolivia's top league, got off to a delayed start midweek, except for the match between San José and The Strongest, which was postponed due to the Copa Libertadores.

Tomorrow evening Real Santa Cruz host Club The Strongest. I'm going to follow The Strongest through 2020, but also write about the other clubs, and try to get a handle on Bolivian football and maybe Bolivia itself.

Real Santa Crux have just been promoted to the top division. They were previously in it from 1994 till 2001. They wear white. Their home stadium is the 14,000-seat Estadio Juan Carlos Durán Saucedo. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the largest city in Bolivia.

[Real Santa Cruz 3 - 2 The Strongest.]

The Canadian Premier League has played only one season but it has already established itself as an organization that likes to get things done at the very last minute. The league placed a club into the 2019 Concacaf League without having a 2018 champion by running a short 10-game apertura last spring. Now they're working to put a club in Ottawa for the 2020 season, which (checks watch) begins in three months.

The split season might help them with that. They could play the Spring Season with seven teams, and admit Ottawa for the Fall Season, giving the new club a couple of extra months preparation time. A seven-team Apertura plus an eight-team Clausura would make for a 26-game season for the other seven teams, if everyone were to play everyone else an equal number of times, for which there is no guarantee in this league.

HFX Wanderers have signed Mateo Restrepo, captain of University of California Santa Barbra.

Football Stadium Prints started out a couple of years ago making original images of Scottish football grounds, including a really nice one of Cappielow with the Titan Crane behind it, and have now done the Wanderers Grounds, choosing quite an unexpected view of the main stand with Camp Hill Hospital in the background. You'd normally expect to be shown Citadel Hill.

The Canadian Premier League's 2019 Player of the Year Tristan Borges has been sold to Belgian club Oud-Heverlee Leuven for an undisclosed amount.

Valour FC have signed Fraser Aird.

Estonian clubs versus Slovenian clubs in UEFA competition:

2004/7/14      Flora Tallinn 2 - 4 ND Gorica          CL 1QR

2004/7/21      ND Gorica 3 - 1 Flora Tallinn          CL 1QR

2009/7/2        Narva Trans 0 - 3 Rudar Velenje    EL 1QR

2009/7/9        Rudar Velenje 3 - 1 Narva Trans    EL 1QR

The 2020 League of Ireland season is approaching. Our guys UCD were relegated from the Premier Division to the First Division at the end of the 2019 season, and Shelbourne were promoted. Limerick FC, who finished bottom of the First Division, are tottering on the verge of insolvency, and have been replaced in the 2020 schedule by Shamrock Rovers II. The other nine First Division clubs don't like it and been warned by the league that they'd just better show up for their games because or else.

The new structure of Scottish women's football is becoming clear. There will be a SWPL 1 with eight clubs, a SWPL 2 with ten clubs, and a third-tier SWF Championship of 26 clubs divided into two 13-team geographical sections called North and South. Morton will be in the Championship South. In 130 years the men's league has never had a 13-team division, not even by accident. [Update: Stenhousemuir have been moved into the South. The Championship South will have 14 clubs, the Championship North will have 12.]

Stromboli, Kathleen and Ardbeg

On December 31st, 1904, the steamers Stromboli and Kathleen collided in the shipping lane off Greenock. The sunken vessels became an instant hazard and before they could be removed the Ardbeg ran aground on them. Source.

Morton host Partick Thistle. Morton are eighth with 19 points, Partick ninth with 18. This is their third meeting of the season. Morton won the first match 3 - 2 at Cappielow and Partick won the second 2 - 1 at Firhill.

Morton are advertising for a new kit man.

The other Championship matches:

Dundee United (1st) 1 - 1 Dundee (4th) (last night)

Ayr United (3rd) [1 - 2] Queen of the South (6th)

Dunfermline (5th) [1 - 3] Alloa (10th)

Inverness CT (2nd) [0 - 1] Arbroath (7th)

[Morton 1 - 2 Partick. Morton goal by Jacobs.]

League One:

East Fife (2nd) [3 - 5] Raith Rovers (1st)

Airdrieonians (3rd) [1 - 1] Falkirk (4th)

Raith, East Fife and Airdrieonians each have 32 points, and Falkirk have 31.

Dumbarton (5th) [1 - 1] Stranraer (10th)

Forfar (9th) [2 - 3] Montrose (6th)

Peterhead (8th) [2 - 0] Clyde (7th)

1907-08: Morton were home to Aberdeen and won 2 - 0. Following this result Morton were in 12th place (out of 18) with 5 wins, 5 draws and 11 losses.

1963-64: Morton beat Stranraer 4 - 0 at Cappielow. Morton were first in Division Two with 20 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses, 87 goals for and 20 against. Can you believe it?!

Morton's Christmas Day matches.

SPFL Reserve League: Queen of the South vs Morton (Dec 23). [I think this is the match that was played Dec 9th.]

At midseason Brora Rangers lead the Highland League, and Kelty Hearts the Lowland. Bo'ness United are atop the East of Scotland League, and Threave Rovers the South of Scotland.

Update the chart showing Morton's plus and minus goal difference seasons, why don't you?

1890s                               --    --    --    --    +    --    +

1900s            0    --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --

1910s            --    0    --    +    +    +     +    +    +    +

1920s            +    +    --    --    --    --    --    --    +    --

1930s            --    --    --    +    +    +    +    --    --    +

1940s            +    +    +     +    +    +    +    +    --    +

1950s            --    --    +    +    --    +    +    --    --    --

1960s            --    +    +    +     0    --    +    +    --    0

1970s            0    --    --    --    --    --    +    +    --    +

1980s            --    --    --    +    --    --    +    --    0    --

1990s            --    +    +    --    +    +     +    --    +    --

2000s            --    --    +    +    +    +     +    --    0    --

2010s            --    --    +    --    +    --    +    +    --   [--]

An earlier version of this was posted April 8, 2017.

Morton's high points of the decade:

2013/7/20        St Mirren 2 - 4 Morton       Renfrewshire Cup final

Morton's only Renfrewshire Cup of the decade.

2013/9/24        Celtic 0 - 1 Morton            League Cup R3

Giantkillers.

2015/5/2          Morton 3 - 1 Peterhead     league

Promotion.

2015/12/12      Rangers 2 - 2 Morton        league

Morton's first point off Rangers since 1988.

2016/11/1        Morton 3 - 1 St Mirren

Morton's first league win against the Skunks since 1999.

2018/11/3        Morton 5 - 1 Partick           league

Morton's biggest win against the Jags since 1990.

Morton's low points of the decade:

2014/5/3          Hamilton 10 - 2 Morton      league

Worst result since 1933. Commenters in the Pie and Bovril forums now refer to Morton as Morten.

2014/11/29      Spartans 2 - 1 Morton        Scottish Cup R4

The Spartans play in the Lowland League.

How many matches did each opponent play against Morton this decade?

34        (31 + 3)      Queen of the South

33        (32 + 1)      Falkirk

29        (28 + 1)      Dunfermline

27        (26 + 1)      Raith Rovers

26        (20 + 6)      Dumbarton

23        (21 + 2)      Partick Thistle

22        (21 + 1)      Ayr United

22        (20 + 2)      Livingston

17        (14 + 1 + 2)    Dundee United

16        (15 + 1)      Dundee

16        (14 + 2)      Alloa Athletic

15        (14 + 1)      Ross County

15        (12 + 3)      Inverness CT

14        (12 + 2)      Hamilton

14        (10 + 4)      new Airdrieonians

13        (12 + 1)      St Mirren

12        (12 + 0)      Cowdenbeath

  9        (8 + 1)        Hibs

  8        (8 + 0)        Brechin

  8        (8 + 0)        Stirling Albion

  6        (4 + 2)        Peterhead

  6        (4 + 2)        Stranraer

  6        (0 + 6)        Albion Rovers

  5        (4 + 1)        Forfar

  5        (4 + 1)        Rangers

  5        (4 + 1)        Stenhousemuir

  4        (0 + 4)        Celtic

  4        (0 + 4)        Berwick

  4        (0 + 4)        Annan Athletic

  4        (0 + 4)        Motherwell

  3        (0 + 3)        St Johnstone

  2        (2 + 0)        Arbroath

  2        (0 + 2)        Aberdeen

  2        (0 + 2)        East Fife

  2        (0 + 2)        Queen's Park

  2        (0 + 2)        Spartans

  2        (0 + 2)        Turriff United

  2        (0 + 2)        Brora Rangers

  1        (0 + 1)        Clyde

  1        (0 + 1)        Beith

  1        (0 + 1)        East Stirlingshire

  1        (0 + 1)        Edinburgh City

  1        (0 + 1)        Elgin City

  1        (0 + 1)        Kilmarnock

  1        (0 + 1)        Montrose

(All league + cup + playoff games from 1 Jan 2010 to 31 Dec 2019.)

HFX Wanderers' assistant coach Derek King has been appointed to the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Wanderers have signed goalkeeper Yann-Alexandre Fillion, who will be loaned to Ekenäs IF of the Finnish tier-II Ykkönen.

The political crisis in Bolivia caused the soccer league there to lose a month of fixtures from mid-October to mid-November. The teams have been playing two matches per week to get the 2019 Clausura done before the 2020 Apertura begins. Today is the last day of the revised schedule.

It has just sunk in on me that clavicle sponsor is a thing. See, there's room for an ad just above the club crest and kit-maker's logo on the front of the jersey. The J League is onto it.

The Dredger Greenock

The Greenock was an iron steam dredger launched in 1876. It worked deepening the Clyde shipping channel until 1902, when it was struck and sunk by SS Ape a little south of the Cloch Lighthouse. Source. Ape was renamed Fetlar in 1918, and ran aground at St. Malo the following year. Source.

Morton host Ayr United. Ayr are second in the division with 18 points, Morton seventh with 13 points.

Morton have not lost at Cappielow since April 9th, but they have not beaten Ayr since Jan 28th, 2017.

The game begins at 19:45 GMT. Sundown was at 16:46. This is the week of the year when Scotland is only three hours ahead of Nova Scotia.

This match doubles as a fixture in the Championship League Cup, Round Two.

The other Championship matches:

Alloa (9th) [0 - 3] Dundee (4th)

Dundee United (1st) [1 - 0] Partick Thistle (10th)

Dunfermline (8th) [2 - 0] Arbroath (5th)

Queen of the South (6th) [0 - 2] Inverness CT (3rd)

[Morton 2 - 3 Ayr. Morton goals by Baird and McHugh.]

League One are not in action tonight.

Scottish Challenge Cup:

Solihull Moors [3 - 3] Rangers colts [Rangers colts win on PK.]

Port Glasgow Athletic versus Ayr United. These two played together in the SFL Division Two in 1910-11, which was Ayr United's first season and Port's last. They each took one win.

Port Glasgow had played 10 Division Two matches against Ayr United's forerunner Ayr FC. Port took six wins, Ayr FC three wins, with one draw. They also met in round three of the 1887-88 Scottish Cup; Ayr FC advanced.

Port Glasgow met Ayr Parkhouse (Ayr United's other parent) in round one of the 1907-08 Scottish Cup and won handily, 7 - 2.

Which teams have got through a (more or less) complete Scottish League season with 0 draws?

1893-94    Partick Thistle (18 games)

1894-95    Clyde (18), Renton (17)

1895-96    Celtic, Hearts, Dumbarton (18)

1896-97    St Bernard's, Clyde (18)

1898-99    Rangers (18)

1899-00    Clyde, Morton, Port Glasgow (18)

1900-01    Port Glasgow, Ayr (18)

1907-08    Ayr Parkhouse (22)

1925-26    Peebles Rovers (26)

1944-45    Clyde (30)

Davie Irons' managerial record against Morton:

1997/4/26      Clydebank 0 - 1 Morton      league

2008/1/12      Morton 2 - 2 Gretna            Scottish Cup

2008/1/28      Gretna 0 - 3 Morton            Scottish Cup

Launch of Ottawa, 1964

Launch of the oil tanker Ottawa from the Swan, Hunter, Wigham Richardson yard at Wallsend on the Tyne, June 10th, 1964. Source.

Halifax Graving Dock, 1889

Source.