Plenty of Nothing

Miss Moneypenny's Boden

That portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in Miss Moneypenny's office in Octopussy and The Spy Who Loved Me is from the brush of Leonard Boden, who was born in Greenock in 1911. Source.

The League Cup group stage finishes up. Morton host Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic. It's the first ever meeting between these two clubs.

Bonnyrigg Rose have been around since 1881 but they played in the junior ranks until 2018, when they joined the East of Scotland League. The next year they were promoted to the Lowland League, and this year they defeated Cowdenbeath to earn a place in the SPFL League Two. They play at New Dundas Park in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, and wear red and white hoops like Hamilton Accies.

Famously, Sean Connery played for them in the early 1950s.

Bonnyrigg have retained most of the squad that won the Lowland League last season. But their manager Robbie Horn says that they don't have the financial backing enjoyed by the likes of Cove Rangers and Kelty Hearts. Source.

Goalkeeper Craig Coyle made 119 appearances for Morton from 2001 to 2005, and sat on the bench for Bonnyrigg Rose from 2006 to 2009.

Morton’s shootout win against Hibs on Wednesday has been thrown out as Hibs had fielded an ineligible player. The match is now recorded as a 3 - 0 victory for Morton. (Does that mean that Gillespie’s goal is expunged?) Morton enter today’s game with 4 points and an outside chance at winning the group. To win the group they must beat Bonnyrigg and hope that Clyde beat Falkirk.

Since the League Cup group stage was reintroduced in 2016 Morton have never finished last in their group.

Group D standings after the ruling:

Falkirk         3    1    2    0    0    2    1   +1    7

Hibs            4    2    0    0    2    9    5   +4    6

Morton        3    1    0    1    1    3    2   +1    4

Bonnyrigg    3    1    0    1    1    4    6    -2    4

Clyde           3    1    0    0    2    3    7    -4    3

Group D:

Falkirk [1 - 0] Clyde

Morton [3 - 1] Bonnyrigg Rose [Morton goals by Kabia, Pignatiello and Gillespie. Morton don’t make it into Round Two.]

Hibs have played their four.

[Final Group D standings:

Falkirk          4    2    2    0    0    3    1   +2   10

Morton         4    2    0    1    1    6    3   +3    7

Hibs             4    2    0    0    2    9    5   +4    6

Bonnyrigg    4    1    0    1    2    5    9    -4    4

Clyde           4    1    0    0    3    3    8    -5    3   ]

The Highland League and Lowland League start this weekend.

Strathspey Thistle [0 - 4] Forres Mechanics

Caledonian Braves [2 - 2] Gala Fairydean Rovers

Hearts have signed Lawrence Shankland.

Elsewhere:

Largs Thistle [1 - 1] Herriot Watt University (friendly)

UCD 0 - 2 Shelbourne (yesterday)

SC Cambuur 1 - 3 PEC Zwolle (friendly) (yesterday)

Skipton Cup: FC Isle of Man [2 - 0] Guernsey FC

St Gallen [2 - 0] Winterthur

Canada:

HFX Wanderers [1 - 1] Edmonton

[Halifax goal by Salter.]

Mateo Restrepo is retiring to go to med school.

League1 Ontario: Guelph United 2 - 0 North Mississauga (yesterday)

Guelph United played HFX Wanderers in the first round of this year's Canadian Championship, having won League1 in their first season.

PLSQ: Royal-Sélect de Beauport [1 - 1] AS Laval (tomorrow)

L1BC: Victoria Highlanders [2 - 1] Rivers FC (tomorrow)

This ends the L1BC regular schedule. [Victoria Highlanders finish bottom.] The two top teams, Varsity and TTS Rovers, will meet in a playoff final on August 1st.

CSL: Serbian White Eagles [1 - 1] Scarborough SC

Coupe de France, Round Two:

Ilienne vs Miquelonnaise

Round One took place on July 6th. Ilienne played Saint Pierraise to a 2 - 2 draw, and then won on penalty kicks. The winner of Round Two will play an opponent in France on September 10th.

[Ilienne advance.]

Japan:

Mito HollyHock vs Oita Trinita [postponed]

Tohoku: Blancdieu Hirosaki vs Bogolle.D.Tsugaru (tomorrow) (postponed to August 7)

UEFA Europa Conference 2QR, first leg (Juy 21):

Vikingur Reykjavik 2 - 0 The New Saints

Motherwell 0 - 1 Sligo Rovers

St Patrick's Athletic 1 - 1 Mura (Slovenia)

Basel 2 - 0 Crusaders

Spartak Trvana (Slovakia) 4 - 1 Newtown

Scotland's UEFA coefficient and ranking, the past decade:

2022-23    33.375    11th

2021-22    27.875    14th

2020-21    22.125    20th

2019-20    18.625    26th

2018-19    18.925    23rd

2017-18    17.300    25th

2016-17    17.900    23rd

2015-16    16.566    23rd

2014-15    15.191    24th

2013-14    21.141    18th

Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic league titles won:

1897-98    Midlothian Junior League

1913-14    Midlothian Junior League

1937-38    Midlothian Junior League

1963-64    Edinburgh and District Junior League

1964-65    Edinburgh and District Junior League Mid/East Division

1965-66    Edinburgh and District Junior League Mid/East Division

1966-67    Edinburgh and District Junior League Mid/East Division

1975-76    East Region Junior League Division A

1976-77    East Region Junior League Division A

1983-84    East Region Junior League Division B

1984-85    East Region Junior League Division A

2008-09    East Region Super League

2011-12    East Region Super League

2015-16    East Region Super League

2017-18    East Region Super League

2018-19    East of Scotland League

2021-22    Lowland League

(Source: SFHA)

James Bond in Morocco

Source.

Casino Royale (1967)

Casino Royale is either the fifth Bond, or the first Austin Powers movie. The soundtrack album by Burt Bacharach is considered by some audiophiles to be the greatest recording of all time. Listen to: Casino Royale with Herb Alpert, and The Look of Love with Dusty Springfield.

The Lair of a Scoundrel

Expect this yacht to show up in some future Bond film. Source.

Live And Let Die

Forty years ago today the first Roger Moore Bond film Live And Let Die opened in theatres. It's the only blaxploitation Bond, the only one with Yaphet Kotto, the only one with a theme song by a Beatle, and still the one with the best boat race. It's also the musical apex of Linda McCartney's career. She wrote the bridge: "What does it matter to ya? When you've got a job to do, you've gotta do it well, you've gotta give the other fella hell!"

The Livingston Daylights

Hard to believe that 2012 is the 25th anniversary of Timothy Dalton's first Bond film, The Living Daylights. What was up with Greenock Morton and Livingston in 1987? Morton won the First Division that year and were promoted to the Premier Division. And Livingston, known then as Meadowbank Thistle, won the Second Division and moved up to the First. Both clubs made it to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, Meadowbank losing to Dundee, and Morton losing to St. Mirren, who went on to win the Cup.

Today Livingston visit Cappielow to meet Greenock Morton in explosive league play action.

Ayr United beat Livingston 2 - 1 on Tuesday, making things increasingly interesting (or worrisome) for Morton. The mini-division of 4th to 7th place clubs has evolved into a pack of six stretching from 4th to 9th and separated by six points. Morton really ought to get a couple of wins under their belt right now if they mean to stay clear of the relegation zone. There are no doormats in the division this year. Man, if Morton lose today, and Raith win, Morton will be in eighth place.

Also worrisome is Morton's capacity for total collapse. This year they have lost 5 - 0 to Partick and Raith, and 6 - 0 to Motherwell.

Speaking of Ayr United, this weekend is also the quarterfinal round of the Scottish Cup. The Honest Men are the last SFL club left in the competition. Ayr host Hibernian, Hearts host St Mirren, Dundee United host Celtic, and Motherwell host Aberdeen. Ayr could take Hibs. [Or not. Hibs 2, Ayr 0.]

Why do we say "host"? In Victorian times it was customary for two sports teams to banquet after the match, especially if there was travel involved. Though possibly Celtic and Rangers did not party together.

When did the eight Scottish Cup quarterfinalists last win the Scottish Cup? Celtic 2011. Dundee United 2010. Hearts 2006. Motherwell 1991. Aberdeen 1990. St Mirren 1987. Hibs 1902. Ayr United never.

Today in Ireland UCD visit Sligo. Tomorrow in Japan Mito HollyHock host Kataller Toyama, and in South Korea Pohang visit Gwangju FC. "Kataller" is another one of those multilingual portmanteaux the Japanese like to put on their soccer teams. There must be a style sheet at J-League HQ that says to do this. [Sligo 2, UCD 1.] [Mito 1, Toyama 0.] [Gwangju 1, Pohang 1.]

I'm also reconciling myself to the official spelling of Mito HollyHock. It's HollyHock, not Hollyhock. I don't know why.

[Jings. Morton 1, Livington 3. Morton goal by MacDonald. QoS win their must-win game against Raith, so Morton remain in seventh, but only three points out of ninth place and only five points out of tenth. This is the first time this season Morton have lost three league games in a row. And they meet Ross County on Tuesday. Bad time for a tailspin!]

Tanegashima

Where does any self-respecting Bond villain put his rocket launch site?  A remote island location!  Likewise JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, who fire H-2 heavy lifters from Tanegashima, off the southern tip of Kyūshū.