Plenty of Nothing

Mister and Missus Teapot

From the online collection of the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. Source.

Ceramic Prawn

Japanese people have been hanging up little ceramic prawns for good luck long enough now that the seas are full of them. Source. Source.

 

Bridal Couple

A plate from the State Porcelain Factory, now in the National Gallery of Australia. Source.

Basilio Cascella

A pot by ceramic artist Basilio Cascella, held at the Museo della genti d'Abruzzo in Pescara. Source.

Rengetsu-yaki

Ōtagaki Rengetsu. Source.

The New York Goose Play Vase

This calyx-krater held at the Metropolitan Museum probably depicts a scene from a lost Old Comedy known as the Goose Play on account of the goose. For a discussion of which lost play it might be, see Storey, Fragments of Old Comedy, Vol. 3, in the Loeb Classical Library, which just came into print in 2011. The figure on the left holding the rod is saying "Noraretteblo", a nonsense expression, or so everyone thought until 2014 when it was identified as Ancient Circassian. He's saying, "This sneak thief is stealing from the man over there."

Red Figure

I like this little fragment of red figure pottery in someone's palm. It comes from the newly explored city at Vlochos in Thessaly. Source.

Put That in Your Pipe

A Victorian football-themed clay pipe. The reverse side has rugby. Source.

Morton visit Dunfermline.

Morton are riding a seven-game winless streak. This outsmells their five-game winless streak of the beginning of the season, and is the worst since they went nine games without a win January-March 2014, the year they were relegated.

Morton have to win today and next weekend if they are to have any chance of finishing in second place. They also need to win today to even up their season against Dunfermline. To date the Pars have two wins, Morton one.

What was Morton's best result against Dunfermline? 5 - 0, Feb 16, 1980, at Cappielow. What was Dunfermline's best result against Morton? 6 - 0, Feb 10, 1965, at East End Park.

Both the 3rd-place finisher and the 4th-place finisher have a 1/8 chance of earning promotion (though McBookie have Morton at 14 to 1.) What is the advantage of finishing 3rd then? The 3rd-place team gets the Saturday home gate. 2nd place gets a bye through to the playoff semi-final, doubling the chance of promotion.

Even though 10th-place Ayr are playing 1st-place Hibs, the Honest Men can't be relegated today because 8th-place Raith are playing 9th-place St Mirren and they can't both win. [St Mirren win 5 - 0.]

Dundee United host Dumbarton. [2 - 2] Falkirk are home to Queen of the South. [2 - 2]

[Dunfermline 3 - 1 Morton. Goal by Shankland. Morton can finish no better or worse than fourth place.]

Yesterday was the fiftieth anniversary of Third Lanark's final game.

1898-99. On April 26th, 1899, Morton hosted Abercorn in G&WofSFL action and beat them 9 - 2. Then, on April 29th, the Ton travelled to Underwood Park in Paisley to face St Mirren in front of 8,000 adherents in the final of the Renfrewshire Cup. The match ended 1 - 1, necessitating a replay.

Which other Championship club is most like Greenock Morton?

1) Any club that was founded in the 1870s gets a point. 2) Any club whose ground is bounded by railway tracks gets a point. 3) Any club that has won one major cup once gets a point. 4) Any club that has been to Europe only once gets a point. 5) Any club that has peaked at 2nd place in the second flight in this century gets a point. 6) Any club from a town best known for what they used to make there gets a point. 7) Any club whose ground has a view of the water gets a point. 8) The club whose stadium capacity is closest to Cappielow's gets a point. 9) Any club that has spent time this season in both the relegation zone and the promotion zone gets a point. 10) Any club that plays on grass gets a point. 11) Any club that does not play in an all-seater gets a point.

Ayr United             2) 5) 7) 10) 11)

Dumbarton           1) 3) 7) 10)

Dundee United     6) 10)

Dunfermline          6) 8) 9) 10)

Falkirk                   1) 2) 9)

Hibs                      1) 7)

QoS                      5) 11)

Raith                     2) 4) 5) 6) 7) 10) And they might yet earn a 9). [They do.]

St Mirren               1) 2) 4) 6) 10)

Conclusion: Raith Rovers are most like Greenock Morton.

Was getting on television good for Morton's scoreline?

Oct 22, 2016                Morton 0 - 2 Aberdeen       BT Sport

Dec 17, 2016               Morton 1 - 1 Hibs               BBC Alba

Jan 28, 2017                Ayr 1 - 4 Morton                BBC Alba

Feb 12, 2017               Rangers 2 - 1 Morton         Sky Sports

March 11, 2017            Morton 1 - 0 QoS              BBC Alba

March 18, 2017            Falkirk 0 - 1 Morton          BBC Alba

Three wins, one draw, two losses.

How did the Pars fare against Gretna?

They played one game. Gretna knocked the Pars out of the second round of the 2005-06 League Cup.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, they say. Since 1994, what have been the strongest showings by tenth-place clubs in the First Division/Championship?

2008-09        39 pts        Clyde

2006-07        37 pts        Ross County

2001-02        35 pts        Raith

1997-98        34 pts        Stirling Albion

2000-01        32 pts        Alloa

2011-12        32 pts        Queen of the South

Coming into today's action, Ayr have 33 pts.

Edusport Academy have won the South of Scotland League.

Forfar can win League Two today, and at the same time consign Cowdenbeath to tenth place and the pyramid playoffs. [1 - 1. Cowdenbeath are still alive, and Forfar slip to second behind Arbroath.]

Today it's the first leg of the first round of the pyramid playoffs: Buckie Thistle [2 - 2] East Kilbride

Round Five of the AFC Champions League group stage.

Group E: Ulsan Hyundai 0 - 4 Kashima Antlers

Group F: Urawa Red Diamends 6 - 1 Western Sydney Wanderers

Group G: Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0 - 1 Kawasaki Frontale

Group H: Gamba Osaka 3 - 3 Adelaide United

Urawa advance to the Round of 16.

Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League:

2013        R16        lost to FC Seoul

2010        GS

2009        QF          lost to Nagoya Grampus

2007        QF          lost to Sepahan

OFC Champions League final, leg one: Auckland City [3 - 0] Team Wellington

Winterthur [3 - 2] Aarau

Tokyo Musashino City [0 - 0] ReinMeer Aomori

Honda Lock Soccer Club [0 - 3] Vanraure Hachinohe. Honda Lock wear red and black hoops.

[Vanraure continue in first place, undefeated in six. Aomori are fifth.]

Wednesday in SWFL Div 2 West action Morton visited Kilwinning and won 0 - 5. Morton are in first place.

League1 Ontario begins its 2017 schedule today, and goes till October 8th. The league winner will have a place in the 2018 Canadian Championship.

Tomorrow it's the Barcelona derby: RCD Espanyol [0 - 3] FC Barcelona.

By Opisso.

More Chinese Bobbleheads

Source.

Porcelain Greenock

A soup tureen made by Clyde Pottery, Greenock. Source. Pottery Street is just east of Cappielow at Lady Burn, but there are no potteries there now.

Dundee United visit Cappielow.

The situation: Dundee United sit second, one point behind Hibs who host Queen of the South. Morton hold third place, and a win today would bring them within two points of United. Morton have not lost in league play since these Tangerines beat them 2 - 1 on September 24th.

Jim Duffy and Thomas O'Ware took the Championship Manager of the Month and Player of the Month awards for October.

[0 - 0. Match report.]

1898-99. Morton were at home to Abercorn and won 4 - 2.

It's Round Three of the Scottish Junior Cup. Let's follow:

Thorniewood United [pp] Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic

Stonehaven [pp] Greenock Juniors

Dundee North End [pp] Linlithgow Rose

Kilwinning Rangers [5 - 2] Shettleston

Beith Juniors [9 - 0] Islavale

Pollok [1 - 1] Auchinleck Talbot

What is a result? You would think that result would mean the final score. But the word is used in British soccer circles to mean a favourable outcome. "I hope we get a result in Falkirk the day!" means, "I hope we win in Falkirk." But a result can also be stretched to mean a draw, if your team is the underdog. Thus Celtic 3 - 3 Manchester City is a result for Celtic.

How do the Swiss Challenge League stadia compare in size to the Scottish Championship grounds?

Challenge League:

Servette              30,084

Zürich                  25,000

Xamax                12,000

Winterthur            8,550

Aarau                   8,000

Wil                        6,958

Chiasso                5,000

Schaffhausen       4,200

Le Mont                4,000

Wohlen                 3,624

Championship:

Hibernian            20,421

Dundee Utd        14,229

Morton                11,589

Dunfermline        11,480

Ayr Utd                10,185

Raith                     8,867

Falkirk                   8,750

Q of the South      8,690

St Mirren               8,023

Dumbarton            2,020

By this measure, Xamax is most like Greenock Morton.

How is Servette FC like Greenock Morton?

Not much. Their stadium Stade de Genève was built in 2003, has three times Cappielow's capacity, all seated and roofed over, and was a venue for Euro 2008. Geneva is on a lake, but the stadium is not near the water. Geneva's metropolitan population is about 900,000, much greater than Inverclyde. Geneva is a major corporate center, with headquarters for all kinds of United Nations agencies, and FIFA.

Historically, Servette is one of the top four or five clubs in Switzerland. They have won the Swiss championship 17 times, and the Swiss Cup 7 times. They wear maroon and white. If there is Scottish Championship equivalent to Servette FC, it's Hibs, not Morton.

AFC Champions League final, first leg: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors [2 - 1] Al-Ain of Abu Dhabi.

Lowland League: Spartans (2nd) [1 - 0] East Kilbride (1st).

Largs Thistle [2 - 1] Troon.

Tomorrow Blaublitz Akita end their 2016 J3 season by hosting Ryukyu. [Akita win 2 - 0 and finish the J3 season in fourth place, outside the promotion zone.]