Plenty of Nothing

Epona d'Alésia

A limestone statue of Epona found at Alesia in 1907. Source.

Dunfermline the Horse

Dunfermline, owned by the Queen, won both the Epsom Oaks and the St. Leger Stakes in the Silver Jubilee year of 1977. Source.

Morton visit Dunfermline for a game originally scheduled November 11th. This is Morton's thirteenth match of the season. In the first dozen they accumulated four wins, four draws and four losses, with a +2 goal difference, good for sixth place. In their first meeting with the Pars on September 9th Morton won 3 - 2. Morton have not scored more than two goals in a game since.

Dunfermline are part of pack of five teams any one of which could be holding first place on any given week. They (the Pars) have the best goal difference.

What was Morton's most significant game against Dunfermline?

April 30th, 2011            Morton 0 - 2 Dunfermline

The Pars clinched first place and promotion to the Premier League.

Since 1994, which Fife clubs have played in tier II?

1994-95        Raith Rovers, Dunfermline

1995-96        Dunfermline

1996-97        East Fife

1997-98        Raith Rovers

1998-99        Raith Rovers

1999-00        Raith Rovers, Dunfermline

2000-01        Raith Rovers

2001-02        Raith Rovers

2002-03

2003-04        Raith Rovers

2004-05        Raith Rovers

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08        Dunfermline

2008-09        Dunfermline

2009-10        Dunfermline, Raith Rovers

2010-11        Dunfermline, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath

2011-12        Raith Rovers

2012-13        Raith Rovers, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath

2013-14        Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath

2014-15        Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath

2015-16        Raith Rovers

2016-17        Raith Rovers, Dunfermline

2017-18        Dunfermline

Raith Rovers 16 times, Dunfermline 10, Cowdenbeath 4, East Fife 1.

Morton's 4 - 4 draws through history:

Sept 29, 1894            Partick 4 - 4 Morton

Dec 18, 1915             Queen's Park 4 - 4 Morton

Oct 5, 1929                Morton 4 - 4 Hamilton

Dec 20, 1941             Third Lanark 4 - 4 Morton

Sept 22, 1945            Morton 4 - 4 Third Lanark

Jan 26, 1946              Rangers 4 - 4 Morton

Nov 19, 1960             Morton 4 - 4 Hamilton

April 12, 1969            Morton 4 - 4 St Johnstone

How did Stirling Albion come to be known as a yo-yo club?

1945: founded

1946: joined the SFL Division C

1947: promoted to Division B

1949: promoted to Division A

1950: demoted

1951: promoted

1952: demoted

1953: promoted

1956: demoted

1958: promoted

1960: demoted

1961: promoted

1962: demoted

1965: promoted

1968: demoted

[1 - 1. Morton goal by Oliver.]

Ginger the Horse

Ginger the horse, Cathcart Street, by Andy Scott, who also did the Kelpies at Falkirk. Source. Also. Ginger fell into the Albert Harbour and drowned in 1889.

Morton host Queen of the South.

QoS can jump to second place with a win coupled with losses by Livingston, Dunfermline and Dundee United. (Admittedly a tall order.) The best Morton can do is to move up to fifth place.

How do QoS usually fare in their first league match at Cappielow?

2007/9/1        Morton 0 - 1 QoS

2008/9/13      Morton 0 - 0 QoS

2009/12/12    Morton 1 - 2 QoS

2010/10/16    Morton 2 - 0 QoS

2011/11/26    Morton 2 - 2 QoS

2013/9/21      Morton 0 - 2 QoS

2015/11/14    Morton 2 - 0 QoS

2016/12/24    Morton 1 - 0 QoS

It could go either way.

Advanced mediumity. Entering today's action Queen of the South are fifth and Morton sixth. The middle of the Championship certainly does feel like the default position for both these clubs.

In the old two-division set up they played together in the top division five times and the second division six times. During the three-division days of 1975 to 1994 they played together five times, always in the middle division. Since 1994 they have played together eleven times, twice in the third tier, and nine times in the second tier, never in the first or fourth.

Which SPFL club has proven to be the most mediocre? There are a lot of ways to come at this metric. How about this: take the 37 clubs that have played continuously through the four-division era and assign them points according to which divisions they appeared in. A year in the top tier is worth one point. A year in the fourth tier is worth four points. The club with the lowest score is best. Celtic, Aberdeen, Motherwell and Kilmarnock each score 24. The worst score belongs to Montrose: 95. The club closest to 59.5 is most mediocre. Queen of the South and Morton each score 57, 2.5 off the mark. But Ayr United score 61, 1.5 off the mark. Ayr United are the most mediocre club in the SPFL.

What was Morton's most significant game against QoS?

Twice Queen of the South have knocked out Morton on the way to winning the Challenge Cup, and one other time on the way to the final. Let's go with the first cup-winning year:

Aug 13th, 2002            Queen of the South 1 - 0 Morton

1978-79. Morton travelled to Paisley and held St Mirren to a scoreless draw. After twelve weeks of play, first place (Dundee United) and ninth place (Morton) were separated by four points.

1933-34. Morton were away at Ochilview where they lost to Stenhousemuir by a score of 1 - 0.

1944-45. Morton were at Ibrox where they beat Rangers 4 - 2.

[QoS win 1 - 2. Morton goal by Harkins.]

Other match of the day: Brechin City vs Dumbarton. Can Brechin win at all this year? [Dumbarton win.]

For some reason I'm dead keen on Livingston taking over first place for a week or two. They can do it today if they beat Inverness (very possible) and Dundee United beat St Mirren (there's a decent chance of that too). [St Mirren cling to first place.]

Partick Thistle and Third Lanark, two Glasgow clubs -- which was greater?

League. They played 98 games over 49 seasons. Partick won 41 games, Third Lanark 39, and 18 draws.

Scottish Cup. They met in R1 of the 1884-85 cup. Thirds won. They met in R1 of the 1889-90 cup. Thirds won again. And R1 of the 1922-23 cup. They played to a draw, and Thirds won the replay. Third Lanark won the Scottish Cup twice, Partick once.

League Cup. They ran into each other in the 1960-61 group stage. Thirds won both games. Partick won the League Cup once, but only after Third Lanark's demise.

Glasgow Cup. In 23 years, Thirds prevailed 13 times to Partick's 10. They each won the cup three times during Third Lanark's existence, and Partick have won it twice more subsequently.

Glasgow League. Five games, four wins for Third Lanark.

Third Lanark was greater.

Scottish clubs versus Swiss clubs, part seven, Dundee:

Mar 27, 1968                Dundee 1 - 0 Zurich

Apr 3, 1968                   Zurich 0 - 1 Dundee

Totals: 2 wins Dundee, 0 wins Swiss clubs. Dundee is mightier than Switzerland.

Top and bottom Championship clubs week by week (1/3):

Week 1            QoS                    Brechin

Week 2            Dundee Utd        Inverness CT

Week 3            Dundee Utd        Inverness CT

Week 4            Dunfermline        Brechin

Week 5            St Mirren             Brechin

Week 6            Dunfermline        Brechin

Week 7            Dunfermline        Brechin

Week 8            St Mirren             Brechin

Week 9            St Mirren             Brechin

Week 10          St Mirren             Brechin

Week 11          St Mirren             Brechin

[Week 12         St Mirren             Brechin]

[Third Lanark watch: there have been 17 draw scores in the first third of the season, giving statistical ghost team Third Lanark 17 points and positioning them 5.5th in the table.]

SWFL Div 2 West: Morton [7 - 1] Dumbarton United. [Morton win the league!]

North of Scotland Cup final (at Station Park, Nairn Grant Street Park, Inverness):

Brora [2 - 0] Lossiemouth

Brora Rangers win the North of Scotland Cup.

SJFA West First Division: Largs [3 - 3] Darvel

UEFA Champions League group B:

Celtic 1 - 2 Bayern Munich

UEFA Europa League group J:

Athletic Bilbao 1 - 0 Östersund

Copa Libertadores semifinals, second leg:

Lanús 4 - 2 River Plate

Grêmio 0 - 1 Barcelona

It's Lanús and Grêmio in the final.

Abruzzo:

Francavilla 1 - 1 Avezzano (Nov 1)

Pineto [2 - 0] Francavilla

Avezzano [1 - 1] L'Aquila

JFL:

Vanraure Hachinohe [1 - 0] Tokyo Musashino City

ReinMeer Aomori [0 - 1] Honda FC

Germany:

1. FC Saarbrücken 4 - 0 TSV Schott Mainz (November 1st)

1899 Hoffenheim II [1 - 1] 1. FC Saarbrücken (today)

FAI Cup final: Dundalk vs Cork City

Dundalk have won this cup ten times before, Cork City three times.

[1 - 1. Cork City win on penalty kicks.]

39th Empress's Cup, Round Two:

This is where most of the Nadeshiko League clubs join in.

Match No. 17: NTV Beleza (N1) [6 - 0] JFA Academy Fukushima

Match No. 18: Sfida Setagaya FC (N2) [0 - 1] JEF United Chiba Ladies U-18

Match No. 19: Iga FC Kunoichi (N1) [3 - 0] Fukuoka J. Anclas

Match No. 20: Albirex Niigata Ladies (N1) [4 - 1] Sendai University

Match No. 21: Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies (N1) [8 - 0] Nippon University Fields Yokohama Satellite B

Match No. 22: Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies (N2) [2 - 0] Fujieda Junshin High School

Match No. 23: Orca Kamogawa FC (N2) [2 - 0] Niigata University of Health and Welfare

Match No. 24: Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies (N1) [2 - 0] Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki

Match No. 25: AC Nagano Parciero Ladies (N1) [3 - 2] Bunnys Kyoto SC

Match No. 26: AS Harima Albion (N2) [3 - 5] Tokiwagi Gakuen High School

Match No. 27: Nippon Sport Science Fields Yokohama (N2) [5 - 2] Shikoku Gakuin University Kagawa West High School

Match No. 28: JEF United Chiba Ladies (N1) [3 - 0] Angeviolet Hiroshima

Match No. 29: Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara (N1) [1 - 0] NGU Loveledge Nagoya

Match No. 30: Chifura AS Elfen Saitama (N1) [1 - 0] Aichi Toho University

Match No. 31: Ehime FC Ladies (N2) [0 - 1] Waseda University

Match No. 32: INAC Kobe Leonessa (N1) [5 - 0] Okayama Yunogo Belle (N2)

Nadeshiko means pink or more precisely a pink complexion. Japanese women's sports leagues get stuck with names like this. The top women's hockey league is the Smile League.

The red and the black: Dundee FC away 2017-18.

The White Horse of Mormond

Captain Fraser had this white horse cut into the quartz of Mormond Hill on his lands near Fraserburgh after he returned from the wars in Flanders. His white horse was shot under him in battle, and his sargeant was also shot while dismounting to give Fraser his white mount. Source.

The Epona of Dalheim

From the Roman town of Ricciacum in Luxembourg. Source.

Horse and Rider

A Celtiberian horse and rider brooch at the Museo Numantino in Soria, Spain. Source.

In Full Cry

In Full Cry (1931) by Sybil Andrews. Source. Put this on the cover of Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man.

George and the Dragon

Best & Goes Farthest

The Greenock and Port Glasgow Tramways Company, Horsecar No. 3, 1898. Source.

Dunfermline Athletic visit Cappielow.

The Pars finished atop League One last season, following in the footsteps of Morton (2014-15), Rangers (2013-14), and Queen of the South (2012-13). To win your division you pretty much have to assemble a team that can compete in the division above it, so then the question becomes, can you keep that squad together? The Pars' top scorers last season were Faissal El Bakhtaoui (30 goals), Joe Cardle (15), Michael Moffat (15), and Ryan Wallace (10). El Bakhtaoui went to Dundee, Wallace to Albion Rovers. Dunfermline have signed former Hibs striker Farid El Alagui. El Alagui has also played for Falkirk and Dundee United.

Currently Dunfermline are 8th, with a win and four losses for 3 points. They are out of the League Cup, but still in the Challenge Cup.

Morton are ninth, with three draws and two losses, for 3 points. Both Morton and Dunfermline have a goal difference of -5, but Dunfermline have more goals for. Morton have four goals in five games.

Depending on other results, Morton can finish the day anywhere from sixth to tenth.

Morton have signed Gavin Gunning, also ex-Dundee United.

What years did Morton go farthest into the calendar before gaining a win in league play? And what position did they hold at the end of the season?

Oct. 28, 1972        Finished 12th of 18

Oct. 26, 1901        Finished 10th of 10

Oct. 21, 1939*       Finished 5th of 16

*There was no league play between Sept. 2 and Oct. 21, 1939.

Oct. 20, 1973        Finished 14th of 18

Oct. 18, 1975        Finished 11th of 14

Oct. 18, 2008        Finished 6th of 10

Oct. 8, 1960          Finished 19th of 19

Sept. 29, 1990      Finished 9th of 14

Sept. 26, 1925      Finished 15th of 20

Sept. 22, 1924      Finished 14th of 20

What were the results of Morton's first five league matches each year this century? And what position did they hold at the end of the season?

2000-01    LLWWL           = 6 pts             9th (relegated)

2001-02    WDDDL           = 6 pts            10th (relegated)

2002-03    DWLWD           = 8pts             1st (promoted)

2003-04    WWDWW        = 12 pts           4th

2004-05    LWWLW           = 9 pts            3rd

2005-06    WWWDL         = 10 pts           2nd

2006-07    WWDWW        = 12 pts          1st (promoted)

2007-08    WWDLL           = 7 pts            8th

2008-09    DDLLL             = 2 pts            6th

2009-10    LLWLL             = 3pts             8th

2010-11    DLWLL             = 4 pts            7th

2011-12    DWDWW         = 11 pts           8th

2012-13    DDLWW          = 8 pts             2nd

2013-14    WLLDD           = 5 pts            10th (relegated)

2014-15    LWWLW          = 9 pts            1st (promoted)

2015-16    DLDWW          = 8 pts            5th

2016-17    DDDLL            = 3 pts

Conclusion: It's lower-middle or bottom for Morton this year.

[But Morton win 2 - 1, with goals by Oliver and Quitongo. Morton move up to seventh place. Match summary.]

1898-99. On this date in 1898 Morton travelled the two miles to Port Glasgow Athletic's Clune Park, and lost 7 - 3.

Port Glasgow Athletic's kit was a white shirt with blue knickerbockers and socks.

How is the Austrian Erste Liga like the Scottish Championship?

Both are winter leagues with 36-games schedules. The Erste Liga includes a reserve team, FC Liefering, the farm club for Red Bull Salzburg of the Bundesliga. There are no reserve teams in the four SPFL divisions. The greatest travel distance, as the crow flies, is 509 km from Lustenau to Vienna. The oldest club is 117, the youngest 8, with an average of 72. Average stadium capacity is 10,747. There are no playoffs.

Austria plans to go over to first and second tiers of 12 and 16 teams in 2018-19.

UEFA Champions League Group C: Barcelona 7 - 0 Celtic. Five more games.

Prior to this match Celtic and Barcelona had met twelve times in UEFA competition, Barca taking 7 wins, Celtic 2, with 3 draws. And they played that friendly on July 30th. Listen to the Champions League Theme.

Yesterday: UCD 0 - 1 Cobh Ramblers

CAF Champions League semifinals, first leg:

Zamalek [4 - 0] Wydad Casablanca

ZESCO United [2 - 1] Mamelodi Sundowns

Wydad won the CAF Champions League in 1992.

Largs Thistle [1 - 3] Kilwinning Rangers

Kalmar [2 - 0] Östersund

Tomorrow: B36 [2 - 2] HB

Mohun Bagan [0 - 1] Mohameddan Sporting. [That ends the brief Calcutta Football League season. MB finish third.]

Is it all too stressful? Why not just watch the harbour traffic at Gourock.

Remember that new home strip that caused a fan uprising back in May? The Morton U20s are wearing it now.

Hansom Cab

The Hansom cab was an English invention, but they had them in France too. Source.