Plenty of Nothing

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.

Capitán Haddock

Game day posters are making a comeback. Here's a Tintin parody for a match between CF Reus Desportiu and RCD Espanyol B of the Spanish third flight. CFRD won 3 - 1.

How many years has it been since anyone used a football with a surface divided into black pentagons and white hexagons? Yet it remains the standard sign of footballness, the way an incandescent lightbulb still represents a bright idea.

The SPFL is in action this weekend, all except Greenock Morton and Queen of the South, who got this fixture out of the way two months ago to create a holiday break.

How often have Morton played on Saturday, December 26th, and how did they do?

2015        no game

2009        no game

1998        Morton 1 - 1 Clydebank

1992        Dumbarton 3 - 1 Morton

1987        Morton 0 - 0 Hearts

1981        no game

1970        Morton 0 - 3 Celtic

1964        Dundee 1 - 1 Morton

1959        Morton 1 - 1 East Stirlingshire

1953        Morton 5 - 0 Cowdenbeath

1942        Celtic 0 - 2 Morton (Southern League)

1936        Brechin 1 - 3 Morton

1931        Morton 4 - 1 Dundee

1925        no game

1914        Morton 3 - 0 Ayr United

1908        Morton 1 - 1 Third Lanark

1903        Morton 2 - 3 Motherwell

1896        Linthouse 2 - 5 Morton

1891        no game

1885        no game

1874        no game

Six wins, five draws, three losses, 29 goals for, 17 goals against.

Morton have two fixtures against Hibs that need to be rearranged: the December 5th game that was rained out; and the January 30th game that will be bumped by Hibs' League Cup semi final.

Tomorrow: Karşıyaka [0 - 1] Altınordu.

I'll put all the Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup updates in the January 1st post.

Cheval de Renfort, Rue des Martyrs

The cheval de renfort was an extra draught horse added to the team of a horsed-drawn omnibus to get it up a steep slope, like the one on Rue des Martyrs in Paris. The horse and its attendant, or côtier, would tramp up and down the hill all day. Source.

Northern Dancer

Canada's most famous horse, Northern Dancer. Source.