Plenty of Nothing

Greenock High School

Greenock High School on Dunlop Road, opened 1929. Source.

Morton host Dundee United. The Tangerines are on a three-game undefeated streak and hold first place in the standings, but Morton have a three-game undefeated streak of their own going on, Quitongo and Tidser are back from injury, and it's Cappielow. A win today could lift the Ton as high as third place.

[Morton 0 - 2 Dundee United.]

Other match of the day: Dunfermline vs Queen of the South. These two, and Morton, each have 23 points. A scoreless draw in this game would serve Morton best. [Dunfermline 2 - 5 QoS.]

1978-79. Today in 1978 Morton visited Firhill where they lost 2 - 1 to Partick Thistle. Alistair Scott was the Morton scorer.

1933-34. Morton hosted Dumbarton and won 3 - 1.

1944-45. Morton were home to the old Airdrieonians and won 4 - 2.

What was Morton's biggest win against Dundee United at Cappielow?

Sept 6th, 1969            Morton 6 - 0 Dundee United

Dundee United were marginally the better club in 1969-70.

What was Morton's worst loss to Dundee United at Cappielow?

Dec 14th, 1974            Morton 0 - 6 Dundee United

Dundee United were hands down the better club in 1974-75.

What was Morton's most significant game against Dundee United?

May 4th, 1996            Dundee United 2 - 2 Morton

Morton and Dundee United entered this the final match of the season with 66 points each, though United had the better goal difference. A win would lift Morton into second place and promotion to the Premier Division, but the Tangerines held them to a draw. Morton have not been in the top division to this day. 

Current undefeated streaks (league + cup):

6        Dumbarton

3        Dundee United

3        Morton

2        Queen of the South

2        Inverness CT

0        St Mirren

0        Dunfermline

0        Livingston

0        Falkirk

0        Brechin

Since 1994, which tier II sides have taken the longest to record a league win?

Clydebank        1999-00        March 7

Brechin             2005-06        Dec 26

Brechin           2017-18        ongoing

St Mirren          2016-17        Dec 6

Hamilton          1995-96        Nov 25

Dumbarton       2012-13        Nov 10

Morton or St Bernard's -- which was greater?

St Bernard's were the stronger club in the 1890s. They played in the First Division and won the 1894-95 Scottish Cup. Morton spent that decade in the Second Division.

But with the turn of the century their fortunes reversed. Morton gained promotion and St Bernard's went down and in fact never made it back to the First Division. You could point to the 1900-01 Scottish Cup, when Morton eliminated St Bernard's in the second round, as the turning point.

They did not meet again in league play until Morton dropped down to the Second Division in 1927. From then through to the end of the 1930s they met 14 times in league action. St Bernard's had a slight edge in head-to-head play, winning 7 to Morton's 6, with one draw.

Morton beat St Bernard's handily in the War Emergency Cup of 1940. St Bernard's FC did not survive the war.

Morton > St Bernard's.

The FIFA Club World Cup is going on in the United Arab Emirites. The champions of the six football confederations plus the national champion of the host country compete, a total of seven clubs. First the host club and the Oceanic champion play. Then the winner of that meets the Asian champion, while the North American champion meets the African champion.

Dec 6: Al-Jazira (UAE) 1 - 0 Auckland City (NZ)

Dec 9: Al-Jazira [1 - 0] Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)

            Pachuca (Mexico) [1 - 0] Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

I'll cover the semi-final and final next week.

Regionalliga Südwest: Völklingen [0 - 6] 1. FC Saarbrücken

The Regionalliga Südwest is now on break until February 10th.

UEFA Champions League group B:

Celtic 0 - 1 Anderlecht

Celtic finish the group in third place and advance to the Europa League Round of 32.

UEFA Europa League group J:

Hertha BSC 1 - 1 Östersund

Both Celtic and Östersund are unseeded in Mondays' Round of 32 draw.

Abruzzo: Avezzano [1 - 2] Pineto

Cambuslang Rangers vs Largs Thistle [postponed]

MLS Cup final: Toronto [2 - 0] Seattle

The 66th All Japan University Football Tournament starts next week. As a group Japanese university clubs are pretty strong. University of Tsukuba made it to the Fourth Round of this year's Emperor's Cup.

All-time tournament standings:

12           Waseda University

 8 1/2      Chuo University

 6            Komazawa University

 4 1/2      University of Tsukuba

 4            Tokyo University of Education

 4            Kokushikan University

 3 1/2      Osaka University of Commerce

 3            Keio University

 2 1/2      Juntendo University

 2            Meiji University

 2            Kansai University

 2            Hosei University

 2            Nippon Sport Science University

 1 1/2      Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences

 1 1/2      Tokai University

 1            University of Tokyo

 1            Rikkyo University

 1            Nihon University

 1            Senshu University

 1            Ryutsu Keizai University

 1            Kwansei Gakuin University

Greenock High School the Second, on Inverkip Road, demolished in 2014. Source.

Martha Cartmell

Cartmell and students. Source.

Canada and Japan did not begin to exchange diplomats until 1929, and you could argue that it was years after that before the Canadian state had as much lasting influence on Japan as a handful of 19th-century Canadian missionaries had. Martha Cartmell was sent out to Japan in 1882 from Centenary Methodist Church in Hamilton, Ontario. Two years later she founded Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin, a school for girls. By 1989 it had developed into Toyo Eiwa Women's University. This is the university's logo:

 

Greenock High School Magazine

Greenock High School Magazine, June 1933. The ship is flying the Scottish Red Ensign, which went out of use after 1707. In the upper left corner you can just read, "This cover was printed from linoleum blocks," which would lead you to suppose that printmaking was taught at GHS. The linoleum likely came from Kirkcaldy.

Morton host Dumbarton.

This is the beginning of the second half of the season for Morton. So far the Ton have accumulated seven wins, seven draws, and four losses, for 28 points and third place. They have 25 goals for and 19 against.

Dumbarton are coming off a 1 - 0 win over Dundee United, their second win of the season against the Tangerines. If Dundee United fail to earn promotion they can thank Dumbarton for it. This makes up for Dumbarton being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Bonnyrigg Rose.

In their first meeting in August, Morton and Dumbarton played to a 1 - 1 draw. In November Morton won 0 - 2 in Dumbarton.

Morton's best ever result against Dumbarton was 8 - 0, Sept 19, 1953, at Cappielow. Dumbarton's best result against Morton was 5 - 0, Aug 10, 1927, at Boghead Park.

[Morton win 2 - 1. Goal by Tidser plus an own goal. Morton are third, 7 points behind Dundee United. Match report.]

How many Scottish League games have Dumbarton played against the other 2016-17 Championship clubs?

Morton                130

Ayr United            121

Raith Rovers        115

QoS                        93

Dunfermline            84

Falkirk                     74

Dundee United        73

St Mirren                 63

Hibs                        47

Greenock Morton are Dumbarton's Championship besties.

Current home lossless streaks.

0            Falkirk, Raith

1            Ayr United

2            Queen of the South

3            Dumbarton, St Mirren

4            Dunfermline

7            Hibs

10          Dundee United

11          Morton

How far into the season have Morton gone without suffering a loss at home in league play?

1918-19        no home losses (Division One)

1935-36        no home losses (Division Two)

1949-50        no home losses (Division Two)

1963-64        no home losses (Division Two)

2006-07        February 2nd (Second Division)

1898-99. Today in 1899, St Mirren hosted Morton in Glasgow & West of Scotland Football League action.

From The Glasgow Herald, January 9, 1899 (page 10):

    ST MIRREN V. MORTON--These teams met in a Western League game at Paisley on Saturday in wretched weather. The teams were:--St Mirren--Patrick; M'Blane and Jackson; Greenlaw, Bruce, and M'Avoy; Chalmers and Steel; M'Neilly, Orr, and Wylie. Morton--M'Pherson; Anderson and Orr; Colligan, Henderson, and Blair; Dale and Hunter; M'Culloch, Lynn, and Reid. Referee--Mr Bell, Mauchline. The game from the outset was very keenly contested, both teams being well matched. St Mirren, however, were the first to make any headway, and a few minutes after the start they scored from Orr. No further advantage was secured in this half. Early in the second half Morton scored from a penalty kick, and thus drew level with their opponents. St Mirren tried hard to gain the lead, but failed. Just on time they were awarded a penalty kick, which, however, McPherson saved cleverly. Result--St mirren, 1 goal; Morton, 1 goal.

Transfers. Goalkeeper Andy McNeil is leaving Morton to take up a coaching position with Guangzhou R&F of the Chinese Super League. Aidan Nesbitt has signed on for the rest of the season. Gavin Gunning has departed for Grimsby.

How to read a cross table.

A cross table is a compact way of presenting the results of a double round robin. It's faster and easier to consult than a list of scores.

Home teams are listed on the left, away teams along the top. The row extending across from the name Dynamo Dresden contains all of Dynamo Dresden's home games. The column extending downward from DRE contains all of Dynamo Dresden's away games.

To find the result of FC St. Pauli's visit to Dresden, follow the Dresden row across to the STP column: 1 - 0. The first part of the score is always the home team, so Dresden won 1 - 0. Dresden's game against Aue ended 0 - 3, meaning that Aue won. The white spaces are games that have not been played yet. The grey spaces are nonexistent games (e.g., Dresden vs DRE).

How is FC Winterthur like Greenock Morton?

FC Winterthur was founded in 1896, making it one of the older Swiss clubs. They had a heyday was just prior to and including World War One when they won the Swiss league three times (1906, 1908, 1917). They were runners up in the Swiss League Cup twice in the early 1970s.

Their stadium holds 8,550, and has been their home since 1900.

Keller AG, shirt sponsor for FC Winterthur, manufactures piezoresistive pressure sensors in Winterthur. Piezo-what? Just watch the video. Greenock used to have an IBM plant, and soon will used to have Texas Instruments.

Scottish Championship and Swiss Challenge League towns by population:

Championship

Edinburgh                    464,990

Dundee                        148,260

Paisley                          78,834

Dunfermline                  50,380

Dumfries                       49,883

Kirkcaldy                       49,460

Ayr                                47,190

Greenock                      44,248

Falkirk                           35,168

Dumbarton                    19,990

Challenge League

Zürich                           396,027

Geneva                        197,376

Winterthur                    108,044

Schaffhausen                35,927

Neuchâtel                      33,815

Wil                                 23,715

Aarau                            20,445

Wohlen                         15,446

Chiasso                          8,202

Le Mont-sur-Lausanne   6,954

Positionally Wohlen is closest to Greenock, numerically Schaffhausen.

Speaking of high school, tomorrow is the final of the All Japan High School Women's Football Championship: Daisho Gakuen High School [0 - 1] Jumonji High School.

Who are the past winners of the All Japan High School Women's Football Championship?

1992    Seiwa Gakuen High School (1)

1993    Honjo-Daiichi High School (1)

1994    Saitama Heisei Senior High School (1)

1995    Saitama Sakae High School (1)

1996    Saitama Heisei Senior High School (2)

1997    Keimei Gakuin High School (1)

1998    Seiwa Gakuen High School (2)

1999    Shonan Gakuin High School (1)

2000    Keimei Gakuin High School (2)

2001    Seiwa Gakuen High School (3)

2002    Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (1)

2003    Hooh High School (1)

2004    Kamimura Gakuin High School (1)

2005    Kamimura Gakuin High School (2)

2006    Fujieda Junshin Junior and Senior High School (1)

2007    Hooh High School (2)

2008    Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (2)

2009    Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (3)

2010    Hinomoto Gakuen Senior High School (1)

2011    Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (4)

2012    Tokiwagi Gakuen High School (5)

2013    Hinomoto Gakuen Senior High School (2)

2014    Hinomoto Gakuen Senior High School (3)

2015    Fujieda Junshin Junior and Senior High School (2)

[2016   Jumonji High School (1)]

Source.

Kilwinning [0 - 1] Largs

Strathspey Thistle [2 - 2] Nairn County

East Stirlingshire play Edinburgh University for the first time since 1908 today. [1 - 1.]

Palladian Halifax

Classical Studies at Canadian Universities -- Links

Acadia University, Department of History and Classics

University of Alberta, Department of History and Classics

Bishop's University, Department of Classical Studies

University of British Columbia, Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies

Brock University, Department of Classics

University of Calgary, Department of Classics and Religion

Carleton University, Greek and Roman Studies

Concordia University, Department of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics

Dalhousie University, Department of Classics

University of Guelph, Classical Studies

Laurentian University, Department of Ancient Studies

Institut d'études anciennes et médiévales, Université Laval

MacEwan University, Classics

University of Manitoba, Department of Classics

McGill University, Department of History and Classical Studies

McMaster University, Department of Classics

Memorial University, Department of Classics

Université de Montréal, Centre d'études classiques

Mount Allison University, Department of Classics

University of New Brunswick, Department of Classics and Ancient History

Nipissing University, Classical Studies

University of Ottawa, Department of Classics and Religious Studies

University of Prince Edward Island, Department of Classics

Queen's University, Department of Classics

University of Saskatchewan, Classical, Medieval and Renaissance Studies

St. Francis Xavier University, Classical Studies

Saint Mary's University, Classics Department

University of Toronto, Department of Classics

Trent University, Department of Ancient History and Classics

University of Victoria, Department of Greek and Roman Studies

University of Waterloo, Department of Classical Studies

University of Western Ontario, Department of Classical Studies

Wilfrid Laurier University, Ancient Studies

University of Winnipeg, Classics Department

York University, Classical Studies and Classics

Scarborough College

Scarborough College, Toronto, Canada (1970), David Moore. Source.

Scarborough College, Toronto (1965), Philip Drew. Source.

Aerial view of Scarborough College, 1966. Source.

Scottish League Cup, Second Round

Weans, Beckford Street School, Hamilton, one hundred years ago. Source.

Hamilton Academical host Greenock Morton at New Douglas Park (sorry, SuperSeal Stadium) in the League Cup Round of 16.

Morton and Hamilton have met three times before in League Cup play. In 1952/53 they were in Group 7. Morton won both matches. In 1983-84 they played two legs in Round 2. Hamilton won the first leg 2 - 1. Morton won the second 3 - 1 and advanced. In Round 2 of the 1996-97 cup they played to a 1 - 1 draw. Morton won on penalty kicks.

Morton and the Accies have played in the same division six years in this 21st century. In those 24 games Morton won twice. The last time, Hamilton won 10 - 2. Dougie Imrie plays for Accies.

Hamilton won Group G with 9 points. They had three wins (against Livi, Edinburgh City, and St Mirren) and a loss (to Ayr United), with a +5 goal difference.

This is Hamilton's third straight year in the Premiership. Though they are generally a below-the-split club, they were tops in Scotland for part of October 2014. They held Rangers to a 1 - 1 draw Saturday.

Hamilton Academical have never won the League Cup or been to the final. They made the semi-finals in 1948-49, 1960-61, and 1979-80.

Starting with 2015-16 and going backward to 2000-01, which teams have eliminated Morton from the League Cup? St Johnstone, Partick, St Johnstone, Aberdeen, St Mirren, St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, Inverness CT, Dundee, Brechin City, Ayr United, Motherwell, Dundee United, St Mirren, old Airdrieonians, Clyde. Which teams have eliminated Hamilton? Raith Rovers, Aberdeen, St Johnstone, St Mirren, Ross County, Raith Rovers, Ross County, Rangers, Dundee United, Queen's Park, Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Ross County, Dundee, East Stirlingshire.

Morton have signed Kudus Oyenuga, previously of Hartlepool United, and Aidan Nesbitt on loan from Celtic. There's your striker.

[Morton win 1 - 2. Morton goals by Forbes and Quitongo. Hamilton goal by Imrie. On to the quarter finals. Match report.]

Other games involving Championship clubs:

Dundee United [3 - 1] Partick

Hibs [1 - 3] QoS

Ayr United [1 - 2] Aberdeen (tomorrow)

Olympics:

Men's football, August 7th: Japan 2 - 2 Colombia

Tomorrow: Japan [1 - 0] Sweden

Women's football today: Germany [1 - 2] Canada

[Japan are out. Canada progress.]

Porte-Plume

Page 4 of Bécassine Among the Allies sees our heroine make the technological leap from porte-plume (nib pen) to stylo (fountain pen). The porte-plume was the standard writing instrument of the 19th Century, and was essentially a metal nib on a stick. The writer dipped the pen into an inkwell, and so controlled the amount of ink in the instrument. The stylo or fountain pen, which dominated the handwriting world in the first half of the 20th Century, had the virtue of portability, as a large amount of ink could be stored in the hollow handle. Unfortunately this ink would occasionally gush forth, as Bécassine discovers, and as Charlie Brown was still discovering in the 1950s. The ballpoint pen of the later 20th Century reduced (but did not eliminate) the risk of ink stains, but lost the nib edge, thereby destroying the art of handwriting. Many cartoonists still use a nib pen. Source: Musée de l'Ecole de Chartres et d'Eure-et-Loir.

Syddansk Universitet

The campuses of Syddansk Universitet. It was founded as Odense Universitet in 1966, and reorganized in 1998.

St. Pat's That Was #8