Plenty of Nothing

Ravenscraig Stadium

Ravenscraig Stadium on Auchmead Road is the home of Greenock Juniors of the West of Scotland League. It served as a venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and before that in 1972 it was the site of the first women's international football match between Scotland and England. Source.

Developments:

Crawford Rae will sell Morton FC to the supporters' group Morton Club Together. The supporters' group are to get 90% ownership of the club, but Golden Casket will continue to own Cappielow. The club's debt to Golden Casket will be erased. The deal closes at the end of the coming season.

Philanthropist James Anderson has come forward to cover the costs of Glasgow City's UEFA Women's Champions League run. He has already ponied up for Covid testing for the SPFL.

The 2020-21 Scottish Premiership schedule has been published. The Scottish government has approved the August 1 start date, and has also allowed pre-season friendlies. Rangers beat Hamilton Accies in a bounce match yesterday afternoon. Celtic and Rangers have already lined up some glamour friendlies in France.

The Lowland, East, South and West Leagues are aiming to begin play about the end of September.

Major League Soccer began its "MLS Is Back Tournament" at Disney World on Wednesday. The 26 teams will play a group stage, from which 16 teams will emerge to play off down to a winner who will receive a berth in the Concacaf Champions League. The games in the group stage will count as league games and be added to the two rounds MLS was able to play in February.

However, FC Dallas, and Nashville SC have withdrawn from the tournament due to Covid infections. Also, Toronto FC's first match had to be rescheduled because the team has not been in the state long enough to satisfy quarantine requirements.

The 2020 AFC Champions League will resume in September in the Middle East and October in East Asia.

Kyle Wilkie has signed with East Kilbride. He played for Morton in 2012-13. Declan McManus has signed for a second spell at Dunfermline. He played for Morton 2014-16.

Aidan Nesbitt is reported to be on his way to Dunfermline.

Kitman Andy Bryan, who was fired from Morton for betting on the games, has landed on his feet at Dundee United.

Games that are happening:

K League: Pohang Steelers vs Suwon Bluewings

J2: Montedio Yamagata vs Mito HollyHock

J3: Vanraure Hachinohe [0 - 2] Blaublitz Akita

Fukushima United [1 - 1] Iwate Grulla Morioka

Faroes: B36 vs KÍ (tomorrow)

Iceland: Leiknir R. 2 - 4 ÍBV (July 7)

There are two clubs named Leiknir in this league. I think it means roughly the same thing as Sporting.

ÍBV vs Grindavík (tomorrow)

Svenska Cupen, semi-finals (July 9):

Mjällby 0 - 0 Malmö (Malmö won on PK.)

Elfsborg 0 - 1 Göteborg

Allsvenskan: Malmö vs Norrköping (July 13)

Winterthur 1 - 4 Vaduz (July 7)

Aarau vs Winterthur

In April the Swiss Super League clubs voted not to expand the top Swiss tier to 12 teams with a split season modeled on the Scottish Premiership's.

Games that are not happening:

Normally there would be a long list of preseason friendlies happening this weekend.

Aidan Nesbitt's goals for Morton:

2016/12/10    43'    East End Park    Dunfermline    Murdoch    league

2019/7/23        7'    Galabank            Annan             Avci           League Cup

2019/7/23      83'    Galabank            Annan             Avci           League Cup

2020/2/8        76'    Cappielow           QoS                Stewart     league

Historical games:

JFL 1999: Jatco FC 0 - 5 Mito HollyHock

B36 in the 1960s, 1950s and 1940s:

           G    W   D    L     F     A     GD     P    Pos

1969    8    2    0    6    12    19      -7      4    4th

1968    8    4    2    2    20    13     +7    10    2nd

1967    8    4    0    4    26    14   +12      8    3rd

1966    8    4    1    3    15    18      -3      9    3rd

1965    6    3    1    2    10    12      -2      7    2nd    Cup

1964    4    2    0    2      6      7      -1      4    2nd

1963    6    2    2    2    12    17      -5      6    3rd

1962    6    5    0    1      8      3     +5    10    1st

1961    6    2    1    3    16    14     +2      5    2nd

1960    6    2    3    1    12    11     +1      7    2nd

1959    8    5    2    1    17      6    +11    12    1st

1958    8    4    0    4    26    25      +1      8    3rd

1957    8    2    3    3    12    18       -6      7    4th

1956    8    3    0    5    13    15       -2      6    4th

1955    6    1    1    4    10    14       -4      3    4th

1954    6    1    1    4      8    13       -5      3    3rd

1953    6    1    1    4      4    15     -11      3    4th

1952    8    0    2    6      3    14     -11      2    5th

1951    6    2    1    3      5      6       -1      5    3rd

1950    8    6    2    0    22      6    +16    14    1st

1949    5    2    2    1    19    12      +7      6    3rd

1948    5    4    1    0    23      3    +20      9    1st

1947    6    3    2    1      4      6       -2      8    4th

1946    4    3    0    1    12      4      +8      6    1st East, QR; won final

1945    3    1    0    2    13      6      +7      2    2nd East, QR

1943    lost semifinals

1942    lost west QR final

ÍBV in the 2000s:

2009    22      6    4    12    24    45     -21    22    10th (I)

2008    22    16    2      4    43    17    +26    50      1st (II)

2007    22    13    5      4    42    23    +19    44      4th (II)

2006    18      5    3    10    18    39     -21    18    10th (I)   

2005    18      5    2    11    18    30     -12    17      8th (I)

2004    18      9    4      5    35    20    +15    31     2nd (I)

2003    18      7    3      8    25    25        0    24      5th (I)

2002    18      5    5      8    23    22      +1    20      7th (I)

2001    18    11    3      4    23    15      +8    36     2nd (I)

2000    18      8    5      5    29    17    +12    29      4th (I)

Mito HollyHock brand Othello. Source.

Alphonso Davies

Canadian phenom Alphonso Davies, who plays for Bayern Munich, is the German league's rookie of the year. Source.

Developments:

Hearts, Partick and the SPFL were in court this week. The judge sent their dispute on to an arbitration tribunal.

The 2020-21 Premiership schedule will be out Monday.

Participation in the Scottish League Cup is optional this year.

The League Two clubs have voted for an October start.

Having lost the spring and probably the summer months too Scottish women's football might convert to a winter league.

Nicky Cadden has signed with Forest Green Rovers of the English League Two.

Nicky Cadden's goals for Morton:

2019/7/23    33'    Galabank     Annan      Avci          League Cup

2019/7/23    43'    Galabank     Annan      Avci          League Cup

2019/7/27    45'    Cappielow    QoS      McCrorie     League Cup

2019/7/27    SO    Cappielow    QoS      McCrorie    League Cup

2019/8/3      79'    Somerset     Ayr Utd    Doohan     league

2019/8/23    72'    Cappielow    Partick    Rogers       league

2019/12/3    49'    Dudgeon      Brora       Malin         Scottish Cup

2019/12/3    53'    Dudgeon      Brora       Malin         Scottish Cup

2019/12/21  64'    Recreation    Alloa    MacDonald   league

2020/2/25    72'    Somerset     Ayr Utd    Doohan      league

Matches happening:

DFB Pokal final: Bayer Levekusen [2 - 4] Bayern Munich

K League: Seongnam FC [0 - 4] Pohang Steelers (tomorrow)

Round Three of the Korean FA Cup went July 1st:

Pohang Steelers 1 - 0 Gyeongju Citizen

Faroes: AB [0 - 4] B36

Iceland: ÍBV 2 - 0 Vikingur Olafsvik (July 3)

Allsvenskan: Malmö 1 - 0 Djurgården (July 1)

Elfsborg [1 - 0] Malmö (tomorrow)

J2: Mito HollyHock [0 - 3] JEF United Chiba

JEF haven't been in J1 since 2009 but I still think of them as a big club.

J3: Blaublitz Akita [2 - 0] Fukushima United (today)

Vanraure Hachinohe [2 - 0] Iwate Grulla Morioka (tomorrow)

J1 restarts today.

The 2019-20 Swiss Challenge League restarted while I wasn't paying attention. Games involving FC Winterthur:

Vaduz 4 - 1 Winterthur (June 19)

Winterthur 1 - 1 Grasshoppers (June 23)

Wil 3 - 1 Wintherthur (June 26)

Winterthus 5 - 2 Aarau (June 30)

Lausanne Ouchy 2 - 2 Winterthur (July 3)

The German word for "closed door match" is Geisterspiel (ghost game).

Matches not happening:

CPL: Edmonton vs Wanderers

Historical matches:

JFL 1999: Mito HollyHock 2 - 1 Honda FC

B36 in the 1970s:

1979    14    4    4    6    21    30      -9    12    4th

1978    12    1    3    8    12    27    -15      5    7th

1977    12    2    4    6    12    28    -16      8    6th

1976    12    3    3    6    15    25    -10      9    5th 

1975    10    3    0    7    11    14      -3      6    4th

1974    10    3    2    5    14    21      -7      8    5th

1973    10    2    1    7    12    25    -13      5    5th

1972    10    5    2    3    17    10     +7    12    3rd

1971    10    2    1    7    12    32    -20      5    5th

1970      8    1    2    5      9    17      -8      4    5th

ÍBV in the 2010s:

2019    22      2    4    16    23    52    -29    10    12th (I)

2018    22      8    5      9    29    31      -2    29      6th (I)

2017    22      7    4    11    32    38      -6    25      9th (I)    Cup

2016    22      6    5    11    23    27      -4    23      9th (I)

2015    22      5    4    13    26    37    -11    19    10th (I)

2014    22      5    7    10    28    38    -10    22    10th (I)

2013    22      8    5      9    26    28      -2    29      6th (I)

2012    22    10    5      7    36    21   +15    35      3rd (I)

2011    22    12    4      6    37    27   +10    40      3rd (I)

2010    22    13    3      6    36    27     +9    42      3rd (I)

Golden Kamuy Consadole Sapporo crossover merch. Source.

Kilmarnock F.C.'s Canadian Experiences

    The players and officials of Kilmarnock Football Club, who have been touring in Canada and the United States for the past six weeks, returned home by the Canadian Pacific liner Duchess of Richmond, which reached the Tail of the Bank yesterday. The party landed at Princes Pier, Greenock, and joined a waiting motor 'bus for Kilmarnock. Mr A. S. M'Culloch, president of the club, was in charge of the tourists and was accompanied by Mr Douglas Dick, vice-president; Mr T. Wylie, director; Mr Hugh Spence and 17 players and the trainer. The players, who were all fit and well, expressed their delight with the tour.

    Mr Spence told a representative of "The Glasgow Herald," who went on board the liner at the Tail of the Bank, that the standard of football in Canada was not nearly so good as in the Second Division of the Scottish League. Football was not likely to become a national game in the Dominion, due mainly to the long distances between the centres of population. It was being kept alive principally by men from the Old Country, who were fired with the greatest enthusiasm for the game and who worked hard to keep it going. Throughout the tour of Canada, Mr Spence added, kindnesses were lavished on the party.

    Referring to the part of the tour in the United States, Mr Spence declared that the American football followers were bad sportsmen and that the standard of refereeing was terrible.

    The Kilmarnock officials have brought home with them a silver telephone presented to the club by the Burns Club at Brantford, and the instrument is to be installed in the manager's office at Rugby Park.

(Glasgow Herald, July 5, 1930, p. 13.)

Afturelding

The HFX Wanderers 2020 home jersey design includes a waveform of "The Last of Barrett's Privateers." You can play it by running along the pregame line-up with a stick. Source.

Developments:

Scottish football can restart any time, so long as it's just one man playing keepie-uppie.

The Queen of the South website reports that the League Cup is scheduled to begin October 7th, with three group stage fixtures prior to the start of the Championship on Oct 17. So they would have to be Oct 7, 10 and 14. How will that work? If the group stage is made up of groups of four teams instead of the usual five then it could be completed in those three dates.

If just the Premiership and Championship are invited there would be five groups of four, or four groups of four if the European clubs get a bye. If Leagues One and Two are in it, along with Brora and Kelty, there would be eleven groups, or ten without the European clubs.

League One and Two clubs are heading toward an October start.

The SPFL board wants the membership to grant it Covid-19 emergency powers for the 2020-21 season.

The Premiership will have only 34 weeks to complete the 33 rounds of pre-split fixtures. The winter break has been scrapped. The Old Firm want their first derby game postponed so it won't have to take place behind closed doors.

Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson has gone over to Hearts.

Jim Duffy has been hospitalized after a heart attack. He was Morton manager from 2014 till 2018, and Dumbarton boss since then.

British Columbia has entered Phase 3 of reopening, which should strengthen Langford's pitch for becoming the CanPL hub.

The start of the 2020 Concacaf League has been postponed.

In Japan they're using the phrase "remote match" for games played behind closed doors.

Hearts and Partick will have their day in court on Tuesday Wednesday.

Matches being played:

K League: Gwangju FC [0 - 2] Pohang Steelers (yesterday)

J2 and J3 start today. J3 will play a 34-game schedule running through to December 20th, with games during international windows and lots of midweek fixtures. I'll report the results of matches between the four Tōhoku clubs and make a table of them at the end of the season.

J2: Thespakusatsu Gunma [1-3] Mito HollyHock

J3: Iwate Grulla Morioka [0 - 4] Blaublitz Akita

Fukushima United [2 - 0] Vanraure Hachinohe

Faroes: EB/Streymur [0 - 3] B36 (yesterday)

Icelandic tier II: Afturelding [1 - 2] ÍBV (tomorrow)

The Icelandic word afturelding is the same thing as asahi in Japanese.

Allsvenskan: AIK [2 - 2] Malmö (tomorrow)

Matches not being played:

HFX Wanderers do not host Cavalry FC.

SWF Championship South: Clyde vs Morton (tomorrow) (not)

Historical matches:

JFL 1999: Yokohama FC 3 - 2 Mito HollyHock

B36 in the 1980s:

             G    W    D    L    F      A      GD    P    Pos

1989    18     8    3     7    27    26     +1    19    6th

1988    18     8    5     5    29    20     +9    21    3rd

1987    14     9    1     4    43    16   +27    19    2nd, tier II

1986    14     3    2     9    20    36    -16      8    8th

1985    14    10   2     2    35    11   +24    22    1st, tier II

1984    14     3    4     7    15    28    -13    10    8th

1983    14     5    3     6    20    26      -6    13    5th

1982    14     4    3     7    14    21      -7    11    5th

1981    14     4    1     9    16    27    -11      9    6th

1980    14     2    2    10   12    26    -14      6    7th

Sources: Wikipedia, FaroeSoccer.com

Swiss clubs versus Romanian clubs in UEFA competition:

1985/9/18      Xamax 3 - 0 Sportul Studentesc      UEFA Cup

1985/10/2      Sportul Studentesc 4 - 4 Xamax      UEFA Cup

1994/8/10      Steaua 4 - 1 Servette        Champions League

1994/8/24      Servette 1 - 1 Steaua        Champions League

2001/9/13      St Gallen 2 - 1 Steaua      UEFA Cup

2001/9/20      Dinamo Bucuresti 1 - 3 Grasshopper    UEFA Cup

2001/9/27      Grasshopper 3 - 1 Dinamo Bucuresti    UEFA Cup

2001/9/27      Steaua 1 - 1 St Gallen      UEFA Cup

2010/8/19      Steaua 1 - 0 Grasshopper    Europa League

2010/8/26      Grasshopper 1 - 0 Steaua    Europa League

2010/9/15      CFR Cluj 2 - 1 Basel         Champions League

2010/9/23      Basel 1 - 0 CRF Cluj         Champions League

2011/9/14      Basel 2 - 1 Otelul Galati    Champions League

2011/9/29      Vaslui 2 - 2 Zurich             Europa League

2011/11/22    Otelul Galati 2 - 3 Basel    Champions League

2011/12/14    Zurich 2 - 0 Vaslui             Europa League

2012/8/21      Basel 1 - 2 CFR Cluj         Champions League

2012/8/29      CFR Cluj 1 - 0 Basel         Champions League

2013/10/22    Steaua 1 - 1 Basel            Champions League

2013/11/6      Basel 1 - 1 Steuau            Champions League

2016/10/20    Steaua 1 - 1 Zurich           Europa League

2016/11/3      Zurich 0 - 1 Steaua           Europa League

2017/9/28      Lugano 1 - 2 Steaua         Europa League

2017/12/7      Steaua 1 - 2 Lugano         Europa League

Eiði

Eiði Stadium in the northwest of Eysturoy in the Faroe Islands would be a shoo-in for Seaside League membership. Source.

Developments:

The SPFL clubs have voted against reconstruction, so 2020-21 will be the usual 12-10-10-10, and Hearts will play Morton this coming season, unless a judge tells them they don't have to. Morton voted in favour of 14-10-10-10, along with Hearts, ICT, Arbroath and Dunfermline. Hearts and Partick are threatening court action over their relegation. The SFA is threatening to kick them out of Scottish football. SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has been appointed to UEFA's disciplinary committee.

The Scottish Championship clubs have voted for a 27-game schedule for 2020-21. Leagues One and Two still don't have a start date.

Scotland enters Phase 2 this weekend, which will allow team sports to be played behind closed doors.

The 2020 Canadian Championship is being reformatted. Eight CPL teams, including Ottawa, and three MLS clubs will participate. AS Blainville and Masters Futbol Academy are out, but will have spots in the 2021 tournament. See below for the deleted plan.

The 2019-20 UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Women's Champions League will be completed as hub tournaments in August.

The Emperor's Cup has been reformatted again. The 2020 champions in J2 and J3 have been added and an extra round inserted. The total number of participants is now 52 clubs. This will be the first time that J3 has had a guaranteed place in the cup.

Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan says that a tournament involving all eight CPL clubs would be 35 to 40 games long. How would that work? If each team played each other team once in a round robin, that would make 28 games. Then if there were quarterfinals, semifinals and a final that would add 7 games, for a total of 35. If the playoffs were two-legged except for the final then the total would be 41. Or, if they formed into two groups of four (one group in Charlottetown and one in Moncton) and each team played the others in its group three times, that would make 36 games; add SF and F to get 39.

Bob McHugh has signed with Queen's Park. This is Ray McKinnon's work.

Bo'ness United have received SFA membership.

Games being played:

Icelandic tier II: ÍBV [2 - 0] Magni

Faroes: B36 1 - 1 Nes Sóknar Ítróttarfelag Runavík (NSÍ) (June 16)

Ítróttarfelag Fuglafjarðar (ÍF) [0 - 3] B36 (tomorrow)

K League: Pohang Steelers 1 - 2 Jeonbuk Motors (June 16)

Pohang Steelers [2 - 0] Gangwon

Iwaki FC have a training match against Ryukyu Keizai University. [Iwaki 5 - 7 RKU.]

The 2020 Allsvenskan resumed this week. Fouad Bachirou is still with Malmö, so let's follow them.

Malmö 2 - 0 Mjallby (June 15)

Häcken 1 - 1 Malmo (June 18)

Malmö [2 - 2] Varberg (tomorrow)

Varbergs BoIS are new to the Allsvenskan. They come from Halland County in the South. In 2004 they were in tier 5.

The top Albanian league -- the Kategoria Superiore -- resumed its 2019-20 season June 3rd after having been off since March 12th. It's due to wrap up July 29th. Tirana lead the league.

Other countries that have restarted their 2019-20 season: Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine.

Countries that have gone ahead with a 2020 season: Belarus, Estonia, Faroes, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

Games not being played:

Originally the 2020 Canadian Championship was to have begun this week. The bracket went:

A) FC Edmonton vs Pacific FC                   June 16-18 and 23-25

B) Valour FC vs Forge FC

C) Masters Futbol Academy vs York9

D) AS Blainville vs HFX Wanderers

E) winner of A) vs Vancouver Whitecaps        July 7-9 and 14-16

F) winner of B) vs Cavalry FC

G) winner of C) vs Toronto FC

H) winner of D) vs Montreal Impact

I) winner of E) vs winner of F)                 August 11-13 and 18-20

J) winner of G) vs winner of H)

K) winner of I) vs winner of J)           September 15-17 and 22-24

Winner to go on to the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.

I'm recording this because it's the sort of information that gets written over when the new schedule comes out.

Historical games:

JFL 1999: Mito HollyHock 2 - 1 Denso

B36 in the 1990s:

             G     W    D    L    F     A      GD     P    Pos

1999    18    12    2    4    52    22    +30    38    3rd

1998    18    11    4    3    59    24    +35    37    3rd

1997    18    16    0    2    58    24    +34    48    1st

1996    18      9    5    4    34    21    +13    32    4th

1995    18      8    2    8    23    35     -12    26    5th

1994    18      5    5    8    24    34     -10    15    7th

1993    18      6    6    6    21    17      +4    18    5th

1992    18      4    8    6    26    28       -2    16    6th

1991    18    10    4    4    37    28      +9    24    2nd    Cup

1990    18      9    2    7    30    27      +3    20    2nd

Armenia vs Georgia in UEFA competition:

2005/7/14      UC 1QR     Banants 2 - 3 Lokomotiv Tbilisi

2005/7/28      UC 1QR     Lokomotiv 0 - 2 Banants

2006/7/13      UC 1QR     Ameri Tbilisi 0 - 1 Banants

2006/7/27      UC 1QR     Banants 1 - 2 Ameri Tbilisi (Ameri won on away goals)

2011/6/30      UL 1QR      Banants 0 - 1 Metalurgist Rustavi

2011/7/7        UL 1QR      Metalurgist Rustavi 1 - 1 Banants

2016/6/30      UL 1QR      Dila Gori 1 - 0 Shirak

2016/7/7        UL 1QR      Shirak 1 - 0 Dila Gori (Shirak won on PK)

2016/7/12      CL 2QR      Dinamo Tbilisi 2 - 0 Alashkert

2016/7/19      CL 2QR      Alaskert 1 - 1 Dinamo Tbilisi

2019/8/6        EL 3QR      Ararat-Armenia 1 - 2 Saburtalo Tbilisi

2019/8/14      EL 3QR      Saburtalo Tbilisi 0 - 2 Ararat-Armenia

AS Blainville in the Canadian Championship:

2018/6/6        Blainville 2 - 1 Oakville Blue Devils

2018/6/13      Oakville Blue Devils 0 - 1 Blainville

2018/6/20      Blainville 0 - 1 Ottawa Fury

2018/6/27      Ottawa Fury 1 - 0 Blainville

2019/5/15      Blainville 0 - 0 York9

2019/5/22      York9 1 - 0 Blainville

1. FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal

1962. Source.

1952/8/17      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 2  FC St. Pauli

1958/9/21      SF        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 4  VfB Stuttgart

1961/7/29      R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 1  SV Werder Bremen

1962/7/28      R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  4 - 1  Eintracht Braunschweig

1962/8/8        QF        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 2  Fortuna Düsseldorf

1962/8/15      QF        Fortuna Düsseldorf  1 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1963/6/1        R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  3 - 0  VfL Wolfsburg

1963/7/31      QF        Hamburger SV  1 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

1964/4/7        R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  6 - 1  Tennis Borussia Berlin

1964/4/22      R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 1  Eintracht Braunschweig

1964/5/20      QF        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 3  TSV 1860 München

1966/1/22      R1        FC St. Pauli  4 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1967/1/14      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 4  VfB Stuttgart

1974/9/8        R1        FC Augsburg  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1975/8/1        R1        FC Bayern Munich  3 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1976/8/6        R1        SpVgg Preußen 07 Hameln  0 - 5  1.FC Saarbrücken

1976/10/16    R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 3  Rot-Weiß Essen

1977/8/10      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 2  FC Bayern Munich

1978/8/5        R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 0  SpVgg Fürth

1978/9/22      R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 3  Bayer Uerdingen

1979/8/25      R1        Freiburger FC  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1980/8/30      R1        TSV Plön  0 - 3  1.FC Saarbrücken

1980/10/4      R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 2  Freiburger FC

1980/10/28    R2        Freiburger FC  3 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1981/8/28      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 0  Alemannia Aachen

1981/9/8        R1        Alemannia Aachen  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1984/9/1        R1        Rot-Weiß Essen  1 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1984/11/21    R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  4 - 1  1.FC Nürnberg

1984/12/22    R16      VfB Stuttgart  0 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

1985/2/6        R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 2  VfB Stuttgart (Saarbrücken who on PK)

1985/2/16      QF        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 0  Hannover 96

1985/4/6        SF        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 1  Bayer 05 Uerdingen

1985/8/24      R1        Göttingen 05  1 - 6  1.FC Saarbrücken

1985/10/17    R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 3  FC Bayern Munich

1986/8/27      R1        Rot-Weiß Lüdenscheid  2 - 4  1.FC Saarbrücken

1986/10/24    R2        Alemannia Aachen  4 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

1987/8/28      R1        1.FC Pforzheim  3 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1988/8/6        R1        VfR Wormatia Worms  1 - 3  1.FC Saarbrücken

1988/9/24      R2        FSV Salmrohr  0 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1988/12/10    R16      VfB Stuttgart  2 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

1989/8/20      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  3 - 1  SV Meppen

1989/9/23      R2        Fortuna Düsseldorf  4 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

1990/8/4        R1        Türkiyemspor Berlin  2 - 6  1.FC Saarbrücken

1990/11/3      R2        SpVgg Fürth  0 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1990/12/1      R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 0  Eintracht Frankfurt

1991/3/6        R16      Eintracht Frankfurt  3 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1991/8/1        R1        Borussia Dortmund II  2 - 5  1.FC Saarbrücken

1991/8/17      R2        SC Bamberg  4 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1992/8/18      R1        Kickers Emden  1 - 5  1.FC Saarbrücken

1992/9/12      R2        Carl Zeiss Jena  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

1993/8/4        R1        FSV Salmrohr  1 - 3  1.FC Saarbrücken

1993/8/24      R2        Alemannia Aachen  0 - 3  1.FC Saarbrücken

1993/9/11      R3        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 4  Hamburger SV

1994/8/13      R1        Holstein Kiel  0 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1994/9/11      R2        Hannover 96  0 - 2  1.FC Saarbrücken

1994/10/25    R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 4  FC St. Pauli

1995/8/27      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 2  Eintracht Frankfurt

1997/8/15      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 0  SC Freiburg

1997/9/24      R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 4  1.FC Kaiserslautern

1998/8/28      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 1  Borussia Dortmund (Dortmund won on PK)

1999/8/9        R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 1  Schalke 04

2000/8/26      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 1  SpVgg Greuther Fürth

2001/8/26      R1        Werder Bremen  5 - 0  1.FC Saarbrücken

2002/8/30      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 1  SV Waldhof Mannheim (Mannheim won on PK)

2004/8/21      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 4  1.FC Köln

2005/8/20      R1        FC Ingolstadt  1 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken (Saarbrücken won on PK)

2005/10/25    R2        SpVgg Unterhaching  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken

2006/9/10      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 0  FSV Mainz 05

2006/10/24    R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 2  SpVgg Greuther Fürth

2011/7/29      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 3  Erzgebirge Aue

2012/8/19      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 5  Schalke 04

2013/8/4        R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  3 - 1  Werder Bremen

2013/9/25      R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  2 - 1  SC Paderborn

2013/12/3      R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 2  Borussia Dortmund

2017/8/13      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 2  Union Berlin

2019/8/11      R1        1.FC Saarbrücken  3 - 2  Jahn Regensburg

2019/10/29    R2        1.FC Saarbrücken  3 - 2  1.FC Köln

2020/2/5        R16      1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 0  Karlsruher SC (Saarbrücken won on PK)

2020/3/3        QF        1.FC Saarbrücken  1 - 1  Fortuna Düsseldorf (Saarbrücken won on PK)

2020/6/9        SF        1.FC Saarbrücken  0 - 3  Bayer Leverkusen

Soccerly Distanced

King George V Park, Golspie. Source.

Developments:

According to the SPFL there is not enough support for any form of three-division reconstruction to bother putting it to a vote, so now the only reconstruction proposal on the table is 14-10-10-10. The change would be 'permanent' -- though what can that mean in the whirligig of Scottish football?

Bob McHugh is not returning to Morton. The players under contract until 2021 are: Blues, Colville, Easdale, Jacobs, Lyon, McGuffie, Orsi, Salkeld, Strapp and Wylie.

Ricki Lamie has signed with Motherwell. He played for Morton from 2014 to 2018 and with Livi these last two years.

Gary Harkins has retired. During his career he played for nearly everyone, specifically for Morton in 2017-18.

October 17th is the proposed start date for the 2020-21 Championship.

FC Tokyo has withdrawn its U-23 squad from J3, reducing that league to 18 teams.

All fall university sports in the Atlantic Provinces have been cancelled, including soccer and Canadian football. This frees up the pitch at UPEI if the CanPL wants to use Charlottetown as a hub.

All Canadian Premier League teams have now been cleared to begin training.

Games being played:

K League: Sangju Sangmu [2 - 4] Pohang Steelers

Sangju Sangmu is a military team. There are two years of compulsory military service in South Korea, so all the young footballers have that gap in their sporting career unless they can get on a squad like this.

Faroes: EB/Streymur [1 - 4] B36 (yesterday)

DFB-Pokal semi-finals:

1.FC Saarbrücken 0 - 3 Bayer Leverkusen (June 9)

Bayern Munich 2 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt (June 10)

The Icelandic league starts today. Our guys ÍBV are in tier II, which doesn't start till next weekend. But today it's the 1/32-finals of the Icelandic Cup:

Grindavik [1 - 5] ÍBV

These two met in Round Four of the 2003 cup, and played to a scoreless draw, at the end of which Grindavik won on penalty kicks. They're both in tier II so they'll meet two more times this year.

Iwaki FC play a training match against Tonan Maebishi of the Kantō League. [Iwaki 2 - 2 Tonan.]

Games not being played:

HFX Wanderers do not host FC Edmonton.

SWF Championship South: Morton vs United Glasgow (tomorrow) (no)

Historical games:

JFL 1999: Otsuka Pharmaceutical 1 - 0 Mito HollyHock

Otsuka Pharmaceutical is now Tokushima Vortis of the J2 league.

Morton vs United Glasgow, the record:

2017/4/2        United Glasgow 1 - 3 Morton        SWFL2 West

2017/9/17      Morton 6 - 0 United Glasgow        SWFL2 West

2019/4/6        Morton 2 - 1 United Glasgow        SWFL2 Cup QF

Greenock Morton and HFX Wanderers' most recent seasons compared:

                                G     W     D      L      F     A     GD    Pts    Pos

Greenock Morton    28    10      6    12    45    52      -7    36    7th

HFX Wanderers      28      6    10    12    21    35    -14    28    7th

B36 in the 2000s:

             G    W    D    L      F      A     GD    P    Pos

2009    27     7     7    13    37    53    -16    28    8th

2008    27   14     6      7    34    25     +9    48    3rd

2007    27   15     7      5    47    23   +24    52    3rd

2006    27   13     8      6    45    32   +13    47    3rd    Cup

2005    27   15     9      3    38    17   +21    54    1st

2004    18   10     4      4    37    21   +16    34    2nd

2003    18   12     1      5    38    20   +18    37    2nd    Cup

2002    18     9     5      4    55    27   +28    32    5th

2001    18   15     1      2    55    15   +40    46    1st    Cup

2000    18     9     1      8    49    27   +22    28    6th

Pohang Steelers in the 1980s:

             G     W     D     L      F     A     GD    P    Pos

1989    40    13    14    13    49    50     -1    40    4th

1988    24      9      9      6    28    25    +3    27    1st    Champions

1987    32    16      8      8    64    41  +23    40    2nd

1986    10      2      2      6      9    18     -9      6    4th (2nd stage) Champions

1986    10      3      6      1      9      5    +4    12    1st (1st stage)

1985    21      9      7      5    25    17    +8    25    2nd

            G    W   D   0D   L    F      A    GD    P    Pos

1984    14    7    2    0    5    28    27    +1    25    3rd (2nd stage)

1984    14    3    5    0    6    13    17    -4    19    6th (1st stage)

            G      W     D      L     F     A    GD    P    Pos

1983    16      6      4      6    21    21     0    16    4th

In 1984 the league played in two stages, with playoffs to decide the champion. Points were 3 for a win, 2 for a draw and 1 for a scoreless draw.

In 1984 the club was known as POSCO, after their owner Pohang Iron and Steel Company. In 1985 they became POSCO Dolphins and in 1986 POSCO Atoms. POSCO might as well still be the name of the club as they are always the shirt sponsor, in big letters.

Yosakoi

Yosakoi is a dance style based on traditional Japanese moves but incorporating contemporary music and choreography, and is often performed in the street during festivals by large teams of dancers. It began in Kochi in 1954 and has spread throughout Japanese culture. You can see its influence in almost any compilation of Japanese television commercials. Source. Watch.

Developments:

HFX Wanderers began training Monday. Pacific FC have also received provincial approval to begin. York9 and Ottawa got the go Wednesday.

There's talk of starting the SPFL's lower divisions in October and playing three round robins or 27 games. This is interesting statistically because it would turn the interrupted 2019-20 season from an anomaly into one of a pair of Covid-style seasons. If the season is delayed until January and is only 18 games long then there will be several years in the 1890s to compare it to.

Should the Premiership begin months ahead of the Championship I'll follow Kilmarnock, a West of Scotland club I've almost entirely ignored up till now, until Morton are back.

Ann Budge has introduced the SPFL to a wealthy benefactor James Anderson who is willing to pay for all the Covid testing the league will need to start operating again.

The SPFL and Sky Sports have reached a deal to live-stream the Premiership starting in August.

Rangers and Celtic have introduced a new reconstruction formula, 14-14-18. It's like 14-14-16 but with Old Firm colt teams.

Morton have unveiled their new home strip. It ... has blue and white hoops.

A Bolivian player, Deibert Román Guzmán, has died of Covid-19. He played for Universitario del Beni in the country's third tier.

Games happening:

K League: Pohang Steelers [0 - 4] Ulsan Hyundai

It's Round Two of the Korean FA Cup. The 16 winners from Round One join the top six from K3 and the 10 from K2. According to the bracket the winner of Match 20 will face Pohang Steelers in Round Three.

Match 20: Gyeongju Citizen [1 - 0] Pyeontaek Citizen

Both clubs play in K3. Ten out of the 32 teams in Round Two are named Citizen, which means they are not the soccer departments of big corporations.

Faroes: B36  2 - 4  Havnar Bóltfelag (HB) (June 1)

This result leaves HB unbeaten in first place and B36 in fourth.

Víkingur [4 - 2] B36 (tomorrow)

Games not happening:

Iwaki FC were to have visited Kochi United today.

J3 League, Week 12: Grulla Morioka vs Fukushima United

CPL: Wanderers vs Athletico Ottawa (yesterday)

Historical games:

JFL 1999: Mito HollyHock 1 - 0 Kokushikan University

Kokushikan University joined the JFL in 1998 but was expelled from the league just before the end of the 2004 season after sexual assualt charges were brought against several of their players.

Sort the Faroese clubs by number of wins in European competition. And who did they beat?

5        HB        RAF Jelgava (Latvia), VPS Vaasa (Finland), WIT Georgia, Red Bull Salzburg, Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar)

5        Víkingur        Inter Turku, Daugava (Latvia), Tromsø IL (Norway), Trepça 89 (Kosovo) twice

4        B36      ÍBV, Birkirkara (Malta), Valletta (Malta), OFK Titograd (Montenegro)

4        KÍ         Maccabi Haifa (Israel), Birkirkara, Tre Fiori (San Marino) twice

2        EB/Streymur        Gandzazar (Armenia), Lusitanos (Andorra)

2        NSÍ      Dinamo Tblisis (Georgia), Linfield

The lower divisions of the Faroe Islands football league are mostly made up of clubs' second and third teams. What are the first teams in each division?

Betri deildin: AB, B36, EB/Streymur, HB, ÍF, KÍ, NSÍ, Skála, TB, Víkingur

1.deild: 07 Vestur, B68, B71, FC Hoyvík

2.deild: Royn, FC Suðuroy, Undrið FF

B36 in the 2010s:

             G     W     D    L     F     A       GD     P    Pos

2019    27    20      3    4    53    23    +30    63    2nd

2018    27    16      5    6    58    33    +25    53    3rd    Cup

2017    27    13      9    5    62    39    +23    48    3rd

2016    27    14      7    6    46    28    +18    49    4th

2015    27    18      7    2    60    25    +35    61    1st

2014    27    19      4    4    53    25    +28    61    1st

2013    27    12    10    5    48    35    +13    46    3rd

2012    27    10      8    9    42    36      +6    38    6th

2011    27    21      4    2    63    28    +35    67    1st

2010    27    11      7    9    44    36      +8    40    6th

Pohang Steelers in the 1990s:

            G     W   WG  WP    L     F      A     GD     P     Pos

1999    27    11     1      0    15    42    41     +1    35    5th

1998    18      8     2      0      8    34    23   +11    28    3rd

            G     W     D     L     F      A     GD    P      Pos

1997    18     8     6      4    25    22     +3    30    4th

1996    16     7     5      4    39    26     +4    26    3rd (2nd stage)    FA Cup

1996    16    10    5      1    24    12   +12    35    2nd (1st stage)

1995    14      8    5      1    23    11   +12    29    1st (2nd stage)

1995    14      7    5      2    18    12     +6    26    3rd (1st stage)

1994    30     3    11     6    49    37   +12    50    3rd

            G    W  PKW  PKL    L    F      A     GD    P    Pos

1993    30    8     6       8       8    34    29    +5    52*   4th    League Cup

            G     W      D     L     F      A      GD    P     Pos

1992    30    13      9      8    32    28     +4    35    1st    Champion

1991    40    12    15    13    46    47      -1    39    3rd

1990    30      9    10    11    29    28     +1    28    3rd

Until 1994 the club was named POSCO Atoms, in 1995 and 1996 Pohang Atoms, and from 1997 onward Pohang Steelers.

In 1993 the K League decided draws by penalty kicks. In 1998 and 1999 the league decided draws by golden goal (WG) and by penalty kicks (WP). Hockey fans know the golden goal as sudden death overtime.

In 1995 and 1996 the league played an apertura/clausura system with playoffs to decide the champion.

*No idea how they arrived at this number.

Honda Lock

Everyone wears white at Honda Lock. Source.

Developments:

Ann Budge has come back with a two-year 14-14-14 reconstruction proposal, hoping there will be the votes for it this time.

Regardless of the structure the SPFL chooses for 2020-21, it's not clear at the moment how many clubs will be able to participate. For some clubs it would make more financial sense to go on hiatus for a year than to operate without gate receipts. Falkirk are already calling for those clubs to identify themselves. If Falkirk can persuade Dunfermline to sit out then it's promotion for the Bairns. Dunfermline recently released 17 players.

The powers that be have approached the Scottish government with a plan to start the Premiership on August 1st.

Finland plans to restart the Finnish Cup on June 16 and its top league the Veikkausliga July 1. The cup has already completed its group stage and is ready for the 1/8-finals. The Veikkausliga is a summer league and has played no games so far in 2020.

J2 and J3 plan to start June 27. J1 will restart July 4.

The Canadian Premier League is looking at using Prince Edward Island as a hub. Atlético Ottawa unveiled their home strip Thursday: red and white stripes, blue shorts, red socks.

Games happening:

Faroes: Tvøroyrar Bóltfelag (TB for short)  1 - 3  B36 (May 27)

K League: Incheon United [1 - 4] Pohang Steelers (tomorrow)

After three games Pohang have 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss and a +1 goal difference. They occupy sixth place. Incheon are tenth and have yet to score a goal.

Games not happening:

Iwaki FC were to have played Honda Lock today.

CPL: Valour vs Wanderers (yesterday) (no)

Bolivian league: Blooming vs The Strongest (May 27) (no)

This would have completed the Apertura.

SWF Championship South: Gartcairn vs Morton (May 27) (no)

AFC Champions League East, group stage, matchday 3:*

Group F: FC Tokyo vs Shanghai Shenhua

Group G: Vissel Kobe vs Guangzhou Evergrande

Group H: Yokohama F. Marinos vs Shanghai SIPG

*Match day 3 was postponed from March and is now postponed again.

Historical games:

JFL 1999: Yokogawa Electric 0 - 1 Mito HollyHock

Nowadays Yokogawa Electric is called Tokyo Musashino City FC.

Pohang Steelers in the 2000s:

            G     W     D     L     F     A      GD     P     Pos

2009    28    14    11     3    55    33    +22    53    2nd    League Cup

2008    26    13     5      8    43    34      +9    44    5th    FA Cup

2007    26    12     5      9    27    31       -4    38    5th    playoff champion

2006    26    13     8      5    42    28    +14    47    2nd

2005    24    11     7      6    28    22      +6    40    5th

2004    24     8      8      8    23    24       -1    32    6th

2003    44   17    13    14    53    46      +7    64    7th

2002    27     9      9      9    31    34       -3    36    6th

2001    27   10      8      9    28    29       -1    38    5th

2000    27     5      7    15    31    39       -8    22    9th

Club The Strongest league results since 2010:

                     G    W    D    L     F      A     GD   Pts    Pos

2019C         26    17    6    3    72    27    +45    57    2nd

2019A         26    16    4    6    55    30    +25    52    2nd

2018C         26    16    2    8    65    29    +36    50    2nd

2018A         14      7    1    6    22    16      +6    22    2nd, Serie B

2017C         22    12    4    6    42    24    +18    40    2nd

2017A         22    13    2    7    47    31    +16    41    2nd

2016A         22    14    7    1    44    12    +32    49    1st

2015-16C    22    11    5    6    36    24    +12    38    2nd

2015-16A    22    11    6    5    45    26    +19    39    3rd

2014-15C    22    12    6    4    48    28    +20    42    2nd

2014-15A    22    11    4    7    39    26    +13    37    3rd

2013-14C    22    12    4    6    40    32      +8    40    3rd

2013-14A    22    14    3    5    47    27    +20    45    1st

2012-13C    22      9    7    6    40    35      +5    34    5th

2012-13A    22    13    6    3    53    31    +22    45    1st

2011-12C    22    11    5    6    47    28    +19    38    1st

2011-12A    12      4    3    5    34    23     +11    15    4th, Serie B

2011            22    10    5    7    33    26      +7    35    4th

2010C         22    10    2   10   37    36      +1    29    8th (3 pts deducted)

2010A         12      5    4    3    21    18      +3    19    1st, Phase 1, Serie A

                    10     3    4    3    15    14      +1    13    4th, Phase 2

(In the lefthand column A = Apertura, C = Clausura.)

Except the soccer team. Source.

Parklea

Parklea Stadium on the eastern shore of Port Glasgow is the home ground of Port Glasgow FC and Greenock Morton Women. There's also a lawn bowling club next door. This snap is from a night game last November between Port Glasgow (black and white) and Greenock Juniors (red). See here for a scotch pie review.

Developments:

Monday the SPFL cancelled the rest of the Premiership season, making Celtic 2019-20 champions and relegating Heart of Midlothian.

However, the league reconstruction committee is back at work trying to find a way to budge Hearts up again.

The Lowland League website is reporting that Bo'ness United are close to being promoted to the 2020-21 Lowland League. This comes in the wake of the South of Scotland League voiding its 2019-20 season. As there is no SoSFL champion (which would have been Threave Rovers) there is now no need for a playoff with the EoSFL champion (which could not have been played due to the coronavirus) and so Bo'ness are clear to advance by automatic promotion.

On Thursday 1.FC Saarbrücken began training for their June 9th DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen.

The SPFL wants to start training camps June 10. The League Cup might become a casualty of the coronavirus, as the part-time clubs can't afford to play without gate receipts. More on that below.

Games being played:

Faroes: B36 [6 - 2] Skála Ítróttarfelag

B36 enter today's game in second place. They have not been scored on yet this season. Skála are in ninth place.

Skála met Tampere United in the 2005 Intertoto Cup, and lost both games. They appeared in the first qualifying round of the 2006-07 UEFA Cup, where they were beaten twice by IK Start of Norway. Skála wear orange and black, to the joy of Dundee United fans. They were sixth in the league last season.

K League: Pohang Steelers 1 - 2 FC Seoul (May 21)

FC Seoul were able to play two matches in the interrupted 2020 AFC Champions League. They beat Malaysian club Kedah in the playoff round and Melbourne Victory in the group stage. They finished third in the league last season.

Games not being played:

HFX Wanderers do not host Forge FC.

The CPL is looking at starting the season by playing all its games at one location, perhaps Langford BC. If they staged one match per day they could complete the schedule in 112 days.

The first round of the Canadian Championship is supposed to go June 16, which seems very unlikely.

Tomorrow it's not the final of the 2019-20 South Region Challenge Cup.

SWF Championship South: BSC Glasgow vs Morton (tomorrow) (no)

Swiss Challenge League: Grasshoppers vs Winterthur (May 20) (not)

That would have concluded the Swiss Challenge League 2019-20.

The Swiss Cup final should have been today.

Bolivian league:

Guabira vs The Strongest (May 20) (no)

The Strongest vs Aurora (tomorrow) (no)

Historical games:

1963-64: On May 20th Morton played their final Summer Cup group stage match, hosting Partick and playing to a 1 - 1 draw. Partick, Morton and St Mirren all finished with 7 points, but Partick won the group with the superior goal difference. Partick went on to lose to Aberdeen in the semi-finals, and Aberdeen lost to Hibs in the finals.

On May 23rd St Mirren beat Morton 0 - 2 at Cappielow in the first leg of the Renfrewshire Cup final. The second May 26th they played to a 1 - 1 draw in Paisley. St Mirren were Renfrewshire champions.

It's nearly time for the Scottish League Cup groups to be announced. If the SPFL sticks with the same format this year, what teams will be in which pots?

The seedings are based on the previous year's standings, so the matter of reconstruction shouldn't have any bearing on the 2020-21 group stage format.

Bye to Round Two: Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell, Aberdeen

Top seeds North: St Johnstone, Hibs, Ross County, Hearts

Top seeds South: Livingston, Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Hamilton

Second seeds North: Dundee United, Inverness CT, Dundee, Arbroath

Second seeds South: Ayr United, Dunfermline, Morton, Alloa

Unseeded North: Raith, Montrose, East Fife, Peterhead, Forfar, Cove Rangers, Elgin, Cowdenbeath, Stirling Albion, Brechin, Brora, Kelty

Unseeded South: QoS, Partick, Falkirk, Airdrieonians, Dumbarton, Clyde, Stranraer, Edinburgh City, Queen's Park, Annan, Stenhousemuir, Albion Rovers

I don't know if the league would really put Lowland League champions Kelty in the North, but by latitude that's where they go.

There's a one in four chance that Morton's top seed opponent will be St Mirren.

If it looks like football is still off in July the league might opt to revert to a strictly knock-out format, which ought to be easier to postpone.

Who beat Rangers in league play in Division Three, League One and the Championship?

2012/10/6      Stirling Albion 1 - 0 Rangers

2013/3/9        Rangers 1 - 2 Annan Athletic

2013/4/20      Rangers 1 - 2 Peterhead

2014/8/10      Rangers 1 - 2 Hearts

2014/9/29      Rangers 1 - 3 Hibs

2014/11/22    Hearts 2 - 0 Rangers

2014/12/12    Queen of the South 2 - 0 Rangers

2014/12/27    Hibs 4 - 0 Rangers

2015/2/13      Rangers 0 - 2 Hibs

2015/4/9        Queen of the South 3 - 0 Rangers

2015/11/1      Hibs 2 - 1 Rangers

2015/12/19    Falkirk 2 - 1 Rangers

2016/3/18      Falkirk 3 - 2 Rangers

2016/4/20      Hibs 3 - 2 Rangers

2016/4/26      Livingston 1 - 0 Rangers

Cups and playoffs not included.

Pohang Steelers in the 2010s:

             P     W    D     L      F      A     GD    P     Pos

2019    38    16     8    14    49    49       0    56    4th

2018    38    15     9    14    47    48      -1    54    4th

2017    38    15     7    16    63    60     +3    52    7th

2016    38    12   10    16    43    46      -3    46    9th

2015    38    18   12      8    49    32   +17    66    3rd

2014    38    16   10    12    50    39   +11    58    4th

2013    38    21   11      6    63    38   +25    74    1st    FA Cup

2012    44    23     8    13    72    47   +25    77    3rd    FA Cup

2011    30    17     8      5    59    33   +26    59    2nd

2010    28      8     9    11    39    48      -9    33    9th

Inés Quispe de Salinas

Inés Quispe de Salinas is president of Club The Strongest. Source.

Developments:

On Tuesday a Rangers-sponsored motion for an investigation into the reconstruction vote produced 13 yeas, 27 nays and 2 mehs. Morton, who have been very quiet throughout this lockdown, voted nay.

Tuesday the South of Scotland League declared its 2019-20 season null and void.

The BBC reports that the SPFL pressured the Lowland League into accepting Brechin in the event of the City losing in the pyramid playoffs. All the Angus clubs are clearly in the Highland League zone. As it stands now the pyramid playoffs are off and Brechin are reprieved.

The SPFL clubs conferenced on Friday, but no decision on ending the season came out of it.

The Bolivian Football Federation is distributing $50,000 of Conmebol money to each of the 14 top-tier clubs to tide them over. That's not a lot of money.

The top two German leagues resume this weekend, but Dynamo Dresden has gone into isolation and cannot play this week or next.

The Icelandic league plans to start June 13th. Denmark plans to go May 28th.

The part of Scotland that has been hardest hit by Covid-19 is Inverclyde. Story.

Regardless of the fate of the Premiership season, there are four cup games left to play: the semi-finals and final of the Scottish Cup and the final of the Challenge Cup.

Which clubs will be in the 2020-21 Scottish Championship?

A) Assuming there is a 2020-21;

B) Assuming that league reconstruction truly is dead;

C) Assuming that there is promotion and relegation for just the top and bottom clubs;

D) Assuming that there are no club liquidations:

Hearts, Inverness CT, Dundee, Ayr United, Arbroath, Dunfermline, Morton, Alloa, Queen of the South, Raith Rovers.

Had the clubs voted for 14-14-16 the 2020-21 Championship would have been made up of:

Dundee, Ayr United, Arbroath, Dunfermline, Morton, Alloa, Queen of the South, Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers, Falkirk, Airdrieonians, Montrose, East Fife, Dumbarton.

How many league matches did each of the clubs fighting relegation with club statements win in 2019-20?

6        Partick Thistle

4        Heart of Midlothian

2        Stranraer

Things I learned this week:

1) In a double robin robin (e.g. the English Premiership season) the other match we played against you is called the 'reverse fixture'.

2) In 1984 the South Korean league handed out 3 points for a win, 2 points for a draw, and 1 point for a scoreless draw.

3) Carol Channing's second husband was an Ottawa Rough Rider nicknamed The Murderous Ax.

Postponed games:

Canadian Premier League:

HFX Wanderers do not visit Atletico Ottawa.

York9 have sold Emilio Estevez to ADO Den Haag for an undisclosed amount.

Swiss Challenge League:

Lausanne Sport vs Winterthur (May 13) (no)

Winterthur vs Kriens (May 16) (no)

Bolivian league:

Royal Pari vs The Strongest (May 13) (no)

The Strongest vs National Potosi (tomorrow) (no)

Historical games:

1963-64: The Summer Cup group stage continued.

(May 13) Morton visited Third Lanark and won 1 - 3.

(May 16) Morton were at home to St Mirren and lost 1 - 2.

In 1974 when Ferranti Thistle were admitted to the league, Irvine Meadow were also under consideration.

JFL 1999: Jatco SC 2 - 3 Mito HollyHock

Jatco SC existed from 1972 to 2003. Their home town was Numazu in Shizuoka. The club came up from the Tokai league in 1997 but never made it higher. Jatco is short for Japan Automatic Transmission Company.

Games being played:

Faroes: B36 [3 - 0] Argja Bóltfelag (AB) (tomorrow)

After last week's season-openers B36 are in second place and AB are tied for fifth.

B36 have never participated in the Scottish Challenge Cup, but they've played three clubs that have: Linfield (in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League, and the 2014-15 Europa League), The New Saints (in the 2015-16 Champions League) and Crusaders (in the 2019-20 Europa League). B36's record against them is 3 draws and 5 losses. Queen of the South have played Linfield, TNS and Crusaders in the Challenge Cup and have 2 wins and 1 loss, which suggests that the Scottish Championship is a stronger league than the top Faroese division.

K League: Daegu FC [1 - 1] Pohang Steelers

After last weekend's games Pohang are third and Daegu are tied for sixth.

Are the new Airdrieonians a continuation of the old Airdrieonians or the old Clydebank?

The old Airdrieonians club went bankrupt in 2002, partly due to the expense of building shiny new Excelsior Stadium, which opened in 1998. A group seeking to establish a second-life Airdrieonians applied for league membership, but the SFL elected Gretna instead. So the new Airdrieonian group bought Clydebank FC and moved them into the new Excelsior Stadium under the name Airdrie United (which was changed back to Airdrieonians in 2013.) Airdrie United had the name (more or less), colours and stadium of the old Airdrieonians, but the league membership and the Second Division spot of Clydebank.

What about the roster? These players from the 2001-02 Clydebank roster went on to play for Airdrie United in 2002-03:

1) Neil McGowan went from Clydebank 2001-02 to Airdrie United 2002-03 but played 11 games for KA of Iceland in the summer of 2002.

2) Simon Vella

3) Alan Gow

These players went from Airdrieonians 2001-02 to Airdrie United 2002-03.

1) Sandy Stewart

2) Stephen Docherty

3) Stephen McKeown

4) Paul Armstrong

5) Paul Ronald

6) Jérôme Vareille

In terms of league position Airdrie United were a continuation of the old Clydebank, but in terms of roster the new club looked more like the continuation of the old Airdrieonians.

Source.