What sports teams do you support?

[Arneb]

I knew it.

[Heid the Ba]

Of course the Sellick fans think it is a conspiracy to make sure Rangers are rested before the Old Firm game at the weekend.

[Heid the Ba]

Meanwhile at Centurion in Saffershire, there was a quite splendid twenty ball duck by the Saffer number eleven. His job was just to stay there while someone else scored and this was an outstanding effort.

[Lianachan]

Or is it just an excuse for the deasachs not to have to get out and face RCC in foul wather? Lianachan?

I think this one was more to do with all roads south being closed during a declared emergency to be fair.

[Heid the Ba]

There you go, applying logic to the Old Firm.

[Lianachan]

There you go, applying logic to the Old Firm.

I'm sorry. It won't happen again.


.

[Arneb]

I'll be watching you. Both.

[Lianachan]

Away from home, two nil up against a much better team with twenty minutes to go...... so it end:

Embra Car Rental 2 - 2 Ross County


Played 97, won 50, drawn 20, lost 27.

[Lianachan]

Rangers played today as well , but Heid's probably still shouting at the telly.

[Lianachan]

Sigh.

County 0 - 3 Ehburdeen


Played 98, won 50, drawn 20, lost 28.

[Heid the Ba]

I missed both games, no WiFi for a while so no posts.

One win, one loss.

Played 100, won 51, drawn 20, lost 29.

[Arneb]

No footie over here until 12 Jan in the Bundesliga and 19 Jan in the Zweite. Now we know why Harry Kane went to Bayern.

[Heid the Ba]

Extra-time penalty to win? It has spread to the women's team.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68036921

[Heid the Ba]

Big Cup action later, RCC at home and then Rangers away. Could easily be two wins . . .

[Arneb]

Extra-time penalty to win? It has spread to the women's team.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68036921

I could get used to that...
League Two back in business this weekend. If the stars align just right (Greuther winning in Paderborn, Hertha winning against Düsseldorf, Hamburg not winning at Schalke - a rare alignment), Greuther could end up in the promotion playoff spot after this match day. Not something I'd have thought of when this season started out so badly for both teams.

[Heid the Ba]

What’s the story with Bernstein?

[Heid the Ba]

We got a penalty we didn't need but hey, what ya gonna do?

Dumbarton 1 - 4 Rangers

Played 101, won 52, drawn 20, lost 29.

[Lianachan]

Remember when I said I was worried about our returning, legendary, manager tarnishing his legacy?

Ross County 0 - 3 Partick Thistle (from the league below us)

Played 102, won 52, drawn 20, lost 30.

[Arneb]

Hamburg already won, so no special alignment tomorrow.

[Arneb]

SC Paderborn 0 - 1 SpVgg Greuther Fürth

Not half bad, and we are in fourth place now, only three points and a goal away form a promotion placement.

Hertha BSC 2- 2 Fortuna Düsseldorf

We lost the first round and D'dorf are a promotion contender, so it is an improvement. They squandered a penalty on us, ha!

Played 103, won 53, drawn 21, lost 30.

[Arneb]

What’s the story with Bernstein?

It's short and sad. Died completely unexpectedly, no evidence of foul play or a suicide, as the State Attorney announced, pending some further investigations. The body has been released to the familiy for burial.

It is very sad. I don't usually trust people from the ultra scene, but he seems to have been a competent reorganizer after the chaos of and following the Big City Big Club Big Big years. Hertha was literally heating the place burning money until summer, and he put an end to that - but he wasn't some idiot radical who would have accepted going down into League 4 waving the flag of anti-capitalism. He accepted the buy-in of an institutional investor, 777 Capital, who agreed to buy Windhorst's shares on the cheap and providing just enough money to keep the shop afloat, sold every major expencisve player, re-hired Pál Dárdái (probably also on the cheap) and his four young player sons (very definitely on the very cheap), and issued the simple order, don't sink. And it seems to have worked out so far. The team of nobodies has found a way to survive, young second-rank youth players are being introduced into the professional team, and we stabilized in 8th place, exactly as many points below a promotion placement as we are above a relegation spot.

His Vice President and close ally, Thomas Drescher will take over until the next election in October. Until then, I see a relatively quiet path ahead, as long as we are safely staying in the League. All I now hope is that they won't vote for the guy whom Bernstein beat in the last election - Frank Steffel, a has-been Christian Democrat Berlin MP who spent most of the last 15 years not becoming Mayor of Berlin and saw Hertha as his second shot at greatness (to be fair to him, he wasn't a total figurehead,he had been successful as the President of a handball Bundesliga club). I hope someone will find a way to restructure finances, spend a few calm seasons in League Two, win some accolades for the Academy and the farming system, gain a following in the city and maybe start over with an investor who isn't too loud-mouthed, too ambitious and too Big City Bic Club. Who knows, maybe even Pál Dárdái will find a way to let the team play interesting football. Then maybe win promotion and re-establish us as a reliable Bundesliga club again. Perhaps then can we start to put an end to the anomaly that of all major European countries, only Germany has no formidable football club of international standing hailing from its capital. And no, I do not think Union will fill that role, even though they are great fun to watch, in fourth place as much as in fifteenth.

[Heid the Ba]

Ah, wasn't sure about the cause of death. Thanks for the info.

[Heid the Ba]

Leith Dodgers of Soap 0 - 3 Rangers

Played 104, won 54, drawn 21, lost 30.

[Heid the Ba]

One of our cult heroes has had to retire due to injury. If you needed someone to tackle all game, kick someone up in the air if it was needed and then thread a pass through the defence he was your man.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59122744

[Heid the Ba]

One up after 12 minutes away to St Mirren. Dare I relax?