League Cup 2022-23

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

15 minutes ago, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

I think ALL Thistle fans would agree on THAT LAST SENTENCE!

PS: It seems TODAY,  whilst some other Premier League teams eg Kilmarnock  are tasked with the serious business of negotiating the final early round of the Scottish League Cup group stage, Rangers (safely through with what amounts to a bye), are playing a lucrative, meaningless friendly match with …Tottenham Hotspur! They’re not ‘resting’  players for the futures stresses/ strains of European competition qualification that lie ahead, they’re taking part in an unnecessary showpiece friendly! What would they give, to make today’s fixture a REAL ‘FIXTURE’  EVERY season …in the English Premiership, I wonder?!!

[CotterJag]

1 hour ago, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

PS: It seems TODAY,  whilst some other Premier League teams eg Kilmarnock  are tasked with the serious business of negotiating the final early round of the Scottish League Cup group stage, Rangers (safely through with what amounts to a bye), are playing a lucrative, meaningless friendly match with …Tottenham Hotspur! They’re not ‘resting’  players for the futures stresses/ strains of European competition qualification that lie ahead, they’re taking part in an unnecessary showpiece friendly! What would they give, to make today’s fixture a REAL ‘FIXTURE’  EVERY season …in the English Premiership, I wonder?!!

Please note that Rangers usually get a bye to the Final by playing the weakest team from every round.

It's the same in any Cup they enter.

Their game today can be afforded in footballing terms, due to the above.

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

THREE top tier teams exited the Scottish League cup today-Hibs, St Mirren and St Johnstone, which surely proves the point that the early group stage cannot be seen as a foregone conclusion. Those Premier League teams who don’t HAVE to go through this phase of the competition, joining in the last-16 undoubtedly get an advantage by doing so. No doubt Hibernian, St Mirren and St Johnstone wish now, THEY had had that advantage too! If we eventually see one of THOSE ‘favoured’ teams eg Rangers, Celtic, Hearts etc, running around Hampden with  the trophy, celebrating, with ‘We are the Champions’ playing in the background (or something similar) we should also perhaps reflect on that basic unfairness which is part of this competition, that HELPED them to do it! 

Edited July 23, 2022 by denismcquadeno.eleven

[jags on tour]

44 minutes ago, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

THREE top tier teams exited the Scottish League cup today-Hibs, St Mirren and St Johnstone, which surely proves the point that the early group stage cannot be seen as a foregone conclusion. Those Premier League teams who don’t HAVE to go through this phase of the competition, joining in the last-16 undoubtedly get an advantage by doing so. No doubt Hibernian, St Mirren and St Johnstone wish now, THEY had had that advantage too! If we eventually see one of THOSE ‘favoured’ teams eg Rangers, Celtic, Hearts etc, running around Hampden with  the trophy, celebrating, with ‘We are the Champions’ playing in the background (or something similar) we should also perhaps reflect on that basic unfairness which is part of this competition, that HELPED them to do it! 

Gawny stop using capitals every few words, your posts are giving me heart palpitations.

[MonehJags]

Just to add to the sense of unfairness, I believe as we will be 'unseeded', we will be the away side in the next round.

[elevenone]

27 minutes ago, MonehJags said:

Just to add to the sense of unfairness, I believe as we will be 'unseeded', we will be the away side in the next round.

Yep let the Old Firm have their glamour friendlies under the pretence of having Euro games so bypass the group stages and get a nice home tie in last 16 against an unseeded team effectively ensuring a straight to quarters minimum every year.  We can’t have Doncaster upset.

[Dick Dastardly]

46 minutes ago, elevenone said:

Yep let the Old Firm have their glamour friendlies under the pretence of having Euro games so bypass the group stages and get a nice home tie in last 16 against an unseeded team effectively ensuring a straight to quarters minimum every year.  We can’t have Doncaster upset.

Have to think that there are bigger things to worry about at home before any perceived advantage to bigger teams comes close to the top of the list.

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

2 hours ago, Dick Dastardly said:

Have to think that there are bigger things to worry about at home before any perceived advantage to bigger teams comes close to the top of the list.

Well, of course, there’s bigger things than ‘football’ to worry about if that’s what you mean, in the UK and worldwide. (?)

But, as this is a football site and in particular a Thistle-supporting one at that, surely any issues pertaining to PTFC, affecting their success in football competition IS worthy of mention and discussion? 

And, in terms of the Scottish League Cup, which has been Thistle’s BIGGEST concern for the last few weeks and Thistle’s last four matches., I think that rival clubs gaining advantage in that same competition SHOULD be a concern. 
 
You seem to have a problem with the WAY I write (in particular) and have commented on it TWICE now, since I joined. Why is that? I haven’t seen you doing so with any OTHER  writers? There are people commenting on this site of clearly different levels of writing ability, incl. spelling, punctuation and grammar. And, often people incl. me make mistakes because we’re just keen to SAY something. But, it DOESN’T matter, because THIS is a site about PTFC and related subjects NOT a test of literary expertise. 

I use CAPITALS in words for emphasis, particularly in longer written pieces. Communication is mainly about making thoughts,  ideas and opinions clear. Anything, that HELPS that process, I would suggest is fair enough. Is it because you are an ex-teacher, lecturer or expert on the written word? Is it because you’re trying to live up to your ‘cartoon- nom de plume’? Or is it for some other reason, you reserve your thoughts on this matter JUST for me?

Edited July 24, 2022 by denismcquadeno.eleven

[BILL.H]

2 hours ago, MonehJags said:

Just to add to the sense of unfairness, I believe as we will be 'unseeded', we will be the away side in the next round.

Pretty sure the draw is, seeded team at home, then unseeded at home, then seeded at home, then unseeded, and so on.

[Gary Peebles Tackle]

It’s totally biased against the wee teams, but is what it is so let’s hope for either a winnable draw or a payday.

Away to either of them would give us a few £, as would progressing in the tournament.

That said, it’s Dundee United away isn’t it?

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

13 minutes ago, Gary Peebles Tackle said:

It’s totally biased against the wee teams, but is what it is so let’s hope for either a winnable draw or a payday.

Away to either of them would give us a few £, as would progressing in the tournament.

That said, it’s Dundee United away isn’t it?

I’d go for a smaller team at the next stage, IF we could get one!

[Garscube Road End 2]

1 hour ago, BILL.H said:

Pretty sure the draw is, seeded team at home, then unseeded at home, then seeded at home, then unseeded, and so on.

I believe that is how it is drawn. So. We could be at home. Probably Dundee United. 

[Jaggernaut]

4 hours ago, BILL.H said:

Pretty sure the draw is, seeded team at home, then unseeded at home, then seeded at home, then unseeded, and so on.

Makes you wonder whether the likes of UEFA are consulted on this kind of rigging of competitions.

Actually, I think I probably know the answer, and then also to the answer that would proably come to a follow-follow up question.

[fifexile]

While I'd far rather the round of 16 was an unseeded draw, I'd also want to see bookings in the group stages wiped for the knockout stages and then wipedfor the start of next season's competition.  It's hard enough for teams to win the Cup from the group stage but even harder if you have suspensions hanging over from the group stage. Although Hibs amongst a few clubs must think bookings are just ignored whenever they happen

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

3 hours ago, fifexile said:

While I'd far rather the round of 16 was an unseeded draw, I'd also want to see bookings in the group stages wiped for the knockout stages and then wipedfor the start of next season's competition.  It's hard enough for teams to win the Cup from the group stage but even harder if you have suspensions hanging over from the group stage. Although Hibs amongst a few clubs must think bookings are just ignored whenever they happen

Playing at home v Arbroath is a decent draw, but it will be tricky and we’ll have to be at our very best to prevail.

[Dick Dastardly]

On 7/24/2022 at 9:03 AM, denismcquadeno.eleven said:

Well, of course, there’s bigger things than ‘football’ to worry about if that’s what you mean, in the UK and worldwide. (?)

But, as this is a football site and in particular a Thistle-supporting one at that, surely any issues pertaining to PTFC, affecting their success in football competition IS worthy of mention and discussion? 

And, in terms of the Scottish League Cup, which has been Thistle’s BIGGEST concern for the last few weeks and Thistle’s last four matches., I think that rival clubs gaining advantage in that same competition SHOULD be a concern. 
 
You seem to have a problem with the WAY I write (in particular) and have commented on it TWICE now, since I joined. Why is that? I haven’t seen you doing so with any OTHER  writers? There are people commenting on this site of clearly different levels of writing ability, incl. spelling, punctuation and grammar. And, often people incl. me make mistakes because we’re just keen to SAY something. But, it DOESN’T matter, because THIS is a site about PTFC and related subjects NOT a test of literary expertise. 

I use CAPITALS in words for emphasis, particularly in longer written pieces. Communication is mainly about making thoughts,  ideas and opinions clear. Anything, that HELPS that process, I would suggest is fair enough. Is it because you are an ex-teacher, lecturer or expert on the written word? Is it because you’re trying to live up to your ‘cartoon- nom de plume’? Or is it for some other reason, you reserve your thoughts on this matter JUST for me?

I was implying that there were bigger things to worry about as a Thistle supporter - Fan ownership, the decaying state of Firhill, what does Cammy Smith have to do to get dropped. The list is endless, but the format of the league cup is way down the agenda. Fact is that most sports events are rigged in favour of the big names. It;s what the TV broadcasters want and while an underdog may get good publicity, they wouldn't want that every year. In sports like tennis, the top 32 seeds go into Wimbledon and the rest go through qualifying. Snooker has a similar set up. rugby and cricket also have teams that need to go through qualifying stages to reach the main event. Perhaps if the league cup group stages were called qualifying round then it might be  a better way of looking at it. Further up the tree, you will find Rangers and Celtic complaining that they have to play more games than others in the Champions League. It is just the way of the sporting world and little is going to change that.

As for capitals, I find it childish and immature that you think you (and others who use them) think they need to shout. I switch off when I see them and end up not reading whatever it was they think they need to shout about. It's not just me, others have mentioned it. Providing you know that it defeats the purpose you were intending, fine, but just know that me and others will have stopped reading.  

[denismcquadeno.eleven]

1 hour ago, Dick Dastardly said:

I was implying that there were bigger things to worry about as a Thistle supporter - Fan ownership, the decaying state of Firhill, what does Cammy Smith have to do to get dropped. The list is endless, but the format of the league cup is way down the agenda. Fact is that most sports events are rigged in favour of the big names. It;s what the TV broadcasters want and while an underdog may get good publicity, they wouldn't want that every year. In sports like tennis, the top 32 seeds go into Wimbledon and the rest go through qualifying. Snooker has a similar set up. rugby and cricket also have teams that need to go through qualifying stages to reach the main event. Perhaps if the league cup group stages were called qualifying round then it might be  a better way of looking at it. Further up the tree, you will find Rangers and Celtic complaining that they have to play more games than others in the Champions League. It is just the way of the sporting world and little is going to change that.

As for capitals, I find it childish and immature that you think you (and others who use them) think they need to shout. I switch off when I see them and end up not reading whatever it was they think they need to shout about. It's not just me, others have mentioned it. Providing you know that it defeats the purpose you were intending, fine, but just know that me and others will have stopped reading.  

On your first point, I don’t much care for the present way of the  ‘sporting world’ (certainly not where top level professional football is concerned-it’s a racket!) and take each and every opportunity to speak up about it or shake my metaphorical fist at it!  (Or hadn’t you noticed!)  I hate the English Premier Lge and the (‘Not All Are)  Champions Lge.’ Never watch them. Nothing ever gets ‘changed’ if you just ‘accept’ and remain docile and passive. (I Leave that to the ‘mug punters’ who accept every daft modern idea that is fashionable at the moment! ) And Scottish football organisation, customs and practices-SFA, SPFL are certainly more than ‘ripe’ for change than many (IMO). Maybe that’s ‘childish’, ‘immature’ or naive but, there you go. Maybe there a little bit of ‘childishness’ in every male football fan that we never grow out of-or so my wife tells me!
 

On your last point, you talk about “shouting” but that’s a mobile phone users’ connotation. I have never owned a smart phone. The last one I had was a ‘dim’ one from ASDA-£10! I rarely texted-it was for phone use, incredibly! When it conked out some years ago, I didn’t bother replacing it. (My daughters call me a dinosaur, but as they say  ‘own the insult’ and I usually say, I liked the stegosaurus, back in the day! No harm to anyone, not like the T-Rex! ) My daughters actually bought me my first iPad “to bring me in to the twentieth century”! The notion of “shouting” when using caps. is not one with which I’ve ever been greatly aware. I don’t shout in my writing, I prefer persuasion! I use caps for EMPHASIS on key words so that those scanning quickly can get the general gist. I scan written material a lot, when I’m in a hurry. (They say you should be able to read every word going down vertically in a straight line through a page, and be able to get the gist of what the page is about! ) If you or others-the ones you’re referring to, who maybe prefer anonymity, unlike you-DON’T  like my use of caps DON’T read my stuff. Give it the ‘body swerve’  as they say-football pun intended!

Edited July 26, 2022 by denismcquadeno.eleven

[Jaggernaut]

2 hours ago, Dick Dastardly said:

 

As for capitals, I find it childish and immature that you think you (and others who use them) think they need to shout. I switch off when I see them and end up not reading whatever it was they think they need to shout about. It's not just me, others have mentioned it. Providing you know that it defeats the purpose you were intending, fine, but just know that me and others will have stopped reading.  

Really? It doesn't really look like it.

And who are the others whose opinion you are stating as fact?

PS: I'm also no fan of needless caps, but sometimes they help to emphasize, which can be otherwise difficult in printed text.