Worst season in SPL history?

[Special Agent Dale Cooper]

Rangers: Gonna win it at a canter...GUFF, but a manager who knows how to play effective guff!

 

Celtic: Guffer

 

Hearts: Gutless & Guff

 

Gretna: a joke

 

ICT: Guff, any other season would be closer to relegation

 

D.U, Falkirk, Motherwell & Hibs: Fair play to these teams, they at least attempt to play some good stuff

 

St Mirren: Plucky, but essentially guff!

 

Kilmarnock: Astute manager, fair play to them considering their budget

 

All in all, pretty rank rotten!

[Hearts Heritage]

Or another way 'The Best Season in SPL History'

 

3 teams make it past Dec in Europe

 

Rangers still in Europe come April

 

Scotland narrowly fail to qualify out of a group containing the 2 finalists and a QF. On the way beat France in Paris.

[Buffalo Bill]

Throw in Motherwell's quagmire of a pitch and yes, you have the shocking product that is called 'Scottish Football'.

 

 

Worst season ever?

 

 

Too right.

 

 

Buffalo Bill

 

.

[Charlie-Brown]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...........

[Toxteth O'Grady]

Or another way 'The Best Season in SPL History'

 

3 teams make it past Dec in Europe

 

Rangers still in Europe come April

 

Scotland narrowly fail to qualify out of a group containing the 2 finalists and a QF. On the way beat France in Paris.

 

 

True but none of these are the SPL

[neave]

Or another way 'The Best Season in SPL History'

 

3 teams make it past Dec in Europe

 

Rangers still in Europe come April

 

Scotland narrowly fail to qualify out of a group containing the 2 finalists and a QF. On the way beat France in Paris.

The OF doing well in Europe and Scotland winning a few games. So what?

 

Those things hinder Hearts as opposed to help us, IMO.

[pennantjambo]

It would only have taken the appointment of a half decent manager like we could have had with Neil Warnock in the early part of the season to have gotten some decent guff out of the guff that was there to have almost guaranteed that we'd still be challenging for the third spot and still in the Scottish Cup.

 

Vlad appears to be the only one who missed seeing that!

 

Total fud imo

[Hearts Heritage]

I was not saying that it was the 'Best Season in SPL History'. I was illustrating like Albert Einstein it is all to to with the position of the observer.

 

From the perspective of

 

Rangers, (Falkirk or Aberdeen), Hibs, Dundee U and Motherwell (aside from the death of their captain or possibly because of what happened afterwards) it has been a good season.

 

For Hearts, Celtic and Gretna it has been woeful.

 

The rest happy still to be in it.

 

As an organisation the SPL cocked up big time by agreeing to postponements for the Scotland games, Rangers in Europe and the OF New Year game.

[Charlie-Brown]

It depends on which team you support......the gretna crisis, the motherwell pitch crisis, the fixture pile up & match postponements were all avoidable, in previous years teams would have been made to complete their fixtures, even if this necessitated several games per week and possibly also change of venues if pitches were continually unavailable, look how frequently Hearts / teams played at the end of 1978-79 season - it was every few days after a particularly bad winter had decimated the season.

[shaun.lawson]

Rangers: Gonna win it at a canter...GUFF, but a manager who knows how to play effective guff!

 

Celtic: Guffer

 

Hearts: Gutless & Guff

 

Gretna: a joke

 

ICT: Guff, any other season would be closer to relegation

 

D.U, Falkirk, Motherwell & Hibs: Fair play to these teams, they at least attempt to play some good stuff

 

St Mirren: Plucky, but essentially guff!

 

Kilmarnock: Astute manager, fair play to them considering their budget

 

All in all, pretty rank rotten!

 

Rangers: ludicrously underrated, and still going strong in Europe. When MON's Celtic weren't exactly easy on the eye, he was hailed as a genius, even though his key player, Larsson, hadn't even been signed by him. Now Rangers' success is seen as an indictment of the SPL, rather than a magnificent job by Walter Smith. Bizarre!

 

Celtic: going backwards, but how many Celtic managers have ever won three in a row, and how many OF managers in the SPL era have done the same? CL last 16 for the second straight year was a decent achievement too.

 

Motherwell: a revelation, who've played some fantastic stuff at times. Either Smith or McGhee should be manager of the year.

 

Dundee United: good to see them doing well again, Levein continuing to enhance his reputation. Desperately unlucky not to win the CIS final too.

 

Hibs: entering a new era after the Mowbray/Collins period, rebuilding, and looking a lot stuffier and harder to break down than in previous years.

 

Falkirk: all credit to Yogi. Improving year-on-year, and playing some really nice stuff. Hard to see how much further they can climb, but one of the best young managers in the league will probably see to it that they do.

 

Aberdeen: disappointing, but league form should be set against what they've done in the Cups. It's incredibly difficult for any non-OF squad to cope with the backlog provided by several good Cup runs, and they'll be back nearer the top next year.

 

Hearts: say no more.

 

St Mirren: also progressing bit by bit. McPherson has done a very good job there, and they now look to be an established top flight club again.

 

Kilmarnock: disappointing, and have never recovered from losing Naismith when they did. A personal view is that JJ receives too much patience from their board, and that a change would be no bad thing for either party - but he'll probably still be at Rugby Park come August.

 

ICT: Brewster did tremendously when he first returned, but things have been going wrong lately. Overall though, they're still probably the example of a community-based club living within their means and punching well above their weight.

 

Gretna: sad, but inevitable really.

 

Worst SPL season ever? Hardly. In any season, when Hearts and Aberdeen underperform, it looks as though mediocrity rules in the chase for 3rd place - but Motherwell, Dundee United and Falkirk all have reasons to be proud of what they've achieved so far. Lower down, St Mirren and ICT have established themselves too - and until literally the last seven days, it looked like a very close title race as well. Indeed, were Rangers to lose today, it still could be. I'd say 1999/0 was the worst ever, last season wasn't much good, and 2003/4 was pretty dull as well - and Hearts fans should be careful mistaking a depressing season for our club with a depressing season as a whole.

[Special Agent Dale Cooper]

Rangers: ludicrously underrated, and still going strong in Europe. When MON's Celtic weren't exactly easy on the eye, he was hailed as a genius, even though his key player, Larsson, hadn't even been signed by him. Now Rangers' success is seen as an indictment of the SPL, rather than a magnificent job by Walter Smith. Bizarre!

 

Celtic: going backwards, but how many Celtic managers have ever won three in a row, and how many OF managers in the SPL era have done the same? CL last 16 for the second straight year was a decent achievement too.

 

Motherwell: a revelation, who've played some fantastic stuff at times. Either Smith or McGhee should be manager of the year.

 

Dundee United: good to see them doing well again, Levein continuing to enhance his reputation. Desperately unlucky not to win the CIS final too.

 

Hibs: entering a new era after the Mowbray/Collins period, rebuilding, and looking a lot stuffier and harder to break down than in previous years.

 

Falkirk: all credit to Yogi. Improving year-on-year, and playing some really nice stuff. Hard to see how much further they can climb, but one of the best young managers in the league will probably see to it that they do.

 

Aberdeen: disappointing, but league form should be set against what they've done in the Cups. It's incredibly difficult for any non-OF squad to cope with the backlog provided by several good Cup runs, and they'll be back nearer the top next year.

 

Hearts: say no more.

 

St Mirren: also progressing bit by bit. McPherson has done a very good job there, and they now look to be an established top flight club again.

 

Kilmarnock: disappointing, and have never recovered from losing Naismith when they did. A personal view is that JJ receives too much patience from their board, and that a change would be no bad thing for either party - but he'll probably still be at Rugby Park come August.

 

ICT: Brewster did tremendously when he first returned, but things have been going wrong lately. Overall though, they're still probably the example of a community-based club living within their means and punching well above their weight.

 

Gretna: sad, but inevitable really.

 

Worst SPL season ever? Hardly. In any season, when Hearts and Aberdeen underperform, it looks as though mediocrity rules in the chase for 3rd place - but Motherwell, Dundee United and Falkirk all have reasons to be proud of what they've achieved so far. Lower down, St Mirren and ICT have established themselves too - and until literally the last seven days, it looked like a very close title race as well. Indeed, were Rangers to lose today, it still could be. I'd say 1999/0 was the worst ever, last season wasn't much good, and 2003/4 was pretty dull as well - and Hearts fans should be careful mistaking a depressing season for our club with a depressing season as a whole.

 

 

Im sorry but I refuse to agree that Rangers are ludicrously underrated. Celtic under MON were much better on the eye than this rangers side. They can hardly pass sideways, and Broadfoot makes Neilson look like Cafu. They have sold their only outstanding footballer to Spurs! They have a very solid defensive base which they utilise to maximum effect but bar that they are seriously punching above their weight imo so well done to walter Smith considering that.

[Hearts Heritage]

..... and Hearts fans should be careful mistaking a depressing season for our club with a depressing season as a whole.

 

Well said, A couple of Albert Einstein Quotes

 

"When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity."

 

"No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong."

[shaun.lawson]

Im sorry but I refuse to agree that Rangers are ludicrously underrated. Celtic under MON were much better on the eye than this rangers side. They can hardly pass sideways, and Broadfoot makes Neilson look like Cafu. They have sold their only outstanding footballer to Spurs! They have a very solid defensive base which they utilise to maximum effect but bar that they are seriously punching above their weight imo so well done to walter Smith considering that.

 

It's not just Smith though: it's a tribute to the whole team I'd say. Remember Hearts under Levein? Not exactly the greatest individuals, regularly came in for stick on here - but they were welded into a team which fought for everything, and we could all feel proud of. At a higher level, I think the same applies to Smith's Rangers: it's a bizarre world when lack of individual brilliance is used to beat a whole team with.

 

If Rangers had failed in Europe, then OK, you could argue that their outstanding SPL form (46 points from the last 48 available, the best run by an SPL side since Celtic extraordinarily won 25 games in a row in 2003/4) has been achieved amidst a climate of domestic dross. Except that they haven't: with managers and players from Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Stuttgart, Red Star Belgrade and very possibly Sporting Lisbon all as flummoxed as their SPL opponents have been.

 

Moreover, this has all been achieved completely against the odds. First Smith returned to Ibrox, a move ridiculed by most observers; then, the conventional wisdom on here during the summer was Celtic had already sewn up the league by spending big; then many thought they wouldn't get through the CL qualifier; then, following the draw, their prospects were laughed at. Yet they almost qualified from a group in which they were fourth seeds, and for all that they lost 3-0 at home to Lyon, that was against opponents with vast amounts of European experience gained from reaching the CL last 16 or sometimes last 8 year-on-year. Yesterday, I saw someone refer to this defeat as proof that Rangers were crap - but FFS, they won 3-0 in Lyon as well!

 

And then, the talk on here became of how Pana, then Bremen, then Sporting would "rip them a new one". But it hasn't happened: so at what point are people going to stop writing them off? Exactly the same chatter occurred throughout Celtic's UEFA Cup run five years ago, but oh look, they went all the way to the final, and took the following year's European Champions to late in extra time once they were there. Is this the greatest Rangers side ever? Hardly - but its results have been phenomenal, and quite clearly, there's more to come yet.

[troonjambo]

The OF doing well in Europe and Scotland winning a few games. So what?

 

Those things hinder Hearts as opposed to help us, IMO.

 

they rase the stature of the scottish game internationally however you are quite correct they do not help hearts what so ever

[Special Agent Dale Cooper]

It's not just Smith though: it's a tribute to the whole team I'd say. Remember Hearts under Levein? Not exactly the greatest individuals, regularly came in for stick on here - but they were welded into a team which fought for everything, and we could all feel proud of. At a higher level, I think the same applies to Smith's Rangers: it's a bizarre world when lack of individual brilliance is used to beat a whole team with.

 

If Rangers had failed in Europe, then OK, you could argue that their outstanding SPL form (46 points from the last 48 available, the best run by an SPL side since Celtic extraordinarily won 25 games in a row in 2003/4) has been achieved amidst a climate of domestic dross. Except that they haven't: with managers and players from Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Stuttgart, Red Star Belgrade and very possibly Sporting Lisbon all as flummoxed as their SPL opponents have been.

 

Moreover, this has all been achieved completely against the odds. First Smith returned to Ibrox, a move ridiculed by most observers; then, the conventional wisdom on here during the summer was Celtic had already sewn up the league by spending big; then many thought they wouldn't get through the CL qualifier; then, following the draw, their prospects were laughed at. Yet they almost qualified from a group in which they were fourth seeds, and for all that they lost 3-0 at home to Lyon, that was against opponents with vast amounts of European experience gained from reaching the CL last 16 or sometimes last 8 year-on-year. Yesterday, I saw someone refer to this defeat as proof that Rangers were crap - but FFS, they won 3-0 in Lyon as well!

 

And then, the talk on here became of how Pana, then Bremen, then Sporting would "rip them a new one". But it hasn't happened: so at what point are people going to stop writing them off? Exactly the same chatter occurred throughout Celtic's UEFA Cup run five years ago, but oh look, they went all the way to the final, and took the following year's European Champions to late in extra time once they were there. Is this the greatest Rangers side ever? Hardly - but its results have been phenomenal, and quite clearly, there's more to come yet.

 

 

Ok, Il give you that in a results-driven business Rangers form cannot be argued with and is indeed outstanding. But they still play guff, in virtually every game I have seen them. Watching Driver rip Hutton a knew erse-whole at Tynie earlier in the season showed what could be done to this team if their defence fails to function. Re, Panathanaikos, how they progressed I'l never know and congratulations. re, Werder Bremen, they would not have got two goals at home but for two goalkeeping howlers of the likes I haven't seen in a long time. So they should have gone out. Re, Sporting Lisbon, lucky for Rangers that Lisbon were as horrendous as them as any other group in the draw would have taken advantage of their slackness. Luck seems to be on their side, and they will probably go through because of it. However I'm not sure that makes the standard of the SPL any better to be honest!

[Charlie-Brown]

Rangers results both home and abroad have been very very impressive - they've also enjoyed a decent amount of good luck - they certainly aren't the worst team to be champions in fact they are probably better than average although their football isn't pretty to watch but it's effective - however if they win the domestic treble then I think they will have been the team of the least quality to have achieved that.

[Peebo]

Rangers: Gonna win it at a canter...GUFF, but a manager who knows how to play effective guff!

 

Celtic: Guffer

 

Hearts: Gutless & Guff

 

Gretna: a joke

 

ICT: Guff, any other season would be closer to relegation

 

D.U, Falkirk, Motherwell & Hibs: Fair play to these teams, they at least attempt to play some good stuff

 

St Mirren: Plucky, but essentially guff!

 

Kilmarnock: Astute manager, fair play to them considering their budget

 

All in all, pretty rank rotten!

 

Absolutely agree. In Rangers, we will have the worst champions than I can remember. In Gretna, we have the worst club ever to grace the top flight. The standard in between is dreadful.

 

We are absolutely terrible, yet (ignoring the league split for a moment) we are only 10 points off third place.

[Ben Dover]

Or another way 'The Best Season in SPL History'

 

3 teams make it past Dec in Europe

 

Rangers still in Europe come April

 

Scotland narrowly fail to qualify out of a group containing the 2 finalists and a QF. On the way beat France in Paris.

 

 

Sadly that's how it will be viewed, and more importantly portrayed, by those in power in our game who really should know better.

The national team had indeed steadied after Berti's dismal term but in truth we simply rode along on the back of two FLUKE results against France. Rangers, well they have really been no more than 'stubborn' in Europe. Once again though, this 'success' will be taken as PROOF that the game in Scotland is indeed in rude health

 

G&Ts all round

[maroonedinoz]

I think the crowd of 351 for the Gretna v Inverness game sums it up.

[Special Agent Dale Cooper]

351...and a dog!

[Charlie-Brown]

Not that it's any better but there was 431 fans at Gretna v Inverness yesterday.

[Robertson9]

Bo ll oxs to all the other teams, at this time Hearts could beat our worst ever season in the SPL. Approaching the 10th anniversary of the creation of the SPL, Hearts' first season only brought 42 points, season 1998/99, on from that 04/05-50 points, 00/01-52 points, 01/02-52 points, 99/00-54 points,06/07-61 points, 02/03-63 points,03/04-68 points and finally 05/06-74 points.

 

 

More stats....who cares?

[Makween]

In terms of the SPL alone, this is certainly the worst season that I can remember (bearing in mind that the SPL's only ten years old, that might not be saying a great deal).

 

It is strange that, at the same time, Scotland have done so much better and Scottish teams have done so much better in Europe than usual, but if anything I'd say that that's because our teams have finally accepted the level that they're on - ie, they're never going to challenge anyone by trying to play football against them, so they just try and stop everyone else from playing. Fair play, it works, but I don't really think that it can be held up as an example of an improvement in the standard of Scottish football.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Fecked up cup draws.

 

Countless postponed games.

 

Motherwells pitch.

 

Gretna about to go bust.

 

Gretna setting the new record attendance low THREE times in one season.

 

Phil O'Donnell's death.

 

Postponing games to benefit Rantic in Europe.

 

Moving Gretna To Almondvale and then moving them back to Fir Park.

 

Kevin Thomsons ridiculous antics last week.

 

5 Rangers players pulling out of Burleys first game.

 

SPL making sure that there is no Old Firm last day league decider.

 

Hearts being in the bottom six.

 

Andy Walker.

 

:sad:

[Charlie-Brown]

In terms of the SPL alone, this is certainly the worst season that I can remember (bearing in mind that the SPL's only ten years old, that might not be saying a great deal).

 

It is strange that, at the same time, Scotland have done so much better and Scottish teams have done so much better in Europe than usual, but if anything I'd say that that's because our teams have finally accepted the level that they're on - ie, they're never going to challenge anyone by trying to play football against them, so they just try and stop everyone else from playing. Fair play, it works, but I don't really think that it can be held up as an example of an improvement in the standard of Scottish football.

 

The SPL is a recent and artificial creation Makween - the only part that is 10 years old is the legal separation of the SPL from the SFL 10 years ago - in reality the Scottish Premier League began in season 1975-76 with a 10 team top division and has contniued with 10 or 12 teams at various points ever since.

[jamboinglasgow]

Fecked up cup draws.

 

Countless postponed games. Yes there has not been a season this bad but the weather has been poor, certainly in the west the rain has been heavy for longer this year.

 

Motherwells pitch. agree they need to think about getting something that keeps water off the pitch and ground sharing was a bad idea.

 

Gretna about to go bust. that is shameful and the SPL needs new guidelines on future enterents to the SPL

 

Gretna setting the new record attendance low THREE times in one season. Same as above

 

Phil O'Donnell's death. You cant blame the SPL for that, a tragic event that few (if any) could of predicted. And it doesn't deserve to be among these other reasons for a bad season as the others are stupidty and embraressemnet.

 

Postponing games to benefit Rantic in Europe. Thought that was stupid and knew a few rangers fans who were annoyed by that.

 

Moving Gretna To Almondvale and then moving them back to Fir Park.As long as the game gets played I dont mind changing stadiums each week.

 

Kevin Thomsons ridiculous antics last week. No worse then Petrovs dive a few years ago. Always been stupid dives in the Scottish game.

 

5 Rangers players pulling out of Burleys first game. Theres always OF players pulling out of scottish friendlies with "injuries." MON pulled Jackie Mc out of a friendly and told press he was going to be with his family, who were going to the match.

 

SPL making sure that there is no Old Firm last day league decider. Think its sad but understand where the police are coming from.

 

Hearts being in the bottom six. very blinkered view, Aberdeen finished 11th a few seasons ago and you wouldn't say it was the worst season ever cos they finished there.

 

Andy Walker. he is terrible for Scottish football but has been for last three years.

 

:sad:

 

Though there have been some stupid descisions that have hurt the SPL this season, there is still alot that is good the close battle for top six, the three horse race for third. The amazing season of Motherwell (where a manager took a poor team and had the best season for years) and Dundee United (a team who should be one of the best outside of top 2 but for years failed to do till this year.) Though those two show what a good manager can do for a team.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Though there have been some stupid descisions that have hurt the SPL this season, there is still alot that is good the close battle for top six, the three horse race for third. The amazing season of Motherwell (where a manager took a poor team and had the best season for years) and Dundee United (a team who should be one of the best outside of top 2 but for years failed to do till this year.) Though those two show what a good manager can do for a team.

 

You could argue that the top 6 is so tight due to the poor quality of most teams and everyone can beat anyone, just depends who makes the least mistakes.

 

The Phil O'Donnell death wasn't a dig at the SPL, it just added to a bad season.

 

All in all, I've hated nearly every second of this season and have found myself taking more interest in the Premiership.

 

I couldn't even tell you half the scores this weekend.

[Makween]

The SPL is a recent and artificial creation Makween - the only part that is 10 years old is the legal separation of the SPL from the SFL 10 years ago - in reality the Scottish Premier League began in season 1975-76 with a 10 team top division and has contniued with 10 or 12 teams at various points ever since.

 

I know. But the thread title said "SPL", not "Scottish Premier Division", or indeed "Scottish top division". I was taking this thread purely at face value as being about the SPL - can't speak for what the older league was like really, as I'm only 20 myself.

[kearney19]

Its been awful for us Hearts fans, but the title aint still decided.

 

Celtic IMO will beat Rangers twice and Rangers only play at home twice to the end of the season dont they?

 

But Motherwell beat Celtic at "paradise" as they call it, the title still aint decided. Rangers conceded 3 today, they are hardly untouchable.

[jamboinglasgow]

You could argue that the top 6 is so tight due to the poor quality of most teams and everyone can beat anyone, just depends who makes the least mistakes.

 

The Phil O'Donnell death wasn't a dig at the SPL, it just added to a bad season.

 

All in all, I've hated nearly every second of this season and have found myself taking more interest in the Premiership.

 

I couldn't even tell you half the scores this weekend.

 

have to admit I want this season to end. Have not felt that way since I started following Hearts. I want it to end so that we can get rid of the rubbish and bring in a new manager (hopefully) who will bring sweeping changes to the team.

 

Think it has been poor that the SPL bent over for the old firm giving them games off which they are suffering now to finish. Rangers have 3 games to play before the spilt, celtic have two. They should all be played in one week, if their players suffer it is their own fault for the cancelations.