Pay Up, Or Else It's Luxembourg For You

That's the story coming out of The Scottish FA, "any future glamour games will be based on the fact that fans can afford the ticket levels." With eyes toward Argentina's visit to Hampden Park, there have been murmers about how much Scottish fans are willing to pay to see their side play host some of the world's best teams.

Moneyquote:

Scottish soccer executives say that future games with Brazil and other high- profile teams may depend on fans' interest in the Argentina match.

Scottish officials almost canceled the match after baulking at the South American team's pay demands, Banks said. A compromise was found with Scottish fans being charged the same prices as they would be for competitive internationals, higher than for previous exhibition matches. Scottish media reports said Argentina asked for 1 million pounds ($1.59 million) to play.

Diego Maradona's debut on November 19th will be quite telling: a packed house will let us know who'll be visiting Scotland in the years to come.

Scotland Supporters Must Prove Appetite for 'Glamour' Games [Bloomberg]

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Would you drink out of this Cup?

Do you find yourself lamenting the breaks between the World Cup and Euros? Do you feel like you're being cheated by not seeing all the best of hack away 'n boot long? Do you think all those flashy, stepovering, backheeling Continental scum are overshadowing the pride, passion and integrity of true footballers?

Well, you're in luck, because Scotland (yes, that Scotland that nearly made it to the Euro Finals!!!!), Wales and the two Irelands, Northern and Republic of, are going to compete in a new biennial tournament called the Celtic Cup, presumably named because that's where most of the players will be contracted at the time of the tournament. While England have ruled themselves out of involvement, this competion will determine which of the old Home Championship sides (minus England, plus the Republic of Ireland) are the least crappy.

Four team Celtic Cup agreed 'in principle'

[Wikipedia, Daily Telegraph]

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Italy's New Kit For Hampden

This is the new all-white Azzurri shirt that will be given its debut in Saturday's Euro qualifier against Scotland. Isn't it a little strange that both the team badge and shirt logo are on the same side? It might be the first time I've ever seen that.

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Euro Results Notwithstanding, British Empire Marches On

While next summer's European Championships could take place without all four British sides, John Bull still has a couple of reasons to be proud about the UK. Great Britain announced yesterday that it plans to extend its Antarctic territory by 1 million square kilometers.

Her Majesty's Antarctic land grab is only one of five new territorial claims the UK plans to submit under a new U.N. treaty that allows countries to claim continental shelf up to 380 miles off their shores. Britain's four other claims are located around the Falkland Islands, around Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, near the Bay of Biscay in the North Atlantic, and in the Hatton-Rockall basin off Scotland's coast.

Of course, the Antarctic machinations have already come under fire from environmental groups as being antithetical to the UK's status as a leader in the fight against global warming. The new territory would likely be used for oil and gas exploration, critics point out, thus violating the 1959 Antarctic treaty. The treaty divides the continent between seven nations and forbids resource extraction.

Concerning the Falklands claim, it does conjure up certain previous, how should I put this, territorial disputes in that region. When the claim was announced last month, a senior Argentine official stated: "[I]f the British do not change their approach we shall have to interpret it as aggression."

Now, Argentina is working on its own Antarctica bid. Save a military junta, sounds a little like 1982, doesn't it?

Euro 2008 Qualifying round standings [uefa.com]
UK looks to make Antarctica claim [BBC]
Green groups condemn UK's claim in Antarctica [Guardian]
Argentina fury at UK bid for Falkland seas [Daily Telegraph]

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Rangers Cast-off Gets His Stars

Congrats to one of BL's favorite characters, chef Gordon Ramsay. His "Gordon Ramsay at the London" restaurant was the only debut entry to be awarded two stars in the 2008 New York Michelin Guide.

I guess not making it with Rangers back in the mid-eighties was a blessing in disguise.

Gordon Ramsay's NY Restaurant Gets Two Michelin Stars [Bloomberg]
My Team: Gordon Ramsay on Rangers [Observer Sport Monthly]

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G14 Looking To Double It's Numbers By 2008

Some of the names being kicked around for inclusion into the big kid's club include Chelsea (I can see it), Celtic and Rangers (borderline), and Red Star Belgrade and Galatasaray (you've got to be kidding). My favorite line out of the article:

One source told Reuters news agency that some clubs, most noteably Arsenal and Manchester United "felt uncomfortable with the idea" of Chelsea joining.

Uncomfortable? Will Chelsea get drunk and start telling dick jokes?

British trio linked to bigger G14 [BBC]

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To The SPL, With A Bullet

One of the truly epic achievements of the last couple of years has been made by Scotland's Gretna FC. In the last five years, the club has gone from the Unibond League in the north of England to the Premier League in Scotland. Next season's SPL newcomers, who edged out St Johnstone on a dramatic final day of the season with a last-minute winner against Ross County, were only admitted to senior football in Scotland in the summer of 2002.

Making news as well has been the close-to $20M that bookmakers had to pay out yesterday as Gretna won the Scottish First Division by one point. Said a bookie: "The accumulator bets which include Gretna will mean colossal payouts." 20 mil sounds pretty colossal to me.

Gretna plan next phase after delirious drama [Scotsman]
£10Million Gretna Greet AS Bookies Take Bashing [Glasgow Sunday Mail]

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Bit By Bit, More People Being Let In

The biggest news out of Italy the past couple of days has been the San Siro stadium being given the go-ahead to open it's doors for upcoming Champions League matches. Inter's game against Valencia will only be seen live by 36,000, a number that includes 1,800 traveling supporters. The March 7th Milan v. Celtic game will also be played in front of a below capacity crowd, though that number could climb above 40,000.

Meanwhile, it appears that the Italy v. Scotland European Championship qualifier in Bari will go ahead as planned. The San Nicola stadium has cleared all the security requirements and from Sunday on, will be allowed to field matches in front of capacity crowds. The Scottish FA is still awaiting a final confirmation for the March 28th match, but they fully expect to play the game in Bari.

Though it was decreed that night games would be off limits for the month of February, not for the first time, the Italian authorities have backed off and allowed matches on the weekend of the 24th to be played under the lights. The initial thought behind the "no night game" rule was that it would be easier to patrol and keep order during the day than at night, with some games starting as late as 8:30pm. But, this being Italy, the government's bark seems to always be worse than it's bite.

Lastly, it wouldn't be calcio if someone wasn't up in arms and claiming to be a victim. This week it's the city of Catania. After having it's stadium banned from use through the month of June, the city's town council has announced that it will sue the Italian FA. I wouldn't count of Catania holding onto that fourth Champions League spot.

San Siro gets Champions League all clear [Setanta Sports]
Scotland face Italy in Bari [ITV]
Night games return early [Channel 4]
Catania Fans Won’t Have to Find a New Place to Riot if the City Fathers Have Anything to Say About It [The Offside]

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The Grab: 01.03

What the hell is going on at Rangers? Paul Le Guen gives us his opinion and why he axed skipper Barry Ferguson. [Glasgow Daily Record]

It's getting really sad at Leeds. I hope I'm wrong and Tore Andre Flo and Dennis Wise can turn around a second from the bottom team in the Championship, but it's doubtful since he was released by Vaalerenga. Talk about a team far from returning to the top flight, with their last silver in 1992 when they won the First Division. [Scotsman]

The gaffer over at Stamford Bridge always has to fuel something, even if it's not on fire, especially now after the Blues' frustrated performance of late. Fergie's got something to say, and Wenger has to be feeling left out. [Setanta]

Ah, the youth over there across the pond and their motahs . . . kind of quaint compared to the pimped and ridiculous vehicles on MTV. [Guardian Sport Blog]

FSC has been a little spotty in their coverage, and can feel Setanta breathing on the back of its neck, but it's nice to see some minnows show up in their coverage of the FA Cup (for those not shelling out the bucks for Arsenal v. Liverpool):

Saturday, January 6

FA Cup 3rd Round Preview Show
9:30 am ET Fox Soccer Channel

Nottingham Forest v. Charlton Athletic
10:00 am ET Fox Soccer Channel

Tamworth v. Norwich City
12:00 pm ET Fox Soccer Channel

As always, check your local listings.

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Sheep-Shagging Bastards

One of the games most intense rivalries could determine the fate of Scotland's second Champions League spot. Glasgow Rangers make the trip north to Aberdeen to take on the Dons, with second place in the balance.

Check out this article for a little taste of what this fixture is all about. The history of these two clubs getting together makes for a great read, here are two highlights:

Aberdeen's rise to prominence under [Alex] Ferguson was resented on both sides of the Old Firm divide, yet while Aberdeen harbour no love for Celtic, their relationship with the green half of Glasgow is nowhere near as antagonistic. Indeed, the Dons even have a song reserved for the visits of the Hoops, that brags that: "We hate Rangers more than you".
----------
"Every time I come Pittodrie I expect something to happen," said Rangers' combative Dutchman back in 2002 after yet another incident-packed fixture in which crowd trouble saw play suspended for 20 minutes. Ricksen is the current bete noir of the Aberdeen support. In 2000, he confirmed his early reputation as a wild child by attempting a kung fu kick on Aberdeen's Darren Young at Pittodrie. The incident in itself was probably enough to earn him a place in the fixture's pantheon of villains, but it was his subsequent boast on his personal website, that Young had needed to be "sorted out", that ensured he remains on the Red Army black list.

Aberdeen come into the game with a two point edge over their visitors and have lost only once in their last nine outings. Rangers are coming off of a one-all draw against Celtic last week and can't afford to lose any more ground to the Dons.

They last met on October 1st at Ibrox, with the hometeam nicking all three points. Tomorrow's match is at 7:30am ET and will be shown live on Setanta Premium.

Dons dare to dream again [BBC]
Pure, unadulterated hatred? Yes, I think you've picked the right game. [FourFourTwo]

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Will The Old Firm Still Want In?

BL and I try not to bring any politics around here. While that is our goal, some subjects just make it difficult to avoid. Soccer is meant to be fun and enjoyable, entertainment. The fact is that politics is never really all that much fun, and in the end (especially at Thanksgiving), talking politics just makes people angry. That said, here are a couple of news stories that mix the two:

• It seems like Scotland could soon be going whole hog: complete independence. While it isn't a done deal, it is a disticnt possibility in the near future. While I'll leave the political ramifications to others, what would this mean to Scottish soccer? As we all know, Scotland has had it's own national team for quite some time, playing it's first game in 1872. My question has to do with Scottish clubs. How would Scotland's newly acquired sovereignty affect the idea of Rangers and Celtic joining the English Premier League? [PostGlobal]
• Just when I thought that someone had taken a stand in Argentina, well I'll let you read it for yourself. I know one thing for sure though, Brian Homewood has got it right: "In Argentina, impunity and fear reign." [Guardian UK]
• Not that Iran has all the problems it can handle with other world bodies. [San Jose Mercury News]
• Hasn't the staging of world sporting events (i.e. World Cups, Olympics) always been about showcasing one's country internationally while making boatloads of money? I don't think it's ever been about helping the poor. [PostGlobal]

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Red Devils stumble as Bhoys are through

Manchester United 0-1 Celtic

Celtic advance to the group of 16 for the first time after a tremendous free kick from Shinsuke Nakamura. This kid is becoming the Juninho of the SPL. But it was the frustrations of Fergie's side that determined the game, especially a missed penalty and a missed sitter from Louis Saha. This can't work in the Frenchman's favor as Sir Alex is surely looking for a scorer in the January window. Manchester United probably wished for a better run-up to their showdown with second-place Chelsea on Sunday, but they still have a chance to go through if they don't lose to Benfica at Old Trafford.

Celtic 1 Manchester United 0: Nakamura class leaves United on a knife-edge [Independent]

Arsenal 3-1 Hamburg

I switched on Arsenal v. Hamburg (recorded) to catch the Setanta pundits talking a lot of sense about the current woes of the English side. With goals from Van Persie, Eboue and Baptista, as well as a needless foul from Henry, I'm starting to think a changed lineup could be what the Gunners need. Theo Walcott demonstrated the directness lacking in Arsenal's style of play, and they were able to come back from an early Van der Vaart goal, despite Hamburg's flawed play(we are talking about a club dwelling at the bottom of the Bundesliga). True, Senderos looked a bit rusty, especially when Rafa Van der Vaart scored his magnificent goal. And not having Gallas and Gilberto is an obvious disadvantage, but you have to wonder if an injection of new blood into the first team isn't so bad. With Henry out of the next game in Porto, where they need a draw to see them through, Wenger doesn't have a choice.

Arsenal thankful for late flurry [UEFA]

Other results:

AEK victorious, Milan progress [UEFA]

Last-gasp save sees Lyon win group [CNN International]

Miccoli strikes twice as Benfica beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 [Guardian Unlimited]

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Miller Sticks It To His Old Team

Gordon Strachan will have learned much about the character and talent of his new players from their performances in today's victory over Rangers. The Celtic boss fielded four Old Firm debutantes in his starting eleven. Let's just say that they didn't disappoint.

Kenny Miller, once of Rangers, became the first man since Mo Johnston in 1989 to appear for both Old Firm clubs against the other. As if to top that distinction, he netted the second after Thomas Gravesen scored his first for the club..

Paul Le Guen was at a loss to explain how his Rangers had suffered their second league defeat of the campaign. The Frenchman, who has now seen the Gers pick up just twelve points from their eight games to date, had this to say after the match:

"I am worried but I must work to find a solution because we need to find results. We tried our best but our best wasn't enough. I am totally aware that we must improve. The first-half wasn't bad and we had some chances which was frustrating. After the second goal I still thought we could come back so I am so disappointed but we tried. But our state of mind was good, everyone tried their best and I am feeling better than last week."

If losing to the club's most bitter rival and falling seven points behind them in the standings makes him feel better, I wonder what it would have taken to make him feel worse? What were Rangers fans thinking when Le Guen uttered that last line?

Celtic 2-0 Rangers [BBC]

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