Scot's 1-2-3 thread: 12th August

[kompressaur]

Scotland - Division 1

Saturday, 12/08/2006 Best Odds 16:00 Hamilton - FC Dundee 2.41 3.60 2.75 16:00 Partick - Airdrie 1.91 3.75 4.20 16:00 Queen of South - St Johnstone 3.50 3.60 2.20 16:00 Ross County - Livingston 2.62 3.60 2.61 16:00 Clyde - Gretna 4.50 3.60 1.91

Scotland - Division 2

Saturday, 12/08/2006 Best Odds 16:00 Alloa - Peterhead 3.51 3.50 2.20 16:00 Ayr United - Cowdenbeath 2.50 3.50 2.55 16:00 Brechin - Stirling 1.90 3.70 4.00 16:00 Raith - Forfar 2.15 3.60 3.21 16:00 Stranraer - Morton 2.80 3.53 2.50

Scotland - Division 3

Saturday, 12/08/2006 Best Odds 16:00 Albion - East Fife 3.00 3.60 2.31 16:00 Arbroath - Berwick 2.10 3.60 3.35 16:00 Dumbarton - East Stirling 1.40 4.50 8.00 16:00 Elgin - Q.P.R 2.26 3.60 2.88 16:00 Stenhousemuir - Montrose 1.73 3.85 5.00

[Danq]

Will wait to give thoughts till after tonight et etc .

[milners]

Airdire look a bit massive for me at 3/1 - outside bet but i don't think they should be that price.

Morton is a thought against Stranraer at 13/10 along with Arbroath at Evens against Berwick.

Pretty poor card for me though - not fancy much

[kompressaur]

briefly from me i would like QP at elgin as they always play well against them whilst sometimes not getting the the results. Dumbarton to have too much for East Stirling at the rock. Arbroath thumped berwick a few times last year and berwick arent the team they were. Need to read up but chaplin is scoring for fun for albion but i still couldnt take them.

I always think Stranraer are a bit poor at home and i think the morton crowd will be more than the home support. Raith i could really quite like to beat forfar and Brechin look banker material at home to Stirling. Ddint peterhead boss every game v alloa even when getting beat 4-1 last season? With Alloa's injuries i'll more than likely be on the toon.

Gretna, gretna gretna gretna. ooooooooh a sunday game. think they'll still have too much for Clyde who aint a bad side. they drew in the cup last season. Clyde cant score and gretna will. 4/5 ? ill have it. St johnstone i think have a great record down at Palmerston.

all in i quite like the look of this week myself Milners

[crowie]

Gretna 1.91 at Corals

[milners]

I do like the price of Gretna too but thursday game in UEFA is putting me off as i've seen many teams slip up on the sunday to teams they shouldn't draw or lose with. Also they only drew with them last season in the cup but Clyde do have problems in the club though.

[kompressaur]

City captain Steven Ferguson has been ruled out from 6 to 8 weeks with a broken leg after hobbling off after 6 minutes against Peterhead last Saturday.

Steven Ferguson was replaced by trialist Richard Walker on Saturday, who slotted into the team well and netted City's equaliser which earned them a point up at Peterhead.

City's management team and officials didn't think the injury was too serious at first and were shocked to hear that it's a broken leg.

This will come as a huge blow to both the club and the player but City have adequate cover, although it's terrible to have a key player out for so long as this stage of the season.

Ferguson was recently appointed as the new club captain by manager Michael O'Neill two weeks ago and now John Ward will captain the side in his absence.

Everyone at Brechin City Football Club would like to wish Steven a speedy recovery.

http://www.brechincity.com/bcfc/serv...298&category=2

[Danq]

Rundown on the matches that interest me
ELGIN V Q PARK I had the betting for this at each the two and think that 15/8 for QUEENS is big i saw them on Saturday, and although they lost 0 3 to Arbroath , the score was a bit flatering I thought they were not a bad side, only fault is a bit of muscle up front to help Weatherson. Elgin lost to East Stirling last week , but beat Arbroath in midweek, think they rode their luck and I think they miss Nelson a key man. DUMBARTON V EAST STIRLING was going to dismiss this game as i thought 1/4 ish but Coral go a good 2/5 so may include in double etc Dumbarton beat second div Stirling 3 0 midweek and look more solid at the back than last year according to some Stirling fans, cant see a slip up here.
ALLOA V PETERHEAD 5/2 Expect huge price for Alloa ,just a pity they have a couple of key defenders out but price is good also Pete extra time might kick in a bit Laddies go 6/4.ALBION V EAST FIFE 13/10 Fife looks a fair price , E Fife manager reckoned they could have beat Stenny last week, they have a lot of new players and will settle Stenny were odds on midweek at Albion and won deserveidly, so odds against Fife looks a bet.
other games i fancy STRANRAER V MORTON 2 poss ARBROATH V BERWICK 1 based on what i saw at Hampden ,looked good and the bad luck during the week , plus the injuries to Berwick.

[kompressaur]

just gonna have a look down the prices.....

dundee 2/1 at ladbrokes seems a tad big. They looked ok till half time the other night. Im pretty sure they picked up their away form last half of last season. Still 5 or 6 out injured i believe thoguh. Hamilton have looked pretty woefull so far. They still got a plastic pitch? I'll prob take Dundee about 3/1 ht.

Partick were pretty poor at home last season. looks like a draw so no bet for me. I read something last night that put me off St J for saturday. Could be lack of strikers. i'll re-read it later. gretna have a big enough squad to recover for sunday. Clyde are no mugs in defence and midfield but aint scoring. i'll take gretna 10/11 on corals shop coupon in another tight one.

Peterhead got beat 4-1 at alloa i think last year in a game they were dominating. I could be tempted by the 5/4 with Ladbrokes. Alloa dont seem to want to raise their game for league games. Might still have a few out.

brechin at 10/11 should be on my william hill coupon. Untill stirling sort themselves out their gonna keep getting beat. Brechin havent done too much wrong since last season.

Raith im expecting big things from and that 23/20 at hills looks lovely to me. 5-1 the Raith need to look into it mind.

Old sat favs morton at 6/4 i'll have to think about but i could should be on them 6/4 betfred

Arbroath im scared to admit to be interested in. no im not.

Queens park at 2/1 i WILL be on. its only bad luck that they havent beaten elgin in about hte last 8 meetings. 2/1 bluesq thats a great price imo

Stenhousemuir totally dominated all 4 games v montrose last season and won them all well. Stenny have 4 or 5 ex berwick players mind and montrose was a bit of a bogey side to them. Think i'll leave it.

[kompressaur]

stranraer fan on pie and bovril forum

Well, it's fair to say any pre-season enthusiasm has subsided somewhat in the last week! After a shambolic performance at Forfar, we improved a bit against Ross County but not enough to suggest we'll take anything on Saturday.
Our defence is terrible in particular, slow and lacking any positional sense, teams have been walking through us. Maybe they'll have got something worked out for Saturday but I suspect Lurch laying off balls for Stevenson to run at us will be enough to cause mayhem in our back line.
On the positive side, we started to pull a few more things together going forward on Tuesday, Michael Moore, David Hamilton and Paul McMullan all having good games. Mark Crilly has also been good but is suspended for this one.
Bottom line is I can see Morton at least getting 2 goals on Saturday and at the moment I can't see us matching or bettering that. It's our only home game in a month of 5 other away games, can see some of our fickle crowd getting on the team's back unfortunately. Think it's just about improving our performance and overall interlinking for us and our season starts in earnest at Stirling next week.

I'll have to chance Morton. Deja Vu

Raith aint performed as well i i had hoped but i still see them winning.

st johnstone fan-

Just to confirm, we have absolutely no injuries ahead of the game tomorrow. Every single player is fit and available for selection. In my 17 years of watching St Johnstone, I can't recall ever having that situation before!
Coyle's not giving much away with regards team selection. Darren Sheridan and Kevin James were "injured" on Tuesday - amazing they were injured for the cups last year but always returned on the Saturday - and will return to the side.
He's praised Martin Hardie's performance in midweek and says Savo is low on confidence at the moment but just needs a goal, although he acknowledges Peaso and Derek Young changed the game in midweek when they came on.
We actually have some (good) selection headach

http://www.pieandbovril.co.uk/forum/...hp?t44269.html

im gonna be on st j too arent i? All 3 teams play mainly in blue. shit im looking at peterhead too 'the blue toon' i feel the blues coming on. dundee play in blue and so do brechin dont they?

[Mr Chips]

Brechin have a red kit Komp. Morton are in my thoughts as Stranraer have been very poor in first two games. I fancy Arbroath due to Berwicks injury problems but Arbroath couldnt beat Elgin!

[Mr Chips]

Interesting article from thecourier.co.uk:

THE SPECTRE of part-time football is looming large for St Johnstone if the club’s financial situation continues, chairman Geoff Brown revealed last night.

An operating loss of nearly £426,000 was announced yesterday with the release of Saints’ annual profit and loss account for the last financial year, and the likelihood would appear to be that only the return of top flight football or profitable cup competitions in the next few seasons will keep the McDiarmid Park club full-time.

Brown explained, “The day has to come when first division teams must go part-time.

“It’s definitely heading that way unless there is a turnaround in our results and some financial income that is not arriving at the moment.

“That is the way that it almost certainly has to go. If I was sensible we’d be part time already, but even as a part-time team we couldn’t survive without other ways of bringing money into the club.

“It takes £3000 a week just to open the doors at McDiarmid Park and you can’t take that away.”

Not that the prospect of part-time football is one that should be feared, he insisted.

Brown added, “I am a person who for the life of me can’t understand what the hue and cry is about full- time football.

“In 1989/90 when St Johnstone came to McDiarmid Park we won promotion to the Premier League with a part-time team.

“There were only 11 full-time teams in Scotland at that time and I see no good reason now why there should be more than that.

“I don’t believe that turning from part-time to full-time for a footballer makes a great difference.”

Despite the operating loss (the bleakest annual results since Saints were relegated to the first division), the club actually made a profit of £712,272 after taxation.

But this is allowing for a profit on disposal of fixed assets (the sale of land at Florence Place).

Brown commented, “The financial side of the club is of paramount importance and the directors and staff remain committed to increasing all areas of our income stream, and this is borne out by the fact that 74% of the club’s revenue now comes from off-the-field activities.

“Football clubs within the Scottish Football League are finding it extremely difficult to sustain full- time football but with the combined effects of directors, management, staff and supporters, we shall hopefully maintain this situation at McDiarmid Park.

“Football and finance will remain intertwined for the foreseeable future. We have always maintained a prudent approach to the running of our business and this will stand us in good stead in future years.

“Once again, the football position for the forthcoming year is likely to be competitive but I am hopeful that St Johnstone will be competing for promotion and give our supporters something to cheer.”

Brown is fast approaching 20 years as chairman of Saints and takes great pride in the fact that in that time they have been the only club in Scottish football “never to have an overdraft”.

He added, “These latest figures aren’t good, but we own our stadium, have assets and still don’t have an overdraft. The club is still stable.”

[Mr Chips]

Problems for Dundee:

Dundee are certain to be missing the experienced quartet of Andy Mclaren, Bobby Mann, Danny Griffin and Ludovic Roy against Hamilton tomorrow.
And their tight squad is in danger of being further depleted with Kevin McDonald (groin) and Bryan Deasley (ankle) both sitting out training yesterday.

Thats their 4 most experienced players and 2 most promosing younger guys. Looks like a draw this one

[kompressaur]

Hamilton v Dundee
Richard Offiong misses out for Hamilton after being sent off in the midweek CIS Cup defeat to Queens Park.
Tom Parratt could make his first start but Marvyn Wilson is a doubt.

Dundee will be without Danny Griffin, Andy McLaren, Bobby Mann and keeper Ludovic Roy, all through injury.

Robert Campbell and Greg Strong made their Dundee debuts midweek and boss Alex Rae will run late fitness checks on the pair.

Partick Thistle v Airdrie United
Defender John Robertson is Partick manager Dick Campbell's main injury worry for the visit of Airdrie.
Mark Roberts and Brown Ferguson are doubts, but are expected to recover.

Neil McGowan is doubtful for Airdrie while Gary Tierney may not be risked quite yet.

Queen of the South v St Johnstone
Queen of the South welcome back their winger Willie Gibson.
Stephen Swift is expected to return in around two weeks`but Andy Aitken is out until February. St Johnstone manager Owen Coyle has a fully-fit squad to choose from.

There could be starts for Peter MacDonald and trialist Derek Young.

Ross County v Livingston
Ross County goalkeeper Craig Samson is set to retain his place after shrugging off an injury.
Sean Webb remains out while new signing Hugh Robertson is expected to take his place on the bench.

New Livingston signing Steven Tweed is a doubt for the trip to Dingwall.

Craig Wright and Lee Makel should keep their places in the visiting side.

Alloa v Peterhead
Alloa striker Michael Hazeldine joins John Ovenstone, Michael Stuart, David McClune and Ross Clark on the injured list.
Brian McColligan serves the second of a three-match ban.

Peterhead midfielder Keith Gibson has been ruled out with a knee injury.

Brian Gilfillan, signed from Gretna, makes his debut and Chris Hegarty is fit but is likely to be on the bench.


Ayr United v Cowdenbeath
Ayr manager Robert Connor is likely to name an unchanged side for the visit of Cowdenbeath.
Meanwhile Martyn Campbell is still recovering from knee surgery.

Cowdenbeath boss Mixu Paatelainen has been boosted by the returns of Gary Fusco and Innes Ritchie from suspension

Brechin City v Stirling
Richard Walker is in line to make his Brechin debut after signing from Peterhead this week. But Stephen Hampshire is out with a knee injury and joins Steven Ferguson, Charlie King and Gary Bollan on the sidelines.
Colin Cramb, Mark McNally and Sean Roycroft are all hoping to return to the Stirling squad.

Stewart Devine is a doubt while Paul Nugent is a long-term injury.


Raith Rovers v Forfar
Raith will be boosted by the return of Kevin Fotheringham but defender Colin Leiper misses out through suspension.
Manager Gordon Dalziel will be hoping Ian Davidson and Chris Silvestro can shake off their injuries.

New Forfar signings Gary Fraser and Fraser Coyle could make their first league starts for the club.

Allan Rattray is unlikely to feature after picking up a head injury while Ritchie Montgomery and Michele Lombardi are also doubts.

Stranraer v Morton
Stranraer boss Gerry Britton is close to a full-strength squad for the visit of Morton.
Gary McPhee is unlikely to be available until next weekend while Will Snowdon will miss the game through suspension.

Morton manager Jim McInally remains without injured pair David MacGregor and Kevin Finlayson

Albion Rovers v East Fife
Albion Rovers will be without midfield duo Tommy Lennox and Scott Friel due to injury and suspension respectively.
Andy Sim will not be risked but Jamie Doyle, Philip Creaney and Joe Savage all return for Rovers.

East Fife striker Scott Crabbe is a doubt so Paul Ritchie may start again.

Greig McDonald, Paul Hampshire and Gary Kelly are definitely out

Arbroath v Berwick Rangers
Arbroath will be without Jamie Bishop and Barry Sellars after the pair were sent off in midweek.
Alan Brazil could return, as could Jon Voigt, while Mathu King continues his recovery from injury.

Berwick could be boosted by the return of Jordan Smith and David Greenhill.

Midfielder Danny Swanson is a major doubt after picking up a knee injury in training

Dumbarton v East Stirlingshire
Dumbarton will be without new full-back Andy Geggan due to a suspension picked up at former club Livingston.
John Dillon could also miss out after picking up a hamstring injury.

East Stirlingshire skipper Andrew Brand is a doubt while defender Andy Smith and striker Paul Tweedie face late fitness tests.


Elgin City v Queen's Park
Mark Booth is expected to come into the Elgin side for the visit of Queen's.
Alan Muir and broken leg victim Adam Nelson are both ruled out.

Queen's Park manager Billy Stark will make a late fitness check on defender Alan Trouten.

Robert Dunn is back in contention and Mark Ferry is available once more.

Stenhousemuir v Montrose
Stenhousemuir's Jon Baird may have played himself into the starting line-up for the visit of Montrose. John Paul McBride serves the second of a two-match ban and joins the injured Gordon Connolly on the sidelines.
Graeme Stewart must wait a little longer for his Montrose debut after picking up an injury in training.

New signings Paul Walker and Scott Michie could feature.




fae the bbc

[Bigkegman]

lads on-line have cut the prices for the following teams

St Johnstone now Evens from 6/5
Peterhead now 11/10 from 5/4
Brechin 4/5 from Evens