3.01// The Scottish Fitba Weekender

There's another exciting weekend of Scottish football ahead. With the league effectively over (don’t bother flaming, you know it's true), we need to get our thrills elsewhere, and this weekend we have to look to the First division, where the top six teams all play each other. We could also see a change at the top of the Second division, while in Division Three things will stay pretty much the same as long as Livingston beat Queens Park tomorrow.

We start - as always - in the SPL. Tony Mowbray begins to feel the heat as the gap between Celtic and Rangers doesn't look like getting smaller anytime soon. Hibernian and Dundee United likewise need all the points they can get to keep in the race for second place, while both Kilmarnock and Falkirk look for unlikely wins to avoid spending next season travelling to far-away exotic locations such as Dingwall and Ayr.

A 10 point-gap in the SPL: is the season over?

Travelling back home through Gatwick last night, I quickly checked the football scores before switching off the phone for the flight. At the time, Rangers where winning 1-0 against St Mirren and Celtic where 1-0 up against Hibs.

Nothing unusual in that I thought, but as an illustration of the fragility of the Old Firm this season, by the time I landed in Rotterdam, Celtic had somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and websites across the nation decreed the end of the Scottish football season for 2009/10.

Damn you Andrew Little! (or: "The Scottish Fitba Review")

In a remarkable weekend of Scottish fitba in which the league leaders across all four divisions either saved or dropped valuable points in injury time, Inside Left comes out smelling of roses, as the predictions we made on Friday turn out to be almost correct.

I was actually a minute or so away from cleaning up at the bookies until Rangers youngster Andrew Little scored to earn the defending champions a point, and deny Hearts their win at Ibrox in six years. The potential winnings would not have meant retiring to a life of golf and international jet travel, but it would have meant an upgrade from the usual "6 small margueritas" to the more decadent "3 medium margueritas" down at our local Dominos.

T'was not to be however, all of which means that this will be the last time I'll be bemoaning the failure of "the emergence of young talent coming through the ranks" and all that bollocks. I mean, the 91st minute. At Ibrox. I ask you..

It's awards time again..

Yes. Much as we hate to blow our own trumpet, it seems we've been nominated for an award, this time by the good people over at Scottish Roundup. And though obviously we don't run this blog for any kind of self-aggrandisement (did we mention the Telegraph thingie? Number 12? We did? Right, sorry...), it is nice every once and a while to get recognition for our efforts.

So, we where wondering if you, dear, dear readers would go over to The Scottish Roundup site to vote for Inside Left. We're some way down the page, so keep scrolling. Our appreciation for your vote goes without saying, unless we don't win, in which case we'll be banging on about the injustice of it all for weeks to come. We'll also be appealing to the SFA, who are good at overturning crap decisions, apparently.

Right, so that's it. Get voting! Please.

22.01// The Scottish Fitba Weekender

Thank goodness all that Cup nonsense is out of the way.  It's Saturday, meaning there's nae work, only good 'ole League Football. This weekend sees a full fixture list across all four divisions, which given recent meteorological events is a rare occurance indeed. Is this perhaps the first signs of the Second Coming? Well, quite possibly, given our first fixture this weekend..

Common sense prevails

So Dunfermline, somewhat against the odds, manage to salvage their Scottish Cup campaign as their expulsion from the competition is successfully overturned on appeal. A replay and a massive fine are the end result, one which, given the circumstances, is probably the correct one. For Dunfermline, preparations for the replay can begin but the club must feel the pressure as the stakes where raised considerably once the verdict was announced.

Scottish football integrity is maintained

Browsing through the various football sites today, waiting for the SFA to decide just what the hell to do about the whole Dunfermline fiasco, it struck me that this seems to be a good time to be a lawyer with a healthy business in Scottish football litigation.

I don't know much about the law, but I do know a lot about how these drama's usually play out.

You can bet the house and all the furniture in it, that no matter what happens (apart from the SFA telling Dunfermline to get it right up them), Stenhousemuir will appeal the decision. And they're probably quite right too; after all, there's a lot of money at stake here. And nevermind pride - once you go out to Celtic in the next round, think of all that lovely lolly in your bank account, estimated to run into quite a large number, relatively speaking.

Look, the way I see it, everyone's a winner: Dunfermline's legal team get their money no matter what, as do Stenhousemuir's when their appeal against Dunfermline's appeal fails, Celtic progress to the next round after an easy game, and, following the inevitable 9-0 trashing (or 4-0 if Dunfermline win their appeal), the SFA can proudly state that the integrity of Scottish football has been maintained.

Preview: Scottish Cup Fourth Round (Part 2)

The Fourth round of this year’s Scottish Cup continues tonight with both Celtic and Rangers in action. Division One's runaway leaders Dundee also take to the field. We had one upset in yesterday's games as Motherwell where knocked out by Inverness Caley.

With the games at Raith Rovers and Livingston postponed,  is there still a chance of another upset on the cards this evening...?

Preview: Scottish Cup Fourth Round (Part 1)

Somewhat against expectations, this evenings Scottish Cup Fourth Round fixtures pass the various pitch inspections, meaning that all planned fixtures are set to go ahead this week. Inside Left brings you a wee preview..

New Manager Syndrome

Jimmy Calderwood didn't get off to the best of starts as he tries to rekindle his managerial career - his Kilmarnock side went down 3-0 at home to Motherwell.

We often hear about the effect that a change of manager has on a side. For many trigger-happy chairmen, it's the main reason why they sack their current gaffer. The theory is that a new manager supposedly propels a side to new heights of motivation and victory. So, did you ever wonder if there really is such a thing as "New Manager Syndrome"? How did the current crop of SPL managers fare in their first games in charge?

Well, wonder no more.

15.01// The Scottish Fitba Weekender

It's been a while, but at last we've a full set of games on a Saturday. Send the kids to the neighbours, the wife down the shops and yourself down the stadium, as we look forward to another weekender full of top (well, ok-ish) footballing skills, thrills and dodgy refereeing decisions!

We've no time this week for our preview of Scottish Football League fixtures, so today's weekender will be confined purely to the SPL. Beginning, in perfect alphabetical order with ..

Integrity is no substitute for common sense

Did you know that in Switzerland it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 PM? Or that in Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house without wearing underwear? In Los Angeles, a man can legally beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can't be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife's consent to beat her with a wider strap.

And in Scotland, failing to check the paperwork prior to a Scottish Cup game can have you expelled from the competition. Crazy.

That's your Jim Jefferies gone then ..

Ring in the changes.

We're barely three games in to the new year and already we've got three teams without a manager. To paraphrase, this is supposed to be a football competition, not the Burma Railway ..

Football Shorts

With the fourth round of the Scottish Cup taking place this weekend it was always going to be a quiet time in Scottish football. But thanks to the weather, it's going to be even quieter. Unless you're East Fife's lawyer, that is ..

Time for a winter break?

And so we come to the first posting of 2010.

Only a few weeks ago, as I was stuck at an airport somewhere in southern Belgium staring out at an empty tarmac, waiting for an airplane that would never come, and facing another long drive home, I was thinking that with the Xmas holiday effectively cancelled, at least I wouldn't have to miss my recommended daily allowance of Scottish football.

Like my own holiday, the weather soon put an end to that.