retired_amyslack

August 2006

Wednesday 2nd
A 2-1 win for Rangers in Lithuania completed a 5-1 aggregate victory and took them to a place in the next qualifying round of the Champions League.

Saturday 5th
Our league campaign did not get off to the best of starts with a 3-0 defeat at Brechin. We toiled hard and I felt that with an own goal and a penalty involved, the 3-0 scoreline didn’t really reflect the balance of play. As well as losing the game, we also lost left midfielder Ciaran Ryan, out for a month with strained knee ligaments.

Wednesday 9th
The Old Firm were both in action in the Champions League tonight, Celtic winning 2-1 at home to FC Kobenhaven and Rangers suffering a 2-0 defeat in Monaco.

Thursday 10th
There was Scottish interest in the UEFA Cup 2nd qualifying round. Dundee got a 2-1 win at home to Israeli side Maccabi Petach-Tikva but Hibs were disappointed with their 3-2 loss at home to Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg.

Saturday 12th
We bounced back from our opening day disappointment with a very good 2-0 win at Airdrie United with both goals coming from Gary Cohen. Unfortunately we suffered another injury problem with David Bingham out for two months with a torn hamstring.

Saturday 19th
We shrugged off the loss of Bingham with a good 1-0 win at home to Clyde. An excellent free kick from Lee Maddision in the first half proved to be the only goal of the game but had we got more of our scoring attempts on target then we could have had a more comfortable win.

Wednesday 23rd
A 2-1 win in Denmark was enough for Celtic to overcome FC Kobenhavn 4-2 on aggregate but Rangers crashed out after a bad 3-1 defeat to Monaco at Ibrox.

Thursday 24th
Hibs progressed in the UEFA Cup with a 3-1 win at Jeunesse Esch but Dundee were eliminated on penalties after losing 2-1 at Maccabi Petach-Tikva.

Saturday 26th
In our home match against Falkirk midfielder Nicky McDonald gave us the lead just before half time but the visitors fight back and equalise inside the last ten minutes. An evenly contested match ended all square at 1-1.

Tuesday 29th
A second string team was sent to Alloa for our Challenge Cup tie and were a little unfortunate to come back defeated. Dennis Wyness made his first start and scored early in the match but the home side struck back with two goals before half time. With no further scoring the 2-1 defeat eliminated us from the competition.

retired_amyslack

September 2006

Friday 1st
After guiding his team to four successive wins, Livingston boss Allan Preston was a clear winner of the Manager of the Month for August. The goalscoring form of Emilio Jaconelli of Queen of the South gained him the senior player prize with Clyde winger Ryan Russell taking the junior award.

Tuesday 5th
We were draw against recent league opponents Falkirk in the League Cup and travelled to the new Falkirk Stadium with a full strength team. But we were under the cosh from the start with young keeper Greg Kelly needing to be at his best. He pulled off a great penalty save on the half hour bur was finally beaten before the break. We saw more of the ball after the interval and with less than 16 minutes remaining Nicky McDonald squared the game. Five minutes later striker Dene Shields scored his first of the season with a neat finish to give us an undeserved win.

Wednesday 6th
Scotland began their qualification campaign for Euro 2008 with a difficult game in Istanbul and a 2-0 loss to the Turks.

Saturday 9th
I was at a loss to explain just how we came back from Raith on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline as the team played well. The key difference was that the home side made the most of their chances whilst we failed to trouble the Raith keeper sufficiently.

Tuesday 12th
Celtic opened their Champions League group with a narrow 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, Thierry Henry scoring the winning goal with just three minutes of normal rime remaining.

Thursday 14th
In the UEFA Cup, Rangers had a narrow 1-0 win at home to Pasching of Austria whilst Hibs lost 2-1 in Bulgaria to Litex.

Saturday 16th
The visit of league leaders Livingston was always going to be difficult but we really didn’t do ourselves justice with a poor display, losing 1-0. We offered no attacking threat for the entire 90 minutes, barely managing a shot on target all afternoon.

Saturday 23rd
We travelled to bottom club Hamilton without midfielder Gordon Forrest and defender Lee Maddison, both injured during midweek training but at least winger Ciaran Ryan was fit enough to return to the team. Dene Shields gave us the boost of an early goal, scoring inside the first minute but within 20 minutes it was all square after Greg Kelly conceded a penalty. I couldn’t believe it when a second penalty was awarded against us early in the second half and we fell behind. A third goal a few minutes later was the final nail in the coffin and the 3-1 defeat left us just two points above the relegation places.

Wednesday 27th
I sent the second string out to face Dundee United at home in the League Cup and they put up a brave fight. United took the lead midway through the first half but we held on well to restrict them to a single goal at the break. With 20 minutes remaining Derek Townsley took advantage of a defensive muddle to fire home into an empty net to tie the scores but we couldn’t hang on and United scored a winner 10 minutes from time. In Europe Celtic had a great 4-2 win at home to Ajax in the Champions League.

Thursday 28th
Hibs crashed out of the UEFA Cup after a poor 3-0 defeat at home to Litex but Rangers made progress with a 3-1 win in Austria with all of their goals coming in the last 20 minutes.

Saturday 30th
A three-minute spell early in the first half of our game at home to Queen of the South produced three goals – unfortunately only one of them was ours, scored by Dene Shields. The striker did manage to score again shortly after the restart but the 2-2 draw felt like tow points dropped rather than one point gained. With Partick gaining a win we dropped into the relegation zone on goal difference.

retired_amyslack

October 2006

Sunday 1st
Clyde boss Francis Vines takes the managerial award for the previous month with Hamilton winger Ricky Waddell and forward Lloyd Young of Raith gaining the playing honours.

Saturday 7th
With a weekend off because of Euro 2008 qualifiers we enjoy seeing Scotland upset group favourites Portugal with a wonderful 1-0 win at Hampden.

Wednesday 11th
Thankfully Scotland managed to avoid a slip up in the long trip to Kazakhstan, securing a 3-1 win to hold second place in the group.

Saturday 14th
We had Gordon Forrest back in the team for the trip to Clyde but a good first-half performance was undone when Greg Kelly conceded a penalty. Fortunately we were able to strike back through Dene Shields before the break. Our top scorer found the net again with 20 minutes remaining and a third from Ciaran Ryan gave us some breathing space. The home side came back strongly though and hit the woodwork twice. But our luck held and the 3-1 win was our best performance for some weeks.

Wednesday 18th
Celtic’s Champions League hopes took a dent with a 2-1 defeat at home to Deportivo.

Thursday 19th
In the group phase of the UEFA Cup Rangers suffered a 4-1 humiliation in Feyenoord and will need to show a significant improvement in form if they are to reach the knockout stage.

Saturday 21st
Dene Shields kept up his recent scoring form with an early strike in the game at home to Partick but within a couple of minutes we went to sleep at the back and gave away a sloppy equaliser. Midway through the half Shields was on target again but once again we failed to hold the lead. Allowing the visitors to equalise before the break. There was no further scoring in the second half and the 2-2 draw gave us a welcome point but it really should have been three.

Saturday 28th
Ciaran Ryan was the hero in our game at home to Airdrie United, scoring twice in the last 20 minutes of the game. It had been a frustrating time up until then as we were well on top but struggling to translate chances into goals. The 2-0 win gave us a great boost and actually lifted us up to 4th place in a rather congested mid-table scrum.

Tuesday 31st
Celtic had another bad night in Europe, losing 2-0 at Deportivo in their Champions League group.

retired_amyslack

November 2006

Wednesday 1st
Our good from last month gained me my debut managerial award in the First Division with Ciaran Ryan taking the senior playing honours and midfielder John Paul Grant of Clyde winning the young players award. That same night there were two shocks in the League Cup – Dundee lost 2-1 at Second Division Cowdenbeath and Hibs suffered the same fate at Division Three Albion Rovers.

Thursday 2nd
Rangers wonderkid striker Ross McCormack scored a 90th minute equaliser to give his team a 2-2 draw at home to Partizan in the UEFA Cup. The 20-year-old youth product has found the net 11 times in 19 starts this season and is rumoured to be attracting attention south of the border.

Saturday 4th
An own-goal by full back Gavin Skelton proved crucial in the game at home to Brechin as the visitors continued their pursuit of leaders Livingston. That apart there was nothing to choose between the two teams on the day.

Sunday 5th
Livingston underlined their position as the best team outside the SPL with a 3-2 defeat of underdogs Peterhead in the Challenge Cup Final.

Saturday 18th
When we went into the break two goals behind at Falkirk it looked like our mini-revival was over. A goal straight from the restart from Gary Cohen raised our hopes but it proved to be too little and we suffered a 2-1 defeat. As well as losing the match we also lost full backs Lee Maddison and Martin Bell to injury.

Wednesday 22nd
There is more disappointment for Celtic in Europe as they lose a thrilling game at Parkhead 3-2 to Arsenal. Three goals behind at the break, they came back strongly in the second half but fell just short of taking a point.

Saturday 25th
With Gary Cohen suspended David Bingham makes a return from injury for the visit of Raith and Bingo came up trumps, setting up Shields for the opening goal. With substitute Wyness adding a second after the break we got a very welcome 2-0 win to halt our slide.

Thursday 30th
Rangers picked up just their second point in their UEFA Cup group with a 1-1 draw at Banik Ostrava with youngster McCormack on target once more.

retired_Siouxsie

Great story! Love the format. By the way, in my game Hamilton established themsleves as a top half SPL team in a matter of years so watch out for them.

retired_somi

GO! Gretna GO! Great Story!

retired_amyslack

Thanks chaps. suppitty - Hamilton are doing OK as far as I remember but they are some way from making a real challenge to get to the SPL.

December 2006

Friday 1st
Brechin’s Dick Campbell was recognised as Manager of the Month with his own striker Chris Templeman and Martin Woods of Clyde taking the playing plaudits.

Saturday 2nd
We returned from leaders Livingston with a very creditable point after a 1-1 draw. The home side pressured us for long periods, especially in the second half after Dene Shields had sent us into the break ahead. They equalised on the hour mark but we defended stoutly and looked dangerous on the break. All in all a very satisfying performance from the boys and if we keep playing with this sort of spirit then we should certainly preserve our Division One status.

Sunday 3rd
Struggling Partick Thistle have dispensed with the services of manager Gerry Britton as they continue to bump along near the foot of the table.

Tuesday 5th
Celtic suffered another European mauling, losing 4-0 at Ajax in the Champions League to finish bottom of their group, missing out on the UEFA Cup safety net.

Wednesday 6th
We agreed a deal with Queen’s Park that will bring promising young keeper Cameron Bell to Raydale Park in the new year for a fee of £3K.

Saturday 9th
A David Bingham penalty after ten minutes gave us the lead at home to Hamilton and we created a number of good chances to extend our lead but were foiled by the visiting keeper on several occasions. We paid the price for not killing off the game when Hamilton equalised a few minutes from time to grab a 1-1 draw in a game that we should have won.

Wednesday 13th
Partick have announced that their new manager will be Steve Evans who will be leaving English League Two side Boston United to take over at Firhill.

Thursday 14th
In their final UEFA Cup group match Rangers get their first win with a 4-2 defeat of Nantes. As Partizan lost to Feyenoord the Glasgow side sneak into the knockout stage in third place in the group. With manager Alex McLeish under increasing pressure the win was enough to keep him in his job, at least for the time being.

Friday 15th
We agree another new signing for January as Rangers youngster Tom Brighton agrees a £7K move from Ibrox. I am hoping that the 22-year-old forward will add some punch up front.

Saturday 16th
Our game at Queen of the South is a pretty dire affair to be honest, with neither side showing much in the way of attacking invention. Between the two of us there was a total of one shot on target over 90 minutes – unfortunately that was for the home side and it resulted in a goal and a 1-0 win. At this point in the season a mere six points separates 3rd and 9th and we sit plumb in the middle on 20 points.

Saturday 23rd
My earlier optimism about avoiding relegation has taken a knock after our poor 2-0 defeat at Partick. We are now just two points outside the relegation zone, confidence is low and we are not in very good shape.

Tuesday 26th
With many players still tired after the last game I made a lot of changes for the trip to Airdrie United and I was pleasantly surprised to see us take a two-goal lead after half an hour through Rob Elvins and Scott Bannerman. The home side retrieved a goal before the break and completed their recovery in the second half to force a 2-2 draw.

Wednesday 27th
The Queen of the South board give manager Billy Stark an unpleasant Christmas gift by dismissing his from the club.

Friday 29th
There is little time lost in appointing a new manger at Queen of the South with former Stirling Albion boss Allan Moore announced as the new incumbent.

Saturday 30th
I was hoping to end the year with a win when Clyde came to visit and Lee Maddison got us off to a great start with a well-placed free kick after ten minutes. But the full back turned villain ten minutes later when he conceded a penalty to allow the visitors to square the game. Shortly after the restart Wyness put us back in front and on the hour mark we got a penalty of our own, which Maddison tucked away. Clyde put us under some pressure and keeper Greg Kelly made some crucial stops, his display later earning him the Man of the Match award. Our opponents scored a stoppage time goal to give me a nervous few minutes at the end of the game but we held on for a deserved, and needed, 3-2 win.

retired_amyslack

January 2007

Monday 1st
Struggling Hamilton went unbeaten during December and, whilst still in the relegation zone, they were nonetheless rewarded with a clean sweep of the monthly awards through
manager Allan Maitland and defenders Alan Reid and Alex McColl. Our two new signings came on board as well with both Bell and Brighton seemingly keen to get into action. Unfortunately keeper Bell arrived with a back injury picked up in training a few days before his move.

Saturday 6th
Our first game in 2007 was a trip to second place Brechin and although we created very little going forward we defended stubbornly and kept their attack at bay all afternoon. The scoreless draw wasn’t the best of viewing for the fans but I felt that it was a pretty useful point for us.

Sunday 7th
We secured a loan singing to give us more attacking threat with young Motherwell winger Ryan Russell joining for the remainder of the season.

Monday 8th
Chairman Brooks Mileson has told me that he wants to see us bring in what he called a “high-profile” player and that he would be prepared to make money available for the right man.

Wednesday 10th
I suspect that the Chairman did not have former Dundee United and Celtic midfielder David Hannah in mind but the 33-year-old is next to arrive at the club after a £1K fee was agreed with St. Johnstone. I feel that his experience will be valuable especially with stalwart Danny Lennon having picked up a nasty injury that will keep him out for a month.

Saturday 13th
We entertained Kilmarnock in the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup and soon found ourselves a goal down when Danny Invincible scored after 15 minutes. But after a nervous start we started to get into the game and I was pleased by the way we played ourselves back into contention, creating several presentable chances and forcing the visiting keeper into action. With just under 7 minutes remaining our perseverance paid off and Dennis Wyness netted an equaliser to force a replay at Rugby Park. The bad news concerned an injury to midfielder Gordon Forrest – strained knee ligaments will keep our reliable midfielder out for a month.

Wednesday 17th
The downside of going to a replay is that we have a lot of tired players and, in conjunction with a growing injury list of 7 players, we have to field a distinctly weakened side at Kilmarnock. We were under the cosh from the start and conceded three goals before half time. Debutant Tom Brighton then got himself sent off for stupidly kicking out at an opponent. After that we collapsed completely, the goals went raining in and the Premiership team ran out 9-0 winners.

Saturday 20th
Our confidence took a severe battering at Kilmarnock a few days ago but the performance at home to Falkirk went some way towards repairing the damage. Gary Cohen got us off to a fantastic start with a goal in the first minute. The visitors equalised after quarter of an hour but our heads didn’t drop and Wyness quickly replied. He scored again in the second half to give us a very valuable 3-1 win.

Sunday 21st
With his team sitting just above the relegation places in Division One, Raith boss Scott Thomson became a victim of supporter pressure today.

Saturday 27th
Raith played pretty well for a team without a manger when we visited them. We did OK ourselves too and despite the game ending scoreless there was affair amount of chances at either end and both keepers put in good performances.

Sunday 28th
With the transfer window now closed, the Chairman has withdrawn his offer of extra money, stating that he was disappointed that I had not acted. My reply was along the lines of – I tried but I couldn’t find a high-profile player that wanted to come to Gretna – not exactly what he wanted to hear. On the same day Alloa parted company with manager Gary Crosby.

Monday 29th
In a move that sent shock waves throughout Scottish football, Rangers have sacked manager Alex McLeish, citing “supporter unrest” as the reason. This despite the fact that the ‘Gers sit second in the SPL just two points behind Celtic. On the same day the Celtic board gave Hans Backe the dreaded vote of confidence – just exactly what is happening in Glasgow right now?

Tuesday 30th
Less than 24 hours after sacking McLeish, Rangers have appointed Roy Aitken as the new man in charge at Ibrox Park.

retired_amyslack

February 2007

Thursday 1st
With a 100% record in the league last month, Airdrie United have hit top form and manager Sandy Stewart gained the monthly managerial award for his efforts. His own winger Thomas Hoey won the Young Player prize with Alex McColl of Hamilton taking the senior version.

Saturday 3rd
There’s nothing like a challenge at the start of a new month and the visit of league leaders and promotion favourites Livingston certainly provided that. I was delighted with the way the team responded and both sides put on an entertaining display for the fans. The attendance set a new club record and best of all, a goal midway through the first half from debutant Ryan Russell gave us a terrific 1-0 win.

Saturday 10th
If I was pleased with how we played against Livvy, my reaction to our performance at Hamilton was the exact opposite – an insipid display resulted in a 3-0 defeat and the loss of striker Wyness for several weeks with a groin strain.

Thursday 15th
Rangers have a tenuous grip in the UEFA Cup at best following their 2-0 defeat at Sporting.

Saturday 17th
My mood was hardly improved by events in our game at home to Queen of the South. Midway through the first half goals from Shields and Cohen had put us into a two-goal lead – by half time we were 3-2 behind! We got back on terms through a fluke goal from keeper Greg Kelly when his long clearance was misjudged. But the fun wasn’t over yet and we conceded a needless penalty to lose a nightmare game 4-3.

Sunday 18th
Staring relegation from Division Two in the face, the Forfar board have decided that the only course of action available to them is to fire manager Ray Stewart. Former Arsenal star Tony Adams has been unveiled as the new Alloa manager and sacked Queen of the South boss Billy Stark has been installed at Raith.

Thursday 22nd
Rangers have indeed exited the UEAF Cup after a 1-1 draw at home to Sporting, leaving European competition bereft of all Scottish involvement.

Saturday 24th
For the visit of Partick, Gordon Forrest returned to the team after injury but the star of the show was Ciaran Ryan, recalled on the left wing. The 23-year-old Irishman scored both goals in our 2-0 win and took Man of the Match honours into the bargain.

Sunday 25th
Peterhead manager Ian Scott has lost his job as his team languish in the lower reaches of the Third Division and Forfar have appointed the unknown Gareth Peters as their new boss.

retired_amyslack

March 2007

Thursday 1st
Clyde boss Francis Vines has won the Manager of the Month award after leading his team to three wins out of four in February. Queen of the South striker Emilio Jaconelli, helped no doubt by his hat trick against us a couple of weeks ago, was the top senior player and Partick midfielder Gary Greenhill won the junior prize.

Saturday 3rd
The best that can be said about the visit of Airdrie United was that we kept a clean sheet. Neither side showed much attacking invention and our cause wasn’t helped by an injury to Ciaran Ryan. It’s nothing serious and he may be fit enough to play next week. The 0-0 draw at least keeps our points total moving in the right direction which is more than can be said for Livingston. Looking like champions elect for most of the season, they have now failed to win any of their last ten league games and are now just two points ahead of Brechin.

Saturday 10th
The game at Clyde was spoilt by an over-zealous referee who booked no less than nine players and dismissed one from each side. The home team established a two-goal lead before we struck back late on through Wyness but the 2-1 defeat was disappointing.

Saturday 17th
To say that we entertained Brechin would be to exaggerate somewhat as once again our supporters witnessed a rather dull scoreless draw. Winger Ryan suffered an injury once more but this time rather more serious and he will miss at least two weeks of action.

Sunday 18th
Albion Rovers have parted company with manager Jim Weir, the board obviously hoping that a new man in charge will breathe life into the moribund Division Three outfit. On the playing front, Rangers have lifted the first senior trophy of the season, winning the League Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Motherwell.

Tuesday 20th
Phil Neal has left Conference North side Northwich Victoria to take up the challenge at Albion Rovers.

Saturday 24th
Euro 2008 qualification gets underway and Scotland have been grouped with Ireland, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Turkey and Andorra. They get off to a fine start with a 5-0 defeat of Andorra at Hampden Park.

Saturday 31st
With the threat of relegation still not banished we travelled to Falkirk looking for a decent performance. The home side took the lead on the half hour with what turned out to be their only on-target effort of the game. The teams were evenly matched and we certainly looked capable of recovering the deficit. We achieved this ten minutes after the interval through Wyness and it was sad to see him stretchered off later in the game. We had several chances to get the win but in the end had to settle for a 1-1 draw. It turns out that our injured striker has broken his shoulder and will probably miss the rest of the season.