2008-09 Predictions

[scottish]

We have a new champion. But first the virtual 'widden spin.' This year the 'honour' is disputed by Bobby S who scored only three but made only fourteen predictions (most made 24 or 25 not counting wild cards) and Bmccoll with four. Scoring five were upthewell, smokiesnwine & lbb. Just above the relegation zone were twice-winner Ramalhete with six and burnie man with seven.

Moving on to the merely mediocre, on nine we have skyline drifter, scottishfa (unlucky not to reach double figures with what seemed at the time the outlandish prediction of Falkirk to win the Scottish Cup) and yours truly.

So to the top three and this is one table where the OF had to settle for the minor placings as Gersman scored 11 and Lisbon 67 managed 12.

But the new champion and winner of the much-prized cyber pint is Alan McCabe with 13. So no need for the wild cards to enter play.

Quite a few made the wrong call in close contests, particularly SPL champions and play-offs and bottom spot in the 1st and 2nd divisions. Most spot-on predictions were - alas - those who said Motherwell and QoS would exit Europe at their respective first hurdles. Each got eight votes. Domestically, the 2nd division polled the most correct results with seven tipping Raith for the title and the same number correctly forecasting Stranraer for the drop.

OTOH not a single poster predicted Airdrie United would win the Challenge Cup.

Okay, let the excuses commence.

[Alan McCabe]

Thanks David.

What a weekend I could have had if my favourites had just managed to get the goal their undoubted superiority meritted! A last-day relegation escape, Scottish Cup & cyber pint treble is a very rare occurrence.

Incidentally, took a few of our travelling group on a wee detour prior to kick-off yesterday and visited the old Hampden, Cathkin Park. What a place and what a great lasting monument to a historic club. Worth a look for those of the ground-hopping persuasion.

On a similar note, The Shire fans in our bus (yes, us Falkirk lads are all one big happy family) were heading to the official closure of little Firs Park last night. The club have decided to vacate the crumbling ground and move to offices elsewhere. It leaves Alan Mackin with a real white elephant as the council have earmarked the site solely for recreational use. Anyone spot the similarities to something I typed earlier?

Poetic justice!

I'm working on retaining my coveted title and can confirm that the cyber pint went down well in tropical Falkirk.

[Skyline Drifter]

SPL Champions : Celtic
SPL Runners-up : Rangers
SPL Third : Mmm, lot easier to find reasons not to pick clubs than to pick them. I'll go for Hearts
SPL Relegated : Hamilton Accies

1st Division Champions : St Johnstone
1st Division Relegation play-off : Clyde
1st Division Relegated : Airdrie United

2nd Division Champions : Alloa Athletic
2nd Division Promotion play-offs (3) : East Fife, Raith Rovers & Peterhead
2nd Division Relegation play-off : Queens Park
2nd Division Relegated : Stranraer

3rd Division Champions : Dumbarton
3rd Division Promotion play-offs (3) : Stenhousemuir, Montrose, Cowdenbeath
3rd Division Bottom : Annan Athletic (though I hope I'm wrong)

Scottish Cup Winners : Celtic

League Cup Winners : Rangers

Challenge Cup Winners : Partick Thistle


Plus you can also predict how far our teams will go in Europe.
Celtic : Last 16 Champions League Again
Rangers : UEFA Cup Group Stages
Motherwell : UEFA Cup 1st Round
Queen of the South : I'd love to say UEFA Cup 1st Round but it would be optimistic. Ach, I want to be optimistic, I'm leaving it.

Plus some categories suggested by posters

1) First manager to get the sack: In the whole of Scotland? No idea. Someone in the Third Division most likely.
2) First team to enter administration: Stranraer looks likely
3) A wildcard daft prediction - or is that just too hard to mark at the end of the season : Queen of the South to finish top two in the first division.

EDITED - Because I forgot Arbroath had already been promoted!

Mmm, not too unhappy with that overall.

It was close to being a really good score. I got the OF the wrong way round in the SPL and Airdrie & Clyde the wrong way round at the bottom of SFL1. Likewise, the two cup winners the wrong way round. There's six points that were so close to being mine. Ah well.

Spectacularly wrong with Alloa though! I also didn't seriously expect us to win a UEFA qualifying round tie but refused to predict it so lost a point there. I think I deserve some credit for being (I think) the only one to predict Rangers wouldn't make the Champions League proper, though I did think they'd go a round further and fall into the UEFA.

[ScottishFA]

scottishfa (unlucky not to reach double figures with what seemed at the time the outlandish prediction of Falkirk to win the Scottish Cup)

Not only that, I got the beaten finalists in all three domestic trophies!

[upthewell]

I switched SPL champions around after Rangers started the season in the most atrocious fashion. Ach well - the rest was pretty mediocre - and that's me being generous.

Roll on next season! If I have to read any more guff about Kaka, Kenyon, Ancelotti, Martinez etc etc I'll just switch right aff!

[lbb]

I had a lot of near things - Celtic nearly won the league but didn't; Rangers nearly finished 2nd but didn't; Aberdeen nearly finished 3rd but didn't; St. Mirren were nearly relegated but weren't. I was surprised by the European performances of the Old Firm. I thought they had at least mastered some kind of ability not to lose by much, if nothing else, but both performed miserably this time around. Unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by Motherwell and Queen of the South's exits.

The seemingly imminent collapse of the Setanta deal perhaps means an SPL club will enter administration as the opening shot of season 2009-10 but that's getting ahead of things.

[upthewell]

David, when are you going to open predictions for 09-10? I'm going to wipe the floor with the lot of you this season - just like Motherwell are gonna wipe the floor with Llanneli this Thursday.

[scottish]

David, when are you going to open predictions for 09-10? I'm going to wipe the floor with the lot of you this season - just like Motherwell are gonna wipe the floor with Llanneli this Thursday.

Sorry, just noticed this. You're a brave man not to have edited out that last sentence. The problem is defining when the European season starts. For Motherwell it's already underway. But Rangers won't know their European opponents until August 27th when the Champions League draw is made. Ach, wtf, I'll do it today.