2010-11 Predictions

[Skyline Drifter]

Sorry, meant to do this ages ago. It's at least semi redundant now, but:

SPL Champions : Rangers
SPL Runners-up : Celtic
SPL Third : Hearts
SPL Relegated : Hamilton Accies

Can't go outside the usual big two for top two. No-one is capable of splitting them yet. Rangers certainly look more settled and to have more idea what they are actually doing than Celtic.

Can't see Dundee United repeating last year's run and Hearts look about the best of the rest provided Jeffries is actually left in peace to manage without interference.

I think ICT will stay up without any great worry but it might be a season too far for Accies. Expect St Mirren and Kilmarnock to battle for that position too though.

1st Division Champions : Dundee
1st Division Relegation play-off : Cowdenbeath
1st Division Relegated : Stirling Albion

I'm still in the dark really as to who will win the first. There are still plenty of clubs in there with good first eleven's but no depth whose seasons will be governed by how lucky they are on the injury and suspension front. Falkirk should win but Pressley appears to be a prize clown who is not helping matters one bit. I'll go with Chisholm to eventually get it right and take Dundee up. The bottom is easy as despite Partick Thistle's best efforts, the two promoted sides are out of their depth. They might well finish the other way round but I'd be astonished if either is outside the bottom two.

2nd Division Champions : Livingston
2nd Division Promotion play-offs (3) : Alloa Athletic, Brechin City, East Fife
2nd Division Relegation play-off : Stenhousemuir
2nd Division Relegated : Dumbarton

Don't know an awful lot about this division though we've already played a wholly unimpressive Dumbarton who presumably are currently bottom on merit. Livingston always looked a gimme league winner. The rest you could throw a blanket over so it's guesswork.

3rd Division Champions : Arbroath
3rd Division Promotion play-offs (3) : Annan Athletic, Clyde, Stranraer
3rd Division Bottom : Elgin City

Elgin being bottom seems a given. The top end is more doubtful. I saw Annan play Stranraer the other week and the former looked considerably better then the latter. I think Arbroath with Sheerin in charge will eventually get it right and come through. Clyde likewise should be able to sort themselves out for a top end finish. The other two are possibly slightly biased on my part but Annan have a shout this year for me.

Scottish Cup Winners : Rangers

Well, it would be foolish to tip anyone other than the Old Firm and again, Rangers look more competent at the moment and also have a better Scottish Cup record in recent years.

League Cup Winners : Rangers

Tempted though I am to even things up by picking Celtic, that always means I'll get the guess the wrong way round. This way I might get one right!

Challenge Cup Winners : Queen of the South

Oh go on then, I'll act confident. We're one of three first division sides left in it (and Thistle have been hopeless so far). We're at home to East Fife next. We beat the only other remaining first division side 3-0 at the weekend. Stick your money on East Fife to win at Palmerston then!

Plus you can also predict how far our teams will go in Europe.
Rangers
Celtic
Dundee United
Hibernian
Motherwell

All largely irrelevant now. I'll come over all optimistic and predict Rangers for a 3rd spot in their CL group. I presume that still gets them parachuted into the Europa League? If so then I'll confidently predict them to lose their first tie in that.

The others are already out. In all honesty I'd have predicted Celtic to reach the Europa League groups. United and Motherwell went out where I expected them to do so. Hibs I'd have expected to get at least a round further.

Plus some categories suggested by posters

1) First manager to get the sack.
Jim Chapman
Things don't appear to be well at Dumbarton.

2) First team to enter administration.
No idea. Is there a "none" option?
I doubt anyone will go this coming 12 months.

3) A wildcard daft prediction
How daft is daft? Scotland to get a draw at home to Spain, does that count? Or isn't it daft enough? If that isn't daft enough then how about "Someone to register an international competitive hat-trick for Scotland for the first time in about 40 odd years"

[scottish]

Okay, with the play-offs completed today and the Scottish Cup Final yesterday, time once again to see where the fabled cyber pint is going to. Lowest ranked this season is Leatherstocking with three correct predictions but that was out of only twenty. Next up is HibeeJIbee with six from twenty-nine. Three entrants got nine right. Ramalhete and myself from twenty-five predictions are marginally better than Alan McCabe with twenty-eight goes.

Now to the big boys who got into double figures. Equal third are Insertnamehere and lbb both with ten from twenty-nine. At the top both Bobby S and Skyline Drifter got eleven right but Bobby's was out of twenty-nine and Skyline's out of twenty-four so the cyber pint is winging its way to Dumfries even as I write.

Even looked at in percentage terms he is the clear winner with 45.83% correct. Bobby S got 37.93%, myself and Ramalhete got 36%, insertnamehere and lbb were both on 34.48%, Alan McCabe 32.14%, HibeeJibee 20.69% and Leatherstocking 15%.

[lbb]

I was surprised when I checked last week to see that I'd tipped Motherwell to win the Scottish Cup. That was quite clever of me, I thought. If only they'd got the first goal...

Getting the top 3 in the SPL right was great, too, as was getting the European results correct. To be fair, just assume non-OF clubs will lose their first ties and, in fact, assume Celtic will also get turfed out pretty quickly. Can't remember if Yogi Hughes was sacked first or not. A few other close things. If Hamilton hadn't been so mediocre, St. Mirren would have went down. Undoubtedly. If Dundee hadn't been penalised with a points deduction, they would have came up. If Celtic hadn't won at Ibrox at New Year, Henrik Larsson would be charged with reducing Celtic's 60-man squad this summer, I'm certain.

I'm very pleased with my performance over the season.

[scottish]

Can't remember if Yogi Hughes was sacked first or not.

He was.

If only they'd got the first goal...

If Hamilton hadn't been so mediocre

If Dundee hadn't been penalised with a points deduction, they would have came up.

If Celtic hadn't won at Ibrox at New Year, Henrik Larsson would be charged with reducing Celtic's 60-man squad this summer, I'm certain.

And if your Auntie had baws.........?

[HibeeJibee]

I'm somewhat gutted by the narrow margin from which near-Defeat could easily have been turned into near-Victory!!

The SPL finished Rangers-Celtic, by 1pt... Dundee Utd finished 4th not 3rd, by 2pts... St Mirren finished 11th, not 12th... I got Stirling and Cowdenbeath the "wrong ways" around... Ross County reached the Final of the Challenge Cup, but lost to QotS... Rangers advanced a round too far in the Europa League... Buckie Thistle went all the way to Scottish Cup R5, but then narrowly lost to Brechin = didn't make the QFs!!

(I can however take solace in my wildcard... Aberdeen did lose in Aberdeenshire Cup R1, on penalties to Cove, and played several first-teamers including Jamie Langfield, Steven Smith? and Ricky Foster [transferred to Rangers shortly after] plus some fringe first-teamers like Jarvis, Shaughnessy, Grimmer, Low).

[bobby s]

Well done Skyline Drifter.

[lbb]

Before Dundee United are eliminated from Europe tonight, is it possible to open the predictions thread for 2011-12? (I claim a point for United's exit).

[scottish]

Before Dundee United are eliminated from Europe tonight, is it possible to open the predictions thread for 2011-12? (I claim a point for United's exit).

Done. And I hope they win tonight - then get gubbed on Sunday.