NEWS ROUND UP

The opening game of the season proper, on Saturday 30^th July against Aberdeen is now ALL TICKET. Available from the usual sources (the club shop) or via telephone 01382 833166 (ticket office option). Aberdeen fans, who are expected to bring a large following, have been allocated the Shed for this match also.

Ticket prices are £21 for adults in the top tiers, and £19 for the lower tiers, with concessions priced at £11 and £9 respectively.

FORFARSHIRE CUP WINNERS

Yes, that’s right – we are the champions!! Ok, not exactly the Champions of Europe, but the champions of Forfarshire, beating Forfar 1-0 in the final in Forfar on Tuesday night. Incidentally – ENGLISH COMMENTATORS - IT’S PRONOUNCED FORFUR (SECOND SYLLABLE RHYMES WITH ‘HER’ NOT ‘CAR’. THIS REALLY BUGS ME).

Barry Robson scored a quite superb goal, though the overall performance was less than inspiring. Lee Miller played, and showed up quite well.

The Jason Scotland issue rumbles on. How is it that a supposedly neutral panel all played for the same club – Hibernian? A club we dumped out of the cup in a game where our possibly-exiled player scored the winner. Jason is in the country on a holiday visa at the moment, which runs out very soon, and the panel that sent him home, or who are at least trying to, are reconsidering. The way Scottish football is run is a joke, so expect the decision to be unfathomable by all except those who made it, and as usual it’ll be the wrong decision. At the end of every season we have one fiasco or another – stadiums not big enough (let’s change the rules). Changes in the amount of teams, changes in the league set-up, changes to the relegation set up (one down, two down, play-offs). It really seems like one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing with the SPL and SFA – we don’t get these fiascos with other FA’s e.g. Ireland, England and Wales, but every year, without fail, we have one. This year it’s the Livi/Dundee fiasco, and the Jason Scotland fiasco. Does the ‘F’ in SFA and SFL stand for fiasco? You’d think so.

UEFA Cup draw is next week also, and the messageboard is awash with the possibilities of European travel, although we could of course be going to Wales or Ireland. What could be better than a wee European jaunt? Great fun.

We haven’t won an opening league fixture since 1999 when we beat Dundee 2-1! This time let’s get off to a good start please United.

That’s pretty much all the news just now – don’t forget to check the messageboard from time to time, as often it’s the best place to catch some gossip.

Over and out till next time, and fingers crossed for Jason Scotland.