Scottish Premier League Recap 11 February 2012 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Below is a recap of all the SPL matches on February 11, 2012.

Dunfermline 1-4 Rangers

Rangers get goals from four different players to keep pace in the title race. Dunfermline remains last in the table with a -30 goal difference.

A week away from the blog.
I'd like to explain my absence with exciting tales of derring do. But I can't. The most excitement I got was watching Hibs beat Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup, nailbiting to the end.
No, I've been away largely because I couldn't be arsed for the last week.

Today's SPL. All of our dirty dozen are in action. Here's a very quick look ahead.
St Mirren v Celtic
Ah, St Mirren. 2-1 up last week with their opponents down to ten men. They lost 5-2.
A season in 90 minutes. The promise, the impressive moments, the entertainment and the frequent disappointments.

As much as I still cannot conceive the fact we conceded three goals to a team down a man for 7000 minutes, turns out the same happened to St. Mirren on the weekend!

But they conceded five!

Here's the scoring sheet:

Hearts 5-2 St Mirren

• Zaliukas 1
• Skacel 23
• Skacel 64
• Skacel 68
• Sutton 90

• McGowan (pen) 13
• Thompson 19

So, yes, Saturday sucked for us.

New SPL TV deal Good or bad for Scottish football? is a post from: Just Football

by William Heaney

Not surprisingly, the news that Sky and ESPN have extended their deal to provide coverage of the SPL has been well received within the Scottish football community.

The two companies have been the league's main broadcasting partners since 2009, when they came to the rescue after Setanta's collapse.

What is it about the festive season and Charlie Adam that don't go well? A missed penalty and an own goal blighted this year's celebrations, while 12 months ago his failed transfer attempt to Liverpool got the New Year off to a shaky start. And in January 2009 he was dealt a devastating blow to his career when Rangers let him go.

What is it about the festive season and Charlie Adam that don't go well? A missed penalty and an own goal blighted this year's celebrations, while 12 months ago his failed transfer attempt to Liverpool got the New Year off to a shaky start. And in January 2009 he was dealt a devastating blow to his career when Rangers let him go.

So Lee McCulloch is free to play for Rangers tonight.
How can that be? Wasn't he red carded against St Mirren on Saturday?
That he was. For flinging an elbow. I've seen more heinous crimes on a football pitch. But I'd also say that the red card was justified.
Opinions, of course, are like certain anatomical features.

St.Mirren v Rangers 2-1 Highlights Video 2011 Goals Wallace Aaron Mooy Red Cards McCulloch Goian is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

St.Mirren v Rangers 2-1 Highlights Video 2011 Goals Wallace Aaron Mooy Red Cards McCulloch Goian is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter St.

We're so close now you can almost smell the reindeer dung. We reach the final window in the SPL Advent calendar. Fling open the curtains and have a nosy at St Mirren.
One thing you can say about St Mirren is that Danny Lennon will do what's best for St Mirren Football Club and what's best for Danny Lennon.

By Chris Wright

Celtic spanked St Mirren 5-0 at Parkhead in the SPL yesterday, with 18-year old Dylan McGeouch wrapping up proceedings with his first ever goal for the Bhoys (on his second appearance) despite having only been on the pitch for eight minutes - charging 80-yards up-field before sliding a neat shot inside the post from the edge of the box.

Four games in the SPL today.
But I'm distracted by Sir Alex Ferguson's upcoming 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United. A phenomena. From Govan.
The SPL didn't even exist 25 years ago. We must have had football though, whatever they try and tell us.
Must have had it because I'm sure Alex Ferguson left a top flight Scottish club to take over a top flight English club 25 years ago.

Four games in the SPL today.
But I'm distracted by Sir Alex Ferguson's upcoming 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United. A phenomena. From Govan.
The SPL didn't even exist 25 years ago. We must have had football though, whatever they try and tell us.
Must have had it because I'm sure Alex Ferguson left a top flight Scottish club to take over a top flight English club 25 years ago.

Alex Ferguson's worst defeats as a manager - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the 6-1 defeat to Manchester City was his worst day in football. But is is it his biggest defeat as a manager?

It turns out that this is only the third time (in 2,061 games spread over 37 years) that a team managed by Ferguson has conceded six goals in a game.

Alex Ferguson's worst defeats as a manager - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the 6-1 defeat to Manchester City was his worst day in football. But is is it his biggest defeat as a manager?

It turns out that this is only the third time (in 2,061 games spread over 37 years) that a team managed by Ferguson has conceded six goals in a game.

There's no question in Charlie Adam's mind - Scottish footballers should see a move to England not as an exile but as an opportunity.
And he should know. A product of the Rangers youth system, he spent much of his early career on loan - to St Mirren and Ross County - before returning to the Ibrox first team in time for their Uefa Cup final appearance in Manchester.

The whirligig that is international week has left me struggling for time as we approach the mundane predictability of the SPL.
So this week's SPL preview has been drawn entirely at random.
Not by me.
I've shipped in a glamorous assistant, a glamorous assistant who is the number one draw every Wednesday night at a "gentleman's club" cabaret in Newcastle.

The third and final part of a random collection of players I'll be keeping my eye on as this SPL season progresses. Today a player each from St Mirren and Dunfermline.
Nigel Hasselbaink, St Mirren"If football was played in the air," an old sage of Easter Road once told me, "then Paul Fenwick would be Pele.

Dunfermline and St Mirren brought the first round of games in the new Scottish Premier League season to an end on Monday with fans already witnessing some early season drama over the weekend.

Jim Jefferies' Hearts managed to pull off a surprise in Saturday's early morning kick off by holding champions Rangers to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox.

Part two of a completely scattergun selection of a dozen players whose progress I'm keen to track in 2010/11 SPL. St Mirren and Dunfermline will follow tomorrow.
Sean O'Hanlon, HibernianThe returning Ivan Sproule and Garry O'Connor have left Sean O'Hanlon's arrival at Easter Road somewhat overshadowed.

We're now tantalisingly close to the SPL's opening weekend. July isn't yet out but already the sense of anticipation is growing.
The churlish prediction for the season ahead would be that "it can't be as bad as last time." But this being Scottish football we know that's not true. It can be every bit as bad.

We're now tantalisingly close to the SPL's opening weekend. July isn't yet out but already the sense of anticipation is growing.
The churlish prediction for the season ahead would be that "it can't be as bad as last time." But this being Scottish football we know that's not true. It can be every bit as bad.

In the not too dim and distant past I used to work for a health charity in Midlothian.
I'll admit I wasn't straight from central casting. The only way I become a poster boy for health and fitness is if you need someone to pose for the "before" section of your "before and after" pictures.
I'm not one of life's joggers, teetotallers or carrot chompers.

Everybody thinks of one Charlie Adam. Whether they're optimistic about his seemingly inevitable transfer to Liverpool or not doesn't matter. Everybody thinks of the Adam whose raking passes picked apart the club he seems set to join when they met at Anfield, the Adam who scored from the penalty spot to help ensure he'd be remembered by the club he set his heart on, and not the Adam who managed a sorry 45% pass completion rate later in the season against Blackburn.

The New England Revolution announced via press release yesterday that they waived 18-year old Nigerian right midfielder Michael Augustine. Augustine hadn't made a single senior appearance with the club, although he participated in reserve league and open cup matches. Given the team's poor play of late, it may have seemed strange to get rid of a player that hadn't had a chance to prove himself useless yet.

Saint Mirren Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire. The club currently plays in the Scottish Premier League, following its promotion from the First Division in 2005/06. After finishing the SPL season in 11th place, St. Mirren unveiled its Carbrini home and away kits for the 2011/12 season during its end [.

By Tom Thomas

In the modern game its difficult to find legends and heroes. Perhaps that's because such things are better left for childhood sensibilities and nostalgic ruminations. The men of today often become the gods of tomorrow, somehow, and that's just the way these things work.

We were here a year ago for the same fixture and for the same reason the first division play-offs. Last year they met in the final rather than the semi, and both sides were going for promotion. Cowden won it then, achieveing their second successive promotion despite a backdrop of off-field problems which resulted in further budget cuts this year.

In the end Hamilton had left their late rally too late. A good couple of months too late.
A season that began with back to back 4-0 defeats ended last night in relegation with a game to spare.
St Johnstone ended up the executioners. But Hamilton had were the authors their own death warrant.

Aberdeen v St JohnstoneRumours that Aberdeen had buggered off on an early summer holiday proved to be exaggerated in last week's win over Inverness. A little northern light in a bleak end to the season.
And St Johnstone scored at Easter Road. Not once but twice. In a win. Winning football games is relatively simple when you score more than the opposition.

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With Manchester United on the verge of a record-breaking 19th league title and a Champions League final to look forward to, this week languagecaster profiles the Red Devils Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

A bit like taking to the stage at the Sands Casino an hour after Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack have taken their leave.
Sunday games aren't always that popular at Easter Road. A bottom six clash against the second bottom team, served up after a televised Old Firm game, on the back of a defeat to the team at the bottom of the league has all the appeal of regurgitated Easter eggs.

Maurice Edu has had a very under-the-radar type season. His numbers, four goals and one assist, are pretty pedestrian but his presence cannot be ignored. He's done a tremendous job controlling the midfield this season and proved his mettle last week by playing efficiently during both Ranger wins.

Maurice Edu and Rangers eased one step closer to next week's dramatic showdown with rivals Celtic after taking down visiting St. Mirren on Saturday at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow.

With just seven matches remaining in their Scottish Premier League season, Maurice Edu and Rangers return home to the friendly confines of Ibrox Stadium for a Saturday encounter with St. Mirren.

The 2011 Scottish Cup Semi final draw will be made on Monday, 14 March, 2011 around 1 pm UK time. The Scottish Cup semifinal draw 2011 will be conducted at the Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre. Teams involved in the draw for the 2010/11 Scottish Cup semifinal:- Brechin City/ St.Johnstone Aberdeen/St.

Maurice Edu played a full 90 for the Rangers as they defeated St. Mirren 1-0 and stayed within five points of their arch-rival Celtic for top position of Scottish Premier League title.

One word from a dozen managers to sum up the SPL this weekend:
Aberdeen 5 v 0 KilmarnockCraig Brown: "Pleasing."
Mixu Paatelainen: "Farcical."
Hearts 2 v 1 Dundee UnitedJim Jefferies: "Determination."
Peter Houston: "Cruel."
Inverness 2 v 0 St JohnstoneTerry Butcher: "Effort.

Last night's SPL results had ramifications for the teams battling it out at both ends of the table.
St Johnstone's 2-0 win over Hamilton means Hibs remain second bottom as they host third bottom St Mirren. Tonight's result at Easter Road could have a big, big influence on how the relegation battle eventually pans out.

Just two SPL games this afternoon with four clubs involved in the league cup semi-finals and Dundee United playing Hibs tomorrow.
What, I ask, is the point of playing the League Cup semi-finals at the weekend, at the same time as SPL games?
Seems a bit strange.
Anyhows, to the action:
Hamilton v KilmarnockHamilton are still rooted to the bottom of the table.