Albion Rovers vs. Celtic XI
“The question in the title was one that was asked in The Observer this weekend. It is something I’ve blogged about numerous times before. Scotland has done fairly dismally in terms of large tournament qualification and, Old Firm aside, the European qualifiers have consistently shamed the country and denigrated its co-efficient. The endless list of quality players that seemed to come through Scotland came to an end towards 1980.” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“What Should Be Done About Scottish Football?” – James Hamilton
“This is really a placeholder from which you are to go to Rob Marrs’ post on the failures of Scottish football and their potential futures. But I have four thoughts to add.” (More Than Mind Games)

“If you watch a match this afternoon, take a moment if possible to look into the eyes of your manager. If your team is winning you may think that you see happiness, but it’s not. It’s relief and respite. If your team is losing or drawing you may just get to see a haunted soul. Ironically, given that it is statistically likely that most managers will lose as many games as they win, the life of the football manager is one of surviving from one match to the next. In the most extreme circumstances, one match can lose a manager his job and, in select cases, destroy his reputation.” (twohundredpercent)

“We’ve done England. We’ve done Germany. We’ve done France, Holland, Scotland, and even Azerbaijan. Now that all the money and headline-grabbing starlets are moving to Spain, we are too– in our comprehensive guide to all things La Liga. Apologies to Sid Lowe, who wishes he could be as knowledgeable as we are. Without further ado… viva España!” (unprofessionalfoul)

“Fashion writers like to think that they have their fingers on the ever-changing pulse of the British nation, that they are armed with an intricate understanding and perception of what is hot, not, and what could well turn out to be in the future. And listening to most seasoned observers of said industry, it is fair to say that one trend tends to be permanently listed under the ‘In’ banner. Retro.” (Soccer Lens)

NK Rijeka – Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia
“Here is a picture list of soccer stadiums that are located in scenic locations around the world. Click the pictures to enlarge.” (The Best Eleven), (The Best Eleven)

“Liverpool have had, by any stretch of the imagination, a lethargic start to the Premiership season. Already, they’ve lost two games out of the first three and, as every media source has said, that is as many as they lost throughout the last season (although, no bright spark has pointed out that United lost 5 last season and still won the league fairly comfortably. Liverpool’s problem wasn’t losses it was the 11 draws that meant 22 dropped points…).” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“Thirteen European nations will materialize in South Africa in 2010. Many deservedly so. Only five African nations will join them. We’ll never know what other African qualifiers could have contributed, though I expect after the performances of Africa’s five representatives, demand for a fairer proportion of places in future World Cups will be irresistible and undeniable.” (the other football)

“‘Conscience,’ the great but notably sceptical critic HL Mencken once wrote, “is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.” Yet the thought that someone, or rather several cameras and a global audience, might be looking didn’t seem to disturb Arsenal’s Eduardo this week when he went down (or, in the words of Arsène Wenger, ‘got out the way of the keeper’) against Celtic and won a penalty that effectively killed Wednesday’s Champions League play-off tie.” (WSC)