Well that's Nice to see

After seven rounds of games in Ligue 1 someone other than Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is top of the table. It's not even Monaco either, or Lyon, or Marseille. Nope, instead it's the unexpected name of Nice that are sitting top of the tree.
From the outside looking in, Ligue 1 these past few years has been, well let's be honest, a bit of a bore when it comes to title races. PSG since their Qatar investment in 2011 have basically ran free with the title with the notable exception of 2014-15 which I blogged about a number of months ago. For a recap the 2014-15 Ligue 1 season was actually a three horse race up until April with Lyon and Marseille pushing PSG. In the end both chasing sides fell away in the final few games but it did provide some competition. Then came last season's procession.
Prior to PSG getting that Qatar investment the league was mightily competitive. Lyon's run of dominance ended with Bordeaux claiming the title in 2008-09 and after that no fewer than three different sides claimed the title in the successive three seasons. Then came the start of the current run of dominance of PSG.
Despite the runs of dominance by PSG in this decade and Lyon in the last, Ligue 1 still has produced more different league champions than all the other so called big leagues since the turn of the century. Eight to be precise.(England, Germany, Spain and Italy all have five different champions since 99-00).

Back to this season and well Nice are not one of those eight sides to have claimed at least one title since 2000. In fact Nice have only ever won the title four times and the last of those was in 1958-59. The rise of Nice for followers of French football shouldn't be that much of a shock considering they had a superb campaign last season. Sure they may have missed out on the prize of champions league football by two points but under Claude Puel they secured European football for the first time since 1997-98. Puel departed in the summer for Southampton and their star performer was the familiar name of Hatem Ben Arfa, he also left. Nice did however replace one troubled genius in Ben Arfa with another one this summer. Step forward one Mario Balotelli. Nice raised eyebrows when they signed the Italian from Liverpool with even Jaime Carragher saying that the free transfer was Nice paying over the odds. Balotelli made his debut in the home game against Marseille and he responded with two goals, a penalty and close range header. He added two more goals in Nice's 4-0 demolition of Monaco last Wednesday. That big victory over Monaco put Nice top of the league and the narrow 1-0 success away to Nancy on Sunday maintained their position at the top.

PSG's rather indifferent start has opened up the table in these early weeks of the season, with the champions already suffering two league defeats which is the same total they suffered last season in it's entirety. Although it is early days one does hope that they are challenged this season. Can it be Nice? well so far the signs are pretty good. They have the best defense in France after seven games with just four put past them and much will depend how they juggle their European commitments, which began two weeks ago with a defeat at home to struggling Schalke. Coach Lucien Favre has the side playing lovely stuff at times and with the experienced head of Dante at the back they have the foundations of a reliable defense that could see them have an even better season than last season.

The Europa League moan

José Mourinho at the press conference this week
source: getty

"It's embarrassing to be in Europa League", "This is not a competition Man United want", "I think it's a killer..to be frank". Just some of the quotes from English football on the Europa League from Rio Ferdinand, José Mourinho and Harry Redknapp.
I'll start of this post by addressing those quotes. Rio Ferdinand made the "It's embarrassing to be in Europa League" comment after Man United finished 3rd in their champions league group last season. Whats embarrassing here is that Man United failed to get through a group containing Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven. For a club from the self proclaimed "best league in the world" you would expect an awful lot better.
"This is not a competition Man United want" well José, suck it up because Man United were not good enough to finish in the top 4 of a very weak premier league last season. Also a bit hypocritical of a man whose managerial career really began to take off by his successful Porto side in this competition's previous guise, the UEFA cup in 2003.
"I think it's a killer..to be frank" Harry Redknapp actually said this about the Europa League when Spurs were gunning for the premier league title. Redknapp's side were eliminated from the Europa league in the group stage that season and guess what, they still didn't win the title.

Other instances of English clubs not being particularly bothered about Europe happened last year when West Ham fielded a team of kids against Astra Giurgiu in Romania. The unfortunate part of that was West Ham had fans that traveled out to Romania to watch their side in Europe, instead they got to see a manager completely disregard them and the competition. Justice prevailed when Astra got through.

What I will never get my head around is you would expect utter arrogance from the likes of United, Liverpool, Chelsea and City, you know teams that are in Europe most years. It's the likes of West Ham, Stoke City and Aston Villa turning their nose up at this competition that baffles me. Despite the propaganda the premier league sends out, these teams haven't a glimmer of winning the league (Leicester's title last season is at the moment an outlier, no trends or conclusions can be made from that). Their best chances of trophies are cup competitions and they turn their noses up at them. Last season Swansea's Ashley Williams was "relived" to miss out on the Europa league because he wanted to "concentrate on the league". Why not concentrate on doing well in both competitions?
This excuse that Thursday-Sunday fixtures are hampering teams is pathetic as well. Thursday-Sunday is the exact same as Wednesday-Saturday fixtures for champions league sides. Ah but the champions league has the glamour, money and prestige to be taken seriously.These Premier League sides have a bumper new TV deal to hoover up as many players from around Europe as they want yet they can't get a big enough squad to compete in a few cup competitions alongside the league.
Also this isn't a recent phenomenon. Going back about ten years now when Reading were newly promoted and looking good for a UEFA cup place, their manager at the time said had they qualified for the UEFA cup he would've played the reserves. Needless to say Reading haven't been remotely close to qualifying for Europe since.
The argument of letting the bigger sides forgo taking part in the Europa League is dead in the water because even the small English sides don't even see the point in showcasing themselves in what is at the end of the day a European competition.
Up until the August revelation of the new format for the European competitions (more on that in another blog post) all national leagues in Europe were ranked on performance in the past five years in European competitions. This table has now pretty much been nullified with the plans in place but it was the system used to decided how many places in the champions league a nation got. English clubs with their disdain for the Europa League had slipped to 3rd in the table and were under threat of losing their 4th champions league spot until Italy had lost it's representatives in Europe early. Losing that champions league spot has hit Italy hard and Italy are a good case point here. For years Italian clubs were like the English clubs, they viewed the UEFA Cup/Europa league as a hindrance. Only after Italy lost their 4th champions league place in 2011 have Italian sides began to embrace the Europa League. Perhaps the English losing their 4th place would've changed their mindset?

This is the pathetic attitude of English sides towards this competition and you have the English media banging the anti-Europa league drum as well. What's even more incredible is even the fans are dismissing the Europa League. Some suggesting they'd rather their clubs sacrifice a European run for finishing two-three places higher in the league, like really, are you serious?
The arrogance in English football towards anything non-Premier league is astounding. One only has to flick through comments on match reports of the various English clubs on Europa league nights to see this in black and white. "oh it's only the Europa league", "not even arsed about the result" etc,
There is a lot wrong with modern football but what is really strange is that fans are valuing different competitions their teams play in on the monetary value. Oh the prize money for finishing 10th in the premier league is better than winning the Europa league. As a fan are you seeing any of that prize money?

From a personal point of view Europe is where I aspire my club to be. There is something magical about European games. Your club is testing itself against your counterparts from other countries. The away trips to cities that you never thought existed is part of the charm. I can tell you the memories I got from following Cork City in Europe to Belfast, Gothenburg and Genk this year will stay with me for the rest of my life, hell even our 2015 trip to Reykjavík had it's moments. Sure the club got rewarded for that European run, but as a fan I didn't give a toss. I was more concerned about where we might be going in the 4th round had we got past Genk, not drooling over the €800k the club would get for progressing.
You see I don't get this whole fans turning into accountants for their clubs. The clubs have people employed to look after the finances and make decisions accordingly. As a fan you are there to support the team not count the notes.

Twists, turns and more in Europe's most competitive title race

It's that time of the season where the end is in sight, no not in most European leagues that have only just started up but for the summer leagues. In Europe there are eleven leagues that play during the summer (Belarus, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden) and it's in these leagues that the finish line is in sight. For one league in particular it's been an extraordinary season at the top of the table.

That league is Finland's Veikkausliiga, which is Europe's most compelling title race this season. On Saturday 2nd placed IFK Mariehamn had the opportunity to claim top spot with a victory over SJK away from home. However it was last season's champions that claimed a 1-0 win to close within seven points off top spot themselves, SJK currently lie 7th in the table. Yes you read that right, SJK in 7th are seven points off top spot. It's been a fascinating season and one that really wasn't foreseen.

Last season saw HJK Helsinki, the country's most successful club, knocked off their perch by SJK from Seinäjoki, who claimed their first ever league title. However it probably was a little teaser of what was to come as the final day of the 2015 season saw three sides (SJK, RoPS Rovaniemi and HJK) tussle for the title. SJK went into that final day top and both RoPS and HJK needed them to drop points to have a chance of landing the title. In the end all three won their games which was enough for SJK. 

Previous to that 2015 success for SJK, the league was dominated by HJK who between 2009 and 2014 won every title on offer. So this latest bout of competitiveness has been very much unforeseen. What makes it even more astounding is HJK were Europa League group stage participants in 2014-15 so with all the money earned from that this really does add to the mystery of this insane season. 

HJK have been very inconsistent in 2016 which has opened the door to some sides that haven't tasted league glory in quite some time. In order of how the table reads aside from HJK these are when the contenders last tasted glory; IFK Mariehamn (never), RoPS (never), Ilves (1983), KuPS (1976), VPS (1948) and SJK (2015). So this season really is a fantastic opportunity for some of these clubs to seize the moment and end their title droughts. 

HJK only reclaimed top spot last week with a 2-0 win away at mid-table PS Kemi. Since that victory they have lost twice on the bounce. A 4-1 hammering by Lahti at home was followed by a 3-2 loss away at struggling Inter Turku which offered IFK Mariehamn that chance to reclaim top spot this weekend, which was spurned. The form teams are actually those catching up behind HJK and Mariehamn. Ilves are unbeaten in five, VPS likewise with draws being their problem in recent weeks. SJK have recovered from an absolute disaster of a start in which they were winless after the first month of the season and have since clawed themselves up into contention, just. 

HJK have also played a game more than all of the other six contenders. All the others play their games in hand before September is out which will have the capital side sitting nervously seeing what will unfold. They could however relinquish top spot again before those sides even play their games in hand as they host RoPS in a delicious looking clash on Wednesday when the next round of games will be played. At the same time IFK Mariehamn will host Inter Turku with the other four contenders face each other with VPS hosting SJK and KuPS facing Ilves. 
The league concludes on October 23rd by which time seven contenders will be whittled down somewhat but in the six rounds of games before that expect twists, turns and more in Europe's most competitive title race. 

Europa League group stage predictions

For the first time in five years there will be Irish interest in the Europa League group stages and for only the second time ever. It's a big deal, even if the side in question are direct trophy rivals for my own club. Dundalk make their group stage debut having dropped down from the champions league play-offs which saw them unable to get the better of Legia Warszawa. Victories over Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar of Iceland and BATE Borisov of Belarus gave them a guaranteed group stage place at least before doing battle with the Polish champions. 
Dundalk thus became only the second side from this island to reach the group stages. Shamrock Rovers, the most successful side here were the first to break the barrier after a dramatic extra-time victory over Partizan Belgrade in 2011. Rovers went on to lose all six group games in what was a very difficult group and Dundalk will be obviously hoping to better that performance. Dundalk however are in a tricky group make no mistake. Pitted against AZ Alkmaar from the Eredivisie in Holland, Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg and Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel-Aviv it offers it's own challenges. More on Dundalk's group later. 

Elsewhere the group stages have a decent spread of team across the continent. However two regions are without teams in this season's group stage. Scandinavia have no teams competing with only FC København the last remaining Scandinavian side left in either European competition. The Balkans is the other area without a team with Dinamo Zagreb the last team standing in either competition. 
What we lack in Scandinavia and the Balkans we make up for in other areas. Cyprus' APOEL Nicosia return for the second successive season in the Europa League group stage, Israel have two sides competing, as do Azerbaijan and Romania. The Czechs have a trio of hopefuls alongside the same number of Turkish sides. Even Kazakhstan have a side competing with Astana having dropped down from the champions league qualifiers. It all makes for an interesting group stage. 

Group A

Believe it or not I'm actually having a tricky assignment predicting this group. Yes Manchester United should be getting through but it's balanced out with not exactly easy away games. United's strength in depth should be enough to nab one of the top two spots but the other one is very tricky. Feyenoord have the atmospheric De Kuip to get them over the line at home as do Fenerbahçe with the Şükrü Saracoğlu. Zorya Luhansk have an unknown element about them that could fall in their favour. I'm not exactly a Ukrainian football guru but playing games in Odessa as opposed to Luhansk might be the difference in them getting through or not. I'll plum for Fenerbahçe to join United in getting through here. 

1. Manchester United
2. Fenerbahçe
3. Feyenoord
4. Zorya Luhansk

Group B

I like the look of this group. The Greek-Cypriot clashes do give it a spicy flavor which is tasty and qualification doesn't look beyond any of the teams. Olympiacos will no doubt be favorites to at least get through and they should do. APOEL have the warm conditions to their advantage but do face a chilling trip to Astana in November. Astana themselves will be travelling quite a lot which is a factor. Young Boys will be a tricky side to overcome. I'm going to side with APOEL here.

1. Olympiacos
2. APOEL Nicosia
3. Astana
4. Young Boys

Group C

Again another tricky group to predict. A decent grouping of sides that you could make a case for all to get through. Anderlecht's European record compared to their excellent domestic record have been a constant let down. Saint-Étienne I do think will get through. Playing in front of France's most passionate fans they will be a tough nut to break. Mainz have a small European sample size to go off of but I do think they'll be close in this group. The wildcard in this group is Qəbələ. The Azeri side are making their second ever group appearance after last season and will be a tricky opponent especially at home. I can see them coming very close this time but I'll play it safe and go with Anderlecht to join Saint-Étienne. 

1. Saint-Étienne
2. Anderlecht
3. Qəbələ
4. Mainz

Group D

Here we are. Irish eyes will be (well the should be) glued to this group. Dundalk being honest are up against it but that could be their advantage. No fear, no expectation. I'll go on record and say they will at least get a point, how much remains the joy of this competition, unfortunately for them I can't see them getting through. Zenit have quality dripping through the squad and should be favorites to top this group. AZ Alkmaar were a disaster in the group last season finishing 4th and I do think they'll miss out with Maccabi Tel-Aviv nabbing that second spot behind Zenit. The Israelis have lost their free scoring Eran Zahavi but do have a decent attacking threat about them. 

1. Zenit St Petersburg
2. Maccabi Tel-Aviv
3. AZ Alkmaar
4. Dundalk

Group E

Roma surely can't muck up this group. I would be amazed if they didn't get through. Joining them is where it gets tricky to predict. Astra Giurgiu were resolute in overcoming West Ham to get here and look fairly good in keeping teams out on that evidence. Austria Wien are a side that have a very decent shot at getting through. Currently 4th in the concertina at the top of the Austrian league do they have enough to get the better of Viktoria Plzeň. Czechs sides have began to improve in Europe after a doldrum period and I'm inclined to side on their side in this case. 

1. Roma
2. Viktoria Plzeň
3. Austria Wien
4. Astra Giurgiu

Group F

One team in particular I'll be following in this group and no prizes for guessing are our conquerors in the third qualifying round, Genk. Genk were a class or two above City in July/August and I'll be keeping an eye on their progress here for sure. Athletic Bilbao should be getting through without too much trouble. Sassuolo are in their debut European campaign so it's hard to see how much of a challenge they will otherwise have been had they been a seasoned Italian side in Europe. Rapid Wien have a passionate home support which will be their strength. I'm going to be bold here and go for Genk to join Athletic Bilbao in the next round, why not, it'll look better for City. 

1.  Athletic Bilbao
2. Genk
3. Sassuolo
4. Rapid Wien

Group G

A tasty looking group this. Celta de Vigo have began the season in disasterous form with three defeats from three, they have lost Nolito who at times last season was unplayable and could be the first Spanish side to exit Europe this season. Ajax well dumped out of the champions league by Rostov shows they are not in the finest of health. Panathinaikos like most Greek sides whose name is not Olympiacos have no money and Standard Liége well they had the utterly bizarre play-off system domestically to thank for them being in Europe in the first place. All sides have problems so makes for a really interesting battle. Ajax I think will go through alongside Panathinaikos but this group will be tight and don't be surprised to see Celta get through. 

1. Ajax
2. Panathinaikos
3. Celta de Vigo
4. Standard Liége

Group H

Playing away from Donetsk isn't ideal for Shakhtar but they have pedigree in this competition. The final winners of the UEFA cup and semi-finalists last season they are a side you just can't bet against in this group. Again a tricky group to predict given that Braga have started quite well in the league and Gent were among the last 16 in the champions league last season. Konyaspor are making their debut in European competition this season having finished an impressive 3rd domestically last season. I'll go with Braga to join Shakhtar in getting through.

1. Shakhtar Donetsk
2. Sporting Braga
3. Gent
4. Konyaspor

Group I

A very difficult group to predict. Schalke will be favorites to get through and I'd expect them to. Salzburg have in the past been ruthless in groups and have gone through on numerous occasions so will be a tough team to shift. Krasnodar were in the last 32 o this competition last season and won't be a pushover. Nice likewise will fancy their chances in this group. They have started quite well in Ligue 1 and should they carry that form over they have to be considered. I'll stick my neck out and go with Nice and Schalke here. 

1. Schalke
2. Nice
3. Salzburg
4. Krasnodar

Group J

Fiorentina will top this group without too much difficulty I think. The other three will be an interest fight for that second spot. Slovan Liberec are a side that could pose a threat to the more fancied PAOK. The Greeks will be my favorite to get through this group but it could very well be a close run thing. With the experience of the past few years under their belts Azeri side Qarabağ can't be dismissed from the discussion either. 

1. Fiorentina
2. PAOK
3. Qarabağ
4. Slovan Liberec

Group K

The trend of tricky groups continues here with three teams on a similar level and one potential wildcard team. Inter Milan obviously being the biggest name in the group and one would imagine should be getting through. I'm not so confident about the second team to go through. Southampton have in recent years punched above their weight and under a new manager this season are not the same side of those years. Sparta Praha obviously had a very impressive run in this competition last season. Hapoel Be'er Sheva have shown to be strong at home and are a banana skin in this group. I'll stick my neck out and side with Sparta to get through. 

1. Inter Milan
2. Sparta Praha
3. Southampton
4. Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Group L

I would be fairly confident that Villarreal will coast this group. Semi-finalists last season they have much more quality than their group rivals. Steaua București have their own off the pitch problems but were fairly outclassed by Manchester City in the champions league. FC Zürich are actually the only non top division side in the competition having suffered relegation last season but won the Swiss cup. Turkish side Osmanlıspor are in only their second ever European campaign and did overcome FC Midtjylland in the play-offs. I actually think the Turks have a really good chance here so I'll go with them to get through. 

1. Villarreal
2. Osmanlıspor
3. Steaua București
4. FC Zürich

Champions League group stage predictions

The champions league group stage kicks off tomorrow with a few notable absentees as well as a few returning faces and two new teams making their bow in this competition.
The first new team is FC Rostov from Russia. Agonizingly close to a first ever domestic league title last spring they had the consolation prize of a place in the qualifiers to get over the disappointment. Victories over Anderlecht and Ajax have seen them make it to the group stage in their first ever season in the champions league/European cup. Their reward is a difficult group with Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and PSV Eindhoven. More on that group later.
The second is obviously the defending English champions Leicester City. This being the first time they will be playing in the champions league/European cup.

This season sees Bulgarians Ludogorets Razgrad return after their debut season two years ago. Turkish champions Beşiktaş are back for the first time since 2009-10. Celtic are making their first group stage appearance in three seasons. Portuguese side Sporting Clube de Portugal return after a gap of two seasons, Club Brugge are making their return for the first time since 2005-06, FC København return, three seasons after their last group stage appearance and of course this season sees Poland represented in the group stage for the first time since 1995-96 by Legia Warszawa who make their return this season. 

A notable fact about this season's competition is the absence of any Greek teams in the group stage. Perennial champions Olympiacos were eliminated at the third qualifying round by Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva and last season's runners-up PAOK exited at the hands of Ajax at the same stage. For the first time since 1996-97, Greece won't be hosting any group stage games. 

Group A

A very easy group to predict. PSG to top the group, Arsenal to get through in 2nd and Basel to take the Europa league place, but will push Arsenal all the way. 

1. PSG
2. Arsenal
3. Basel
4. Ludogorets Razgrad

Group B

A slightly tricky group to call. I can see Napoli getting through but joining them is the challenge. I'd probably side with Benfica ahead of Dynamo Kyiv but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ukrainians edge through. 

1. Napoli
2. Benfica
3. Dynamo Kyiv
4. Beşiktaş

Group C

This group will end how it was drawn. I can't see Gladbach getting the better of the top two seeds in this group. Much less so Celtic who I think will end up bottom of the group with maybe one or two points. 

1. Barcelona
2. Mancheser City
3. Borussia Mönchengladbach
4. Celtic

Group D

Another very predictable group. It'll end as it was drawn. The only interesting aspect will be, can Rostov nip that third place? I was impresed with PSV last season and think they'll do enough to claim third. 

1. Bayern Munich
2. Atlético Madrid
3. PSV Eindhoven
4. FC Rostov

Group E

Now this is a group that is hard to predict. All four teams seem to be close together in ability which makes it tricky to predict. Monaco have started the season well domestically as have CSKA Moskva. Leverkusen after two Bundesliga games have one win and one loss so not a lot came be written about that. Tottenham currently sit 4th in England, unbeaten so going by that they will be tricky opponents for their group rivals. I'm going to go with Monaco and Tottenham to get through, just. Leverkusen to be pushed into third. 

1. Monaco
2. Tottenham
3. Bayer Leverkusen
4. CSKA Moskva

Group F

A dull group in which Real Madrid and Dortmund will easily qualify. I fully expect Sporting Clube de Portugal to secure third place with ease as well. 

1. Real Madrid
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Sporting CP
4. Legia Warszawa

Group G

Leicester can count their lucky stars they got such a manageable group. Porto are not in the greatest of nick these days while both Club Brugge and FC København are only just back in the group stage after a few years away. Leicester and Porto to get through with the Danes to get third place. 

1. Porto
2. Leicester City
3. FC København
4. Club Brugge

Group H

A tough group to predict despite the presence of Juventus. I still think Juve will get through but I would have my doubts as to how easy they will secure qualification. There is a temptation to say Sevilla third place so they can go for another Europa league tilt but I actually think they will just about squeeze through. I'm writing off Dinamo Zagreb with confidence given past experiences and Lyon will push for qualification to the very end. 

1. Juventus
2. Sevilla
3. Lyon
4. Dinamo Zagreb

Hopes and thoughts

Obviously my main hope for this season's competition is that someone outside of the usual cartel of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich wins the tournament, however it's unlikely, very unlikely. Outside of that I don't see Atlético repeating last year's run to the final, Juventus could be a decent bet for a semi-final place given their summer activity and Manchester City with Pep will go deep into the competition. 

My shout for biggest underachiever in this competition will be PSG. A lot look at them as a "dark horse" but given the cash they have splashed over the years they have underachieved massively. At this moment I can see them falling in the last 16. 

I'll be interested to see how Legia Warszawa cope with their group. I get the feeling they'll lose all six games. They showed they were probably a level above Irish champions Dundalk so I'll be keeping an eye on their fortunes for sure. 

Everyone will be looking out for Leicester to see if they can take Europe by the same storm they took England last year. I think they'll get through but the last 16 will be as far as they get. 

Did you see who Linfield and Crusaders got in the Scottish challenge cup..?

Yes as the title says Linfield and Crusaders yesterday finally learned of their opponents in the Scottish challenge cup. Yes the Scottish challenge cup. Belfast duo Linfield and Crusaders will be making their bow this season in the competition that was revamped to stoke renewed interest. However it doesn't stop there, joining them will be Welsh pair Bala Town and The New Saints. The addition of the four non-Scottish sides adds a novelty factor to this seasons' competition. The inclusion got approval from UEFA which could be the start of cross-border cup competitions dotting up around Europe.

The competition however does not feature the Premiership sides and so as a result last season's winners Rangers will not be able to defend their title. Underage teams from the Premiership sides however have been invited to take part, which have all been knocked out at this stage.
Three rounds have been played so far, all of which have been broken into northern and southern sections. The fourth round will be the first to see the non-Scottish sides take part and was drawn to prevent the Belfast clubs from facing their Welsh counterparts.

• Bala Town v Alloa Athletic
• Forfar Athletic v The New Saints
• Crusaders v Livingston
• Queen of the South v Linfield

Linfield will face an away trip to Dumfries to face Queen of the South in a trip that is about 100km longer than their longest domestic trip. Crusaders host Livingston which cuts the travelling aspect out for the Belfast team but for Livingston it's a trip that is around 20km longer than their longest domestic trip. 

The Welsh sides were always going to be travelling quite a distance. Bala have been spared an away trip with them hosting an Alloa team that will be making a 481km journey south. The New Saints however will be travelling 558km north to face Forfar Athletic. 

Irish sides in future?

I must admit I was intrigued about this when it first emerged that Northern Irish and Welsh sides would be invited to play in this season's competition. It did of course get me thinking of, should this experiment go well, why not include two teams of the Republic of Ireland. If they continued down this road then the two representatives from here would be Dundalk and Cork City. A couple of issues would need to be ironed out of course such as fixture congestion which has become an issue now with Dundalk's European adventure continuing into the autumn. Prize money would also be a deciding factor to see if it would be a worthwhile adventure. The calendar is also a big factor. The Scottish, Welsh and Irish leagues are all winter leagues with the league here a summer one. That could also present a challenge in trying to fit in games. 

From a fan perspective I would be more than willing to take part in this competition. The chance to face Hibernian at Easter Road would be an interesting match up. However there would be as much chance of that happening as a City away trip to say Peterhead or Elgin City. Either way I'm in favor of City giving it a go. 

However there is skepticism in me about the Northern Irish sides in particular. For years we had a cross-border cup competition called the Setanta cup which pitted northern sides against the southern teams here in Ireland. The competition began to dive into farce when in 2014 both Linfield and Cliftonville withdrew from the tournament citing lack of prize money as a factor for the withdrawal. Then the following year the clubs from the north voiced concerns over the schedule. The tournament was cancelled when agreements couldn't be made as to when to play it and to date it hasn't returned. Despite numerous format changes the competition with the exception of the first few years didn't really capture the imagination. I would be interested to see if the Irish league sides take to this competition given they weren't that keen on travelling south yet are open for travelling to Scotland. 

First time for everything

The week just gone I completed a first. A first that was so obviously glaring in my records that it needed to be done and well I decided a few weeks ago to press ahead with it.
What is it you ask? well this past week was my first time ever in...Scotland. Yes I had never been to Scotland. Been to Iceland, Slovakia, Finland and even Romania but never been to Scotland. It was Edinburgh to be precise, a city that never really jumped out at me on the map in the past to be honest.
A trip to there would've happened in late June early July had Cork City been paired with Hearts in the Europa league so it was with hindsight a possible sign.

Edinburgh this season has three teams competing in the professional leagues. The usual two of Hearts and Hibs being joined this season by Edinburgh City, who earned promotion after beating East Stirling last season. With three teams it means at least one game on any given weekend in the city. The weekend I was there, there was a choice of two, Hibernian faced Greenock Morton in the championship and Edinburgh City hosted Berwick Rangers in League 2. A little under a mile between the two grounds.

In the end I plumed for Hibernian v Greenock Morton. Easter Road has seen some major development over the years and today it is an impressive ground with four large stands surrounding the pitch. The game itself was pretty much all Hibernian. Morton did fashion one or two forays forward but Hibernian without being overly impressive were simply too good for their opponents. Going into the game Hibernian were on a 100% winning start with three from three. Hibs took the lead just before the half hour and from there on it was a formality with a second goal arriving just before half time when a cross was nodded home by Grant Holt ahead of Morton keeper Derek Gaston. Throughout the first half there was an older gentleman behind us providing his own commentary of events happening on the pitch. Hibs' Andrew Shinnie being the target. "Oh he's feckin shiite" before Shinnie plays a lovely ball out to Fraser Fyvie, "Terrific player" followed by Shinnie being dispossessed "ohhhh useless". This fan also revealed he would be leaving should Hibs score a third "game is shite and boring" was his statement.

The second half began much like the first half ended with Hibs probing for goals. The third goal arrived not long into the half when Jason Cummings headed home from close range. Hibs were home and hosed and that fan was on his way home as a result. Morton keeper Gaston appeared for much of the second half to be carrying an injury with his goal kicks in particular seemingly being struck gingerly. He was taken off and replaced by Andrew McNeil and one of his first tasks was picking the ball out of the net when Hibs added a fourth goal. This goal was the pick of the bunch as it featured an absolute beauty of a cross from Cummings and it was headed on wonderfully by Brian Graham, who had come on earlier in the half. 4-0 and all rosy in Easter Road. The attendance was announced as just over 14,500 which was a fairly decent turn out for what is the second tier in Scotland. 350 were announced as the number of travelling fans from Greenock, which to be honest looked more
like 150 but the majority of them stayed on despite their side being outclassed.

The victory allowed Hibs to go clear at the top of the championship table. Morton being a point above the relegation play-off in 8th.
The previous night myself and a friend took a trip over to Meadowbank stadium where Edinburgh City play their home games. A lovely little stadium despite the running track but the sight of Arthur's Seat in the background adding an element of beauty to the place. The ground holds 5,000 seats in the impressive stand.

Monday we visited the home of Hearts or Heart of Midlothian to give them their full name. Tynecastle stadium is located West of the city center about fifteen minutes away on the bus. We didn't manage to get into the ground itself but checked out their club shop which had an old school football which was fairly cool looking. Also a Hearts CD which was mad. Also can I just add that they had the current away shirt in plenty of stock. Well mother of Jesus it was quite a standout shirt. Think yellow and pink horizontal stripes with a white collar and you have the shirt.

I will be back to the city again soon and will be aiming to take in a derby game at some stage too, if Hibs can finally get out of the championship this year it might be a more regular occurrence.