Scottish Cup draw

Scottish · Post by **Scottish** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:53 pm

Nice to see the SFA sticking to the great Scottish tradition of cup draw cock-ups. George Peat unable to get Platini's title right and a bewildering series of 'ors' in the draw.

Then the BBC get in on the act with the panel talking about how tough a place Palmerston will be for Aberdeen or Celtic to go to - IN THE SEMI-FINAL FFS!

lbb · Post by **lbb** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:27 am

I listened to this on Radio Scotland. After introducing them, Blatter went to say something, I'm sure, only for Peat to cut him off and tell him to draw the first ball. You're here to draw the teams, Sepp, not to pontificate on your pet theories. Draw the balls and then beat it, son.

Platini could hardly complain about the number of 'ors' in the draw - they plan to do the same this Friday for the Champions League and UEFA Cup quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Skyline Drifter · Post by **Skyline Drifter** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:57 am

I'm still waiting to actually SEE or HEAR the draw and we were bloody in it.

When exactly did they show it? By the time I came inside from the result against Dundee (and I'm talking ten minutes here) it was done and dusted. I know the directors in the directors box never saw it either and they went straight inside after the final whistle and the fans who poured into the bar at the ground after match never saw it either.

Would at least some of the point of the thing not be for the teams in it to be able to watch the damn thing?

lbb · Post by **lbb** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:13 am

It was done around 4.55. There appeared to be mayhem at Palmerston so 'after the final whistle' might have been, er, some time 'after the final whistle', I have to say. Was a bit ridiculous holding it so early, though. Ruins the anticipation and the excitement of the moment for those fans. I'm sure this has happened already this season.

Allan 'Biscuits' Preston suggested there was something underhand going on with the Old Firm avoiding one another - as if Sepp Blatter, a man as honest as the day is long, would take part in such a charade. Though I think it is statistically significant that the Old Firm draw one another outside the final now more than they ever did in the days before televised draws.

Skyline Drifter · Post by **Skyline Drifter** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:26 am

lbb wrote:It was done around 4.55. There appeared to be mayhem at Palmerston so 'after the final whistle' might have been, er, some time 'after the final whistle', I have to say. Was a bit ridiculous holding it so early, though. Ruins the anticipation and the excitement of the moment for those fans. I'm sure this has happened already this season.

Yeah, in fairness, I was in the dressing room and and then on the pitch for a wee while afterward, maybe it was longer than I thought but still it must have been done very sharply afterward. I was definitely in the office before 5pm and it was done and dusted.

The draw was done right after full time in the 4th round too but the BBC had cameras and a monitor set up in the dressing room for us to see the draw and the reaction to be captured on that occasion. None of that this time. The draw was a huge anti-climax in that respect. People saying "Who did we get?", "When's the draw?", "Is it right we got Celtic?", etc. Would have been nice to just see it at the time. Would it kill anyone to wait half an hour?

lbb · Post by **lbb** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:35 am

It's a shame. UEFA do it properly with a fixed time and date for the draw and allowing you to view the teams you can get on their website - with their little national flags attached. It's so simple yet adds to the excitement and glamour of being involved. I've no idea why the SFA and SFL conduct their draws with such i) indecent haste or ii) utter secrecy. The SFA seem intent on getting it out of the way, as if they're embarrassed by it, and I don't think I caught any of the League Cup draws this season. I've no idea when they took place or who did the draws. The information just seemed to gradually 'leak out' into the public domain.

We undersell our competitions in this country and this kind of thing doesn't help.

Scottish · Post by **Scottish** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:38 am

I much prefer the draw to be made on the Monday after the ties. Loads of expectation, speculation etc adds to the excitement of a knockout competition. Look at the difference here between the SFA and the FA in England. One makes the draw before two of the quarter-final ties have been played. The other gets all the matches out of the way first and allows for tension to build for supporters from Saturday afternoon onwards.

lbb · Post by **lbb** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:54 am

I prefer the Scottish Cup method of pulling actual names rather than numbers, which I think the FA prefer - though this might be because that pompous prat David Davis usually reads them out. Though, IIRC, the League Cup semi-final fiasco up here was also caused by numbers, an MSP being unable to read which teams belonged to which numbers (who would have thunk it?).

The early draw is clearly meant to tie in with BBC's Sportscene round-up programme. I wonder if the BBC is as innocent in all this as they make out. Do they insist on it being done at the time? I wonder.

StAndrewsHMFC · Post by **StAndrewsHMFC** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:19 pm

Skyline Drifter wrote:I'm still waiting to actually SEE or HEAR the draw and we were bloody in it.

When exactly did they show it? By the time I came inside from the result against Dundee (and I'm talking ten minutes here) it was done and dusted. I know the directors in the directors box never saw it either and they went straight inside after the final whistle and the fans who poured into the bar at the ground after match never saw it either.

Would at least some of the point of the thing not be for the teams in it to be able to watch the damn thing?

Not being a queens fan I was able to watch the mayhem following the final whistle for a bit, walk to the car and be stuck in traffic on the A76 by the time the draw was made! I think time must have been flying for you on Saturday night.

Great 2nd half of football

StAndrewsHMFC · Post by **StAndrewsHMFC** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:22 pm

lbb wrote: Though, IIRC, the League Cup semi-final fiasco up here was also caused by numbers, an MSP being unable to read which teams belonged to which numbers (who would have thunk it?).

That just summed up the scottish parliment and the SFL/SFA that draw. 4 teams in a hat and they balls it up. After that is it any wonder the Hearts players couldn't concentrate in the semi and got beaten.

Townfan · Post by **Townfan** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:43 pm

The Junior Cup draws often take place at the ridiculous time of 7.30 in the MORNING in the Evening Times office. Does anyone know the reason for this?

lbb · Post by **lbb** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:22 pm

The Evening Times goes on sale at lunchtime so it's probably tied to their printing times. Gives them a chance to do one of their billboards - 'Junior Cup Draw Sensation', 'Ibrox Injury Shock', 'Parkhead Transfer Swoop Latest', for example - that must generate 80% of their sales.

Scottish · Post by **Scottish** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:24 pm

lbb wrote: Gives them a chance to do one of their billboards - 'Junior Cup Draw Sensation', 'Ibrox Injury Shock', 'Parkhead Transfer Swoop Latest', for example - that must generate 80% of their sales.

Surely their best-seller must have been the time the billboards screamed 'FREE TIN OF BEANS WITH TODAY'S PAPER'

Townfan · Post by **Townfan** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:47 pm

There was a free BANANA with Friday and Saturday's Times in Tesco in my area.

Scottish · Post by **Scottish** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:54 pm

Townfan wrote:There was a free BANANA with Friday and Saturday's Times in Tesco in my area.

Some folk have all the luck

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