tom_widdows

To clarify the 'specific' training we got was only a small part of it. About 80% of the time the drills were the same for everyone but then the outfield and goalies would be split. We had drills on reaction time, catching etc while outfield would have 'keep possession' etc Recall a horrific one where we had to lie in 'boat pose' (essentially sitting on yer ass but leaning back with yer feet slightly off the ground so yer abs start to burn) while the trainer and other keepers stood in a square (or circle depending on numbers) casually throwing the ball to you which you had to twist/ turn to catch and then throw it to the next person who then chucked it straight back at you. I was a passable goalie at 5s and occasionally OK at 7s but 11-a-side I was only to be picked as a total last resort (and even then I'd need bribing). The only thing I felt I was OK at was 'one on one' situations largely thanks to a book on goalkeeping by Peter Shilton which drilled into my head that as soon as yer thigh hits the ground yer stranded and the striker can easily go around you. It does also help to appear to be alot bigger than most of the other players

I'd like to think in a couple of seasons time the position of goalkeeper will get more recognition in the womens game and the coaching will drastically improve. Several years ago at the request of a colleague who was involved with the childrens team of a Scottish league club I wrote a short opinion piece on the need to start training goalkeepers as early as possible. It seemed that much like when I was at primary school the position of keeper (and defenders) was still often being pushed on the less 'athletic' kids and they weren't given any guidance by the coaches. Ross County used to come to my school to do evening training sessions and the occasional summer camp and it was really usedful for goalies to get specific training. I've only been to one women's game in my life (supporting a friend's team) and just before kick off she told me the opposition's goalie had been drafted in the night before and had apparently never so much as kicked a ball. I felt so sorry for her as my friend's team ran riot and I wonder if the goalie ever set foot on a pitch again. I'm involved with an Aussie Rules Team in Glasgow and one 'skill' which a fair few women who come along to training struggle with is kicking a ball out of their hands. I've been kicking football or rugby balls out of my hands since I was about 4 years old and it is actually quite hard to teach it to an adult. Many of them have never played rugby/ football etc and as with so many things in life, the older you are, the harder it is to learn. As adults yer more aware of potential injuries so when a ball is suddenly kicked or thrown towards you the tendency is to duck, flap your hands while you look away or simply get smashed in the face, stomach, groin etc. Schools (and parents) restricting and/or brainwashing girls to only do Hockey, Netball, gymnastics, dancing ie the 'activities for young ladies bullshit' really needs stopped.

Opportunity for the Pittodrie announcer to play 'Sirius' by the Alan Parson's Project to play some mind games in the send leg?

Swiss were supposedly close to overtaking scotland in the coefficient table. Basel and Luzern eliminated Servette and Young boys guaranteed Europa League group stage with latter still with a chance of champs league. Lugano guaranteed conference league. Tic - Champs League group SEVCO - Guaranteed Europa League groups Dons - Guaranteed Conference league Hibs and Hearts - Personally wouldnt rule either of them out of beating Villa and PAOK over 2 Legs

The real shite thing about it is teams that got this far for actually winning their league are not guaranteed europa league football.

They are in europa league group stages win or lose

Average home attendance last season was apparently 13,283. Perhaps waiting until each team has had more than 1 home game would make the table more useful?

@Panda Thought you had had a word with yon bbc minion? Headline says st johnstone are leading. Also took way too long to correct their scores when Sevco 2nd was ruled out

9 wins for the tic but they only scored 6 goals compared to the Dons 8?

Vilnius goalie looks like he might be at Hibs next season

KI Klaksvik come from behind to beat Molde 2-1. If they can hold on to that next week they are guaranteed a Europa League group spot. They also will get to face Galatasary (unless something bizarre happens) for a Champions league group spot. Bet the sponsors would love that Lose and is the conference league groups. Either way they are the first Faroe Islands team to qualify forthe European group stages

Hacken went out of the Champions league to the Faroe island league winners and they have aleady let an ex Don score against them in qualifying (Declan McManus - The New Saints).

That would be the same Brian Irvine who conceded a penalty for their 2nd goal? Potentially a case of the Dons team being so convinced they were through Team was Watt, Buchan, Woodthorpe, Kiriakov, Irvine, Inglis, Miller, Shearer, Windass, Dodds, Glass Subs; Grant, Kpedekpo, Craig, Darren Young, Stillie I'd prefer to say 'if it wasnt for Duncan Shearer scoring in the last minute ' in the away leg then 'we' might have gone out to our Lithuanian Friends. Billy Dodds scoring twice either side of Stephen Glass might also have helped. That 2nd leg brought back the nightmare of Skonto Riga crashing back (away goals only fun when its against Dnipro) Perhaps on the other side of the North & Baltic Seas on 'Zaliai-BaltiTALK' there are our equivalents remembering their former players being wasteful infront of goal, and having a nightmate last 20mins in the home leg? Then followed conceding 4 goals to Barry Town over 2 legs before Ebbe Skovdahk gave Aitken a lesson in how its done taking Brondby to the quaterfinals including turning round a 3-1 home leg defeat by winning 5-0 away to Karlsruhe

Hearts/ Rosenburg vs Hadjuk split/ PAOK Hibs/ Luzern vs Aston Villa Sevco/Servette vs Sturm Graz/PSV Eindhoven

Slavia Prague/ Dinipro-1 vs FC Zorya Luhansk Olympiacos/ Genk vs FC Cukaricki Union Saint-Gilloise vs Lugano Astana/ Ludogorets vs Ajax Zalgiris Vilnious/ BK Hacken vs Aberdeen LASK vs KSK Zrinjski/ Breidablik KI Klaksvik/ Molde vs Sheriff Tiraspol/ Bate Borisov Olympija Jubljana/ Galatasary vs Qarabag/ HJK Helsinki Slovan Bratislava/ Maccabia Haifa vs Rakow Czestochowa/ Aris Limassol AEK Athens/ GNk Diamo vs FC Copenhagen/ Sparta Prague

Do wonder which 'genius' came up with the draw proceedure. Dons vs Zalgris (Lit) or BK Hacken (Swe) First leg away Id say that is a decent draw especially with the 2nd leg at Pittodrie

Martindale described it as a great game of football?!

BBC say 4300 Dons fans have turned up. Memories of August 2002 when Hibs were caught out by a large away support in the days before you had to buy your ticket in advance.

Hibs off to Switzerland in next round (Luzern) Hearts off to Norway (Rosenberg) Manage to get past them and they could face the following in the playoff round Eintract Frankfurt (GER) Lille (FRA) Aston Villa (ENG) Fiorentina (ITL) Club Brugge (BEL) or KA (ICE) FC Santa Coloma (AND) or AZ Alkmaar (NED) Gent (BEL) or Pogon Szczecin (POL) Aris (GRE) or Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) Fenerbahce (TRK) or Mairbor (SLV) Omonia (CYP) or Midtjylland (DEN) Sabah (AZB) or Partizan Belgrade (SER) Hadjuk Split (CRO) or PAOK (GRE) Viktoria Pizen (CZH) or Gzira United (MAL) Bodo/Glimt (DEN) or Pyunik (ARM) AEK Larnaca (CYP) or Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR) Slavia Prague (CZH) or Dnipro-1 (UKR) Olympiacos (GRE) or Genk (BEL)

Juan Cobian For one entire season I 'wondered' if he actually existed. I think I might have spotted him at Tannadice once but I can't be sure

Potential opponents list for Europa League Playoff starting to take shape Lugano (Sui) Olympiacos (Gre) or Genk (Bel) Slavia Prague (Czh) or Dinipro-1 (Ukr) Zalgris (Lit) or BK Hacken (Swe) Qarabag (Azb) or HJK Helsinki (Fin) Zrinjski Mostar (Bos) or Breioablick (Ice) Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol)or Bate Borisov (Brs) Astana (Kaz) or Ludogorets Razgrad (Bul)

Paul Reubens (AKA Peewee Herman) - 70.

SOOO we are just to ignore the existing thread then?

Looking ominuous for St Johnstone this season. 4-0 home defeat to Stirling Albion Teams through to the knock out stage Seeded Dons Hearts Hibs Tic Sevco Motherwell Airdrie Ayr United Unseeded Partick Thistle Livingston Ross County Kilmarnock St Mirren Stirling Albion Morton Last place will go to either Dundee or Raith (I think)