Bottom of the heap - a Scottish epic

[Bowman4NQ]

February 2011

Before we could seriously consider a tilt at the title, we first had to deal with clubs that we were expected to beat. Dundee nearly stole all three points from us, and would have done so were it not for the quick reflexes of Freddy Guarin.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">5/2 - Dundee 1 University 1

Scorers - Guarin 89 (Robertson 14)

Position - 3rd</pre>

A week later we were back in the same city, but 100 metres down the road to take on Dundee United in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. The game started on a sensational note when the referee awarded two penalties to the Terrors, both duly converted. With 25 minutes to go it looked as though we would face a sudden exit from the competition; however, University romped home with all guns blazing, with the win sealed by Dean Walker.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">12/2 - Dundee Utd 2 University 4

Scorers - Neumann 52, 66, Freund 68, Walker 90 (Wilkie 13pen, Wilson 24pen)

Scottish Cup 4th Round</pre>

Our reward would be a home quarter-final against Frank Yallop's Hearts.

With Hibs currently occupying the relegation spot, a record crowd packed into Collegians Stadium to witness what may be the last Uni-Hibs derby for quite a while. As far as the game was, it was an entertainment spectacular, with five goals in the first half alone. In the end, neither side did quite enough to earn the three points, with the visitors possibly the unluckier side.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">16/2 - University 3 Hibs 3

Scorers - Freund 6, Walker 39, Kinniburgh 60og (McDonald 19, Brown 25, Naismith 54)

Position - 3rd</pre>

During the week, reserve goalkeeper Scott McCulloch signed with Dunfermline for the 2011/12 Premier League season. The transfer will cost Dunfermline $120,000.

We drew our third league game in a row against Hearts, coming from two goals behind to finish the game level.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">19/2 - Hearts 2 University 2

Scorers - Walker 75, Freund 80 (Walker 11, Jones 23)

Position - 3rd</pre>

Celtic arrived at Collegians Road to find a home side fired up and ready to take on the best team in Scotland. For nearly an hour, the match could have swung either way. Ultimately, the best team in Scotland's superior quality would shine through and lift them four points clear of Rangers on the ladder.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">26/2 - University 0 Celtic 2

Scorers - (Diarra 52, Ji-Sung 62)

Position - 3rd</pre>

The month finished with the Premier League contest still wide open, whilst the question of the relegation was also very much undecided.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Premier League Table - February 2011

1. Celtic 58 +46

2. Rangers 54 +22

3. University 46 +15

4. Gretna 45 +11

5. Dundee 36 -5

6. Dunfermline 31 +0

7. Dundee Utd 31 -13

8. Aberdeen 28 -4

9. Falkirk 26 -19

10. Hearts 25 -16

11. Hibs 25 -18

12. Partick 23 -19</pre>

[Bowman4NQ]

March-mid April 2011

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">To: "David O'Connor" <doconn1@eufc.co.uk>

From: "Connor Gethins" <cgethi1@eufc.co.uk>

Subject: Delay

Caught the wrong plane, ended up in Birmingham, Alabama, not Birmingham UK. Should be back in Edinburgh sometime later this month. Incidentally, didn't like the look of your latest offer. Will talk after the season's over. Cheers CG </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The news that contract talks with Gethins had stalled did not take long to leak out into the footballing world, helped largely by a backpacker who professed to follow Hearts who snagged 60 seconds of Gethins cursing a computer in an internet cafe and posted it on Youtube.

"It's going to require a change of heart on Connor's behalf to make him sign," I admitted to my darling wife Sheena]. "I really cannot offer him any more per week, and the offer is triple the amount of what he's already earning."

Fan reaction was swift and brutal, with one fan on a message board stating: "O'Connor said earlier this year we had to sign the new Gethins. Well, Gethins is the old Freund."

Observing all of this from a distance were Rangers, who took advantage and handed us our worst loss of the year.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">5/3 - Rangers 4 University 0

Scorers - (Weir 2, Cameron 33, MacDonald 43, 83)

Position - 3rd</pre>

"Nothing has changed from 90 minutes ago," I noted after the game. "90 minutes ago, we were third. We are still in third place."

The quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup followed, with our tie against Hearts the only one requiring a replay, although we were the benificaries of some incredible luck in both games. One minute after giving up what seemed to be the match-winner, Dean Walker scored an amazing 35 yard strike seconds before time was up. In the replay, goalkeeper Libus Andres Arenas scored his first ever goal after a clearence bounced over the head of the Hearts goalkeeper. The goal was so incredible that it featured in sports bulletins around the world, even making its way onto Chinese State television. John Voight was brought on in extra-time and created four chances before finally making one of them pay.

We will play Gretna in the semi-final, whilst the Old Firm will square off in the corresponding fixture.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">12/3 - University 2 Hearts 2

Scorers - Freund 9, Walker 90 (Porarinsson 27, MacDonald 89)

Scottish Cup Quarter-Final</pre>

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">16/3 - Hearts 1 University 2 (aet)

Scorers - Coakley 46 (Arenas 54, Voight 99)

Scottish Cup Quarter-Final Replay</pre>

Our draw against Falkirk saw us dip below Gretna on the points table.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">19/3 - Falkirk 0 University 0

Position - 4th</pre>

Celtic won their seventh consecuitive piece of Scottish silverware with a 2-0 win over Hearts in the League Cup final.

Dunfermline were no match for University in the next week, with just one shot on goal. Bajram Fetai put his name up in lights as a Player of the Year candidate with a dominant display, setting up both goals. Celtic's loss to Gretna meant we stay in fourth position, however.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">26/3 - University 2 Dunfermline 0

Scorers - Freund 11, Walker 90

Position - 4th</pre>

Connor Gethins returned to full training during the week, and immediately faced an unhill battle to regain his form and his place in the side. I thought it was unfair to dump either Walker or Freund from the line-up and accordingly slotted the Irish Magician onto the bench against Aberdeen. Despite the news of contract breakdowns, Gethins had remained a crowd favourite and the roar when he came on the field with half an hour to go was deafening. The joy when he scored his first goal of the season just five minutes later was even more deafening.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">2/4 - University 4 Aberdeen 0

Scorers - Neumann 29, Freund 50, Gethins 65, Guarin 90

Position - 4th</pre>

In a six-point fixture against Gretna, we left it until very, very late to get back into the fixture, with Thorsten Freund slotting home the equalizer from a cross by Marco Pelosi. The result leaves the status quo in place, with the Black and Whites one competition point ahead of University.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">9/4 - University 1 Gretna 1

Scorers - Freund 89 (Watt 53)

Position - 4th</pre>

And so onto Hampden to face the Black and Whites again, this time in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Gretna had a golden chance to open the scoring in the tenth minute when Libus Andres Arenas fell to ground trying to punch a header. Quick thinking by Gavin Skelton in clearing the ball prevented the Scholars from falling a goal behind.

Thorsten Freund opened the scoring at the other end of the field, capitalising on excellent attack formed deep within our half, as so often is the University way. Short passing between Dean Walker and Craig Wilson created the extra man, with a long ball through to Freund giving the German just the right amount of time needed to deceive the goalkeeper.

Patrick Scullion rectified matters from a Gretna perspective when he blasted a powerful header past Arenas in the 34th minute.

Minutes later, Gretna were in front, courtesy of a Kevin Bradley header which completely fooled the defenders and goalkeeper. Now it was the turn of the Gretna supporters to chant 'We're going to Hampden'.

Connor Gethins came on at halftime and slotted into the central midfield, an unfamilar position for him. Gretna had a chance to seal the game in the 67th minute but Graeme Watt could not keep his shot on target.

Ten minutes later, it seemed our cup dream was at an end, with Patrick Scullion collecting a second goal from 20 yards. The misery for University was underlined with the dismissal of Sergio Jauregai with five minutes remaining. Two token goals were scored at the end, and there was nothing more that we could do.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">16/4 - Gretna 5 University 1

Scorers - Freund 22 (Scullion 37, 77, Bradley 42, McNaughton 89, Tunbridge 90)

Scottish Cup Semi-Final</pre>

In the other semi-final, Rangers beat Celtic 5-2 to end their excellent form in domestic competitions.

One positive of Gretna's win was that, with Rangers likely to qualify for the Champions Cup, the Black and Whites would qualify for the EURO Cup no matter the result in the Scottish Cup final. Therefore, it was no longer imperative that we finish third to qualify for the EURO Cup ourselves. Of course, it was still our goal to finish as high as we could on the ladder.

Our win over the Terrors, added with Gretna's draw with Dundee, meant we slid back into third position with six games to be played.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">19/4 - University 3 Dundee Utd 1

Scorers - Walker 4, Greund 14, 86 (Templeman 6)

Position - 3rd</pre>

Our next game was against a very desperate Partick, who were staring relegation in the face with six games to play and six points to catch up. We learnt an important lesson today - to never underestimate the desire of an opponent who has been kicked in the guts, with the home side scoring a dramatic late equaliser three minutes into injury time. Their task was made somewhat easier with the dismissal of Dirk Neumann in the second half.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">23/4 - Partick 1 University 1

Scorers - Freund 17 (Kerr 90)

Position - 4th</pre>

The draw for the final five years could not have been kinder to us - home games against the Old Firm and Dunfermline, away trips to Gretna and Dundee.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Premier League Table - April 2011

1. Celtic 71 +56

2. Rangers 67 +29

3. Gretna 59 +13

4. University 58 +19

5. Dundee 47 -5

6. Dunfermline 39 +0

7. Falkirk 38 -17

8. Dundee Utd 38 -18

9. Hearts 34 -17

10. Hibs 33 -18

11. Aberdeen 33 -18

12. Partick 27 -24</pre>

[Bowman4NQ]

Championship Games - April-May 2011

Starting the month in fourth place in the so-called 'Championship' group (as opposed to 'Relegation Group') of the Premeir League, we realised that every game from here on in would be a real test of our skill and determination to finish the season in the best possible position. Finishing in third was a realistic goal, while we would require a major form slump by Rangers to finish in second spot.

The first test came in the form of Scotland's most southerly club, Gretna, where we played a throughly-professional game and finished the game deserved winners.

"No hard feelings from my side," commented Gordon Strachan after the game. "There are lots of managers in this league that I don't have a lot of time for, but David O'Connor isn't one of them."

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">30/4 - Gretna 0 University 2

Scorers - Fetai 44, Gethins 69

1. Celtic 74 +59

2. Rangers 67 +27

3. University 61 +21

4. Gretna 59 +11

5. Dundee 50 -3

6. Dunfermline 39 -3</pre>

Freddy Guarin was named player of the month of April, whilst I finished third in the manager award behind Martin O'Neill and Gary McAllister of Falkirk.

A gallant performance against Celtic followed, but we were unable to capitalise on our great start. The result means that the Buoys win the Premier League for the fourth season in a row, after Rangers were upset by Gretna.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">7/5 - University 1 Celtic 2

Scorers - Walker 26 (Smith 75, Hunt 83)

1. Celtic 77 +60

2. Rangers 67 +26

3. Gretna 62 +12

4. University 61 +20

5. Dundee 51 -3

6. Dunfermline 40 -3</pre>

Dunfermline were having a decent season by their standards, and shared a point with us after our fixture.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">12/5 - Dunfermline 1 University 1

Scorers - Fetai 82pen (Kerr 52)

1. Celtic 78 +60

2. Rangers 68 +26

3. Gretna 65 +14

4. University 62 +20

5. Dundee 51 -5

6. Dunfermline 41 -3</pre>

In our second-last home game of the year, Dundee showed about as much resistence as the French in 1940. With only three shots at goal all afternoon, the Dees were only kept in the game by some brilliant goal-keeping.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">19/5 - University 2 Dundee 0

Scorers - Guarin 7, McGeady 53

1. Celtic 81 +62

2. Rangers 71 +29

3. University 65 +22

4. Gretna 65 +12

5. Dundee 51 -7

6. Dunfermline 41 -6</pre>

Kilmarnock were promoted on the same afternoon that Partick were relegated, thus restoring the status quo of teams from last season in the Premier League.

Collegians Road was packed for the final game of the season, where we would entertain Rangers. The game started in explosive fashion, with Wouter Vandermieren given a red card in the second minute for a professional foul. Playing in what was possibly his last apperance in a University shirt - although everybody feverently hoped otherwise - Connor Gethins struck the penalty, and the ambush was on.

Dirk Neumann and Gavin Skelton added goals later in the game, but the real story was the incompetence of the Rangers attack - not offering a single shot on goal for the entire game. The Rangers players hadn't played bad - they were terrible.

Freddy Guarin won the Scottish Player's Player Of The Year award, a tremendous vote of approval in him from his fellow peers. Thorsten Freund became the second University player to win the Scottish Golden Boot, following - who other? - Connor Gethins in 2008/09. Martin O'Neill won his fifth Manager of the Year award in seven years, whilst I was the runner-up.

Gretna completed their own fairytale season by beating Rangers 2-0 in the Scottish Cup final.

Qualification to Europe was secure after seven seasons of league football - an incredible achievement by anybody's standards. How many more pages did the University story have?

[Bowman4NQ]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">26/5 - University 3 Rangers 0

Scorers - Gethins 2pen, Neumann 55, Skelton 71

Position - 3rd</pre>

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | C | Celtic | | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 89 | 27 | +62 | 82 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 2nd | | Rangers | | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 61 | 35 | +26 | 71 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 3rd | | University | | 38 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 68 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 4th | | Gretna | | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 68 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 5th | | Dundee | | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 32 | 39 | -7 | 52 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 6th | | Dunfermline | | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 35 | 43 | -8 | 41 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 7th | | Falkirk | | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 43 | 58 | -15 | 46 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 8th | | Dundee Utd | | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 42 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 9th | | Aberdeen | | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 44 | -15 | 41 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 10th | | Hearts | | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 42 | 57 | -15 | 40 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 11th | | Hibs | | 38 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 38 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 12th | R | Partick | | 38 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 36 | 62 | -26 | 34 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| | | | | | | | | | | | |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

[Plumble]

KUTGW

[Bowman4NQ]

Thanks mate

----

June 2 2011

The new owner of the club looked me in the eye, and repeated his question. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

"Then let's get the ball rolling."

------

The media conference room was packed to capacity, with every football writer in Scotland sent to cover the event. In the background, construction workers were already at work tearing down the old northern stand at Collegians Road Stadium, with a new stand to be built, taking the overall capacity to well over 25,000.

Off to the side were Sheena and my twin boys Sam and Callan, who were allowed the day off school just to be here today. Standing up around the perimeter of the room were the entire playing roster of the University club.

The owner walked to the podium and simply said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr David O'Connor."

With my throat dry, I took a deep breath and walked over to the middle of the room, placed my papers on the lectern and placed my hands on either side of it to stop them from shaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I am announcing my immediate retirement from football management."

The room exploded with audible gasps of surprise, with a few reporters immediately on their feet. After a while, I continued on.

"When I first came to the club seven years ago, the task ahead of me seemed impossible. There were no expectations except to be competitive. I believe I have fulfilled that expectation.

"The day that the club won it's first trophy was one of the happiest days of my life. Another highlight was gaining promotion to the Premier League for the first time. I'm also very proud to have guided this club to the position we are in today.

"I want to thank a few people, so stick with me. First of all, to my lovely wife Sheena, who's put up with my tossing and turning for all these years. To my two boys, I love you very much.

"To the players. You have all been fantastic, and it's been an honour to have been your manager. You make it all worthwhile.

"To my staff, thank you for all your support over the years. Your professionalism and expertise have helped to make this club great.

"Finally, to the fans. Thank you so much for taking me and this team into your hearts. To quote the song, everything we do, we do it for you.

"However, I feel that the time has come where I...." My eyes trailed around the room. Connor Gethins, Markus Paatelainen, Gary Dempsey, Gavin Skelton, Allan McGregor, Dean Walker, Ross O'Donoghue...all integral players from my seven years in charge, all here to see me off. "Where I feel that it's time for new blood to take over. I've been very privileged to have had some excellent staff working for me over the years. I'm also proud that one of my staff will step up to the plate and lead this club into Europe. Ladies and gentlemen, John Dennis."

My former assistant manager walked to the stage and said a few brief words of thanks, and then surprised me by leading three cheers. Sheena and the twins joined me up on the podium for the obligatory pictures for the afternoon papers.

There would be one final surprise, when the new owner asked Sam and Callan to say a few words. The microphone was lowered to their six-year-old height, and Sheena bent down to whisper the words they would repeat in their ears.

"Daddy, they're going to name the new grandstand after you."

-----

Sadly, that's all from the Scottish Saga, since my save game file has been corrupted. Next time, I'll save twice. Thanks to all my readers for reading and commenting. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Cheers - Bowman

[scottnmcleod]

Sad to see you leave like this mate. I enjoyed reading

[jb_himself@hotmail.com]

Very entertaining, enjoyed the read!