Semi Final

[ian1964 10,415]

Kris Boyd

Aberdeen fans’ hatred for Rangers is truly staggering..if the police want them out before 7.45pm they just have to suck it up, says Kris Boyd

Let’s embrace it. Let’s welcome the fact that our four best teams can create history on October 28. Let’s treat it as Super Sunday.

 

SUPER SUNDAY or the start of World War III?

Given the hysterical response after it was announced both Betfred Cup semi-finals would be staged at Hampden on the same day, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s the latter.

I don’t. I take my hat off  to Neil Doncaster for making  it happen.

Only in this country could we see the opportunity to make history as a bad thing.

Instead of accentuating the positives, we look at and focus on the negatives.

Instead of trying to showcase Scottish football, we fall over ourselves in an attempt to shoot it down.

Aberdeen and Hearts are up in arms over kick-off times, venues and no doubt the price of  pies at the national stadium.

Aberdeen, especially, have a cheek. It’s the police who want their match with Rangers done and dusted because a minority among the Dons fans cannot behave themselves.

Police would prefer they didn’t have them for a 7.45pm kick-off.

And even if the start HAD been later, they’d have moaned about that too because it would have meant getting back to the Granite City in the early hours of Monday morning.

It’s also worth pointing out that every time Rangers and Celtic are on league duty at Pittodrie, their fans have to get to Aberdeen for a lunchtime kick-off.

You don’t see them hurling their toys out the pram.

I’ve been there with Dons supporters. Their hatred for Rangers is truly staggering.

So if the police want them packed up and shipped out long before 7.45pm then they will just have to suck it up.

With the SPFL obliged to bring the games to Hampden, there was no chance either match would be staged elsewhere.

We’ve had the Murrayfield debate. It’s a great stadium, which can generate a great atmosphere when the Calcutta Cup is up for grabs.

But it’s a rugby stadium. End of. Hampden is our home. It’s the home of Scottish football and it’s where our semi-finals and finals are played.

Up until Derek McInnes arrived at Pittodrie, it had become a stranger to Aberdeen fans. Why wouldn’t they want to get back to Scotland’s national stadium?

Will there be hiccups? Probably. Spare me the notion that the pitch won’t be playable by the time Hearts and Celtic take to it.

The Hampden groundstaff will have it rolled and ready. Arguably the best four teams in the country right now are contesting two major domestic semi-finals.

It is a unique chance to showcase our game.

Of course, the onus will be on the fans to behave themselves. If they don’t then they are only letting themselves and the club they claim to “support” down.

People seem intent on blaming the SPFL for this. But Uefa are in control of the calendar and they get what they want in terms of European scheduling.

Again, is it not a good thing that our two biggest clubs are involved in the group stages of the Europa League?

So let’s embrace it. Let’s welcome the fact that our four best teams can create history on October 28. Let’s treat it as Super Sunday.

Of course, when the action starts, all of this will be forgotten and I can’t wait.

I think both games are intriguing with Rangers obviously going into their match without a recognised striker.

Umar Sadiq would fit that bill but going by Steven Gerrard’s comments in midweek I wouldn’t be surprised if the on-loan striker was back in Rome by the time the semi-final rolls around.

Glenn Middleton has shown he is capable of playing through the middle while others like Scott Arfield and Ovie Ejaria could probably fill the void left by the cup-tied Kyle Lafferty and the suspended Alfredo Morelos.

Aberdeen, though, will make life difficult for Gers.

Under McInnes they are well organised and very good at grinding the opposition down.

The Dons let themselves down on their last visit to the national stadium when Motherwell simply steamrollered them on their way to the Scottish Cup Final.

That  will be playing on their minds — they will be desperate to make amends.

The second game of the day is the real mouth-watering tie for me.

Hearts, on a bigger pitch, will be relishing the opportunity to go toe to toe with Celtic.

They have beaten them already this season and Craig Levein will believe they can do so again.

Listen, Celtic cannot continue to win everything — sooner or later someone will turn them over in one of these games.

Both games have the potential to live long in the memory — the fans must ensure it’s for the right reasons.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/3277362/aberdeen-rangers-kris-boyd/

[pete 2,499]

3 hours ago, Uilleam said:

Perhaps a prominent Club Chairman, or the Chairman of a prominent Club, could telephone the SPFL and demand/implore that it does no favours to rasellik in this regard. 

I wonder how many calls John Reid made to the boss of the HMRC?

[JFK-1 1,673]

If I remember correctly our kick off times against the sheep in their sheep pen are always around the same time this semi kicks off. Yet we don't scream and pull out our hair over it so what's the fuss here?

 

Hearts and yahoos granted I wouldn't want to be playing in the second game on that pitch but the sheep have absolutely nothing to bleat about. Noonish kicks off are standard fare.

[Gonzo79 13,616]

We take a couple of thousand up to Aberdeen and we have a vast network of RSCs.  They'll get 20k tickets for Hampden and do not have a vast network of supporters clubs.  

 

I can't stand the sheep and enjoy it when they bleat but the comparison is a tad unfair.

[compo 6,137]

Both games should be played at the same time on the same day but money talks and the television companies will be wanting the early game as a fill in until the big English match and the later game will give them something to show that evening we will do as were told as the paltry television money keeps our game going .

[ranger_syntax 3,769]

On 28/09/2018 at 19:58, BEARGER said:

He’s correct though. We would be saying the same if we were the second game.

Better add I agree that’s its not a politicians place to worry about pitch, only football fans.

Aberdeen and Hearts fans should boycott if so concerned, I know I will be.

You are boycotting our semi-final?

[BEARGER 1,829]

Just now, ranger_syntax said:

You are boycotting our semi-final?

I don’t go to a ground of any  club that tried to kill us, that also  goes for SFA & SPFL. I also detest Hampden prefer to watch on TV, even refused hospitality’ for this game. My choice. 

[MacK1950 2,231]

Don't know if I will be allocated a ticket but am seriously considering not going.

[Gonzo79 13,616]

4 minutes ago, BEARGER said:

I don’t go to a ground of any  club that tried to kill us, that also  goes for SFA & SPFL. I also detest Hampden.

I couldn't agree more.  I don't go to away games any more but I draw the line at Hampden because there's nothing like watching Rangers win there.  But I fully agree with your standpoint.

[compo 6,137]

Well the powers that be have allocated Rangers 26,000 tickets for the game with our opponents getting the rest