is it only me?

[SRHibs]

First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not too bothered by the fact that the Yams were on the receiving end of an absolute trouncing. A big part of me wishes they had put up a better fight though. Of course I wouldn't have wanted them to go through, but while we all take delight in the fact they got humped, the general feeling of all SPL football fans has to be that of sheer embarrassment. English fans already had their semi-justifiable pre-conceptions of Scottish football outside the OF, and Hearts tonight confirmed them beyond reasonable doubt. Am I the only one that wishes they'd given a better account of themselves, and Scottish football in its entirety?

[madabouthibs]

I agree, maybe a 1-2 or something, just enough to keep it "alive", and make the 2nd leg a tad more watchable.

Its great seeing them make a complete tit of themselves though, especially as they aspire to be Scotlands 3rd biggest team, but its also embarrassing. In saying that, if Hearts finish 3rd this season I'll be very surprised. They're very average to be honest.

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

I totally agree with what ur saying BUT I must admit I loved every single second of that match tonight and was desperate for them to make it 7...

[jacomo]

First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not too bothered by the fact that the Yams were on the receiving end of an absolute trouncing. A big part of me wishes they had put up a better fight though. Of course I wouldn't have wanted them to go through, but while we all take delight in the fact they got humped, the general feeling of all SPL football fans has to be that of sheer embarrassment. English fans already had their semi-justifiable pre-conceptions of Scottish football outside the OF, and Hearts tonight confirmed them beyond reasonable doubt. Am I the only one that wishes they'd given a better account of themselves, and Scottish football in its entirety?

You can't rely on Hearts to improve the reputation of Scottish football. They're incapable of it.

[meeks0-7]

I'm just glad it wasn't us that were playing Spurs tonight!
They would have done a lot more damage to us!

Unfortunately that is the state Scottish football is in now and to be honest
I don't see it improving at all.

Look at Spurs. They look like they are going to sell Modric for something like £30M.
That is something like the value of at least 10 SPL team squads combined
...... For just one EPL player!

IMHO most SPL teams would struggle in League 2 down here!

[CFC]

As a chelsea and hibs fan i wish they could both lose 7-0!

[JohnScott]

No its not just you LOL. I've got to walk into my workshop this morning and sit down with 16 English football fans who'll take great delight in ripping the piss.I love my job but there's a danger I could be losing it in more ways than one by lunch time. Oh well at least they didn't score seven.

[Steve20]

I wish Spurs had scored more.

[Gettin' Auld]

I totally agree with what ur saying BUT I must admit I loved every single second of that match tonight and was desperate for them to make it 7...

No No No No No.........We are the ONLY team that's allowed to pump them 7:0 at their hovel.

[offshorehibby]

My only concern with last nights result is that they''ll now take their foot of the gas. Another mega humping before the derby would be ideal.

[Dashing Bob S]

I wish Spurs had scored more.

Agreed - the real tragedy of last night. Six would have been great (still want it to stay Jan 73 since a visiting time scored seven at the PBS).


People are rabbiting on about the gap between England and Scotland, well just look at the finances. Scottish football will continue to be a backwater and it won't be long before lower SPL clubs are looking to part-time football to reduce costs.

The leagues of the smaller nations can't compete with tv interest, which in turn stimulates fan and sponsor interest, like the populous nations of Spain, Italy, Germany, England and to some extent, France and Russia. The only sensible answer is for those small nations to come together and organise their leagues on a European regional basis. It'll happen, but not through any enlightenment, probably when the bigger SPL/Dutch/Danish/Belgian/Swedish clubs are on the brink of extinction and waiting pathetically and forlornly for an invitation to England, Germany etc that will never come.

Anyway, the real gap isn't between England and Scotland, it's between the top six in the Premiership and the rest. The three Lancashire and London clubs who make up this pack will hand out similar hammerings to other Premiership clubs this season, particularly the newly promoted ones, who, like Hearts, haven't learned to close them down and spoil the game against them effectively.

If Scotland does need to have these kind of humiliations - and given our finances, it does - I'm delighted Hearts are taking them. It begs the question though, why bother? Romanov must be thinking this morning that he's spent a lot off money to get third to watch his team get made *unts of by a Spurs team who played as if it was (and it was for them, let's face it) a pre-season fixture.

[mjhibby]

I totally agree with what ur saying BUT I must admit I loved every single second of that match tonight and was desperate for them to make it 7...

After it went to 4 i just sat back and watched a supreme team playing sublime football.Just as well for them that this was their first game of the season and they werent fully up to speed.Kranjar looks a fabulous player and the speed of the spurs compared to their so called fiiter hertz opponents was frightning.I wonder what fjk is thinking right now.probably glad he is out of it and lets hope spurs go easy on them in the second leg or this could really be embarrassing.Half of me wants them humiliated but i dont think i can handle the english gloating how bad scottish football is so keep it to 5 again harry please.

[heretoday]

The thing is Spurs don't get to play like that in the Prem. Last night must have been great for them because they could make like Barca against a team of plodders. Even Harry said he sat back and enjoyed watching his team play. He doesn't get that luxury week on week in the League.

There's a degree of sympathy for our neighbours born out of the reluctant awareness that we would have been humped just the same.

I still wanted it to be seven nil though!

[hibee81]

You have to put a bit of perspective on this with regards to the Premier league and Spl, Yes the Premier is a country mile ahead of our shambles of a league but surely if the money thrown about down south was up north then the gulf wouldn't be so big. Get relegated in the premier and you get 26 million or something like that, win the spl and you receive around 6 million.being in the forces i'm surrounded by people from england and all you ever hear is how bad scottish football is and so on, my argument has always been (and i know its never going to happen) put rangers, celtic, in the premier and give them the money that is on level par with the rest of the league and then question scottish football (i only say rangers and celtic due to fan base). The rest of us in championship/league 1 with the money in there and then again see how we do. We cant afford to go paying millions for players where as down south they are thrown money and alot of the teams are still in financial danger. the board are running our club reasonably well and i have no doubt given that sort of money we would be mid/top of the championship challenging for the league. But thats just my opinion

[spike220]

No its not just you LOL. I've got to walk into my workshop this morning and sit down with 16 English football fans who'll take great delight in ripping the piss.I love my job but there's a danger I could be losing it in more ways than one by lunch time. Oh well at least they didn't score seven.


As a Scotsman myself that lived in England for 17 years, I found an excellent way to deal to this kind B.S. and get them fighting among themselves. First up take it on the chin and play up really cr@p hearts were. Then you drop the bomb - Given what a great football nation England are (keep a straight face) why can’t we win the World cup or European cup (say it like you’re on their side), then go on about how sick your seeing Italy and France and all the other European nations do so well.

Basically get them talking about how crap the English team is. I found that you join in saying how crap the English team is if you pretend to support them yourself, I get all misty eyed when I think of the hours I sat around criticizing the England team, you can even choose to focus on one or two players that really let the team down!

All the time your secretly loving it! All you gotta do is pretend to make them your second team! then you can say whatever you like about them and how it sickens you that they lost on penalties again (hehe). But you will soon find they will be at each others throats sticking up for favorite players etc...

It may be low.........but you gotta survive down there mate, its hard yards.

[RIP]

You could just see Sergio biting his nails and saying to himself "If we get another gubbing at White Hart Lane my errrr se is definitely oot the windae" (In Portugese of course)

[Phil D. Rolls]

You could just see Sergio biting his nails and saying to himself "If we get another gubbing at White Hart Lane my errrr se is definitely oot the windae" (In Portugese of course)

One thing is for sure if you saw his pre match interview. This guy knows he'll get the sack, he just doesn't know when.

[SlickShoes]

If it took last nights display to make you ashamed of the standard of scottish football then you needed to badly open your eyes.

It has been obvious for years that our national game is getting worse and worse, anyone expecting hearts to cause spurs any sort of bother last night was frankly delusional.

[Camo]

If it took last nights display to make you ashamed of the standard of scottish football then you needed to badly open your eyes.

It has been obvious for years that our national game is getting worse and worse, anyone expecting hearts to cause spurs any sort of bother last night was frankly delusional.

What we all watched last night was men against boys.

The whole Spurs team last night is probably worth the whole of the SPL exc the Uglies.

The gulf in class was there to be seen by all, and whilst I knew we weren't going to win, I'm disappointed at the lack of energy or enthusiasm shown in the game. Anyone who thought we were going to do any damage to them was deluded but to at least give them a game would have been nice.

[Duffys13]

If it took last nights display to make you ashamed of the standard of scottish football then you needed to badly open your eyes.

It has been obvious for years that our national game is getting worse and worse, anyone expecting hearts to cause spurs any sort of bother last night was frankly delusional.

It's our Domestic game that is getting worse and worse, I actually think our National game is on the up. Mainly due to our best players plying their trade in England mind you!!!

[Barney McGrew]

I agree, maybe a 1-2 or something, just enough to keep it "alive", and make the 2nd leg a tad more watchable

I hope the second leg is just as watchable as last night :greengrin

[Part/Time Supporter]

It's our Domestic game that is getting worse and worse, I actually think our National game is on the up. Mainly due to our best players plying their trade in England mind you!!!

:agree:

Would ending up like (say) Denmark be such a disaster? At least they usually qualify for major tournaments, and sometimes do well in them.

[dangermouse]

As a Scotsman myself that lived in England for 17 years, I found an excellent way to deal to this kind B.S. and get them fighting among themselves. First up take it on the chin and play up really cr@p hearts were. Then you drop the bomb - Given what a great football nation England are (keep a straight face) why can’t we win the World cup or European cup (say it like you’re on their side), then go on about how sick your seeing Italy and France and all the other European nations do so well.

Basically get them talking about how crap the English team is. I found that you join in saying how crap the English team is if you pretend to support them yourself, I get all misty eyed when I think of the hours I sat around criticizing the England team, you can even choose to focus on one or two players that really let the team down!

All the time your secretly loving it! All you gotta do is pretend to make them your second team! then you can say whatever you like about them and how it sickens you that they lost on penalties again (hehe). But you will soon find they will be at each others throats sticking up for favorite players etc...

It may be low.........but you gotta survive down there mate, its hard yards.

The thing is, English football is full of foreigners. They are the ones with the technical skills, ball control and know where to run into space. Only 5 of Spurs starting line up were English.

[Mickey Edwards]

As a Scotsman myself that lived in England for 17 years, I found an excellent way to deal to this kind B.S. and get them fighting among themselves. First up take it on the chin and play up really cr@p hearts were. Then you drop the bomb - Given what a great football nation England are (keep a straight face) why can’t we win the World cup or European cup (say it like you’re on their side), then go on about how sick your seeing Italy and France and all the other European nations do so well.

Basically get them talking about how crap the English team is. I found that you join in saying how crap the English team is if you pretend to support them yourself, I get all misty eyed when I think of the hours I sat around criticizing the England team, you can even choose to focus on one or two players that really let the team down!

All the time your secretly loving it! All you gotta do is pretend to make them your second team! then you can say whatever you like about them and how it sickens you that they lost on penalties again (hehe). But you will soon find they will be at each others throats sticking up for favorite players etc...

It may be low.........but you gotta survive down there mate, its hard yards.


genius.......loving your work:agree:

[Mikeystewart]

I don't think it really matters. 5-0 of Spurs is the same as 5-0 of barca. We would be singing there name on the roof tops. It just shows the bitter taste in the mouth of Scotland supporters towards the teams down south. Untill something changes with the money then nothing will change. My only comfort is I would like to think if it was hearts Scottish players vs Spurs English players it might have been a different result.

I think that's where the English media and fans get there heightened expectations of there national team, There league miss-represents the quality of there local talent. Went a little bit stat mad, from what wikipedia says from the last England squad. out of 23 players 10 of them played for teams out-with the top 4 clubs last season, I think that says it all.

[surreyhibbie]

It was an embarrassment to Scottish Football, but I have to say that when I heard the result last night I bought another round to celebrate with my Caledonianly-challenged friends!

Purely because of the arrogant attitude of the Yams.

Big Team?

Hahahahaha

[basehibby]

First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not too bothered by the fact that the Yams were on the receiving end of an absolute trouncing. A big part of me wishes they had put up a better fight though. Of course I wouldn't have wanted them to go through, but while we all take delight in the fact they got humped, the general feeling of all SPL football fans has to be that of sheer embarrassment. English fans already had their semi-justifiable pre-conceptions of Scottish football outside the OF, and Hearts tonight confirmed them beyond reasonable doubt. Am I the only one that wishes they'd given a better account of themselves, and Scottish football in its entirety?

It serves them right cos their fuddish owner sacked the very capable manager who got them into Europe in the first place. I still think they would have lost but I reckon FJK would have got a better performance out of that team and hence a more respectable scoreline.

[surreyhibbie]

It serves them right cos their fuddish owner sacked the very capable manager who got them into Europe in the first place. I still think they would have lost but I reckon FJK would have got a better performance out of that team and hence a more respectable scoreline.

:agree:

Can't stand the man, but he knows his job, in my opinion.

[Hibs Class]

I'm just glad it wasn't us that were playing Spurs tonight!
They would have done a lot more damage to us!

Unfortunately that is the state Scottish football is in now and to be honest
I don't see it improving at all.

Look at Spurs. They look like they are going to sell Modric for something like £30M.
That is something like the value of at least 10 SPL team squads combined
...... For just one EPL player!

IMHO most SPL teams would struggle in League 2 down here!

I really don't understand why a few folk are saying that however badly Hearts did, we would have done worse. For all that Spurs were excellent, Hearts performance was pretty gutless with no sign of any passion or fight. The simple fact is that Hearts took a hammering.

Had it been us playing instead then it is pure conjecture as to what the result may have been - we may have got hammered but equally it may have been one of our better performances, we could have won or drawn or been narrowly beaten. A heavier defeat than 0-5 would by no means be a certainty.

[easty]

I don't think it really matters. 5-0 of Spurs is the same as 5-0 of barca. We would be singing there name on the roof tops. It just shows the bitter taste in the mouth of Scotland supporters towards the teams down south. Untill something changes with the money then nothing will change. My only comfort is I would like to think if it was hearts Scottish players vs Spurs English players it might have been a different result.

I think that's where the English media and fans get there heightened expectations of there national team, There league miss-represents the quality of there local talent. Went a little bit stat mad, from what wikipedia says from the last England squad. out of 23 players 10 of them played for teams out-with the top 4 clubs last season, I think that says it all.

Are you saying you don't think it would have been such a hammering if it was only Spurs English players vs Hearts Scottish players? Dawson, Walker, Jenas, Lennon, Huddlestone, Defoe, Crouch, Livermore (who I thought looked good last night) plus a few others to fill in the gaps, vs Hearts withouth Kello, Zaliukas and Sutton? Hearts would still get battered.

I really dont think Hearts are as bad as they played last night (not in the first half anyway). I remember a few years ago Man Utd hammered Roma in the Champions League, I bet there weren't people in Italy saying that Serie A was now about as good as League 1. Obviously you cant compare the games like that, but in my opinion Hearts performance last night wasnt an accurate representation of the standard of Scottish football.

[Part/Time Supporter]

I really don't understand why a few folk are saying that however badly Hearts did, we would have done worse. For all that Spurs were excellent, Hearts performance was pretty gutless with no sign of any passion or fight. The simple fact is that Hearts took a hammering.

Had it been us playing instead then it is pure conjecture as to what the result may have been - we may have got hammered but equally it may have been one of our better performances, we could have won or drawn or been narrowly beaten. A heavier defeat than 0-5 would by no means be a certainty.

:agree:

Hearts themselves did a lot better in the second half than the first half. The fourth goal for Spurs was a bit against the run of play. Hearts' performance in the first half was ridiculous, their players seemed to be watching Spurs rather than doing anything to stop them.

[SlickShoes]

I really don't understand why a few folk are saying that however badly Hearts did, we would have done worse. For all that Spurs were excellent, Hearts performance was pretty gutless with no sign of any passion or fight. The simple fact is that Hearts took a hammering.

Had it been us playing instead then it is pure conjecture as to what the result may have been - we may have got hammered but equally it may have been one of our better performances, we could have won or drawn or been narrowly beaten. A heavier defeat than 0-5 would by no means be a certainty.

I would expect a team that finished 10th, miles away from european qualification, to do worse in europe than the team that qualified.

Its like saying "hearts took a hammering but spartans would have done much worse".

[Albion Hibs]

I dont think the result was a surprise in anyway, in fact I stuck a tenner on 6-0 so was most disappointed when Spurs pissed about and lost a scoring opportunity with a couple of mins to go.

The reality is the EPL could compare themselves to the spanish league which would be miles ahead of them. Just like in scotland there are teams that are a distance beyond the rest, out with the top 6 or so teams in england I think hertz would have competed much more, I am not saying the would have won, but the score line / way the won would have not been similar in anyway.

I hope the hertz take the same again, and get rag dolled all over the pitch making them knackered for the up and coming derby. The best bit is of course all this may just prompt some classic vlad action or perhaps or quote or two!

Obviously the commentators will have loved it, just like Andy Murray was british again last night after his win, lets just see how cocky they are when there top teams take a good and proper spanking of Barca and Real this year.

[Hibs Class]

I would expect a team that finished 10th, miles away from european qualification, to do worse in europe than the team that qualified.

Its like saying "hearts took a hammering but spartans would have done much worse".

It's like saying that Hibs would not go to Ibrox and beat the champions 3-0, but we did.

Suggesting that Spartans and Hibs would have done equally badly is also quite silly.

[sahib]

It's like saying that Hibs would not go to Ibrox and beat the champions 3-0, but we did.

Suggesting that Spartans and Hibs would have done equally badly is also quite silly.

A bad result for Hibs and the game notb in general. It just makes it all the harder to encourage people to go to watch the SPL. Sponsorship and tv deals wont have been helped either. Useless Hearts gits!

[weonlywon6-2]

First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not too bothered by the fact that the Yams were on the receiving end of an absolute trouncing. A big part of me wishes they had put up a better fight though. Of course I wouldn't have wanted them to go through, but while we all take delight in the fact they got humped, the general feeling of all SPL football fans has to be that of sheer embarrassment. English fans already had their semi-justifiable pre-conceptions of Scottish football outside the OF, and Hearts tonight confirmed them beyond reasonable doubt. Am I the only one that wishes they'd given a better account of themselves, and Scottish football in its entirety?

im quite happy they got humped :greengrin.

we didnt need a competitive match between a scottish and english club to make us aware of the difference in class.

the money in the premiership is crazy whilst we are getting by on pennies in comparison.

scottish football needs a lot of money but it just aint out there.

[Sir David Gray]

I think that what we need to realise is that we're trying to compare ourselves with a league that has players who have a combined cost of around £1 billion. The clubs in the SPL have squads that have a combined cost of around £20 million and practically all of that is down to Rangers and Celtic.

Unless things drastically change, either for the better in Scotland or for the worse in England, then our clubs are never going to compete with top clubs down south.

As amusing as it was to watch Hearts get a severe beating last night, Tottenham's squad cost them around £175 million to assemble. I'm not sure that Hearts actually paid any money at all for any of their current players and if they did then it was for nominal fees. Tottenham also get about 35,000 at every home match. All joking aside about 400,000 supporters, Hearts are lucky if they get 13,000.

It's up to the SPL to somehow generate interest and income into the league so that we can start to make ourselves harder to beat in European competition but at the moment, I don't see things getting better any time soon.

[Hibs Class]

I think that what we need to realise is that we're trying to compare ourselves with a league that has players who have a combined cost of around £1 billion. The clubs in the SPL have squads that have a combined cost of around £20 million and practically all of that is down to Rangers and Celtic.

Unless things drastically change, either for the better in Scotland or for the worse in England, then our clubs are never going to compete with top clubs down south.

As amusing as it was to watch Hearts get a severe beating last night, Tottenham's squad cost them around £175 million to assemble. I'm not sure that Hearts actually paid any money at all for any of their current players and if they did then it was for nominal fees. Tottenham also get about 35,000 at every home match. All joking aside about 400,000 supporters, Hearts are lucky if they get 13,000.

It's up to the SPL to somehow generate interest and income into the league so that we can start to make ourselves harder to beat in European competition but at the moment, I don't see things getting better any time soon.

I agree with this last bit - however my concern is that in addition to the absence of quality in the product right now there is the additional issue associated with the bigotry that surrounds the OF. No self-respecting sponsor would seriously want to be associated with that. Even the inclusion of every OF match on Sky is because they're hoping for a battle rather than in the expectation of a techincally decent game of football. Scotland has become a football backwater - domestically and nationally - and I don't see it changing either.

[erin go bragh]

First off, don't get me wrong, I'm not too bothered by the fact that the Yams were on the receiving end of an absolute trouncing. A big part of me wishes they had put up a better fight though. Of course I wouldn't have wanted them to go through, but while we all take delight in the fact they got humped, the general feeling of all SPL football fans has to be that of sheer embarrassment. English fans already had their semi-justifiable pre-conceptions of Scottish football outside the OF, and Hearts tonight confirmed them beyond reasonable doubt. Am I the only one that wishes they'd given a better account of themselves, and Scottish football in its entirety?
Yes :na na: fin muppets that they are,got what they deserved :agree:
ggtth

[woody47]

I absolutely loved watching them gettng humped. 5 goals, 10 goals the more the better. :na na: May it continue in London. We really need them to take a mauling because imagine that wee scrote Black, will he be able to contain himself? Don't think so. I can see him losing the plot completely :agree: and show himself up for the thug he actually is.
As for the Scotland v England nonsense, who really cares. Take away the non English players AND managers and see what is left. That is maybe why the English national side never gets to finals - they do not have enough quality in the top sides in the EPL.

[SRHibs]

If it took last nights display to make you ashamed of the standard of scottish football then you needed to badly open your eyes.It has been obvious for years that our national game is getting worse and worse, anyone expecting hearts to cause spurs any sort of bother last night was frankly delusional. OK, so I did know that the huge gulf existed beforehand, but there's no denying that the Hearts v Spurs game really clarified and emboldened this fact. I can't imagine many English fans take much of an interest in Scottish football, and almost all would avoid watching a Scottish team unless they had a personal interest. On that basis, a good performance from Hearts would've probably given those south of the border and around the world a slightly improved view of the Scottish game. Instead, Hearts completely capitulated and made a mockery of us all by doing so. A completely spineless performance and I was left embarrassed. Apologies for the walls of text people. For some reason my BB won't let me make new paragraphs and the like.

[Albion Hibs]

I agree with this last bit - however my concern is that in addition to the absence of quality in the product right now there is the additional issue associated with the bigotry that surrounds the OF. No self-respecting sponsor would seriously want to be associated with that. Even the inclusion of every OF match on Sky is because they're hoping for a battle rather than in the expectation of a techincally decent game of football. Scotland has become a football backwater - domestically and nationally - and I don't see it changing either.

The reality is that is the only thing that makes these clubs what they are, without that, and the hate that goes with it I dont think they would be interested in this league at all. I am sure that the old firm game is probably one of the most widely watched derby matches in the world.

Whilst rangers and celtic will never compete with the biggest clubs in the best leagues in the world the reality is they are right up there in terms of fan base. If rangers and celtic did get the money the EPL teams got I have no doubt they would be attracting better players than the vast majority of EPL clubs, perhaps with the exception of Man U, City (for money reasons) and maybe Arsenal.

[JohnScott]

As a Scotsman myself that lived in England for 17 years, I found an excellent way to deal to this kind B.S. and get them fighting among themselves.

It was a piece of cake Spike. As soon as I sat down it started "Did you see that Scottish team on the telly last night? They were truly awful! I've seen better players on local parks in Sheffield." Too easy, as I asked him where Sheffield Wednesday were playing at the moment. The fact the Blades fans burst out laughing helped shut him up. They all know both Sheffield clubs are a million miles away from competing again in the EPL and are realistic enough to acknowledge they might have suffered a heavy defeat at home as well against a Spurs team that costs multi millions to assemble.

We struggle, as do Hearts to compete with the Old Firm's income so should we be really surprised at last nights result against one of Englands richest clubs? Oh and please don't compare us with League 1 lads. I've seen it and believe me it's mince. Sheffield United will walk it with what is their youth team.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Agreed - the real tragedy of last night. Six would have been great (still want it to stay Jan 73 since a visiting time scored seven at the PBS).


People are rabbiting on about the gap between England and Scotland, well just look at the finances. Scottish football will continue to be a backwater and it won't be long before lower SPL clubs are looking to part-time football to reduce costs.

The leagues of the smaller nations can't compete with tv interest, which in turn stimulates fan and sponsor interest, like the populous nations of Spain, Italy, Germany, England and to some extent, France and Russia. The only sensible answer is for those small nations to come together and organise their leagues on a European regional basis. It'll happen, but not through any enlightenment, probably when the bigger SPL/Dutch/Danish/Belgian/Swedish clubs are on the brink of extinction and waiting pathetically and forlornly for an invitation to England, Germany etc that will never come.

Anyway, the real gap isn't between England and Scotland, it's between the top six in the Premiership and the rest. The three Lancashire and London clubs who make up this pack will hand out similar hammerings to other Premiership clubs this season, particularly the newly promoted ones, who, like Hearts, haven't learned to close them down and spoil the game against them effectively.

If Scotland does need to have these kind of humiliations - and given our finances, it does - I'm delighted Hearts are taking them. It begs the question though, why bother? Romanov must be thinking this morning that he's spent a lot off money to get third to watch his team get made *unts of by a Spurs team who played as if it was (and it was for them, let's face it) a pre-season fixture.

:top marks For all of that