Matt Leslie

Morning

Hard sell of Eubank Jr v Benn fails to disguise ugly fight loaded with danger and spite Age, weight and whispers have raised doubts over who might triumph on Saturday but once the sound and fury fade we will be left with nothing to show for it

Hype and danger, bullshit and intrigue, salesmen and damage, opinions and previews, weight-cuts and rehydration clauses, accreditation issues and investigative journalism. A few thoughts on the endless chaos surrounding the contrived Eubank Jr-Benn scrap

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/a...

On this day in 1984:

Anderlecht beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 (3-2 on agg) in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg.

Dodgy refereeing decisions went against Brian Clough’s men, including this penalty award.

In 1997, it was revealed that the ref had received £18,000 to fix the match.

Why do I get the impression that the architects from the 60s & 70s really hated architecture

"Erm Dave....we're not getting off at Edinburgh."

"You've booked us to play bloody Aberdeen haven't you!"

For St Georges Day, Nelson Mandela Place in Glasgow was originally called #StGeorge’s Place. When renamed it was home to the South African Consulate, so all mail had to be addressed “Nelson Mandela Place.” The Consulate tried to use a PO Box # but the Glasgow Postal Union refused to deliver to that.

The club is saddened to learn of the passing of former player David Clunie.

David made 354 appearances in maroon between 1964 and 1977.

Our thoughts are with David's family and friends at this sad time ❤️

Read a full tribute to David, by club historian David Speed ➡️ tinyurl.com/4tzzeknk

Sarwar himself has proposed a 50p top income tax rate for all those earning more than £100,000 – far steeper than Scottish Labour’s established plans for those earning £150,000 plus – in what was seen as a bid to outflank Leonard from the left. In addition to a penny rise for all those earning more than £28,000, Sarwar argued that the £700m raised would fund a reversal of Tory disability benefit cuts in Scotland, a means-tested £10-a-week child tax credit to 275,000 families and higher public sector pay.

I assume that the Anas Sarwar who yesterday ruled out any form of wealth tax is no relation to the Anas Sarwar who, when seeking the Scottish Labour Party leadership in 2017, proposed a 50p rate of tax for those earning over £100,000.
t.co/cF80bM3TYk

Hearts come out fighting - but John Beaton is a problem & Scottish FA face questions Former Tynecastle midfielder Gary Mackay voices concern after the Scottish Cup semi-final

www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/footba...

Had he stayed a wee bit longer, he'd have played in the Scottish Cup final that season.

The news in stereo

And now, the news in stereo....

The thin-skinned SFA will probably fine us and do nothing to address the poor standard of refereeing in Scotland. However, good to see the club call it out.

Jimmy Nicholl looks so out of place on that front cover

"Aw naw...ahve nae money for the bus hame!"

Just one more win....

Despite winning, Aberdeen looked very ponderous against 10-man Hearts. Play like that against Celtic in the final and a repeat of the hammering they received from them in the League Cup semi is a real prospect.

elmo from sesame street says " oh well " in front of a brown wall ALT: elmo from sesame street says " oh well " in front of a brown wall

Barring a dramatic comeback from Ipswich, no league title will be clinched today.

“He thought that the band should be a democracy, and it was more like a brutal dictatorship as far as he was concerned”: The tangled story of Dire Straits, the million-selling band who quit at the hei... How Dire Straits went from the pubs of London to become one of the biggest bands of the 1980s

www.loudersound.com/features/dir...

Referee John Beaton just before today's semi-final

It's a booking - the Dons player would have had to deal with two other defenders before getting a shot away. Beaton - who has previous for such narcissism - wanted to be the star of the show and duly made that wish come true. Hence we're talking about him.

Replay shows that he's got his eye on the ball and the Aberdeen player's own foot comes into line just as Devlin's about to clear the ball. It's a harsh yellow.

I'm not going to criticise Cammy Devlin for that. He was immense for us today. Kent, McCart and Beningime deserve a mention as well.
As for the result, well I think that's made the board's decision on whether or not to renew Critchley's deal a bit easier. #hmfc

Fair play to Critchley - he's set the team up well after that red card. Aberdeen haven't had a sniff. Extra-time to come...

The John Beaton Book of Refereeing

35-yards out from goal, two Hearts defenders tracking back yet the clown that's refereeing this semi says that's an automatic red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity. It's a yellow card - nothing more.

YESSSSSSS!!!!!! Shankland hammers in the equaliser. #hmfc

And there you have the story of our season. Start well, then get sucker-punched! #hmfc

My dad’s first job as a doorman was at the Blue Angel, so I met Allan Williams when I was young and he presented me with a copy of his first book. Discussions about another book about his days as Beatles manager took an unexpected turn
tonyevans92a.substack.com/p/an-afterno...

Best polish that off after tonight's Parmo.