Skyline Drifter

Like I said, I don't think the LMC actually had much of an issue to deal with as regards Gretna. They had gone from the SFL before anything seriously hit in football terms like paying people late wages, owing football debt, etc.

I have no idea what point you are trying to make here or what it's relevance is? Nor have I any intention of PM'ing you about it. It was widely known locally that Gretna were running up bills they couldn't pay even before they were promoted. The national press knew but didn't report it because it impinged on their "fairytale" stuff. Anyone in Dumfries & Galloway could probably have predicted what was going to happen to Gretna be they employee of our club or anyone else. This has been somewhat different. The SFL didn't really have that big a problem with Gretna per se. They were an SPL side before things really hit the fan and gone in all but legal terms before they returned.

Both valid points. The first of which had already occurred to me, the second of which hadn't. I don't know if the SFL has the resources to directly compensate clubs for two lost gates but it is an option. Livi as 1st division members would of course be due a pay out from the League during the season. That could be redistributed split nine ways over the other first division clubs and would go a long way towards compensating for the lost gates. The season ticket pricing is an issue. I guess the only solution is a part refund to anyone who has already bought and a reduction in price for those who haven't. I agree. It's a really difficult call for the SFL and I have every sympathy. I think they potentially should have acted on the late wage issue and perhaps demanded the lodging of some sort of bond with the threat of third division if it wasn't forthcoming. It's a very jackbooted approach though.

Of course. I think it's already too late in reality to fill the space if Livi go under. You couldn't really get a fair application process sorted in time and the winners would almost certainly not be able to get any facilities lacking ready in time (I suppose a club like Spartans might actually be ready to just slot right in but you couldn't bypass the application process). If Livi go then one of the divisions will operate with nine. The SFL would prefer that it be the 3rd division. It doesn't look good for your top division to be the one short of numbers but I doubt they would force Airdrie (or Cowdenbeath) up so it would probably be down to the clubs themselves to make the call, especially the later it gets.

Yes but I don't see the relevance? Brechin aren't next in line. It would be Airdrie or no-one I think.

No they weren't. They formally resigned before the League AGM at which any change would have been proposed and ratified.

Per SFL rulebook

I don't think there's any cut off date in the rules but I'll have a quick look. It's more a practical thing. The SFL will be unhappy about having to issue amended fixtures for a start and there's always the possibility it might cause problems and fixture clashes somewhere along the line where people don't want them. Like the Raith angle where they need to be away on Links Market day. Perhaps Airdrie have similar requests somewhere along the line and slotting into Livingston's fixtures may not suit. The only precedent was last year when Gretna dropped out and Airdrie played a division higher than they should have and so did Arbroath as a result. However, in that case there was a bit more notice. It was known at the end of May that this was going to happen (and suspected well before that so Airdrie were ready for it) and it was dealt with before fixture publication.

I'm not sure they would at this stage and with the fixtures already published. I'd guess the Management Committee may ask them if they'd rather play division one or division two. It would be difficult for them to go into division one now having released a number of players they would presumably have kept if in the higher league (Di Giacomo most notably) and having spent budget on players for the second division. Certainly if it drags on another couple of weeks I don't see any way it would be practical. On a spearate note, first round bye for us in the Alba Cup potentially then?

Four days is hardly a reasonable statistical sample though is it? If I based a sample of the size of Queens crowds on games in a week last May I'd think we got 15,000 a week. Seriously though, the week we were due to get our tour of Cresswell Maternity it had to be postponed because there were so many expectant mothers in there were no unused facilities to show. We went back the following week and it was empty. When Mrs SD was in having Thomas she was in from Wednesday to Sunday and we saw one other couple (though I do know there were four other babies born the same day). Some weeks they are busy, some weeks they aren't.

Jesus. I don't think I could have coped with that.

Djokovic's results recently have generally been pretty good (albeit mostly on clay and pretty irrelevant towards Wimbledon) apart from at Roland Garros when he lost an early round game to Kohlschreiber. He was runner up in two Master events on clay and a semi finalist in another and in all three cases lost narrowly to Nadal having given him harder matches than anyone else has on clay for years (though in context Soderling then went on to shock him in Paris). He was also runner up on grass last week as noted. Before last week his short term form was considerably better than Murray's (again because he's better on clay).

That's fairly meaningless though in terms of assessment of their chances. The bookies set their odds according to what they stand to lose and they've taken a lot of patriotic money on Murray. So they cut his price. Same reason England in World Cups and English club sides in European competition are always shorter prices than they really should be in this country. To a minor extent it probably also reflects the doubts over Nadal's fitness. He's still a doubt. He's coming over to London to play an exhibition on Friday to test his knees out on grass. A decision will be made after that but I'd be surprised if he doesn't at least start Wimbledon. Yes it can happen and indeed has a 50/50 shot of happening. Although to say the other half would be a clear run for a no hoper is to completely dismiss Djokovic who will certainly not be in Murray's half. I'd hope that Murray gets drawn in Nadal's half thsi time though. With the knees and everything surrounding his game at the moment I think it's a better route than through Federer. The Wimbledon draw will be made on Friday morning, BEFORE Nadal tests his fitness, so if he then withdraws the draw will already be set.

Can't see how though granted Ferrero IS a former No 1, albeit from Sept 2003. Ferrero is very much a clay courter though and Murray's domination of him is no surprise at all.

I think you are probably right (although the atp site says those points drop on 20th July, not 14th?). He's carrying that "0" as punishment for an 11th hour withdrawal from that tournament last year but it's not a compulsory event this year so I'd think it will be dropped completely in July and replaced by either Queens or, were he to enter and win the event this year, the points from this year's Indy tournament.

Eh! James Blake has never been remotely near to a World Number 1 ranking. I've no idea where you got that idea from? His highest ranking was 4 in November 2006 and he's currently 17, having spent only a few weeks inside the top six in his entire career. He's also 29 years old which is getting on for a veteran in tennis terms. He is a half decent grass court player but probably wouldn't have made the final if Roddick hadn't injured himself in their semi final. He has never been further than the last eight of ANY Grand Slam tournament in his entire career.

Still think that's under-rating Del Potro. He isn't that far behind (though he's far weaker on grass granted).

I'd be surprised if he didn't make the quarters. Depending on the draw he could easily make the semis, he will be seeded to do so after all. Unlike on clay, there aren't that many specialist grass courters lower down the draw who could blow the seeding wide open and Murray is himself decent on grass, better than he is on clay anyway, though it isn't his best surface. There's probably no Ivanisevic out there. He'll obviously be second favourite to Nadal or Federer but he couldn't meet them before the semi finals. A fit Roddick is certainly dangerous on grass as is anyone else with a big booming serve (Ivo Karlovic perhaps?). Five set specialists like Nalbandian (though way out of form) and Davydenko could also be a problem. But guys like Gonzalez and Verdasco are much less a threat to Murray on grass and should hold no great fears. Should be interesting. If Nadal is obviously having problems with the knees then Murray might not get a better chance to win Wimbledon (he'll get better chances to win at Flushing Meadow). Federer will see history opening up in front of him though and it's a long long time since anyone other than Nadal even gave him a game at Wimbledon.

Depends. It's not a mandatory counting tournament. It would count for players for whom it's one of their best "other" tournaments outside of the Grand Slam and Masters events. Last year's Queens Club points are included for Nadal for instance but not for Murray. I would imagine this year's points for Murray will be counted and replace those he won in Doha, though I'm not certain at what level Queens has been re-classified this year and it might actually not be any better than the points he got for winning in Doha. EDIT - A bit of research reveals points available for Queens this year HAVE been downgraded and Murray gets 250 for winning. That's the same as he's carrying for Doha so he's actually no better off.

Really? I thought the idea was fairly repulsive and Mrs SD was similarly inclined. There only is one pool at Cresswell so if someone is already using it when it's your time tough. You can't use it. As it happens it was available when she went into labour (induced) but we were never going to use it. I can't believe people made an obviously pregnant woman stand unnecessarily or asked one to get out of her seat on the bus!

I don't eat that much fruit and veg in an entire calendar year!

Precisely. Er no. The problem is that your analagy was absolutely ludicrous and had no relevance whatsoever. If you can't see the difference between a football match and a part of a tennis match then there's not really a lot more than can be said about it. I doubt anyone else on here thinks that's a remotely relevant analagy. And whilst I don't necessarily agree with Murray tanking the set (if he did) it's something he's discussed publicly before and conceded he's done and had done against him. It's not like it's a n unheard of tactic so I've no idea why you suddenly think it's so bizarre.

You may well be right. It doesn't change the fact your analagy was quite the worst and most completely irrelevant one I've ever seen. I still haven't stopped laughing.

That is without a shadow of a doubt the worst analagy ever. Bar none. Jesus Christ!

The notion that breaking his neck and wasting energy to save a game or two in that set would somehow achieve anything in the scheme of things is frankly laughable. It doesn't meant he wasn't up for the game. Face it the set was gone after the second break and he gave it up for what it was, a lost set. Get over it.