rockson

To the clubs who are in danger of losing their long-held status in the nationwide leagues. Brechin were in tier 2 of the SPFL only three seasons ago and Cowdenbeath were there a couple of seasons before that. There's a much greater chance of relegation from a ten team league than an 18 team one.

My point is that it absolutely does make a difference. (And those top two divisions had 18/19 teams in them, not ten.)

That's us stuffed then.

No, it wasn't the question; but it was a reason why it's unlikely to happen in Scotland. The bottom SPFL division would have to be a lot bigger than ten clubs for even one automatic relegation, never mind two, to come about. (As an aside I'll note that relegating two from Scotland's lowest national division would effectively give a free pass to the Highland League Champs every year as for the moment it doesn't look like any SPFL club - Brechin perhaps apart [and they're dead against moving to the HL] or, just, maybe, Elgin City - would be relegated to it. Not that the Shire or Berwick made a good fist of competing in the LL.) That Estonian league has only been running for 7 years. It lacks the history of the SPFL's predecessors. 2/10 is not only an issue if it's over 20%. Relegating 2 clubs is an issue in itself. The Football League in England only relegates two from its bottom divison of 24 (1/12, not 1/5) and you expect the SPFL to relegate the same absolute number of clubs each year? Even one automatic relegation is an issue in the short term. I suspect that, as happened in England, relegation from the SPFL won't be expanded till a relegated club has managed to get back up.

That still leaves 14 teams not relegated - not just 8. And the SPFL isn't relegating to 4 regional divisions.

Two automatic promotions means two automatic relegations. Is there any league anywhere in the world that relegates one-fifth (20%) of its members every year?

Ever heard of hubris?

Oh dear.

You may be right at lower levels. There are some right roasters of fans in the SPFL tiers 1 and 2 though and my fears are mainly due to this. Most League One and Two fans are okay. I have no personal experience of leagues below that bar one Scottish Cup tie at a then junior ground - well before Covid.. I wouldn't be too sure marshals would - or could - enforce the rules either. In the heat of the moment of a crucial goal being scored fans might lose their control too. Christmas was quiet but I had a telephonic scare via an elderly friend who took ill. Today it seems he might not be as bad as I feared, though. Look after yourself too.

If you're willing to trust other people to stay to stay 2 metres away and keep masked, fine. My experience in supermarkets and enclosed shopping centres means I'm not. Even in the open air.

These two statements do not fit together.

Certainly not Tony Blair.

I didn't know Blair was an epidemiologist.

It felt like that one seasom in the bottom division (Gerry McCabe's time?) when we had a loanee from Kilmarnock who was pretty rubbish but stilll got a game every week.

Worst game I ever saw. Think of it: A goal every nine minutes on average. Where's the tension in that?

You've just jinxed that.

The table says says Rangers have been eleven years since a Scottish Cup win. Make that never won it at all......

Gordon? Menzies? I'm not sure whether his first name was Gordon, but we had a Menzies round that time. (I also thought the one driving looked like Lawrie Williams.)

In Germany?????

A bit of its time I would say. 1969-77 and you're talking, though.

I watch on a PC and haven't had any problems like this. (I've probably jinxed it now.)

He did struggle with crosses, though. Not harsh there. But he was a (very?) good shotstopper.

I'd like us to do that but I'd take staying in this league for the foreseeable given everything that's against the club right now. If we get out of the Brabco thing as a going concern we'll be lucky. If we don't, then the third tier would look heavenly.

Showstopper? Is he on the bake-off? (I did know what you meant but it was an open goal.)

I hope streaming doesn't end before the season does. I usually don't get to home games as I live at least 2 hours away by car. I bought a season ticket for this season precisely because I could watch the games from home. I would feel short-changed if the streaming were to stop. But I'm glad for the club to have the money. The rules on streaming up to this season were a bit daft at our level. There would have been a source of extra income for clubs right there. Most clubs have fans who live well away from their home stadium who would be happy to pay to watch a stream.