LongTimeLurker

There's an interesting post in the Albion Rovers thread in the LL sub-forum about Benburb playing in green at "Hibernian Park" early in their history and being named after a battle that an Irish Roman Catholic army won in County Tyrone in the 1640s despite later becoming Govan's Rangers mini-me. Hibs are now more the Leith and East Lothian team than Edinburgh's Roman Catholic club. Names from earlier decades don't necessarily have to dictate what a club is in the present day.

That's why there is an etc there. You may be of the opinion that Stirling Uni have no credible claim to be runners-up but according to the rules as written "fourth-place" was potentially enough to be declared champion because the B teams don't count on any issue related to determining a final league position.

Probably linked into the transfer deal for Tiwi Daramola.

They were in terms of the rules as written. The B teams do not count in determining any league table position for issues such as promotion, relegation, etc.

They maybe need to reflect on how badly out of touch they were with the prevailing sentiments held at the level of the game they were foisting this new division onto. Given the whole done deal and it could happen as soon as next season vibe I'm skeptical about this not wanting a 51-49 angle. The motion was only withdrawn at the very last minute once it became 100% clear that there were enough declared NO votes to scupper it. If they had genuinely only wanted it to go through with overwhelming support it would have been withdrawn much sooner than that.

Think it would be difficult for the SFA to further limit voting rights because this Conference league issue has highlighted the need to have plenty of smaller clubs as full members to provide a majority able to apply the brakes when necessary. On the flip side if extra clubs achieving entry-level licensing meant also becoming new full members again it would provide the SFA board with an incentive to raise the bar in a big way on licensing requirements. The way things are right now is far from ideal but it may be as good as it is ever likely to be for non-SPFL clubs.

You could well be right on that. Don't think anyone knows for sure at this point. Think some of my ancestors from eastern Donegal turned up late and that didn't help the Covenanters where the battle was concerned but forget the gory details.

If they aren't going to be able to rise as far as the division below the first team it's farcical and unworkable and the SFA and SPFL need to focus on rejuvenating their reserve league setups instead.

Plenty of people of a red, white, and blue persuasion in County Tyrone so don't think that necessarily follows or follow follows as the case may be if the name referred simply to the townland the founders of the club were from rather than the 1640s battle that happened there, which is one that's better forgotten from a True Blue standpoint.

We'll see. Yesterday's motion withdrawal was humiliating enough that they may have to accept defeat at this point.

Invading in the first place and expecting to win in three days was monumentally stupid so it's not safe to assume anything based on who appears to benefit most on the surface but think you'll find that this flood has wiped out a lot of the previously prepared Russian defences on the left bank, so even from that angle it may not have been the smartest move.

There goes Crimea's water supply so a bit like Nord Stream it is difficult to see how they benefit from doing that.

It's important to bear in mind that the SFA is an association of its members and Golspie Sutherland have as much voting clout at an SFA AGM as Rangers. The pyramid was always more of a priority for the SFA than it was for the SPL and SFL because the nonleague seniors had considerable voting clout in an SFA context. That hasn't changed and if anything that voting clout is even stronger now. What unfolded today was a useful reminder to the SFA blazers that the Old Firm may get to shape the media talking points to a large extent but they don't control what happens in Scottish football any time it has to go to a vote of member clubs because most of the other clubs and especially their fans despise them.

Airdire is always the better misspelling in wind up terms.

Try to avoid drinking the kool-aid. The club 42 playoff rules are a legally binding document so they can't force this through unilaterally any more than they could force the LL and EoS to accept the east region of the SJFA as a tier 6 feeder to the LL. Maxwell and Petrie should have learned a lesson from that saga but clearly didn't.

Sounds like that was discussed at the LL AGM last week. This exercise in diddy power will make it very difficult for the SFA board to push the done deal you must comply routine again, so they will need to focus on how to have a strong reserve league again basically.

The SFA board tried to eliminate non-licenced clubs from the Scottish Cup around 2015 or so. That got voted down by the membership.

Stranraer are good guys: https://twitter.com/StranraerFC/status/1665694678904184832

Posts on the Brechin City thread seem to hint they are now a NO. We'll find out later today what their official position is apparently.

Ross County are not on the No to B teams tracker as a confirmed NO hence 6 rather than 7 extras. Edit: They are now

St Mirren now confirmed as good guys: https://twitter.com/saintmirrenfc/status/1665684506811019264

Think if all the clubs consulting fans do what's anticipated on that basis, there are now 53 likely NO votes declared once 7 extra clubs that have told the P&J they are against are factored in. There are some cast iron certain NO votes still undeclared from the LL like Bo'ness United so looking very good given at least 5 of the FAs with votes are dominated by nonleague pyramid clubs. Key is to not just win this but having a big majority for NO so the SFA board take a telling and don't keep trying again.

The majority of clubs in the north and north-east are set to vote against the proposed Conference League. Tomorrow Scottish FA member clubs and associations will vote on the plan for a new fifth tier to be introduced from season 2024-25 between the SPFL and the Breedon Highland League and Lowland League. The concept has sparked frenzied debate in recent weeks and months and ahead of the vote at Hampden the Press and Journal has surveyed the member clubs in our patch and asked them how they intend to vote. Although some clubs across our area such as Peterhead, Brora Rangers and Nairn County have publicly nailed their colours to mast regarding their views on the Conference League, others have not commented. We surveyed all 26 clubs in our area anonymously and the results are as follows. Two clubs have indicated they will vote for the proposal, 22 intend to vote against it, one failed to respond and one club plans to abstain. That works out as 85% of the member clubs in the P&J patch who plan to vote against the Conference League. Think that probably points to 18/18 from the Highland League being NO or abstaining. We'll see what Brechin have to say later but if all five relegated former SPFL clubs come out publicly as being opposed despite this providing an easier pathway back into a national division that will make a very strong statement about the strength of the opposition to this at tier 5.

Worth bearing in mind that some of these guys have low IQs and are emotionally incapable of accepting a reasoned argument if it runs counter to what they want to be the case. The important angle in all of this is that the Club 42 playoff rules mean the SPFL board can't unilaterally add a semi-detached conference to the pyramid on a whim making this whole argument simply not worth the bother.

26 = 18 HL, Golspie, FW, Ross C, ICT, Elgin, Peterhead, Aberdeen, Cove Rangers? If so, 22-2 out of that lot is not a bad outcome for NO. Not sure if Fort William is viewed as P&J territory so maybe Montrose sneak in there as well.