LongTimeLurker

Think they would need to have 3 rather than 2 regionalised sections and the logistics of that are really not that difficult. Once they reached 30 on Thursday they could have said that's enough for this year if they were concerned about numbers, and nobody would have had grounds to complain about it as they had already extended the deadline once. So looks like they are trying to drive a stake through the heart of the east region south of the Tay once and for all at this point.

No obvious reason why the Tayside clubs couldn't simply be a second feeder for the Dundee area with a playoff with the north superleague winner for the Aberdeen/Inverness area similar to the EoS vs SoS one at the moment, if clubs start to get licensed. The HL feeders should be the easy bit as nothing much will probably happen on licensing any time soon. The fun and games to come will be in the west.

So far we have the following: Bonnyrigg, Camelon, Hill of Beath, Musselburgh, Haddington, Blackburn, Tranent, Dalkeith, Edinburgh United, Easthouses, Crossgates [+Dunipace from west region] applied and accepted at the initial deadline along with a youth club from Inverkeithing Dunbar, Craigroyston, Arniston and Penicuik accepted on Thursday at an EoS meeting at Easter Road St Andrews, Newtongrange have held meetings on Friday and Saturday and have decided to go Dundonald, Bo'ness, Lithgae, Broxburn and Thornton holding meetings and now expected to do the same At this point they will probably need Pumpherston and Dundee North End from the south and north divisions in the superleague to reach 16 next season, if all those clubs leave.

Latest on what happened with Bo'ness:

so to sum up the last few days: Dunbar, Craigroyston, Penicuik and Arniston accepted into the EoS on Thursday at Easter Road EoS unexpectdly extends deadline to May 31st and places a link to the application form on the homepage of their website Dundonald reported in the Courier yesterday to be holding a meeting and now expected to do a "reverse ferret" on their deferred application Newtongrange, St Andrews hold meetings yesterday evening and today and decide to move as well Lithgae, Bo'ness and Broxburn have held or are having meetings between now and Tuesday and could do the same subject to later AGM ratification if all this happens and they all get accepted, a north or south division team (Pumpherston or Dundee North End) will be needed to be able to reach 16 teams with the east superleague next season and that assumes no other clubs are flying under the radar at this point where applications are concerned like Arniston just did

They can always go to three sections. It isn't an insurmountable problem in logistical terms, if their top priority is delivering the coup de grace to the east region south of the Tay and it almost certainly is or they wouldn't still have a link to the application form featuring prominently on the homepage of their website again almost two months after what was alleged to be the deadline. A sign of the impending apocalypse will be EoS related tweets emerging from the Whitburn, Armadale, Fauldhouse and Harthill portion of West Lothian at this point.

Latest from the threads on the two clubs in question is stuff like this: Been a few false dawns on this, so I'll believe it when I see the official announcements.

To paraphrase Ramsay Bolton, if you think that's how this is going to end, you haven't been paying attention.

Think it's actually up to 33 with Dundonald?

And who would have thought Liberace was gay, I never saw that one coming!

In a way it would serve them right obviously, but would the deadline have been extended with this message placed on the official EoS website, if all they wanted to do was to move from 30 to 32 clubs? The Members of the East of Scotland Football League have decided to extend the last date for the submission of membership applications to 31 May 2018. The application form can be accessed here. Doubt it somehow.

Definitely very much on the west side of the ken line as well.

Don't remember who posted the comment "mutually assured decline" recently, but if they don't stop worrying about doing something radical for fear of losing the derby and get together and go for it, it's probably going to be accurate, unfortunately. If they had been bold back when the LL had been formed there's a good chance one of them would be in the SPFL by now.

Because that's the only way for the SJFA to maintain its relevance in the years ahead. If the west region do it unilaterally as a separate block of clubs, Tom Johnston would soon be out of a job. If the SJFA had engaged with the process five years ago odds on they could have controlled everything below tier 5, but they didn't and if/when their relevance in the east LL feeder zone has been lost as is looking increasingly likely, the obvious next step is that the north region and the Tayside clubs hook up with the HL and the west region hooks up with the LL leaving nothing for the SJFA to do.

There's probably a tipping point on this where most of the rest would quickly throw in the towel because they see the game's up even if they would still strongly prefer that it's not the case and it's probably quite close now. Will be interesting to see what the prospect of having no Penicuik and Newtongrange in addition to no Kelty, Bonnyrigg. Camelon, Hill of Beath and Musselburgh does to perceptions of more traditionally-minded Bo'ness and Lithgae members as they are probably the key to whether there is a quick resolution within the next couple of seasons.

The EoS obviously see it as the coup de grace to the east region ever getting in at tier 6. Doubt they would be doing it otherwise.

There should be four relegation places in the premier for what it's worth as two get promoted from the north and south divisions. There's hope for Kirriemuir yet to be promoted rather than relegated if all the oranges turned into reds at the last minute. Unlikely but not impossible.

Not completely impossible based on this:

On the bright side from a traditional big West Lothian derby standpoint, Whitburn could still finish above them. Getting a bit mental though that any team outside the east premier relegation zone will likely be in next year's superleague.

Given the travel distances involved wouldn't be drastic and midweek games should be possible by mid-April, you could do it in the space of as little as a week with all three teams getting a home game and an away game, which is what would happen with two section champions: A vs B C vs A B vs C Not ideal obviously, but it's only for one season.

The latter I suspect.

By the time there are 36 they could also do 3 x 12. If their argument in a PWG context is that there is no need for east region entry at tier 6, they pretty much have to take any ersjfa member that applies from south of the Tay.

Can remember applications were going to be accepted pending club AGM ratification where the March 31st deadline was concerned. I'd question whether the 32 thing means much. Seriously doubt that any credible applicant would be turned down.

That's what should have happened five years ago, but a cynic might suggest that would have lessened the chances of Spartans and Cove Rangers getting into the SPFL.