LongTimeLurker

Thomas Brown did seem to suggest things would move in that direction now subject of course to what happens at a league AGM.

It sounds like the LL and HL boards did approve this in order to get one automatic promotion and a playoff for the loser at the end of season in games between their two champions. It remains to be seen if the clubs still get a vote to ratify at upcoming AGMs.

That isn't necessarily the same thing as part of the SPFL. The part I found most troubling was that the SPFL are working on a new set of entry requirements in addition to the SFA's review of entry level criteria. Also noteworthy that the League Two clubs were pushing for the conference to come in next season so this years's Club 42 wouldn't drop into the HL or LL if relegated.

He specifically said it was the only option that was viable from an SPFL approval standpoint.

He is making it sound like a fait accompli. A lot may depend on what the LL and HL boards had the power to sign off on behalf of their leagues as part of this pyramid review. They do obtain HL vs LL playoff winner promoted automatically into the Conference, while the loser plays 2nd bottom out of ten in the conference. Initial conference = 4 B teams, 2 Highland, and 4 Lowland depending on the outcome of the Club 42 playoff. He is talking about this change meeting the requirement to open up relegation at the bottom of the LL because now there is an automatic promotion at the other end. Talking about 3 tier 6 champions being used to help fill initial vacancies but what happens after being subject to vote by the membership. he definitely seems to think that "more ventilation" is needed.

About to give it a listen: Edit: 41:00 onwards for conference bit

Too late to put in an appeal and get them docked points?

Gye Wullie Bauld = cauld was one of my grandfather's favourites

Do the Ukrainians have the ability to run ferries across the Dniepr like the Russians did after the Antonivka bridge became unusable or can they complete the crossing of barges next to it that the Russians tried to build? If not what do the Ukrainians have available on the left bank of the Dniepr that would enable them to drive down that highway?

Bo'ness Athletic used to be called Linlithgow Thistle when they were an amateur club.

Wonder how much those shares would be worth if Rovers are a West of Scotland League club five seasons from now. Guess he maybe views it in terms of what 20% of Cliftonhill would be worth if it was sold for another purpose.

^^^Seismic activity reported in Bo'ness every time that guy goes for a run down the wing.

Mildly significant if accurate because it would mean the Ukrainians control both ends of the not as intact as it used to be Antonivka bridge over the Dniepr.

Hope that comment doesn't come back to haunt you. Suspect you still need another three points to avoid the playoffs.

Helps them that Darvel and Talbot still have to play each other so can't both reach their maximum possible points of 63 and 65. A problem for them is that two of their last four games are against the aforementioned Darvel and Talbot.

Would normally want a new club in the SPFL but green and white hoops and never been that keen on Spartans. Got a feeling Brechin will be making a return to League Two next season, especially if Elgin finish bottom given their form has been poor in recent weeks. This season's LL winner isn't as strong as Kelty and Bonnyrigg were.

^^^this will be related to getting the League One and Two clubs to agree in terms of the SPFL's internal voting structure, which make the other two models a non-starter. The problem the SFA face is that the HL and LL have to be on board to sort out the pro/rel issues so it's like the LL East and LL West split that was supposed to be the magic bullet that would get the SJFA into the pyramid intact over EoS objections but faced the issue of the existing LL clubs actually having to support it which it soon turned out they didn't. Odds on the 10 that voted B team inclusion through just wanted to take the money and the threat of the Conference league provided them with a convenient excuse for taking it. That may have been the point of the whole exercise.

Two of the options presented to the PWG for B teams revolved around them entering an expanded League Two. The Conference tier 5 is only being pushed because the SFA and SPFL boards know they can't get that through an SPFL general meeting.

Along with expanded pro/rel that's definitely what should have happened instead but most of the former EoS and SoS clubs still have an it's ma baw and you're no playin mentality to the pyramid.

Confirmed by one of their supporters on here. Don't think the club breakdown of the vote on expanded pro/rel is known.

The relegation destination appears to be decided by the LL and its three feeder leagues rather than by the club. It's been confirmed by a WoS officeholder on here that if they want into the WoS they need to apply like Threave did and start at the bottom in the fourth division.

Needs to be Buckie or Brechin up with Albion Rovers, Bonnyrigg Rose, or Stranraer relegated for that. Could easily see that happening if Brechin win the HL title decider on Saturday. Not so clear that Buckie want it where promotion is concerned.

No reason in rulebook terms why they can't wind up in the LL. There is no fixed geographical boundary and adding them would round things off at 20 clubs. The angle I find interesting was the snippet in the Evening News that some LL clubs were concerned that WoS and EoS clubs were going to be invited to make up the numbers in the "conference" instead of them. Sounds like that was a threat made to them by the SFA. The OF and Hearts maybe want to dictate who gets to be in tier 5 so they have the strongest possible opposition for their B teams by having clubs like Darvel, Auchinleck Talbot, and Clydebank around rather than Edinburgh Uni, Gretna, etc. Still don't see how they could legally get around the Club 42 playoff agreement though, so it was probably just a case of Maxwell and Petrie knowing which buttons to push by threatening a solution imposed from above to address the LL pro/rel logjam.