FairWeatherFan
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Posts posted by FairWeatherFan
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3 minutes ago, parsforlife said:
I still suspect in the event of a failure to achieve bronze licence the spfl will take a softer approach than complete expulsion
I think most people do. It's easier to give some other punishment that would all but guarantee Club 42 status, and this way no dangerous precedent is set.
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1 hour ago, tamthebam said:
I was talking to an official from a LL team last night and they reckon it can't happen. Edinburgh Uni and their home baking would be saved and EK are replaced by Broxburn.
Unless perhaps if they kick a B team out..
The LL AGM is on Monday. The EoS must be soon. Officially Edinburgh University will be out of the LL and accepted to the EoSFL.
Doesn't seem like any decision to kick out Edinburgh City will be anytime soon. By the time it happens it maybe easier to just place Edinburgh City in the LL. Rather than unpick the cascade effect of removing Edinburgh University from the EoSFL and the noise from some of the WoSFL clubs that would say they should get to apply for a vacancy.
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21 minutes ago, Benidorm said:
Is sending a team to be lambs to the slaughter every year worthwhile?
Going by the headcount data, the Dalbeattie v. Broxburn game had 1,871. If that's even close to true that's pretty worthwhile for them.
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I was going to try and see what Tier 6 would look like just using the Scotscores rankings.
https://scotscores.theroonba.com/clubrank/clubrank.html
Its always a bit of a guesstimate, but they really need to look at how they weigh some of the values if Sauchie end up 3rd best team from the East of Scotland area and Beith find themselves behind St Cadoc's, Largs, Clydebank.
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38 minutes ago, Burnieman said:
Have to agree, it does appear that there's very little appetite for these clubs to go to the LL and to be honest, you can't really blame them.
Gretna are odds on to drop end of next season and I wouldn't bet they'd be in a hurry to return.
Threave Rovers have shown there is an alternative and maybe time to have serious discussion about the SoS linking with the WoS, maybe sit alongside the bottom WoS division.
Any serious discussion right now starts and ends with the Lowland League willing to open up between Tier 5 & 6. I know you will remember around the time of the Colts looking to extend, someone with Tranent ties suggestion a motion might be in the works.
Now the Lowland League knows its membership for next season. The AGM must be round the corner. Doesn't sound like anything actually happened on that front. With the number of "proper" teams and ex-SPFL clubs there's little excuse for it not to have been raised. If it was stubbed out before a proper vote it would be good to hear the excuses why.
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Congrats on promotion! Any rough ideas what the crowd was last night?
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17 minutes ago, Ginaro said:
You can't say that! Some people will red dot you for it.
The three teams that the SOS have put forward have lost 10-0, 10-1 and 12-2 in the play-offs...
And besides the one 3-way play-off the SoS haven't had any real impact on proceedings beyond giving a club one decent gate from the extra home game.
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3 minutes ago, glensmad said:
The capacity figures look made up to me and grossly exaggerated, I'm not sure where the graphic came from.
Perhaps they are estimated capacities by whoever made up the graphic, but knowing the local authority certified capacities for our licensed clubs (e.g. Rutherglen Glencairn is 1,683), some of them look to be well over the top.
Looks like the usual Wikipedia entry. Don't know where the numbers would have been sourced for it, maybe something like nonleaguescotland.
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45 minutes ago, An Absolute Imposter said:
Is it not the Southern Counties FA as opposed to the actual league.
Threave Rovers, Caley Braves Gretna 2008, QOS are all members of the SCFA, not sure about Annan.
Stranraer are members of both the SCFA and the South of Scotland League itself.
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5 hours ago, An Absolute Imposter said:
Stranraer although outwith catchment area have never been in a comparable league to the WOSFL.
Don't think it helps the cause when Stranraer FC currently have membership in the SoSFL.
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21 minutes ago, Benidorm said:
I know what you mean, but even presuming vacancies arise via promotions or clubs resigning/folding I don't envisage a rush of applicants from the South to the West. In my opinion, I don't see what the positives are for the top teams hammering the rest of the field most weeks and clinging on for the odd competitive game here and there....to then hopefully getting into the Lowland League to suffer constant hammerings in the hope of pulling off the occasional result, it's two extremes for me. Going to the West and finding your level somewhere in the middle like Threave would be a preferable future, purely in my opinion of course. Which counts for nothing!
The problem for the South is more the potential of a death by a 1,000 cuts. Not all of which would be teams heading West.
Wigtown & Bladnoch went into abeyance recently. Doesn't feel like they've ever recovered. Don't think anyone would be all that surprised if they disappeared for good.
Stranraer reserves have come and gone in the past.
If the league ends up contracted. Its not looking like there will be alternatives to replace them. I don't see everyone hanging as most did during earlier x3 a season lows.
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Tended to prefer the original idea for the SPFL of 12-12-18 before things like the 8-8-8 split killed off the talk. Keeps it at 42 members so the revenue share isn't diluted just a little tweaked.
Premiership stays the same, can't really have any complaints.
Championship expands to give the full-time teams that can't help themselves an extra chance of staying in the 2nd tier.
The 18 could stretch to 2 up and a play-off with 10th in the Championship similar to what we see with the current Premiership play-off. Bottom 2 relegated.
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2 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:
Fair enough, I just assumed he’d disappeared off the radar for a while before appearing at St Pats. Being a local guy you normally hear bits and bobs but I hadn’t heard a thing for a good while.
I think even with St Pats he only signed up with them originally as part of the push for joining the WoSFL. Which didn't work out. So its no surprise to see him jump to a new opportunity.
Its a bit of an unknown, but Broomhill were struggling near the bottom last season and still have Gretna 2008 as a cushion. Probably worth a shot by Broomhill as it doesn't look like they've got the same budget they once had.
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4 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:
This seems a bizarre appointment. St Pats have done well under him but they always seem to do well regardless of who’s in charge. That level is a million miles away from the Lowland League.
He must have very limited knowledge of the level he’ll be operating at - he played at a much higher level (and hasn’t played in Scotland since 2012) and his coaching experience is at amateur level. Does he have the contacts to build a squad of Lowland League players?
Surely to f**k they haven’t just appointed him because he’s from Dumbarton in the hope that people from the town will suddenly start supporting them?
He was assistant to Martin Hardie with Broomhill before this (came and went in the same pre-season) and tried to get the manager's job when it became vacant. Managed Syngenta for part of their first season in the EoSFL.
Dumbarton ties have probably been beneficial, but he's been on their radar before and obviously been trying to get into management.
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5 minutes ago, Spyro said:
If only it was funny, I can actually see it happening. This lot have no shame and will stop at nothing to make sure the OF influence is still strong in the "non-league" ranks, and now they have their willing idoit at Dumbarton giving them a platform to push the agenda. It seems to have been the plan all along for them? Notice how the charm offensive in the media stopped immediately after they got their wish of the B teams in the LL?
The people behind Broomhill have shown no desire to give up any influence on the running of the club, and I don't see the longstanding St Pat's committee ceding control of their identity.
That's without getting into any "blue/green" issues.
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On 09/07/2021 at 11:48, Marshmallo said:
Zander Diamond is the assistant and applied for the manager's job when Hardie got it. Wouldn't be surprised if he takes over.
I knew Zander Diamond and Broomhill was familiar. Got there in the end, only took him 3 years.
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6 minutes ago, Spyro said:
Wonder how long it is before we have another name change?
Followed by another one when they try to parasite their way into the Dumbarton FC's owners plans when it all goes tits up again
Funniest suggestion i've seen was taking on the St Pat's name. Since the ams can't get into the WoSFL. Which I don't see working out for a few reasons.
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1 hour ago, Sergeant Wilson said:
I think Armadale are on the right track and were unlucky not to go up this season. I'd expect them to go up next time now that Bo'ness aren't hogging one of the places.
Bit too much credit to Bo'ness Athletic there. Edinburgh South were finishing beneath Tweedmouth and Peebles last year. Thornton Hibs were able to take the title to the wire.
Armadale are better resourced than both clubs. They've been used to keeping pace with Whitburn/Syngenta/Bo'ness Athletic. They must be disappointed with missing out and only have themselves to blame.
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14 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:
Not as far as I am aware, if anything the stance hardened. You got a source for something different?
There's no agreed boundary with the rest of the leagues and South of Scotland. The West has some terms in their rules that would bar an example like Glasgow Wellington going South winning promotion then relegated back to the West.
There's a discussion to be had with no set rule. Doesn't mean Stranraer or another would get what they want as it comes down to the leagues and what they'd be willing to accept.
Its at least another year from having to be more than a hypothetical.
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1 hour ago, MrFizz said:
What are the age restrictions for the West Dev leagues? Our SoSL team seems to have several players 27-30yrs old.
Something like u20 with overage players getting 5x appearances a season.
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11 minutes ago, Burnieman said:
So where would you see your reserve team playing if they were booted out?
Threave look to have managed in the West Development League conferences.
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6 minutes ago, GallowayBlue said:
Cowdenbeath only?
Berwick and East Stirlingshire voted them in in the 1st place.
After all its just one year
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I'm sure there are those fans of Lowland League clubs that fear some SPFL clubs joining the league as well. As some of the ex-SPFL clubs have shown a variety of ways to justify taking the B team coin rather than reject it.
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11 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:
The Lowland League to acquire some sponsorship funds (other than payments for participation from "guest" clubs)
This is more of a general point when talking about the non-league, but almost all of this is about what the Lowland League should do. Both the Highland and Lowland have had sponsors. Don't think either one has prize money. Whatever's brought in is usually swallowed by the running costs of the league. The SFL struggled for decent sponsorship. The Lowland and Highland are single divisions out there competing against 3 other leagues covering the same area. There's never going to be meaningful money put in. Its why the Conference League was so small to try and eek out the pittance it would receive.
With no relegation for Club 42 this year. It means the £40k parachute payment won't be paid. Trying to get a token sum from the SPFL or SFA is probably the best bet for the Highland and Lowland Leagues, not sponsorship.
11 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:(I'm being selfish here) sorting out the structure at tier six – going into the South league would frankly be a death sentence for Annan, Queen of the South or Stranraer, in a way that falling into the West wouldn't necessarily be.
Caledonian Braves would have been relegated to the WoSFL when they still had their South reserve side. The South have been willing to lose teams to the WoSFL. Most importantly Threave Rovers recently. Its not an absolute certainty that a D&G area team coming down from the SPFL would have to go South.
11 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:The Lowland League to become stronger with University sides, clubs playing in glorified cages and guest clubs replaced by decent community clubs, so that it's a decent competition in itself. (While we are probably slowly getting there, this is going to require substantially more licence clubs in the West set up, and then getting promotion.)
There's only the one University now. If the SPFL/SFL clubs were willing to put up with a bunch of amateurs in an empty Hampden for decades due to what they did in the 19th Century. I'm pretty sure part-timers could put up with the best students playing at a lower tier.
Glorified cages might just be EK and Braves. 2/16.
Guest clubs won't be replaced by proper clubs. Not while the SFA are willing to indulge the constant Colt proposals. As most of the SFA Board and Professional Game Board that make those decisions come from the SPFL. As a member of the SPFL and SFA, might want to ask some questions why the Lowland aren't allowed to expand to 18 real members.
11 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:Beefing up the licensing requirements for participation in tier five, not necessarily to Bronze level, but requiring a decent level of covered seating/standing.
With Tier 5 requiring licencing and now promotion to Tier 4 requiring Bronze. This is something that is already happening. 4/16 Lowland grounds are now graded Bronze. That's without counting Albion Rovers, Berwick Rangers, East Stirlingshire, Broomhill, Stirling University that all play at grounds that have hosted SPFL games.
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Lowland League General Discussion
in Lowland League
Posted
People keep asking for something they know doesn't work. As we've seen it fail time and again. The PWG attempts. The working group when COVID shutdown that led to the status quo. The review that was nothing but the "Conference League" proposal.
Last time that the Lowland League had a vote on relegation. They had already jumped straight to the potential choices 1) one automatic+ one relegation play-off 2) Two relegations 3) Three relegations. They weren't going to out an consult and review what the Tier 6 leagues would want. They would just propose something and the leagues would likely bite their hand off as its better than the current model.
Which is why all that matters is to get the 16 members of the Lowland League to actually have a vote on relegation. So that the next step, whatever it is, can be taken.
What goes up, must come down.