morley

Totally agree. & it will tend to be the SPFL clubs most in favour of the pyramid will be those most opposed to Old Firm Colts. So runs the risk of alienating the very spfl clubs the LL will depend on for opening up the pyramid.

I don't like the idea but they should start in the WOS and go no higher than the LL. No teams should be able to jump the pyramid as challenges the whole integrity. On health and safety there is maybe a case to say they don't start at the bottom of the WOS recognising that most of the smaller clubs will be miles away from having SFA licence standard grounds and infrastructure so maybe not able to safely manage a visit from an old firm teams even if they are just colt teams.

Could all be part of a move by the LL to expand in numbers and so split into 2 divisions.

Was there maybe a link here to the agreement about the club 42 playoff going ahead, in return the LL would speak to the old firm.

The statement in particular the SFA part says so much here. The SFA are labouring the point that their original guidance was right and will not have liked that the SPFL have challenged this and pushed it as far as it went. That will not have come cheap. I wonder how much money has been spent by all parties on lawyers and the judge. spfl should be made to pay for all costs.

Now that a decision has been made on the club 42 play off I wonder if we will see an imminent announcement from the HL launching their tier 6 feeders. In particular the Midland league. Didnt Brechin last year float the argument about which T5 they should go into? The launch of the Midland league feeding in to the HL kills that argument.

Interesting statement from Donald Findlay today in the BBC regarding the club 42 playoff and Cowdenbeath "has to be integrity" he says. Have Annan come out and said anything about it? You would think Annan as a newer club to the spfl with a legacy in the SoS & EoS although pre pyramid would be more favourable about the playoff taking place, or maybe I am wrong!

Waiting to see the result of tomorrow night's Brechin game maybe given if they loose I believe that is them confirmed as club 42.

Now that there is a WoS option in the pyramid surely you would imagine any new entrant to the SoS would have to have a connection/closeness to their general catchment, and they don't want to just become a WoS rejects league. Then again they do offer a possible route to the LL within 1 season.

Amazed nothing has leaked out yet given the track record on things like this.

Probably on the 20th draft of their press release. If they had made a decision by now then you would have expected something to have leaked out from someone by now.

Well the suggestion was the SPFL would have their legal advice by Friday. No news out yet?

Not the Scottish Cup as SFA run that and I don't think anyone believes the overall standard of the LL/HL will drop if both teams go up, but there could be changes happening there anyway in the Scottish Cup driven by other things like growing number of licenced clubs and the changed status of Junior football. But the other two cups maybe as the spfl would need to sell it to clubs and the argument of saying keep money with in the SPFL clubs via the league and spfl run cup competitions with having less non spfl clubs take part would be a way to do that.

Another advantage of the delay is that if it had gone ahead and lets say Brora came out on top and looking favourites, the whole only played 3 games to be champion thing would have become even more strongly the whole focus for those arguing against. I think most people even if support the idea are less comfortable around Brora as champion than Kelty. So the delay is maybe for the best until the SPFL have made a decision. Don't make it easier for the SPFL to make a decision against the playoff happening.

That is why I wonder if they may be invited in but not as full spfl members for season 1, so dont get the same prize money/voting rights. Then if the club remains in the spfl for season 2 they become full members. I don't believe the spfl would have to consult with the LL/HL/SFA to make a change like that. Someone cleverer than me may say that is already the case. Plus its less of an issue if the proposal is to only expand by 2 extra clubs for 1 season anyway.

Agree although would they be coming in as full spfl member clubs?, and by inviting both clubs to join and leaving Brechin in L2 no one is likely to legally challenge the legitimacy of either club as champion. If that happens would be interesting to see how they propose to get back to the normal number of clubs next season. Ie would it be 2 automatically down with no possible promotion from the LL/HL, or 2 down and 3rd bottom goes into the usual pyramid playoff with the LL/HL winner. And any proposal like that runs the risk that those 2 or possibly 3 clubs who go down next season may not include Kelty or Brora and be 3 current established SPFL clubs.

Given its highly unlikely the SPFL lawyer will say anything different to the SFA lawyer. How does the SPFL save face? Might we instead see the SPFL invite the winner of the LL/HL playoff to join, but via an invite rather than via the pyramid playoff, leaving club 42 (Brechin) in L2, so then running with an odd number in L2 next season only. Then rebalance at the end of next season with club 43 then automatically relegated from L2 but no promotion back in and going back to 42. Then with the pyramid playoff back to normal in 2022/23. That way the spfl can maintain a view that kelty/Brora aren't in their eyes legit entrants into the pyramid playoff with out challenging the SFA view that they are legit champions of the LL and HL. The issue with that being ofcourse there would be no possible promotion for the LL/HL next season but for 1 season only. Would the winner of the Brora/Kelty playoff really care they would be going into L2 by invite rather than via a club 42 playoff? Possibly not. Plus they don't run the risk of losing to club 42 in the playoff. The other drawback for the existing SPFL clubs being that club 43 next season could be one of them with automatic relegation but it would only be a risk for 1 season only.

So the SPFL are potentially looking to legally challenge the position of the SFA. That makes Scottish Football look fantastic.

I thought exactly the same reading that statement and wondered just how ironic his statement about the superleague may end up being about the spfl club 42.

No news from the spfl board yet on their meeting regarding the pyramid playoff? I guess not or this thread would have been in meltdown by now.

I will indulge your conspiracy theory further and say as far as I can see the pyramid rules/spfl membership criteria make no reference to the scenario of only 1 team as the rules say the team which plays club 42 in the playoff has to first have come through a HL/LL playoff. So the spfl could argue it they dont recognise Brora as a legit HL champion but recognise Kelty as a LL champion, Kelty still wouldn't be a legit entrant to the pyramid playoff as they can't be deemed a nationwide non league champion given the HL failed to put forward a legit champion in the spfl eyes. So failing the spirit of the spfl membership criteria meaning the whole pyramid agreement is void given one of the parties to the agreement has failed to fulfill their side of it........ love a conspiracy theory. I should add I do actually think the spfl board will conform both and the pyramid playoffs will go ahead.

I wonder if Brechin have an amazing run of form in last few games (i know seems v unlikely), and Annan end up bottom. Might we see a more positive attitude from the SPFL. Annan although pre pyramid and in for 13 years, are still to some extent viewed as the new boy, and the loss of Annan may not be seen as the same threat to the establishment compared to a Brechin or for that matter Cowdenbeath or Albion Rovers.

The league club who have known all season that if they finish bottom they would have to take part in a relegation playoff.

According to an article in the daily record published this evening the "several issues" the spfl are looking at are around the number of games played by Kelty and Brora to be declared champions, and the terms of Broras ownership of their ground which according to wikipedia i see they have played at since 1932. If true the SFA surely have to step in to ensure sporting integrity.

Interesting the statement not just recognising Brora and Kelty are declared champions, but directly referenced the number of games each played to be so........Why call out the number of games played unless that is going to be rational for the spfl saying they don't view one or both as legitimate champions to take part in the playoff. What if the spfl say they only view Kelty as a legitimate champion to take part in the playoff given Brora had only played 3 games. Would be interesting to see how the LL and Kelty then react in that scenario, for example would they refuse to take part in a play off in solidarity to the HL and Brora if Brora weren't viewed as champions by the spfl? Also if the spfl was to take a stance of one or both not being legitimate champions surely that would also mean the SFA wouldn't be able to view them as legitimate champions to take part in the Scottish Cup next year. You couldn't have the spfl not view them as champions but the SFA view them as champions.