cmontheloknow

Planning application in to do them up already I believe.

Well there's more chance of them getting money to improve their rustic home within the pyramid than without...

How much cover is there at East Super side Carnoustie? By my reckoning, there is cover at most current EoS grounds, Tweedmouth, Eyemouth, Stirling Uni apart as some clubs have ongoing work - Saughton now has cover for example. Not sure on Ormiston's new ground. And where are Leith just now after leaving the Meadowbank 3G?

SRCC is for all in LL, East and South (plus Glasgow Uni - Girvan withdrew years ago because of fixture congestion). Pretty sure the 1st Round is regionalised though.

If numbers increase, that's a sensible suggestion, though I suppose the fact they already have the South Regional Challenge Cup, it's a bit of a consolation cup in comparison (though it is anyway!). AJC has been on the go for 30 years I think, Alba Cup only a few years old though.

Just a bit of clarity on the Alex Jack and Alba Cups - they're played on same dates as the big Scottish so if you qualify via this alternative route (winning either cup) you can't do it again the following year. So LTHV didn't enter Alex Jack Cup in 17-18 as they had qualified for the Scottish Cup. To qualify every year you'd need to keep winning the league (and not go up). Entrants for AJC in 17-18 were: Leith Ath Heriot-Watt Peebles R Tynecastle Eyemouth U Ormiston Tweedmouth Entrants for Alba Cup were: Mid Annandale Lochar Thistle Bonnyton Thistle Heston R Abbey Vale Nithsdale W Lochmaben Uppers Creetown Dumfries YMCA

Assuming L6 is the slot, parity would be required I'd have thought though a simple play off between Alex Jack and Alba Cup winners becomes tougher - mini league instead?

Just on the 'big' Scottish Cup, non-licence holders in EoS also have opportunties to qualify, either by winning EoS itself (like LTHV have done a few times) or by winning the new South/East Shield or whatever it's called. It is competed for by the winners of the Alex Jack Cup (the non-Licence holders cup for EoS sides) against the winners of the Alba Cup, a new cup for non-licence holders in the South of Scotland. This year, Tynecastle have won the overall cup to qualify for next season's Scottish Cup. I'd say that Scottish Cup entry for East/West clubs even by this route is more straightforward than trying to win East/West top flight or Junior Cup.

To avoid saying 'naw', they could send key members of the squad off on a 'stag do' or on holiday for any pesky play offs that should arise! That'd never happen in real life though, eh....

There's no easy to swallow answer for the smaller village clubs without resorting to cliches like 'find your level' etc... But there's a place for very club within a pyramid, and the bottom is wider than the top (usually!) so there should be greater regionalisation and less strict requirements there. I do think there needs to be some kind of barrier at some level where you cannot advance if you don't have certain things in place.

It's not a case of 'getting rid', but it's a semi pro grade and clubs should be encouraged to meet some kind of minimum standard. Clubs with no money can improve facilities but there has been zero incentive for them to do so in the past. Maybe there still isn't. But I went to see Newton Stewart years back play Crichton in a public park in front of 20 or so folk. It is now fully enclosed 4G with a covered enclosure and they have an Entry level Club Licence. Ok they're SFA Members. But other clubs, within the SJFA have made improvements. I would suspect it involves being closely associated to local boys clubs etc to access funding and improving facilities for the community.

With respect, why are they playing semi professional football if they will take spectator money and give nothing in return but a hole in the ground to pish in? Off-field facilities are an embarrassment at too many clubs.

I would suspect because the SJA membership have been wilfully misled by tales of £250,000 toilet blocks, the requirement of floodlights and a need for seated stands. There are required improvements to be made by a number of clubs but the accepted standard is dreadful in many areas so is that a surprise? There have been improvements of course in recent years - Beechwood, Loch Park, Bellsdale to name three, and plans to improve at Newlandsfield too.

None so blind as those that won't see.

Cover for 100 and non-lethal refreshment facilities is hardly asking a lot when you charge admission, is it?

I'm sure if the pathway and timings are correct, they will. It will not be the EoS next season though!

No because they have not been announced. We only know for sure the clubs that have come forward - Camelon, Dalkeith and Blackburn are three I remember. Not sure on Bonnyrigg's timescale.

Not knowing who posted that comment, I'd assume it's based on the idea that some SPFL clubs don't declare the actual attendance and include absent season ticket holders etc... Celtic in the top league for example famously always declare low 50000s when there are many thousands less there, and therefore in SPFL2 when they say there's 400 there, it's actually 150! Not my opinion but I have heard it. Pollok do have a league average in excess of all SPFL2 sides bar Stirling so a Lok fan might have a different view of the norm. But so few publicly declare their gates it's an inexact science that leaves headcounting the only way to even guess. That said, I have been to few Lok away days over the years where the crowd consistently broke 400 for a mundane league game - games v Arthurlie and Auchinleck as definite exceptions. The last season I went regularly before moving away, nine years ago, I did headcounts and noted the following over 400 (some official): Auchinleck 800 (L), Cumnock 450 (L), Rob Roy 400 (L), Irvine Meadow 500 (L), Clydebank 600 (C), Irvine Meadow 1523 (C), Thorniewood 710 (C), Kilsyth 550 (C), Arthurlie 600 (L), Kilbirnie 550 (C), Arthurlie 600 (C), Petershill 450 (L), Arthurlie 450 (C). Bear in mind though that POllok do have a decent three figure away following. Pollok figures this season: 9 league games, total crowd 5755, average 639 (3 additional home cup ties drop average to 597). Highest home gate: 1125, lowest 405 (league) / 245 (cup).

In case they retracted them?

Didn't say either of those things. I said Lok needed to sign players good enough to be part of a dominant side at this level. Whether the side built then dominates is at the mercy of the fates that dictates any team's season. TM has assembled the current side for next season. I'd say Lok last dominated mid 00s and things went badly wrong under Willie Irvine. I do believe I said I did not know what Lok are paying and I'm sure it is higher than the going rate.

League titles in L1/2 are worth far more than any Junior league title.

Aye but you were responding to a response to me!

You have no evidence that the playing squad is 'much better'. I'm not going to go down the line of critiquing the squads in detail as it's a very subjective thing to do and making sweeping statements about the relative qualities of both is pointless. Having seen both sides though, there are only a few (not none) I'd be swapping though the make-up of both squads is uniquely determined - QP by who wants to play amateur in a league that has a healthy going rate for part-time players, and Lok by being able to attract players for good money (about £80-£100 a week seems to be going rate in our league but I have no knowledge of accurate Lok figures) who perhaps don't want to play at the higher national level but are good enough to be part of a dominant side in the Juniors. The Hampden experience is very different to Newlandsfield. Yeah it's nice to sit in a comfy leather seat at Hampden for a QP game, but there is zero atmosphere. Not sure I'd go back or not. Newlandsfield (on its day) is regarded as one of the best grounds to watch a game in the country with a great buzz under the shed (again on the right day). Yes it lacks many things but there are concrete plans to improve the supporter facilities. I do not for one second argue that the Juniors (any of them) are a higher level than any SPFL 1/2 side but that does not make every one of those 20 sides automatically superior on-field purely based on the division they play in. You cannot drop to our level and we cannot rise to yours, therefore there is no watertight means of proving where the overap is, if there is one.

Who mentioned one-off cup ties?