cmontheloknow
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Posts posted by cmontheloknow
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Interesting - Kieran McAnespie was a cameraman on Babestation.
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16 minutes ago, jimbaxters said:
That and the fact that they quoted verbatim. Awful, lazy reporting. They must just sit on their swivel chairs and trawl the social media sites.
I genuinely think that's what they do these days
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7 minutes ago, jimbaxters said:
Journalism is down the toilet when they fill an article with Facebook posts. Two young women, what a tragedy.
some of the grammar and spelling in that posting abysmal too. "Nicole’s finacee Vicky King..." ?? "A relativ, wrote on Facebook: " ??
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Good to see this guy's work paying off....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-55816277
What might you have been doing with your life when you were 17? Thinking about university or a job perhaps?
It probably wasn't working for a football club.
For Ashwin Raman, it's been a dream come true since starting a role as a scout and analyst at Scottish club Dundee United.
"I'm still pinching myself. And I still can't quite believe it," the 17-year-old tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
Ashwin's been at the club since 2019, during which they've seen a promotion and are currently sixth in the Scottish Premiership.
And it's not been a regular 9 to 5 for him either.
While lots of us have been getting used to working remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ashwin's somewhat of a pro, working from home the entire time - 5,111 miles (8,225 km) away in Bangalore, India.
It was after reading football books that Ashwin was "hooked" and felt inspired to "go into the blogosphere".
"On my 13th birthday I started a blog and wrote what were some horrible pieces looking back," he laughs.
But the more football analysis he put out there, the bigger his Twitter following became - and then he received a special message in 2019.
"Stevie Grieve, the chief scout at Dundee United popped into my DMs and asked if I wanted a role at the club."
For Ashwin, it was a chance to do what he was already doing - but having "an actual effect on a football club".
Data, videos and fun
Spending hours on a laptop going through data and analysing videos probably isn't "living the dream" for most people, but it is for Ashwin.
"Here I am getting paid to work for a football club and having an impact."
Most of his time is spent looking for new players the club can sign.
"I get told what type of player we want, go through the database and see who performs well for the profile of player we want."
"And if we have a shot at signing him, I'll spend hours watching him and report back if he's worth it."
It might not be the way most people his age spend the day, but he admits he loves it.
"Apart from that, I assess our own performance in relation to the rest of the league. Not just in terms of quality but also to see whether we're playing the way we set out to."
He says the big advantage with data is that it gives you "the answers to allocate resources better and be more efficient".
An unhealthy sleep schedule
It's worth remembering there's a pretty big time difference between the UK and India.
But Ashwin's "unhealthy sleep schedule" and years of watching European football means he practically lives on UK time.
He's thankful that work is flexible - he's still a student after all.
"I have exams right now so I haven't been doing much work."
As you might expect, football makes up a large part of Ashwin's downtime too, because at the end of the day - he's a fan at heart and doesn't "always need to watch analytically".
"I'm always thinking 'oh come on you can shoot from there' which is probably the opposite of what the best option is."
And though he's not at the level of his favourite player Eden Hazard, Ashwin "loves playing football".
"I might be the worst player on the pitch every single time."
But off the pitch, Ashwin is staying in the moment and seeing where he ends up.
"The absolute dream would be to reach the highest level possible."
"But I'm going to enjoy what I'm doing now and see where it takes me," he adds.
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12 hours ago, Andy groundhopper said:
Fair point, would be good to get even 50% of games played, if only to get some sort of 'final' tables. Looking ahead to next season, maybe starting earlier ? with fans definitely back through the turnstiles
It has already been said Sept at earliest for supporters.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55853839
Scottish Cup fixtures planned for 20 February will not go ahead, while Scotland's lower leagues and women's football will remain suspended until 14 February at the earliest.
The Scottish FA will review the situation on 10 February.
That will coincide with the Scottish government's review of its lockdown.
Levels below the Championship and in the Scottish Women's Premier League were suspended for three weeks initially on 11 January.
Leagues 1 & 2, the Highland and Lowland Leagues, the East, West and South of Scotland Leagues, Scottish Junior FA leagues and the North Caledonian League were all put into limbo.
Meanwhile, Scottish Cup ties between 12 January and 1 February were to be rescheduled, with 12 second-round ties still to be concluded following postponements.
SFA president Rod Petrie said: "A number of initiatives have been suggested which may help to make the eventual return to playing efficient without compromising safety.
"The decision to extend the suspension is necessary given the Scottish Government's own extension of existing lockdown measures. Football will play its part to support the collective effort to reduce the spread of the new variants of the COVID-19 virus."
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3 hours ago, 100GroundsProject said:
I visited Northend Thistle FC in Lochranza in 2019. Wonderful place. Image below.
What clubs play at Ardrishaig and Dunure? Both look very interesting.
Ardrishaig was used in a summer league but haven't heard of it lately. No idea who uses the Dunure pitch tbh but it is maintained. or at least was on my most recent visit.
Nice pic of Lochranza.
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8 hours ago, Dev said:
Do any decent amateur clubs ground-share with any WoS clubs already? Guessing they would be in a good position to move up, if there are any with such ambitions. Goldenhill at Drumchapel United?
If anyone's looking for a day trip then Oban Saints can't be far off from being a suitable ground etc. Strathaven Dynamo share with their local rugby club and have planning for good facilities (already built?).
Any more speculation?
Saints are nowhere near suitable unless they permanently played out of Mossfield Stadium - it's a rare day that they are there. Their usual pitch at Glencruitten has zero facilities but would love to see it enclosed etc.
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Eriskay
Tarbert (Harris)
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Some nice ones I have seen, but it depends what you want.
Nice lochside location for when Lochgilphead Red Star play at the school
Nice view of Ailsa Craig from the interstingly sloping pitch at Dunure
There is a stunning view from the pitch at Port William (behind me!)
The view down to Loch Gilp from King George V Park in Ardrishaig
The pitch at Lochranza I love
Cil Andreas at Tarbert is rusticly scenic
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2 hours ago, Big Dougie said:
I’m sorry, but I don’t think did. The hypocrisy still remains, and if the decision was taken on health and safety grounds why would they put players out on loan, and still commit to playing in a completion from last year? I should add that Pollok come into the same category.
Can't really stop the players going out on loan seeing as the club is shut down on the playing front. It's their individual right to put themselves at whatever risk they see as being there. We as a club felt we couldn't make the season a viable (would it finish - we wanted a delay untl the pandemic ended... still no sign of that.... and at what cost?) or safe one for our volunteers or players. It was a financial decision as much as a health one. Asking the players to play for free is all well and good, but we're a semi pro club. SPFL sides are rightly paying wages to people for their work.
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to be fair to CS, a reasoned, rational tweet from him yesterday.
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1 hour ago, NewBornBairn said:
No, he's as myopic as ever.
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9 minutes ago, Thom & Gerry said:
It might be a hobby for some but for a lot it’s their income or a substantial part of their monthly finances.
200 clubs got shut down today. For the vast majority of part-timers it's beer money at best.
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Nicola Sturgeon was asked directly in the briefing about Dalbeattie Star's part-timers playing on reluctantly last week. I wonder if she was aware how far Jason Leitch and Co had agreed to the 'professional' definition being applied down the pyramid. Leitch was as he outlined it in the same briefing, but can imagine she might have not been aware it went so low down. Her view is just one of many I am sure but can't imagine that would have thrilled her, had she known.
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yeah rolling 3 week review - think L1 and L2 might finish, perhaps even Highland and Lowland at a push but cannot see below.
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The virus spreads by human contact. We need to reduce human contact. That doesn't mean hide in the house, cowering behind curtains. But it does mean questioning non-essential human interaction and limiting it. I won't get covid if we welcome a 3rd person into the garden - but the law says I cannot do this to reduce human interaction.
If all football below level 4 survives the week I'll be astonished. Highland and South are already due to discuss the future weeks and months.
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Just now, Andre Drazen said:
Don't think the word "expert" was used enough there.
An expert flounce too.
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I am sorry Mr McKenna feels that way.
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1 hour ago, DanMan said:
The amount of people on here who are "Stop the Season" advocates, can I suggest you just stay off this forum and go do something else. Can I ask, do you also go on shopping forums asking why Supermarkets are allowed to stay open for non essential items? I would feel way safer at a game of football outside, than I would wandering round Asda, Tesco or the like, whilst people buy an esential plate, tumbler or pair of socks. If you are not happy that football is still on, just stay away and give everybody else peace and quiet. Unless you are Jason Leitch on here, I don't think anybody actually cares.
I am sorry you feel that way.
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6 minutes ago, Lynchmob11 said:
That is your opinion on it but not necessarily the opinion of everyone else.
The media frenzy fuelled by government propaganda and announcements on this has scared people into believing how dangerous this strain of the flu actually is.
You keep believing whatever you want and leave the teams who choose to play on to get on with it.
No one forces players or management or committees to go to games the do so of their own choice.
The vast majority of teams chose to play this season so that might be a better indication of what people feel on the matter.Government propaganda? Get a grip.
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Alan Pattullo hitting several nails on the head:
Comment: Why SFA inaction on Covid is a dereliction of duty
Teamwork. ‘A collaborative group effort to achieve a common goal’. Responsibility. ‘A duty to deal with something or having control’. Both are important in football and in other walks of life too, of course.
The Scottish Government needs teamwork and responsibility from society at large to combat the coronavirus pandemic as it enters its most dangerous phase. That means pulling together, making sacrifices, showing leadership and determination in the face of adversity. Scottish football culture in a nutshell, you could say. Sadly, the sport’s governing body is letting the side down with its blinkered handling of this national crisis.
Sure, it will argue that there was no new instruction to stop football in the latest lockdown announced this week. Professional sport is allowed to continue, it will correctly point out. But the reality is that it has shirked its responsibility to society by failing to take decisive action.
Schools are closed. Only two people from two households can now meet outdoors. Group exercise is banned. People are being told to stay at home and to travel for essential purposes only. As it wrestles with a fast-moving crisis, the Scottish Government needs everyone onside, not just obeying the law and following the guidelines but adhering to them in spirit and understanding their purpose. The SFA response? Let’s carry on regardless. Nothing needs to change.
Players, coaches and officials from Brora Rangers, none of whom makes a living out of football, are today being asked to take a 400-mile round trip to play Camelon in a Scottish Cup tie. Their children, however, won’t be going to school.
The NHS could do without sports injury admissions at the moment, but around 100 so-called ‘professional’ football matches scheduled for this weekend mean some are likely. Add players, coaches, club officials and match officials at an average of, say, 50 people a match, and you’ll have 5,000 people from the same number of households mixing at football grounds this weekend. With a highly infectious new strain of the virus spreading fast, Nicola Sturgeon is asking people to avoid contact with others. The SFA is not listening.
The issue at play is its liberal interpretation of the word ‘professional’. It stems from Ms Sturgeon’s announcement of restrictions on October 7. She allowed exemptions for those “involved in professional sports, for training, coaching or competing in an event”.
Given an inch, the SFA trook a mile. It gave the green light to 240 clubs to start playing matches along with the 12 Premiership teams who had been allowed to start their season in August.
There is no mandatory testing outside of the Premiership. Yes, matches in the Championship, Leagues One and Two, Lowland League, Highland League, South of Scotland League, East of Scotland League (three divisions), West of Scotland League (three divisions) and six junior leagues are behind closed doors. Yes, there are detailed Covid safety guidelines in place and the majority of clubs will be doing all the right things. But 250 or so clubs is surely not what the Scottish Government and its scientific advisors had in mind when allowing ‘professional’ sport to continue. Especially now.
That guidance and the SFA interpretation of it has not changed this week, but the virus has.
Ms Sturgeon talked on Monday about an “extremely serious” situation due to the new, faster-spreading variant of coronavirus. The First Minister said she was “more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year” and warned that hospitals could be overwhelmed in three weeks. But when the opportunity presented itself for the SFA to take responsibility and do what it could to help, it did nothing.
Sure, Camelon’s players sign the same ‘professional’ forms as Celtic’s players. It doesn’t mean the SFA should treat them all the same. It could have been responsible and pragmatic by temporarily putting a stop to football outside of the top two leagues, but it is instead allowing 5,000 people to mix again this weekend just because they all happen to sign the same registration forms.
Outside of the Premiership, Championship, Falkirk and Partick Thistle, all the players are semi-pro or amateurs who may be serious about their football but collect pocket-money wages and have jobs like the rest of us. They generally train twice a week but don’t do it for a living.
Some will be mixing with work colleagues as well as teammates and opponents. This doesn’t chime with Ms Sturgeon’s heartfelt appeal for people to leave home only if it is “essential”.
Sport’s benefit to physical and mental wellbeing can no longer be used to justify semi-pro football continuing at this critical juncture in the coronavirus crisis. Limiting the number of matches taking place should be the priority. An argument that football lifts the national mood could perhaps be made for the Premiership and Championship. But Thornton Hibs v Nisthdale Wanderers anyone?
A handful of West of Scotland League clubs did opt out of the season in October, but the vast majority of clubs outside the SPFL’s top two leagues are playing on. They still have to cover the cost of travel, referees, player expenses, ground maintenance and more with no matchday revenue coming in, relying instead on Covid bailout grants. Many of these clubs are run by volunteers in their 60s and 70s who must now be wondering if all their efforts are really worth it. Can semi-pro football really be justified when everyone else is being told to stay at home?
It is not up to the clubs. It is the SFA’s responsibility to do the right thing. It can show leadership and a duty of care to the those involved in the game and the nation at large by pressing pause for all but elite football. Or it can continue to do nothing.
As the going gets tough for the country, the SFA has been found wanting.
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39 minutes ago, Bestsinceslicebread said:
Yes understand your point but again, no facts are there that state football is a contributing factor in the spread of the virus.
The clubs are staying within the guidelines and the clubs and WOSFL are going on what is asked of them from the government and SFA.
If the Government and SFA say only club that they their players can continue then most will stop but that hasn't happened yet
I can see football at LL level and below either pausing or stopping this season but as I stated there's no FACTUAL contributing factors that football is spreading the virusNot about being a 'contributing factor'. We are in a national lockdown and people are leaving their house for the non essential purpose of playing football and mingling off the pitch. It's a group of people who do not need to be out their houses for that activity. I can see one other person legally outdoors, socially. The SG needs to get a grip on this absolute piss-taking of the law .
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"we need to radically reduce interactions people are having". Quote NS today. Yet football, which is neither essential or employment if players are not being paid, continues.
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Cancel the season?
in West of Scotland Football League
Posted
People still think it's all about excess deaths? It's about keeping people out of hospital to allow NHS to function - and that means reducing non-essential human contact. This is said time and again.