DutchBorderer

That fact is made all the worse by the realization that Berwick have been playing in the SPFL for decades including this season, and Cove have.... well, never.

Mister Baker dead by two gunshots to the back of the head in a heartbreaking suicide, more at 11 tonight.

I've been unequivocally resolute in my support for the squad and the new managerial appointments, but I can't fault anyone for getting down about our prospects going forward. If anything, someone's blind optimism has contributed to our hurt this season. Still, attendances have been encouraging compared to how pish the football has been, for which I can only applaud everyone attached to the club.

*cough* *cough*

Both- Cove have smashed the Highland League this season (last season as well) and gave Cowden real trouble last season - they will be real hungry now, to get revenge and finally reach League 2. Our current team is arguably worse than the Blue Brazil back then, is bereft of confidence, and may not have had enough time under the new managerial duo to rid itself of the Harvey stench. The boardroom is rumbling as well, which I doubt will have a positive effect on proceedings. Based on all of that..... the rational mind would fancy Cove. However, for better or worse, all results are reset; our league record means nothing, Cove's means nothing. It's a 180 minute fight to the death, which leaves room for luck and errors on the part of players and refs. Jordan Orru and Dougie Brydon should be fit(ter) for play, and See will have had another week or two of recuperation under his belt from his previous match on. Perhaps that makes for a slim straw to grasp, but by jove, we're all reaching for it anyway.

You'd think it's a given, especially with yellow adopted as accent colour in the club crest (shirts for 2018/2019 were ordered before it was designed and revealed). On that note, you were supplied by Football Nation Teamwear on Peffermill Road (been there, decent lil' shop) - both the home and away shirts are in Joma's Tiger template, but the black is slightly nonsensical given that this design also comes in, y'know, yellow. Instead, the club held on to 17/18's away kit as a third option, but I'm not sure if it's been used at all this year? Argueably the only matchup City would need it for is Elgin.

Berwick to get blown out 3-0 or 3-1. If that prediction ends up wrong I will over the moon, and if it turns out to be right I can at least revel in the knowledge that I am excellent at predicting footy scores (or, argueably, that I can read the writing on the wall). Does this fear make me back the boys any less? No way.

Yellow away kit or we.... I mean, you riot!

First and probably last time for this, happier about it than I should be really;

I'm deathly afraid Liverpool will win the final (this coming from someone who, of course, roots for Ajax), purely based on the fact that it's more or less the same team as last year's final but with an actualy half-decent goalie between the sticks this time. 'Mon the Dutch tonight all the same; a win will see Ajax equal the record for best European season by a single club (held currently by Real Madrid) by virtue of the results in the three qualifying rounds making up for the draws in the group stage.

http://www.edinburghcityfc.com/2019/05/08/new-technical-partnership/ Excited for that, Joma have been guff for you the past two seasons what with standard templates. Macron will actually design something bespoke too, which should be a win-win for everyone involved. Imagine this season's Ross County kit in white/black/yellow! Wait, no, don't, that doesn't sound good at all; https://club25football.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/ross-county-fc-2018-2019-home-shirt/

I say, I've spent all season dreading the prospect of playing them twice.

Lucky guess or oddly prophetic? You decide.

Barça dreadful, Liverpool amazing - I swear if Ajax bottle it tomorrow I'll get a crack in me clogs.

Deary me, some game, some result. Not the Cruijff-Classico final some had hoped for, but massive respect for Liverpool - regardless of what I or others may think of them. Massive. Bring on Ajax tomorrow, let this inspire them to snuff out any surprises Spurs try to spring on them.

This game of football (as a neutral)

Jfc. I have a huge respect for anyone taking up a post as a director at Berwick - or elsewhere at this level of football - for it is a most unenviable task. As such, I also fully respect and accept George's decision to leave. HOWEVER I find the timing of this announcement highly unfortunate, given that we are just three days away from what is the single most important set of matches Berwick Rangers have had to play in decades. This sends the wrong signal to fans and players alike - I appreciate honesty and the timely informing of stakeholders, but this should have waited about ten days to be released. You know, until after it could have an on-field effect?

As much as it pains me to say this, I am inclined to agree. This coming from a country where the second tier even is a closed-up shop (due to ridiculous licensing standard, gee, where have we heard that before?). As an addendum, however, I would suggest the HL and LL champions have a play-off for a direct promotion spot, with the loser playing the 9th team from League 2 as a second chance - this due to a ten team league being a wee bit small for two direct relegation spots.

Fontastic

I love your enthusiam but.... A. Wrong thread - the match thread is here B. You are very welcome in Berwick and at Haggerston Castle but C. We'd rather you get promoted instead of us being relegated

Any single one of Dundee FC's first team strikers would be banging goals in at this level - I'm not saying the drop from them to us is the same as from us to Bonnyrigg, but I don't think we can take Murrell's performances of late as definitive proof that we made a mistake in letting him go. I recall someone mentioning they'd pay his bus ticket to anywhere, so it's not like we were all unanimously agreed on his quality - I myself did not fancy him either although I am pleased for him to be proving me at least slightly wrong at the moment. Then again, Johnny Harvey was so terrible in the transfer department that I'd almost say we should have done the exact opposite of what he proposed and did - meaning in this case we should have had Murrell's name as the first in the line-up.

The dismantling of Ajax following their succesful run to the Europa League final (where Man Utd had to spoil the fun) was much less bad than expected; Davinson Sánchez was the first to leave as one of the standout performers (42 million Pounds), followed by Amin Younes (who started faking injuries when he realized he couldn't leave during 17/18), Kenny Tete (to Lyon), Jaïro Riedewald (Crystal Palace), and Justin Kluivert (Roma, a season later). Key players like goalie Onana, defender de Ligt, creative midfielder Ziyech, and Dolberg were slept on - and the further two seasons they spent in Amsterdam have allowed them to mature to the point where they are on the verge of the Champions League final - albeit supplanted by bought experience (Blind and Tadic) and the young talent that was just outside of the starting eleven back during 2016/2017 (van de Beek, Neres, and Frenkie de Jong came on as substitutes that evening). I hate to say it, but the awful tagedy that befell Abdelhak Nouri may have also a large part in how tight-knit the team is now (Nouri was notably close to van de Beek, the two were roomies in the academy and when on the road with the first team). Ajax was well-beaten back in the 2017 final, yes, but that was the Europa League (Ajax had a relatively easy journey to the final, including a group with Celta de Vigo, Standard Luik/Liège, and Panathinaikos, and Legia Warsaw and Copenhagen in the first two knock-out rounds) - which may have played a part in the first team not being stripped bare. Now though, Ajax kept Bayern Munich to a draw twice, then beat reigning champions Real (admittedly without Ronaldo) and Juventus (admittedly with Ronaldo). You don't fluke results like those, especially not when Ajax were the better team for much of those games. Frenkie de Jong is already gone, whispers speak of a transfer sum for de Ligt that may get awfully close to the amount Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk, and van de Beek, Neres, Ziyech, and Onana are eyed by scouts in the Johan Cruijff Arena every two weeks - deservedly so. Whether Ajax reaches the final or not (but especially so if they do manage it), I fully expect this summer to bring forth an asset-stripping of never-before-seen proportions - for one because these players will be 'relatively' cheap (16 mil for Tadic is, despite his age, a steal), and for two because Ajax cannot refuse tens of millions as easily as the big, big teams. Even then, you might get another Younes or two on your hands if you try and hold onto certain players for an extra season - and there are a fair few potential candidates for that considering that out of the current starting eleven, only Tagliafico has strongly spoken about remaining with Ajax for 2019/2020. But hey, I am buzzing and will be wearing my shirt tomorrow when I watch the game with my English colleagues - Ajax is showing everyone in Europe that you can achieve miracles against all (financial) odds with the right mindset and on- and off-field philosophies. Sure, it may well be the last time a team from a small country like us reaches the final this side of 2040 (especially with the proposed European promotion/relegation), but I've no doubt Spurs will get a run for their television money.

The Old Firm Colts in L2 thread is now well over two years old, onto its 155th page, and recently cracked the 3000 post mark. As one can tell from that, the resistance further down the league has been resoundingly unified - these dodo's at the SPFL thinking the lure of no relegation for a single season would be enough to compel Championship clubs to sign over their soul, then, defies belief. Here's a poll - the fact we still have to debate a league reorganization, which benefits exactly two out of 42 clubs and literally no one else, is beyond stupid; https://www.strawpoll.me/17950736