GordonS
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Posts posted by GordonS
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2 hours ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:
It was three decades ago and Bernard Tapie has been dead for two and a half years
it might be time to let that grudge go
Football fans hold grudges: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yzK2qXzo7sqCLHz36
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One defeat in their last 15 league games and the third-best team in the last 10, only two points behind Arsenal.
Boehly gave Pochettino a squad of talented players with no shape, playing philosophy or cohesion and a real problem finding goals, because he's another clueless billionaire that thinks that success in one thing makes him an omnigenius. Coming into the changing room after games to lecture players, they should have told him to fk off back to his boardroom. Pochettino was obviously starting to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, he was finding the best way to utilise that squad and identify the gaps that still needed to be filled.
But Boehly is a fkwit and it's great watching him fail. More mid-table mediocrity for Chelsea next season. Without Champions League money they're going to find it impossible to sign anyone worthwhile due to the PSR constraints he's put on them. They could do a Leeds.
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2 hours ago, Theyellowbox said:
Aye, because folk in and outside of Scotland are focused on league one games!
Who gives a flying f*ck what people outside of Scotland think about our football??? We've to rip out perfectly good surfaces, end long-term groundshares with other men's and women's teams, cut revenue for low-income clubs and increase costs so Barry down the Dog and Duck isn't subjected to a plastic pitch for the Celtic/Rangers away game he's not watching while he's waiting for the Barclays?
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52 minutes ago, BFTD said:
There have been a variety of Labour leaders who've had moments that people point to and say, "if only this hadn't happened, he'd have been Prime Minister".
I think we're kidding ourselves on here - until the Conservatives regress to widespread open degeneracy, England is never going to vote Labour anyway.
In the past 50 years one Labour leader has won a general election.
Not from this century but...
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On 11/05/2024 at 20:24, buchan30 said:
On the Thai boys being rescued from that cave, every year we take our cubs scouts section to Fordell Firs, where they do caving and every year the leader tells us that a couple of the men who rescued them were scouts at one stage, and learned to get through the tunnels by doing the caving activities.
That's a good lesson. Those guys were absolute legends. Even the Thai Navy Seals quickly realised how skilled, capable and experienced they were and basically took their orders from them. Most people didn't realise that, even after they found the boys, their chances of survival weren't good. There's a brilliant short documentary about the rescue here:
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3 hours ago, Groundhopping Adventures said:
For anyone who thought, like we did, Downfield v Violent would be a good way to avoid the cheeks in the Cup Final on Saturday, it's been shifted to half 12 so nae luck there
I think I recommended Nairn St Ninian before. They've also added Lossiemouth Utd v Longside promotion play-off semi-final first leg, which is where I might be headed. Weather forecast is promising too.
Should also be Deveronside v Prem 14th, once they know who that is after tonight's games.
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2 hours ago, Theyellowbox said:
Artificial pitches are all OK in the lower leagues for sides like Airdrie and Falkirk, who can monetise other local sides using them and for clubs like stenny etc, who can do a lot of community stuff on it, but for the top flight, where 90% of the focus of our game is, I just don't think they should be used.
This is pure OF thinking - everyone is only here to watch us so we should get to decide everything.
The OF are more than half of the "focus" of the Premiership so maybe you should just do whatever they say, no?
In any case your maths are off; Premiership attendances were about 3.25m (of which the OF were 1.78m), while attendances of the rest of Scottish football were somewhere over 900,000. That's not 90%.
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5 hours ago, 10menwent2mow said:
Why do top flight teams with their own training grounds build artificial pitches if they aren't good enough. How many development League games are played on artificial surfaces.
Hearts B play Lowland League games on a plastic pitch they share with Spartans, Spartans Women and Hutchie Vale.
Celtic B share at Airdrie along with Celtic Women and Glasgow University's WoS team.
They're clearly not that opposed to plastic pitches then.
There were only 4 Premiership sides in the development league this season: Killie and Livi used their own plastic pitches, Hibs played on grass at their training ground and Dundee played on grass at North End's ground.
If you step down to the CAS Elite under 18s you'll find a lot more on plastic including Aberdeen, Hearts, Motherwell and St Mirren.
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The SFA: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the decision but the safety of supporters, players, team staff and officials is of paramount importance."
I dunno, I think having to experience the incredible trauma of seeing some people protesting is maybe marginally less important than standing against ethnic cleansing and potentially genocide.
Even just from a purely footballing perspective, the Israeli FA practices racism and they have member clubs from settler colonies in occupied Palestine, in breach of FIFA and UEFA statutes.
The Palestinian FA made an apparently persuasive case for Israel to be suspended at FIFA's congress in Bangkok and they're taking legal advice on it before putting it to a vote. There could easily be a majority of associations in favour but there's always sh*tey politics going on too. Worth remembering that the South African FA weren't suspended because of the actions of their government, it was the actions of their FA in practicing apartheid, and Israel are on similar ground.
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On 18/05/2024 at 21:13, HibeeJibee said:
Newtown Park Association (NPA) have taken another huge step forward in their bid to establish a £3m community hub at Newtown Park.
The NPA have finally submitted their planning application to Falkirk Council, hoping that they will get the green light to move forward with their ambitious proposals.
It was back in 2018 that the NPA started to pull together the brief for the hub and set the ball rolling with the initial surveys, consultations, reports and advice. However, Covid slowed down the process with the delays only adding to the overall cost of the project. Earlier this year the NPA applied to the Community Choices Capital Grant Fund for the sum of £44671, the sum needed to cover the cost of presenting the architectural drawings to Falkirk Council for planning consent. The NPA were successful in their grant bid thanks to the support of the public of Bo’ness who were asked to vote for the community project they deemed most worthy.
Following on from taking Newtown Park into community ownership from Falkirk Council, the NPA are looking to expand on the existing facilities — with its recently upgraded 3G pitch — to grow their community beyond sport and create inclusive and flexible spaces for all people and all ages in the wider Bo’ness community.
Robert Snedden, chairman of the NPA, said: “The modernisation of Newtown Park has proved to be a huge success and the ground is being utilised seven days a week by all ages from age six years through to senior adults, both male and female. “Following on from this success, the NPA now wish to proceed with phase two of the project which is the creation of a community hub within the stadium grounds. “NPA are now fully focused and committed to delivering the hub. “It will serve an area of the the town which currently has no facilities that cater for the needs of the community in the densely populated areas of Newtown, Maiden Park, and Deanfield as well as the new residential areas being created at the southern extremities of the town.” He added: “At a time when the population of Bo'ness continues to grow, and with several new housing developments in progress as well as others others in the pipeline, and with Falkirk Council seeking to reduce recreational facilities, it is more crucial than ever that the Community Hub at Newtown Park goes ahead.”
NPA’s vision is to provide an inclusive destination that offers facilities and services that will improve its community and enhance the lives of the people who live in Bo'ness. Newtown Park Stadium has a fantastic history and by transforming it into a community resource, the NPA are aiming to ensure that its future will continue this legacy. The site for development is within the boundary of Newtown Park Stadium, re-purposing a narrow strip to the west of the site for the use of the community.
The proposal is in close proximity to Kinneil Primary School and — having reached out to the Parent Council and acting head teacher — the NPA are keen to form a partnership moving forward.
The proposed hub can be broken down into three key elements: the public square, community spaces, and shared spaces. The public square on Jamieson Avenue will support both the hub and school, and offer a place to gather for parents and children, which could ease the busy school drop-off /pick up times. The community element comprises a multi-function hall, flexible spaces, and cafe, while the shared spaces centre around supporting the pitch with changing facilities for professional and amateur players and are accessed directly from the pitch side.
To engage with the wider community, NPA hosted a consultation event in February. The event was attended by local residents, and representatives from Kinneil Primary School, Bo’ness United Football Club, and Bo’ness Rugby Club. Attendees completed surveys about facilities in Bo’ness and the proposed hub, and offered suggestions of what they would like to see. Discussions with school staff centred around how they use the green space adjacent to the proposal, and concerns about overlooking when both are in use. Many felt frustrated by the closure of the Recreation Centre and were concerned about the limited community space in Bo’ness, issues which the establishment of a hub would help to address.
Should the planning application be successful, the NPA will seek the estimated £3m needed to complete the project from a variety of funders.
The timescale for completion of the hub is dependent upon having all consents and getting the funding, and is estimated to be between 12-24 months. The actual construction process from start to handover is programmed to be between 12-18 months.The marked area is the entire space set aside for Linlithgow Rose fans at derby games. Presumably BU will be making sure there's still space for away fans with some degree of separation, because these games draw big crowds and they're not exactly friendly affairs with a jovial intermingling sets of fans...
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15 hours ago, Burnieman said:
Fauldhouse would likely have been EoS Premier now if they hadn't backed a loser and remained. Them, West Calder, Stoneyburn, Bathgate, Whitburn, Armadale, Pumpherston all had a wee pact to carry on Junior because the "traitors" would come running back eventually. How wrong they were. It's littered across "that" thread.
Whitburn have managed to drag themselves back to where they should have been a decade ago, the rest are all having various struggles, Armadale chucking money at it but faltering, although Bathgate are showing signs of recovery. Hoose are just a mess, badly run for a number of years.
One thing that leapt out at me from @HibeeJibee's brilliant piece of work is that the declines at some of those clubs happened earlier than I had remembered. In my memory Whitburn, Armadale and Bathgate were still relatively successful until the pyramid came along and it was their decision not to join that caused their decline. I see now that the rot had already set in. Presumably the people who presided over their declines were the same people who didn't realise the pyramid was the only show in town.
I don't know about Bathgate but certainly Armadale and Whitburn are in better shape now.
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12 hours ago, MrIrvinePollock said:
If women football wants to be taken serious then the shambles I watched near the end of the Hibs v Celtic game needs to be looked at. Some player retires and is subbed off with minutes to go with the score at 1-0 for Celtic.
So, before leaving the pitch she gives a cuddle to every Hibs player on the pitch...then the Celtic players line up and she gives them a cuddle as well.
Oh, and if Hibs had scored they'd have handed the title to Rangers.
But heyho, there's a player retiring so lets all give her a cuddle, to hell with sporting integrity etc.
Comical to watch...no wonder womens football has it's critics.
When a tinpot thing happens in a men's game nobody attributes it to men's football. This is fk all to do with "women's football". It's just a thing that happened in that game.
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1 minute ago, scottsdad said:
No, I reckon in a single match, team v team, Arsenal would win.
Man City would win the league of course, but the strength of that Arsenal team would take the game.
I don't think even Arsene Wenger would claim that, but the game's all about opinions Gerry.
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40 minutes ago, scottsdad said:
I reckon the 2002/3 Arsenal team would pump them ragged.
Arsenal came second that season with 78 points. They got put out the Champions League at the second group stage, only winning one game. I think you're maybe applying a bit of nostalgia.
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1 hour ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:
I’m all for the pyramid, including straight relegation but not whilst the pathetic Lowland League clubs continue to offer up their bum holes to B teams. The Lowland and Highland leagues also have to open up a couple of straight relegation spots before it should be considered (these are 18 team leagues). The regional weirdos seem to think the SPFL and it’s clubs are the problem when the leagues below are much bigger and operate in pretty much the exact same way as League 2.
It should also be remembered that a lot of the teams further down the pyramid have historically been happy to be a big fish in a small pond. I’d imagine this is still the same for some of them, although that attitude does seem to be changing somewhat amongst some of them.
The notion that League 2 should have 2 straight relegation spots shouldn’t be considered. Having 20% of the clubs automatically relegated from a 10 team league is laughable. A playoff involving 2nd bottom is a more reasonable suggestion.
Talking about the Lowland League as if all the clubs are the same is as stupid as talking about the SPFL as if all the clubs are the same. Do you hold Stranraer accountable for Neil Doncaster in the way you're blaming all Lowland League clubs for the decisions of the league?
Might want to think about how the B teams are your beloved fellow SPFL clubs and Stranraer have a B team in a tier 6 league too.
The EoS and WoS have a minimum of 3 relegation places from their 16 team leagues, they make up the vast bulk of the pyramid south of the Tay, yet you claim that "the leagues below are much bigger and operate pretty much the exact same way as League 2". It's a bit early to be drinking.
And finally - using the low values of 8 clubs as justification for having low values isn't big or clever.
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2 hours ago, Northsea80 said:
Fumbled a potential home final in the last two games. I think the best Glasgow can hope for is a 2nd place finish if other results go their way and they get the bonus point win at home to Zebre.
Saying they "fumbled" it is a bit harsh. Their position was always a little artificial because they hadn't been to South Africa while everyone else around them had. The 2 points they took last week were very ballsy. It got away from them yesterday when they had a 50-50 crack at a win but they were always underdogs in these two games and taking 2 points from them is 2 points more than most expected.
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Just now, 19QOS19 said:
If you re-read my opening post, the B team nonsense wasn't the main point. The reason I commented was the EK hypocrisy. Happy to buy a title but complaining about an injustice that doesn't benefit them.
Shite patter.
Mate, you're the one with the truly desperate patter. Having a go about B teams in the LL at folk who are opposed to B teams in the LL, because of some weird SPFL loyalty, despite the fact the B teams are SPFL clubs. Give it up and stop trying to antagonise people.
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33 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:
2 that remain, aye? Farcical you let them in in the first place. I thought that was pretty obvious.
I'm pretty sure Burnieman didn't let B teams into the Lowland League.
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1 hour ago, EdinburghBlue said:
And maybe we should collectively apologise to Lowland League clubs for another year of EK
1 hour ago, MrFizz said:Yes. Maybe some chocs and flowers to soften the blow.
Thanks. Could've been worse. We could have been looking forward to a 10-team conference league with 4 games against EK and 16 games against the four B teams.
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Just now, Jives Miguel said:
They'll almost certainly just hire a legal team costing the GDP of Luxembourg and get away scott free again.
A man can dream though. I want to see them relegated and every title wiped off their record, I want see their directors in jail and their bald fraud of a manager also charged with fraud and for him to go down in history as a complicit, bald cheat
No law firm wins every case; if the charge is strong enough anyone can go down. They may be the best but they're not magicians. Nobody thought Juventus would get relegated and stripped of a title and if it can happen in Italy it can definitely happen here.
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10 minutes ago, Jives Miguel said:
These cheating freaks getting done can't come soon enough.
I hate them more with every year.
I've been wondering if it's bad news for Man City that the Premier League have dealt with Everton and Nottingham Forest before them and that their investigation is taking so long, rather than the good news many seem to assume. Officials have had the time to work out the strong and weak points and, critically, how the appeal panel see things. We'll see.
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Arsenal's points total of 89 and goal difference of +62 would have been enough to win the Premier League in 16 of the past 28 seasons. Regardless of the conclusion it's a great effort. Apart from in the two games you play against them you can't do anything about how many points your opponents get, you can only focus on winning your own games. They were just one point short of the invincible season.
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1 minute ago, Cowdenleith said:
It’s clearly not the one seat that is the issue...
I know, that was my point.
Last I heard it's nothing to do with the stadium criteria anyway, it's about paperwork.
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4 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:
Stranraer management view was that we had to win yesterday as the intelligence was that the only remaining EC issue was a technical one on accounts submission. May be different in 2025/26 though unless they can persuade Edinburgh Council on expanding capacity at Meadowbank or find another compliant home.
Meadowbank needs precisely one covered seat. It would be ridiculous (if typical) for the SPFL to insist on that, but even if they do, it surely wouldn't be difficult to instal.
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General Election 2024
in The Politics Forum
Posted · Edited by GordonS
Not nearly enough consideration to how Scottish local authorities will actually deliver this election.
The first two weeks in July are by far the most popular for summer holidays. Parents of school-age children - more than 1.5 million voters - have a 7 week window for their holidays and the first two weeks are by far the best for cost and options.
This is especially true in the public sector and local government. I'd bet at least half of all Returning Officers have a foreign holiday booked and paid for. Teachers in particular take the first two weeks.
They get additional pay for working elections but it's nowhere near enough to incentivise staff to cancel holidays and then try to rebook when most holidays are already booked.
Polling station and count staff are mostly local government employees, and a very high proportion of them are teachers. They're simply not going to be around and I'm not convinced local authorities will be able to find enough people to cope. You need a reasonable proportion that have done it before, especially as this will be the first election with voter ID.
Lots of schools have maintenance work over the summer - do they postpone that and if so, are UK government going to compensate local authorities?
There will be massive demand for postal and proxy votes from people who will be on holiday. I wouldn't be surprised at a million applications in the next few weeks. Do local authorities have the staff for that?
Big increases in demand for postal votes in recent years have lead to them being sent out increasingly late. Anyone going to Germany should get a proxy, postal ballot papers probably won't be sent out until after they leave.
This is a massive logistical pain in the rrse.
I've seen cringey fkwits calling these concerns parochial, which is a mental enough take, but there's no chance any country would arrange its elections for peak holiday time. The French would burn the AN to the ground if they organised an election in August.