VodkaTap

Enough local talent ?? I really wonder about that. You will find that almost all of the good local talent have at some time or other played for the top local sides, Dalbeattie, Gretna 2008, Threave & whatever SOS team decides to have a go for the league that season. With the dropping of a league by Queen of the South they are having to fish in a lower pond that was maybe Annan's preserve and so Annan are looking around and picking up the best of the LL in the local area. when you look at the population hotspots in Dumfries & Galloway they really are well spread out and consequently the availability of a large good player pool is not possible. Plus of course, availability of good players in an area does go in cycles and maybe there are just not too many around right now.

Where do you get the idea that I am angry ?? cos nothing could be further from the truth !! Statements about the strength of a league does is not in itself a justification Only Threave can provide their reason for moving leagues. it is more than a bit disrespectful to imply that clubs who had a different view and chose to remain must be lacking 'balls' Why do you reckon that I must frightened ?? I simply want to take the opportunity to provide an alternative view !! That is the way to have a healthy debate on any subject. ' '

Only Dalbeattie's membership was in the past, not the current membership !! So far you have not stated one fact to justify your argument; Apart from your assertion that it is logical and simple !!

So - are you really saying that members of the EOSFA could be denied entry into the E£OS League ?????

I suggest you check your information before make this incorrect statement as a fact. A quick look at the Club Directory on the EOS website confirms that Gretna 2008, Hawick & Peebles are all there as members !! In the past, even as far west as Dalbeattie are, they were also members until they resigned. Seems the EOS covers a bigger footprint in the LL area than most members realise !

ALL the teams currently in the LL are there because of the results and points achieved on the pitch !! No matter how they arrived in the league they have been able to stay there due to their results on the pitch. So far OG Broomhill and all the rest of those that are deemed not to be 'Proper Clubs' have done exactly that and until that changes and they go down - or up, then they deserve to be in the LL. It really is that simple.

No matter what you think of all the various clubs that don't qualify to be called 'Proper Clubs' - they are there because they have achieved their position in the league because of their results on the pitch. They will stay there until that changes and they are no longer good enough to remain in the league. Only then will they move - as a pyramid system works !! Simple name calling won't relegate them and I seriously doubt they will go bust either because of being called a few nasty names.

I do agree - I misquoted you and for that you have my apology. The critical point I question is the comment - which you state you kinda agree with I have had conversations with people in the LL who say that having the SoS at tier 6 makes it problematic to open up to automatic promotion for the three Champions clubs at tier 6. Whoever made that comment to you , as you said a year ago, I question whether they could truly reflect the mood of the entire LL clubs. Plus who knows what the mood of all the LL clubs is now, one year on. Nothing more - and I am certainly not implying anything about your motives in relaying this info. As to whether the LL will open up relegation places - they certainly should. As to whether they will move directly to 3 relegation spots - i reckon that is less likely but will eventually. I don't reckon that whatever level the SOS is at really matters much at all. I do believe they will be flexible in discussions to establishing a workable promotion system. Lets be honest here - worst case scenario it will only involve another couple of games in a playoff

There is only one assertion that you have made that I have great difficulty in accepting. The uncorroborated single view that the SOS is the reason for any movement in increasing the number of relegation places is, in my view, spurious and highly questionable. You claim that you are not online to convince anyone ?? You have made many valid statements in the past and still claim you are not here to convince anyone ?? I leave others to make their own mind up on how accurate that claim is !!

So, in the absence of any corroborating evidence that you are able to provide, basically we simply have to take your word for it. Not really a reliable basis for anyone to convince others of the validity of the cause you espouse. BTW - I am not saying that the comments you were provided with were incorrect - it just that views, by what appears to be one person, can be extrapolated to cover the views of all of the LL clubs is tenuous to say the least. Plus views stated a year ago ?? - who knows how relevant they are now !!

I did not ask for, nor would I expect you to, provide any information gained in a confidential conversation. I was merely trying to ascertain how representative the views you are stating are. Was it simply one clubs representative view - or a collection of club representatives and how may of them ?? As we have seen on other issues being dealt with by the LL, decisions taken can vary wildly in a much shorter time frame than those stated a year ago.

I have followed this topic with great interest ( as I do all posts on LL, SOS & WOS). Basically there is much ado about not very much. To me there is a lot of folk getting het up about the injustice of where the SOS should be in the grand scheme of the pyramid. Right now, the WOS are heading towards an 80 team limit. Within that number, at what level the SOS is at, really doesn’t matter to the vast majority, since the twain will never meet (except occasionally in a Cup.) So really any bone of contention between the WOS & SOS would only affect the top of the premier league. I totally agree that the bottleneck right now is solely with how the LL have dealt with the number of teams for relegation. Without question that number should be increased – to what is still for debate I also don’t feel that the SOS would be inflexible or dogmatic in any of those discussions I have a question for Burnieman. You stated I have had conversations with people in the LL who say that having the SoS at tier 6 makes it problematic to open up to automatic promotion for the three Champions clubs at tier 6. Are you claiming that the conversations you have have represent the views of all in the LL ?? Can you clarify just how many clubs were represented in your sample conversations ? The number of clubs represented is critical since if we take the other highly contentious decision recently about colts, a poll from one side or the other would give a highly skewed view and not representative of the LL at all.

Marymass Saturday is always the 3rd Saturday after the first Monday in August so the game is always the Friday night before.

Surely the priority for all clubs is to maximise their home support. Any and all initiatives should be employed to achieve this aim. Having a healthy home support is to my mind vital for growing and running a club. I would suggest Talbot are one club who are very successful in doing just that. Hopefully Darvel are doing exactly the same. i also reckon that the lure of club licencing which has resulted in the improvement of the facilities being provided is another help in bringing in new / back lapsed fans. Visiting supporters should be the cream going into the club coffers

I am sure everyone is asking that very same question, including those running the B teams as well. I reckon that the rationale behind this decision to play in the LL is really to expand on the variety of teams that their youngsters will play against. Having the 9 elite teams playing against each other so often would be very repetitive and maybe not develop them as much as would be hoped. Who knows really. It is a big step in the dark for everyone and am sure the conclusions reached at the end of this next season will be studied very carefully by everyone.

I don't think anyone believes that having these two B teams in the lowland league will suddenly produce a host of future Scotland players. Scotland has a number of Club Academies, 9 at Elite level with the 2 B teams among them. Billy Gilmour is the most notable example of a player coming through the academy system. I reckon that the decision to play in the LL and a desire to play at an even higher level is motivated simply to develop these players further. Most definitely, though this is only going to be done for the benefit of these two clubs, initially at least. Even if most players don't make it to the highest level, they could certainly earn a living within the game & will certainly become part of the pool of players that lower league clubs would want.

I now totally understand the reason for Gretna's request to start the season with away games. Just a pity they did not feel that this sort of info was important enough to include on their App!!

The situation of consecutive home or away games is not an isolated case with regard to Gretna. The fixtures up to the end of 2021 means that only 3 clubs do not has a run of a minimum 3 home / away fixtures. The 14 clubs have a total of 22 cases of the same minimum 3 consecutive games. 2 clubs in fact have a consecutive run of 5 home games. Also 2 clubs have 3 occasions of the same minimum consecutive games. All of the above info applies to 2021 only. This very odd pattern of games must undoubtably strain club finances.

That is certainly as good a reason as any as regards Gretna - didnt realise that was happening !!! It certainly doesn't explain why almost all of the rest of the teams have a run of home / away games in the first few months of the season tho.

Having just had a look at the fixtures for all the teams and the rational behind how the fixtures were worked out is totally baffling ! Obviously I had a look at Gretna 2008 fixtures first - to be given first 4 games away on the trot??? Why the need for that scenario is the real puzzler. Later on they have 3 home games on the trot - again why the need ??? Checking the rest of the clubs in the league and almost all have a run of 3 or 4 home or away games on the trot at some time - again - why ???? I know ever club has to play each other at some time but a good start gives momentum. Playing 4 away games to start is a very tough way to build that momentum. In the past the normality would be alternate home / away fixtures but this current lot is a really strange way to plan a league campaign. All in all a very lopsided fixture list which is difficult to understand why it has been worked out in that way.

Whit has Bute done to deserve to be inflicted with that sort of treatment ???? There are much smaller islands like Broad isle off Cumbrae, Holy Isle & Pladda island off Arran which would fit the bill & give them a much more uncomfortable existence !!

From all the comments made by fans of clubs outwith the LL, it would seem there are only 11 clubs that are in favour of admission of the B teams. As this is an experiment for 1 year only then I would have expected that those self same fans who decry the decision would be happy that timeframe. If there is truly only 11 clubs in favour, logic dictates that, as promotion and relegation takes place year on year, then it will indeed be a short lived experiment !

Very sad news indeed. A genuinely passionate man where HIS team were concerned. If Whitehill were playing, no matter where you were in the ground, you heard him long before you saw him !! As he has been described by others, truly dedicated, a giant of a man, a legend, yet these hardly seem enough to describe the very special man who gave his all for Whitehill Welfare. RIP Sir Peter.