Grandmas Enigma Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 6 hours ago, Left Back said: So sporting integrity is ignored when teams like Edinburgh, Berwick, Hearts, Dunfermline (I’m sure other clubs have also been guilty) etc have to weaken their squad part way through a season, but must be strictly applied to every game a B team plays within the agreed rules? It sounds like what you are calling sporting integrity is probably more like the consequence of individual clubs financial mismanagement. Which does have an effect on the outcome of some games but is not a deliberate decision. Compared to Celtic playing their strongest available ‘b’ side in some games and fielding an u16 side in others when all the different competitions they are involved in create fixture overload. Which is a deliberate choice based on celtics own objectives not the competing integrity of the SLFL. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcar Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 7 hours ago, Left Back said: So sporting integrity is ignored when teams like Edinburgh, Berwick, Hearts, Dunfermline (I’m sure other clubs have also been guilty) etc have to weaken their squad part way through a season, but must be strictly applied to every game a B team plays within the agreed rules? Berwick's weakened squad will play week in week out against the rest of the league till the end of the season. The team that will most suffer, will be Berwick. B teams playing weakened teams is entirely a matter of luck as far as the opposition is concerned, and the B teams themselves are wholly unaffected because they don't give a toss about the match result. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Back Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 22 minutes ago, Redcar said: Berwick's weakened squad will play week in week out against the rest of the league till the end of the season. The team that will most suffer, will be Berwick. B teams playing weakened teams is entirely a matter of luck as far as the opposition is concerned, and the B teams themselves are wholly unaffected because they don't give a toss about the match result. While the above is of course true they aren't the only team that will suffer due to Berwick's actions. Some teams will gain due to Berwick now having a weakened squad. Hypothetically results against Berwick could decide the promotion/relegation playoffs and those results in theory could have been different if it weren't for Berwick's financial goings on. I say hypothetically as I don't have the inclination to look at the fixtures and see who played who before and after Berwick's meltdown. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmas Enigma Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, Redcar said: Berwick's weakened squad will play week in week out against the rest of the league till the end of the season. The team that will most suffer, will be Berwick. B teams playing weakened teams is entirely a matter of luck as far as the opposition is concerned, and the B teams themselves are wholly unaffected because they don't give a toss about the match result. I agree about both points. I'd add that not only do the 'b' sides not care about the match results that affect others but their lack of interest is by choice/design. Which in my opinion makes it worse. And would be one of the many reasons not to have them in the league. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmas Enigma Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 11 hours ago, Left Back said: Do Celtic B not have to name a squad that goes transfer window to transfer window? I think that’s the case but happy to be proved wrong if I’m incorrect. If I am right then that’s surely better than Berwick being able to empty their best players a third of the way through the season. Their new weaker team will surely distort the league. Edinburgh have done similar in the SPFL. Shouldn’t they also be condemned? Im not sure about the specific squad related rules that apply to the 'b' sides. I am aware that in the past they have used completely different teams/squads against different opposition. Berwick didnt 'empty' their squad by choice. They had no choice due to financial constraints - albeit as a result of their own financial mismanagement. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcar Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 5 hours ago, Grandmas Enigma said: Im not sure about the specific squad related rules that apply to the 'b' sides. I am aware that in the past they have used completely different teams/squads against different opposition. Berwick didnt 'empty' their squad by choice. They had no choice due to financial constraints - albeit as a result of their own financial mismanagement. Berwick didn't 'empty' their squad. Only 3 of the team that played at Brora (in the heavy cup defeat that prompted the financial reappraisal) are no longer at the club - Buchanan, Travis and Ferguson. 1 more - Sneddon - left as well, but has since come back. On top of that, we were already shite and getting regularly beaten even with those 3. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sermani Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 21 hours ago, Wee Smiler said: Cant remember but didnt Dalbeattie also get a good result against a weak Celtic team that nearly stopped them being relegated last year. Yes, Dalbeattie Star drew with Celtic B and Hearts B in the last month of last season. To be honest i don't know or care enough about Celtic/Hearts to know if they played weakened teams. The Celtic game was a wet, cold, windy night and the young boys didn't fancy it! The League clubs voted the B teams, surely they must have thought the B teams might use "squad rotation", it's only a training exercise for them. Anyway back to Gretnafc2008, seems they have signed a couple of ex threave players, and had one as a trialist, maybe signing localish players with previous Lowland League experience has led to an upturn in form. Well done them if it has 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Going to be tense for Gretna. If Buckie wins the playoff, Gretna gets relegated. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav-ffc Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Back on the pitch lads yer officially safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossilYM Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 On 20/04/2024 at 17:26, lowenan said: Going to be tense for Gretna. If Buckie wins the playoff, Gretna gets relegated. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 They have a big job to do, if they are not to finish last next season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnieman Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Could be a long season for them coming up unless they recruit well, some LL clubs will be quite happy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hossy87 Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 A thoroughly deserved win by Newton Stewart over Gretna today in the SSFL Challenge Cup semi final. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PossilYM Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 All start again tomorrow with friendly game at home v Lesmahagow 2pm kickoff. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 «Our final preseason friendly takes us to @CreetownFC replacing the scheduled Dalbeattie Star friendly. Kick off on Saturday is 2pm.» 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 Should be an interesting one. Hopefully a strong season from Gretna ahead. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowenan Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Would love to see them give the league a real fight. Would shake things up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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