Caledonian AFL All Chat

[Crazy Feet]

A disaster for Drumchapel Ams. Will take them a while to get out of that division now.

[auld yin wae knowledge]

10 hours ago, Crazy Feet said:

A disaster for Drumchapel Ams. Will take them a while to get out of that division now.

Can see s few clubs from that Divison folding or leaving by this time next year after getting skelped a few times 

as for the drum a mis calculation by Charlie Bhoy lol

[Amateur Footie Fan]

16 minutes ago, auld yin wae knowledge said:

Can see s few clubs from that Divison folding or leaving by this time next year after getting skelped a few times 

as for the drum a mis calculation by Charlie Bhoy lol

I know the fact SPAFA are down to 14 teams next season must hurt but thats an incredible take . Your league has had games this season with over 50 goals scored against a team, youve lost arguably 4 or 5 of your best/better teams to the Calie, others to GGPL and are trying to say the Calie will struggle next season. Come on, you lose any credibility you may have with these posts.

Edited May 18 by Amateur Footie Fan

[Brad Bobley]

12 hours ago, auld yin wae knowledge said:

Can see s few clubs from that Divison folding or leaving by this time next year after getting skelped a few times 

as for the drum a mis calculation by Charlie Bhoy lol

A miscalculation for going to a more competitive league with better quality (which will only continue to grow, by the way)? The Drum facing more competition in the Caley First Division than what they would in SPAFA? Do me a favour. At least try and hide your jealousy. As for the teams folding, glass houses and stone throwing comes to mind.

[Brad Bobley]

Half time here at Northolm. Giffnock 5-1 Doune.

Doune would’ve been as well as not turning up. Their players look like they don’t want to be here. 

[Basile Boli]

On 18/05/2024 at 07:03, Brad Bobley said:

Caley divisions confirmed for next season…

Premier:

St Joseph’s

Wishaw

EKYM

Giffnock North

St Mungo

Doune Castle

Glasgow Harp

Dumbarton Academy FP

Eaglesham

Strathclyde University

Dunipace (promoted)

Westerlands (promoted)

First Division:

Milton (relegated)

Drumchapel

Stenhousemuir

Alva

Rhu

Rothesay

Stirling University

Glasgow University

Riverside

Cambusbarron

Cambria

Callander

St Pat’s

Gartcosh

Campsie Minerva

Bannockburn

A 16 team league is a lot for amateur football. 30 league games a season is in my view a bit too much considering factors like pitch quality through winter, and potential for national cup runs from several of the teams in that league. Maybe 14/14 would have been better?

[Brad Bobley]

2 hours ago, Basile Boli said:

A 16 team league is a lot for amateur football. 30 league games a season is in my view a bit too much considering factors like pitch quality through winter, and potential for national cup runs from several of the teams in that league. Maybe 14/14 would have been better?

I agree. But they've just recently changed the Premier League to 12 teams, as a way to reduce fixture backlog at the end of the season for the teams who are going to go far in the Scottish and East/West. This doesn't seem to have had the desired affect, given that the league will still be ongoing at the start of June. With the calibre of teams in the First Division next year, I can foresee the worst backlog of all time, with the likes of St Pat's and Bannockburn progressing far (on paper, anyway) in the Scottish & West + two league cups and 30 league games. 

The only shining light on the whole situation is that half of the teams in both leagues either play on astro or have an astro available as an alternative for their games which has historically been a problem in the Caley.

Edited May 21 by Brad Bobley

[Crazy Feet]

Start the league season Saturday 3rd August and you could have 10 league games complete by end of August.

[Basile Boli]

10 games in less than 30 days would be wildly unpopular with players and management teams.

Hard enough as it is with players and work commitments without having 2 midweek games a week for a full month to try and be available for.

[Brad Bobley]

One thing that's always perplexed me about the Caley, that I think SMAFA do quite well, is releasing fixtures four weeks in advance, with a disclaimer that the national and district cup weekends will come at a week's notice. Seems absolutely crazy that teams appear to have been given free weeks twice this month, fixtures are fairly sparse when there's hardly any left as it is, and yet they've still not released a list of fixtures so that teams can plan ahead at the 'business end' of the season. 

[Crazy Feet]

9 minutes ago, Basile Boli said:

10 games in less than 30 days would be wildly unpopular with players and management teams.

Hard enough as it is with players and work commitments without having 2 midweek games a week for a full month to try and be available for.

Not two midweek, one.

I miscounted - it would be 9 games played by the last Saturday in August if the season started 3rd August and you played Sat - Wed - Sat full of August.

Players would rather play a midweek game at that stage of the season than train - 100%. Teams are also likely to get more people turning up for a midweek game at the start of the season when the weather is ok and everyone still has something to play for, rather than expecting them to turn up for dead rubbers in Apr/May.

 

[Brad Bobley]

I heard this morning that the season is starting on the 10th of August. 

That'll be confirmed since some of the Caley Prem teams have organised friendlies for the 3rd of August.

[Basile Boli]

9 hours ago, Crazy Feet said:

Not two midweek, one.

I miscounted - it would be 9 games played by the last Saturday in August if the season started 3rd August and you played Sat - Wed - Sat full of August.

Players would rather play a midweek game at that stage of the season than train - 100%. Teams are also likely to get more people turning up for a midweek game at the start of the season when the weather is ok and everyone still has something to play for, rather than expecting them to turn up for dead rubbers in Apr/May.

 

Aye you’re right, got myself completely confused there. Always think of months as 4 weeks.

 

[Brad Bobley]

Last league fixtures now confirmed, with four teams still able to win the league going into the last round of fixtures, all playing against each other in the process:

1st June

St Joseph’s vs Wishaw WW

4th June

Giffnock vs EKYM

-

Giffnock North appear to be having a fairly public meltdown about the situation given that both fixtures aren’t on the same day. Think there has been a weekend bender involved.

[Spyro]

17 minutes ago, Brad Bobley said:

Giffnock North appear to be having a fairly public meltdown about the situation given that both fixtures aren’t on the same day. Think there has been a weekend bender involved.

Head's-gone thread for this...

There hasn't been a proper meltdown in the ammys for a while, this is quite mild in comparison! 

[Gaf]

12 hours ago, Brad Bobley said:

Last league fixtures now confirmed, with four teams still able to win the league going into the last round of fixtures, all playing against each other in the process:

1st June

St Joseph’s vs Wishaw WW

4th June

Giffnock vs EKYM

-

Giffnock North appear to be having a fairly public meltdown about the situation given that both fixtures aren’t on the same day. Think there has been a weekend bender involved.

Not allot between the ears over at Giffnock eh!!! Surely they can see that certain games need to be played first, so that everyone has the opportunity to get the trophy on the park. EKYM travel to Doune on Tuesday night. Anything less than a win there for the visitors and they are out of it. Its then over to Saturday 1st of June where St Joes take on Wishaw. Wishaw have their number so far this season and will fancy their chances. A Wishaw win means St Joes fall short and probably rule themselves out of winning it too, due to the fact the maximum they can go to is 38 points. IF EKYM get the result at Doune then any win between Giffnock and EKYM will see one of those two Champions, A draw would see Giffnock win it unless EKYM can reduce that 6 goal difference against Doune on Tuesday night. However if St Joes win nothing else matters as their goal difference is superior.

[Brad Bobley]

2 hours ago, Gaf said:

Not allot between the ears over at Giffnock eh!!! Surely they can see that certain games need to be played first, so that everyone has the opportunity to get the trophy on the park. EKYM travel to Doune on Tuesday night. Anything less than a win there for the visitors and they are out of it. Its then over to Saturday 1st of June where St Joes take on Wishaw. Wishaw have their number so far this season and will fancy their chances. A Wishaw win means St Joes fall short and probably rule themselves out of winning it too, due to the fact the maximum they can go to is 38 points. IF EKYM get the result at Doune then any win between Giffnock and EKYM will see one of those two Champions, A draw would see Giffnock win it unless EKYM can reduce that 6 goal difference against Doune on Tuesday night. However if St Joes win nothing else matters as their goal difference is superior.

Good summary.

I think St Joe’s are favourites given they are the only team of the four with it completely in their control.

Wishaw need a favour of Doune, then EKYM; Giffnock and EKYM need a favour off Wishaw to then battle it out between them on the Tuesday.

St Joe’s are favourites, followed by Giffnock, then EK, then Wishaw.

[Gaf]

I would with the ranking of your favourites. For me Wishaw wont win it, as they need far to much to happen. You cant imagine St Joes falling at the final hurdle, that would be hard for them to take. However its all part of a jigsaw right now and first up is Doune v EKYM. The visitors will be looking to firstly win this game and then rack up the goals, as Doune have shipped a few recently. 

[Brad Bobley]

EKYM’s 8-0 win against Doune Castle means Wishaw are now out of it with nothing really to play for this Saturday.

Wishaw beat Drumchapel in the league cup semi final, where they will play St Joe’s six days later, so a warm up for the final perhaps. 

Worrying times for Doune Castle, conceding 7 to Wishaw (across two games), 7 to Giffnock and 8 to EKYM. 22 goals conceded in four games is shambolic for last year’s league champions.

At least this year, the league won’t be decided with forfeited fixtures.

[geoward]

44 minutes ago, Brad Bobley said:

EKYM’s 8-0 win against Doune Castle means Wishaw are now out of it with nothing really to play for this Saturday.

Wishaw beat Drumchapel in the league cup semi final, where they will play St Joe’s six days later, so a warm up for the final perhaps. 

Worrying times for Doune Castle, conceding 7 to Wishaw (across two games), 7 to Giffnock and 8 to EKYM. 22 goals conceded in four games is shambolic for last year’s league champions.

At least this year, the league won’t be decided with forfeited fixtures.

I can assure you that we didn't want the league with teams forfeiting fixtures last season, it took the shine off it. I have to state tho that the two games we were awarded saw the team challenging us, awarded the same fixtures at different times of the season. That can't be helped by any of the two of us.

Last season we went on a 16 game unbeaten run conceding 13 goals withing the league in that spell. We went on a run that no one including ourselves could predict. For me winning the East spurred us on for that last push in the league.

Probably like many teams over the years, our season started to go down after the Scottish exit to Cupar followed by the defeat to Steins in the Semis. Before this season we had only lost 5 league games over 2 season but find ourselves losing 8 this season alone. Winning is the easy part, it's getting back to winning that's not. EKYM are the first team to beat us at Moray Park since Glasgow Harp on 29th October 2022.

I believe the Caledonian Premier has only ever been won back to back twice. Once by Doune and the other by Dalziel, I could be wrong. It's shows how hard it is to do. However Credit goes to our opposition teams as everyone of them came at us and we didn't handle being champions. Like they say, it's easier to get to the top than to stay there. The top of the table has a fascinating climax. For me it's now down to 3 after last night. 

For us now there's no worry from my point as you know what it's like when thing aren't going your way, everything goes wrong. We take our break and enjoy time off and get back to it July. Good luck to the remaining 3 teams St Joes, EKYM and Giffnock for Saturday. Enjoy it as you never know what the next season is like.