Relegation Scrap

[D'Jaffo]

1 hour ago, Bring Your Own Socks said:

Without pouring through any facts, seems like you’ve gone further back since Hartley returned. Or is it just the other two have perked up a bit?

I’d say so. I don’t think Accies have improved to be honest. Still look absolutely lost and incapable of doing whatever it is that Rankin is asking of them. 
 

Arbroath have gotten better but only just. Cove have lost all their best players back to their parent clubs and signed under shite to replace them. 

[Smokerson]

1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

I’d say so. I don’t think Accies have improved to be honest. Still look absolutely lost and incapable of doing whatever it is that Rankin is asking of them. 
 

Arbroath have gotten better but only just. Cove have lost all their best players back to their parent clubs and signed under shite to replace them. 

We have gotten quite a bit better in all honesty both in performances and picking up points. Remember we were dreadful before Christmas, really bad, now we look capable against anyone. 7 points from QP, Dundee and Ayr backed that up. 

[smc4761]

As an Accies fan, it pains me to say this but we are utter shite and in all honesty deserve to go down. The clown that runs our club, McGowan, has run the club into the ground, he shows no interest in the club, just his wee pet projects to help druggies. Before he took over at Accies he was in charge at Raith, almost destroyed them as well, before they saw the light and ran him out of their club

Just about every player we have this year is out of contract, which may be a blessing as most are shite, or are on loan, so they give a f**k and have no real reason to show any battling qualities to get us out of the shit. Play off place at best before being humped in play off.

 

Seaside leagues as a part time club for many years, if we are lucky

Edited April 16, 2023 by smc4761

[TxRover]

And so, here we are…one game to go, and pretty clear stakes:

Arbroath vs Accies:

Zero points for Arbroath is risking playoffs or relegation (with an insane 0-7+ loss and a Cove win)

Zero points for Accies is curtains.

A point for Arbroath is, effectively, safety with a +18 GD margin on Cove.

A point for the Accies may offer the lifeline of the playoff, with a +4 GD margin on Cove.

Three points for Arbroath is eighth locked in.

Three points for the Accies is possible safety if they win by 7 due to the GS tiebreaker putting them above Arbroath.

 

Cove vs Morton:

Zero points for Cove is the playoffs, or relegation if the Accies get at least a draw.

A point for Cove is the playoffs as long as the Accies don’t win, and relegation if the Accies win.

Three points for Cove is safety if Arbroath lose and playoffs if Arbroath draw (and Cove don’t win by at least 18 goals) or win.

Morton still have playoff aspirations if they win…

[SirJimmyofNic]

Cant see Cove beating Morton, but ya never know in this league

Arbroath with home advantage to Hamilton, you'd think at least a draw even if Arbroath have to Cove it

I'll predict Cove straight down and Hamilton into the play offs, for purely selfish reasons if Ross County come down and ICT stay down that would be 3 long trips up North x2

Edited April 30, 2023 by SirJimmyofNic

[CoveRangers1922]

We've "played" ourselves back into the mix which didn't look likely after 6 straight defeats and an ever growing injury list. The team we were last season or the start of this season is wildly different to now obviously and as a Cove fan is severely disappointing to see the demise. We stay up somehow there will be no hesitation from the board to back hybrid straight away. Heard we have offered conditional full time PCA's based on if we stay up. They know we can't compete being PT.

We still have a big task to avoid the automatic drop.

2 draws, 1 win and 1 loss in our last four is far from great but it's an upturn. Thought we deserved a draw against Caley after going 1-0 up but a penalty along with Caley taking their only meaningful chance thereafter resulted in defeat. They are flying so credit to them.

A couple of clean sheets in our last 2 games is definitely a positive. Showing some resiliency is vital. I don't see us making that 3 in a row but I feel we can score at home and will give it everything we have. So will Morton as the stakes are very high for them.

We're still outsiders for 8th clearly but it's gone from looking so unattainable a few  weeks back to now something that could happen. Arbroath needing 1 point from their last 3 games now need a positive result or pin their hopes on Morton. Would be nervy for them if they go behind early as they aren't scoring many.

Statistically is likely we finish 9th or 10th. Our point at Dens really gives all the bottom three more to think about.

Edited April 30, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[Tattie36]

If Arbroath fail to pick up one solitary point in 3 games (2 at home to the bottom 2 sides), and Cove manage to pick up 7 points in 3 games then Arbroath deserve to be in the playoffs (at best) and Cove deserve to stay up.

Simple.

[Yankee_Dollar]

The Championship would be a lot more interesting if both Cove and Hamilton are relegated. With Dunfermline winning the League 1 at a canter, the league would be far more competitive if Airdtie or Falkirk win the play off against whoever lands 2nd bottom. Hamilton have been on a downward spiral since being relegated from the Premiership, Cove unfortunately do not have the quality.

[CoveRangers1922]

1 hour ago, Yankee_Dollar said:

The Championship would be a lot more interesting if both Cove and Hamilton are relegated. With Dunfermline winning the League 1 at a canter, the league would be far more competitive if Airdtie or Falkirk win the play off against whoever lands 2nd bottom. Hamilton have been on a downward spiral since being relegated from the Premiership, Cove unfortunately do not have the quality.

No doubting Falkirk are a bigger side than Cove given their history, fan base, stadium and infrastructure etc. We are still trying to grow off the field as well as on it and have a lot of work to do on both fronts given our infancy in the SPFL.

IF we stay up  it's all but confirmed that we will go hybrid and I'm fairly certain our budget will be healthy. This season we tested the water being part time in tier 2 and it's failed miserably especially since New Year. 

If we're here next year then I expect far more from us rather than just trying to survive. There's more to come from Cove than what's been shown this season alone. Might go down so could be a moot point.

It's a matter of time before Falkirk come back up. Airdrie have been knocking on the door the last couple of seasons and been in many playoff finals over the last 10 to 15 years. I'm sure they would give the Championship a good go.

Edited May 3, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[ScottyDee1893]

If Cove play the way they did at Dens they may well get a point, no chance of them winning though as they barely crossed the halfway line. Will Hartley gamble and take the point in the hope Accies won't win at Gayfield? Risky business if he does

[CoveRangers1922]

2 hours ago, ScottyDee1893 said:

If Cove play the way they did at Dens they may well get a point, no chance of them winning though as they barely crossed the halfway line. Will Hartley gamble and take the point in the hope Accies won't win at Gayfield? Risky business if he does

We don't always play like that although have done both times at Dens this season. Under Hartley, since January, we've been too open and took some absolutely hammerings as all are aware. 

We need to get the balance right as undeniably we're a gang thrown together trying to survive.

A point might not be enough, we need to play for the win. Can't see us being gung-ho. Morton going for 4th will rightly sense blood and will be desperate to do their part and hope Caley and Ayr draw.

Edited May 3, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[1320Lichtie]

On 30/04/2023 at 20:00, CoveRangers1922 said:

We've "played" ourselves back into the mix which didn't look likely after 6 straight defeats and an ever growing injury list. The team we were last season or the start of this season is wildly different to now obviously and as a Cove fan is severely disappointing to see the demise. We stay up somehow there will be no hesitation from the board to back hybrid straight away. Heard we have offered conditional full time PCA's based on if we stay up. They know we can't compete being PT.

We still have a big task to avoid the automatic drop.

2 draws, 1 win and 1 loss in our last four is far from great but it's an upturn. Thought we deserved a draw against Caley after going 1-0 up but a penalty along with Caley taking their only meaningful chance thereafter resulted in defeat. They are flying so credit to them.

A couple of clean sheets in our last 2 games is definitely a positive. Showing some resiliency is vital. I don't see us making that 3 in a row but I feel we can score at home and will give it everything we have. So will Morton as the stakes are very high for them.

We're still outsiders for 8th clearly but it's gone from looking so unattainable a few  weeks back to now something that could happen. Arbroath needing 1 point from their last 3 games now need a positive result or pin their hopes on Morton. Would be nervy for them if they go behind early as they aren't scoring many.

Statistically is likely we finish 9th or 10th. Our point at Dens really gives all the bottom three more to think about.

Why oh why would anyone want to funnel money into Cove to allow them to be full time, for what purpose? Mind boggling. Whats the end goal here? 
 

I think we are fucked, even though we are in pole position. Morton will decide our fate not ourselves. 
 

We are absolutely stinking and by far the worst we’ve been since coming up 

 

 

[Tattie36]

1 hour ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Why oh why would anyone want to funnel money into Cove to allow them to be full time, for what purpose? Mind boggling. Whats the end goal here? 
 

I think we are fucked, even though we are in pole position. Morton will decide our fate not ourselves. 
 

We are absolutely stinking and by far the worst we’ve been since coming up 

 

 

Yeah, can’t understand how/why Cove are planning on going fully hybrid next season and even talking about full-time in the not to distant future.

Having a benefactor willing to put £ into a club is very short term, dangerous and will not resolve the glaring and obvious problem Cove have… and will always have. They are quite simply not going to convert lifelong/generational long Aberdeen fans into Cove fans. Yes, there are some who sort of “follow” both but if push came to shove, Aberdeen would win the backing 99.9% of the time. Especially if they somehow end up in the same division. This will take many decades of Cove success to change and I just can’t see it.

Hybrid could work for them if they stay in the Championship and full-time if they ever reached the Premiership but to look at doing it now is mental Imo.

It’s impossible to run a full-time club (without a benefactor) on the support Cove have and will ever have. There’s a reason that all the full-time clubs are full-time, and it’s not difficult to work out. Many of these full-time clubs are seriously struggling even with gates (ie fans and market) 2/3/4 times Cove’s, quite a few contemplating going the other direction also.

re Arbroath - I agree with you. We are hopeless and deserve all we get. I just can’t see how we put in a good, convincing performance tomorrow so it’s all down to Morton.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Tattie36

[Moorie]

6 hours ago, Tattie36 said:

Yeah, can’t understand how/why Cove are planning on going fully hybrid next season and even talking about full-time in the not to distant future.

Having a benefactor willing to put £ into a club is very short term, dangerous and will not resolve the glaring and obvious problem Cove have… and will always have. They are quite simply not going to convert lifelong/generational long Aberdeen fans into Cove fans. Yes, there are some who sort of “follow” both but if push came to shove, Aberdeen would win the backing 99.9% of the time. Especially if they somehow end up in the same division. This will take many decades of Cove success to change and I just can’t see it.

Hybrid could work for them if they stay in the Championship and full-time if they ever reached the Premiership but to look at doing it now is mental Imo.

It’s impossible to run a full-time club (without a benefactor) on the support Cove have and will ever have. There’s a reason that all the full-time clubs are full-time, and it’s not difficult to work out. Many of these full-time clubs are seriously struggling even with gates (ie fans and market) 2/3/4 times Cove’s, quite a few contemplating going the other direction also.

re Arbroath - I agree with you. We are hopeless and deserve all we get. I just can’t see how we put in a good, convincing performance tomorrow so it’s all down to Morton.

A few Aberdeen fans I know head up to Cove No and then if Aberdeen are away. More so as they grew up and Cove and watched at Allan Park. I moved to the area in 2014 and head over occasionally. Wouldn’t say I support them more sense a game of football. The rangers in the name always has a bearing in Aberdeen fans getting behind them, along with the lines that a lot of fans are outside the Aberdeen area in the shire but follow Locos, the Fraserburgh etc. 

they have maybe 100 or so that are hardcore fans rest I would say are there for a day out as a game of football in the city. 
I’ve said previously on the fans pages on social media that the club need to do more in the community of Cove. Three schools in the area to be pushing tickets to them to get more a backing. Further success more change of taking young fans to them over Aberdeen. Sadly there seems to be more at interest in the corporate day out fans than getting more in the terraces 

[CoveRangers1922]

1 hour ago, Moorie said:

A few Aberdeen fans I know head up to Cove No and then if Aberdeen are away. More so as they grew up and Cove and watched at Allan Park. I moved to the area in 2014 and head over occasionally. Wouldn’t say I support them more sense a game of football. The rangers in the name always has a bearing in Aberdeen fans getting behind them, along with the lines that a lot of fans are outside the Aberdeen area in the shire but follow Locos, the Fraserburgh etc. 

they have maybe 100 or so that are hardcore fans rest I would say are there for a day out as a game of football in the city. 
I’ve said previously on the fans pages on social media that the club need to do more in the community of Cove. Three schools in the area to be pushing tickets to them to get more a backing. Further success more change of taking young fans to them over Aberdeen. Sadly there seems to be more at interest in the corporate day out fans than getting more in the terraces 

The club have a plan and focus to grow the off field aspects which is undeniably crucial. Arbroath have done a tremendous job. Not sure how long ago it was but crowds at Gayfield were 700 or less and with a lot of success both on and off the field in the last 5+ years they have 2000+. Credit to them.

So easy for all others to say this relatively new club to the SPFL only have a limited fan base, small stadium etc and will always be like that. It might turn out to be that way I'm not naïve to think otherwise or we could develop. Dons have a massive legacy so I difficult to turn allegiances obviously. 

The rapid rise has been faster than even anticipated. It will take time for us to grow our fan base, make Balmoral a better match day experience (it's location is far from ideal) and grow the marketing/promotion of the club.

We regularly have 600+ of a home support at Balmoral, it's clearly not a big number. We had the highest average attendances in L2 and third highest in L1 (I think). Yes only 100 or so that go away with regularity and you might count as hardcore fans.

Edited May 4, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[CoveRangers1922]

7 hours ago, Tattie36 said:

Yeah, can’t understand how/why Cove are planning on going fully hybrid next season and even talking about full-time in the not to distant future.

Having a benefactor willing to put £ into a club is very short term, dangerous and will not resolve the glaring and obvious problem Cove have… and will always have. They are quite simply not going to convert lifelong/generational long Aberdeen fans into Cove fans. Yes, there are some who sort of “follow” both but if push came to shove, Aberdeen would win the backing 99.9% of the time. Especially if they somehow end up in the same division. This will take many decades of Cove success to change and I just can’t see it.

Hybrid could work for them if they stay in the Championship and full-time if they ever reached the Premiership but to look at doing it now is mental Imo.

It’s impossible to run a full-time club (without a benefactor) on the support Cove have and will ever have. There’s a reason that all the full-time clubs are full-time, and it’s not difficult to work out. Many of these full-time clubs are seriously struggling even with gates (ie fans and market) 2/3/4 times Cove’s, quite a few contemplating going the other direction also.

re Arbroath - I agree with you. We are hopeless and deserve all we get. I just can’t see how we put in a good, convincing performance tomorrow so it’s all down to Morton.

We'll need to go hybrid to compete at this level. It's a risk of course it is but I bet it was for County and Caley too when they moved away from fully part time.

Anyway might never happen as we are still very much outsiders to finish 8th and if we managed to get 9th it's a challenge to win the playoffs.

Edited May 4, 2023 by CoveRangers1922

[Moorie]

1 hour ago, CoveRangers1922 said:

The club have a plan and focus to grow the off field aspects which is undeniably crucial. Arbroath have done a tremendous job. Not sure how long ago it was but crowds at Gayfield were 700 or less and with a lot of success both on and off the field in the last 5+ years they have 2000+. Credit to them.

So easy for all others to say this relatively new club to the SPFL only have a limited fan base, small stadium etc and will always be like that. It might turn out to be that way I'm not naïve to think otherwise or we could develop. Dons have a massive legacy so I difficult to turn allegiances obviously. 

The rapid rise has been faster than even anticipated. It will take time for us to grow our fan base, make Balmoral a better match day experience (it's location is far from ideal) and grow the marketing/promotion of the club.

We regularly have 600+ fans at home games, it's clearly not a big number. We had the highest average attendances in L2 and third highest in L1 (I think). Yes only 100 or so that go away with regularity and you might count as hardcore fans.

Aye the location isn’t the best. Interesting see if the club grow over the next few years how it deals with higher crowds etc. fortunately only live 10 mins away so can avoid the traffic. I Did hear the farmer behind the ground stoped the back gate of the ground being aloud open. 
I do hope that they make more a effort especially locally in the cove community 

[TxRover]

And so it finishes…a GD tiebreaker for relegation vs relegation playoffs. A mundane draw for safety in eighth…but it certainly wasn’t boring.

[jaggyness]

Realistically both Cove and Hamilton deserve to go down. Despite the fact that they've taken plenty of points off us this season they've both been generally guff all season. Arbroath at least put together a run of sorts to pull themselves to safety

[DUAFC]

We weren't great...