edinabear Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 Just listening to Thomas Brown on the Official Catch-up and it's sounding like the Conference has officially been agreed upon? I thought this was still at the very early proposal stage. Seems a strange league to shoe horn in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) About to give it a listen: Edit: 41:00 onwards for conference bit Edited April 25, 2023 by LongTimeLurker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, edinabear said: Just listening to Thomas Brown on the Official Catch-up and it's sounding like the Conference has officially been agreed upon? I thought this was still at the very early proposal stage. Seems a strange league to shoe horn in. If it had been agreed there would have been an official announcement by the SFA and SPFL at least, there have been no votes on it by anybody. It's just a proposal getting thrown about in semi secrecy with different spins depending on who Maxwell is talking to. It will probably be forgotten about until the next time the Lowland League vote on admitting B-teams, or if they vote on changing their rule book to make it permanent. Edited April 25, 2023 by welshbairn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 He is making it sound like a fait accompli. A lot may depend on what the LL and HL boards had the power to sign off on behalf of their leagues as part of this pyramid review. They do obtain HL vs LL playoff winner promoted automatically into the Conference, while the loser plays 2nd bottom out of ten in the conference. Initial conference = 4 B teams, 2 Highland, and 4 Lowland depending on the outcome of the Club 42 playoff. He is talking about this change meeting the requirement to open up relegation at the bottom of the LL because now there is an automatic promotion at the other end. Talking about 3 tier 6 champions being used to help fill initial vacancies but what happens after being subject to vote by the membership. he definitely seems to think that "more ventilation" is needed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanley Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 I've listened to the start of the Conference part of the interview above and it certainly doesn't fill me with confidence about the future of Scottish football. Is the idea that the B teams can't be promoted/relegated so stay forever in the Conference? Apologies if this has been covered somewhere already. If that's the case then it would be an even crazier set up than the current Lowland League one with only 10 teams in the league. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 I think he said the conference would come under SPFL rules, so presumably that would require a 75% majority of SPFL clubs accepting a new league and members into their structure, including the B-teams? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 He specifically said it was the only option that was viable from an SPFL approval standpoint. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: He specifically said it was the only option that was viable from an SPFL approval standpoint. Yeah, that was part of the initial leaked SFA document. What I don't understand is how the SPFL clubs wouldn't get a vote on it, especially now that Brown has clarified that the conference would come under SPFL rules, and it also obviously changes the rules on promotion and demotion. Edited April 25, 2023 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 2 minutes ago, welshbairn said: ... has clarified that the conference would come under SPFL rules. That isn't necessarily the same thing as part of the SPFL. The part I found most troubling was that the SPFL are working on a new set of entry requirements in addition to the SFA's review of entry level criteria. Also noteworthy that the League Two clubs were pushing for the conference to come in next season so this years's Club 42 wouldn't drop into the HL or LL if relegated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 An absolute shambles of a 'pyramid' now. West and East of Scotland teams should create their own Conference League of 18 teams....without these muppets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 5 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: Also noteworthy that the League Two clubs were pushing for the conference to come in next season so this years's Club 42 wouldn't drop into the HL or LL if relegated. I'm not taking any rumours on what L2 clubs might or might not be thinking with any credibility until at least one of them talks publicly about it. All Brown said was that he "was told that....". Who by, Maxwell? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyramid Watcher Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 9 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said: That isn't necessarily the same thing as part of the SPFL. The part I found most troubling was that the SPFL are working on a new set of entry requirements in addition to the SFA's review of entry level criteria. Also noteworthy that the League Two clubs were pushing for the conference to come in next season so this years's Club 42 wouldn't drop into the HL or LL if relegated. No surprise from the SPFL, total self preservation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 Just now, welshbairn said: I'm not taking any rumours on what L2 clubs might or might not be thinking with any credibility until at least one of them talks publicly about it. All Brown said was that he "was told that....". Who by, Maxwell? Exactly. I'd believe Brown is absolutely havering before I believe L2 are solidly behind the conference idea. Maybe I'm overestimating the combined wit of L2 chairmen but the conference just sounds utterly horrific and if we were relegated, I'd rather play in the Lowland League, which is also a fucking joke now that colt teams are in. If East Fife voted for this, I'd be done with them. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Judge Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 I admire the level of sacrifice you're prepared to make 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PELE Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 1 hour ago, stanley said: I've listened to the start of the Conference part of the interview above and it certainly doesn't fill me with confidence about the future of Scottish football. Is the idea that the B teams can't be promoted/relegated so stay forever in the Conference? Apologies if this has been covered somewhere already. If that's the case then it would be an even crazier set up than the current Lowland League one with only 10 teams in the league. Yeah, until they have another vote in the future, pushing for the B teams to be free to move up or down the leagues as high as the championship. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnieman Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 20 minutes ago, Gordon EF said: Exactly. I'd believe Brown is absolutely havering before I believe L2 are solidly behind the conference idea. Maybe I'm overestimating the combined wit of L2 chairmen but the conference just sounds utterly horrific and if we were relegated, I'd rather play in the Lowland League, which is also a fucking joke now that colt teams are in. If East Fife voted for this, I'd be done with them. It's baffling why any L2 club would want to play against 4 B teams in a 10 team league/36 game season, probably 4 games against each of them, sounds utterly horrific. I guess it must be the money on offer......... What was also glaring by it's omission on that podcast, was there was no explanation/questioning as to why the LL/HL felt obligated to go along with all of this. If they turned round and told Maxwell that they were not prepared to entertain option 3 (just like the SPFL were not entertaining options 1 and 2), then it doesn't happen. Also, are B teams immune from relegation? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityDave94 Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 1 hour ago, stanley said: I've listened to the start of the Conference part of the interview above and it certainly doesn't fill me with confidence about the future of Scottish football. Is the idea that the B teams can't be promoted/relegated so stay forever in the Conference? Apologies if this has been covered somewhere already. If that's the case then it would be an even crazier set up than the current Lowland League one with only 10 teams in the league. I can see B teams finishing bottom of the Conference most seasons. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrison Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 There's absolutely no way anyone from the current Tier 5 down should be entertaining this nonsense. Certainly not without much more fluid promotion and relegation being in place from tier 4 to tier 5, and from this new tier 5 to LL and HL. You can't sign up to it with the vague promise that they'll "review it soon, honest.". It's a half arsed way to get round the LL's annual vote on B team participation, cementing them at that level in readiness for their attempt to allow them to be promoted higher. It has to be rejected. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 4 minutes ago, Burnieman said: It's baffling why any L2 club would want to play against 4 B teams in a 10 team league/36 game season, probably 4 games against each of them, sounds utterly horrific. I guess it must be the money on offer......... What was also glaring by it's omission on that podcast, was there was no explanation/questioning as to why the LL/HL felt obligated to go along with all of this. If they turned round and told Maxwell that they were not prepared to entertain option 3 (just like the SPFL were not entertaining options 1 and 2), then it doesn't happen. Also, are B teams immune from relegation? And on what planet would the chairman of the Lowland League approve of 3/4s of his member clubs being demoted to tier 6 at a stroke of a pen? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted April 25, 2023 Share Posted April 25, 2023 6 minutes ago, Burnieman said: It's baffling why any L2 club would want to play against 4 B teams in a 10 team league/36 game season, probably 4 games against each of them, sounds utterly horrific. I guess it must be the money on offer......... What was also glaring by it's omission on that podcast, was there was no explanation/questioning as to why the LL/HL felt obligated to go along with all of this. If they turned round and told Maxwell that they were not prepared to entertain option 3 (just like the SPFL were not entertaining options 1 and 2), then it doesn't happen. Also, are B teams immune from relegation? It's a rare instance of status quo being better than the alternative. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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