National Conference League

[Guest]

A couple of thoughts to throw into the melting pot.

So let's say this new league takes off whenever; 3 to 5 years down the road the marvellous b team concept is not providing the next internationalists, cause we all believe that's what the aim is AYE RIGHT.

What will be the next god awful change imposed on us poor supporters?

And a wee question to any players in the teams relegated or promoted into this; do you want to play 45% of your season against these molly coddled, privileged millenials? 

[PossilYM]

4 hours ago, Dundee Hibernian said:

For the SFA, that's a mere blip: they won't care if the HL clubs decline to take part, the make up of the league isn't important to them as long as it involves the B sides, two in particular. Hearts and Aberdeen are being used in the same way as the present LL clubs.

The final structure may involve 6 present LL clubs, it doesn't really matter to the SFA. They may, behind the scenes, be talking to clubs at levels down the lowland pyramid, outlining the attractiveness of the Conference as a way of opening up space in the tiers above.

They don't need the HL or the LL.

Plenty of clubs below them will happily fill the spots in the Conference.

Btw most of the LL chairmen have a completely different agenda to any fans they may or may not have.

Being very polite here for legal reasons.

[craigkillie]

The HL and LL have 34 votes, so I think they very much do need them.

[Ranaldo Bairn]

1 hour ago, TheScarf said:

What an absolute fucking clusterfuck.  All because no mark LL teams with 8 fans and Old Firm daft chairmen want to bend over and spread their crusty, hairy arse cheeks to host their fucking B teams.

f**k off.

Not often you get Voltaire quoted on here.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

2 hours ago, TheScarf said:

What an absolute fucking clusterfuck.  All because no mark LL teams with 8 fans and Old Firm daft chairmen want to bend over and spread their crusty, hairy arse cheeks to host their fucking B teams.

f**k off.

Unfortunately fans views in Scottish Football (unless youre an old firm fan) are never taken into consideration. This will pass and the blazers will be delighted. 

2 hours ago, craigkillie said:

 

Why would you believe that the League 1 and League 2 teams are against it? If they are against it happening then you would expect them to do one of two things - a) publicly state their opposition or b) engage with the Highland and Lowland League clubs to ensure that the plans were not voted through.

20 League 1 and League 2 clubs plus 34 Highland and Lowland League clubs voting against this would make it dead in the water, given that there are only 76 SFA member clubs able to vote as far as I am aware. Even if there are several Cowdenbeaths who will vote for anything they are told to vote for, that still leaves a large margin for error.

"The SFA" cannot do anything without the support of at least half of those 76 clubs.

I think they’ll get the votes, they must be confident of it. Clubs like Cowdenbeath which have all the historical staunch links to their ‘big team’ will see it through. 

[Pompey Blue]

League 2 clubs thinking the conference is preferable is hysterical in its muddled thinking. The bottom 3 or 4 clubs in league 2 are way weaker than probably the top 5 in the lowland league. So a relegation to the conference would almost certainly be followed by another relegation the following season as they finish bottom of the conference. At which point they are 2 promotions from the league and probably an eternity of non league football beckons for them. Without the conference they are only ever one great season away from league status again. Berwick for example are harbouring realistic hopes of a return. The underlying problem is every club and i mean every club is only interested in their own little world and none really care about the overall health of the pyramid. 

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, PossilYM said:

...Btw most of the LL chairmen have a completely different agenda to any fans they may or may not have...

Begs the question how many LL clubs are configured like Bo'ness United with a membership and a club AGM in a junior football sort of way where a decision like this has to be justified to as least some of the fans. Think some of the old nonleague seniors are constituted that sort of way as well. There is a danger of throwing the towel in on this one if people become fatalistic about it even though there may still be a chance to head this off at the pass, if it still needs to make it through both HL and LL AGMs as well as the SFA one.

[Cowden Cowboy]

37 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Unfortunately fans views in Scottish Football (unless youre an old firm fan) are never taken into consideration. This will pass and the blazers will be delighted. 

I think they’ll get the votes, they must be confident of it. Clubs like Cowdenbeath which have all the historical staunch links to their ‘big team’ will see it through. 

We don’t have any links to a ‘big team’ - what historical links are you talking about?  

[Dundee Hibernian]

3 hours ago, craigkillie said:

Why would you believe that the League 1 and League 2 teams are against it? If they are against it happening then you would expect them to do one of two things - a) publicly state their opposition or b) engage with the Highland and Lowland League clubs to ensure that the plans were not voted through.

I've sent you a DM Craig.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

41 minutes ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

We don’t have any links to a ‘big team’ - what historical links are you talking about?  

Its a hotbed of staunchery. 

[cowdenbeath]

11 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Its a hotbed of staunchery. 

So is most of Scotland  sadly. For the record for many years we were owned by someone with a Hibs background does that mean we were on the green side then.

[PossilYM]

1 hour ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Begs the question how many LL clubs are configured like Bo'ness United with a membership and a club AGM in a junior football sort of way where a decision like this has to be justified to as least some of the fans. Think some of the old nonleague seniors are constituted that sort of way as well. There is a danger of throwing the towel in on this one if people become fatalistic about it even though there may still be a chance to head this off at the pass, if it still needs to make it through both HL and LL AGMs as well as the SFA one.

No problem with the pyramid as such other than Promotion/Relegation and most leagues at the top are too small.

No need for that number of leagues with 10 teams in each.

The B teams are just a farce stemming from those two in Glasgow with those giant football factories that they try to pass off as training facilities.

No chance those places don't take in money when they offload youngsters to other clubs.

Be interesting to see Lennoxtown and Murray Park's financials.

And the reasons why they use non league cannon fodder.

Because they have nowhere else to play.

[PossilYM]

39 minutes ago, cowdenbeath said:

So is most of Scotland  sadly. For the record for many years we were owned by someone with a Hibs background does that mean we were on the green side then.

Ask Donald Finlay.

[cowdenbeath]

20 minutes ago, PossilYM said:

Ask Donald Finlay.

He wasn't there at the time.

[welshbairn]

A thing that gets me is how far this is flying below the radar. A sniff around even Rangers, Celtic and Hearts forums says it's barely registering, yet they're talking about every club below the SPFL being dropped down a tier just to make space for 3 or 4 B teams in the middle of the pyramid, in their own tier with invited guests. It's totally bonkers but people are talking as if it's a done deal, what can you do? The Daily Mail are doing the Maxwell message on MSM, and Thomas Brown on social media, but that's it. 

Edited April 27, 2023 by welshbairn

[Spyro]

2 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

A thing that gets me is how far this is flying below the radar. A sniff around even Rangers, Celtic and Hearts forums says it's barely registering, yet they're talking about every club below the SPFL being dropped down a tier just to make space for 3 or 4 B teams in the middle of the pyramid, in their own tier with invited guests. It's totally bonkers but people are talking as if it's a done deal, what can you do? 

Aye but Cowdenbeath will get 50k a season prize money before they get relegated to the EoS, so we should all shut all and let them run their club into oblivion in piece 

[Blue Brazil Forever]

1 hour ago, cowdenbeath said:

So is most of Scotland  sadly. For the record for many years we were owned by someone with a Hibs background does that mean we were on the green side then.

And also fairly recently Hearts. Can I just ask P and Bers to read "Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil"and "Helicopter Dreams" For some, It might just change attitudes.

[cowdenbeath]

2 minutes ago, Blue Brazil Forever said:

And also fairly recently Hearts. Can I just ask P and Bers to read "Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil"and "Helicopter Dreams" For some, It might just change attitudes.

Never had a Hearts owner just a former player/manager. Your wasting your breath on some folk

[O'Kelly Isley III]

10 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

A thing that gets me is how far this is flying below the radar. A sniff around even Rangers, Celtic and Hearts forums says it's barely registering, yet they're talking about every club below the SPFL being dropped down a tier just to make space for 3 or 4 B teams in the middle of the pyramid, in their own tier with invited guests. It's totally bonkers but people are talking as if it's a done deal, what can you do? The Daily Mail are doing the Maxwell message on MSM, and Thomas Brown on social media, but that's it. 

This....

Sonsrust Letter Colt Teams March 23.pdf

[cowdenbeath]

Just now, O'Kelly Isley III said:

This....

Sonsrust Letter Colt Teams March 23.pdf 148.03 kB · 1 download

Yet your club take the B club £ renting your ground, must be a boost to the promotion campaign this season. Your lot have probably made more off them than the LL clubs.