Pyramid Watcher Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 13 minutes ago, virginton said: It's hardly naivety to believe that the SPFL would do a better job than the Lowland League who chose a Walter Mitty league sponsor that failed last (?) year. To be fair, more than a few SPFL clubs were taken in by him as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pompey Blue Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 6 hours ago, welshbairn said: You'd also think that League 2 sides would finally start thinking about making it easier for demoted sides to return. There’s serious talk in England of 3 up 3 down between the league and the conference and league clubs are generally in favour. They recognise that making it easier to get promoted is a good thing if ever relegated. It’s about time league 2 clubs in Scotland got behind a proper model of promotion and relegation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballfirst Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Even Rangers is coming round to rejecting the Conference League. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lithgierose Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 11 minutes ago, Footballfirst said: Even Rangers is coming round to rejecting the Conference League. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089 There is already a reserve league though. Why aren't they in it ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Just had a eureka moment. Give the Conference League the green light. No clubs from HL, LL or anywhere else signs up. They have to fill it up with other b teams or whatever. With them not being allowed pro/rel. Problem solved. Well at least until the nffp SFA come up with some other crackpot idea. fyi: nffp- not fit for purpose Yes I know I'm a dreamer. Or maybe just stupid. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityDave94 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 8 hours ago, Pompey Blue said: There’s serious talk in England of 3 up 3 down between the league and the conference and league clubs are generally in favour. They recognise that making it easier to get promoted is a good thing if ever relegated. It’s about time league 2 clubs in Scotland got behind a proper model of promotion and relegation. There has been a lot of leveling in quality between the English National League and League 2 over the years and it isn't seen as the financial black hole it might have been previously. There is also quite a bit of media coverage and many of the clubs are full time and crowds are good. However if you think its perfect, the history of the 5th tier in England has been extremely turbulant at least up to about 10 years ago. Unbelieveable numbers of clubs going bust, many clubs going into administration, relegation for clubs that didn't finish in the relegation places, absolute carnage this from the time automatic promotion came in. I would not look in envy at what happened there when we could still fix this issue much much better. At the moment the clubs that are being relegated are the Scottish equivalent of Stockport, Mansfield and Colchester (all returned) who can adapt. The panic has yet to set in if it ever does, it will if a financial arms race kicks off and clubs will die. The Lowland League is very slowly improving through promoted clubs and I believe to keep the SPFL happy there needs to be a more fluid system in promotion to and from the 5th and 6th tiers first. If clubs in League 2 see how competitive the LL is becoming and the clubs that play in that league can bring in crowds opening up a more fluid relegation/promotion to and from the SPFL would be easier to stomach. It says a lot about the LL when most clubs that are promoted from tier 6 go straight into a promotion battle for the League 2 playoff, massive overlap in quality from the 6th tier and these clubs coming up (ex Junior) will or could bring in the numbers of supporters to match League 2. Don't get me wrong out of a 10 team League 2 there should be at minimum automatic relegation for club 42, but I would like to see in the SPFL 4 leagues of 12 with two clubs relegated from League 2 with both LL and HL Champions automatically promoted, it would make it easier for relegated clubs to return on merit and without having to navigate playoffs which we seemed to be so obsessed with nowadays. The SFA trying to shoehorn the Conference in between League 2 and HL/LL is feeding off that fear of failure among SPFL clubs, it also feeds the idea that we can't survive without the intervention of Rangers and Celtic. Lowland League really needs to get its shit together because even if the no votes win, this will keep coming back again and again until the fear factor disappears. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 27 minutes ago, Footballfirst said: Even Rangers is coming round to rejecting the Conference League. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089 Wouldn't read this as a positive. Still came across that the rest of Scottish Football only exists for the sole reason of the betterment of the big clubs. Arrogant. More entitlement. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityDave94 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Just now, HorseyGhirl said: Wouldn't read this as a positive. Still came across that the rest of Scottish Football only exists for the sole reason of the betterment of the big clubs. Arrogant. More entitlement. Waiting for the argument to start on if those B Teams were removed from the pyramid, clubs would go bust. Like in 2012. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 9 minutes ago, HorseyGhirl said: Wouldn't read this as a positive. Still came across that the rest of Scottish Football only exists for the sole reason of the betterment of the big clubs. Arrogant. More entitlement. Who gives a f**k, it's great news! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 3 minutes ago, approximately dave said: Waiting for the argument to start on if those B Teams were removed from the pyramid, clubs would go bust. Like in 2012. The SFA will employ every dirty trick to get what they want, whatever that might be. They give no fecks about Scottish Football as a whole. They only care about bending over for the big clubs and keeping their blazer. Depressing. Can we no have a fan takeover of the SFA? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityDave94 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 37 minutes ago, Footballfirst said: Even Rangers is coming round to rejecting the Conference League. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089 It will annoy the but but Croatia mob loyal????? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Just now, welshbairn said: Who gives a f**k, it's great news! Hate to rain on your parade my friend. But the next 'idea' might be even worse. Jesus didn't realise I've woke up in the middle of a downer. Maybe didnt help hearing Lewis Capaldi multiple times travelling up to and back from Innerleithen yesterday. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Footballfirst said: Even Rangers is coming round to rejecting the Conference League. https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/michael-beale-outlines-better-rangers-alternative-to-restrictive-and-repetitive-b-team-lowland-league-plan-4151089 The wildly optimistic take would be that they think the vote might not go their way at the SFA AGM and this is a preemptive we didnae want that anyway as a way of saving face. Edited May 21, 2023 by LongTimeLurker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcar Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 If there are any cracks in the OF defence of the indefensible, the little people should try to exploit them. The B teams, the Conference League and the Lowland League are all warts on the same OF genitals. Club and league officials slavering to the men in suits at every conceivable opportunity, in exchange for a cup final ticket and a prawn sandwich, is not a pretty sight. But, given the current opportunities, any club would surely prefer to be in the Conference than the Lowland League. Principles aside (and they are in short supply), they will be one step nearer to the holy grail of the SPFL in the Conference than in the Lowland League. Seems clear to me that there are so many good clubs wallowing away at Base Camp, the obvious answer is a 20-team 4th tier in the SPFL, which (gulp) would have to include B teams. 3 up, 3 down and some compromise in funding and politics, but surely a better bet than the shite we have now and the proposed shittier alternatives. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peternapper Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Who exactly get to vote on this nonsense, do Albion still have a vote when in the Lowland league or not. The main thing would be to clear the B-Teams out of a system they should never have been in. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 I don't think its any surprise that a 1st team manager doesn't find the Lowland or Conference to be the best environment for developing players. Still surprised he hasn't been told to toe the party line. On 30/01/2023 at 20:09, FairWeatherFan said: Somebody wasn't given the script. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparticus Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Rangers finally understanding that b teams dont work in league systems for alot of reasons. It is far better to have a proper reserve league an loan out your better players to a level you want giving max development leaving clubs to find their level will have a big domino effect in greater standards up all through the league system to the top. The b team experiment could only go wrong. They field stong or weakened teams depending if their main team have a game. This could easily have an effect at the top resulting in the wrong team winning the league. All they have to do is withdaw the b teams from the pyramid and let Scottish football keep improving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 16 minutes ago, Sparticus said: Rangers finally understanding that b teams dont work in league systems for alot of reasons. Problem is there's the divide between First Team and Academy. Since most Academy figures will hang around longer than any particular 1st team manager, they will have more influence. I noticed Craig Mulholland's leaving Rangers. A new broom heading up the Academy might see a pivot from B teams (if the Conference fails). Even if only to be seen as having their own ideas. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityDave94 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 42 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said: I don't think its any surprise that a 1st team manager doesn't find the Lowland or Conference to be the best environment for developing players. Still surprised he hasn't been told to toe the party line. This isn't new news Rangers have been complaining about the LL since as far as I've heard midway through last season. They don't really know what to do since they also complain about not having control of a young player's development if they send that player out on loan. Beale did raise a good point about reserve football and injured players. Maybe they should return to the reserve leagues but also maybe the SFA if they are so invested in the future should try and focus along with the SPFL on improving reserve football. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amigan Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Reserve team seems like a no brainer for younger players. Not going to come up against any first team players in the lowland league, much more likely in the reserves. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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