Conference League: Premiership fans' views?

[Jacksgranda]

13 minutes ago, Raidernation said:

Just out of interest, are the bigots' B teams 100% Scottish lads?

If not, then they're promoting an (already) false premise.

You forgot "guid" and "hoanest"...

[Raidernation]

8 minutes ago, PossilYM said:

Are Hearts part of the bigot zone?

Yes

[DG.Roma]

On 23/05/2023 at 17:56, 10menwent2mow said:

How in practice is this going to work, how does it work at the moment. Are 'Rangers' and Celtic and hearts for that matter allowed to rotate players in and out from the first team squad and b teams outwith the transfer windows?

I don't know the finer details, but basically, yes. In October Leon King played home and away against Liverpool, as well as playing against Napoli and Civil Service Strollers.

The B team starting XI each week can completely skew results against other teams in the league, therefore potentially influencing promotion and relegation places.

39 minutes ago, Raidernation said:

Just out of interest, are the bigots' B teams 100% Scottish lads?

Again, without knowing the exact details, I do know the answer to your question is no.

[lithgierose]

No points should be awarded. If all they want is experience for b team players. Losing or winning 3 or even a point could unfairly relegate a team. Imo

So into the reserve league they should pop.

[Dundee Hibernian]

Pleased to see the very few fans who have been in favour of the B sides on other threads have now stopped their inaccurate claptrap about Croatia and other nations which 'embrace' B sides in their National league systems.

The likes of Ian Maxwell must think football fans don't have access to the internet to check out the lies.

Edited May 25, 2023 by Dundee Hibernian

[lennyzer0]

On 24/05/2023 at 16:27, Theyellowbox said:

The whole thing can get in the sea as far as I am concerned. I'm pretty sure 99% of fans who do not have planned B teams would agree. I suspect if you are a Hearts, Rangers or Celtic fan, you'd justify it to yourself as you'd be completely blinkered by anything your club does

Only 2 clubs really benefit from this (Hearts will eventually drop out) and frankly, they need no more 'help'.

I don't know many Hearts fans who are in favour of it (for the avoidance of doubt, I am very much opposed to it personally).

As has been mentioned on the LL forum a few times, Hearts at least play almost exclusively young Scottish players in their B team. It remains to be seen if any make the step up to the first team (though several have been on the bench recently, most have signed new contracts,  and Naismith is at least making encouraging noises about the idea that they'll get game time next season).

[Lowrie83]

This whole idea of their not being an adequate pathway for u19 players etc is rubbish if the bigger clubs think the players should be playing st team football then either loan them out or play them in the 1st team squads rather than buying players to get in ahead of these guys.

Alternatively why not reintroduce the reserve leagues and if clubs opt out then they have no recourse to get into Lowland League etc as they have opted out of the approved system that's in place 

[Kapowzer]

The conference league is an OF Trojan Horse in everything but name. It reeks of the vast majority of non OF supporters saying "told you so" come season 2028-29.

We have a 11-1 voting structure in the Premiership but with this doubt the SPFL will allow only 5 clubs to scupper their Bond Villain pish. Can pretty much say my own and St Mirren's will vote against if they are true to the fan owned ethos. So "in theory" we need 3 more clubs to align.

As I said earlier in the thread, not our issue despite their Gucci training facilities at Murray Park and Lennoxtown (and the lure of a players lounge ticket for Da vicariously living through his kids talent) they're not advancing enough Scots into their first teams.

 

*AI generated image

[Archie McSquackle]

I assume, if this is all about improving the best young players for the benefit of the national team, the Old Firm will step aside and suggest their Lanarkshire superiors take their place. (Forgive the pencilled league table posted by CoF in the TinPot thread).

[CambieBud]

The silence from virtually every boardroom above League 2 is deafening. Other than Livingston, who appear to be openly opposed, virtually every other club has made no statement on this issue. The clubs must be aware of their own fans views on this. In the interest of sporting integrity they MUST oppose the proposal and if not, explain why. I haven’t heard any coherent argument in support of this farce

[lithgierose]

1 minute ago, CambieBud said:

The silence from virtually every boardroom above League 2 is deafening. Other than Livingston, who appear to be openly opposed, virtually every other club has made no statement on this issue. The clubs must be aware of their own fans views on this. In the interest of sporting integrity they MUST oppose the proposal and if not, explain why. I haven’t heard any coherent argument in support of this farce

Those teams will wait until this shite is voted through. Then say not one of our fans contacted us. Saying they oppose this crap.

[CambieBud]

Just now, lithgierose said:

Those teams will wait until this shite is voted through. Then say not one of our fans contacted us. Saying they oppose this crap.

I sincerely hope you’re wrong, but fear you could be correct. The pyramid is hard enough for clubs like your own, with ambition. This will make it not only more difficult to progress, but force Linlithgow Rose etc, to play in a league where a third of the games are not competitive or fair, depending on which B Team is put out on a given week. There is no sporting integrity in this proposal 

[Kapowzer]

Seen this in the WoSFL corner of P&B. It's a statement from Pollock and the poster asked for it to be shared in all league subforums. So here's it is in the Premier one.

Not ancy, just a well reasoned wake up and smell the coffee response. Kudos to the author.

 

Club Statement on proposed “Conference League”

May 27, 2023

Having now received full details of the SFA’s plans for a new “Conference League” at Tier 5 of the Scottish football pyramid, Pollok FC wish to make it clear that we are totally opposed to this proposal. Whilst we accept the intent to improve the development pathway for footballers is sincere, this proposal is not the solution.

We believe that this proposal would be to the detriment of the vast majority of the remaining 200+ clubs in the football pyramid and at the same time is highly unlikely to achieve its stated aims.

The main purpose of a football pyramid system is to allow its member clubs, through promotions and relegations, to progress towards a level at which they are competing more or less equitably, and this proposal completely undermines the integrity of that structure.

In recent years a significant number of non-SPFL clubs, including Pollok FC, have shown their commitment to the pyramid philosophy by pursuing and acquiring a SFA club licence. To do so they have developed and improved the facilities at their grounds, trained staff and implemented policies required to show that they are ready. This has taken a huge amount of work, mostly by unpaid volunteers, and has also cost considerable sums of money. To then have another League hurdle imposed is needlessly insensitive to those efforts.

We are more than ready, should we earn promotion, to move up from our current Tier 6 to compete at Tier 5 for another promotion to Tier 4 and League 2 of the SPFL, continuing to develop and improve our infrastructure as necessary along the way.

The proposal would place four Lowland League and two Highland League teams in the new Conference League, the criteria for this selection has not been specified, alongside four B teams. This is not an attractive proposition for the six “competing” teams who would receive £40,000 compensation for having to play almost half of their matches against ‘B’ teams of youngsters along with increased travel and fewer competitive rivalries. Also, depending on what positions the ‘B’ teams who cannot be promoted or relegated finish in at the end of the season, a non-B team in 5th place could find themselves in either a promotion or a relegation play-off. It is entirely possible that after a couple of seasons were the two Highland League teams to be relegated, this Conference League would look like the present Lowland League but with fewer teams.

Recently Aberdeen FC have said that they are not going to put a B team into this League and Rangers manager Michael Beale has said, “I don’t think the Lowland League is a good bridge, so we need to look at other games,” and yet the Conference League would look just like the Lowland League but smaller. Unless there is a hidden agenda, which may not be that well-hidden when the office bearers for the company behind this new League are taken into consideration, then on the face of it this proposal is without merit.

It is overtly the only option that does not require a vote that would be against the self-interests of the majority of SFA member clubs eligible to vote at the AGM on the 6th June. Because it is the only option is not good enough reason for it to become a reality.

Pollok FC is wholly opposed to the formation of this Conference League and although, as a recently licensed SFA member, we are not ourselves able to vote at the SFA AGM, we would urge as many other voting clubs as possible to reject the proposal.

[ropy]

10 hours ago, Kapowzer said:

 

Club Statement on proposed “Conference League”

May 27, 2023

Having now received full details of the SFA’s plans for a new “Conference League” at Tier 5 

We believe that this proposal would be to the detriment of the vast majority of the remaining 200+ clubs in the football pyramid and at the same time is highly unlikely to achieve its stated aims.

 

What are its stated aims?

Edited May 28, 2023 by ropy

[VincentGuerin]

On 26/05/2023 at 12:07, CambieBud said:

The silence from virtually every boardroom above League 2 is deafening. Other than Livingston, who appear to be openly opposed, virtually every other club has made no statement on this issue. The clubs must be aware of their own fans views on this. In the interest of sporting integrity they MUST oppose the proposal and if not, explain why. I haven’t heard any coherent argument in support of this farce

I'd have thought League Two clubs would have most to lose, since it's utterly inevitable that in 2-3 years the idea that the B-Teams can't be promoted is binned. Then the idea they can't be promoted to League One is binned. Then the idea they can't get promoted to the Championship is binned.

2-3 League Two clubs will get elbowed down the list. Probably more once this gets normalised and Hibs and Aberdeen give in and get involved.

Edited May 28, 2023 by VincentGuerin

[Dundee Hibernian]

23 hours ago, ropy said:

What are its stated aims?

I think the statement refers to the development of players for the Scottish international sides at U-19 and U-21 levels, which we all know isn't really the purpose of the Conference proposal at all.

21 hours ago, VincentGuerin said:

I'd have thought League Two clubs would have most to lose, since it's utterly inevitable that in 2-3 years the idea that the B-Teams can't be promoted is binned. Then the idea they can't be promoted to League One is binned. Then the idea they can't get promoted to the Championship is binned.

2-3 League Two clubs will get elbowed down the list. Probably more once this gets normalised and Hibs and Aberdeen give in and get involved.

I've written to Dundee United a few times on this proposal, and there has been a non committal/evasive response response, although a promise has been made to get back to me when they have a clearer view. Given our relegation yesterday, I'd have thought the club would be aware that the league they are playing in next season could involve fixtures against B teams in the future if the company sponsored by Beattie and Doncaster of the SPFL finds acceptance on June 6th, at the SFA's AGM.

[Leith Green]

Is this thing actually happening now that Aberdeen have pulled out?

I had kinda assumed Hearts would also pull out as well, and we could all just leave Rangers and Celtic to play each other every week (as this is what they all want to do in every competition anyway).

[Dons_1988]

52 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Is this thing actually happening now that Aberdeen have pulled out?

I had kinda assumed Hearts would also pull out as well, and we could all just leave Rangers and Celtic to play each other every week (as this is what they all want to do in every competition anyway).

I think they want to play the other teams in fairness. It’s just on the condition that they get as many tickets as they like and can scud teams by 4 or 5 at a canter. 

[Sparticus]

Yeh just insert a new premier premiership as the new top league for next year (its what they are trying to do now and convincing people it isnt crazy mental)

top two (Celtic and Rangers) will be promoted to this new league with Celtic b,c,d and e teams along with Rangers b,c,d and e 

No promotion or relegation will take place ever from this new league.

 

If only

Edited May 29, 2023 by Sparticus

[welshbairn]

Useful thread on B-teams.

https://twitter.com/Nareystoepoker/status/1663481275468873729?s=20