Conference League Good Guys List

[LongTimeLurker]

16 minutes ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

No I think there is a mob that doesn’t accept (or want to accept) SFA can authorise a new league set up by SPFL which is what the situation would be when they in fact can...

Worth bearing in mind that some of these guys have low IQs and are emotionally incapable of accepting a reasoned argument if it runs counter to what they want to be the case. The important angle in all of this is that the Club 42 playoff rules mean the SPFL board can't unilaterally add a semi-detached conference to the pyramid on a whim making this whole argument simply not worth the bother.

[Burnieman]

6 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Worth bearing in mind that some of these guys have low IQs and are emotionally incapable of accepting a reasoned argument if it runs counter to what they want to be the case. The important angle in all of this is that the Club 42 playoff rules mean the SPFL board can't unilaterally add a semi-detached conference to the pyramid on a whim making this whole argument simply not worth the bother.

[Burnieman]

28 minutes ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

No I think there is a mob that doesn’t accept (or want to accept) SFA can authorise a new league set up by SPFL which is what the situation would be when they in fact can.  The rest of your comments refer to other issues and don’t think our Board thought it was very likely that such a league could be made operational in short order.  They have also been open and honest with fans throughout and not afraid to confirm how they vote each time 

[Guest]

41 minutes ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

No I think there is a mob that doesn’t accept (or want to accept) SFA can authorise a new league set up by SPFL which is what the situation would be when they in fact can.  The rest of your comments refer to other issues and don’t think our Board thought it was very likely that such a league could be made operational in short order.  They have also been open and honest with fans throughout and not afraid to confirm how they vote each time 

CC I asked a question a few days ago about this and no one answered maybe you can.

Right a new league is set up by whomever. 

Can it be inserted into the middle of the pyramid? 

And can this be done against the wishes of the league's above and below it. 

I am a complete layman with no knowledge or experience of any if this but have an interest as a fan attending all league's South of the Maginot Line.

[Nightmare]

On 03/06/2023 at 23:26, Cowdenleith said:

There appears to be strong suggestions on the East Fife thread that their club is going to vote yes.

Why are you attack dogs not circling over on the Division 2 forum?

East Fife as a club will be derided if they do vote yes to this proposal.

And if their fans decide to gormlessly defend their board's terrible decision as Cowdenbeath fans did, then they will rightly be hounded. I'd suspect that East Fife fans won't embarrass themselves like that, though.

[welshbairn]

53 minutes ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

No I think there is a mob that doesn’t accept (or want to accept) SFA can authorise a new league set up by SPFL which is what the situation would be when they in fact can.

Why are they holding a vote on it at the AGM?

[Cowden Cowboy]

Just now, welshbairn said:

Why are they holding a vote on it at the AGM?

Previously suggested a reason for that 

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, Cowden Cowboy said:

Previously suggested a reason for that 

Care to repeat it?

[welshbairn]

P.S.

Quote

Maxwell’s controversial proposal to create a new Conference League at the fifth tier of the SPFL – which would include colts teams from the Premiership – will go to the vote tomorrow at the SFA’s AGM. And the chief executive is convinced the blueprint will help our top clubs fast-track talented young players into the Scotland set-up. Maxwell’s strategy has attracted fierce criticism from a host of minnows who fear the new league might block their route into the SPFL.

But he is adamant that the game in this country is crying out for radical change – and has urged club chiefs to be brave enough to back it. Maxwell said: “I would love it to be carried because it will have a really positive impact. But people will make their own decisions. People will vote whichever way they think is best for them. We can’t just implement things that we think are right. It’s a democracy.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/ian-maxwell-pleads-b-team-30153746

[Blue Brazil Forever]

59 minutes ago, Blue Brazil Forever said:

 

Fixed it for you

beachboy, where do Hibs stand on this. I know Rod Petrie was very vocal last year about the pressures to admit Rangers B/Celtic B into the SPFL system but I am not aware of current Hibs voting intentions. Maybe you can let us know if Hibs are joining us good guys (I wish you luck).

[lithgierose]

I think seven of the top 10 in Europe have B teams ? Google not working ian ?

[Ignoramus]

19 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

P.S.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/ian-maxwell-pleads-b-team-30153746

“Maxwell believes the stats prove Scottish football is producing top talent at a young age but says their progress starts to fall off a cliff as they near their twenties. He explained: “Our Under-17s were over in Hungary after qualifying again for the Euros finals and we have done that consistently at that age. At 19s, we get to the elite round but don’t get through to the finals consistently.

“At 21s, the performances have deteriorated over a period of time. We’re now a Pot D team and we’re finishing third, fourth or fifth and haven’t been anywhere close to an Under-21s finals in a while.“

Maybe, Ian, there’s another reason for that specific drop off in performances at the U21 level? Maybe, I don’t know, the crap U21 manager that seems bulletproof despite hopeless performances and results?

I’m just a fan from a footballing ‘minnow’ driven by self-interest so what do I know?

[craigkillie]

Also because our best U21s (correctly) end up in the first team before getting to play at that level.

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/highland-league/5791756/survey-reveals-north-clubs-conference-league/

The majority of clubs in the north and north-east are set to vote against the proposed Conference League.

Tomorrow Scottish FA member clubs and associations will vote on the plan for a new fifth tier to be introduced from season 2024-25 between the SPFL and the Breedon Highland League and Lowland League.

The concept has sparked frenzied debate in recent weeks and months and ahead of the vote at Hampden the Press and Journal has surveyed the member clubs in our patch and asked them how they intend to vote.

Although some clubs across our area such as Peterhead, Brora Rangers and Nairn County have publicly nailed their colours to mast regarding their views on the Conference League, others have not commented.

We surveyed all 26 clubs in our area anonymously and the results are as follows.

Two clubs have indicated they will vote for the proposal, 22 intend to vote against it, one failed to respond and one club plans to abstain.

That works out as 85% of the member clubs in the P&J patch who plan to vote against the Conference League.

 

1 hour ago, LongTimeLurker said:

26 = 18 HL, Golspie, FW, Ross C, ICT, Elgin, Peterhead, Aberdeen, Cove Rangers? If so, 22-2 out of that lot is not a bad outcome for NO. Not sure if Fort William is viewed as P&J territory so maybe Montrose sneak in there as well.

Think that probably points to 18/18 from the Highland League being NO or abstaining. We'll see what Brechin have to say later but if all five relegated former SPFL clubs come out publicly as being opposed despite this providing an easier pathway back into a national division that will make a very strong statement about the strength of the opposition to this at tier 5.

Edited June 5, 2023 by LongTimeLurker

[Dev]

If Ian Maxwell has been correctly reported in the Daily Record article it raises concerns on a number of points.

[a] The proposed conference league was reputed to be "a done deal" so why does it go to a vote if that isn't necessary according to SFA constitution, rules and regulations etc?  Also his statement "People will vote whichever way they think is best for them. We can’t just implement things that we think are right. It’s a democracy." completely goes against the "done deal" idea.

  Croatia are often flung up as an example. How can a country with a smaller population perform so well when we can’t? What are they doing that we’re not? This one is easy to understand, Croatia has had a crop of outstanding players including the outstanding Luka Modric etc. When they retire will Croatia retain their current high ranking in EUFA? That's a Don't Know (for obvious reasons, unless you can read a crystal ball). In a lesser way it is similar to Wales who, until recently had one or two outstanding players who carried along the rest of the squad. These outstanding players are now retiring from international football and it will be difficult for wales to maintain recent standards. Things go in cycles.

[c] The remaining nine out of ten top EUFA nations i.e. France, Belgium, England, Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Germany. They are all much larger nations than Scotland in terms of population so they have much larger pools of players to draw from. If they weren't in the top ten nations then they would be asking big questions of their FAs wouldn't they.

[d] Scotland had a long Golden Era which has passed. Also, since then the overall standard of football in many other European nations has generally improved so it is tougher to qualify these days.

[e] This means that it is tougher for smaller nations, including Scotland, to qualify for men's senior tournament finals.

[f] Scotland's Under 17's still do well but by Under 21's they've a less successful record. Maxwell says  "Our national team coaches are already seeing a significant improvement in the standard of those guys who have been playing in a B team against the ones who haven’t.” Has anyone seen any evidence to support this statement? Where is the evidence? Why  hasn't it been produced in order to support the case for the installation of a conference league with B teams in it? Does this evidence exist or is Maxwell flying by the seat of his pants?

[g] Scotland's Under 17's still do well but by Under 21's they've a less successful record. "he is adamant that the game in this country is crying out for radical change – and has urged club chiefs to be brave enough to back it." There's desire for change alright with a number of clubs calling for reconstruction of the whole of the Scottish Pyramid, and that includes the Premier Division of the SPFL down to current Tier 5 and below. There's also call for making promotion and relegation easier. Maxwell seems to think that the best of the nation's Under 17's should be hoovered up by four elite premier Division so they can be played week-in, week-out, in a Tier 5 conference league. These youngsters should be in first team squads in the Premier Division. That doesn't happen because they are not good enough to compete with the other players in these clubs' first team squads. These other players being mature adults from many footballing nations. Perhaps the Premier Division is the crux of the whole problem?

[h] If you buy into the idea that youngsters don't (and will not) get their chances in the first teams of the four B team clubs  then these kids need to be with other Premier Division clubs where there could be a better chance of making the first team squad and even of playing league matches for them. These league matches would, necessarily, include matches against the self-styled four B team clubs along with their superior players. That way those advancing from the successful Under 17's might gain beneficial match-day experience. They won't get that in a conference league. To help with this process there needs to be a larger number of clubs in the Premier Division so more kids get opportunities. We are talking about talented youngsters after all. The present set-up doesn't work so why chuck them into meaningless matches in a meaningless conference? Try telling tomorrow's equivalent of Luka Modric that he has to play in a conference league rather than gain experience with any club at Premier Division level.

Maxwell is the face of the SFA Board. The whole lot just don't get it and they should go asap.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Dev
..

[forfarton]

2 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

26 = 18 HL, Golspie, FW, Ross C, ICT, Elgin, Peterhead, Aberdeen, Cove Rangers? If so, 22-2 out of that lot is not a bad outcome for NO. Not sure if Fort William is viewed as P&J territory so maybe Montrose sneak in there as well.

Fort William is included. Brechin is the only Angus team in the list.

[19QOS19]

Our BoD have got a vote right this time, thankfully. 

[Sparticus]

Did the Croatian FA just allow b teams into there league or was there a vote?

Either way i think this has nothing to do with how a national team perform.

if every league had b teams one would still be the worst

I’m sure other league b teams werent just inserted half way up their league system

And whose to say Croatia etc wouldnt have performed even better without b teams.

England seem to be doing ok.

b team are never for Scotland.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Sparticus

[welshbairn]

4 minutes ago, Sparticus said:

Did the Croatian FA just allow b teams into there league or was there a vote?

Either way i think this has nothing to do with how a national team perform.

if every league had b teams one would still be the worst

I’m sure other league b teams werent just inserted half way up their league system

And whose to say Croatia etc wouldnt have performed even better without b teams.

England seem to be doing ok.

b team are never for Scotland.

Croatia have only got one B-team left, now relegated to the County leagues or folding like the others have. They have however got a thriving national u19 league outside the pyramid. Estonia and Bulgaria have still got B-teams though, strangely Maxwell never mentions them.

[Dink]

Anyone discussing setting up a new league is surely talking about a new league within the pyramid with promotion and relegation to other leagues. It seems pretty clear that the SFA board cannot do that on their own authority. Can they rubber stamp a league which would exist on its own outwith the pyramid? Probably, but that really isn't what anyone is discussing.