2023-24 Challenge Cup

[19QOS19]

Just now, ClydeTon said:

No, no. Just means it doesn't save you from diddy club status.

Have I got a cheek? Maybe. But Falkirk or below is the cut-off for the great embarrassment, imo.

I don't think anyone would argue our diddy status. The point Otis was making is that we actually experienced proper European football. A trip to Wales or Ireland wouldn't come close to that experience tbh. 

[ClydeTon]

3 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

I don't think anyone would argue our diddy status. The point Otis was making is that we actually experienced proper European football. A trip to Wales or Ireland wouldn't come close to that experience tbh. 

we played Chelsea once. #massive 

[19QOS19]

10 minutes ago, ClydeTon said:

we played Chelsea once. #massive 

Not really the same thing. 

[ClydeTon]

7 minutes ago, 19QOS19 said:

Not really the same thing. 

European football is European football. I don't make the rules (I only use them when it suits me, tho)

[Otis Blue]

Not sure what I've unwittingly started here ... Queens are a Diddy club, we know we are a Diddy club, we never pretend we are anything other than a Diddy club ... hence we play in the Diddy cup.  I'm fine with that.

Maybe @ClydeTon is implying by default that his club (Morton) is not a Diddy club?  Not sure.  Or maybe he is implying that there are different levels of Diddyness within Diddy club land?  Again, not sure.

[vikingTON]

2 hours ago, 19QOS19 said:

Not really the same thing. 

Well it was in a European competition, so it really is though. Unlucky.

[vikingTON]

33 minutes ago, Otis Blue said:

Not sure what I've unwittingly started here ... Queens are a Diddy club, we know we are a Diddy club, we never pretend we are anything other than a Diddy club ... hence we play in the Diddy cup.  I'm fine with that.

Maybe @ClydeTon is implying by default that his club (Morton) is not a Diddy club?  Not sure.  Or maybe he is implying that there are different levels of Diddyness within Diddy club land?  Again, not sure.

Not that I'm putting any stock on it for this current, tragic meander of the thread, but there are obviously different categories of diddy within Scottish football at all levels. That's the purpose of the exercise.

For example: 

Seaside league permadiddy - Elgin City; Falkirk. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by vikingTON

[Otis Blue]

7 minutes ago, virginton said:

Not that I'm putting any stock on it for this current,tragic meander of the thread, but there are obviously different categories of diddy within Scottish football at all levels. 

For example: 

Seaside league permadiddy - Elgin City; Falkirk. 

The question is ... will any Bairns bite the bait?

[parsforlife]

1 minute ago, Otis Blue said:

The question is ... will any Bairns bite the bait?

It’s not bait m8, even they’re realising it’s factual 

Edited July 22, 2023 by parsforlife

[ClydeTon]

1 hour ago, Otis Blue said:

Maybe @ClydeTon is implying by default that his club (Morton) is not a Diddy club?  Not sure.  Or maybe he is implying that there are different levels of Diddyness within Diddy club land?  Again, not sure.

 

3 hours ago, ClydeTon said:

Falkirk or below is the cut-off for the great embarrassment, imo.

If Falkirk make a miraculous comeback to the championship and finish in a league position above ours I will (reluctantly) take the eternal shame of signing us into Diddyness.

EDIT: kind of misread that post; yes, I am implying anyone above Falkirk is not diddy, including us. Finishing below them is... ooft.

Only Dunfermline and Airdrie of last season's L1 group are not diddy teams, solely because they finished above (in DAFC's case) and pumping them out the playoffs/service to scottish football (Airdrie).

Anyway, Challenge Cup. (yawn)

Edited July 22, 2023 by ClydeTon
Can't read.

[Skyline Drifter]

10 hours ago, ClydeTon said:

Welsh sides in particular offer nothing, it's fairly distant travel wise and I wouldn't want to be a supporter of the Welsh team trying to get anywhere north of Glasgow/Edinburgh.

Northern Ireland's a bit better cause it's only just across the sea but it's still naw great. Agree to that end that it should just be a Scots' competition - I imagine it costs TNS, Linfield, whoever gets in - a fair bit of money as well.

Could flip that and say it's the closest side us wee teams will get to a European trip, but doesn't really outweigh the negatives.

As for B-Teams, get them straight to f**k.

Whit?

It's a million percent more a pain in the arse to have to cross the Irish Sea to get to either Southern or Northern Ireland than it is to get to Wales. You get a ferry or you get a plane. Both are horribly expensive and of course you have to work to a timetable rather than just drive down the road at your leisure (or up if its the Welsh sides going the other way).

Personally I don't like the "foreign" sides being in it at all but I'd rather be drawn in Wales than Ireland.

[Otis Blue]

11 hours ago, ClydeTon said:

... EDIT: kind of misread that post; yes, I am implying anyone above Falkirk is not diddy, including us. Finishing below them is... ooft.

Only Dunfermline and Airdrie of last season's L1 group are not diddy teams ...

So, there are different shades and levels of Diddyness within Diddyland - that's probably fair, and I'll go along with that.  However, to suggest that all clubs above Falkirk (currently in tier 3) not being Diddy clubs is a stretch too far.

The Diddy Cup is a competition for Diddy clubs - ergo, all clubs in it are Diddy clubs.  That said, I could see an exception for Dundee United not being classed as a Diddy club - but to be fair they've been doing their level best in recent seasons to cross that great divide to the hallowed land of Diddyness.

Edit - are Dundee United in the Diddy Cup this season?  Not sure, I haven't checked - just assumed so as they are now in tier 2.

Edited July 23, 2023 by Otis Blue

[AyrshireTon]

I'd bin the B-Teams (can't be good for the young players if fans of the other teams just want to see them hammered and knocked out at the earliest opportunity) and would prefer to ditch the Welsh/Irish teams. If the latter have to be included then it should be at the start with everyone else and not in a later round.

[welshbairn]

12 hours ago, Skyline Drifter said:

Whit?

It's a million percent more a pain in the arse to have to cross the Irish Sea to get to either Southern or Northern Ireland than it is to get to Wales. You get a ferry or you get a plane. Both are horribly expensive and of course you have to work to a timetable rather than just drive down the road at your leisure (or up if its the Welsh sides going the other way).

Personally I don't like the "foreign" sides being in it at all but I'd rather be drawn in Wales than Ireland.

There have been a few club's fans who found it quicker to fly to Belfast and get the ferry for Stranraer away instead of taking the bus or train, Ross County in particular but others too. Last time I looked the flights are much cheaper to Belfast or Dublin than the train is to Wales from up here. I get that it's different if you're paying for a coach load of players or fans though.

[Clayhole Blue]

4 hours ago, welshbairn said:

There have been a few club's fans who found it quicker to fly to Belfast and get the ferry for Stranraer away instead of taking the bus or train, Ross County in particular but others too. Last time I looked the flights are much cheaper to Belfast or Dublin than the train is to Wales from up here. I get that it's different if you're paying for a coach load of players or fans though.

Have never heard of any other club’s fans doing this other than County on one occasion a good few years back. Having done that then they just don’t bother coming now apart from about 14 hardy souls (credit to them) last weekend.

[welshbairn]

28 minutes ago, Clayhole Blue said:

Have never heard of any other club’s fans doing this other than County on one occasion a good few years back. Having done that then they just don’t bother coming now apart from about 14 hardy souls (credit to them) last weekend.

A few from Montrose and Arbroath said they've done it, probably just for a laugh and a night out in Belfast though. The Montrose fan said the game was postponed after they got to Belfast.

[19QOS19]

On 22/07/2023 at 21:04, virginton said:

Well it was in a European competition, so it really is though. Unlucky.

I hope you enjoyed the game. 

[TheScarf]

I don't  mind the Irish and Welsh teams being involved, the B teams can fuck off though.  They have no place playing SPFL clubs, it's bad enough a couple of them get to play in the LL.

[Skyline Drifter]

On 23/07/2023 at 11:44, welshbairn said:

There have been a few club's fans who found it quicker to fly to Belfast and get the ferry for Stranraer away instead of taking the bus or train, Ross County in particular but others too. Last time I looked the flights are much cheaper to Belfast or Dublin than the train is to Wales from up here. I get that it's different if you're paying for a coach load of players or fans though.

 

20 hours ago, Clayhole Blue said:

Have never heard of any other club’s fans doing this other than County on one occasion a good few years back. Having done that then they just don’t bother coming now apart from about 14 hardy souls (credit to them) last weekend.

I'm pretty sceptical that it was quicker (less actual travel time maybe, but not quicker by the time you factor in waiting at airports and ferry ports), and it definitely won't have been cheaper.

It's different and an amusing story to tell. It's maybe even the best way if there's only a handful of people and no supporter's bus, but it's never in a million years the best way to do it if there is a bus or car available. I was back from Elgin in about 4.5 hours on Saturday night and that was in the kitvan. Car would have been under 4 hours. Stranraer from there is about the same as you just cut off the motorway and go down the coast instead of staying on and down to Moffat. Not a chance you're getting from Elgin or Dingwall to Stranraer quicker than that door to door tying up plane and ferry.

[welshbairn]

51 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

 

I'm pretty sceptical that it was quicker (less actual travel time maybe, but not quicker by the time you factor in waiting at airports and ferry ports), and it definitely won't have been cheaper.

It's different and an amusing story to tell. It's maybe even the best way if there's only a handful of people and no supporter's bus, but it's never in a million years the best way to do it if there is a bus or car available. I was back from Elgin in about 4.5 hours on Saturday night and that was in the kitvan. Car would have been under 4 hours. Stranraer from there is about the same as you just cut off the motorway and go down the coast instead of staying on and down to Moffat. Not a chance you're getting from Elgin or Dingwall to Stranraer quicker than that door to door tying up plane and ferry.

I was really referring to your claim that Wales is easier and cheaper to get to than Northern Ireland. Flying from Glasgow to Belfast for a Clftonville game costs about half of a train ticket to Gobowen, the closest station to TNS, and takes a fraction of the time. Of course a supporters bus to Wales would be cheaper and less hassle, but Inverness to Bala by train and bus takes at least 10 hours, flying to Belfast and back would clearly be much easier, and no problem to get there and back in a day.

Edited July 24, 2023 by welshbairn