QOS Sean Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 With Annan not performing to last season's standard along with Berwick, is it possible that Lowland League football can be looked upon in a positive manner. All three clubs, Elgin being the other though they would join the equally lucrative Highland League. Annan would have games against Threave, Dalbeattie. Being honest those games in the Lowland League would attract similar sized crowds to what they currently get. It could be looked upon as a win/win situation for those clubs. Travelling costs vastly reduced,more easily accessible clubs and The Scottish Cup is still available. The introduction of the Lowland League has given clubs an opportunity to play at a lower level but at a higher level than was currently available. Maybe given the clubs mentioned starts to this campaign can it be looked on as if relegated well all is not lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heedthebaa Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Berwick fans see the Lowland and EOS clubs as shit in their shoe, it wouldn't go well if they got relegated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I think every SPFL2 club will be afraid of relegation... it's just that the degree will range from fright in some to absolute terror in others. I think that is mainly down to the fact that it's going to be pretty hard to get return (which is of course is partly their own fault - having no automatic promotion/relegation makes it hard to go down, but once you're down it's not easy to return). For the fans in particular there would be a novelty factor for the first season or two - new places to visit, new cups to try and win, a title challenge to mount - and some clubs would get some local derbies. But if you don't bounce-back quickly, and once the parachute stops, it'd mean a significant adjustment. I can certainly say among Berwick's support relegation is treated as a ghastly prospect, with a few minor redeeming positives. Not the other way around. In light of the fact we're currently 2pts from the play-off, it's telling that you're starting to hear the mechanics and the consequences discussed in the stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky85 Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 If Brora want to they will relegate the bottom club. Then probably win it the following year. I can't see any club wanting to be relegated at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Berwick fans see the Lowland and EOS clubs everyone who isn't Berwick as shit in their shoe, it wouldn't go well if they got relegated FTFY Heed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I think every SPFL2 club will be afraid of relegation... it's just that the degree will range from fright in some to absolute terror in others. I think that is mainly down to the fact that it's going to be pretty hard to get return (which is of course is partly their own fault - having no automatic promotion/relegation makes it hard to go down, but once you're down it's not easy to return). For the fans in particular there would be a novelty factor for the first season or two - new places to visit, new cups to try and win, a title challenge to mount - and some clubs would get some local derbies. But if you don't bounce-back quickly, and once the parachute stops, it'd mean a significant adjustment. I can certainly say among Berwick's support relegation is treated as a ghastly prospect, with a few minor redeeming positives. Not the other way around. In light of the fact we're currently 2pts from the play-off, it's telling that you're starting to hear the mechanics and the consequences discussed in the stands. I would have thought they would be terrified - no League Cup, no Challenge Cup (yes it's a Mickey Mouse cup but there's always the chance of a run & ending up on BBC Alba from it to the delight of advertisers), & being out of the national league meaning advertisers & sponsors leaving in droves or slashing their offers. It's certainly not like England, where you had clubs like the Stanley having to weigh up one season whether it was economically better to go down than stay up, or the likes of Wrexham saying they didn't know whether to laugh or cry when relegation had kept them from going bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookmonkey Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I think the lack of media exposure that the LL receives would be a major issue for a lot of current SPFL 2 clubs. The impact this would have on sponsorship would be substantial not to mention the club being out of the public eye. Once your name stops being mentioned on Sportsound it's easy for people to forget about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim O'Grady Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I think the lack of media exposure that the LL receives would be a major issue for a lot of current SPFL 2 clubs. The impact this would have on sponsorship would be substantial not to mention the club being out of the public eye. Once your name stops being mentioned on Sportsound it's easy for people to forget about you. Like Oscar Wilde said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. I would imagine!hope though that there will be far greater media interest come the play-off promotion stage each season & hopefully if we can start to get HL/LL teams promoted then it should raise greater sponsorship awareness as well? Grimbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sydney Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 If Brora want to they will relegate the bottom club. Then probably win it the following year. I can't see any club wanting to be relegated at all. Brora wouldn't win League 2. We played them last year in the cup and they were pretty poor by Div 2 standards. We also played Turriff this year who are just behind Brora and we won comfortably away from home (and we've been crap). I think people think the Highland League is a lot better than it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 A lot of people claim that Elgin want to go back to HL, but it never seems to be Elgin fans saying it. Mainly fans of other HL clubs - perhaps projecting their desires - and fans of larger SPFL clubs. They've not "kicked-on" like ICT, Ross County or even Peterhead but I doubt they'd savour relegation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Brora wouldn't win League 2. We played them last year in the cup and they were pretty poor by Div 2 standards. We also played Turriff this year who are just behind Brora and we won comfortably away from home (and we've been crap). I think people think the Highland League is a lot better than it is. Yes, but that was before Sugar Daddy really began pumping his money into them. Brora Rangers need to be stopped before it's Gretna all over again (and at least the latter were league members already). What could cause absolute chaos is if the Highland and Lowland Leagues fall pray to idiots wanting to play Football Manager Reality Mod and leaving others to pick up the pieces when they walk away bored - or if they fall pray to scoundrels deliberately doing so to make bankruptcy inevitable that a business partner can buy the land for property development from the administrators, leaving the locals with nothing but bitter memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawfieldAggro Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 If i had a choice....and by choice, i mean a loaded gun to my head, a euthanising needle at my wrist and my rather enormous penis being held in a vice....all at once.....i'd take the Juniors in a millisecond over the Lowland even if it meant no way back. It sounds absolutely fucking dreadful. And that statement is with Saturday's visit to Spartans very much in my mind. The non-league no longer carries a fear factor it once thrived on, no longer does being unbeaten in fifteen years in those leagues count for a thing.....it used to....but now everyones part of the same hamsters wheel there's no mystique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy gilmore Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 If i had a choice....and by choice, i mean a loaded gun to my head, a euthanising needle at my wrist and my rather enormous penis being held in a vice....all at once.....i'd take the Juniors in a millisecond over the Lowland even if it meant no way back. It sounds absolutely fucking dreadful. And that statement is with Saturday's visit to Spartans very much in my mind. The non-league no longer carries a fear factor it once thrived on, no longer does being unbeaten in fifteen years in those leagues count for a thing.....it used to....but now everyones part of the same hamsters wheel there's no mystique. there is not much between lowland league and top juniors in my opinion Edinburgh city proved that by beating auchinleck Spartans would give any junior team a game and there is whitehill east kilbride gretna who would be more than a match for most, the lowland league is gradually improving and any player that has ambitions to play as high as possible will join instead of taking a pay packet at a junior club who can't go anywhere, if u think saturdays game against spartans will be easy use might just be in for a shock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QOS Sean Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 What if Brora refuse entry as they have already stated . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Brora haven't stated anything. Their big sponsor, who apparently doesn't actually hold a position at the club, has said he doesn't want to go up and would want to put it to a vote of their fans. You can't read too much into any individual statements, IMO, e.g. last week their chairman said: "Elgin, to my opinion today [in the North of Scotland Cup Final which finished Brora 3-1 Elgin], were very disappointing. They are really a Highland League team and if that is the standard of League 2 we have nothing really to worry about". and you could interpret that as sounding positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 As Elgin have found out, it's one thing to be big guns in the Highland League, it's another thing to have to trail up and down the country, hoping that they can hang onto their players for the glory-glory midweek matches at Berwick and Annan in the middle of winter. Hard to see Brora wanting to move up; it's not as if they've been big guns in the HL before this guy started pumping money in. Brora is not much more than a village and probably too far away from the bigger towns to be much of an attraction....although I'd personally welcome a chance to revisit the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Yes, but that was before Sugar Daddy really began pumping his money into them. Brora Rangers need to be stopped before it's Gretna all over again (and at least the latter were league members already). What could cause absolute chaos is if the Highland and Lowland Leagues fall pray to idiots wanting to play Football Manager Reality Mod and leaving others to pick up the pieces when they walk away bored - or if they fall pray to scoundrels deliberately doing so to make bankruptcy inevitable that a business partner can buy the land for property development from the administrators, leaving the locals with nothing but bitter memories. That scenario is unlikely to happen to Edinburgh City as we've got memories of a fat chancer ruining a club... As for the Clyde fan preferring the Juniors to the Lowland League: well, you'll save on floodlight costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Anyone who truly thinks their main sponsor is spunking all that money merely to put one over Wick, Cove, Charlie Banger's Circus and the like annually is going to get a big surprise come play off time when they suddenly decided to "give it a go", & say the same if they win them both. Their chairman saying "if that is the standard of League 2 we have nothing really to worry about" does sound very much like someone sizing up projected future opponents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 If i had a choice....and by choice, i mean a loaded gun to my head, a euthanising needle at my wrist and my rather enormous penis being held in a vice....all at once.....i'd take the Juniors in a millisecond over the Lowland even if it meant no way back. It sounds absolutely fucking dreadful. And that statement is with Saturday's visit to Spartans very much in my mind. The non-league no longer carries a fear factor it once thrived on, no longer does being unbeaten in fifteen years in those leagues count for a thing.....it used to....but now everyones part of the same hamsters wheel there's no mystique. Well so would I take the Juniors in a millisecond if they were all like Talbot and Lithgae, but they're not, only a handful are. Having said that, there's more depth in the West Superleague so I doubt if you'd have a snawba's chance of ever returning to the SPFL. The LL is proving to have raised standards on and off the park compared to the old EOSL. It's a real decent professional league apart from the crowds being poor. So how is it dreadful? BTW I think youse'll be well beaten by Spamtins. Although I don't think you'll be underestimating them like that muppet John Clark did with Caley in 1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawfieldAggro Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 That muppet Clark didn't underestimate Caley at all.....we finished 8th in the old second division that year, at the time our lowest placing since the war. We were shite, Caley were an all conquering force taking better teams than us to the cleaners. And earned the right to play with proper teams. They didn't have it handed to them. By the sounds of it you seem to think us auld dinosaur clubs have had their time, and the 'Spamtins' (christ) are the ones to administer our fate........Thats the spirit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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