Addie Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The whole thing stinks,the system is favouring non clubs with no playing or financial history to start up at a moments notice and groundshare.Pyramid? It helped a group of fans who's team was moved to Airdrie a short time ago right enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankies Alive Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Fanbase ? If they played in Cupar maybe they would attract some people along to their games, but I seriously doubt there's a market for an LL team in Methil when East Fife find it difficult enough to attract a fanbase. That being said though given the other three applicants (so far) will no doubt include the likes of Duns and Coldstream, there's probably a good chance they'll get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadly Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Austin MacPhee has worked for St Mirren and is currently working with the Northern Irish FA in a coaching / match analysis role and is very well respected in north east fife, not just because of his coaching credentials but also the 500 + kids within the AM soccer youth system, many of whom have gone on to sign with professional clubs. There is already a 3G pitch at duffus park which is run by the fife sport and leisure trust. I'm not aware of any plans to have a new 3G in the same park and would be astonished if that happened. Howe of Fife RFC are relocating their clubhouse from the town centre to the park which will incorporate changing rooms, function areas, cafe etc but no new astro. As mentioned above, I believe they are looking into ground sharing with East Fife. I don't buy into the 'who'll support them' comments. They're a club who want to progress as high up the pyramid as they can and have a solid youth set up already in place, and for me that should draw praise as opposed to criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If they played in Cupar maybe they would attract some people along to their games, but I seriously doubt there's a market for an LL team in Methil when East Fife find it difficult enough to attract a fanbase. That being said though given the other three applicants (so far) will no doubt include the likes of Duns and Coldstream, there's probably a good chance they'll get in. Are we in a rush to fill the remaining two places? I don't think there is any to say that the places have to be filled for next season, I would hold the places open as a carrot for a couple of the big junior clubs to jump ship. They are more likely to be tempted to join the pyramid via the Lowland League than go through either of the feeder leagues. For the good of Scottish football we need unification of non league football and it is more likely to happen if the better junior clubs are tempted into the fold. I believe it will happen sooner rather than later as the SJFA seem to be a totally discredited organisation. If AM soccer are serious about joining senior football then they should do it through the East of Scotland League. They can still get their license but and if they are good enough they will be in the LL in a couple of years. Cheers A U Supect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Are we in a rush to fill the remaining two places? I don't think there is any to say that the places have to be filled for next season, I would hold the places open as a carrot for a couple of the big junior clubs to jump ship. They are more likely to be tempted to join the pyramid via the Lowland League that go through either of the feeder leagues. For the good of Scottish football we need unification of non league football and it is more likely to happen if the better junior clubs are tempted into the fold. I believe it will happen sooner rather than later as the SJFA seem to be a totally discredited organisation. If AM soccer are serious about joining senior football then they should do it through the East of Scotland League. They can still get their license but and if they are good enough they will be in the LL in a couple of years. Cheers A U Supect Filling it with school teams ain't going to tempt big juniors or unconvinced supporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Filling it with school teams ain't going to tempt big juniors or unconvinced supporters. I wasn't so ungracious in my choice of language but did I not imply as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I wasn't so ungracious in my choice of language but did I not imply as such.I was agreeing with your point about tempting juniors by keeping places open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Think they will be under pressure to get up to 16 so they can have a 30 game season. Questions would be asked about the viability of the new setup if a club like Clyde wound up playing a 26 game season a few months from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Tbf, that's just the 'superficial' figure. With 12 clubs last season, and 14 this season, the LL Cup has been used to create equivalent games to 16 clubs. There are also 2 further knockout cups, plus the Scottish and presumably Petrofac cups. EDIT: Clyde played 37 games in SPFL2 + League Cup this season. They'd probably have played something similar with 26 LL + 3 LL Cup sections + LL cup knockouts + South Challenge Cup + local cup. Clearly equivalency isn't the aim anyway as neither HL or LL is envisaged to reach 36 games, AFAIA. And of course they finish a fortnight earlier due to the way the playoffs work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdenbeath Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Austin MacPhee has worked for St Mirren and is currently working with the Northern Irish FA in a coaching / match analysis role and is very well respected in north east fife, not just because of his coaching credentials but also the 500 + kids within the AM soccer youth system, many of whom have gone on to sign with professional clubs. There is already a 3G pitch at duffus park which is run by the fife sport and leisure trust. I'm not aware of any plans to have a new 3G in the same park and would be astonished if that happened. Howe of Fife RFC are relocating their clubhouse from the town centre to the park which will incorporate changing rooms, function areas, cafe etc but no new astro. As mentioned above, I believe they are looking into ground sharing with East Fife. I don't buy into the 'who'll support them' comments. They're a club who want to progress as high up the pyramid as they can and have a solid youth set up already in place, and for me that should draw praise as opposed to criticism. Also had a spell as a coach at Cowden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaffenThinMint Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Filling it with school teams ain't going to tempt big juniors or unconvinced supporters. Will it matter a tuppenny damn if the "school teams" provide more supporters? Especially as it's looking more & more less of an onerous task to do as well or better the "big juniors" for those bread and butter league fixtures. As pointed out earlier, there was a crucial match last Saturday between Irvine Meadow and Clydebank. To both sides it was a make or break match - Medda had to win for their title challenge to have a realistic hope of not being overtaken by Talbot who have five games in hand & are only eight points behind. Clydebank had to win to keep Shotts Bon Accord, Kilbirnie Ladeside & Cumnock close enough for any realistic hope of avoiding automatic relegation. Both boast - especially Clydebank to the point of tedium - about their huge support. The game was at an excellent ground. In short, everything factor was in place that should have attracted a healthy crowd. Yet between them they could only muster a @150 attendance. If this is the best the "big Juniors" can do for a "crucial" match, are they really worth the wooing at the expense of other avenues of encouraging new blood? Like I've said before, the LL needs to forget trying to bring any of the Juniors in & indulging their "special little snowflakes" pretentions. They'll come in soon enough one by one as they realise it's going to be that or die a slow death at the hands of their collective incompetence, & those who won't will be no great loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 It's 20 years since the franchising of Meadowbank Thistle was allowed to go ahead against the wishes of the fans.....anything goes it seems. This Fife lot would have to satisfy certain criteria along with any other applicants before being accepted of course.It would be interesting if one Junior club were to break ranks though as some might say it would add weight to their application just as a GIRUY to the SJFA. But I dare say the Lowland League management committee are beyond such shenanigans... I don't know about the crowds a Cupar team would attact but it's a biggish town and I went to a Kennoway Star Hearts game in the Juniors last year and there seemed to be a no bad home support considering the team play in a field up a track next to a dot on the map. There is also a nice bakers in Cupar too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parsforlife Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Couldn't care less about fan numbers, should not be taken into account in the application process. The best performing licensed sides should be accepted, if am soccer can prove they will be licensed by the season start then they should be accepted if no better licensed side apply. Places shouldn't be held back in case the juniors change their mind. They can apply this time round, but if they don't and enough properly placed clubs do then tough shit, they will have had 3 chances to apply, that's plenty time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Ignoring the turgid senior vs junior sectarianism from the usual suspects, let's stick to the why the need to expand topic. EDIT: Clyde played 37 games in SPFL2 + League Cup this season. They'd probably have played something similar with 26 LL + 3 LL Cup sections + LL cup knockouts + South Challenge Cup + local cup. There's also the Ramsden Cup. With 16 teams and a sectional league cup, it's easy to come up with 36 guaranteed games before knockout formats are factored in and show that the fixture lists are directly comparable in both contexts. Odds on 16 was the envisaged number for that reason. Personally think 10 would have been the better way to go initially, so a greater emphasis could have been placed on quality, but that was binned after the HL insisted on remaining intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cicero Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Ignoring the turgid senior vs junior sectarianism from the usual suspects, let's stick to the why the need to expand topic. The amount of rubbishing of the Lowland League that goes on in the junior forum and you have never once accused them of tribalism or sectarianism. It seems to work only one way as far as your concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankies Alive Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Will it matter a tuppenny damn if the "school teams" provide more supporters? Especially as it's looking more & more less of an onerous task to do as well or better the "big juniors" for those bread and butter league fixtures. As pointed out earlier, there was a crucial match last Saturday between Irvine Meadow and Clydebank. To both sides it was a make or break match - Medda had to win for their title challenge to have a realistic hope of not being overtaken by Talbot who have five games in hand & are only eight points behind. Clydebank had to win to keep Shotts Bon Accord, Kilbirnie Ladeside & Cumnock close enough for any realistic hope of avoiding automatic relegation. Both boast - especially Clydebank to the point of tedium - about their huge support. The game was at an excellent ground. In short, everything factor was in place that should have attracted a healthy crowd. Yet between them they could only muster a @150 attendance. If this is the best the "big Juniors" can do for a "crucial" match, are they really worth the wooing at the expense of other avenues of encouraging new blood? Like I've said before, the LL needs to forget trying to bring any of the Juniors in & indulging their "special little snowflakes" pretentions. They'll come in soon enough one by one as they realise it's going to be that or die a slow death at the hands of their collective incompetence, & those who won't will be no great loss. Irvne Meadows crowds have always been rubbish! Come along to our home game on Saturday and tell me if any LL club gets anywhere near the crowd that`ll be at it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I note that Spartans, Selkirk, Benburb, Port Glasgow, Glencairn have all managed to get new grounds built in the last decade or so despite having lesser crowds that the mighty Bankies..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankies Alive Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Most had grounds to sell others have had more benevolent councils. Its such a shame that your last remaining put down is about to be made redundant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTG Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Whatever hand the Juniors think they hold, they are playing it spectacularly badly. The average crowd at junior football is woeful in the modern era and there are only a few exceptions to that. Everything in junior football moves at the pace of a snail (at best) and the attempt to create a joint east/west league is a good demonstration of that. I don't see how anyone can criticise the lowland league for considering applications from interested parties in the absence of any from disinterested parties. Junior football is digging it's own hole and until our unless someone gets a grip of non league football in this country as a whole that is how it will continue. It's absolutely ludicrous that we are even able to have accusations of junior v senior tribalism and that in itself encapsulates everything that is wrong. Self interest continues to thrive at the expense of the game itself and those who try to support it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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