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League set up 2015


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Hopefully there are two leagues but not heard any teams applying to join the league. I suspect it could be one league due to Easthouses going junior and i don't know what the strollers situation is lowland league wise.

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1 league would be the way to go but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

as last season playing a league where you play each team 3 times with the 3rd tie based on the throw of a coin was a joke

saying that 2 leagues with promotion and relegation keeps the excitement going

as 1 league would result in maybe 5 teams going for everything with the rest getting whipped

so after all that 2 leagues would be best but perhaps

league 1 with 10 teams home away

league 2 can play against each other 3 times ,,,,

Edited by theref
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One league would be a farce? For what reasons?

Because if there was one league there would be nothing to play for, least with two leagues you can keep it balanced and something to aim for like promotion relegation etc. Maybe one season or two a one league would be fine but what happens if one team constantly slaughters it?

With teams leaving, the EOS should be doing more to attract more well run amateur teams to apply but thats only my opinion.

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One league. Call it lowland league 2 (East) No pressure to stay up or get promoted and each team working to get licensed for entry to the scottish cup and the finances that brings with it. Then they'd attract players and it'd be more competitive and promotion to lowland becomes an option.

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good suggestion but good ideas never happen

One league. Call it lowland league 2 (East) No pressure to stay up or get promoted and each team working to get licensed for entry to the scottish cup and the finances that brings with it. Then they'd attract players and it'd be more competitive and promotion to lowland becomes an option.

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Ultimately there'll be 1 league if most clubs want 1, and 2 divisions will continue if most clubs want 2?

Single league has the advantage of improved variety, and the disadvantages of most clubs having nothing to play for and more matches to fit in... Two divisions has the advantage of promotion/relegation and therefore meaningful games, and the disadvantage of repetitiveness due to playing 3/4 times.

In an ideal world there would 2 divisions of at least 10 clubs each (so 27 games)? In practice the ESL has shrunk: from 26 clubs in 2012, down to 20 in 2013, down again to 17 in 2014, and if Easthouses or Civil Service were to move on and no-one join it'll go down again this year. If it goes beyond 16 I imagine it'll have to be a single division, although if you had 14 clubs then I suppose you could have 8 playing 28 games and 6 playing 30 games. Has to aim for expansion, though.

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To be honest I don't think playing each other 3 times makes much or any real difference at this level what with crowds of 15-50 to play in front of. Even amateur teams think they have an advantage by playing at home, it's all in the mind because what might that advantage be, a 50,000 crowd roaring them on or 1 man and a dog?

They do it or did it in the SPFL didn't they before they split for the top 6 and only then do they get a 4th game against teams in the top or bottom 6 depending where they end up. I watched a game at Easthouses once where the home support was outnumbered by three to one but there was still only 18 people there.

The season just finished shows that LTHV and Easthouses both won 8 home and away, lost 2 home and away and drew 2 home and away. Both of them in fact had a better away record than home record because of their away goal difference.

Leith won 7 away and 7 at home

Tynecastle 5 home wins v 4 away wins but same number of H&A defeats

Craigroyston 1 home and 3 away wins

Some teams prefer playing away from home because their own pitches are so bad in the winter months.

Edited by old speckled hen
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To be honest I don't think playing each other 3 times makes much or any real difference at this level what with crowds of 15-50 to play in front of. Even amateur teams think they have an advantage by playing at home, it's all in the mind because what might that advantage be, a 50,000 crowd roaring them on or 1 man and a dog?

They do it or did it in the SPFL didn't they before they split for the top 6 and only then do they get a 4th game against teams in the top or bottom 6 depending where they end up. I watched a game at Easthouses once where the home support was outnumbered by three to one but there was still only 18 people there.

The season just finished shows that LTHV and Easthouses both won 8 home and away, lost 2 home and away and drew 2 home and away. Both of them in fact had a better away record than home record because of their away goal difference.

Leith won 7 away and 7 at home

Tynecastle 5 home wins v 4 away wins but same number of H&A defeats

Craigroyston 1 home and 3 away wins

Some teams prefer playing away from home because their own pitches are so bad in the winter months.

If you look at the leagues closer you'll find only 2 of the 17 teams won more points away than at home so it's clear playing at home even at this level has its advantages. It's nothing to do with playing in front of a home crowd as you say but more the travelling especially when it's long distances or night games. Players not being able to make it or turning up late due to work and other commitments.

Need to be playing either 2/4 times a season to make it fair for every team, sure that I'll be the case next year if easthouses are out and 16 teams left.

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Playing thrice has obvious disadvantages in terms of sporting equilibrium; although at least this season it was a division of 9 teams so everyone got 12 home & 12 away games. If you play thrice in divisions of 8 or 10 then half the teams receive an 'extra' home game.

In the case of 8 you can play 4 times for a total of 28 games which is perfectly feasible, but obviously playing 4 times in a division of 9 (or 10) would be 32 games over 36 matchdays (or 36 matches) which would be too long for this sort of level.

If a majority of clubs want 2 divisions and there are more than 16 clubs [i.e. 2 divisions of 8] then you have to play thrice. Otherwise you would only have 14/16/18 league games and people wouldn't accept so low a number in the modern era, IMO, where there are budgets to sustain and titles/promotion/relegation/Scottish Cup qualification/etc. at stake.

Playing thrice is not unprecedented. They played thrice in the lower divisions of the Scottish League between 1975-1994, and in the South of Scotland League from 1988-1990, and they currently do so before the split in the SPFL Premiership (before the post-split 'balances it up'). It isn't a desirable system, but sometimes needs must I suppose. It happens in Europe too, e.g. Danish top-tier.

Edited by HibeeJibee
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It's not a "one-off" third fixture... at the moment clubs in the EOS Premier Division play each other 3 times to fill out the season. (It totals 24 games and 3 days as the odd club = 27; clubs in the First Division play 4 times = 28). You would have to stage 9 different versions of your superweekend, or have a total of 36 different games played at neutral venues with split costs, to make things entirely balanced.

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Eos is amateur now. Not part of the professional game.

Doesn't make it amateur though - in Scotland 'amateur' is classed as recreational football. The Juniors are also on the Non Professional board and about half of its membership legally pay players, something the recreational teams are forbidden to do.

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