Leaderboard

Twelve months ago the East of Scotland Football League had 11 members, having lost one along the way, and let's be honest, apart from one or two none were capable of causing much trouble for larger clubs. It has now almost completely consumed the East Region Scottish Junior Football Association south of the Tay. Regardless of what happens from here or whether you think it's a good or bad thing, that's absolutely extraordinary, and possibly without precedent in non-league Scottish football since 1945.

The motives of the likes of Dalkeith and Blackburn, and other of the early movers, have been consistently and patiently pointed out to you and you have consistently and, it would seem, purposefully ignored any and all of it to peddle your preferred line that these teams haven't, in fact, diligently assessed all matters pertinent to them and made a considered choice as to where best their future growth may be served but that they have merely looked to steal a short term march on those that you judge to have more kudos in the game than them. You have absolutely no idea of their motives but speak as if you do, simply and persistently claiming, with no evidence whatsoever, that they began the exodus with the very worst of reasons. Not every club operates with the same short term thinking that appears to continue to hamper the Junior game.

More money and not having to move far from his tattoo artist and his pals. Hartley will find a more ambitious replacement.

This is when Houston would've brought in Willo Flood as a replacement. Thank God its Don Paul in charge. Bye Sibbs.

Cheerio. Next.

Absolute. Fucking. Ride.

66 days until the new season starts - the length of the Mayflower's voyage to America filled with religious weirdos set on building a country of religious weirdos.

Club Statement Dundonald Bluebell can confirm that we have brought forward our original application for admission to the eosl for season 19/20 to allow us to join the association for next season 18/19. We sincerely hope to be accepted by member clubs at next weeks eosl agm.

Let me reword my question. Are you required at the stadium in the next 24-48 hours that you know of?

SPFL board convene to discuss the latest Rangers statement.

Brothers and sisters are natural enemies, like Todd Lumsden and Bobby Barr. Or Paul Martin and Bobby Barr. Or Yogi Hughes and Bobby Barr. Or Raith Rovers fans and Bobby Barr. Damn Bobby Barr! He ruined Bobby Barr.

If this signing proves anything, its that Sibbald wanted away. Its settled now and we can move on. Hope he does well.

Ya beezer.

I think answering one question a month on P&B is fair, so I'll give you a totally honest answer. Yes. I've to cover the "Meet The Manager" event tomorrow night. Good question Rugster.

Congratulations to the East Region and the SJFA for the worst piece of corporate governance since Gerald Ratner.

Last year the Sibbald situation rumbled on until the middle of August. All sorted before May is over and we don’t have Houston in charge to replace him with a released United/Hibs player. Roll on the new signings.

But...

Reading the fury on twitter from fans really baffles me. Why the f**k would we want to keep a player who doesn't want to stay. Even if we activated the other year in his contract if Sibbs has said he wanted to leave why would we try to keep him. He has been a good servant and I wish him well at his new club in the SPFL but we move on.

I'm not angry at you Sibbs, none of us are. I'm sad for you. Yes you'll be letting us down, you'll be letting your family down, you'll be letting your friends down but most of all, you'll be letting yourself down. You're better than this son.

PLEASE IMAGINE THE SEETHE

You can choose any gender you wish.

Must’ve grown a new, full sized heart since the last time he played for us.

Thank you Livi. You've ruined the Falkirk fans for months.

Just as well were laying the same pitch your lot play their silky football on.

Who is he? Is he any good? Seems like he'd give our bench decent depth

Can someone give an updated list of what teams are now remaining Junior in the East. I stand to win a big bet from my old man. I told him a year ago, Lochore Welfare would be in the Super League within 5 years. The way things are going, it’s looking good for my prediction

Nelson and Jak are quite different as footballers IMO.

Fantastic memories. Their poxy banner , wall of seethe at “zombie”, wild goal celebrations, and finally as you say, Nads rubbing salt into their wounds with that goal. Owned by Dundee United that day, at ibrox, pleasing.

Taken just after McCann had booted him in the stones.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44304566 Kilmarnock director Billy Bowie is aiming to build a club capable of breaking the traditional league dominance of the Old Firm. No club other than Celtic or Rangers has won the title in Scotland since Aberdeen in 1985. But Bowie is a man who knows about making it big from modest beginnings. Asked if Kilmarnock could challenge, he said: "I would like to think so. We have to be modest. It would be great if we could do it next year." Bowie has gone from starting a waste disposal operation with just one truck to building a business worth £20m. Now he hopes to grow Kilmarnock in a similar way that would, one day, see them challenge at the top of the Scottish game. "This is a big stadium, a 19,000 stadium," he told BBC Scotland. "Slowly, we are getting there - season-ticket sales are going great at the moment. "If we can start to fill the stands here, do more commercial work, raise more funds towards the club, then the more we can improve the player budget." But, in reality, can a side like Kilmarnock - or Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs - really aspire to break the stranglehold the Old Firm has had on league football in Scotland for the past three decades? "We have really just got to see how we play, how the other teams have fared up," Bowie said. "Every year, turnover has grown, employment has grown within the club. Our media department has three people in it. When I came there was one guy sharing media and hospitality. "We've got the backroom staff, we've refurbished the gym, we've got a sport scientist. "The way I look at it, we have got all the tools for the job. We need to make sure all the facilities are there for the players. Every year we're going to build on that." Although his ultimate ambitions are big for Kilmarnock, it is clear Bowie's feet do still remain on the ground. For now, simply surviving in the Premiership is the immediate aim. "We need to stay modest," he said. "The other teams out there have got to up the ante and raise their game. It will be very competitive next year but, ideally, we'll finish top six. "My strategy with my own business is that, year on year, we grow by 10%. Ideally, I would see that as being something achievable here at Rugby Park as well." Last season was almost revolutionary at Kilmarnock. Gone is the doom and gloom that clouded the air while the unpopular former chairman Michael Johnston reigned supreme. Steve Clarke then arrived and took a failing side off the floor of the Premiership to fifth place - Kilmarnock's highest league finish in seven years. Bowie positively brims with enthusiasm as to what he sees as the possibilities at Kilmarnock. It's an optimism fuelled by what he has already achieved in his business life and good old-fashioned community spirit. "I'm very community minded. I love doing things for the community," Bowie said. "I'm buzzing with ideas for other things to help other junior football clubs out as well. "I like helping. I like doing things that I can do. It's not all money either, a lot of the time it's just giving up a bit of time. "Really, I just felt I had to do something for the football club - and even Kilmarnock. "Kilmarnock had lost Johnnie Walkers. They used to have carpet factories here and this was a major employer, and one thing that couldn't happen here was for Kilmarnock to lose its football club." Bowie's own success story is about steady progress. Building things from the ground up seems to be the Bowie mantra from his first days in business in the early 1990s. "I saved up £5,000 and went out and bought one truck, refurbished it in 1991, and went out driving that myself doing industrial cleaning and whatever you could do with a tanker - cleaning up floods, drains," he recalled. "One truck led to two trucks, two led to four. "In 2000, I bought a site in Moorfield, because at that time I had 40 trucks and I was upsetting the neighbours because I stayed on a C-class road. "Since 2000, it's just helped us grow again to the extent that Moorfield was a 10-acre site and we've outgrown that as well. So, every year, I like enhancing things. I don't like to stand still. "So, from one truck in 1991 to where I am now, it's been a fair whirlwind." It's maybe not quite a whirlwind yet at Kilmarnock, but there is now certainly a sense of breezy optimism in the air. Bowie is aiming to sell 4,000 season tickets this summer - that would be a rise of a third on last season. Money from that would be used to increase Clarke's playing budget. Plans are also afoot to have a bespoke training centre up and running within the next 12 months. The club is no longer in a position where it has to sell prize assets, as they did with striker Souleymane Coulibaly, with hopes still high that midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu will stay with the club for next season. But what about the manager? "I'm confident he'll be here the next two years, unless a bigger club come along and give him an offer he can't refuse," said Bowie. "But, to be honest, he's happy here. The fans love him. "Sometimes you have to take all that into consideration - the feel-good factor and the respect he's got - and everything seems to be going the way he wants things to go."

Can the country bumpkins keep their unsettling brand of patter off the m9's thread please I feel like we're a few shitey in-joke posts away from finding out why Ali moved to Asia

Sevcoin, Shirley?

Rangers are pish First post on P&B from me - how did I do?

Sibbald has been a good servant and as I have previously stated I wish him well. However players, managers, board members come and go and we still support the club. If someone has made a c**t of the negotiations then that is something to be sorted out at boardroom level. I heard he was offered a very minimal pay rise and wanted to look elsewhere. Could be pish as I'm not claiming to be i.t.k. Folk on twitter saying they won't be renewing their season tickets as Sibbald is leaving is mental in my opinion but hey ho each to their own. Been following the Bairns for 46 years and seen good players/servants come and go and no doubt will in the future.

Never mind. New website the morra troops!

Livingston can give 5k tickets at the TM to Celtic/Rangers/Hearts and Hibs next season that will sell out easily due to the location of the town. Aberdeen and Dundee will also take big crowds through plus the prize money is a lot better. You’ll be aryt. f**k knows how you’ve got to where you are, you could so easily be in the position Airdrie are just now. Fair play to you.

Explains why he spent so many years at Falkirk then.

I'm normally an optimistic person and I like to think I take a pretty balanced view but, f**k me, just look at the nick of the absolute dross we've signed. MacLean - 36 and probably finished - 2 year deal. Ikpeazu - it takes about 10 seconds of footage to see he's an absolute huddy - 2 year deal. Burns - actually seems quite promising. Lee - might be okay but any League Two player is a bit of a punt - 3 year deal. Mulraney - can't get a game for a midtable Championship team - 2 year deal. Garuccio - a left-back who "can't defend" in a diddy league - 3 year deal. Zlamal - journeyman keeper who couldn't get a regular game at any of his previous clubs - 3 year deal. That's at least 12 years' wages tied up in players who, I'm willing to bet, we'll be trying to get rid of by this time next year. And it's not even June yet. It's unbelievable that Levein and Murray have been given another transfer window. Next season is already fucked.

This is going to be absolute scenes if this is how they finally unveil Berbatov.

I work in Perthshire. The locals are complete and utter wankers . I think the Kilmac Stadium sounds great. Richard Kilcullen has been a great support to the club too.

Hearing rumours that We Are Falkirk.

They tried to make him go to sevco, he said ‘no no no’.

Typical, arguing that the old and the new are one and the same.

So in summary, so far in this 10 days of excitement that was suggested, we have signed a contract extension with our development keeper, changed our ticketing system to ticketmaster, and confirmed it was indeed a printing error that suggested a 5% credit card charge. All the while the fans have debated whether or not Sibbald will be here or wants to be here and one guy is talking to himself. What a time to be a Bairn.