Borderer

Agreed but it’s no worse than a PSF v Coldstream on a Tuesday night. Let’s face it, neither scenario is going to see folks racing to the ground in huge numbers.

Yes of the ones I’ve visited Vale will probably offer the least in terms of good facilities and a decent town centre. Although Civil Service is quite basic ground wise, you do have the day out in Edinburgh for those who like to partake in liquid refreshment/good food as oppose to dog burger and/or enjoy a spot of shopping/sight seeing. Whitehill is a better ground than Vale but situated in the middle of nowhere with little in Rosewell itself. So there are definitely some less rewarding days out as you’d expect. On the plus side though as agreed, there’s still Gretna and Galashiels which are ok, Falkirk, Stirling, Spartans, Annan and other opportunities for decent trips. So it’s hardly railed off park pitches every week. It’s a mixture but at least there’s no 225+ mile treks and for me personally I prefer the 2 rather than 4 game opposition format.

All very well singing “sack the board” but who exactly is going to do that? Unless there is a very unlikely take-over or the major shareholders stage a coup, there’s little prospect of major change at the top. The suits in the board room enjoy putting on the gold n black tie, free wining and dining around the grounds and the important status it gives them. There are still some people at the club who believe that it’s the football authorities fault for awarding Albion extra points which gave them the chance to overtake Berwick in a 2 horse race to finish bottom. Whereas the reality is that every club has an entire season of 36 games to gain points from...Berwick lost 27 of those matches. Cove Rangers meanwhile lost just 1 league game all season. Directors and club officials may not like criticism from fans (who really does like being chastised?) but it’s understandable. They may not want to take the blame but fans obviously aren’t going to blame Kevin Keegan or the Arch Bishop of Canterbury are they? The buck stops with those in charge of affairs. There was clearly no coherent policy other than hope Albion would be worse. One thing Berwick desperately need as a club is a change of direction and change full stop. Whilst it’s fair comment for the directors to point out how hard times are and the difficulty in attracting good sponsors etc with a view to generating better income streams, other similar sized clubs manage to do it. I very much doubt folks are falling over themselves with bucket loads of cash to hand over to any of the other SPFL 2 clubs either. Fact is like Shire, Berwick need to accept there’s no point in continuing in a system where they are not competitive. Getting thrashed every week and failing to score in 9 successive games is no good to anybody apart from the opposition. Nobody can honestly say relegation is a good thing and every club wants to play at the highest level possible. You find your natural level though based on club size, support, cash etc and have to make the best of what you’ve got. Clearly Berwick have not just stood still but gone backwards whilst ambitious clubs look to climb the league ladder. I’ll be watching the team when I can home and away as usual next season. I’d still do the same whether Berwick were in the EoS, McBookie, Borders or even English Northern League. It is what it is...ultimately you have to play at a level you can be competitive in. Shire might not have enjoyed losing their SPFL status any more than Berwick but despite not pulling up any trees at least they are no longer getting tanked every week and have reached the cup final. I’ve been to 11 out of the 16 Lowland grounds and there’s some good days out for those who go away. Queens at Hampden accepted nobody at Berwick is likely to miss tedious treks to Peterhead or Elgin twice each per campaign judging by the few independent fans who bother to go. Due to ground shares Berwick will still play at 5 of the same stadiums and there’s more variety as no more 4 games v each side as it’s back to a normal home and away only. Each to their own but I don’t accept that home games v the likes of Gretna or Spartans are any less attractive than playing Albion or Elgin. I can’t see Berwick getting back in the SPFL system in the foreseeable future but the most important thing is the club needs to adapt and compete. The question is will any positive change be forthcoming? Up The Borderers!

Frankly I’m not sure they are capable of winning one game in a row! I’ve been watching football regularly since 1972 and at pro or semi-pro league level in the UK, I’m seriously struggling to recall a side (even Shire) that has taken so many thrashing’s home and away in a single season. Whilst nothing is certain in football, you wouldn’t fancy Berwick to beat either Cove or Kilbride over 2 legs. I’ve not watched East Kilbride but saw Cove hammer Turriff 7-1 earlier this campaign in the Highland League Cup. Whilst accepting Turriff were no Barcelona, they looked no worse than The Borderers. However the season finishes, Berwick need a change of direction. It’s no good talking about 1967 and living in the past this is 2019. The reality is the club needs to change what they are doing to achieve something better not do the same old things that have lead to consistent failure. Easier said than done of course but you can’t expect better results by simply plodding along when things are clearly not working.