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Absolute nonsense and solely for the benefit of the big two and hangers-on hearts and whoever else joins them because they don’t want to miss out. They’re cleverly manipulating their way into the league over time. There’s not a strong coordinated stance against the changes to the set up, and if this goes through it’s only a matter of a few years before Colts teams are allowed to get promoted into the SPFL. It’s death by a thousand cuts that started with the challenge cup, followed by bribing their way into the pyramid. Folk have to ignore individual club allegiances on these things, I won’t ever watch St Johnstone B team play in the challenge cup and hope they get knocked out at the first opportunity for example. Reserve teams should play in reserve/ under 21 leagues.

The Old Firm have destroyed Scottish football at the top end, they have now embarked on destroying Women's football, and stitching up the bottom end will complete the set. Everyone outside their orbit now needs to link arms and kill off these latest proposals. It may say 'SFA' on the tin, but be in no doubt that the OF are orchestrating this, and IMO the timing of Peter Lawwell's return to Parkhead is significant in all of this. And please, no more alternative suggestions which involve B teams, as that is basically conceding the argument.

So we were trying to pull that 90s American sitcom classic of going on two dates at the same time? What a club.

I'm continually surprised by the resilience shown by this little guy, he's 16, has kidney issues, arthritis and an over active thyroid but is still trucking along, he sleeps a lot and has days where he won't eat much ( bloody loves boiled chicken though ) but is still pretty active and has a mad turn every couple of days, he's also becoming very chatty in his old age, I know that in the not too distant future it'll all catch up with him but for now I'm spending every waking minute hanging out with him, fell asleep with him on the sofa last night and woke up with a sore neck but it's totally worth it.

Please... PLEASE can we fucking leave it now ffs

10/10 - Knew 9 plus a 1/4 guess.

A few general points: I personally detest the idea of 'B' teams being included in the pyramid. Even seeing "Stranraer Reserves" in the SOSL gives me the boak. Why would you pollute your league with teams who have zero ambition and exist solely to support a different club? Remember when people tried to argue the 'B' teams were just going to be included for "one season only" and some utter cretins believed it and reported it as fact? The addition of a 'Conference' or 'League 3' could actually be decent but it absolutely does not need Rangers and Celtic reserve sides included. I'd prefer they just expanded League 2 into a 16-team division though, with the bottom two being automatically relegated. It's utterly absurd that you can finish bottom of the SPFL and still get to save yourselves in a play-off. Comparing our pyramid with the one in England is utterly and completely depressing. You've got Luton, who could well have gone from Conference to Premier League and Scunthorpe who have fallen from Championship to the Conference North. The system should be set up so that, at least in theory, any team can go from pub league to Champions League or vice versa. Instead, we have two clubs running the show and a whole bunch of self-serving clubs more than happy to kiss their arse and take a few bribes.

Good move for him. Probably won’t be too long before Kai Kennedy joins him.

FWIW I think Falkirk would be mad to bin McGlynn if you don't get promoted this season. I know it'll sting but there's a good chance he get rid of any deadwood still at the club, makes more of his own signings and you guys go on to win L1 next season. Say you don't go up, it's going to be one of Arbroath, Accies and Cove that come down. All three are smaller clubs, smaller budgets etc and I wouldn't fancy any of them going straight back up. And who's going to come up, Stirling Albion. Mix that with the rest of the middle of the league teams and I think Falkirk will win that division, If Airdrie go up then you won't have them to deal with either. Change the manager and it's back to square one.

Good grief. You go away from P&B for a few weeks and come back to find the team from your village has joined the EOSFL! I’m in no way ITK about them and will be as intrigued as you will be about where they will eventually settle in the pyramid! As a few others have commented, the ground is in top condition for joining the league at that level. There is a covered stand seating about 50, and uncovered standing / railed off from the pitch on either side thereof. Plus a small covered enclosure being built on the other side of the pitch (between the dugouts). Take say Ormiston, who have a very tidy ground. Linton Hotspur would I’d suggest mark a small improvement on that ground today, before any new works are completed. Some kind of building works are indeed taking place now behind the goal adjacent to the clubhouse. I expect the remainder of the pitch will need to be railed off and they might be doing something to expand the car parking behind the goals, judging by where the works taking place are. I’ll take a better look next time I wander past. The clubhouse itself is excellent. Changing rooms available for both teams and referees, showers and toilets. Kitchen area with pies (bring a change of clothes for gravy soaking) and best of all an honesty bar for cans of chilled T (they are not licensed so cannot sell booze). Plus a telly and a pool table. Playing surface is superb and very well maintained. A number of games will no doubt fall due to West Linton being amongst the coldest places on earth, but that besides I’d be surprised if a game is lost due to water logging. The one thing that will need a lot of work is the playing squad. I’ve seen the team a half dozen times or so since lockdown, and they’ve been solidly thrashed every time. Maybe I’ve picked bad games to watch, but I’d put them well behind the likes of Edinburgh College or West Calder from teams in that league I’ve recently seen. As regards where the facilities come from, my understanding is that the new primary school and some houses were built on their former pitch. The new ground is built on land which I believe was donated by a local farmer. So I’ve been told in the past. What is very evident is that the community aspect of the team is building every passing month. I regularly see a big turnout for the kids section and that’s ultimately what I suspect will be of most importance to the club. Crowds for games I’ve seen have hovered somewhere around 50 on average. Not tremendously well supported today, but then an EOSFL league team here could feasibly draw support from the nearby towns and villages of Carlops, Dolphinton, Biggar, Elsrickle and Broughton, so there’s a reasonable catchment area before you reach the neighbouring football teams in Penicuik, Peebles or Carluke. Before I go too far into my “Bonnyrigg where do I get parked” mode, the amenities of the village outwith the club for an away day fan are easily summarised. One pub in the centre, the Gordon Arms, and a co-op! That’s your lot. Local celebrities include me, and John Hartson lives just along the road. Not much else to add other than to wish them well. And to hope they draw Campbeltown Pupils away in a cup and let me have a seat on their bus!

Very sorry to hear this. I know Jim Jnr, didn't know his Mum but know she loved the club. Prayers with you and your family @Darvel legend

I think this will be our ninth attempt since they were introduced in 2006. Since then we’ve lost six finals (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2021 and 2022) and two semi-finals (2010 and 2017). It’s a remarkable record, though caveated by us still ending up in the second tier after losing the 2008, 2009 and 2012 finals because of other teams financial issues. It’s the sort of thing that others think is lucky but actually just leads to us circling the drain for another year. The last two seasons have been frustrating as we’ve put in big performances in the semi-final second leg only for it to be for nothing. The 3-2 Cove game in 2021 was a cracker, with the two late goals and then Gallagher scoring the winner with his thigh in extra time. Last year we had the Montrose shenanigans, coming from 4-1 down to make it 4-4 (Gallagher’s other thigh scoring the equaliser) before Afolabi turned into prime Olivier Giroud. I still laugh thinking about the nonsense that went on that afternoon. As you say, last year will always feel like the perfect opportunity. It came down to winning a home game against a team we finished 21 points ahead of and yet we couldn’t manage it, though Queen’s Park absolutely deserved it on the day and across all four games. It’s hard to call this year. This team have it in them to batter any of our possible opponents, however could also easily struggle to play consistently well across four games.

Sad news today for the club that honorary member Mrs Ilene Wylie has passed away, an ever present for decades doing a variety of tasks along with her late husband Jim Snr, condolences to Jim, John and their families. R.I.P. Ilene

Betis v Sociedad in the race for the CL. There was 42 500 @ the game even though the Seville Feria was on and packed out at the same time.

The "Non League" football site on Facebook is planning a month of action through May under the banner of "No to B teams" for anyone interested. I will be giving it my support. https://www.facebook.com/groups/nonleague/permalink/2144815472390860/

Thought it might be worth keeping track of every club that's voiced their disapproval of the Conference League: Voting Members (40/90) East Stirlingshire (LL) Nairn County (HL) Linlithgow Rose (LL*) Livingston (Premiership) Lossiemouth (HL) St Cuthbert's Wanderers (SoS) Ross County (Premiership) Turriff United (HL) Huntly (HL) Cumbernauld Colts (LL) Civil Service Strollers (LL) Forres Mechanics (HL) Keith (HL) Clachnacuddin (HL) Caledonian Braves (LL) Tranent (LL) Strathspey Thistle (HL) Newton Stewart (SoS) Glasgow University (WoS) Deveronvale (HL) Albion Rovers (LL) Annan Athletic (League One) Peterhead (League Two) Bonnyrigg Rose (League Two) Raith Rovers (Championship) Wick Academy (HL) Brora Rangers (HL) Buckie Thistle (HL) Preston Athletic (EoS) Partick Thistle (Championship) Falkirk (League One) Rothes (HL) Dumbarton (League Two) Greenock Morton (Championship) Kelty Hearts (League One) Stirling Albion (League One) Stenhousemuir (League Two) Cowdenbeath (Lowland League) Clyde (League Two) Edinburgh (League One) Cove (League One) Berwick Rangers (LL) Other Voting Bodies (2) East of Scotland FA North Caledonian FA Member Clubs with Fan Consultations (6) Stenhousemuir, Dunfermline, St Mirren, Motherwell,, Ayr United Non-Voting Members Musselburgh Athletic, Haddington Athletic, Blackburn United, Jeanfield Swifts, Broxburn Athletic Pollok, Rutherglen Gartcairn, Clydebank Non-Members Armadale Thistle Rothie Rovers Confirmed Bad Guys List (4) Celtic (Premiership) Rangers (Premiership) Hearts (Premiership) Queen's Park (Championship) Others Aberdeen and Hibs will not enter a team, but no confirmation of voting intentions. Last Updated: 4th June

This season is the only season I've managed to remotely enjoy really since Houston. That's what it's all about for me in the first place and I think the majority of fans would agree. So you can ram your stats. Utterly boring.

I've had to remove a few posts with vitriolic personal abuse. Calling each other childish names is a sure sign you're losing the argument, not to mention off-putting to all the other posters who just want to read and contribute to the debates.

They would still have turned up outside the forum and stood around growling.

Eh. I heard they stay with Billie because they want to, because they want to.

I really, really did not like Barjonas the last time he was here but I’m willing to accept he’s probably a hell of a lot better than then. If he signs he’ll get a fair crack of the whip from me.

I’m utterly shocked by the SPFL stepping in. What right do they have to force a club, at home (temporary or not) into giving X amount of tickets. Especially when it can result in a disadvantage to us. There’s countless examples of bigger teams not getting the allocation they want in the prem. Celtic and Rangers only have 800 in their 50K and 60K stadiums. Motherwell and St Mirren etc always have spare seats against old firm but choose to only give them one stand. Which is completely their right. So why has QP been forced to give more? If we’re at home we should pick what stand we want and the away allocation. Is there any rules around that or just the SPFL being c u nts and stepping in for a single fixture? 40/1 start of the year, you Dundee boys should be embarrassed

6 management teams in 6 years, and we wonder why we’re in the doldrums…

You should get angry. In 2012, the league wanted Rangers to be placed in the second tier and clubs voted against that because their supporters railed against it. People got angry, it made a difference and the correct decision was made. That's what needs to happen now.

Oh, believe me, I know. I heard the 'we disapprove of bad fan behaviour' style pish for years. I even seem to remember a speech live from the centre circle just after Barcelona, and it seems to me that not much has improved since. There have been a couple of occasions in the relatively recent past when I was close to changing my stated football allegiance to either Scotland or my "wee" team, the mighty Raith Rovers. Too much c#nterocity next season might push me over the edge. It is hard to change, but to me, conflating football with religion and/or support for a ludicrous system for appointing a country's Head of State is a sign of some form of mental illness. I should say that I'm not a psychologist, but I'm also not a gynecologist but I know a c#nt when I see (or hear) one. The songs and chants that I've heard over the years should make a sane person cringe.

Sam has been class. Developed really well and played every game. Have to remember he has just turned 17!. Physically good size and his passing and composure for a young lad is very good. He will have learned a lot beside davo again part of the appeal of dunfermline allowing the lad to come here. Also just a great great kid with an unbelievable attitude. The boys and staff like him too. The loan for me couldn't have worked out better for all parties.

Anyone can join the EOS if they meet the criteria, they'll of course start at the bottom of the pyramid and sink or swim. Not anything at all like the LL and you'd either have to be trolling or stupid beyond words to think that.

I pinched this.. but it was too good not too! Stirling Albion 3 Meadowbank Thistle 1, May 1987. The last game on grass at Annfield. Meadowbank were promoted that day and won the 2nd Division title a week later. Picture by Meadowbank's Birmingham based fan (and good guy) Paul Chatham. The stretcher is there because Grant Tierney collided with the post going for a header. Also right of the ref is the legendary Vic Kasule.

What has this got to do with new EoS member clubs?? Linton Hotspur have been accepted as members of the EoS for next season provided their groundworks are completed by the AGM, which looks likely. A very well organised club.

If people genuinely think M&M are as good as McGlynn then I’d suggest it’s probably a waste of time discussing football with them. Clueless.

Id say "get it in the sea", but theres far too much shite getting pumped in there just now anyway.

Clydebank have completed the signing of former Ashfield and Pollok striker Callum Graham from Irvine Meadow. He has signed a 2 year deal and will be available from the beginning of next season.

Try sitting down.

All this scrambling for twenty odd tickets, if you don't have a fully functioning 'adequate' home stadium, then there should be no promotion for you. Absolute farce. Thank you.

Shamrock rovers v Sligo. attendance -5500 price - 15 euro. good game with both teams trying to play football. Trying to gauge the standard in relation to Scotland I would probably say mid table championship but hard to say. Decent chippy van for half time feed aswell!

Looking forward to the coronation celebrations and swearing allegiance to the king

No injuries incurred, rest for some key players, and a chance to knock off some rust on players who we might end up needing to call upon in the playoff campaign. So long as we can say the same on Saturday evening, fine and dandy. Go into our first game a week today with a full squad, we've more than a fighting chance to pull it off. We know that, if we hit form, we can get the better of Alloa and Falkirk. I reckon we have it within us to overcome whomever finishes 2nd bottom in the division above, too. All three will likely feel similarly, and that's fair, which is why I'm really not fussed about finishing 3rd or 4th. Roll on next Tuesday.

That’s for now. I think it’s important to keep sight of the end goal of the OF clubs and their hangers on. They want their reserves playing every week competitively against full time professionals. The level below the Premiership is the ultimate aim here. Everything they’ve done is just them moving us inch by inch towards that goal. B teams in the challenge cup > B teams in the lowland league > B teams in a new fifth tier ‘Conference League’ > B teams able to win promotion to the SPFL The scenario you describe does seem ridiculous, and that’s probably deliberate. A couple of seasons of 5th being promoted/ 6th relegated etc and everyone commenting on how absurd it is “well we know how we can sort that one out..” We’re talking about a couple of clubs that when lowland league clubs voted to say they didn’t want them in the league, they came back with a big bribe to convince them to accept. They will stop at nothing to get what they are after here.

Ian McCall, aged 58, past his prime. John McGlynn, aged 61, fine.

I wasn’t at all bothered about the early kick off for the semi finals but they can get fucked if they move this from 3pm just because it clashes with a game in another fucking country.

Long and distinguished history of blatant protectionism. The pyramid,well over a hundred years overdue,was meant to do something about that but in an incredibly short period of time it's been disregarded over the interests of 2 clubs and a dozen or so quislings

Saw a report that the SFA are considering rescheduling the final as a lunchtime kick off. The FA Cup final is the same day and has been moved to a 3pm kick off due to the large volume of Manchester based fans travelling to the game. Apparently Viaplay want to maximise viewers for the final and it might be moved to lunchtime or evening. They can f**k off with this shite. It was just some random website that reported it so will see how credible it is. ETA - Seems like the Record etc are reporting it as well. Absolutely pathetic.

Tex, I was an accountant in a previous incarnation so I'm not suggesting for a moment that cost isn't a consideration. Of course it is. But I'd argue it's a board consideration. IMs remit is surely to identify, recommend and justify targets to the board on the basis of squad /team needs, and the board's remit to approve and negotiate, largely on the basis of cost and potential return. And maybe keeping the manager happy if he's well thought of. IM will have his wish lists for shopping and dropping and I hope he presents them without poring over spreadsheets for too long. We've always found a few bob beyond the hard budget for the marquee signings (Skacel, Daly, comedy John etc) from one source or another, so I hope he pushes his luck with a few names. Guessing wages is a fool's game. It's just a guess. Not an educated one, unless you have intel, and doesn't factor in signing fees, phasing of any such payments, win bonuses, goal bonuses, appearance bonuses, contract milestones, player clauses, sponsorship etc, and I don't think it adds anything to conversation.

Coco with a nasty scar after having a lump removed from her neck.

Renewed my ST today for next season and have added an additional for my 3 yr old granddaughter. Her Dad is a Celtic fan and even though she might not go much next season I need to make sure early doors that she takes the right path in life.

In a week, I went from climbing the busiest hill in the UK, to climbing 3 of the least frequented hills in the country. I was heading for THE VOID - the empty place north of Kintail that I've never known what to call. I was going to base myself near Maol Bhuidhe bothy which is probably as far from a public road as you can get in the UK - so that meant I was going to be using my bike to help make the most of time. The bike in from Killilian along Glen Elchaig is fantastic until you get to Iron Lodge at which point there is a long, steep climb to the high point of the path that isn't ridable - and the part from the high point to the Both varies from perfectly rideable (for about 25 metres at a time) to swamp. Before I took on the hellish part, I dumped the bike and headed up a disused stalker's path to get to the summit of Faochaig, which was easy going but was cold and fairly miserable in the cloud (which was the case for the whole weekend from this point). Maol Bhuidhe shouldn't exist as it ridiculously remote - and getting there is a nightmare from any direction but I was glad to see it and leave the bike. I never sleep in bothies when I can help it - so I chucked my tent up and waded the deep river (Ling?) that flows East-West here to climb Ben Dronaig. I'm not sure the hill is ever done from this side any more - but there is another disused stalkers path that makes it a bit more pleasant. It was about 6:30pm when I reached the summit and I was knackered/hungry, so I headed straight back. Once I dropped below the cloud, tomorrow's target Aonach Bhuide looked a bit scary behind the bothy. Normally I would sit in the bothy and have my dinner but I was soaked and chilled, so I got into my sleeping bag to warm up and had dinner in the tent. The weather was worse on Sunday morning, so I canned my plan to find a route up Aonach bhuide from the North as it is very steep, has lots of cliffs and visibility was crap - instead I climbed it from the SW which was a lot safer. All that was left was the bike out - the first bit was a long, rough descent over 3 or 4km, which was great fun if you like that sort of thing - my brake rotors were smoking by the time I reached Iron Lodge but it was all rideable. The final bit was along one of the nicest glens in Scotland - even if it wasn't green yet and it was raining, it was still a pleasure. The opposite of a touristy walk this one - a really tough weekend but satisfying to get 3 nightmare hills done in one trip.

Did my 1st of the month weigh in .Lost 11 lb in March , followed it up with 9 lb in April ,that's me at 17 at 1 ,down 4st 9 since I started. People starting to notice now and pay compliments which is nice and keeps the motivation going Good luck to everyone else who's trying

The warning before the Frankie Boyle programme on C4 tonight - "This programme may contain views on the monarchy which some find offensive". They should be broadcasting that message before any pro-monarchy programme as well then