ROBROYSTON

From the Times yesterday:- Ross Graham, the Forfar Athletic chairman, has hit back at claims by Gordon Strachan that the country’s lower-division clubs do not contribute enough to Scottish football. In a withering attack on part-time clubs, mainly in Leagues One and Two, Strachan yesterday said that they were only pretending to be professional and that they expected the rest of the league to look after them. The former Scotland manager criticised the wages they paid, the crowds they attracted and accused them of failing to produce players, all of which has angered Graham, whose club finished ninth in League One last season. “His comments are pretty consistent with somebody that has no experience of working in part-time, lower-league football,” said Graham. “He obviously has no knowledge of how professionally things are done at our level. To call clubs like ours unprofessional is very disrespectful to managers such as Jim Duffy, Jim McInally, Peter Grant, Ray McKinnon, Mark Wilson and Ian Murray, who have played at the highest level and are bringing their professionalism to the lower leagues.” Graham said Strachan had wrongly conflated part-time football with a lack of professionalism. “If you have a part-time doctor or a part-time nurse working at a hospital, they’re no less professional than full-timers. It’s the same in football. Regardless of how many hours are worked, there is professionalism right down the four divisions.” Strachan called for a rethink of the game’s structure. He said that clubs with no ambition to better themselves should find their level outwith the Scottish Professional Football League instead of expecting support from the SPFL and having a say on its big issues. Graham, in response, insists that all the power lies with the Premiership, where an 11-1 majority is required to pass reconstruction proposals. He also vehemently denies that clubs in the bottom two tiers are sponging off the rest. “The distribution money isn’t what keeps part-time clubs alive because such a small percentage of it actually makes it down the leagues,” he said. “It’s contained within the top division. The part-time clubs cut their cloth to suit. If any clubs are going to go bust in this Covid crisis, they are more likely to be full-time than part-time.” Graham says that the structure already rewards ambitious clubs and punishes those who have failed to keep up. In recent years, Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City have been promoted to League Two via the pyramid system and have more than held their own. The Forfar chairman urges critics not to forget the important role performed by part-time league clubs, economic and socially, in their community. He also suggests that Dundee, of whom Strachan is technical director, have not exactly covered themselves in glory when it comes to professionalism recently. “Arbroath have taken points from them. Alloa have taken points from them. Elgin City beat them in the Challenge Cup. If the professionalism was there, I don’t think clubs like that would have an earthly. The gap between part-time and full-time is not as big as some people think.” Strachan’s other major criticism was that clubs in the bottom two tiers had not produced enough talented players, but Graham says that many of the game’s top players would not have fulfilled their potential had they been denied the chance to play league football in the lower divisions. “The role part-time clubs play in the transition of young development players into adults performing at the top level is massive. It’s probably the most important transition they will make. “Look at the Scotland captain, Andy Robertson, who did it at Queen’s Park. Scott McKenna is another. Both of them will say that their time in lower-league football prepared them for playing at a higher level.”

Always thought he was from the North but thanks for the update.

He should be sent back to N.Ireland and told never to darken these shores again.

Utter Drival. End Off.

1-0 West Brom Dwight Gayle the scorer.

Steve Bruce to continue at Villa:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44960217

Interesting read on the FAFC website:- As a footnote to the four Angus clubs being in the same league for the first time in 25 years, back in 92/3, the league set up saw fourteen clubs compete in League Two, with all sides playing each other three times. Brechin City clinched promotion to League One in second place behind champions Clyde. Forfar Athletic finished fourth, Arbroath sixth and Montrose were down in twelfth spot. Amazingly by a twist of the fixture computer at the time, Forfar played all three Angus clubs at home only once with two away fixtures. The results were however encouraging with five wins, three draws and only one defeat. v Arbroath – 1-1 (home) 3-2 and 0-0 (away) v Brechin City – 0-1 (home) 2-1 and 1-0 (away) v Montrose – 4-3 (home) 0-0 and 3-1 (away)

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/revealed-sides-opposition-supporters-sing-6821612

Interesting viewing figures. Also the Sheffield Wednesday V Leeds game on the 16th of January is now on sky. It had been moved to a 12.30pm ko on police advise anyway.

https://vine.co/v/eLBwbxIx3M7 A certain Scottish keeper is not amused going by his reaction.

The Don of Elland Road a 1974 documentary:- http://mfi.re/watch/pc7sgn2u2652cn0/The_Don_of_Elland_Road.mp4

Two away games changed for showing on sky:- Our December away fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest have both been moved back after being selected to be shown live on Sky Sports. The trip to face Wolves at Molineux (originally Tuesday December 15) will now take place on Thursday December 17 (7.45pm kick-off), while our visit to Forest’s City Ground (originally Saturday December 26) has been put back to Sunday December 27 (4.30pm kick-off). The Football League have also confirmed that further live selections for December will be made in due course. This will mean both home games against Preston on saturday the 19th and Derby on the 28th being moved i would think.

Leeds Rhinos won the Super League Shield tonight with a 20-16 win at Huddersfield. The scores were tied 16-16 with the hooter about to go and Ryan Hall scored to win the game and shield for the Rhinos.

On the M1 going to MK Dons today.