grinderbrokeyourhearts

We also played Craigroyston under lights and to be fair if we'd had a season at all they would have come in handy with any fixture backlog. Ie if we had a season like Camelon or Bonnyrigg.

The logical conclusion in all of this is that the Sjfa and sfa should be looked at in the same light. Both incompetent as fck.

We've spent £70k on floodlights. Completely paid off. We could have spent it on players as we were already licensed. A long term outflow which looks to have been a good call if we go up in the next year or two. If we'd invested that sort of money in the playing squad instead of lights we'd be in Bonnyriggs position.

That's a fair point well made. As I said it wasn't intended that way.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the raising of £70k then the pecurement process thereafter requires more effort than applying for a grant. We've done both (for the disabled shelter) so maybe someone in the know can help.

Of course and no disrespect intended but it's even harder to do it alone. As Bonnyrigg are finding out just now.

I'm pointing out the cost lost in squad investment in paying for floodlights. Gimme I'd like to qualify on those terms but itd be better someone goes up rather than no one imo.

I and most Rose fans totally disagree with this decision but you can't give this sneak via the back door chat. We've been ahead of all this for years and already spent the cash. So if we go up then that's the way it is. I really fancy the EoS next year but if we go up on application it's testement to the hard work of the committee. Not a council grant in sight. Anyone who thinks we wouldn't be getting promoted on merit if we'd spend £70k on the playing squad instead of lights is in cloud cookoo land.

I'm angry for you guys and that's hard for a Rose fan. The best team should always go up, especially in this case!

It's an absolute disgrace from the sfa to take money and change the terms after. If a club can't afford lights they've just thrown their money away. It should be about getting those bigger clubs like Bonnyrigg up the pyramid not the opposite. Couldnt run a bath as usual.

I once sat in the sfa board room wihh Gordon Smith as part of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs meeting circa 2007. Obviously as a Rose fan I was keen to know how Scottish Cup entry would work as it was new then. He was genuinely excited about it and hoped it would eventually lead to a pyramid. I had time for that despite at the time not being too bothered about it as the Rose were on top of their game back then anyway. Turned out to be a masterstroke for the pyramid as it gave a lot of teams a taste of playing the big boys.

It's a farce if they don't.

Definitely room for two or three new blood. But aside from Ovy, Sloan and Coco I wouldn't say any of them are veterans and you can also look at it another way. Coyne, Coco, MacLennans, Jamie and Gary Thom have all been in our first team for the best part of a decade so we're given the chance and are still in the team with little need to replace any of them. All top servants to the club.

Would be interesting to know what EoS Premier teams are moving lads from the CC to the first team squad over the summer. I think it'll be a minority. I appreciate that it could be a great avenue for the smaller clubs like yourselves when run right but the difference between our CC amateurs (ie the team maybe going junior) and the first team is huge.

They didn't. They came from Clyde. The point has already been made earlier but if Falkirk can't sustain a youth policy it is very difficult for a club such as us to. Community clubs are great for access to football but in reality the majority of players will go on to be amateurs. The level of 19-21 year olds stepping up to an EoS Premier and LL level will be from Pro youth set ups from League 1 and above in my opinion. There hasn't been one player step up from the Community Club to the Rose first team squad (except for emergencies) and I think that'll be the case for nearly every other side. This was why the point was made that for an u20s to truly work and put pressure on the first team squad it needs to be loss making. Ie the players don't pay subs. And for that to be cost effective you need players at the level or the squad fringe and replacing two fringe players with the cost of running the u20s would be the goal. That would be a tight ship!