GordonS

Yeah, I agree. I think 34 is the right number of games for the lowest tier with a requirement for floodlights, bridging between the three regional leagues and the SPFL. I'd rather play 30 than play the B teams though. And 18 teams with one-third of a promotion place and 0-2 relegation places gives a pretty stale mid-table.

Ending a 152-year tradition so that the billionaire clubs can play 2-4 more Champions League games and go to the World Club Cup in the USA at the end of the season. Very #Barclays.

I wonder if Martinez knew that.

Yes. I'm saying racism and sectarianism are worse things than a soggy pitch. If you see it otherwise you're not a good person.

IMO there's not enough traffic to keep it feeling sufficiently active. One of the main reasons for that is there's another very active and longstanding forum for northern football. There's only a quarter of the number of posts here as in the LL forum, and a third of the WoS and EoS forums, and only 14 threads here that have seen a post in the past 5 months.

I see the SPFL cares far, far more about a handful of postponements than they do about sectarian and racist chanting. Priorities, eh.

The bookies had all of them favourites too.

FWIW, 30 league games is standard in the EoS and WoS and is the SFA's preferred size for non-league. The LL had 16 members from 2015-16 until the B teams were added in 2021-22, though they ran with one extra in 2020-21 because the didn't want to relegate anyone in the Covid season.

Dyce have had lights since at least October 2022. The only cover they had when I was last there in January last year was a wee area in front of the pavilion, I don't think they've added any since.

100% guaranteed that's someone with at least one other account on here. Their posting history makes that obvious. Trolls gonna troll.

East Craigie 0-2 Dundee St. James, Midland League, attendance about 50. This completes the Midland League for me... or does it. I've only been to a first half at Blairgowrie, does that "count"? I know it doesn't matter but I wouldn't want to be claiming things like completing the grounds in a league if folk thought I was taking the piss. I've been to 21 grounds in this league as I've been to both of Montrose Roselea's, which I very much recommend if you get the chance. Another cold evening - will winter never end? - but a very tasty steak pie helped with that. Somehow in my mind I'd decided East Craigie were a bigger club than they actually seem to be. It looks like the ground was just grass banking and a rail until very recently, when they flattened and concreted part of it and put up some cover in the form of what seems to be bike sheds without sides. The pitch was in fine condition, which I understand is typical for Dundee... Other than the two first-half goals there was little between the sides, with St James' keeper making a couple of very good saves to keep his side ahead. End of season fayre played ay 100mph regardless.

Fun (or depressing) fact: apart from Ally McCoist, most of whose games were in lower divisions, Clement has the highest win percentage of any Rangers manager ever and Beale is second.

Longside 5-0 Whitehills, SJFA North Region Championship, att 60. Success on my second attempt to get here, after I drove all the way up one Friday evening last February only to find the game off due to a power cut caused by high winds. Longside are an unusual club, they don't appear to have any social media at all, not even Facebook. It's a tiny village yet they have a remarkably well-appointed ground with a large social club and separate pavilion, modern floodlights, impressive personalised ironwork and a substantial brick shelter... the view from much of which is ruined by the two dug-outs, which could have been on the opposite side, obstructing the far goal. You can't have it all. By chance I've seen Whitehills a few times over the past couple of years and this game followed a similar pattern. They're competitive and right in the game until the moment they're not. Nil-nil at half time turned into 5-0 at full time, with the gaps between goals getting shorter and shorter. Another 10 minutes and it would probably have been 10-0. It's not difficult to see why they're the second-lowest placed team in this part of the pyramid, spared the ultimate indignity only by Cruden Bay losing all 26 of their league games and getting docked 3 points to boot.

Tuesday 16th April 2024 Keith v Brechin City Wednesday 17th April 2024 Fraserburgh v Brora Rangers Strathspey Thistle v Buckie Thistle Saturday 20th April 2024 Brora Rangers v Brechin City Buckie Thistle v Keith Fraserburgh v Strathspey Thistle

That's FT 6-1, Brechin still 4 goals better off. Never thought I'd see myself hitting refresh for a Buckie Thistle score, like the old days of Ceefax.

I can understand why you'd say that as a Kelty fan but it's obviously not true. There are loads of owners and committees who wouldn't sell their club to some rich businessman that just wants to massage their ego - like, very relevantly here, East Kilbride Thistle. Judging by what has happened at other clubs most fans (but far from all) would be happy to go down that road so you're in good company, but if my club went this way I'd go and watch other games on Saturdays. It's a sign of insecurity to label it "jealousy" when it's obviously about concern for the fairness of the sport and fear for the long-term futures of clubs. You can disagree but you're wrong to make that accusation.

I agree with that. I also think he's Scotland's best player since the 1980s and our best left back ever.

I think you have more than a slice of recency bias. The idea that the standard is higher now just isn't true. Andy Robertson's basic level of technique isn't great, that's why he wasn't spotted as a top class player at Queens Park, Dundee Utd or Hull. He was always known for quality crosses but that's about it and Liverpool signed him as cover for Moreno. He more than makes up for his limitations through boundless energy and excellent decision making. As for Van Dijk, excellent as he is, I saw someone recently suggesting he might be the best Dutch player ever. Apart from the obvious, I wouldn't say he's even one of their two best centre halves - Rijkard and Koeman fill those spots.

Thanks, really helpful, I hadn't started the driving research yet. Do you have a link to where you applied? I'm struggling. Also, did you upload documents to support the application?

BOOOO! Cutting out during Sweet Caroline, they've got no heart.

Ta, Sky Mix has gone to ads but this is still going. I could watch all night.

I was among the Leverkusen fans at the Champions League final at Hampden, a brilliant bunch of people. Somewhere in that crowd there's a guy with my long-sleeved Queens Park top in their house. There's nothing like football. Bwoody hell.

25 wins, 4 draws and no defeats. Unbeaten in all competitions. Bayer Neverlusen.

Ah you'd need a heart of stone not to love this. It's one for the ages.

Absolute scenes in Leverkusen. It's a genuine delight to see a club lay decades' worth of ghosts to rest in glorious and emphatic fashion at home, at the first opportunity.