Dev

Glensmad was right. He said Glenafton, Creetown and ........ Carluke Rovers, so there's still a licenced club in the Fourth Division, after Threave Rovers' promotion. Good luck to them. Lots of hard work and commitment rewarded. SFA Cup this coming season. Hope they get a home draw. Carluke Rovers Fc @Carlukeroversfc · 1h Rovers to play in the senior Scottish Cup We are delighted to announce to our supporters that the Scottish FA have approved Carluke Rovers as a member club, having met their licence requirements. Full Story at http://carlukerovers.co.uk/rovers-to-play-in-the-senior-scottish-cup/… Tweet Carluke Rovers Fc @Carlukeroversfc On Tuesday 6th June at the SFA Agm at Hampden , Garry Simpson, Carluke Rovers match secretary accepted the SFA Licence Certificate from Michael Mulraney the SFA Chairman on behalf of Carluke Rovers Fc. 1:34 pm · 11 Jun 2023

Earlier in this(?) thread there was mention of Knightswood FC having applied too. Haven't check with their web-site or facebook but there are links on the net. www.facebook.com/knightswoodfootballclub/?locale=en_GB www.knightswoodfootballclub.com

Why is it that Cowdenbeath seem to think that it's them against the world? Or is it just a few posters on P&B who are out of touch with the club that they seem to support?

That depends on just what is tried next. maybe with a new man at the top he will see an opportunity to come up with a decent restructuring proposal. Can only hope! However, more of the same is only going to cause more embarrassment for the clique that currently controls matters and could lead to bigger changes at the top.

That is it in a nutshell. Now the SPFL clubs supporters need to be activated to sort out the promotion/relegation mess between the league and the LL/HL.

It just need one more foul-up by the SFA for radical changes to happen and to be brought about by those clubs which already have a significant block of votes i.e. the majority of SPFL clubs who are unhappy about the sFA being run by a tiny minority of vested interests.

It is important to remember that the SFA is there to serve ALL clubs. It isn't just about the few who shout loudest.

From the Lowland League “National Conference League” thread: Highland ITFC – 7th June, 2023 It also involves clubs having a policy of giving younger players the opportunity to play First Team football. You can look at football at all levels & will see some clubs / managers that relish the chance to give young players the opportunity to progress, & equally you'll see as many, if not more, that will always prefer to rely on 'experience'. There is of course a place for that as well, but more clubs using more younger players - & not just as lip service by having them in the squad / warming the bench - has to have a place in a strategic approach to player development across the game in Scotland. Dev This all goes back to the decision to have small divisions of just 10 or 12 clubs each. This may make for a situation where "every match counts" BUT in say 16 club divisions there will be more matches where coaches/managers will feel more comfortable fielding young and up and coming players. This is simply because there is less pressure, fear of relegation or fighting for promotion. The same principle applies to the concept of having play-offs as these could affect virtually every club in each division - so heightening the risks associated with fielding less experienced players. Small divisions with play-offs may be more exciting but it's turning down the tap which controls the flow of talent. It is little surprise, therefore, that the national age group teams get less successful as they get older. One thing leads to another! Another benefit of larger divisions is that there is more Diversity. More clubs playing in various differing styles with more and different types of players. There's also more opportunity for Scottish-qualified players and coaches/managers to operate at a higher level within the SPFL set-up. At the end of the day the same clubs will be at the top of the Premier Division so what is there to fear for them from bringing in such improvements?

This all goes back to the decision to have small divisions of just 10 or 12 clubs each. This may make for a situation where "every match counts" BUT in say 16 club divisions there will be more matches where coaches/managers will feel more comfortable fielding young and up and coming players. This is simply because there is less pressure, fear of relegation or fighting for promotion. The same principle applies to the concept of having play-offs as these could affect virtually every club in each division - so heightening the risks associated with fielding less experienced players. Small divisions with play-offs may be more exciting but it's turning down the tap which controls the flow of talent. It is little surprise, therefore, that the national age group teams get less successful as they get older. One thing leads to another! Another benefit of larger divisions is that there is more Diversity. More clubs playing in various differing styles with more and different types of players. There's also more opportunity for Scottish-qualified players and coaches/managers to operate at a higher level within the SPFL set-up. At the end of the day the same clubs will be at the top of the Premier Division so what is there to fear for them from bringing in such improvements?

According to a West of Scotland League thread on club licencing we should be sending congratulations to Creetown FC for gaining their licence. Good news. Hopefully the club will be making a statement before long.

Sounds like an idea for a d.mn funny TV comedy series. Who would be chosen to play the main roles? i.e. the OF, Maxwell, etc. There must be stacks of comedians who could play parts from the audience of clubs, fans, etc present. Just imagine the One-Liners!

According to Ukraine Pravda the dam was "allowed" to fill to unprecedented high levels before being destroyed so as to cause maximum destruction i.e. used as a tool of War. The Dam also provided cooling water to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, about the largest there is. That is the next immediate issue.

What Russia cannot have it destroys. There's a long track record for such manic behaviour. Ukraine will go straight through to the Sea of Azov - access between Melitopol and Mariupol is already dangerous for the invaders. Maybe that was the trigger. Russia smelled the coffee and decided to sacrifice every gain that they had made west of Donetsk Oblast. Crimea is a sitting duck as is what remains of Kherson "under its control." The gloves are off. Russia is in real trouble. Some of its' own territory will now be lost and used as a bargaining tool by the Ukraine to regain the remainder of the invaded land. There'll also be a military free zone around Ukraine against Russia. Belarus will go too. Admittedly I hope that the worst happens to Russia, in any case, due to their invasions but this terrorist controlled nation needs to be dealt with or else the same will happen again somewhere in the future and that's only a question of where and when and how bad it is. Whenever that happens lots of innocent people will be lost or permanently damaged and this must be prevented now. It will get truly nasty in the meantime if Russia is to be sorted out (if it can be?).

It's Ok. It's the UK Government which is bringing in regulation/a regulator to the English Football scene. It can do the same elsewhere too if needs be. That would take to parochialism out of the matter.

The OF priority is not the national team it is the OF. Plain and simple.

16 team top division would increase the numbers of teenagers/ early 20's getting experience in the division.

Good idea but not organised by the current SFA top people. Not called PWG as that has too many bad things associated with it.

Needs to go further. Increase the size of the Premier Division to 16 so more lads get the opportunity to gain experience at the highest level available in Scotland. If they are to play for Scotland they will be good enough, as teenagers/early 20's, to deal with this. The less talented lads will need to come through e.g. via a Reserves league.

Hopefully we will learn from today which clubs have gained a licence this time around. Glenafton seems to be a nailed on certainty. Others, at a guess maybe Troon, Carluke, Renfrew? Creetown down South? Bo'ness Athletic in the east? Won't be long now.

Both Threave Rovers and Girvan looking to have Under 20's teams next season.

That's the whole point. When the national squad is selected for a match it's picking around 22-25 players, maybe some more if it was a tournament finals at some time in the future! To achieve a successful first eleven you need the back up of other squad players as substitutes, etc. This means you need maybe 2 or 3 new players moving up to making the international standard in each year, and year in year out, so say around 30 players in 10 years. The direct implication is that you are only looking for a very small number of talented players from each year group. The coaches know which ones coming through have any chance to reach that playing standard. They identify that at a very early age for each player. They don't suddenly produce the basic talent at 17 years of age. This business about players improving if they played for B teams is completely irrelevant to the future success of any national team. it is completely bogus. Either the SFA Board understands that or they don't. Either way they let Maxwell spout this nonsense which has brought the SFA into what many may feel is disrepute. The whole lot should go now. Time for others who have an understanding of the game to come forward and to take over asap.

They are important, Numpty!

A cowardly withdrawal from having the vote as the figures were likely to be very damaging to the SFA Board, Maxwell and the three sponsor clubs of the conference league. Without having official voting figures others cannot throw them at this small group. That is a shame. However, it would be good to see the Lowland league turn a new leaf and not only reverse its' positive decisions about the B teams as soon as legally sensible to do so but also sort out the relegations/promotions situation with the Tier 6 Leagues asap. There is also the absolute need to sort out just what would help the Under 17 through Under 21 groups to fulfil their potential - another asap. Then there's restructuring. There are numerous alternatives but they should take on board what will help the youngsters to come through as best they can. Finally be wary of the SFA potential slight of hand. We've seen it so many times over the years. It needs to be rooted out asap. How else can anyone have any confidence in the SFA. Now should be just the start. It is not a victory yet.

Calm down. We're not talking anti-Union here. We're talking about a person who, rightly or wrongly, has been flagged up as being close to people who don't have the interests of the UK anywhere on their list of priorities. My family is littered with people working and worked for railways, going back more than 100 years. I used to be a Trade Union man. What I am saying is this. The country needs people to help each other at this time because of the effects of the pandemic etc etc. it is not the time to play political games as it will back-fire. If you want facts and figures on any average pay the stats are out there. I suggest that you check them. Here's a few from the neutral Office of National Statistics. Anyone can access this stuff: Some politically neutral figures from the ONS (Office of National Statistics): Average annual pay for all full-time employees in the UK was £33,000 for the tax year ending on 5 April 2022. Rail Employees: Median average annual pay: rail travel assistants, such as ticket collectors, guards, and information staff, is £33,310 rail construction and maintenance operatives–the people who lay and repair tracks is £34,998 Rail workers–not including train drivers–earn a median salary of £36,800 Rail transport operatives, such as signallers and drivers’ assistants, earn a median salary of £48,750 train and tram drivers was £59,189 in 2021

Motherwell? Not seen this on web-site, facebook or twitter yet unless missed. Ayr United's consultation ends at 5pm so there may be something from them before the vote.