BANKIEBILL

I'm not married to 4 games a year against opponents but it's really not how I saw it. Made many friendships and just enjoyed watching my team at huge grounds with a bunch of mates. I don't think any the less of Talbot for being successful, it's just a bit different but you probably get the same out of it.

In our 38 years from 1966 to 2002 we won 1 Second Division Championship and 2 stirlingshire cups. However we beat every team in the senior leagues that we could at the time ( hadnt played Elgin at the time ) - incl Rangers and Celtic. Played in a Scottish Cup semi-final and had countless fabulous times and teams. It's not all about trophies but trying to better yourself and compete at as high a level as possible.

They did when we played Pollok in 09 and Largs in 10

I loved our time in the Juniors. We had some great times, great crowds and brought football back to the town ... which at 50000 is too big not to have a decent sized club. The 2009 Junior Cup Final was one of my all time Bankies watching highlights. However it really should be no surprise to anyone - including the old SJFA hierarchy - that our end goal was a return to the "Senior" leagues. Obviously as a member of West Region, this wasn't open to us. We shared a ground that was - despite lots of investment by us - not suitable for even the Lowland League. So the only option to play "Senior" football would've been to move out the town. What would've been the point though ? With everlasting thanks to the council - who owned Holm Park not Yoker ( despite indications to the otherwise ), we obtained a grant to put towards upgrading a park. Looking around the town, the obvious sites all had issues that made this impossible without 10s of millions of pounds. Council then approached Yoker with a view to using our grant to upgrade Holm Park and a permanent groundshare. This secured the future for both clubs. Since then, both the council and Clydebank have invested heavily in the ground and we've attained and kept our SFA licence. Ground isn't perfect ( yes Car Park is like the moon but it belongs to Yoker not Council or Clydebank ) but it's improving incrementally and if you compare it to what it was like it's a completely different ground. Re promotion - it's bloody hard to get out of this league. So much money floating around and so many good players and clubs. It would be very difficult for us to go up this season but exponentially harder on going with the clubs coming up. Lowland League is not as competitive or attractive as West Premier but its a step towards our goal. LL will be a good league in a few years as the better West teams make way through. Re Junior Cup. Its our view that it's a competition that belongs in the past as a standalone Cup. It's devalued by lack of East teams and is really a West of Scotland Cup ... and we already have that. It should be allowed to be retired fondly or to be totally reinvented as a national non-league trophy with proper sponsorship and dates set aside. You'd need to ditch some other cups but why not. Edited as dates of Junior semis apparently not absolutely finalised Anyway Vanderbilt is good at winding people up - as are a few on here - but just a wee bit of context.

The Brigg Inn is a few minutes walk away and is pretty decent. Fitba on the telly from lunchtime too Id change that to Arthurlie v Pollok mind you unless you're trying to wind folk up

Interesting weekend in West Premier with 1st and 2nd not playing. Clash of the day at New Tinto St Cadocs v Darvel - and you've got to say that the winner of this keeps themselves in the mix - loser starts to look less likely. A draw suits neither so hopefully thats what happens. Last chance saloon for Pollok .. and Arthurlie desperate for a win. See what Pollok turns up - but again a draw wouldn't be out the question - killing off Pollok's chances you'd think. Talbot on a great run and up against Benburb. You just dont know what Bens will turn up but with Talbot only losing once this year - and scoring for fun then they must be favourites. Keeping the pressure on at the top. Gartcairn v Troon - Home side with cash to burn it seems and strengthening at will - up against Troon who have a bit of form. Gartcairn need to win to have any chance of title ( next season will be their push I think though ) and I think they'll get it. Hurlford v Glenafton - Ford at home are impressive - unbeaten since October. Glenafton lost last 3. Think points are staying at Blair Park and the visitors in deeper trouble ( albeit with a few games in hand ) Kirky v Beith - Beith have only won 1 from last 4 ( against the leaders ) and Rob Roy unbeaten this year. However the game is huge for Beith. If they can keep 11 on the park then think they'll take full points. Tricky one though. Largs v Irvine Meadow - Home side have been up and down but have had some big results. Meadow won last time out against Pollok but that was their only league win since Sept. Cant see anything other than a home win to put Largs safe I think. So my predictions St Cadocs 1 Darvel 1 Arthurlie 2 Pollok 2 Talbot 3 Bens 1 Gartcairn 2 Troon 1 Hurlford 3 Glenafton 0 Kirky 1 Beith 2 Largs 2 Meadow 0 ie a great day for Beith

Bore off

Aye Pollok social media is very good ... as are the crowds

We had zero money when we came into the Juniors. We had guys on £10 a week and amateurs. We did have a fanbase and have developed as best we could. We literally started from scratch - had to put shedloads of money into both Glenhead Park and Holm Park to try to develop them to hold crowds. We've been fortunate in that the council - around 6 years ago - gave the club a grant and that was used to develop Holm Park as a ground that ourselves and Yoker could have a permanent home at. This was good for both clubs and it's also great for the other clubs from the area that play and train there. We'll continue to work with the council and the Holm Park Community Football Academy to develop the park - making it better, year on year, for those that use it. Our budget is still nothing like some of our rivals but we make up for that in other ways. Talbot are a phenomenon in non-league terms. For a village of around 4000 it has achieved so much and should be a role model for other teams in the pyramid.

Wouldn't say Beith, Talbot and ourselves are "glorified boys clubs" ... Darvel are an old club that someone stuck a few bob into. You have St Cadocs and Gartcairn in our league - everyone else is old style Junior ... plus ourselves ( 17 years probably doesn't count ). Doesn't take much for budgets to start to go out of kilter and even with great average home attendances ( 750 or so for league games ? ) that wont cover what some clubs are paying players just now. Sponsorships, Lotteries, Social Clubs, regular donations - all needed to balance the books.

Sure this is pretty temporary. And you're correct - it would be financial madness to budget for not going out in very 1st round you come in

I'd be gobsmacked if Pollok budgeted for any run in Scottish. What is problem Archie ?

Well done Beith. Wasnt at the game ( dont make many Saturday games at the moment ) but most of the guys that were there say it was deserved - Beith took their chances etc. There will be many ups and downs and surprises before the season is out. Talbot, Cumnock, Pollok, Gartcairn, Bens and Hurlford are probably too far away to win it but you never know ... and the top 4 have still to play mostly everyone. I think yesterday puts odds back in favour of Beith. Troon, Pollok, Largs and Arthurlie still to play against all of top 4 and could be the Kingmakers ? It's a brilliant season in a great, competitive league. Bankies 10 games left ( 5 home 5 away ) 41 points Home: Gartcairn, Troon, St Cadocs, Largs, Arthurlie Away : St Cadocs, Darvel, Pollok, Troon, Hurlford Beith 15 games left. ( 8 home, 7 away ) 32 points Home: Arthurlie, Bens, Darvel, Gartcairn, Glenafton, Pollok, st cadocs, troon Away:v Arthurlie, Talbot, Glenafton, Hurlford, Rob Roy, Largs, Troon St Cadocs 13 games left ( 6 home, 7 away ) 31 points Home: Talbot, Bankies, Darvel, Meadow, Largs, Troon Away : Arthurlie, Beith, Bankies, Glenafton, Hurlford, Pollok, Troon Darvel 14 Games ( 7 home, 7 away ) left 30 points Home Arthurlie, Talbot, Bankies, Gartcairn, Meadow, Largs, Pollok, Away : Beith, Cumnock, Glenafton, Rob Roy, Pollok, St Cadocs, Troon

It's not totally speculation but I'll grant I don't have perfect knowledge

We've gone and bought Craig Truesdale - a player we tried to get from Rob Roy and had a deal but Darvel paid him more. Mulcahy re-signed and Connor Greene signed on a free. That's it since last summer. Truesdale was a big fee ( for us ) but it's an investment. Generally speaking, we have a decent reputation for treating players well. They get paid on time, we have a good management team and a decent support for our level. We try hard to supply more than just a weekly wage and are fair to players when they move on. Most players at this level have regular jobs and for a lot they want to enjoy their football. That's an attraction. Re other budgets. I know what ours is ... managers and players speak to each other. I'd like other sources of income and we're working on that as it'll become a more limiting factor as clubs like Drumchapel and Johnstone Burgh come into the reckoning. In meantime, we do our best to work to get more resource and promotion would be a big help there ( big ask still ).

I'm one of those directors and I do manage to go through life without a superiority complex despite one probably being justified.

And that's a bad thing ? We have a growing number of ( mainly small ) sponsors and a large fan base including a large % that pay a monthly contribution to the club. We pay to play at Holm Park and have made sigificant financial contributions to improvements at the ground plus resourcing to assist in its running and administration. Still we get a running commentary of snide and invective from a small number of folk on here and elsewhere. Yes it's never been a secret that we want to play at a higher level and we're working hard to that effect. I personally quite like JG. He's put his money where his mouth is and not only into the team - but also the infrastructure at Recreation Park. What he has done is make things significantly more difficult financially. Darvel upped the ante to an extent that we could never hope to match. Other clubs - as you've pointed out - have followed suit and we are one of those to the limited extent we are able. We are not in the top half dozen budgets in the league but we have a fantastic management team and a Board who are working their arses off to back him. We know where we came from. We know why we ended up where we did. As enjoyable as the last 20 years have been - it's by looking up that we can keep going. It needs to be sustainable and it is. However by standing still ... you atrophise ... so trying to develop and improve is the only real way to survive. There's no guarantee of anything at all but being a community club is what we're all about and at least you don't put your future into anyone else's hands

What does that mean?

Given bottom place in Lowland League is either going to be Edinburgh Uni or Gretna, it's extremely unlikely 4 will go down even if our champions dont go up.

Yourselves and Talbot will have a big say

Does that take into account playing against each other ?9

He really is a melt

Ffs no way. Was v pleasing to see wee shitey shoes ( McCall) get his arse kicked

Why would you want to if you're that lucky ??