KH FC

It's positive that the discussion's becoming a bit more nuanced than 'Kelty are on the road to ruin" versus "the social club covers everything". It's my honest belief that Kelty would be able to reach the SPFL without additional funding, and they'd be able to maintain and consolidate their place. It's clear though that it would take a lot longer than it would do if that funding wasnt there. Given how much the Lowland League is likely to change over the next decade, with potentially SPFL clubs coming down and definitely strong former junior sides coming up, its sensible to mount a serious attempt to get out of the League at the earliest opportunity and if that means spending extra money in the short term I'm in favour of it. That window will narrow season by season. I wouldnt be keen for this kind of investment to continue indefinitely though (assuming its there). There needs to be an end point, we need to find our level and if advancements are made at this point it's due to steady, sustainable growth.

Some good points here. Its often the case that people who can tell you what's happening typically wont unless theres an obligation to do so or a clear advantage to be gained. That goes for "behind the scenes" in business, sport and politics. Transparency is great, but I can understand why people would want to keep their cards close to their chest, and if someone is putting money in chances are they're not the kind of people who'd be inclined to have their picture taken at half time handing over a giant novelty cheque. I cant think of many players whod admit they moved for the money, and fewer still managers/club officials whod say someone's here because they've got the deepest pockets. It's not the done thing, it's part of how business is conducted and I'm not sure if after thinking about it anyone would be genuinely surprised that's not what's happening. Also, the club can still be washing its face through "commercial sponsorship" and supporters can still be putting money in, the two arent necessarily mutually exclusive.

I'm not privy to any information beyond which is already in the public domain so I'm not going to speculate. For arguments sake though let's assume that some of what's posted here is accurate and that part of Keltys funding is derived from supporters putting their hands in their pockets, paying above the expected amount for sponsorship opportunities or a combination of both. It's no different from what happens at clubs across the UK and beyond. I can see why people would want to bang on endlessly about it, but as long as it's legal I'm perfectly comfortable with it with some caveats. There needs to be a clear plan with a clear end point. I'm satisfied that's the case at Kelty, the stated ambition is to become an SPFL club and it's a perfectly realistic goal. The club also needs to have a long term, sustainable future once it achieves that aim. If Kelty become an SPFL club im confident that given what's currently there in terms of support and facilities it's likely they'd be able to maintain their place in the SPFL without any "investors" as The Informer referred to them. The jokes about the raffle paying Austin's wages are amusing, but Kelty are a team with a support that compares favourably with League Two attendances. They are also a club that's very well run, have a great community set up, great facilities and are making the most of sponsorship opportunities (they also have a very popular raffle for what its worth). Given what I'm seeing every other week, and given what I've seen at other clubs at various levels, I'm satisfied that Kelty would have a sustainable future in the SPFL. If they started spending money and taking shortcuts to reach a level beyond which they'd be able to sustain (Gretna) I'll be the first person to say we're in a false position. At the moment though, we're nowhere near it.

It's truly bizarre at times, but indicative of the state of the game in Scotland. People have become so accustomed to a trajectory of abject failure at most levels of Scottish football that anything that doesn't involve the bailiffs coming and loading the dugouts into the back of a van has them scratching their heads in utter confusion. A Lowland League Team with League Two attendances signing a player struggling to get a game in League One is enough to tip people into "Barry Fergusons been given a Million pounds to spend" territory. For the avoidance of doubt, just because someones not being kept on at Falkirk doesn't mean they're 2002 Rivaldo.

That's a fairly amateur attempt at a strawman argument there. Even the half baked attempt to dress it up in comical clown shoes by winging some poorly supported clubs onto the barbeque isnt enough to disguise this poor attempt at misrepresenting someones point. This thread may be on a forum dedicated to the 5th tier of Scottish Football, but you shouldn't be aiming for 5th tier responses. Lazy stuff.

I liked the pairing of Ashe and Carstairs and I thought Ashe looked solid for the most part. With Carstairs leaving and Mendy, Scobbie and lately Reid coming in hes not had a settled run in his best position. He's a good hand but he didnt look at his best on Saturday, and I'd imagine if he's playing there it'll be out of necessity.

A good result yesterday. Hopefully some of the games that have proved to be more comfortable have given insight into how we should approach the key period coming up. I'd prefer not to see Danny Ashe playing in that position in a key game as he looked at times like he wasnt sure where he was supposed to be, and I felt Cammy Russell made a real impact when he came on and the shift in gear was noticeable. Hes not without his faults, but I feel hes come on considerably during his time here and hes not afraid to have a go, even if a few of his long range efforts dont pay off.