West Region Games Off - Sat 29th December

[Kennie]

So, just to give ample warning, if I'm still in the job come next season, there will be a full card of fixtures on Saturday 21st and 28th December 2019.

[superbigal]

Just schedule Petershill v Cambuslang in a double header.

[glensmad]

They won’t be in the same league 

They might.

[Baxter's Nutmeg]

1 hour ago, Kennie said:

So, just to give ample warning, if I'm still in the job come next season, there will be a full card of fixtures on Saturday 21st and 28th December 2019.

I sincerely hope you are, but it’s one step forward two steps back with the grade at the moment, and it seems that you are being let down in your efforts by some clubs.

[The real Dembele]

1 hour ago, Kennie said:

So, just to give ample warning, if I'm still in the job come next season, there will be a full card of fixtures on Saturday 21st and 28th December 2019.

Like I said before I completely understand the mentality that this is the juniors so only juniors matter, I have met loads of junior supportes with this attitude and at our own club most of the old boys think this way. However in the real world there are plently (like me) who are also interested in senior football and for whom a game of this magnitude would take priority.

Being intransigent about the fixture list is all well and good but depending on whether there is a massive game in the other world, the juniors could see a loss of a lot of passing trade from people who might have paid to see the game but instead will go to the pub.

Added to that is the fact that some players will just decide they're not playing and clubs will find any excuse to call the games off as has happened this weekend in a minority of cases.

 

[The real Dembele]

3 hours ago, Kennie said:

Just to give a perspective from my viewpoint about fixtures over the ‘Xmas/Neerday Holidays’.

We now have a league structure that requires 1860 games against last seasons 1532, a difference of 328.

Over the last fortnight 61 games were originally scheduled. On 22^nd December,1 game was abandoned. 5 games were postponed for weather related reasons. On 29^th December, 8 games were lost due to the weather and 3 for other reasons, a total of 17 games over the two weeks. Therefore 44 games took place. That’s 44 games that do not need re-scheduled. 44 games that won’t be played on a Monday or Wednesday. So from my viewpoint, it was justified to have these fixtures. 

As for the 'Old firm game' clashing with all our games. It's unfortunate timing, sure, but I did not and will not look at any fixtures from other levels of the game. Where would it end? No games in Ayrshire if Ayr met Killie in a cup? South and North Lanarkshire teams given a day off for a Hamilton v Motherwell game? 

Now, before you have a go at me, I appreciate that the examples are not quite on a par with Rangers v Celtic, but my main concern is with the 63 West Region teams and I have enough things to work around without outside influences affecting our fixtures.

I'm quite happy to accommodate any teams that want to play their fixture at a different time or a different day and as long as it is feasible, I would encourage it.

Kennie not "having a go" but these games are on a completely different level, the where-would-it-end argument doesn't stack up at all.

For one thing they probably wouldn't be shown on TV at the same time as the juniors are playing and although there might be one or two players who support these teams it's nothing compared to the support for Rangers and Celtic.

[The real Dembele]

4 hours ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I think he's got a hard enough job without trying to second guess the movements of other teams and tv companies. Why not make all Rangers or Celtic games on a Monday night, that will avoid any clashes.

Yes, never thought of that. We should get the SJFA to have a word with Sky and ask them to reschedule their English Premier League Monday Night Football matches, after all it's only four games a year.

[Hillonearth]

Similar to the point I was making the other night about switching fixtures - it's not in all cases to be able to watch your "big team" in action, but there has to be a pragmatic cognisance of the unfortunate fact of life that in the west of Scotland there are a lot more folk interested in that particular fixture than there are not bothered about it.

It's all well and good being the boys in the bubble and pretending no external factors will have a knock-on effect, but the reality is a huge sporting event in direct opposition to fixtures will rightly or wrongly have an obvious impact on attendances and player availability.

The answer? I don't know - switching to the previous night as some of us did is an obvious solution although many teams don't have the option of lights. Some games could have been played today perhaps...Sunday football's a rarity which might bear exploration.

We - and I mean clubs - definitely need to show a bit of flexibility to adapt. Until then, we can expect more short-notice spurious excuses for games being called off that make us look more small-time than we really are.

[Bungee71]

Let's break into the club and get the kit. Great idea. Glasgow Life have been closed since the 23rd Dec

So stadium has been closed since 23rd Dec and yet Petershill have played away against Buffs on Sat 22nd then managed to get their kits cleaned, dried etc then back into the stadium in time for it shutting on the 23rd.....then only realise on the morning of the game (and an Old Firm game) that the quickly washed kit is still in the stadium!

Have I missed something or do I smell shite....

[ski64]

A lot of talk about Cambuslang and peasy excuses... but Irvine Vics is jist as bad “no power in pavillion” especially after them telling ppl last week that game won’t be on due to old firm

Players told on Saturday morning that due to power issues in clubhouse game was off. Training sessions had been held during the week and there were no plans to cancel.The intention was always to play the game Can't comment on other games.

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

[The real Dembele]

15 minutes ago, Hillonearth said:

Similar to the point I was making the other night about switching fixtures - it's not in all cases to be able to watch your "big team" in action, but there has to be a pragmatic cognisance of the unfortunate fact of life that in the west of Scotland there are a lot more folk interested in that particular fixture than there are not bothered about it.

It's all well and good being the boys in the bubble and pretending no external factors will have a knock-on effect, but the reality is a huge sporting event in direct opposition to fixtures will rightly or wrongly have an obvious impact on attendances and player availability.

The answer? I don't know - switching to the previous night as some of us did is an obvious solution although many teams don't have the option of lights. Some games could have been played today perhaps...Sunday football's a rarity which might bear exploration.

We - and I mean clubs - definitely need to show a bit of flexibility to adapt. Until then, we can expect more short-notice spurious excuses for games being called off that make us look more small-time than we really are.

I think switching the games to a Sunday is a good idea, who knows it might be that the crowds are a lot higher if they don't have the senior football and other Saturday activities to compete with. Certainly worth a try the next time the situation arises.

[Ginaro]

Prior to yesterday, all of the Old Firm games in 2018 were on a Sunday so they caused no problems. However since 2016 the end of December game has always been on a Saturday lunchtime - so no excuses with a year to plan for the next one.

The fixtures could be set to maximise the use of floodlights, with all those teams at home for either a Friday night or Saturday kick-off at 2.30/3pm. Or have some on a Sunday, to avoid as Kennie mentions midweek fixtures late on in the season - especially as once you're in the pyramid there can't be title deciding games taking place in May.

[combineharvester]

17 minutes ago, ski64 said:

Players told on Saturday morning that due to power issues in clubhouse game was off. Training sessions had been held during the week and there were no plans to cancel.The intention was always to play the game Can't comment on other games.

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk
 

Not according to certain ppl that run the club and players last week ... yez prayed for rain all week and it neva happened  but youz hv got away with it so we move on 

[griffiti on the wall]

I think switching the games to a Sunday is a good idea, who knows it might be that the crowds are a lot higher if they don't have the senior football and other Saturday activities to compete with. Certainly worth a try the next time the situation arises.

I think over the years it's been provided in the spfl that Sunday games are not popular with punters but Friday night games have been a huge success but for me it would affect attendances in the juniors in the long run as many folk are working and won't be able to attend especially away fans

 

[ski64]

Not according to certain ppl that run the club and players last week ... yez prayed for rain all week and it neva happened  but youz hv got away with it so we move on 

Not the people or players I spoke to.

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[21stcenturyboy]

I also think the job that Kennie is doing is top drawer and not a bad word to say about the work he is doing.

 

This is just my opinion - I do not think we should schedule any fixtures for the Saturday between Christmas and New year.

Some people oh get Christmas Day and Boxing day off their work and it is a good time to give everyone a wee day off  ( it could br the only Saturday that we get to spend with the kids from July until May) plus the weather is usually poor and one week off would not be catastrophic particularly now that the season has started earlier. This has nothing to do with Senior fixtures but if a game landed that particular day then those who wanted to go or watch it could do so.

What you think Kennie?

 

[GNU_Linux]

I also think the job that Kennie is doing is top drawer and not a bad word to say about the work he is doing.
 
This is just my opinion - I do not think we should schedule any fixtures for the Saturday between Christmas and New year.
Some people oh get Christmas Day and Boxing day off their work and it is a good time to give everyone a wee day off  ( it could br the only Saturday that we get to spend with the kids from July until May) plus the weather is usually poor and one week off would not be catastrophic particularly now that the season has started earlier. This has nothing to do with Senior fixtures but if a game landed that particular day then those who wanted to go or watch it could do so.
What you think Kennie?
 

Festive fixtures are necessary to account for the increase in league games to 30 hence why they were brought in for this season. Whilst not all games will suceed in being played the more that do means less backlog come the end of the season. If the festive break was kept plus factoring in postponments at other times of the season theorerically clubs could be playing league games into June.

[superbigal]

4 hours ago, superbigal said:

Just schedule Petershill v Cambuslang in a double header.    Here is an absolute belter of a piece of tv history.  Kind of apt for this game.

 

[Sergeant Wilson]

4 hours ago, The real Dembele said:

Yes, never thought of that. We should get the SJFA to have a word with Sky and ask them to reschedule their English Premier League Monday Night Football matches, after all it's only four games a year.

I'll paraphrase...fūck them.

[ThemightyHERTHA]

5 hours ago, Bungee71 said:

 

So stadium has been closed since 23rd Dec and yet Petershill have played away against Buffs on Sat 22nd then managed to get their kits cleaned, dried etc then back into the stadium in time for it shutting on the 23rd.....then only realise on the morning of the game (and an Old Firm game) that the quickly washed kit is still in the stadium!

Have I missed something or do I smell shite....
 

 

Excellent post and Petershill really are a shower of shite, no respect at all to our grade and Largs who no doubt laid out money on food /programmes etc.