Relegation Play-offs; Cove v. Berwick

[Mon_The_Fife]

What league are you playing in ?

League 1, m9

I mean for Berwick, away games to Wick and Orkney will be difficult.

[Jacksgranda]

4 minutes ago, Mon_The_Fife said:

 

League 1, m9

I mean for Berwick, away games to Wick and Orkney will be difficult.

 

They'd need to be relegated again to play Orkney. Maybe the HL will introduce relegation specifically for the new arrivals...

[WC Boggs]

I assume Berwick will be in the Lowland league next year, unless God is determined to kill them.  I'm very sorry to see them facing the drop, I like their fans. Survive and return people.

[EdTheDuck]

13 minutes ago, berwicksfinest said:

Any chance Cove fielded an illegible player so we can have a 3 - 0 win ???

I saw the team lines and the No 5 for Cove was very smudged. I couldn't read his name...

[Gordon EF]

Don't rage-quit Scottish football Berwick.

You can still wind up Spartans, Edinburgh Uni and Civil Service Strollers fans with some 'merge Edinburgh' banners next season.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Gordon EF

[mid-table]

Some interesting views in this quote;

Berwick boss John Brownlie says his side will change their approach for the return leg, noting: “We’re still in the tie, but we have to do a lot better than we did today. Cove will be very confident as they were far better than us today.

“We’re going to change our strategy for next week – we need to get an early goal and a bit of luck as Cove are decent. We’re fighting for survival and if the players realise that we have a chance. It’s hurting, which is a good sign.”

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/cove-rangers-4-0-berwick-berwick-on-the-brink-after-heavy-defeat-1-4925504

[Gordon EF]

4 minutes ago, mid-table said:

Some interesting views in this quote;

Berwick boss John Brownlie says his side will change their approach for the return leg, noting: “We’re still in the tie, but we have to do a lot better than we did today. Cove will be very confident as they were far better than us today.

“We’re going to change our strategy for next week – we need to get an early goal and a bit of luck as Cove are decent. We’re fighting for survival and if the players realise that we have a chance. It’s hurting, which is a good sign.”

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/cove-rangers-4-0-berwick-berwick-on-the-brink-after-heavy-defeat-1-4925504

By interesting, do you mean deranged?

[marty_j]

Some interesting views in this quote;
Berwick boss John Brownlie says his side will change their approach for the return leg, noting: “We’re still in the tie, but we have to do a lot better than we did today. Cove will be very confident as they were far better than us today.
“We’re going to change our strategy for next week – we need to get an early goal and a bit of luck as Cove are decent. We’re fighting for survival and if the players realise that we have a chance. It’s hurting, which is a good sign.”
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/cove-rangers-4-0-berwick-berwick-on-the-brink-after-heavy-defeat-1-4925504

He’s fucking mental

[peternapper]

Never say never but I think he must have picked up an old J Harvey script for a after match interview

[marty_j]

Never say never but I think he must have picked up an old J Harvey script for a after match interview

🤣🤣🤣

[Redcar]

20 minutes ago, mid-table said:

Some interesting views in this quote;

Berwick boss John Brownlie says his side will change their approach for the return leg, noting: “We’re still in the tie, but we have to do a lot better than we did today. Cove will be very confident as they were far better than us today.

“We’re going to change our strategy for next week – we need to get an early goal and a bit of luck as Cove are decent. We’re fighting for survival and if the players realise that we have a chance. It’s hurting, which is a good sign.”

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/cove-rangers-4-0-berwick-berwick-on-the-brink-after-heavy-defeat-1-4925504

"We're still in this tie?" He's as mad as a cake. 

If he'd seen just a couple more matches, he'd know we were never in it in the first place. 

 

[cmontheloknow]

38 minutes ago, mid-table said:

Some interesting views in this quote;

Berwick boss John Brownlie says his side will change their approach for the return leg, noting: “We’re still in the tie, but we have to do a lot better than we did today. Cove will be very confident as they were far better than us today.

“We’re going to change our strategy for next week – we need to get an early goal and a bit of luck as Cove are decent. We’re fighting for survival and if the players realise that we have a chance. It’s hurting, which is a good sign.”

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/cove-rangers-4-0-berwick-berwick-on-the-brink-after-heavy-defeat-1-4925504

Ha, needed a laugh tonight! Berwick signing up some Liverpool or Spurs lads...?

[Marten]

16 minutes ago, Redcar said:

"We're still in this tie?" He's as mad as a cake. 

If he'd seen just a couple more matches, he'd know we were never in it in the first place. 

 

"We need a bit of luck"... A bit? You need a bloody miracle, mate!

[EdTheDuck]

He could corner the world market in 4 leaf clovers. horseshoes and  have a mountain of rabbits feet. It won't be enough luck for Berwick

[GordonS]

4 hours ago, cowdenbeath said:

I never thought they would it was a Berwick fan who mentioned it due to them scouting the NL area. Whatever country they are playing in I seriously fear for their future.

Folk said the same about East Stirling, who were in an even worse situation with no ground and a smaller fanbase, and they're doing ok. It's a drop that can be survived.

Assuming Berwick can't turn it around, hopefully they'll join the ranks looking to pull together a proper pyramid with the SFA screwing it up. The LL should only improve over time with bigger clubs coming into it, and especially if the west juniors get brought on board. Many of them have bigger travelling supports than L2 clubs.

[Redcar]

1 hour ago, Alpha Gordini said:

A long, rambling collection of thoughts about today...

This is what happens if you build a team full of LL/EoSL players. A big chunk of this is on JH (let's not forget he got three extra players in by getting them to break their contracts, which is shameful IMHO). Then the board for taking so long to hand him his P45. Then the current management for the line-up today...

Unless Brennan is still not fit enought, Goodfellow shouldn't be in the team. He's too reticent to come for crosses, for starters. We reckon he was at fault on 2 if not 3 of the goals.

Hume is a waste of space. He didn't do much more than get booked.

O'Kane has often been a red card waiting to happen, and was a little unlucky to get booked. He should've scored, and at least he kept trying throughout the game.

Bob Wilson, for all his faults, was the player who most looked like he *really* cared. He kept trying to raise the players, and made some good saving tackles and interceptions. He looked gutted to go off when he ws injured.

Barr should have been on from the start. We need someone who can move around a bit, and has a bit of skill and can get to the byline and cross. We looked more impressive going forward (although TBF that wasn's *that* hard) after he came on.

Healy worked hard, but it's pointless hoofing the ball up to him to win the header if we don't have anyone within 5 yards of him to get the second ball. If Adamson had watched the offside line better he'd have been on goal a lot more times than he was in the first half. Too many times he didn't get a shot away.

Adamson flattered to deceive. Working with Healy he looked our best threat in the first half, but disappeared a bit in the second.

Brydon worked hard too, but made some rash decisions and tired late on.

The rest of the (starting) players drifted in and out of the game at times.

We don't look fit enough, and we don't seem to know when to pass and when to hold onto the ball.

The injuries didn't help, given that two were at the back.

The first half was pretty scrappy, even though it felt that Cove were on top, there weren't many clear cut chances. Cove deserved their win, for sure, but I hate the way they kept trying to con the referee. It happened last week when their pressure on the ref led to the second booking and sending off, and this week one player went down holding his face like he'd been hit (then got up and carried on when the ref ignored him) and another screamed blue murder right in front of us and was lying on the ground holding his calf but got up and started running within about 15 seconds without even limping when the ref ignored him.

I said to my co-travellers at half time, I don't think Cove are a particularly good team. They hadn't carved us apart like some teams in SPFL2 have done. They got two goals later on as we tired and made more mistakes (again), plus we're not a good side, by any stretch of the imagination.

Oh and Masson's goal for Cove was a peach (even *we* applauded it). He'd blazed a couple of much better chances over the bar earlier on, so it did come as a bit of surprise.

I'm lucky. I can't make next week. I hope the board change their minds and let residents and season ticket holders in for free. We need to pack the place out, and we need the management team to (a) pick the best XI, and (b) set them up to create chances and score goals. It's a *humungous* ask, but there is an infinitessimally small glimmer of hope.

Sorry mate really not having a go at you, but I have to take issue with one of your thoughts.

For some months I have been sick and tired of reading the defence of one or two of our clueless players because "they at least tried hard". Leaving aside the notion that 'so they fucking should', some of these players only run around a bit more than others in order to conceal the fact that they can't play football. 

Bob Wilson. Bob fecking Wilson. Has given away 38 penalties, scored over 100 own goals and gets sent off every 10 minutes. But hey, "he tries hard". He is maybe a very nice bloke, with the heart of a lion, but he is shite and should have been punted months ago. Absolutely nowhere near good enough for this or any other level, and he has conclusively proved it over and over and over again. 

And then there is Hume. Is he married to Brownlie's sister as well? Nobody who has previously seen him play would pick him ahead of the supremely ordinary (but tries hard) Jack Cook. But he has started the last 2 games. The only player I've ever seen who would benefit from a blindfold. 

But, for the winner of the Alan Partridge award for the biggest gap between  ability and effort, may I present one Declan O'Kane. I would pay good money to see his pass completion statistics, though in some games he wouldn't register and you'd think that the statistician's laptop was knackered. And to think this guy was a replacement for Steve Notman. It's like replacing a Ferrari with a Bread Bin. 

I feel desperately for the raw (and even slightly talented) youngsters, that have had to play in a team where these 3 clueless and experienced nobs have reduced anything they tried to do, to an absolute shitshow of missed tackles, eyes-shut headers, and passes spinning crazily off course like a cheap Korean firework, and then coming off to hear people saying "well, they tried hard". 

I don't care if we end up in the Age Concern Selkirk and District junior reserve league Division 4, just get rid of these useless twats from my club. 

Sorry Alpha. Rant over (for now). 

[cowdenbeath]

1 minute ago, GordonS said:

Folk said the same about East Stirling, who were in an even worse situation with no ground and a smaller fanbase, and they're doing ok. It's a drop that can be survived.

Assuming Berwick can't turn it around, hopefully they'll join the ranks looking to pull together a proper pyramid with the SFA screwing it up. The LL should only improve over time with bigger clubs coming into it, and especially if the west juniors get brought on board. Many of them have bigger travelling supports than L2 clubs.

Given Berwick's location I think it will be hard for them to atract players would have been easier for Shire as they are in the central belt. Every year the Shire have went further down the LL and don't like coming back to L2 anytime soon.

[GordonS]

Just now, cowdenbeath said:

Given Berwick's location I think it will be hard for them to atract players would have been easier for Shire as they are in the central belt. Every year the Shire have went further down the LL and don't like coming back to L2 anytime soon.

Sure, though the only thing preventing East Stirling from winning the LL and coming back up is being better than the teams above them. They're not particularly outgunned or outspent. There's no structural reason why they can't come back up, and in the meantime their club is still there, playing matches, being followed by it supporters. Relegation to the LL isn't a death sentence.

You're right about players though, it will make it tougher to attract decent players from the Edinburgh area. Not that their current players are doing them any good, mind...

[tescodave]

I can’t believe I’m reading some defending players. Today was indefensible. Shambles from beginning to end. This lot deserve absolutely everything they are getting. Not fit to wear the shirt and as for those in the Boardroom they need to all take a look at themselves for what they’ve created. History, history that no fan wanted but due to mismanagement have been delivered it.

RIP Berwick Rangers. We’ll be ground sharing with Spittal Rovers within 5 years.

[Fergie1]

Guys like @A Believer and such, who backed Harvey for some time, yet come on here and want to have a go at others have a lot to answer for. Don’t think it’s crazy to suggest the board pay attention to this site and gauge how fans are feeling based on posts on it. You guys are the ones who probably kept him in a jobs so long. Anyone who tries to say differently, I have private messages on this site from the chairman himself asking me to come along to shielfield and share my concerns with him and the manager and they can discuss there plans with me. @A Believer you should have a long hard think about you have probably contributed to what has happened today. There are others aswell but you are the obvious one.