theoriginalhedge Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 14 minutes ago, Left Back said: Really? Hearts would beat Brora 99 times out of 100. Last nights result has no bearing on the strength of the Highland League. It was a one off outlier. Maybe not the HL in general . It has a bearing on how good Brora are though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Back Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 34 minutes ago, theoriginalhedge said: Maybe not the HL in general . It has a bearing on how good Brora are though. Not in the slightest. As I said they lose that game 99 times out of 100. It was a freak result. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitburn Vale Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 hour ago, Left Back said: Really? Hearts would beat Brora 99 times out of 100. Last nights result has no bearing on the strength of the Highland League. It was a one off outlier. I get the cup tie scenario regarding last nite being a 90 min game played to a finish and who turns up on the day but it dosnt hide from the fact as Hedge says of the strength of BRFC or the clubs below them in the top half of the HL. The top half of our league is strong....,Brora,Broch,Buckie,Formartine,Inverurie,Forres for example. Brora,Broch and Formartine United all in the 3rd round of the cup. As for the LL, the top clubs are frighteningly good and that league will only strengthen with the likes of Talbot, Clydebank,Linlithgow Rose etc entering it. Some League 2 clubs need to wake up and smell the coffee,do they really believe that they are bigger clubs than Talbot or Linlithgow for example?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipedreamer Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 8 hours ago, theoriginalhedge said: I heard that too which is quite incredible . Could you imagine the same scenario in the premier and them having to nominate a champion for the champions league ? It just wouldn't happen . But hey ho this is Scottish fitba at its best and if that's the way it has to be then it has to be. Last night's result with Brora highlights now the importance of not being club 42. That is exactly what would happen, had the premiership been null and voided last season the spfl would have put forward candidate clubs for the champions league and europa league qualifiers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marten Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 9 hours ago, pipedreamer said: That is exactly what would happen, had the premiership been null and voided last season the spfl would have put forward candidate clubs for the champions league and europa league qualifiers. It actually happened in various countries across Europe too, like The Netherlands where the league was null and void and they put forward candidate clubs for European spots, which UEFA accepted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongTimeLurker Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 17 hours ago, Left Back said: Really? Hearts would beat Brora 99 times out of 100. Last nights result has no bearing on the strength of the Highland League. It was a one off outlier. Think you may be underestimating the scale of the budget Brora have at their disposal. Perhaps worth bearing in mind that Cove Rangers might be in the Championship next season two years after SPFL entry and they were neck and neck with Brora in HL terms prior to being promoted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big al Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 16 hours ago, Whitburn Vale said: I get the cup tie scenario regarding last nite being a 90 min game played to a finish and who turns up on the day but it dosnt hide from the fact as Hedge says of the strength of BRFC or the clubs below them in the top half of the HL. The top half of our league is strong....,Brora,Broch,Buckie,Formartine,Inverurie,Forres for example. Brora,Broch and Formartine United all in the 3rd round of the cup. As for the LL, the top clubs are frighteningly good and that league will only strengthen with the likes of Talbot, Clydebank,Linlithgow Rose etc entering it. Some League 2 clubs need to wake up and smell the coffee,do they really believe that they are bigger clubs than Talbot or Linlithgow for example?? Talbot are bigger than some championship clubs in reality. -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior Pub League Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 (edited) Not really. They are a village team who've wasted any potential they may have had clinging to a dead "grade" over the chance of progression. The smallest club in the Championship is Alloa and they are still a bigger club than Talbot. Edited March 25, 2021 by Junior Pub League 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Feet Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Heres a radical thought, if all these teams in LL /HL are as good as everyone is saying why not take the top four from each and stick them into the national and give us 2 leagues of 19 below the Prem and play home and away = 36 games.and a free week somewhere. Still have the normal play off routes too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivo den Bieman Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 18 hours ago, Whitburn Vale said: I get the cup tie scenario regarding last nite being a 90 min game played to a finish and who turns up on the day but it dosnt hide from the fact as Hedge says of the strength of BRFC or the clubs below them in the top half of the HL. The top half of our league is strong....,Brora,Broch,Buckie,Formartine,Inverurie,Forres for example. Brora,Broch and Formartine United all in the 3rd round of the cup. As for the LL, the top clubs are frighteningly good and that league will only strengthen with the likes of Talbot, Clydebank,Linlithgow Rose etc entering it. Some League 2 clubs need to wake up and smell the coffee,do they really believe that they are bigger clubs than Talbot or Linlithgow for example?? I see the top end of the HL quite a bit in normal times, usually take in a dozen or so games a season involving the likes of Broch, Formartine, Locos and Buckie. I agree with you on the standard of the league- all of these teams would be quite comfortable in League 2. What I question is the desire to take the step up. I think in particular the Broch and Buckie are quite happy in the HIghland League. Buckie in particular mumped and moaned about their play off appearance as, famously, did Brora in 2015- albeit a very different Brora to the one that exists now. I am not sure Broch really have the finances to compete in League Two- they are a ferociously partisan local club aimed to develop local young players on more or less a shoestring. The oil-funded Shire clubs of course would progress if the opportunity arose but I just have a feeling their ship has sailed. It would be an irony if Brora, having beaten the big Hearts in the cup, lose out to Kelty Hearts in this play off. And, certainly, whoever finishes bottom of the league is in for a very tough assignment to hold onto their national league status against either of those sides. I have no problem with the leagues nominating a play off contender and the play off going ahead, after it was cancelled last season. In the longer term a move to automatic relegation for team 10 and team 9 entering a relegation play off against the Highland / Lowland champions is the way to go. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitburn Vale Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Great post Ivo, Yeah the bugbear with some of the HL clubs is their desire to take the step up and how strong it is.. Last season before we were all banished from football grounds,when I was up watching the Vale,I found mixed views but without doubt they are becoming warmer to the idea compared to a few yrs ago. If Brora,Broch,Formartine,Loco's ever go up cant see much more being good enough to do so,possibly Buckie but as a Vale fan,saying that sticks in my mouth lol !!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 (edited) It's a no-brainer that there should be at least one automatic promotion/relegation spot between every single tier of the structure. Whether Auchinleck Talbot are a bigger club than Alloa couldn't matter less when it comes to that. What we need to move away from is reactionary and self-interested decisions being rushed into at the same point in every season. Clubs from all levels should be consulted about what they want from the league structure and what they want it to look like with a view to changing it down the line. Not having folk whining and gnashing every March for whatever suits them best. Edited March 25, 2021 by Gordon EF 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big al Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Cold Feet said: Heres a radical thought, if all these teams in LL /HL are as good as everyone is saying why not take the top four from each and stick them into the national and give us 2 leagues of 19 below the Prem and play home and away = 36 games.and a free week somewhere. Still have the normal play off routes too. Far from the worst idea been suggested. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offsideflag Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 The Lowland and Highland Leagues are not as strong as some people seem to think. If they were, there would have been more than 2 teams promoted from the Play Offs in 5 attempts. If all of the Play Off finals had been as one-side as Cove v Berwick was a couple of years ago I would be all for reviewing the promotion format, but that's not exactly been the case. I don't know of they will, but I would like to see the League 2 Play Offs go ahead this season - Brora and Kelty never got a chance last season and as it doesn't look like their season will continue this time around, it would be nice to see them get their shot at the end of this season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowden Cowboy Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 22 hours ago, Whitburn Vale said: I get the cup tie scenario regarding last nite being a 90 min game played to a finish and who turns up on the day but it dosnt hide from the fact as Hedge says of the strength of BRFC or the clubs below them in the top half of the HL. The top half of our league is strong....,Brora,Broch,Buckie,Formartine,Inverurie,Forres for example. Brora,Broch and Formartine United all in the 3rd round of the cup. As for the LL, the top clubs are frighteningly good and that league will only strengthen with the likes of Talbot, Clydebank,Linlithgow Rose etc entering it. Some League 2 clubs need to wake up and smell the coffee,do they really believe that they are bigger clubs than Talbot or Linlithgow for example?? You sound about as arrogant as John Collins in this post - which clubs are asleep and need to smell this coffee? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairWeatherFan Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 32 minutes ago, offsideflag said: The Lowland and Highland Leagues are not as strong as some people seem to think. If they were, there would have been more than 2 teams promoted from the Play Offs in 5 attempts. If all of the Play Off finals had been as one-side as Cove v Berwick was a couple of years ago I would be all for reviewing the promotion format, but that's not exactly been the case. Probably because they have continued to develop over the last 6 years. 2014 the Lowland adds BSC Glasgow & Edinburgh University = 2019 it's Bonnyrigg Rose & Berwick Rangers. 2015 the Lowland adds Cumbernauld Colts = 2020 it was Bo'ness United. Tier Five Champion 2-3 Club 42 isn't bad going considering. Especially with one of those losses going down to penalities. Hopefully they can avoid another cancelled play-off and we can find out if it should be 3-3 or 2-4. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitburn Vale Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Cowden Cowboy said: You sound about as arrogant as John Collins in this post - which clubs are asleep and need to smell this coffee? I have nothing but love for League 2 clubs cowboy,visited them all and had a grand day out at each of them. Are League 2 clubs aware of who are breathing down their necks from below is the question, I hope they are... Deveronvale are no different,the HL are currently in talks with the NRJFA,NCL and Tayside junior clubs,to form a pyramid in the north below the HL,if Vale,Fort,Strathy Jags etc aren't on it in the near future then we'll be relegated and rightly so... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 7 hours ago, big al said: Talbot are bigger than some championship clubs in reality. Don't think so. I think we're at "peak Talbot". Auchinleck is a fairly isolated place with tribal loyalty to other teams all around them. Unless they get some serious investor coming in, their relatively limited crowd potential will hold them back. How many of the current crowd will pay £10/£12 a game and will the players be up for all the travel that SPFL 1 or 2 involves? Talbot are an outstanding success story,but the pyramid will not, I fear, be their friend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Cowden Cowboy said: You sound about as arrogant as John Collins in this post - which clubs are asleep and need to smell this coffee? I think the current bottom three will be lucky to survive 5 years in League 2, definitely not ten. Thankfully, we have someone backing us, or QP would make it four at real risk. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoveRangers1922 Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 (edited) On 24/03/2021 at 16:29, theoriginalhedge said: Maybe not the HL in general . It has a bearing on how good Brora are though. Brora are a quality team who would easily hold their own in L2. Their current squad would fancy their chances against most league 1 sides. Drew 2-2 with us in the Betfred this season. Buckie and Fraserburgh are strong sides who could compete in L2. It's a matter of time before Fraserburgh get into L2 in my opinion. Rothes and Formartine are capable teams. Middle to Bottom end of the HL is poor Edited March 25, 2021 by CoveRangers1922 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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