The Brechin City Thread

[PELE]

Not saying there shouldn't be a play off, but you have to say Kelty are very lucky to be awarded the title.

If I am correct, they only played against one team in the top eight positions in the league and they lost to them. So, they basically beat the dross in the lower half of the league and there is a big difference between the top and lower half of the Lowland League. How did they manage to play almost half the season and only play one top eight team? If the fixtures were better spread I am not convinced they would have been top after those matches.

It would be like Scotland beating the lesser teams in a World Cup qualifying campaign and sitting top of the table and the remaining matches cancelled and Scotland awarded the qualifying position without playing anyone half decent.

Some may say that Kelty missed out last season though, but they didn't win the league last season either. Bonnyrigg had a decent chance of winning it last season before it was curtailed.

[Bestsinceslicebread]

21 hours ago, Brechin City FC said:

I see your point but the logic is flawed.  What if say Bonnyrigg or BSC Glasgow were top of the league this season when it was called?  Should they be given the playoff spot?  Or should it be given to Kelty who were last season's champions?  It certainly wasn't even a forgone conclusion they would have even won it if the season had played out to a finish!

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	PPG
1	Kelty Hearts (C)	25	22	2	1	95	17	+78	68	2.72
2	Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic	24	20	2	2	70	22	+48	62	2.58
3	BSC Glasgow[a]	22	16	3	3	58	21	+37	51	2.32

The whole situation is a complete mess to be honest and a lot of the blame is wrongly being pointed at Brechin as if we're the ones denying Kelty, Brora or any other team a shot at going up. 

 

The Lowland league and Highland League winners nominated this year has nothing to do with Brechin. Kelty are league champions, end of story, Brora are league champions, end of story, even if I'm a bit perturbed by 3 games only but Kelty is just luck if they only played the bottom half of the league, they are still champions.
The playoff will happen and I expect Brora to win, why, as they have been playing some games recently so might more of an advantage as they are match ready compared to Kelty who have had no games.

Brechin have problems, being bottom of the league for the past two years when the leagues were stopped 19/20, this year, 20/21 I can't see Brechin getting off the bottom, especially after the Albion Rovers game but I will say, Brechin have been playing games and are definitely match fit and if they don't win the deciding playoff against the LL/HL winner then you cannot argue. Teams will move up and down divisions, especially if the SPFL/SFA get the structure right and if Brechin are relegated then its a bad time but so what, it just means they have to revaluate what they have done, are doing now and going to do for the future to get back up the divisions. There is problems at Brechin and they must be addressed, even if they have done so now, it will take time but they can get it right, when, that's anyone's guess.  The only reason why it will be harder to come back up as the promotion to SPFL2 from the Highland league and Lowland league is to win two playoff so hard for any team to win especially now that both divisions are going to get harder as the pyramid grows below. 

To add, it shows you how hard it is to get back up having to win the Highland league and the Lowland League and then having to play two playoffs to make it to the SPFL2, Berwick Rangers and East Stirlingshire are testament to how hard it is to get back out of the Lowland League but both have embraced it and will continue to try and get back up

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Bestsinceslicebread
Add last paragraph

[Ivo den Bieman]

10 hours ago, PELE said:

Not saying there shouldn't be a play off, but you have to say Kelty are very lucky to be awarded the title.

Many teams in history have been lucky to win titles, through key injuries to a rival, favourable refereeing decisions, few postponments, coming into big money through transfer fees, general rub of the green over the course of a season.

Kelty aren't the first club to have had some luck in winning a league title and I very much doubt they will be the last. This is not an argument against them a. being nominated as champions b. their right to contest a promotion play-off. I repeat, no club from the SLFL is still girning at them being awarded the title.

[Thom & Gerry]

Surely Brechin or whoever must fancy their chances in a playoff, this year of all years? Kelty/Brora are from a lower league, have not played for months, apart from Brora's two cup games, which will be weeks ago come playoffs. Can’t speak about Kelty, but Brora are decent enough and could hold their own in Div 2 but are nowhere near as strong as Cove were when the last playoff took place.

[Aberdeen Cowden]

45 minutes ago, Thom & Gerry said:

Surely Brechin or whoever must fancy their chances in a playoff, this year of all years? Kelty/Brora are from a lower league, have not played for months, apart from Brora's two cup games, which will be weeks ago come playoffs. Can’t speak about Kelty, but Brora are decent enough and could hold their own in Div 2 but are nowhere near as strong as Cove were when the last playoff took place.

And no team are as bad as Berwick were. Stranraer have shown that Brora aren’t worldbeaters. I’d fancy Brechin over two games.

 

[Dunning1874]

9 hours ago, Bestsinceslicebread said:

The Lowland league and Highland League winners nominated this year has nothing to do with Brechin. Kelty are league champions, end of story, Brora are league champions, end of story

This is the crux of it.

The Tom English led meltdowns about Brechin orchestrating a conspiracy when they were treated exactly the same as every other club in a playoff position last season were absolutely ridiculous, regardless of your views on the fairness of not having an automatic relegation spot in the first place. There was no way the playoffs could be played and the idea that this was down to Ken Ferguson's nefarious plotting was risible.

This season playoffs can be played, therefore there are absolutely no grounds for Club 42 not taking part. It's none of Club 42's business how the Highland & Lowland leagues have gone about naming a champion - if you finish bottom of League Two you're in the playoff, end of story.

Last season the cancellation was regrettable but unavoidable as games couldn't be played. A cancellation this season with no barriers to playing could only be described as blatant corruption on the part of the SPFL, and Brechin fans expressing concerns about the integrity of how champions have been named are fooling no one.

[tamthebam]

Edinburgh (the big City) are going great guns and playing rather well. 

Foregone result tonight then:

Brechin (the wee City) to win. 

[theoriginalhedge]

1 hour ago, Dunning1874 said:

This is the crux of it.

The Tom English led meltdowns about Brechin orchestrating a conspiracy when they were treated exactly the same as every other club in a playoff position last season were absolutely ridiculous, regardless of your views on the fairness of not having an automatic relegation spot in the first place. There was no way the playoffs could be played and the idea that this was down to Ken Ferguson's nefarious plotting was risible.

This season playoffs can be played, therefore there are absolutely no grounds for Club 42 not taking part. It's none of Club 42's business how the Highland & Lowland leagues have gone about naming a champion - if you finish bottom of League Two you're in the playoff, end of story.

Last season the cancellation was regrettable but unavoidable as games couldn't be played. A cancellation this season with no barriers to playing could only be described as blatant corruption on the part of the SPFL, and Brechin fans expressing concerns about the integrity of how champions have been named are fooling no one.

Taking an off the cuff  sentence out of a post is very clever . Especially as that was not the gist of the post in the first place. 

Otherwise you  seem to be on the same wavelength as us. 

[Ivo den Bieman]

31 minutes ago, andrew21 said:

 ?? Brechin City 2020/21 5 points from 15 games  GD -27 Berwick Rangers 2018/19 19 points from 36 games GD -64. Berwick weren't even bottom of league  until match day 30 according to Wikipedia (not the most reliable of sources but its the first one I looked at).

Berwick were complacent as a genuinely appalling Albion Rovers side under a dinosaur manager (John Brogan) looked lost until January. Kevin Harper came in and really turned the place around in the second part of the season, leading a Das Boot-style recovery from the bottom of the footballing oceans. As a result Berwick, who were led by an absolutely deluded buffoon (Johnny Harvey) and seemed to get significantly worse with every performance, were lost with all hands.

Berwick were so, so bad that season that Albion Rovers' brush with oblivion has been largely forgotten already.

[Aberdeen Cowden]

49 minutes ago, andrew21 said:

 ?? Brechin City 2020/21 5 points from 15 games  GD -27 Berwick Rangers 2018/19 19 points from 36 games GD -64. Berwick weren't even bottom of league  until match day 30 according to Wikipedia (not the most reliable of sources but its the first one I looked at).

Wikipedia? Have you any idea how bad they were at the end of the season?

[RossBFaeDundee]

Berwick were dreadful that season, with plenty of big losses including a 7-1 pumping off Queen's Park, but they were particularly vile in the final few weeks of the season.

GF - 0, GA - 29. At least Brechin's games are relatively competitive. Hopefully any play-off final would be less of a formality as that one was, so clear that Cove were going up.

[Bestsinceslicebread]

5 hours ago, Thom & Gerry said:

Surely Brechin or whoever must fancy their chances in a playoff, this year of all years? Kelty/Brora are from a lower league, have not played for months, apart from Brora's two cup games, which will be weeks ago come playoffs. Can’t speak about Kelty, but Brora are decent enough and could hold their own in Div 2 but are nowhere near as strong as Cove were when the last playoff took place.

100% agree Thom & Gerry

Right now, if Brechin are going to be in the relegation playoff then this is the best situation that can be to their benefit this season in a playoff.
Personally I've seen games this year of Brechin, Brora and Kelty and if the leagues had finished normally with all teams with their squads match fit, I would expect Kelty to beat Brora and then dispose of Brechin. But my view and everyone's view will only be views as we are not in that situation so right now, Brechin or whoever finishes last in the SPFL2, (as its not concluded yet), have the best chance of winning the Playoff to be in the SPFL2 next season

[Big Dougie]

5 hours ago, Aberdeen Cowden said:

And no team are as bad as Berwick were. Stranraer have shown that Brora aren’t worldbeaters. I’d fancy Brechin over two games.

 

Yes Stranraer really showed them, with that 88th minute equaliser This was a Brora team who had a handful of training sessions, and were playing only their second game since December.

[Bestsinceslicebread]

21 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Just because of the sugar daddies behind Kelty & Brora, if I were a neutral fan then I'd be secretly wanting this playoff to get cancelled on the condition that Brechin finish bottom yet again next season and win the playoff match.  Preferably in a penalty shootout after setting up 5-5-0 in both legs.

Like to think I am a neutral fan and don't think there would be many wanting what you want loll.
Who gives a shit if a team has a sugar daddy, they are spread all over the leagues and divisions, just deal with it>
might give you more satisfaction if you beat a team who has a sugar daddy but who cares, a win is a win

 

9 minutes ago, Big Dougie said:

Yes Stranraer really showed them, with that 88th minute equaliser This was a Brora team who had a handful of training sessions, and were playing only their second game since December.

The Stranraer goal, was that the one where they scored from the corner and the keeper hit it in to his own net, now that was a cracker 

Think they two goals after were good ones though if I remember correctly

[Marten]

1 hour ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Berwick were dreadful that season, with plenty of big losses including a 7-1 pumping off Queen's Park, but they were particularly vile in the final few weeks of the season.

GF - 0, GA - 29. At least Brechin's games are relatively competitive. Hopefully any play-off final would be less of a formality as that one was, so clear that Cove were going up.

Yeah, at that stage they were genuinely awful. I actually went to the play-off game at Cove and despite knowing how bad they were in the league, I was actually shocked by how bad they actually were. Cove actually were very ineffective with chances, wasting loads of them. They should have won the game by at least 7, and I'm not exaggerating. With how poor Berwick were that day I'm convinced that Lochee United would also have beaten them easily.

[Vodka Vic]

2 hours ago, Ivo den Bieman said:

Berwick were complacent as a genuinely appalling Albion Rovers side under a dinosaur manager (John Brogan) looked lost until January. Kevin Harper came in and really turned the place around in the second part of the season, leading a Das Boot-style recovery from the bottom of the footballing oceans. As a result Berwick, who were led by an absolutely deluded buffoon (Johnny Harvey) and seemed to get significantly worse with every performance, were lost with all hands.

Berwick were so, so bad that season that Albion Rovers' brush with oblivion has been largely forgotten already.

It’s forgotten how lucky Rovers were that season. An absolute bonkers, bonkers choice in manager. Brogan eventually stepped down after easily being beaten by Formartine in the cup. Kevin Harper came in in the November- he didn’t get a win until his 15th game in charge as we turned over an incredible 44 first team players that season. It all kick started when we had the infamous 6 point weekend- our first 3 points thanks to a points award as Clyde played ineligible Declan Fitzpatrick, we beat Stirling away that weekend and unfortunately our goalkeeping coach Gordon Dukes died very suddenly the same week. This pulled the squad together. Not to mention Berwick’s increasingly honking form which meant the stars aligned for us and we stayed up rather easily in the end . 

[Chris_the_rover]

Berwick were complacent as a genuinely appalling Albion Rovers side under a dinosaur manager (John Brogan) looked lost until January. Kevin Harper came in and really turned the place around in the second part of the season, leading a Das Boot-style recovery from the bottom of the footballing oceans. As a result Berwick, who were led by an absolutely deluded buffoon (Johnny Harvey) and seemed to get significantly worse with every performance, were lost with all hands.
Berwick were so, so bad that season that Albion Rovers' brush with oblivion has been largely forgotten already.

Kevin Harper came in October/November and it wasn't until the end of February it really clicked,

Up until then Harper actually had a worse record than Brogan,

Berwick were poor the full season and how poor they were was highlighted when rovers got going,

For what it's worth the only reason no lowland league or highland league sides contested the crowning of champions were they worried for the future of the play offs which is scaremongering from the top teams

Shire confirmed in an official statement the only reason they voted for kelty ad champions was they feared for the play off future,

Teams wanting promotion after playing less than half their games is a joke when you have league teams rushing to play as many games as they can,

[theoriginalhedge]

Better display tonight after a sluggish start. 

Jack Jarvis on the commentary was fuckin class.  Pish patter. Didn't know the players and started blethering pish when he got bored.  Belched his way through the first half with the odd , " pardon me "  as well.     Definite BBC material .  

[Neilly]

Least it was a close run thing tonight guys but unfortunately another step closer to the Lowland League.

Paton has been a smashing appointment. 

[Best Team in Angus]

17 minutes ago, Neilly said:

Least it was a close run thing tonight guys but unfortunately another step closer to the Lowland League.

Paton has been a smashing appointment. 

will never happen