Season a write off?

[AlbionMan]

1 hour ago, Brazilianlex said:

The day after the SFA throw the lower leagues under the bus, allegedly until the end of January, Nippy comes out today and says even if things are better, restrictions are unlikely to be lifted at the end of the month so that’s that then, season over.

Scot Gov were at the meeting with SFA and must have known this.

The SFA do not care about lower league, non league Football and never will

Ian Maxwell admitted as much in saying that all he is interested in are the Sky and BBC tv deals. The supporters of every other team can enjoy TV football through clubs in which they have no interest. Sturgeon has been gunning for football for weeks now and the sfa duly obliged by giving her the part time leagues. It will come back to bite the sfa's bum when Sturgeon decides the part timers are not enough.

If anyone thought that Neil Doncaster was a mealy mouthed so and so, Ian Maxell outdid him by the length of the M8.

Edited January 12, 2021 by AlbionMan

[Gordon EF]

25 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

I guess the question about null and void is how much money does it cost clubs? I assume sponsorship money might be lost and league placing prize money couldn't be dished out. If that number is quite large then I doubt you'll see many shouting for it. 

Aye, true. I suppose the main point is, if this pause lasts beyond January, don't assume Scottish football's going to reach some cosy consensus about what to do.

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, Brazilianlex said:

The day after the SFA throw the lower leagues under the bus, allegedly until the end of January, Nippy comes out today and says even if things are better, restrictions are unlikely to be lifted at the end of the month so that’s that then, season over.

Scot Gov were at the meeting with SFA and must have known this.

The SFA do not care about lower league, non league Football and never will

Restrictions existed last week too and we played. It's not necessarily linked. It's within the remit of the SFA to relax the shutdown and allow League 1 and 2 to restart even if the country remains in Tier 4. Not saying they will but you're not comparing like with like.

[Thom & Gerry]

2 hours ago, virginton said:

There is no one magical 'reconstruction' option that meets the interests of every (or even most clubs), which is why this route has failed time and time again. 

Yep but they will vote for what suits the majority, whatever that may be. There will not be a clear consensus for anything but a decision will have to be made one way or another. If it’s left to the SPFL you know what option they will take so clubs better get their heads together and come up with a plan.

[big al]

2 hours ago, Brazilianlex said:

The day after the SFA throw the lower leagues under the bus, allegedly until the end of January, Nippy comes out today and says even if things are better, restrictions are unlikely to be lifted at the end of the month so that’s that then, season over.

Scot Gov were at the meeting with SFA and must have known this.

The SFA do not care about lower league, non league Football and never will

How exactly have the SFA thrown the lower leagues under the bus?

Lost me there bud.

 

[amidst-tundra]

13 hours ago, big al said:

How exactly have the SFA thrown the lower leagues under the bus?

Lost me there bud.

 

I think the narrative is that L1 and below have been a ritual sacrifice following Celtic's Dubai debacle.
 

 

15 hours ago, AlbionMan said:

 Sturgeon has been gunning for football for weeks now and the sfa duly obliged by giving her the part time leagues. It will come back to bite the sfa's bum when Sturgeon decides the part timers are not enough.

I don't believe she has been gunning for football because of how overwhelmingly unpopular that would be, in fact she's been pretty loathed to comment on it - I do however think there is some credence in what I wrote above, the optics of the warm weather training were just awful when hospital admissions are skyrocketing. I don't think it will be long before things change down south and all elite sport is shut down considering the media are making a big moral panic about players celebrating goals.

[true fan]

a ritual sacrifice? what ritual did the decision makers practice?

chanting in an ancient meso-american language? taking hallucinogenic drugs made from plant roots to promote altered mental states? wearing robes made from bird feathers?

I don't think you mean ritual sacrifice do you? sacrifice quite possible but not ritual ..........

(unless you mean the ritual involving handshakes and rolled up trouser legs ........... maybe you got something there)

[Ivo den Bieman]

I like and appreciate the Scottish government, in the round. I do think however that they couldn't care less about football and I do think they have been a bit rigid and inflexible on the matter of crowds. This concerns me a bit.

On the other hand we have the football authorities who don't seem terribly interested in engaging with government other than as a supplicant. We need an advocate for the smaller clubs and that ain't the current authorities.

The relationship is a bit of a problem in the current things. I get that the visit of Stranraer to Cowdenbeath isn't exactly a priority for government in the present times but it'd be good to have a bit more certainty on when these things will be possible.

Football is just a microcosm of wider society. As such, it suffers from the same lack of forward plan / clarity / hope / thoughfulness that we face in the other parts of our lives presently.

I don't care about the season being paused. It's the right thing to do. I don't care if there's no more football this season as long as we have some idea as to when it's expected we'll get back in next season.

For people to buy into the collective management / mitigation of the effects of the virus they need a wee bit of hope and a general sense of when some of the things we enjoy might be possible again (based on a much clearer and more detaiuled plan of when we will be vaccinated and how long that will take). The current approach of just banning things at 24 hours notice coupled with ministerial hand wringing along the lines of "we know this is tough" isn't going to work too much longer I fear.

 

[amidst-tundra]

5 minutes ago, true fan said:

I don't think you mean ritual sacrifice do you? sacrifice quite possible but not ritual ..........

(unless you mean the ritual involving handshakes and rolled up trouser legs ........... maybe you got something there)

I meant ritual sacrifice in a facetious sense. Although perhaps in the literal sense as you suggested.

[theoriginalhedge]

3 hours ago, Ivo den Bieman said:

I like and appreciate the Scottish government, in the round. I do think however that they couldn't care less about football and I do think they have been a bit rigid and inflexible on the matter of crowds. This concerns me a bit.

On the other hand we have the football authorities who don't seem terribly interested in engaging with government other than as a supplicant. We need an advocate for the smaller clubs and that ain't the current authorities.

The relationship is a bit of a problem in the current things. I get that the visit of Stranraer to Cowdenbeath isn't exactly a priority for government in the present times but it'd be good to have a bit more certainty on when these things will be possible.

Football is just a microcosm of wider society. As such, it suffers from the same lack of forward plan / clarity / hope / thoughfulness that we face in the other parts of our lives presently.

I don't care about the season being paused. It's the right thing to do. I don't care if there's no more football this season as long as we have some idea as to when it's expected we'll get back in next season.

For people to buy into the collective management / mitigation of the effects of the virus they need a wee bit of hope and a general sense of when some of the things we enjoy might be possible again (based on a much clearer and more detaiuled plan of when we will be vaccinated and how long that will take). The current approach of just banning things at 24 hours notice coupled with ministerial hand wringing along the lines of "we know this is tough" isn't going to work too much longer I fear.

 

Quite frankly , the governments are managing the epidemic on a day to day basis so to expect anything other than the reaction in your last sentence is wishful thinking. 

Good post though. 

[Ton Up]

12 hours ago, Ivo den Bieman said:

I like and appreciate the Scottish government, in the round. I do think however that they couldn't care less about football and I do think they have been a bit rigid and inflexible on the matter of crowds. This concerns me a bit.

On the other hand we have the football authorities who don't seem terribly interested in engaging with government other than as a supplicant. We need an advocate for the smaller clubs and that ain't the current authorities.

The relationship is a bit of a problem in the current things. I get that the visit of Stranraer to Cowdenbeath isn't exactly a priority for government in the present times but it'd be good to have a bit more certainty on when these things will be possible.

Football is just a microcosm of wider society. As such, it suffers from the same lack of forward plan / clarity / hope / thoughfulness that we face in the other parts of our lives presently.

I don't care about the season being paused. It's the right thing to do. I don't care if there's no more football this season as long as we have some idea as to when it's expected we'll get back in next season.

For people to buy into the collective management / mitigation of the effects of the virus they need a wee bit of hope and a general sense of when some of the things we enjoy might be possible again (based on a much clearer and more detaiuled plan of when we will be vaccinated and how long that will take). The current approach of just banning things at 24 hours notice coupled with ministerial hand wringing along the lines of "we know this is tough" isn't going to work too much longer I fear.

 

Well said! 
 

Just a slight indication of when we could go back would be grand.

[Bring Your Own Socks]

On the upside, we don’t have to go bananas when robocam thinks the bald linesman is a football.

[EdinburghBlue]

Cue wailing and gnashing of teeth in south Glasgow 

 

[spiders4ever]

1 hour ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Cue wailing and gnashing of teeth in south Glasgow 

 

Shouldn't this be on a Sevco topic?

[Sergeant Wilson]

3 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Cue wailing and gnashing of teeth in south Glasgow 

 

It's good The Record is getting the view of a lower league manager. I dare say they'll have the opinion of some of the others tomorrow. Vale of Leithen will be an interesting one to hear.

[Mick1867]

5 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Cue wailing and gnashing of teeth in south Glasgow 

 

There would be none from me. Only an idiot would expect a title to be awarded to them with a minority of games played. Would mean nothing. The possibility of seeing it in person next season would be far more satisfying

[an86]

9 minutes ago, Mick1867 said:

There would be none from me. Only an idiot would expect a title to be awarded to them with a minority of games played. Would mean nothing. The possibility of seeing it in person next season would be far more satisfying

Yeah, I feel exactly the same. The club, and I understand why, would likely fight to get some sort of finish to the season. Guff from a punter perspective, though. 

[Andy groundhopper]

Think if all the spfl had been tested, and had got maybe halfway through the season - then even a return in March could have had games sat and midweek all the way through to June. Don't think the governments are anti football, just don't have the answers regarding crowds, gatherings etc. Been hypocrisy all the way so far.

[true fan]

Authorities are writing to championship clubs to see whether they want to play on - according to bbc website.

wonder how Arbroath will vote? Hearts?

you couldn’t make it up

In future if a player punches another in the face the referee will write to the perpetrator to ask if he would like to be sent off.

Leading  from the front

[EdinburghBlue]

10 hours ago, true fan said:

Authorities are writing to championship clubs to see whether they want to play on - according to bbc website.

And now also reported in the Herald. Interesting, but probably predictable, that Championship clubs being consulted. Not only was there no consultation with third and fourth division clubs, reports say that they were not allowed to ask questions or comment at the recent SPFL meeting.