Scottish lower league football locked down for 3 weeks

[Rbon 59]

1 minute ago, Thom & Gerry said:

The whole point though it keeps the season interesting. A lot less meaningless games.

I understand why it's there. My point really is why should we worry about this after 18 games as it's every bit as daft after 36 games in my view.

 

 

[EFFC1938 411]

The play offs have been great imo! It's a sore one if you finish 2nd and don't go up but it keeps the season alive longer with less bounce games and adds plenty of excitement to our leagues. Let's hope a solution can be found and it's not null and void

[Life on Marrs? 371]

I'm not against the play offs, I'm all for them, I just think this season, if it's going to be just 18 games, forget the play offs, get back to normal next season, covid permitting. 

Or if we really want to make our lower leagues exciting with less meaningless games, just keep an 18 game season, play 2 seasons per year! (tounge in cheek idea, but it may stir up debate). 

[Rbon 59]

Introduce period winners like they have in the Netherlands. that would truly mean there is no dead rubber. 

[Life on Marrs? 371]

On 31/01/2021 at 08:24, bairn88 said:

Don’t think I agree with that. A very average raith look like coasting into the playoffs this season (looks like they’ve recruited pretty well Tbf). The idea that a Partick, falkirk, East fife etc wouldn’t at the very least be competitive is harsh. There isn’t a huge amount between the leagues 

There's more than 1 factor in Raith doing well this season. They were always a Championship sized club, who had lost their way a bit, they brought in a manager who had done well with them previously & have a good blend of experienced & hungry young players. 

Hearts, Dundee & Dunfermline were always going to be top 3, Qos, Alloa & Arbroath predictably bottom 3. Ayr, ICT & Morton, whilst all capable have all seen budgets cut & lost players, so a good chance a team on the up, like Raith could grab 4th, I would expect Falkirk to have been in a similar position had the gone up instead. 

[Nowhereman 600]

16 hours ago, Life on Marrs? said:

I'm not against the play offs, I'm all for them, I just think this season, if it's going to be just 18 games, forget the play offs, get back to normal next season, covid permitting. 

Or if we really want to make our lower leagues exciting with less meaningless games, just keep an 18 game season, play 2 seasons per year! (tounge in cheek idea, but it may stir up debate). 

I think that would be great system. Two seasons in one then play off for Championship, promotion etc. The Mexicans use a system like that

[SLClyde 709]

With lockdown now running until at least start of March, surely we are ever closer to ending this season. Of course there is no guarantee games will start again in March. 

[badgerthewitness 2,635]

Do we know of any part-time L1 players who have caught covid, from their day jobs, during the current shut down? I imagine that's the kind of thing a reputable football association would like to monitor.

[The Moonster 15,090]

14 minutes ago, SLClyde said:

With lockdown now running until at least start of March, surely we are ever closer to ending this season. Of course there is no guarantee games will start again in March. 

The plan wasn't to start playing until March anyway. Todays news ties in with the SPFL plan IMO. By the start of March we should have pretty big numbers vaccinated, cases will be at levels that were acceptable to allow play last year and we'll have warmer weather which helped drive transmission down previously - added to the fact all teams have offered to test their players. I'm hopeful we'll see football again, the only contention is the number of games we get in. 

[The Moonster 15,090]

Just now, badgerthewitness said:

Do we know of any part-time L1 players who have caught covid, from their day jobs, during the current shut down? I imagine that's the kind of thing a reputable football association would like to monitor.

Not aware of any during this shutdown but Denny Johnstone caught it outside of football earlier in the season. 

[David W 2,811]

Clyde have had players missing games due to having to self-isolate due to contacts at work as well.

[Brian Carrigan 86]

2 minutes ago, David W said:

Clyde have had players missing games due to having to self-isolate due to contacts at work as well.

Is that right? Didn't realise that!

[FREDDYFRY 536]

27 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

The plan wasn't to start playing until March anyway. Todays news ties in with the SPFL plan IMO. By the start of March we should have pretty big numbers vaccinated, cases will be at levels that were acceptable to allow play last year and we'll have warmer weather which helped drive transmission down previously - added to the fact all teams have offered to test their players. I'm hopeful we'll see football again, the only contention is the number of games we get in. 

The issue will be, yes get go ahead for restart in March, but the teams keep saying they need x number of weeks to train prior to playing, so potentially looking at end March beginning April for games.

As I’ve said before; scunnered with this season, just wrap it till next August!

[The Moonster 15,090]

2 minutes ago, FREDDYFRY said:

The issue will be, yes get go ahead for restart in March, but the teams keep saying they need x number of weeks to train prior to playing, so potentially looking at end March beginning April for games.

As I’ve said before; scunnered with this season, just wrap it till next August!

The clubs have proposed to begin training from the middle of February. The government plan has kids returning to primary school on the 22nd of February, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch to allow fully tested adults to carry out socially distanced training from the 14th. 

[roman_bairn 2,507]

The clubs have proposed to begin training from the middle of February. The government plan has kids returning to primary school on the 22nd of February, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch to allow fully tested adults to carry out socially distanced training from the 14th. 

True. Except that the idea of training commencing from mid Feb would probably need to be agreed with the JRG?....

[The Moonster 15,090]

2 minutes ago, roman_bairn said:

True. Except that the idea of training commencing from mid Feb would probably need to be agreed with the JRG?....

I would imagine so. 

[O'Kelly Isley III 3,106]

1 hour ago, The Moonster said:

The plan wasn't to start playing until March anyway. Todays news ties in with the SPFL plan IMO. By the start of March we should have pretty big numbers vaccinated, cases will be at levels that were acceptable to allow play last year and we'll have warmer weather which helped drive transmission down previously - added to the fact all teams have offered to test their players. I'm hopeful we'll see foot hoofball again, the only contention is the number of games we get in. 

FTFY

[Life on Marrs? 371]

7 hours ago, Nowhereman said:

I think that would be great system. Two seasons in one then play off for Championship, promotion etc. The Mexicans use a system like that

I was thinking more having 2 champions per season, keeping all the play off positions as they are, clubs could be relegated/promoted for 18 games. Not sure how  it could work with top of the championship though. Certainly be exciting in the lower leagues anyway! 

[big al 883]

19 hours ago, Life on Marrs? said:

I was thinking more having 2 champions per season, keeping all the play off positions as they are, clubs could be relegated/promoted for 18 games. Not sure how  it could work with top of the championship though. Certainly be exciting in the lower leagues anyway! 

Leagues run summer to Xmas, and new year til summer. 
Great idea! 
Keep things much more interesting and teams changing divisions more often.
 

[Smikka Smikka Smoodoo 12,006]

Whatever happened to multi-ball?