The Conference X Files 2021-22

[Burnieman]

14 minutes ago, Nittenrab said:

Utter pish, what a feeble excuse to defend the League. 9 in a league when you have an 18 team league Division 2 full of mince above you. What incentives are there , ok we'll wait 2/3 years, utter nonsense. Bunch of amateurs.

What incentives are there?  finish in the top 2 of an 11 team league to guarantee promotion, maybe even third, then next season finish in the top two or three of a 8/9/10 team league.  You call the level above as "full of mince", how did Edinburgh College get on this season? Pretty disrespectful.

I personally think this could have been handled a bit better to ensure the Third Division had adequate numbers, I would have relegated the bottom team in both Conferences (I understand why they didn't want to relegate clubs - nominally - two tiers, but if you're bottom you should suffer the consequences) but it's not as if it's new news and there has been plenty of "incentives" this season for the teams in X with potentially more than a quarter of the Conference being promoted.

 

[grinderbrokeyourhearts]

Good input, thanks.
I have, and the club do not know.

Is it not because no one will know until the playoffs will finish? It’s not rocket science.

[grinderbrokeyourhearts]

Armadale v Bo'ness is Friday.

Those nessers are always getting their Fridays and Saturdays mixed up.

[lowenan]

X should have been at division 2 level. Top two going to division one, the rest going at the same level as the relegated division 1 teams.

[Casey Jones]

6 hours ago, lowenan said:

X should have been at division 2 level. Top two going to division one, the rest going at the same level as the relegated division 1 teams.

No they should not have. Had opportunities to come over to EoS set up but dug their heals in. For fairness and transparency to existing members of the EoS, it was right for them to start at the bottom of the system. 

[FairWeatherFan]

If the First Division was getting 2 Conference X teams and 4-5 down from the Premier it would only have left just the 9-10 spots for Conference A+B.

Then the Second Division would have had to be another season of Conferences due to the numbers involved.

The season would have been over for more teams earlier.

Going into the last day you've got Bo'ness Athletic/Armadale looking to win out and hope Darvel do them a favour.

Burntisland/HWU looking to stay in the First Division in Conference B.

Rosyth/Thornton/Coldstream/Kennoway/Edinburgh United with different permutations that could see them in the First Division/Second Division next season.

 

[AsimButtHitsASix]

8 hours ago, lowenan said:

X should have been at division 2 level. Top two going to division one, the rest going at the same level as the relegated division 1 teams.

Out of interest are any of the Conference X teams moaning about starting at the bottom? It seems they knew what they were signing up for when they moved over and are accepting of it. 

[Dev]

Since when is it fair for there to be no relegations from this seasons' Conferences A and B?

[FairWeatherFan]

2 minutes ago, Dev said:

Since when is it fair for there to be no relegations from this seasons' Conferences A and B?

EoS First Division Conference A and B sitting at Tier 7

and where will basically everyone from 8th down be playing next season? The EoS Second Division sitting at Tier 8

[Dev]

21 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

EoS First Division Conference A and B sitting at Tier 7

and where will basically everyone from 8th down be playing next season? The EoS Second Division sitting at Tier 8

It's about getting clubs to play at the most appropriate level in the Pyramid as soon as possible isn't it? The Conference X Cup competition results alone should be sufficient to convince even the most die-hard "lets punish the last of the Juniors brigade" to come to their senses and acknowledge that the EoS clubs made a mistake 12 months ago. Time to man-up and show that it's better for clubs to play at the appropriate level ASAP and take the simple steps that would allow that in time for next season.

Just think, wouldn't a battle to avoid relegation to join the un-promoted Conference X clubs have added even more excitement to the end of season Conference A and B matches?

[FairWeatherFan]

36 minutes ago, Dev said:

It's about getting clubs to play at the most appropriate level in the Pyramid as soon as possible isn't it? The Conference X Cup competition results alone should be sufficient to convince even the most die-hard "lets punish the last of the Juniors brigade" to come to their senses and acknowledge that the EoS clubs made a mistake 12 months ago. Time to man-up and show that it's better for clubs to play at the appropriate level ASAP and take the simple steps that would allow that in time for next season.

 

I think you're one of the few in that brigade. Since both West and East chose the same approach in not punishing existing members when 2020-21 failed to be completed.

Maybe you should focus these what if attempts in the West forum. Since after Saturday everyone in the East will know what Division they're playing for the 2022-23 season.

The Third and Fourth Division in the West haven't a clue because it's still to be decided.

[AsimButtHitsASix]

17 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I think you're one of the few in that brigade. .

Nah. Me too. I still stick pins into my Forth Wanderers voodoo doll to this day.

[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, Dev said:

It's about getting clubs to play at the most appropriate level in the Pyramid as soon as possible isn't it? ...

When Whitburn & Co were trying to join the WoS ISTR some of the usual suspects were posting on here about how they could enter the EoS at tier 7 in rejigged conferences in 2021-22 while moving to the WoS would wind up being a case of entering at tier 9 in 2022-23 after a season in the Division 4 as will be the case with Harthill Royal. The existing EoS members subsequently chose to make life more awkward for the last batch of east region entrants than they needed to by setting up Conference X instead. Can understand why the Edinburgh College guy that posted recently might be upset about that decision because his club wound up being collateral damage to a certain extent without having played any part in the earlier EoS vs east region blazer politics.

Edited May 26, 2022 by LongTimeLurker

[Spyro]

It was simple…

CURRENT clubs at the bottom of the EoS were ALL tier 7 this season.

The new set up will have tier 8 and tier 9.

It would be unfair to essentially relegate a current member 2 tier’s to accommodate new members.

The West Lothian clubs were happy enough to play in their own league before so they are happy.

Edinburgh College (and I suspect Letham and others looking to apply) knew the rules at the start of the season.

I can’t see the issue tbh…

[ian44wood]

1 hour ago, Spyro said:

It was simple…

CURRENT clubs at the bottom of the EoS were ALL tier 7 this season.

The new set up will have tier 8 and tier 9.

It would be unfair to essentially relegate a current member 2 tier’s to accommodate new members.

The West Lothian clubs were happy enough to play in their own league before so they are happy.

Edinburgh College (and I suspect Letham and others looking to apply) knew the rules at the start of the season.

I can’t see the issue tbh…

Well said.

They had ample opportunities to join the EOS league but chose not to.

 

[Dev]

2 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I think you're one of the few in that brigade. Since both West and East chose the same approach in not punishing existing members when 2020-21 failed to be completed.

Maybe you should focus these what if attempts in the West forum. Since after Saturday everyone in the East will know what Division they're playing for the 2022-23 season.

The Third and Fourth Division in the West haven't a clue because it's still to be decided.

12 months ago the WoS received a number of applications from clubs which were amateur or youth based. many of whom didn't have grounds etc which matched the League criteria. They were given two years in which to meet the league's criteria. The EoS received applications from clubs, with the exception of Edinburgh College, which had been playing in the Juniors and had suitable facilities available. They didn't require two years to get facilities up to scratch unlike Letham whose well publicised application to the EoS had not proceeded successfully the previous year.

There's a huge difference between the two sets of circumstances. 

The WoS is currently reported as giving consideration to including last year's applicants plus those from this time around into some form of division at the same level as the bottom division for the established clubs (new Division Three). If they can do it (not certain as yet) then why not the EoS when it is dealing with long established clubs (in the main) which have been significantly successful this season in numerous meaningful cup ties against Conference A and B clubs?

EoS looks almost as bad as the LL over this. Even the LL may be coming round to dealing with past unpopular decisions.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Dev
.

[Burnieman]

2 minutes ago, Dev said:

EoS looks almost as bad as the LL over this. Even the LL may be coming round to dealing with past unpopular decisions.

No they don't, you're the only person who is banging on about an issue you've suddenly plucked out of your arse.  An unusual hill to die on given it's not going to change.

[FairWeatherFan]

1 hour ago, Dev said:

EoS looks almost as bad as the LL over this. Even the LL may be coming round to dealing with past unpopular decisions.

See the EoS had the foresight to deal with unpopular decisions at the time rather than make stuff up as they go.

That's why they sifted out clubs that wouldn't meet the league entry criteria. Voted in applicants that did as full members so that those clubs would end up with equal rights as existing members and couldn't just be kicked out if things didn't go to plan.

Created a roadmap for the season so that every club knew exactly what they were playing for during it. So much so that when the final ball is kicked as part of the league campaign this Saturday: 100% of the EoS members will know what they're doing next season.

 

 

[LongTimeLurker]

3 hours ago, Spyro said:

It was simple…

CURRENT clubs at the bottom of the EoS were ALL tier 7 this season.

The new set up will have tier 8 and tier 9.

It would be unfair to essentially relegate a current member 2 tier’s to accommodate new members...

Just delays the inevitable for clubs like Hawick Royal Albert by a season or two so difficult to see what was achieved in the larger scheme of things by going for a lopsided 16-18-18-8 format if Darvel win or 16-16-18-9 if they lose rather than something a bit more rational such as 16-16-14-14 or 16-16-14-13 with double relegations where justified by what happens out on the park. After another two seasons almost all of this season's Conference X will probably have been promoted to higher divisions and it will mainly be "CURRENT clubs" that you were supposedly trying to protect that will be left stuck with the pygmy division that you chose to create.

In other words, what happened on that was almost as bright in terms of strategic thinking as opposing Maxwell and Petrie's Option Z which would have resulted in an east tier 5 with access to the Club 42 playoff because you all pure hated the juniors so you wound up instead with the ongoing playoff bottleneck to the LL that could make promotions out of the EoS Premier few and far between in the years ahead.

Edited May 26, 2022 by LongTimeLurker

[Burnieman]

7 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Just delays the inevitable for clubs like Hawick Royal Albert by a season or two so difficult to see what was achieved in the larger scheme of things by going for a lopsided 16-18-18-8 format if Darvel win or 16-16-18-9 if they lose rather than something a bit more rational such as 16-16-14-14 or 16-16-14-13 with double relegations where justified by what happens out on the park. After another two seasons almost all of this season's Conference X will probably have been promoted to higher divisions and it will mainly be the "CURRENT clubs" that you were supposedly trying to protect that will be stuck in the pygmy division that you chose to create.

In other words, what happened on that was almost as bright in terms of strategic thinking as opposing Maxwell and Petrie's Option Z which would have resulted in an east tier 5 with access to the Club 42 playoff because you all pure hated the juniors so you wound up instead with the ongoing playoff bottleneck to the LL that could make promotions out of the EoS Premier few and far between in the years ahead.