South of Scotland League general chat

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, annan4eva said:

Whilst spouting your shite you could maybe answer a question as a rest from shovelling it ( just saying )

 

Calm doon man.

Which particular question would you like answered.

I am getting on a bit and can be forgetful.

[AML67]

4 hours ago, Dev said:

Will Abbey Vale be in the Scottish Cup next season as SoS League champions?

Defo 100% Dev

[AML67]

4 hours ago, HorseyGhirl said:

Eh what did I do.

Think it's a fair point to make as it was a 22 game season. Next year could be a 26 game season.  There were Saturday's down here recently when there were more cup games than league games. Which is strange when Vale played Sat, Mon, Wed, Sat one week. I don't recall seeing a fixture schedule for the season or half. No idea who does fixtures but could be something to look at for next season. We are after all trying to promote SOS and get punters through the gates.

Not one single midweek date used in August or September and e all know it’s because they waited in Caley Braves and didn’t want them to fall behind yet they ironically enough finished their own campaign FIRST almost a month ago ! Very poor fixture scheduling and it is a point that has been raised for 2023/24 and al ost unbelievably their was a free Saturday in the autumn to allow Scotland to play Rep.of Ireland that had an 8 pm start time too , yet another ludicrous decision ! Most Clubs are in agreement with you in that they should start a couple of the Cup competitions then see if the calendar can support the other two domestic Cups by say February !

we were bizarrely to,d that the South didn’t want to risk teams having virtually any games left by late January / early February if they had poor Cup results so in their wisdom instead they had teams running in almost empty trying to fit in virtually double figures of games and more in some cases in the last month of the Season ! 
 

SOSFL Executive take note and look after the member Clubs , some certainly benefitted more than others and it was also highlighted by ourselves that ‘convenient’ cancelling of fixtures has to stop ! Teams wouldn’t ‘bend’ with fixture alteration proposals if they felt they hadn’t their strongest team available when the ‘home’ side offered a new viable venue and we’ve suggested the visitors should realistically have to accept a neutral venue if it in no way really caused any more difficulty in fulfilling for both sides ! That’s an old trick that was used on grass parks from yesteryear but to not take advantage of an available 3G surface is s frankly outwith the spirit of the game ! I understand the revenue aspect etc but if the hime team is prepared to take that gamble then these matches really just stay on

[FairWeatherFan]

2 hours ago, annan4eva said:

For me Dalbeattie, Gretna ( imminent surely) and Annan reserves ( if they had foresight) a no brainier?

Annan reserves recently returned & folded. It didn't go well results wise.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, AML67 said:

Not one single midweek date used in August or September and e all know it’s because they waited in Caley Braves and didn’t want them to fall behind yet they ironically enough finished their own campaign FIRST almost a month ago ! Very poor fixture scheduling and it is a point that has been raised for 2023/24 and al ost unbelievably their was a free Saturday in the autumn to allow Scotland to play Rep.of Ireland that had an 8 pm start time too , yet another ludicrous decision ! Most Clubs are in agreement with you in that they should start a couple of the Cup competitions then see if the calendar can support the other two domestic Cups by say February !

we were bizarrely to,d that the South didn’t want to risk teams having virtually any games left by late January / early February if they had poor Cup results so in their wisdom instead they had teams running in almost empty trying to fit in virtually double figures of games and more in some cases in the last month of the Season ! 
 

SOSFL Executive take note and look after the member Clubs , some certainly benefitted more than others and it was also highlighted by ourselves that ‘convenient’ cancelling of fixtures has to stop ! Teams wouldn’t ‘bend’ with fixture alteration proposals if they felt they hadn’t their strongest team available when the ‘home’ side offered a new viable venue and we’ve suggested the visitors should realistically have to accept a neutral venue if it in no way really caused any more difficulty in fulfilling for both sides ! That’s an old trick that was used on grass parks from yesteryear but to not take advantage of an available 3G surface is s frankly outwith the spirit of the game ! I understand the revenue aspect etc but if the hime team is prepared to take that gamble then these matches really just stay on

Brill thanks for that info. Wasn't up to speed at season start, was following West Div 4 more closely. 

As an outsider hope the clubs sit down and can come to agreement that suits. And for me more importantly, make the league attractive and get more footfall. I for one attended about 2 games before new year. Without checking it was a lot more after. There definitely was a buzz with 3 teams challenging.

It's a pity that with only one division that there is not any excitement at the bottom, in the East and West been some great relegation/promotion battles.

Can't have everything I suppose.

[annan4eva]

14 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Annan reserves recently returned & folded. It didn't go well results wise.

I remember it was a very half hearted effort indeed . Done properly i believe it would benefit both club and league.

[AML67]

13 hours ago, HorseyGhirl said:

Brill thanks for that info. Wasn't up to speed at season start, was following West Div 4 more closely. 

As an outsider hope the clubs sit down and can come to agreement that suits. And for me more importantly, make the league attractive and get more footfall. I for one attended about 2 games before new year. Without checking it was a lot more after. There definitely was a buzz with 3 teams challenging.

It's a pity that with only one division that there is not any excitement at the bottom, in the East and West been some great relegation/promotion battles.

Can't have everything I suppose.

Excuse the spelling Horsey , I’m currently in the Golden Jubilee post heart op and I was trying to type that in the dark at stupid o’clock . 
 

The East was like ourselves stuck at 13 teams before the Junior expansion and we can all see how well it’s went there as a result however the Girvans , Mayboles , Kello Rovers etc of this World decided against the option of challenging to wn the South and I can completely understand why if I’m being honest ! Attracting new teams is going to be incredibly hard with only potentially Gretna on the horizon if they struggle again next term however on a positive note , if confirmed , the Scottish Cup presence of 6 Clubs from the South will be a huge boost for the Association 

From the SSFL Page

Our League sides who will be in next seasons Scottish Cup

️ Abbey Vale
️ Creetown
️ Dalbeattie Star 
️️ Newton Stewart 
️ St Cuthbert Wanderers 
️ Wigtown & Bladnoch

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, AML67 said:

Excuse the spelling Horsey , I’m currently in the Golden Jubilee post heart op and I was trying to type that in the dark at stupid o’clock . 
 

The East was like ourselves stuck at 13 teams before the Junior expansion and we can all see how well it’s went there as a result however the Girvans , Mayboles , Kello Rovers etc of this World decided against the option of challenging to wn the South and I can completely understand why if I’m being honest ! Attracting new teams is going to be incredibly hard with only potentially Gretna on the horizon if they struggle again next term however on a positive note , if confirmed , the Scottish Cup presence of 6 Clubs from the South will be a huge boost for the Association 

From the SSFL Page

Our League sides who will be in next seasons Scottish Cup

️ Abbey Vale
️ Creetown
️ Dalbeattie Star 
️️ Newton Stewart 
️ St Cuthbert Wanderers 
️ Wigtown & Bladnoch

All the best my friend and may the op improve your quality of life my friend.

Was involved/folowing the East when the explosion happened. Very quickly it became vibrant.

The West since moving over has become a phenomenon almost.

As you say South is probably at near max. Some need to work on their quality and step up. Only way to change is either an amalgamation with West, which could/would lose identity of area or if we get a proper PWG review that comes up with more regionalisation, not time or place to get into that. Need to kill the conference crap first.

With 6 clubs in Scottish league/clubs need to step up and sell the product, it's a massive occasion so make sure it's in the news.

Media guys step up.

Along with Threave I have 6 clubs within 30mins of home. Surely someone will be at home and I won't be at a horse comp. Vale a wee bit of a trek.

Anyways get yerself fit and get back to the fitba soon as my friend.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, annan4eva said:

I remember it was a very half hearted effort indeed . Done properly i believe it would benefit both club and league.

A problem with a reserve team is the level of commitment from the club. A positive way forward could be for the clubs to have dedicated SOS teams/set ups.

Obviously the logistics of this would need to be done properly and with due diligence. 

For fairness and integrity they cannot be a wee team for the SPFL squads. By that I mean separate squads. Cannot have players jumping between the two when it suits. Players would have to 'transfer' between them like any separate clubs.

 A very roughidea this time of the morning and probably as far as it will get. Just trying/want to have a vibrant setup down here not some forgotten/insignificant wee league that as has been quoted 'doesn't do any harm to anyone'.

Anyway await your response with baited breath.

 

[annan4eva]

7 hours ago, HorseyGhirl said:

A problem with a reserve team is the level of commitment from the club. A positive way forward could be for the clubs to have dedicated SOS teams/set ups.

Obviously the logistics of this would need to be done properly and with due diligence. 

For fairness and integrity they cannot be a wee team for the SPFL squads. By that I mean separate squads. Cannot have players jumping between the two when it suits. Players would have to 'transfer' between them like any separate clubs.

 A very roughidea this time of the morning and probably as far as it will get. Just trying/want to have a vibrant setup down here not some forgotten/insignificant wee league that as has been quoted 'doesn't do any harm to anyone'.

Anyway await your response with baited breath.

 

I think you should post later in the day if ( this time of the morning doesn’t work )

Read my comment I said properly ?

Fair ? As ive been told AV and Lochar are cool with taking loan players from QOS and Annan, now someone in their ( Squad ) arnt  getting a game due to this and cant be good ? Now the same goes for Non Saturday playing squad players and those returning from injury from QOS ANNAN AND STRANRAER. So in your world where do these drifters get a game/ get fit ?

[AML67]

8 hours ago, HorseyGhirl said:

All the best my friend and may the op improve your quality of life my friend.

Was involved/folowing the East when the explosion happened. Very quickly it became vibrant.

The West since moving over has become a phenomenon almost.

As you say South is probably at near max. Some need to work on their quality and step up. Only way to change is either an amalgamation with West, which could/would lose identity of area or if we get a proper PWG review that comes up with more regionalisation, not time or place to get into that. Need to kill the conference crap first.

With 6 clubs in Scottish league/clubs need to step up and sell the product, it's a massive occasion so make sure it's in the news.

Media guys step up.

Along with Threave I have 6 clubs within 30mins of home. Surely someone will be at home and I won't be at a horse comp. Vale a wee bit of a trek.

Anyways get yerself fit and get back to the fitba soon as my friend.

Hoping to finally get home the morn after 12 days but thank you for the positivity Horsey and we’ll maybe see you at an NSFC fixture somewhere along the road next season maybe ! 
 

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, annan4eva said:

I think you should post later in the day if ( this time of the morning doesn’t work )

Read my comment I said properly ?

Fair ? As ive been told AV and Lochar are cool with taking loan players from QOS and Annan, now someone in their ( Squad ) arnt  getting a game due to this and cant be good ? Now the same goes for Non Saturday playing squad players and those returning from injury from QOS ANNAN AND STRANRAER. So in your world where do these drifters get a game/ get fit ?

Wasn't going to interact with you again, but I can't help myself.

I was kinda agreeing with your 'properly'. Just adding a bit of meat to the bones, with the suggestion that the SOS sides are virtually run separate from the SPFL side.

I don't like the idea that first team players returning from injury, suspension can get a few run outs in the SOS team. It's not the job of the SOS to get these players up to speed. That brings up the issue for me of integrity.

I believe the SOS Braves were a separate entity playing wise from the LL Braves. There was no crossover during the season.

Anyway if you keep having a go at me I will have to stop conversing with you. I am a sensitive wee soul and have been known to take criticism to heart.

[Slipmat]

On 09/05/2023 at 21:02, andy25 said:

They hardly blew it. They lost one game out of 22.

 

On 09/05/2023 at 21:09, PossilYM said:

And it still wasn't enough

Creetown went unbeaten throughout the 2004/05 league season (which was a 26 game season) but still finished second to Stranraer Athletic.  Like this season, they were in pole position to win the league but drew their final four games and were overtaken by Athletic in the home straight if I recall.

With Creetown and Abbey Vale both being in next season's Scottish Cup I'm guessing that Creetown must have got their license?

[annan4eva]

25 minutes ago, HorseyGhirl said:

Wasn't going to interact with you again, but I can't help myself.

I was kinda agreeing with your 'properly'. Just adding a bit of meat to the bones, with the suggestion that the SOS sides are virtually run separate from the SPFL side.

I don't like the idea that first team players returning from injury, suspension can get a few run outs in the SOS team. It's not the job of the SOS to get these players up to speed. That brings up the issue for me of integrity.

I believe the SOS Braves were a separate entity playing wise from the LL Braves. There was no crossover during the season.

Anyway if you keep having a go at me I will have to stop conversing with you. I am a sensitive wee soul and have been known to take criticism to heart.

I dont know you so please don’t take it personally ,it’s what you say I’m commenting on. You pick on returning injured players and skip over the acceptance of loanees which could be recalled at any time ? Im thinking you’re really Douglas Ross. 

[Guest]

Just now, annan4eva said:

I dont know you so please don’t take it personally ,it’s what you say I’m commenting on. You pick on returning injured players and skip over the acceptance of loanees which could be recalled at any time ? Im thinking you’re really Douglas Ross. 

That's it nobody calls me a tory. My father was a founding member of the communist party here. Union rep most of my working life.

Only joking mate, it's the Glasgow way.

We can disagree on aspects but we both love this game and want the South vibrant and growing.

Keep it light hearted and keep posting. All comments are good even my shite ones.

[DG.Roma]

On 10/05/2023 at 14:29, annan4eva said:

For me Dalbeattie, Gretna ( imminent surely) and Annan reserves ( if they had foresight) a no brainier?

Would it be fair to say that a big difference between Stranraer Reserves and Annan Reserves is that the Stranraer unit provides a team for local players to train with and play for, seeing as the first team train/have trained in Ayrshire and Renfrew.

In contrast, Annan don't really need that as their first team trains in Annan and includes plenty of local, or near local, players. (Fleming, Mitchell, Hooper, Swinglehurst, Douglas, Barnes, Gibson, Muir, Goss, Smith, Steele, maybe more)

As for more teams joining the league, are any of the Saturday amateurs ambitious enough to make the jump? It wasn't that long ago Lochar Thistle joined. I'd heard rumours Birchtree were thinking about it a while ago but maybe with Dalbeattie Star coming down they won't now as locals who are good enough and want to will have an SOSFL team to play for. Palmerston Colts maybe?

[Jamie92]

1 hour ago, DG.Roma said:

Palmerston Colts maybe?

This would be the most maddest thing to see if they applied naa in all seriousness, the only Sunday league team in the last few years who you thought would give it a go was Terregles as they had a decent set up. They stopped though because they had no committee involved at adult level. If Dalbeattie were a strong lowland league side then yeah potentially Birchtree might have come in soon but that’s not gonna happen now.
 

Dumfries Athletic looked at it but nothing happened. Apparently a Sunday league side put in a note of interest but no idea who it is and if it got any further. Seeing developments happening at Maryfield gives hope that Heston may come back in years to come

[Guest]

This chat about reserve teams in the SOS has got me thinking. Dangerous habit to get into I know.

Will try keep it short and succinct.

To clarify straight off reserve teams are totally separate from the b issue in that b = weans.

For what I'm putting out there can we call them SOS teams and it only applies to current and active SPFL sides.

SPFL teams in the region can be central or Ayrshire based in the main from what I read/hear.

Their SOS sides could be a breeding ground for more local players of all ages.

For me, and this is important for reasons that can be discussed at length at a future time; it's an SOS team not a place where SPFL players can get fit after injury, suspension or get extra game time. This to me is about integrity of the game.

They should not detract from established clubs in the area more of an extension to what is already there.

There are 3 current SPFL teams. 2 of which are in area with no SOS team I think. So a potential place for more localised players to play who aren't at SPFL level and probably will never be.

We all want to safeguard and grow football in the region so for me you have to jump outside the box and think differently.

Please don't jump down my throat about this rather add to it not detract.

And if you are involved at the SPFL clubs mention it in someone's ear. 

Personally I would keep central based clubs out; point them to the West Lge if they are serious.

Has there ever been interest shown from clubs in South Ayrshire or the West Borders Area?

Would be great to have 20 clubs in the SOS that opens up some interesting possibilities.

And yes I am a dreamer.

 

 

[annan4eva]

14 hours ago, DG.Roma said:

Would it be fair to say that a big difference between Stranraer Reserves and Annan Reserves is that the Stranraer unit provides a team for local players to train with and play for, seeing as the first team train/have trained in Ayrshire and Renfrew.

In contrast, Annan don't really need that as their first team trains in Annan and includes plenty of local, or near local, players. (Fleming, Mitchell, Hooper, Swinglehurst, Douglas, Barnes, Gibson, Muir, Goss, Smith, Steele, maybe more)

As for more teams joining the league, are any of the Saturday amateurs ambitious enough to make the jump? It wasn't that long ago Lochar Thistle joined. I'd heard rumours Birchtree were thinking about it a while ago but maybe with Dalbeattie Star coming down they won't now as locals who are good enough and want to will have an SOSFL team to play for. Palmerston Colts maybe?

Thank you for your response. Where do Queens fit in to your thinking ? Annan now training at Galabank is a huge step forward and need now to produce more ( local) players IMO but need somewhere for those products to play.

[info]

1 hour ago, annan4eva said:

Thank you for your response. Where do Queens fit in to your thinking ? Annan now training at Galabank is a huge step forward and need now to produce more ( local) players IMO but need somewhere for those products to play.

I think the most important criteria to place on reserves or second teams coming into SOS leagues they have players registered with the South League.

The reason is in the past clubs like Cally Braves have 50 to 60 reg players and you either get a strong or a weak team in opposition. Hardly a level playing field if you are competing for the top spot. A provision could be made for the odd 1st team player coming back from injury or limited trialists to play.

A wee bit of constructive thinking is all that is needed.