Scottish Football downright embarrassing

[SpiderBee]

Originally Posted by Gee Bee

Yes is the answer. Many of the clubs play at grounds that are very similar in standard to Ryman league levels with capacities of about 3K.
Scotland have a Premier league and only a dozen or so grounds are good enough to use at that level. Inverness, who I saw play the year they got promoted to the premier have a ground with one fairly decent stand the remainder is a dozen terracing steps. They had to play their premier home games at Aberdeen and probably still do, unless they have spent alot of money on their ground.

ICT have invested a lot of money on their stadium. In good nick now.
I went there once for a League Cup game v Queen's Park and the amateur Spiders won 2-1. 8 and a half hour train journey each way. Loads of Vodka and Irn Bru. I'ness is a gr8 place. Did you know that 50% of the population are from England
Generally, Scottish football is on the up with more investment in the lower divisions. the truth is that Golf is huge for young people and less people are playing footy.
Go to Hampden to watch Queen's Park and you will see 2 Bees pennants behind the bar

[SpiderBee]

Originally Posted by California Bee

So really, Scottish football below Division One has no business being included as "professional" football and belongs down there with Ryman II and other small leagues.

Queen's Park FC retains its amateur status traditionally.
Not a bad idea given some of the overpaid shite on view on and off the field in the Premiership and below!!

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk

[Paul O'Brien]

"So really, Scottish football below Division One has no business being included as "professional" football and belongs down there with Ryman II and other small leagues."

Arguably, yes, purely in terms of gates, tho' I hate to say so. In any case, most of the clubs at that level are I think semi-pro other than Queen's Park and Gretna.

In football terms, there are a few reasonable players outside the top 2 divisions, but a large number of the clubs coast along season after season with no ambition beyond drawing Celtic or Rangers in the Cup (or at a pinch Aberdeen or one of the Dundee pr Edinburgh clubs).

To make matters worse, other than the couple of Highland Clubs in the League, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and the two Dundee clubs (plus poor old Stranraer) just about every club is located in a narrow band within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh. A bit like having 80 clubs within 20 miles of the M4 corridor. For many many fans it's not worth going to East Stirling when you can trot along to Ibrox. Sad, especially as they're not even community clubs any more.

[California Bee]

Originally Posted by Paul O'Brien

To make matters worse, other than the couple of Highland Clubs in the League, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and the two Dundee clubs (plus poor old Stranraer) just about every club is located in a narrow band within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I think you will find that at least sixteen Scottish clubs -Berwick Rangers, Elgin City, Peterhead, Arbroath, Forfar Athletic, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Brechin City, Ayr United, Gretna, Queen of the South(Dumfries), Stranraer, Ross County(Dingwall), Aberdeen, St. Johnstone(Perth), Dundee United and Dundee - are all located well beyond the narrow band you described.

[SpiderBee]

Originally Posted by Paul O'Brien

"So really, Scottish football below Division One has no business being included as "professional" football and belongs down there with Ryman II and other small leagues."

Arguably, yes, purely in terms of gates, tho' I hate to say so. In any case, most of the clubs at that level are I think semi-pro other than Queen's Park and Gretna.

In football terms, there are a few reasonable players outside the top 2 divisions, but a large number of the clubs coast along season after season with no ambition beyond drawing Celtic or Rangers in the Cup (or at a pinch Aberdeen or one of the Dundee pr Edinburgh clubs).

To make matters worse, other than the couple of Highland Clubs in the League, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and the two Dundee clubs (plus poor old Stranraer) just about every club is located in a narrow band within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh. A bit like having 80 clubs within 20 miles of the M4 corridor. For many many fans it's not worth going to East Stirling when you can trot along to Ibrox. Sad, especially as they're not even community clubs any more.

David Holdsworth used to be flown to Gretna matches from Hertfordshire and was on £1,000 per week!

[Paul O'Brien]

To be fair, I did include Elgin City, Peterhead, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Ross County, Stranraer, Aberdeen, St. Johnstone, Dundee United and Dundee as exceptions. Ayr is about 40 miles from Glasgow, so it's arguably in the band.

However, Gretna, Berwick Rangers, Arbroath, Forfar Athletic, Brechin City and Queen of the South I willingly grant you. (Also Montrose). I tend to forget that Forfar, Arbroath and Montrose are 'close' to Dundee and not in the central belt.

Even so, it's a massive centralisation.

Fortunately, I said 'just about', so that clears me I hope.

IThink it's bad now? Imagine what it would have been like if they'd kept on with the extra (C) division in its various guises as well, and if the teams like Arthurlie, St Bernards etc were still in there. (Or for that matter if Wigan Athletic had succeeded with their attempt to get into the Scottish League years ago.)

[California Bee]

Let's call it a draw! You make a fair point PO'B

[hanworthbee]

come on hearts....

[Paul O'Brien]

"Let's call it a draw! You make a fair point PO'B"

Thank you. How about a replay on the relative merits of the Scottish C Division and the Isthmian League.

You start.

[Paul O'Brien]

"If it's not the crowds, it's the standard of the football that is a pile of poo !"

Unfortunately, too right. It used to be said that if Derbyshire wanted a fast bowler, they'd just whistle down the nearest pit; in Scotland it used to be a world-class winger or midfielder who would appear.

Sadly, no longer the case, and not because there aren't any pits.

[nocoat]

and here

[Paul O'Brien]

Originally Posted by nocoat

and here

And there there.

[nocoat]

[Carl Super-Hooper]

...if there ever was a more damning example of Scottish football being down right shocking... Celtic have invested in their youth policy again by signing Dion Dublin...

[Brain-dead Bee]

Originally Posted by Carl Super-Hooper

...if there ever was a more damning example of Scottish football being down right shocking... Celtic have invested in their youth policy again by signing Dion Dublin...

Can't understand Strachan on this one, and had my doubts about Roy Keane also. If Celtic were neck-and-neck with Rangers for the title and still in the UEFA Cup, then I could understand getting some experience in for short-term gain. But, despite Hearts having a decent season, Celtic are 99% sure to win the title and are out of Europe and the Scottish FA Cup, so there's no point signing someone - who was scarcely good enough for a poor Leicester - who is unlikely to play beyond the end of the season

[Paul O'Brien]

Originally Posted by Carl Super-Hooper

...if there ever was a more damning example of Scottish football being down right shocking... Celtic have invested in their youth policy again by signing Dion Dublin...

Baffled me as well. Thought he might be a Sutton replacement: centre-back/striker. However, Strachan has said that he's buying players on two fronts: those to clinch the title this season, and those for the future. Makes some kind of sense.

Only, how does Roy Keane fit in to either category? Still reckon he's a mistake unless there's a third category: those Strachan's buying to destroy the playing career of opponents.

[nocoat]

Can someone explain the rationale of splitting the sweaties league table in two with around 5 games of the season left. I have been meaning to ask for a couple of years now but have been quite busy

[TW3Bee]

Originally Posted by nocoat

Can someone explain the rationale of splitting the sweaties league table in two with around 5 games of the season left. I have been meaning to ask for a couple of years now but have been quite busy

Another strange thing about this as well is that you cannot move into or out of the top of half of the table.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...le/default.stm

[Brain-dead Bee]

Originally Posted by TW3Bee

Another strange thing about this as well is that you cannot move into or out of the top of half of the table.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...le/default.stm

I don't understand the reason for the split - though I suppose it is that they couldn't fit in playing one another 4 times a season (though they could if cutting it to 10 teams)

Given that there is a split, I can however understand why there's no movement between top half and bottom half: team in 6th has to play Celtic and Rangers, whereas team in 7th would get Gretna etc, so if teams are fairly close together pre-split, the 7th (and probably 8th) team would overtake that in 6th. Does make the table look strange though

[Mr Tree]

they used to play each 4 times a season

then they expanded the league to 12 teams. 4 x 11 = 44 game season.

they couldn't be assed with that.

so you play each other 3 times, then split and play those in your half another time...

[Idaho Bee]

cause they're sweaties. Nuff said.