Livingston

[Sweeper07]

2 minutes ago, Bud the Baker said:

Why make this argument,1. they're both where they are on merit making a virtue out of their financial limitations by playing survival based football - 2. we would have done better if we'd taken this approach at the start of the season..

Hamilton came up with a good team which was cherry-picked after the first season, since then it's been a struggle for them, Livi are having the same thing done to them right now but 3. are they any different to us? In the close season Morgan finally went to Celtic, Davis down south & our best player in the first half of this season Hammill, despite saying he'd be happy to stay for the full season, was as good as gone as soon as his wonder goals generated a bit of interest - 4. the sooner we accept we are a diddy team too, the better.

1. Fair argument. However, they faced less chaos in the transfer windows and worked together better. But in the longer term that is likely to be difficult to maintain. My argument is that if we have better crowds and therefore income, we need to be producing better results than them or we are toast...

2. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but neither Livi nor Hamilton were faced with us losing their manager in the summer transfer window AND needing to totally build a Premiership squad that would cope. Livi proved their did and Hamilton have for seasons. We came up with guys who had been trounced by PRemiership opposition regularly (except for 1 game against Dundee - who are currently bottom of this league)

3. I am not too sure what lies behind this question... in some ways they similar but I would say that they both kept the bulk of their squad the 1st year they came up - we did not - thankfully. (Too many wee dudes who were not good enough - Smith subs bench in the Championship etc. and our best players were leaving us anyway). The fact that Livi will lose good players makes them more vulnerable next season. We may lose Hladky and some others, but I think we will be in a far better position this summer all round. Also both Hamilton and Livi have debts in the region of £1,000,000 we don't.

4. I disagree that we are a diddy team. We are a team on the up and have a top 8 fan base in Scotland - the other 2 fall below us and are on the way down since the January transfer window. I suspect that will become more apparent by the season end and over the summer into next season. If we make a similar step up to the January window over the summer, we will be safe from the relegation battle next year - and that my friend is progress...

[Bud the Baker]

24 minutes ago, Sweeper07 said:

2. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but neither Livi nor Hamilton were faced with us losing their manager in the summer transfer window AND needing to totally build a Premiership squad that would cope. Livi proved their did and Hamilton have for seasons. We came up with guys who had been trounced by PRemiership opposition regularly (except for 1 game against Dundee - who are currently bottom of this league)

4. I disagree that we are a diddy team. We are a team on the up and have a top 8 fan base in Scotland - the other 2 fall below us and are on the way down since the January transfer window. I suspect that will become more apparent by the season end and over the summer into next season. If we make a similar step up to the January window over the summer, we will be safe from the relegation battle next year - and that my friend is progress...

2. No hindsight - after securing the League title last April JR was asked when the planning for next season began he replied "last month". I was criticised for wanting us to put together a team quickly that would be able to scrap for top flight survival on P2 of the Ipswich thread last May even if that meant limiting our incoming manager's options. This season was always going to be about securing 10th spot.

4. The way I see Scottish football is as follows 

Tier 1 Celtic & Rangers

Tier 2 Aberdeen, Hibs & Hearts

Tier 3 The other F/T teams which includes the remaining 7 top flight teams, the Championship minus Alloa & possibly Ayr + Raith from Division 1

Tier 4  The P/T teams.

******************

We're probably one of the bigger Tier 3 teams but we have more in common with these clubs than teams in the other tiers. Even if we stay up this season we're more likely to be relegated again than finish in the Top 6 next season and always will be.  We are a diddy club but we should be proud of this - I certainly am.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Bud the Baker

[DougJamie]

16 minutes ago, Bud the Baker said:

2. No hindsight - after securing the League title last April JR was asked when the planning for next season began he replied "last month". I was criticised for wanting us to put together a team quickly that would be able to scrap for top flight survival on P2 of the Ipswich thread last May even if that meant limiting our incoming manager's options. This season was always going to be about securing 10th spot.

4. The way I see Scottish football is as follows 

Tier 1 Celtic & Rangers

Tier 2 Aberdeen, Hibs & Hearts

Tier 3 The other F/T teams which includes the remaining 7 top flight teams, the Championship minus Alloa & possibly Ayr + Raith from Division 1

Tier 4  The P/T teams.

******************

We're probably one of the bigger Tier 3 teams but we have more in common with the other clubs I have mentioned than teams in the other tiers. Even if we stay up this season we're more likely to be relegated again than finish in the Top 6 next season and always will be.  We are a diddy club but we should be proud of this - I certainly am.

Christ

I think your a Tier 7 - A total Diddy  and Full Time at that

[Maboza]

On 4/15/2019 at 10:55 AM, DougJamie said:

The Scottish game is so underfunded no one makes money

Look at Killie.................. if the qualify for Europe it will cost them money. When Caley qualified it cost them around 200k to play in Europe .............. no TV coverage in the Qulaifying round, and a totally skint SFA and SPFL............................ so no help or reward

 

They happilly allow plastic pitches , 50% foreign players and of Sevco to borrow borrow............................

  

Combination of Champions League and Sky TV (and equivalent other TV deals) for England and the other top leagues has completely killed the game. 

UEFA seriously need to do something to distribute wealth rather than simply allow market forces to dictate.  Danger is that top Euro clubs break away though. 

Domestic league members benefiting from Celtic's progress in Europe is a decent step in the right direction but it doesn't go far enough. It also makes it even more difficult for clubs to keep up when that money doesn't come in. 

SFA don't help much in this country with poor decision making but the money in the top leagues has created a runaway train that is impossible to compete with. 

 

 

[Guest TPAFKATS]

Why make this argument, they're both where they are on merit making a virtue out of their financial limitations by playing survival based football - we would have done better if we'd taken this approach at the start of the season..
Hamilton came up with a good team which was cherry-picked after the first season, since then it's been a struggle for them, Livi are having the same thing done to them right now but are they any different to us? In the close season Morgan finally went to Celtic, Davis down south & our best player in the first half of this season Hammill, despite saying he'd be happy to stay for the full season, was as good as gone as soon as his wonder goals generated a bit of interest - the sooner we accept we are a diddy team too, the better.

Aye, but theres levels of diddy-ness