No axe to grind here at all

But when a well known quiet little club is threatened with relegation to obscurity you have to feel for their long suffering fans 

True the pyramid system is supposed to be for the good of football in Scotland. 

One of the teams likely to beat them does not really want league status. The other comes from a City which has enough league teams already

I could see the outcry if one of Scotland's most famous clubs Queens Park had come bottom of League 2

Surely there is room in League 2 for Montrose and any other team good enough to compete at that level of football

It's not as though throwing Montrose on the scrap heap is really necessary

 

 

 

*****    Sorry I have just realised there is a thread covering this aspect lower down. Must apologise  ******

Edited April 26, 201511 yr by Laurence

Rubbish. They are not being consigned to the dustbin.

 

Despite finishing rock bottom of the SPFL they have the lifeline of a play off.

 

If after that, they are unable to beat the most successful non league team of the season it's only fair that that team takes their place.

 

The Scottish League was for over a century a closed shop and it's not as if Montrose will then be locked out as aspiring Highland clubs were for over a hundred years.

 

They have the opportunity to return the very next season but only if they prove themselves good enough. I believe the term is sporting merit.

The facility now for relegation from League Two is something for which Scottish football has waited far too long. If you are not good enough in whatever way, then you need to go.

Remember also that it was the former closed shop status of the bottom division that kept Highland sides out of Scottish League football for decades. The one irony is that now the closed shop has been abolished, the procedure for replacing the relegated team involves a degree of compulsion on clubs which may not want the onus and expense of nationwide travel. A case of the stable door being closed long after the horse has bolted and demand for Scottish League football up here has largely been satisfied.

I have a lot of sympathy for Brora in this respect in that the people who run the club understandably don't seem to want League Two football. However they are now in the play offs so must either make the upward jump or face Trial By Tam Cowan and (as they were on Saturday's Off The Ball) be accused of throwing the games if they don't beat Edinburgh City.

No one should be exempt from the consequences of failure. Laurence's proposition regarding Montrose is really no different from those who said that Rangers and Hearts should have been allowed to continue in the SPL irrespective of their financial mismanagement.

I am going to have a brief lie down having just 'liked' a post by CB.

I am going to have a brief lie down having just 'liked' a post by CB.

Well I've just got up again after "liking" yours first!

I think you missed my point guys

I was saying I feel for the fans, no more no less

Think of it another way Laurence. Its the same for Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers down in England. Their fans may at the moment think its a black hole, but Montrose will be playing in a league where they will be more capable if they get relegated. Fans would see more wins, better chance of trophies and the possibility of Promotion if they get their house in order, and new derby with Cove Rangers 

I think you missed my point guys

I was saying I feel for the fans, no more no less

If you want people to get your point then I suggest you make it as your OP made a rather different point.

Montrose have been languishing in the bottom division fer years. I cant recall it being said that they are in financial concern and they always had an active supporters Club. The club will survive and it just has to take it that they are bottom of the pile, go down and prove that they can swiftly return. Perhaps Marvin Andrews can call on the spirit world to support.

Think of it another way Laurence. Its the same for Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers down in England. Their fans may at the moment think its a black hole, but Montrose will be playing in a league where they will be more capable if they get relegated. Fans would see more wins, better chance of trophies and the possibility of Promotion if they get their house in order, and new derby with Cove Rangers 

 

Totally not the same

Course it feckin is. Cheltenham spent years in the conference divisions and are now dropping down becos they were in the bottom two places in the Second Division - a fate that has hit many more established clubs. At least a supporter has just left them £250K in his will.

 

Tranmere is even worse but again they have the wealth of the Palios family behind them and are selling off a lot of their assets. They actually look at it as a new beginning - who knows.

 

I could understand that many Montrose fans may actually look forward to pastures new and the chance of potentially winning something and not having to face the same old journeys and visitors over and over again.

IHE is quite right.  And let's face it, things could be an awful lot worse.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32488280

IMO this will be good for Montrose. Its a kick up the backside if they do go down and its a chance to re-group away from pressures of SPFL and show the fans what sort of drive and determination they really have to return.

One of the big problems for the likes of Montrose is the fanbase and funding for the club. Like East Stirlingshire in Central belt, and to an extent Elgin in the North, they are competing with a number of other clubs for the same support. The support in the area tends to follow the team doing better. For a time that may have been Arbroath or Brechin. This season the eye catchers are Forfar and Brechin who could both make playoff/promotion to Championship. The Angus area north of Dundee is not highly populated and just isn't able to support four teams.

I never heard 'Off the Ball' this week but I was at the game on Saturday and anybody expecting Brora to just roll over anybody winning the Lowland League is pretty arrogant. Brora started like an express train but in the end were a bit lucky as City might have been two up before Maclean's late equaliser. The LL is a step up from the old EOSL and let's face it, the HL has been badly weakened in the past couple of decades.

Just as a matter of interest, Hegarty and Holt from Montrose were at a recent Whitehill v Ed. City match and they were confident Montrose would still have enough to beat either of the two champions.

Course it feckin is. Cheltenham spent years in the conference divisions and are now dropping down becos they were in the bottom two places in the Second Division - a fate that has hit many more established clubs. At least a supporter has just left them £250K in his will.

 

Tranmere is even worse but again they have the wealth of the Palios family behind them and are selling off a lot of their assets. They actually look at it as a new beginning - who knows.

 

I could understand that many Montrose fans may actually look forward to pastures new and the chance of potentially winning something and not having to face the same old journeys and visitors over and over again.

 

 

Hi Ender You know probably more than most others the standard of non league football in England is very good as your team Chorley have shown us

 

You could say that if Chorley were playing north of the border they would probably be too good for league 1

 

But you may know different

 

I say again I just feel for long suffering football supporters like Montrose who nobody seems to care about.

 

In the league formerly called the Conference there are a lot of teams, who for many years graced the higher divisions, I would be gutted if I supported a team like Grimsby or Lincoln City. All  with good support and important histories.

 

But in Scotland the league to which there is a possibility Montrose will enter is not much better than the Sunday league outfits we all played for in our teens.

 

Course it feckin is. Cheltenham spent years in the conference divisions and are now dropping down becos they were in the bottom two places in the Second Division - a fate that has hit many more established clubs. At least a supporter has just left them £250K in his will.

 

Tranmere is even worse but again they have the wealth of the Palios family behind them and are selling off a lot of their assets. They actually look at it as a new beginning - who knows.

 

I could understand that many Montrose fans may actually look forward to pastures new and the chance of potentially winning something and not having to face the same old journeys and visitors over and over again.

 

 

Hi Ender You know probably more than most others the standard of non league football in England is very good as your team Chorley have shown us

 

You could say that if Chorley were playing north of the border they would probably be too good for league 1

 

But you may know different

 

I say again I just feel for long suffering football supporters like Montrose who nobody seems to care about.

 

In the league formerly called the Conference there are a lot of teams, who for many years graced the higher divisions, I would be gutted if I supported a team like Grimsby or Lincoln City. All  with good support and important histories.

 

But in Scotland the league to which there is a possibility Montrose will enter is not much better than the Sunday league outfits we all played for in our teens.

 

Laurence I think you should make a point of getting out and watching some Highland League football. Or failing that get down to central belt and watch a Bo'ness Linlithgow match and then tell us its not much better than sunday league

And how much better is the standard of football at the bottom of the Scottish Leagues. Brora are probably a considerably higher standard than Montrose. Put it another way. Feel for the long suffering supporters of teams like Brora who have been "punished" each season because of the league that they have found themselves in and probably the location. Should the English leagues chuck out Carlisle, Hartlepool and Exeter ?

But in Scotland the league to which there is a possibility Montrose will enter is not much better than the Sunday league outfits we all played for in our teens.

 

 

 

Nonsense. Can you substantiate this or is it just the usual hot air?

What about starting with Montrose's record against non-League clubs in the Scottish Cup in recent years? I'm sure you'll find plenty of wallopings in double figures if your claim is worth anything.

 

Course it feckin is. Cheltenham spent years in the conference divisions and are now dropping down becos they were in the bottom two places in the Second Division - a fate that has hit many more established clubs. At least a supporter has just left them £250K in his will.

 

Tranmere is even worse but again they have the wealth of the Palios family behind them and are selling off a lot of their assets. They actually look at it as a new beginning - who knows.

 

I could understand that many Montrose fans may actually look forward to pastures new and the chance of potentially winning something and not having to face the same old journeys and visitors over and over again.

 

 

Hi Ender You know probably more than most others the standard of non league football in England is very good as your team Chorley have shown us

 

You could say that if Chorley were playing north of the border they would probably be too good for league 1

 

But you may know different

 

I say again I just feel for long suffering football supporters like Montrose who nobody seems to care about.

 

In the league formerly called the Conference there are a lot of teams, who for many years graced the higher divisions, I would be gutted if I supported a team like Grimsby or Lincoln City. All  with good support and important histories.

 

But in Scotland the league to which there is a possibility Montrose will enter is not much better than the Sunday league outfits we all played for in our teens.

 

Of course you are right. Even the upper echelons of Scottish football are on a par with English pub teams and I wouldn't fancy ICT's chances against the Dog and Duck at Penkridge over two legs. I blame those naive, unintelligent xenophobic separatists

In England, those teams dropping out of league 2 tend to struggle in the conference whilst those promoted out of the conference tend to be challenging for promotion the following season.  Standards in League 2 and the conference are pretty similar.  I expect we will find much the same in the Scottish system.  If Montrose do drop out of the league they are certainly going to need to strengthen if they expect to come straight back.

 

 

Course it feckin is. Cheltenham spent years in the conference divisions and are now dropping down becos they were in the bottom two places in the Second Division - a fate that has hit many more established clubs. At least a supporter has just left them £250K in his will.

 

Tranmere is even worse but again they have the wealth of the Palios family behind them and are selling off a lot of their assets. They actually look at it as a new beginning - who knows.

 

I could understand that many Montrose fans may actually look forward to pastures new and the chance of potentially winning something and not having to face the same old journeys and visitors over and over again.

 

 

Hi Ender You know probably more than most others the standard of non league football in England is very good as your team Chorley have shown us

 

You could say that if Chorley were playing north of the border they would probably be too good for league 1

 

But you may know different

 

I say again I just feel for long suffering football supporters like Montrose who nobody seems to care about.

 

In the league formerly called the Conference there are a lot of teams, who for many years graced the higher divisions, I would be gutted if I supported a team like Grimsby or Lincoln City. All  with good support and important histories.

 

But in Scotland the league to which there is a possibility Montrose will enter is not much better than the Sunday league outfits we all played for in our teens.

 

Of course you are right. Even the upper echelons of Scottish football are on a par with English pub teams and I wouldn't fancy ICT's chances against the Dog and Duck at Penkridge over two legs. I blame those naive, unintelligent xenophobic separatists

 

Grow up Kingsmill

Had this door opened twenty odd years ago we would have seen a different Inverness team facing Falkirk at Hampden next month

I'm all for this opportunity for non league teams to make the step up, for decades Scottish Football has been stale in the lower regions

Not entirely sure where Montrose will go should they be demoted though should Brora be the ones that take their place

Dougal

Edinburgh City have an unusual history. The club was brought back from the dead in the 1960s. Apparently this was legal on the basis that Edinburgh City Social Club had carried on operating long after the team had wound up. Does this mean that Caley FC technically still exist for as long as the Caley Social Club is still around?

Had this door opened twenty odd years ago we would have seen a different Inverness team facing Falkirk at Hampden next month

I'm all for this opportunity for non league teams to make the step up, for decades Scottish Football has been stale in the lower regions

Not entirely sure where Montrose will go should they be demoted though should Brora be the ones that take their place

Dougal

Highland league. All the Angus clubs have been earmarked for HL

Had this door opened twenty odd years ago we would have seen a different Inverness team facing Falkirk at Hampden next month

I'm all for this opportunity for non league teams to make the step up, for decades Scottish Football has been stale in the lower regions

Not entirely sure where Montrose will go should they be demoted though should Brora be the ones that take their place

Dougal

 

 

Inverness Thistle v Falkirk in the final would have been excellent Dougal, Thanks for reminding me. Sorry that train is gone long ago

Had this door opened twenty odd years ago we would have seen a different Inverness team facing Falkirk at Hampden next month

 

Dougal.... I'm not sure what you're fishing for here. It surely can't be to get someone to say the bleeding obvious which is that had this door opened 20 odd years ago and one of the single sides had gone in, the nearest an Inverness team would have got to Hampden would have been Queens Park away?