So, with us apparently doooooomed, what does next season look like down the divisions? Most of the answers will be known in the next 10 days or so, with some being settled this weekend.

First, the bottom of SPFL2. With one game left, Cowdenbeath are 3 points adrift of Clyde and Berwick, and face a trip to Elgin, who still have a chance of a playoff spot. If Cowden fail to climb off the bottom this Saturday they will play off against East Kilbride or Buckie, who are tied at 2-2, but EK have home advantage and play on the plastic. At the top, Arbroath will be champions if they win at Stirling or at least match Forfar's result at home to Annan.

SPFL1 is where we begin to take an interest. Livi are champions (insert vomiting smiley here) and Alloa, Airdrie and Brechin should make the playoffs. East Fife have a slim chance of sneaking in, for those of us who are too young to remember our only visit to Bayview Stadium in 1998.

In the Championship Ayr appear to be doomed like us, so we will not get a nice trip to the Ship Inn . Yogi's Raith Rovers may need to survive the playoffs, but they can finish 8th if they beat Ayr and St Mirren lose at Hibernian. I'd much rather see The Midden go down but this is unlikely since Jack Ross took over. ICT will get a first ever visit to Dumbarton's stadium, whatever it's called these days.

Obviously Hibs will pass us on the way up and that leaves a playoff involving Falkirk, Utd, Morton and team 11 from the Premiership.

So: prediction time. We are doomed and the Championship next season will comprise :

ICT

Falkirk

Morton

Utd

Livi

Alloa (but possibly renewing hostilities with Yogi at Stark's Park instead)

St Mirren

DAFC

QoS

Dumbarton

That won't be far off. A frighteningly tough league with half a dozen sides with resources similar or greater than our own.

Personally, I think if we are going to have any realistic prospect of escaping at the first time of asking we are going to have to have a competent manager with experience of that division. Maybe someone in the Gus MacPherson mould.

When you go (down) will you send back

A letter from Alloa 

Take a look up the railtrack

From Dumbarton to Cappielow 

Sportscene no more

Dingwall no more

Full time no more

Foran no more..... 

 

 

 

I always thought it was going to easier to get out of the Championship at the bottom end rather than the top.

If the board don't get themselves and the management situation sorted that will be a distinct possibility - the list of our opponents next season highlights that dismal thought. It promises to be a difficult season and we could easily end up further down the pyramid with highland derby games against Peterhead and Elgin!

1 hour ago, Yngwie said:

When you go (down) will you send back

A letter from Alloa 

Take a look up the railtrack

To the Toni Macaroni Arenah 

Sportscene no more

Dingwall no more

Full time no more

Foran no more..... 

 

 

 

Never been to Dumbarton's ground before [Cheaper Insurance stadium!!!! WTF?] so I'm looking forward to it already That would be the only 'new' ground for me so we'll need to drop lower for me to get more grounds in.

42 minutes ago, Gringo said:

Never been to Dumbarton's ground before [Cheaper Insurance stadium!!!! WTF?] so I'm looking forward to it already That would be the only 'new' ground for me so we'll need to drop lower for me to get more grounds in.

Be careful what you wish for

We don't know what sort of squad we will have next season but I don't look at any of those teams as easy touches.  Sides like Dunfermline, Dumbarton, Queens all have sides that are established in that division for years, they understand what you need to do in that league.  We don't.  We'll also be up against two or three of Dundee Utd, Falkirk and Morton.  Falkirk are perennial challengers - sooner or later they are going to have to make a proper run at the title and if they don't go up this season then they'll be one of favourites in a league without Hibs, Hearts or Rangers.  

 

Dundee Utd would be the "big team" amongst that lot if they don't sneak up this season. Otherwise it could be quite a tight league top to bottom although a min 4 games against each of these teams already feels stale. 

While DUtd may be classed as the big team, Morton, Falkirk & QOS have shown over several seasons there's really not much difference in teams outwith maybe a run away leader with a bigger budget. When you consider how teams like St Mirren or even Dumbarton have turned things round 2nd half of the season plus the bounce effect of Livi and their good young talent its not going to be an easy league at all. Down there you need fighters ready for physical battles and a proven goal scorer - if you have a 20 a season striker you will be closer to the top than the bottom - unfortunately right now I'm not sure we have that on or books.

I remember listening to a Jack Ross interview when he was criticised in Jan for bringing in 7 or 8 players but he said to avoid the drop you have to change the mentality through the team which means brining in guys who are unaffected by previous poor results and the pressure of the drop already building - they also need to be characters who want to achieve, point to prove and further their careers - hence guys like Loy, Storie, Smith - all SPL level with points to prove which seems to have worked out well.

18 hours ago, Yngwie said:

When you go (down) will you send back

A letter from Alloa 

Take a look up the railtrack

From Dumbarton to Cappielow 

Sportscene no more

Dingwall no more

Full time no more

Foran no more..... 

Sportscene is muck so that's a good thing that we don't need to watch that mess to see our highlights however the wider issue of lack of exposure is a greater concern as I have said before. 

The only good things about going down if / when we do is more games at 3pm on a Saturday and more football during international breaks however these do not outweigh the significant negatives from relegation.

Never been to the new Dumbarton gaff either.

Is it really only one visit ever to Nou Bayview? It was a freezing Boxing Day or something like that, iirc.

A massive goalscoring spree by Queens Park could still see them make the playoffs, if other results and goalscoring sprees go their way. Hampden would be fun. Especially if we nick Gus McP as manager.

Hopefully St Mirren stay up. Only been to the Falkirk Stadium for Scotland U21 & women's games so looking forward to seeing ICT there, too.

I went to new bay view around 98/99. East fife beat us 3-2 if I recall correctly. I didn't realise that was the only time we've played them there. I was there this season watching the Edinburgh city game in the cup and would gladly miss it for another 18 years.

1 hour ago, ICTPAISLEY said:

I went to new bay view around 98/99. East fife beat us 3-2 if I recall correctly. 

Yes, I remember that game only because I set off to go to it but got caught in a snowstorm and decided to turn back.

45 minutes ago, Yngwie said:

Yes, I remember that game only because I set off to go to it but got caught in a snowstorm and decided to turn back.

I was there but I was surprised that it was as early as December 27th, as I thought we had promotion more or less sewn up by the time the game took place. A strange game in that we went behind, had Paul Cherry sent off (surely shome mishtake   ) then took the lead and then lost the game 3 minutes from the end.

I got to thinking why we had been there only once (as we played everybody away twice) and it turns out that they actually moved in in November, after we had won 5-1 at the old Bayview back in August. The 3-2 game was played on a Sunday at 1345 as the new stadium had no lights.

They had to replace the seats around 2005 as they were corroded by the sea air, something that hasn't happened yet at TCS.

Edited May 5, 20178 yr by TheMantis

You know, it was funny recently when I was looking at a match at Bayview on my computer and could not  for the life of me understand why the park settings were different to what I remembered  when I was much, much younger and was sent to Methil by the Royal Bank of Scotland after I came back from National Service in the RAF. Now it all figures. What happened to the old Bayview stand etc. Torn down..?

I stayed just up the hill from the bank branch and in the same street as the  tough, but fine, Branch manager named James Simpson,  in the first house I ever purchased at the other end of the street. - a wee stone built bungalow with two bedrooms, one very small kitchen,  living room, bathroom and an add-on glass conservatory where we grew tomatoes. In order to get the money to buy it I had to go over to the Head Office and ask the staff Manager if they would please lend me the money since we also had a very sick child to look after and we were at that point living in Leven in one room.

Yep! Them were the days. I sure enjoyed some of the games at Bayview where five forwards in a line in full flight rushing down the park set the blood afire.

Well that's Yogi taken the Rovers down...

3 minutes ago, TheMantis said:

Well that's Yogi taken the Rovers down...

Yes, and with Hartlepool relegated and ICT doomed, that's all of his last 3 teams on their way down. Not that he can take the blame for all of these outcomes, but not a good season for Yogi's most recent teams.

Anyone but Butcher--even Yogi,  but I really just don't believe in going back. !

 

 

A bit concerned as to what sort of a squad we will have next season..not sure how many of the current squad will be here..

Goalkeeper-not sure if OFW will be here, maybe cammy mackay? Esson has not been convincing lately & must be considering retiring to coach full time..

Defence - can see raven & warren being here, hopefully tremarco will be around. Probably brad mckay too. Would be great if mcnaughton signs on but not sure if he would (or the club could afford to). Also horner might be around (pending other issues of course....). Not sure if celtic would loan out mccart again. Laing would be worth signing if we have the cash too.

Midfield - finding a replacement for tansey - not easy but a priority! Should have vigurs, polworth & , hopefully, draper. And mulraney, of course. Hopefully doran will be back from injury as well.

Strikers - sign fisher up!! We might have just fisher & boden next season (who knows). Maybe time for ebbe to make a mark?

Worried, as last time we went down, we had a good base to build from (rooney, hayes, etc) - not convinced we have the knowhow to build a team like that again, or the management (but thats another topic...!). Hopefully there are some gems in the youth squad (that will probably end up playing for elgin when we let them go..). Or some loan deals as well? 

 

The Championship could be a really competitive one next season.... I have become unreasonably excited about the prospect of getting up to one or two from Falkirk (if they don't get promo), Dunfermline, St Mirren or Livingston (all grounds within reasonable distance of Glasgow/Edinburgh airports)..with either wife or daughter.

I've just discovered that Livingston, who have quite a decent ground, are managed by David Hopkin who I saw score the winning goal for Crystal Palace in the 1997 English Div Play-off final at Wembley

1 hour ago, Eagle4Caley said:

The Championship could be a really competitive one next season

I think it will be very competitive - two out of Falkirk, Dundee Utd and Hamilton will be there, and a lot of the others are no easy touches. 

1 hour ago, Eagle4Caley said:

I've just discovered that Livingston, who have quite a decent ground, are managed by David Hopkin who I saw score the winning goal for Crystal Palace in the 1997 English Div Play-off final at Wembley

David Hopkin lived just along the road from me when he was at Leeds!

1 hour ago, Eagle4Caley said:

I've just discovered that Livingston, who have quite a decent ground, are managed by David Hopkin who I saw score the winning goal for Crystal Palace in the 1997 English Div Play-off final at Wembley

Most of us discovered 20 years ago that Livi are a shower of ****s 

The Toni Macaroni Arena ffs 

On 04/05/2017 at 9:19 PM, Gringo said:

Never been to Dumbarton's ground before [Cheaper Insurance stadium!!!! WTF?] so I'm looking forward to it already That would be the only 'new' ground for me so we'll need to drop lower for me to get more grounds in.

Having said that...I've not been to Brechin either 

3 hours ago, Gringo said:

Having said that...I've not been to Brechin either 

I've always had an ambition to go to Cappielow - just want to see if it's as 'atmospheric' as I've heard....my Sister in Law stays in Brechin,so that's 2 away trips sorted out (if Brechin get promoted)!

2 hours ago, jingsmonty said:

I've always had an ambition to go to Cappielow - just want to see if it's as 'atmospheric' as I've heard....my Sister in Law stays in Brechin,so that's 2 away trips sorted out (if Brechin get promoted)!

Last time we were there they made us sit in stand and leg room must have been for midgets...lol Stewards were awful too. Not sure Im in rush to go back tbh. (morton) 

Ive been to Brechin once and that was a great day out.