BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 16th April 2023
When is it all or nothing…
As I write this it is the morning where on the one hand, Ange Postecoglou has said that nothing gets decided on the weekend and Michael Beale says it is obvious it is a must win game for Rangers.
So, is it a cliché 6 pointer or not?
Aye, it isnae… The fact is that Celtic are so far ahead that if Rangers did win, then they probably would prolong the inevitable. But spare a thought for the rest of us. The two horse race is no longer a fascinating element in the fitba firmament…
Cast your eyes below the waterline of fiscal fantasy that is the Premiership and see how competition is managed elsewhere in the Scottish League. Have a gander around the grounds of those who have real jeopardy every time they take to the park.
The view is rather fascinating.
Take the Championship where the return to top flight football of Queen’s Park is stuttering towards the finishing line. Having sold Hampden, they have had issues about the building of their new ground are ground sharing with Stenhousemuir and being chased all the way by a Dundee who want back to the promised land. Add to that two sleeping giants of the game, at least below the Premiership, Greenock Morton and Ayr United, who are pushing for a playoff spot whilst Partick Thistle have found a groove at just the right time, and this all looks tasty. Who shall be in the playoffs at the end of the season? It’s a compelling tale to watch unfold – especially as both Partick and Ayr have had off field mayhem at Maryhill and off field expansion and development at Somerset.
Dropping into League One, may not be Arbroath who’s canny manager, Dick Campbell has shown, once again that sticking by the guy who can provide you with success is the way to do it as he has brought the team and the club out of automatic relegation. Campbell has found, like Partick, or just never lost, like he himself, the right blend to get his team safe and ready for the next year. Cove Rangers and Hamilton are now the most likely to be at the bottom but watch their spaces as Hamilton have shown some really good resilience too.
But what about League One? Nearly 10,000 turn up for a top of the table clash between Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic as they fight it out amongst the sleepyheads of the past – Airdrie and Alloa Athletic. It sees the Pars well ahead right now, but there are plenty of minutes for Falkirk to try and catch them, but they have a Scottish Cup Semi Final as consolation. Falkirk with a stadium to match their ambitions, seem to be back with a bang. They could prove to be the team that the play offs are made for, given their cup run. But the team that catches the eye most is FC Edinburgh who are flirting with the play offs – will their new name and return to Meadowbank prove their mettle in the league and get them into the Championship?
The drop to League Two is set as Clyde and Peterhead are cemented at the foot and drifted away from the pack some time ago. Both had long standing managers at the beginning of the season – Danny Lennon and Jim McInally – and they are both no longer at the helm. With 4 points between them and Peterhead having a game in hand, who ends up automatically dropping is all that seems left to discuss.
Top of League Two has the Bino’s 8 points clear as Dumbarton hit a slump at the wrong time and this had all the hallmarks of a tight run in, except with an 8 point gap, Stirling Albion has it to lose. With a 10 point gap between second placed Dumbarton and 4 teams chasing the other two playoff spots this has once more proven to be THE most competitive league in Scottish football. It also has names like Annan Athletic, Stenhousemuir, Stranraer and Forfar Athletic which mix the old with the new – and this is never more so obvious at the foot. Albion Rovers sit at the bottom as Elgin City and Bonyrigg Rose are sitting just above them. A legendary club of the game, a former Highland League and former Lowland League club above shows how far the pyramid system has come – is this the year that like Berwick, East Stirlingshire and Cowdenbeath, that the ask is too much for the Coatbridge side and they drop?
And who would they face in the playoffs? Will Spartans, oft quoted as an example of great community football make it to the end of the year as champions? Will the challenges faced against the two Old Firm Colts who sit second and third, make a difference? Will the University of Stirling catch them? The Lowland League offers a lot of talking points, not least that Berwick, East Stirlingshire and Cowdenbeath are no doing too well…
Unlike Brechin City in the Highland League. With a game in hand over Buckie Thistle, Brechin are 4 points behind, having led the league for a lot of the season. Will they be the first former SPFL club to appear in a playoff on the way back up?
Aye Ange, when you think about it, nothing is going to be decided this weekend, is it?
Posted in: Latest News
Tags: Celtic, Football, Rangers, Scottish football, SPFL