Isle of Man Houses

4fr4.com

2010-07-17T11:55:00.001-07:00

4fr4.com
This is new website of mine. called 4fr4.com

www.4fr4.com

Have a trophy between reserve SPL sides and lower division sides

2010-07-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

I have an idea fopr a trophy cvaslled the North Britain open an idea for SPL reserve sides to play against lower divsion SFL and non league teams to help develop Scottish soccer.
As we all know the 3 European sides of Germany, the Netherlands and Spain have all reached the top 3 places in the world cup of 2010. Surely it is is no coincidence that these sides allow their big clubs reserve teams to play in the lower divisions of their leagues.
We should do the same in our country so that our top young players struggling to get to Celtic and Rangers first team can get to play real sides too. Here is an idea for Scottish football.
Have the 12 SPL reserve sides play against the 10 first teams of the third divison and some non league sides in a trophy league format.
In the old days the best Scottish young player would get into the Celtic team no problem as he only had other Scottish players in his way nowadays the best Scottish player might struggle. Simply because a great foreign player is in the way. So now we need some system so that the top SPL sides can play their young players with potential in another trophy where they can develop.
In Spain and Germany the second team are run as different squads so Bayern Munich II, and Real Madrid B Barcelona B play almost as different sides. I do not think any Scottish sides other than Rangers and Celtic could afford two separate squads. So my view is we should just play the old reserve style squads we used in the past. Where a player can move week in week out from reserve to first team. So that clubs like Hamilton and Dundee would not have to pay for two squads of players, and still give their younger players another chance.
To ensure clubs did not play their first team in the reserve team trophy and that this trophy was used to develop young players rules could be used such as a rule that if as a player has played in a SPL match in the last week he cannot play in the North Britain cup. And that only 5 over 25 year olds are allowed in each squad. This would ensure you would not simply have Celtic playing their first team against sides, and that they would not tire out young players.

My format would be have have 12 SPL reserve teams, 10 third division teams and 14 non league sides from Scotland and Northern England, and 4 other reserve teams invited from other countries. The teams to invite could be Newcastle United reserves, Man Utd reserves, Sunderland reserves or the Shetlands, or even under 21 teams from Ajax and other countries.
Creating a format of 40 teams.
There would be 4 groups of 10. Each team plays eachother once. As in the six nations of rugby. Teams would play 9 matches in the group stage. I admit there would controversy over whether you play 4 or 5 home games in the group. But remember this is not a trophy about getting attendances and in the SFA cup you can have a different number of home and away games by luck of the draw.
The aim is to qualify for the final 16.
The top 4 teams of each group go through to the final 16. A straight one tie knockout then takes place until the final which is two legs.
In total teams will play 9 games if they don't get past the group stages.
Plus 5 matches if they get through all the group matches.
I think, this would allow teams to play younger reserve team players against other real sides as they do in Germany and Spain without having to place reserve sides in the actual league.
rsmithinternetemail@yahoo.co.uk

Isle of Man TT 2006

2010-05-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

Isle of Man TT 2006

coventry luxury apartments

A good article

2010-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

A good article on the fact that UEFA do not stand in the way of nations forming their own multi national trophies look a the royal league, and CIS cup in Russia.

uefa do not stand in way of multi National trophies

Cruyff v.s platini - How you remind me

2010-04-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

Cruyff v.s platini - How you remind me

http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Cruyff vs Beckenbauer

2010-04-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

Cruyff vs Beckenbauer

http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Misconceptions about small Football clubs

2010-03-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Misconceptions about small Football clubs
1. No one cares about them
This claim is utter rubbish. The people who support and play for them care about them as much as if not more than Manchester United or Rangers fans care about their clubs. I do not support a small club bit I am intelligent enough to know people who support them support them as passionately as big clubs supporters do.
So when you say who cares about Albion Rovers V Harrogate. Remember the people who support those clubs do. I do not care who win the Europa cup or English FA Cup if my team are not involved. I am not arrogant enough to think the teams involved would not care.
2. They cannot travel long distances
Often well meaning and patronizing people will say that it is a joke for small clubs to travel more than a few 100 miles.
Utter drivel. The supporters of Manchester United, Newcastle United can travel long distances and have work, but still travel. So why can the people playing games not travel long distances These supporters of big clubs enjoy traveling long distances why would small clubs players not enjoy this. They like to travel and test themselves against sides from other places. If they didn't we would just have county leagues. If a fan can enjoy traveling from Newcastle to watch Newcastle play Fulham. Why can a player not enjoy traveling a shorter distance to play a game.
3. Fans of these clubs do not care about games between teams from far away places
No, that is not true. The fans of these clubs like to see their clubs play clubs from other parts of the country just as fans of your club like to see your club play against teams from all over the place. To prove they are the best at that level.
4. You need massive sponsorship deals and TV rights to travel long distances across the UK
No that is no true. Clubs such as Wick and Fort William, play in the Highland league and face often 5 hour journeys. Yet the players still do these games as they get a kick out of testing themselves against teams over a wide region. Why did they join the Highland league if not? You do not need multi million pound contracts to travel up down the UK on a coach. This is not the 19th century travel is relatively easy.
So support the North Britain and Anglo Scottish cup now!
north britain cup
isle of man houses

The 2009 North Britain cup

2010-03-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the 2009. North of Britain Cup final.
Second leg.
May

Ilkeston Town F.C V Ayr United F.C

Ilkeston Town F.C of the Conference North played Ayr United of the Scottish second division in the North Britain Cup.

The final watched by a capacity cheering on the teams to decide who are the champions of North Britain.

Ilkeston is a town within the Borough of Erewash, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the River Erewash, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population is around 37,000. Its major industries were traditionally coal mining, iron working and lace making / textiles, but these have all but disappeared in the last few decades. The town is close to both Derby and Nottingham and is near to the M1 motorway. Although Ilkeston lies within Derbyshire, it is closer to Nottingham.

north britain cup

Now this cup final did not really happen. But it could happen, if my idea of these sort of teams playing against eachother happens. A North Britain cup played between Scottish second division teams and sides from the conference North.

North Britain Cup

2010-03-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

North Britain Cup
My other idea added onto the Anglo Scottish cup is the North Britain Cup.
This would involve teams from the Scottish second division, and the Scottish third division, as long as they are not playing in the Anglo Scottish cup. New Anglo Scottish Cup
OK so we know my idea to have a trophy involving the top 20 sides in the Scottish league who have not qualified for Europe, but what about trophies for sides outside of that. I say all the other Scottish league sides could play the teams from Conference North.This would be a similar level of clubs in attendances and give teams a chance to play sides from other countries. A good adventure for sides.
If top 3 Scottish second division sides were playing in the Great Britain cup, this would leave 17 teams from Scotland in trophy. So that would means 21 sides from Conference North and 17 teams from the Scottish league in the trophy. Now there would a differing number os sides from Scotland each year due to the number of sides in Europe.
But a typical year might see 17 sides from the Scottish league and 21 sides from Conference North. That equals 38 sides.
I would then have a two legged cup tournament.
There would need to be a preliminary round to get down to a final 32, from some of the sides selected by random. Then simple last 32, last 16, quarter final, semi final then a two leg final.
I would have the first 2 rounds (including the preliminary round) as two legged so every team would be guaranteed atleast one home game in the competition. The next 3 rounds would be one leg, with luck of the draw deciding who gets home advantage. The final a two leg final. This is because the final cannot be played at just one teams home ground but it would tough to choose a neutral venue, for teams 100's of miles from eachother.
Preliminary round two legs
Last 32 Two legs
Last 16 One leg
Quarter final one leg
Semi final One leg
Final two legs.
If you play every round you would play 9 games.
I would also support a south Britain cup played by teams from Welsh league that did not qualify for Europe and teams in the Southern Conference.

A new Anglo Scottish cup

2010-03-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

OK I have improved on my idea of Great Britain Cup.
Here is my new idea for a football tournament between Scottish, English and Welsh sides.
A cup between the Scottish and English league sides called the Anglo Scottish cup. This would be a great soccer trophy idea.
The Competitors
1. The top 20 teams in Scottish league who have not qualified for Europe.
2. The English League one and League two teams. That is 48 sides.

This equals 68 teams.
So 17 groups of 4.

The format.
Group stage.
20 Groups of 4, played home and away. Each group must have one atleast one Scottish side.
Knockout stage
The top teams from each group qualify for the last 32. As you can tell that is only 17 teams. As you can see 15 teams are still needed for the rest of the last 32. So then the best 15 runners up go through to next round. There is then a last 32, a last, 16, a Quarter Final, Semi - Final and then a final. All one leg each.

This would be a fun great tournament, with lots of interesting teams to see.
It would be a great replacement for European football something that most English league one and two sides can realistically never aim for. This is also true of many Scottish league sides.
Benefit for Scottish sides
Scottish sides would benefit enormously in getting to play other bigger sides, from a different league. Plus they would be able to gain experience of European style tournament. Attendances in the old Anglo Scottish cup for Scottish English matches were very high higher than normal league matches.

Benefits for English sides
The opportunity to play different teams form other countries. Many teams in England will pay the same sides over and over again. this gives them some different set of teams to play. Plus English sides used to get very good attendances in the Anglo Scottish cup.

This would have much chance as the football league trophy of having a good chance.

Timing of the trophy
I would play the group stages in late summer to mid autumn. I would not play the matches in winter or late autumn as you do not want to have team traveling up from the South of England 400 miles to find the game has been snowed off. Then the knockout stages could happen from mid spring to summer.
The teams in this trophy would not be in European matches. So the games could played until the end of the season.

A typical group to be expected could be
Oldham Athletic
Lincoln City
Hartlepool
Falkirk
or
Milton Keynes Dons
Northampton Town
Queen of the South
Burton Alboin

A glamour draw could be
Leeds United
Norwich City
Hibernian
Northampton Town
Change the final destination each year.
The trophy final could be held in England and Scotland in turn each year.
The final could be played at Hampden (or Murrayfield, Celtic Park or Ibrox) the Millennium stadium (In Wales) and Wembley (Or Old Trafford, or another big English ground) in turn.

This would be a great fun trophy with the opportunity to play other sides from other countries to play in major stadiums in a final.
My old idea was the Great Britain Cup. I realise that it might be embarrassing for sides to lose to Welsh league sides (until the bigger sides join their league), but I have another idea for Welsh sides.

great british cup

Football in the Isle of Man

2010-03-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Isle of Man Football League is a football league for clubs on the Isle of Man run by the Isle of Man Football Association.
List of League winners

1896–97: Peel
1897–98: Gymnasium
1898–99: Ramsey
1899–00: Ramsey
1900–01: Ramsey
1901–02: Ramsey
1902–03: Gymnasium
1903–04: Gymnasium
1904–05: Gymnasium
1905–06: Gymnasium
1906–07: Peel
1907–08: Ramsey
1908–09: Douglas Wanderers
1909–10: Douglas Wanderers
1910–11: Ramsey
1911–12: Ramsey
1912–13: Ramsey
1913–14: Castletown Metropolitan
1914–15-1918–19 (no competition due to World War I)
1919–20: Gymnasium
1920–21: Ramsey
1921–22: Peel
1922–23: Castletown Metropolitan
1923–24: Castletown Metropolitan
1924–25: Castletown Metropolitan
1925–26: Rushen United
1926–27: Ramsey
1927–28: Coly
1928–29: St Marys
1929–30: Braddan
1930–31: Braddan
1931–32: Peel
1932–33: Peel
1933–34: Peel
1934–35: Peel
1935–36: Rushen United
1936–37: Braddan
1937–38: Braddan
1938–39-1945–46 (no competition due to World War II)
1946–47: Onchan
1947–48: Peel
1948–49: Peel
1949–50: Castletown Metropolitan
1950–51: Castletown Metropolitan
1951–52: Ramsey
1952–53: Peel
1953–54: Peel
1954–55: Peel
1955–56: RAF Jurby
1956–57: St Georges
1957–58: Peel
1958–59: Peel
1959–60: Peel
1960–61: St Georges
1961–62: St Georges
1962–63: Peel
1963–64: Peel
1964–65: Peel
1965–66: Peel
1966–67: Douglas High School Old Boys
1967–68: Pulrose United
1968–69: Pulrose United
1969–70: Pulrose United
1970–71: Pulrose United
1971–72: Peel
1972–73: Peel
1973–74: Peel
1974–75: Peel
1975–76: Peel
1976–77: Peel
1977–78: Rushen United
1978–79: Rushen United
1979–80: Rushen United
1980–81: Rushen United
1981–82: Castletown Metropolitan
1982–83: Douglas High School Old Boys
1983–84: Peel
1984–85: Rushen United
1985–86: Rushen United
1986–87: Gymnasium
1987–88: Rushen United
1988–89: Douglas High School Old Boys
1989–90: Douglas High School Old Boys
1990–91: Douglas High School Old Boys
1991–92: St Georges
1992–93: Pulrose United
1993–94: St Georges
1994–95: St Georges
1995–96: St Marys
1996–97: Douglas High School Old Boys
1997–98: St Marys
1998–99: Castletown Metropolitan
1999–00: Peel
2000–01: Peel
2001–02: Peel
2002–03: St Marys
2003–04: St Georges
2004–05: St Georges
2005–06: Laxey
2006–07: St Georges
2007–08: St Georges
2008–09: Peel
isle of man houses
The Isle of Man Football Association (IoMFA) is the governing body of football on the Isle of Man. The IoMFA is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA, but is a member of the English Football Association (FA) and has the status of a County Football Association, despite the Isle of Man being a Crown dependency.

The Isle of Man national football team is the national football team of the Isle of Man and is controlled by the Isle of Man Football Association. The team plays in a yellow and red home kit and an all navy blue away kit.
The main competition the Isle of Man national football team takes part in is the biennial Football at the Island Games. Isle of Man has won three Silver Medals in 1993, 1999 and 2003.

Alex Ferguson to manage Real Madrid

2010-03-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

Alex Ferguson to manage Real Madrid
My big prediction is this.
1. After all the rumours are Real are looking for a new manager.
2. Fergie is having to cope with big debts at the end of his career at Man Utd.
3. Wayne Rooney is being targeted by Real.
4. Ronaldo is already at Real.
And most importantly
5. Real Madrid need a manager who can bring both success and attacking football style, with an ability to handle top players.

Well who better than Alex Fergie?
He has already won more league titles, FA Cups, and League Cups than any other manager in English football.
Why spend the last few years of his career at the great club, when they do look like they could have a bit of trough, when he could go to another club who look like they are just on the cusp of domination?
People say Jose Mourinho will be the next Real Manager. I like Mourinho but he plays a more tactical game, than Real fans tend to like. Just like Capello, who won a title and was moved on. Capello is a genius, but is he right for Real?
Arsene Wenger is stuck too Arsenal, the former Madrid manager Vicente del Bosque, who now manages Spain could be good option too as she can provide style and success. Josef "Jupp" Heynckes could be another target.

isle of man houses

Bordeaux vs Olimpiacos 2-1 Highlights

2010-03-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

Bordeaux vs Olimpiacos 2-1 Highlights

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Scottish football fans need to be more intelligent

2010-03-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Scottish football fans need to be more intelligent
I am a fan of a Scottish football, but we have to support innovative, creative ideas. I am fed up the being insulted whenever I put forward a new idea in football. With people calling me mad or an idiot or nerd etc;
In Scottish rugby they punch above their weight because they pout forward new ideas and accept them.
Scottish rugby is far smaller than Scottish football. Yet we have reached every World cup quarter final. In football we're are the opposite.
We have bigger clubs yet fail at international level.
We need better preparation and more intellectual ability in the game, with dynamic ideas and innovators not afraid to try new league structures.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Old Firm need to take example of rugby

2010-03-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

How is it that Glasgow and Edinburgh rugby sides have created a European league with Italy, Wales, Ireland and Wales. While Celtic and Rangers sit around twiddling their thumbs too scared to create a European super league with big sides from smaller countries. Why is it rugby is dynamic and reactive while football tends to be stuck in the mud?
isle of man houses

BBC 606 website has out me off football fans

2010-03-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

I never would have believed this a few months ago but it really is true football fans tend to be more unreasonable rude, offensive ill mannered, than rugby fans, from what I have seen on the BBC 606 website. While rugby fans tend to be reasonable, intelligent and open to serious debate.
I went on the football 606 and rugby 606 on the BBC websites over the last few months and posted some of my ideas for reform in the games. And the difference in how people communicated and welcomed new ideas was like night and day.
Whenever I put forward any article no matter how nerdy structural, and surely therefore uncontroversial the football fans would post abusive messages with straight swear words. I would then delete these abusive posters posts and then be greeted for weeks by the same people coming back time after time, like I was their pet project for abuse, insulting me and then complaining about how unfair it was I deleted their abusive bizarre ranting posts.
On the football 606 website people would simply greet my ideas with comments like "call the mental asylum, "not you again" "do you have to post this idea all the time" (even though there are 100s of articles a day posted on 606, and they had no real need to read my posts) "you're an idiot" "you're mad" "the mods need to ban you" "nurse another ones escaped". I would then get into slanging matches with these people, because I feel the need to respond back. And ended up feeling mentally exhausted miserable having wasted my time arguing with complete fools, and being none the wiser.
The football fans would then drumb into me bizarre ignorant points, that they seriously believe such as that ;
1) Grown men in the physical peak are unasble to get on coaches and travel down to Yeovil, or any other English town, from Scotland, as this would bankrupt them or leave dead through psychical exhaustion from travel. Even though old ladies can get on buses and travel from Glasgow to London every week.
2) That no one would be interested in watching a European league with games like Celtic V Porto or Ajax V Benfica. The person knew this as he once had a minor job at a bankrupt TV company that ran rights for games like Hamilton V Falkirk (I like those two clubs but they do not compare to Benfica or Porto). This seemed to leave the impression on him that every single TV - football idea is unworkable. As he spent ages lecturing me that his very minor jobs in a collapsed TV company made him an expert on all TV matters. He would leave deeply abusive posts about my idea. And therefore this in his view, this enabled him to use foul language on me for disagreeing with him. Before once again lecturing me over and over again for deleting his foul mouthed rants. Where he would be joined by his other troll pals who would equally rant and rave at me before complaining about me deleting their abusive posts. It was utterly bizarre. People who claimed they did not want to read my posts would come back day after to read my posts and tell me what terrible person I was for deleting their abusive posts. They would then complain to the moderators. Yet even more bizarrely the 606 online website has a rule that you are not allowed to delete to many comments, even if they are abusive, so I was the one who ended up getting in the moderators bad books.

Meanwhile every time I made a comment about rugby, the rugby fans simply greeted my comments with serious respect and put forward their own views in a polite manner. They did not feel the need to swear. If they disagreed they just put forward different view in an articulate manner. The discussions were polite with a good nature. That is except of-course when the football fans found my posts via would you believe in my member page, which they specifically had to look up, they would then troll onto the rugby board, and once again would then turn the argument to an abusive slanging match.
My jaw has dropped at this discovery.
I do not mean this was once off. I mean every single rugby fan was polite. While around 95% of football fans were rude aggressive, passionate in trying to humiliate me, passionately asking the moderator to get me banned for simply disagreeing with them, or arguing back. There then the other type of irritant who read my slanging matches and would always come down in favour of the people who had insulted me first because I had deleted their more abusive posts I was responding too, so they decided to join in on blaming me.

The whole group tended to behave like typical bullies where loads of then would gang up on me 3 or 4 at a time and take pleasure saying things like hey lads come over here take a look at this one, before congratulating eachother on abusive posts. When I deleted their posts, pathetically they would once again post numerous posts lecturing me once again on how unfair it was I had deleted their posts and how they would report me to the moderator for made so many deletions.
Other would leave just simply abusive comments only without explanations for their opinion.
The football fans on BBC 606 online were in general odious odious aggressive bullying vindictive petty trivial sinister people desperate to have anyone they disagreed with banned, while bizarrely tolerating often racist and politically incorrect articles.
That is another bizarre thing other users of 606 seemed to find it OK to post some bizarre politically incorrect racialist, sectarian articles and comments, but then seemed to be emotionally agonized at someone posting rather nerdy posts about Scottish football reorganization.

I am not using 606 again. I feel emotionally drained bitter, brow beaten, humiliated, depressed, beaten after using the service. Worst of all that will please those bullied me there. The rugby fans are OK the football fans on BBC 606 just sapp any energy out of you.
The Scottish football fans, English football fans and Welsh football fans were all the same though. The mentality of Scottish football fans needs to improve. I suppose England can get buy with their tonnes of cash. But Scottish football will go knowhere with this energy sapping attitude.
I will still argue for my ideas though as nothing would irritate them more than my ideas happening.

isle of man houses

Scottish Rugby is more intelligent than Scottish Football

2010-03-15T10:58:00.001-07:00

Scottish Rugby is more intelligent than Scottish Football
No wonder our rugby side over performs, and our football side under performs.
The rugby side and set up is full of educated, dynamic, forward thinking, people wh0 plan for every world cup and plan for every match with detail.
Scotland despite having far less money and player base than Wales or Ireland have qualified for the quarter finals of every single Rugby world cup, and won 3 grand slams. Wales and Ireland have not qualified for knockout stages on more at least 2 occasions each. I am not boasting about this as it is tough to get past the group stages.
But you have to ask why have Scotland over performed?
Meanwhile in football we have failed to qualify for the knockout stages of any world cup despite having some of the best players in the game at various periods. Such as Kenny Dalglish, Dennis Law, Jimmy Johnstone, Jim Baxter, Souness, Hansen etc:.
The reason for this the preparation, training, attitude, intelligence of Scottish rugby is better.
A good example of the difference is in that in 1954 Scotland qualified for their first world cup and brough warm jumpers on the basis the world cup was in Switzerland and that as Switzerland was full of mountains the country would be cold. In reality it was a hot summer tournamernt and Scotland got walloped 7-0 in their first game.
Meanwhile for the 2003 rugby world cup the Scotland rugby side even trained in the hot greenhouse in London to get use to the climate of Australia.
Scottish rugby is dynamic and innovative inventing the sevens tournament, playing in the first world cups, taking part in every rugby European cup, being founder members of the celtic league. In the professional era quickly recognizing that their semi pro club sides were not capable, they quickly set up pro sides to compete.
Compare this Scottish football, not playing in the first world cups, or European championships, an attitude of fear and mocking of change and innovation.
An attitude from the fans of mocking any new ideas, calling new ideas nerdy, or mad, or idiotic, even if these ideas happened in the past. Also an awful inferiority complex of not wanting to do anything that is not done in England. On the fear that the English fans might mock us if we do many new ideas.
How bizarre is it that Glasgow and Edinburgh play in a European rugby league (the celtic league) but Celtic and Rangers fans mock and pour scorn on any notion of Celtic and Rangers attempting to create a Western European super league on the notion that traveling long distances it too hard.
The Scottish rugby union managed to create clubs to play in the British and Irish rugby cup trophy too. Too them it seemed pereclty seisble som,e players want to to test themslcves against players from around the British Isles. Worth a try after all a dynamic sport should try new ideas.

Yet when I put forward my idea of a football Great British cup I was told by the ill informed football fans that small clubs with a few thousand fans would be unable to travel long distances and that they would go bankrupt with such incredible journeys to far away lands like Yeovil and Doncaster. Even though little old ladies travel on bus journey from Glasgow to London every week. Or that no one would watch them games even though the anglo scottish cup broke attrendances records in the 70s.

My jaw drops at the lack of creativity, ambition, innovation and conservative nature of Scottish football fans.
So as well as sectarianism, and obbsession with Engliosh football the lack of intelligence, and innovation in Scottish football in another reason we fail to do out best with pour resources.
Who on earth would have though we have Scottish rugby sides playing a European league before Celtic and Rangers.

No doubt some boring old firm fan will claim oh but we do have some big ideas. We could join the English league. Or some other tedious quitter mentality idea. Maybe Scottish rugby is better of just being played by the better educated.
great british cup
western european league

isle of man houses

Record defeat for Swansea City

2010-03-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

The two record feats for Swansea City FC are an 8-0 defeat to Monaco and an 8-0 defeat to Liverpool.

0–8 v Liverpool, FA Cup 3rd Round Replay, 9 January 1990
0–8 v AS Monaco, European Cup Winners' Cup First Round Second Leg, 1 October 1991
The last game Swansea played in Europe was 10-1 aggregate defeat to French Giants Monaco.
Welsh clubs in the English league no longer play in Europe.

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Sharpe - Over the Hills and far away

2010-03-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Sharpe - Over the Hills and far away

isle of man houses

Flower of Scotland Rugby V England 1990

2010-03-13T15:58:00.001-08:00

Flower of Scotland Rugby V England 1990

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Don't Fear the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult

2010-03-13T15:56:00.001-08:00

Don't Fear the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult

isle of man houses

How Hamilton or Airdruie can win the SPL.

2010-03-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

In the present set up no teams of Hamiltons side can every win the SPL. What is needed is way teams of that ilk can get 10 million a year in tv money, and crowds of 20,000. Well if they played in the EPL they would get this. Yet if they played in the EPL they could not play in the SPL.
So what is needed is for Hamilton to be able to play in a league where they crowds of 20,000 and 10 mill tv contracts while still playing in the SPL.
Hey presto my Western European Super league idea.
If Hamilton got promoted just to division one under a great boss they would get huge crowds against teams like Bruge, Rapid Vienna, Boavista etc: they would get the tv contract and the big crowds and be able to challenge the old firm.

The present set up will never see sides even like Hearts win a title, let alone Hamilton, so we need to change the set up cut the league to 22 games a season, then in second half the season play a western european super league (from all the small western european countries such as Portugal Holland etc?) of 3 divisions, of 20 games a year, good Scottish sides other than the SPL could get promoted to this .
This would enable ambitious Scottish sides to challenge for european trophies like even Fulham and Bolton can from England.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

2010-03-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

Here is my idea in full.

1. Travel
People say well how can you travel such distances?
Well these are grown men. They can get on a coach and travel down the country not trouble. Just 3 away games in summer is not too much too ask. Motherwell traveled to Albania, Romania and South Wales at the start of the season in a few weeks, wihtout even being warned well in advance of their opponents, as this was a cup, in the Europa cup. Clubs from Ireland have traveled to Russia for Europa cup matches. So how can traveling to Yeovil or Exeter be too much to ask even for Peterhead. Clubs in the Welsh league travel to the Latvia and Estonia in the Europa cup, Some go to Malta and Cyprus. How is getting on a coach to Yeovil or Torquay too much?
Some people talk like we live in Siberia, or like that the motor engine does not exist. These games would in late summer to early autumn, and early spring to early summer so call offs would not be an issue.

Alta Idrettsforening is a sports club from Alta, Norway in the Norwegian second division they travel 1731 KM to get to Olso. They play a full league with huge away journeys every week. I am talking about a club whose record attendance is 3000. I am talking about trophy where it would only be 3 away games in the group stages.
In the USA they have a MLS traveling across an entire continent of North America. In Norway they travel a far larger geographic area for their national league.

2. Size of clubs - not glamorous enough
The English naysayers claim look how am I supposed to as Milton Keynes fan get excited about a game to Partick Thisle. My response is well you play in league one not La Liga. Fair enough if you play La Liga getting worked up about a game against Partick Thislem but look you play in League one against trams like Oldham and Tranmere. If you get decent crowds against them I do not see why you would get decent crowds against similar teams like Partick Thisle. Plus the group stages would contain two English sides of the ilk of Oldham and Tranmere. So this would allow you to playu some othert teams from other countries. if similar level. Milton Keynes will never play in Europe So this is the best way top play in trans national competition.

The Scottish naysayers
One Hearts fan told me hey One would not even pe the curtains to see Plymouth play Hearts. Well why? Plymouth are a massive club by Scottish standards they would be up there with Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts they are bigger than Dundee United./ Why is playing such clubs worse. What gets me is these are them people who argue for an 18 team league which would just bring in clubs like Ayr, Airdrie ad Raith Rovers who struggle to 3000 at homes matches but. These supporters of an 18 team league claim bringing in such clubs would revolutionaries Scottish football because clubs would get to play different teams and the league would therefore in their mind more completive. Yet when you ask for them to play bigger clubs from league one and league two where clubs get upto 20,000 fans at Norwich and Leeds or more typically 6000 fans you here people say oh well I would not open my curtains to watch these English league on teams.
Teams in league one are like Dundee United and Motherwell in terms of attewndances between 5000 and 8000 normally, and league two is like St Johnstone and Airdrie and Hamilton in attendances so it would be a decent level to play against. If it make sense in the SPL to play teams like Hamilton and St Mirren why does it not make sense to play teams like Bury and Aldershot.

3. Too many games
In England they play a 46 game season plus 7 games in the Football league trophy. So this is only another 4 games on top of that if you remove the football league trophy, if a team goes all the way. So mot much difference.

Study of Lille the club playing Liverpool in Europa cup

2010-03-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Lille 1-0 Liverpool (Hazard) -Europa Leauge (11.3.2010) HQ

Lille's football club, the Lille O.S.C., is one of the major teams in the French football league. They have won 8 major national trophies and now regularly features in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Lille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the prefecture of the Nord department.

The Deûle is a river of northern France which is currently channeled for the main part of its course (from Lens to Lille). The upstream part is still partly free-flowing and is known as the Souchez. The Deûle flows into the Lys (right bank) in Deûlémont.

The Souchez is formed from the union, in the village Souchez, of two smaller brooks, Carency and Saint-Nazaire.

The channeled part comprises two branches:

The high gauge canal known as Canal de la Deûle which ensures the connection between the channeled Lys and the Scarpe (a tributary of the Scheldt) in Douai,

The Canal de Lens, fed by the Souchez, which connects Lens with the Canal de la Deûle at Courrières.

The original inhabitants of this region were the Gauls, such as the Menapians, the Morins, the Atrebates, and the Nervians, who were followed by Germanic peoples, the Saxons and the Frisians, and the Franks later.

French Division 1 Winner: 1933 as Olympique Lillois, 1946, 1954
French Division 1 Runner-up: 1936, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 2005
French Division 2 Winner: 1964, 1974, 1978, 2000
UEFA Intertoto Cup Final Round Winner: 2004
French Cup Winner: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1955
French Cup Runner-up: 1939, 1945, 1949
Latin Cup Runner-up: 1951 (lost to AC Milan 5-0 at San Siro, having beaten Sporting Clube de Portugal 7-5 on aggregate in the Semis)

Isle of Man Houses

Celtic would be picked on in English football league

2010-03-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

The issue of what a club from Scotland waving Irish flags would be treated like in England has to addressed. I am fed up with Celtic fans saying they should leave Scotland because they claim the "establishment" are against them and then in the next breath wanting to join the English league, which is politically a far more right wing, far more middle class, far more patriotic about the Empire and far more monarchist nation.
How are Celtic going to find it easier to put forward their values, their views, their clubs imagery, and songs about Irish history, in such a league. They are a Scottish club who wave Irish flags, have history connected to Republicanism, Irish history, and a small number of fans who have done controversial issues over remembrance day, and other issues.

How are Leeds, Chelsea, Millwall or middle class Tory Southern English towns going to react to Celtic? Southern English towns are very nationalistic and largely very died in the wool tory.
Celtic fans live in this grass is "greener" on the other side oh English people will love us attitude.
Scotland is a left wing more working class country, with a large history of secular republicanism. Plus it does have a large independence movement. With some in Scotland being passionately against the concept of Britain as a nation. So making statements about Irish history and Britain, England, abuses buy the British empire, the Queen does not spark the same level of controversy in Scotland as it would in England.
England is a more right wing nation especially the south with a history of loving the monarchy, a patriotism and pride in the British Empire. How are Celtic going to be treated playing there?
What Celtic should do is cut the numbers of games int he SPL to 22 games, and try and create a European league, with other small European nations. A league where no one cares if they wave Irish flags or have issues with republicanism, or the royalty.
Celtic would be a foreign club with foreign values in the English league. They would not be the establishment club. In Scotland we have Hibernian and Dundee United, with similar support to Celtic. As well as largely working class towns, whose culture is like that of Celtic. What is their like that in England? It would be Glasgow Celtic versus the rest. The foreign club in the English league.
English people have told me they would be furious if a Scottish or Welsh side won and English trophy.
isle of man mansion
western european league would help stop domination

Many small nations have 10 to 12 teams in their league

2010-03-07T02:07:00.000-08:00

Many small nations have 10 to 12 teams in their league.
Over the recent debate over whether we should have a 12, 18, 20 team league you get alot of ill informed people saying "but no other nations have 10 or 12 teams in their league". They then say "every other league in the world has 16, 18 or 20 teams in the league".
This just shows the mindset and arrogance of some ignorant people who do not even read things before the make such wild statements.
It is largely followers of the big western European nation leagues who think every other league in the world is like theirs, and that they do not even bother to check up this is true. The followers of the major leagues are so arrogant they just presume any statement they make will be true without checking their facts first. This shows most people who follow football do not study football in any detail, apart from looking at the Italian, Spanish, German, English and French leagues.
The fact is Scotland is not the size of any of these nations, so to look at the leagues and look to those as the structure of our leagues is not sensible.

The fact is the leagues most like Scotland, in terms of population, and football interest, which are probably Denmark, Norway, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria, and Albania. Norway and Croatia have 16 team leagues, but of all the others I just mentioned they all have 10 or 12, or 14 team leagues. Finland has 14. Austria and Switzerland have 10, Denmark has 12, Slovenia has 10 and Slovakia has 12.
In fact in the British Isles Northern Ireland has 10, the republic of Ireland has 10 and even the Welsh league is not going to a 12 team league.
SO when people say
BUT EVERY OTHER LEAGUE IN THE WORLD HAS 18 TEAMS.
THAT IS COMPLETE RUBBISH.

Danish Superliga has 12 teams.

Here is how many teams are in each league

Albania · 12 Andorra · 8 Armenia ·8 Austria · 10 Azerbaijan · 12 Belarus · 12 Belgium · 16 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16 Bulgaria · 16 Croatia · 16 Cyprus · 14 Czech Republic · 16 Denmark · 12 England · 20 Estonia · 10 Faroe Islands · 10 Finland · 14 France · 20 Georgia · 10 Germany · 18 Greece · 16 Hungary · 16 Iceland · 12 Israel · 16 Italy · 20 Kazakhstan · 14 Latvia 10 Lithuania · 8 Luxembourg ·14 Macedonia · 12 Malta · 10 Moldova · 12 Montenegro · 12 Netherlands · 18 Northern Ireland · 12 Norway · 16 Poland · 16 Portugal · 16 Republic of Ireland · 10 Romania · 18 Russia · 16 San Marino · 15 Scotland · Serbia · 16 Slovakia · 12 Slovenia · 10 Spain · 20 Sweden · 16 Switzerland · 10 Turkey · 18 Ukraine · 16 Wales 12 from neat year
western european super league

Glasgow Celtic would be picked on in English league

2010-03-06T04:09:00.000-08:00

I am not being anti English here or sectarian here. I am speaking a fact of life.
Does anyone think a Scottish club would be allowed to win the English league or win any serious trophies?

It is the English league. Do you think proud Englishmen would be happy for Glasgow Celtic to win their league? Do you think fans English fans who wave the English and British flags and cheer on their English national side in national games and club trophies. Do you think they would be happy for a side waving Irish flags representing Scotland to win their trophies?
It would be as unlikely as an Englishman supporting Ac Milan against Man Utd in the European cup final. England is like any other nation in this respect.
Any issue of bias in the Scottish league would pale into insignificance in the English league.
We Scottish are in two way mindset over the issue of Britain sometuimes we see ourselves as British and Scottish, sometimes just Scottish. So when some Celtic fans make a statement Ireland, or World war one, or over wars fought by Britain that does not often anger us as much as it would an English side.

Any issues of bias in Scotland would place into insignificance in league where you are see as a Scottish side who wave Irish flags and have had connections to Irish republicanism in the past.
We Scots do not have some passionate pride in Empire.
Look at the way some English columnists reacted to recent Celtic fan issues on the controversy over remembrance day. Do you think the English would not react?
How would Millwall, Leeds Chelsea react to Celtic. How would the elites - establishment of England react to a Scottish team who wave Irish flags and have some controversial fans in their midst.
Celtic would become the most unpopular club in England.
What you face in Scotland would be noting And you would have longer journeys win any trophies or qualify for European matches.
My idea is European league where there is not this issue of are you British etc?
I have not said anything sectarian or anti English. I am proud of Celtic as a Scottish club but it would be agony for them in England. I assure you. The controversy around Celtic would be enormous, and this would be nationwide controversy.
You would not be the plucky Scottish side, with great fans who have a love affair with Liverpool, and many other English sides, you would be the controversial Scottish side who sing controversial songs, about Britain. A Scottish side in the English league waving Irish flags, with an element of their support doing controversial stuff on remembrance day, and on special days in Britain. How many trophies would you win? You would win as many trophies as Red Star Belgrade would if they joined the Croatian league.
You would be as popular as Partizan Belgrade in the Croatian league.
The better idea is to cut the number of games in the SPL to 22, then form a mini league with smaller nations across Europe just put your mind to it for more than few weeks. Go back to Uefa time after time to get it done.
isle of man houses

Wembley 99

2010-03-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wembley 99

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Llanelli afc europa league evidence of my idea being great

2010-03-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

Llanelli afc europa league
This game is surely evidence of how successful a Great British cup would be.

great british cup

Tonnes of fans traveled down to see Llanelli. In the start of this season.
The Scottish side played sides in Wales, Albania, and Romania. Did this bankrpupot the club did it cause players to collpase due to exhuatiion Nope? These are grown adults they can do 3 foreign trips to England and Wales a year no problem. I have driven that distance myself no problem.

100 Miles From Nowhere | Mt Baker

2010-03-04T03:59:00.000-08:00

100 Miles From Nowhere | Mt Baker

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BBC website should not cut servcies.

2010-03-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

In this age of viruses the BBC website is great.
It means you can use a website you can trust and not visit newspapers who have adverts for who knows what.
The only ads I trust are good adsense. Other advertisers are often filled with trojan stuff.

What is happening is the capitalistic elites are forcing the state run company to cut services and run themselves down to help some elitist crooks make more money.
I want the BBC websites to be bigger so we can have a website we can rely on will not be filled with trojans, viruses, crooked companies trying to steal out personal info.
LET US NOT GIVE INTO SELFISH CAPITALIST ELITES WHO WANT US TO USE WILD WEST WEBSITES TO GET OUR INFO.

I run my own websites. I do not expect that the state run groups should deliberately make themselves rubbish to help me.
Everyone should get a chance to work for the state. There should be no fix on who works for the state. Then that equals fairness.
isle of man houses

Celtic and Rangers make Scottish football fail

2010-03-02T14:31:00.001-08:00

Having such division leads to disunited nation.
We fail because half the Celtic fans support Ireland and half the Rangers fan support England. How can we succeeded when we have players leaving to join Ireland and other players supporting out main rivals. How do we have chance? When we have so many traitors.

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Rangers v Parma 1999

2010-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Rangers v Parma 1999

isle of man houses

Fearnes very personal revelations

2010-03-01T08:10:00.001-08:00

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highlights - celtic Vs Al Ahly -( The Wembley Cup 2009 )

2010-03-01T05:20:00.000-08:00

highlights - celtic Vs Al Ahly -
part 1 of 2 ( The Wembley Cup 2009 )

2

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Barcelona - Dundee United 1987 uefa cup qtr final nou camp

2010-02-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Barcelona - Dundee United 1987 uefa cup qtr final nou camp

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dundee united - barcelona uefa cup 1st leg tannadice park

2010-02-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

dundee united - barcelona uefa cup 1st leg tannadice park

isle of man houses

A British cup for

2010-02-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here is my idea the Great British cup.
The trophy would have the top 20
Here is the idea in full
great british cup

The Coronation Cup was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 between four English and four Scottish clubs held in Glasgow in May 1953. This tournament, like the Empire Exhibition Trophy, was held in very high regard by football clubs, as at the time it allowed teams to test themselves against teams from another country in the days before European football.

Celtic and Hibernian met in the final at Hampden Park, Celtic coming out the winners 2–0 before 117,000 spectators.Celtic's victory meant that they became the unofficial champions of Britain.

The Great British Cup

2010-02-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is my new idea for a football tournament between Scottish, English and Welsh sides.
A cup between the Scottish, Welsh and English sides called the Great British cup. This would be a great soccer trophy idea.
The Competitors
1. The top 20 teams in Scottish league who have not qualified for Europe.
2. The English League one and League two teams. That is 48 sides.
3. The top 12 sides in the Welsh league.

This equals 80 teams.

The format.
Group stage.
20 Groups of 4, played home and away. Each group must have one Scottish side and can only have one Welsh side. Each group must also have atleast one Englisgh league side and one English league two side.
Knockout stage
The top teams from each group qualify for the last 32. As you can tell that is only 20 teams. As you can see 12 teams are still needed for the rest of the last 32. So a preliminary round then takes place between all the runners up of each group and the 4 best 3rd placed teams, to decide the last 12 teams for the final 32 sides.
There then follows a knockout stage cup this can be two leg or one leg.

This would be a fun great tournament, with lots of interesting teams to see.
It would be a great replacement for European football something that most English league one and two sides can realistically never aim for. This is also true of many Scottish league sides.
Benefit for Scottish sides
Scottish sides would benefit enormously in getting to play other bigger sides, from a different league. Plus they would be able to gain experience of European style tournament. Attendances in the old Anglo Scottish cup for Scottish English matches were very high higher than normal league matches.
Benefit for Welsh sides
They would make huge amounts of money compared to games they nornally play in,. So it would give them much needed revenue.
Benefits for English sides
The opportunity to play different teams form other countries. Many teams in England will pay the same sides over and over again. this gives them some different set of teams to play. Plus English sides used to get very good attendances in the Anglo Scottish cup.

This would have much chance as the football league trophy of having a good chance.

Timing of the trophy
I would play the group stages in late summer to mid autumn. I would not play the matches in winter or late autumn as you do not want to have team traveling up from the South of England 400 miles to find the game has been snowed off. Then the knockout stages could happen from mid spring to summer.
The teams in this trophy would not be in European matches. So the games could played until the end of the season.

A typical group to be expected could be
Oldham Athletic
Lincoln City
Haverfordwest County
Falkirk
or
Milton Keynes Dons
Northampton Town
Queen of the South
Aberystwyth Town

A glamour draw could be
Leeds United
Norwich City
Hibernian
Northampton Town
Change the final destination each year.
The trophy final could be held in England, Scotland and Wales in turn each year.
The final could be played at Hampden (or Murrayfield, Celtic Park or Ibrox) the Millennium stadium and Wembley (Or Old Trafford, or another big English ground) in turn.
We could have the Northern Irish and Republic of Ireland sides in it too, but this would mean a different name, for the trophy, plus some clubs might have issues with travel over the sea on a week night, rather than all the matches being played on one island, where easy road transport is always a main option.

This would be a great fun trophy with the opportunity to play other sides from other countries to play in major stadiums in a final.
Isle of Man houses

Bring back the Anglo Scottish cup.

2010-02-27T06:05:00.001-08:00

I would like to see the return of the Anglo Scottish cup.
What about sides in the English league one and Scottish teams in the premier and first division that did not qualify for the European trophies.
So if the top 22 sides in Scotland have 5 sides in Europe that means 17 sides from the country in the trophy. Plus about 24 sides in league one. So that means about 41 sides.
Have groups of 4. So 6 games a year plus a knockout stage.
Now obviously 4 does not go equally in 41 equally. So you would need to find 3 other sides these could be from league two or the Scottish second division.
So a target would be 44 teams in each year,
So that is 11 groups of 4.
You could have the top teams in each group going through plus the best 5 runners up.

I would love to see my sides play some average sized English sides of similar level.
The old trophy got very good crowds similar to European trophies.
It was actually abandoned because the English clubs were too successful not because of lack of attendances so if we dropped it to league one level you could have more competitive trophy.
It would be great perpetration for European football for Scottish sides in the premier. I would not like to see a British league as traveling to England each week is too much of an ask for clubs in Northern Scotland. But some one off games in a cup would be a novelty and fun for the fans.
It would be a decent level of a tournament.
There are normally some good names in league one like at present Leeds United, Norwich City, Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Swindon, Tranmere. OK you would not moramlly expect a Leeds United, but there are always a few teams who have a good name. Plus the rest of them are all decent sides.
These would get attention from the fans.
Texaco Cup

Season	Winners	Runners-up	Aggregate score
1970–71	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Heart of Midlothian	3–2
1971–72	Derby County	Airdrieonians	2–1
1972–73	Ipswich Town	Norwich City	4–2
1973–74	Newcastle United	Burnley	2–1
1974–75	Newcastle United	Southampton	3–1

Anglo Scottish Cup

Season	Winners	Runners-up	Aggregate score
1975–76	Middlesbrough	Fulham	1–0
1976–77	Nottingham Forest	Leyton Orient	5–1
1977–78	Bristol City	St. Mirren	3–2
1978–79	Burnley	Oldham Athletic	4–1
1979–80	St. Mirren	Bristol City	5–1
1980–81	Chesterfield	Notts County	2–1

Isle of Man Houses

Battle of Britain 1992

2010-02-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

Battle of Britain 1992

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1981-82 AFC 3 Ipswich 1

2010-02-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

1981-82 AFC 3 Ipswich 1

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Sheikh Mansour should not have given so much cash to Manchester City FC

2010-02-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

I think it is is immoral of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to have put so much money into Manchester City FC.
This is football club not a charity.
When there is so much starvation, poverty and economic misery in the world and what do these billionaires spend their money on a silly football club, thousands of miles from their own country to win some title that has nothing to do with their own people.
I like football, I am obsessed by it. But there is too much money in the game. And now some royal born individual wastes stackloads of cash on a silly football club that is not even in his own country.
I would not even want these people to invest in my club. I do not such money. It is bnot right. A football club should be built by its own people on the back iof it own communities and the clubs own supporters whether they be local or international.
The club is not winning on the back if its own people it is on the back of a play thing for a billionaire. That says nothing about the club just that they got lucky.
How can someone with that sort of money be wasting their time in a football club in silly football league, thousands of miles away.
What about dealing with poverty in Ethiopia, Iraq, even Manchester. Why waste money giving stack loads of money to already wealthy people in football clubs?
It angers me, it frustrates me, it shocks me, it perplexes me, why, who has the Sheikh done this for?
Is it a status symbol?
I would have no problem if this was like Jack Walker who was Blackburn man who invested in his own club because it was his dream. But this makes no sense the man has no connection with Manchester why did he give all this cash to football club he has no connection with. Why? I do not understand? When there are so many charities, needy people who could do with this money.
You can change the world with that sort of money and what do you do with it you buy a silly football club who already had tonnes of millionaires and give them even more millionaires.

HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (born 1970) is a United Arab Emirati politician and member of ruling family of Abu Dhabi emirate. He is the half brother of current President of UAE, Emir (ruler) of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He also owns Manchester City FC.
isle of man houses

Western European League would help stop old firm domination

2010-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Western European League would help stop old firm domination.
Have half the season as the Scottish league but cut it to 22 matches a year then have the second half as a European super league., with promotion and relegation. So all Scottish sides, including the old firm carry on playing in a reduced in number of games Scottish league but have a second half of the season as the European league.
So instead of the old firm joining the English premier league they could create a new league with countries in Western Europe outside of the big leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy. The league would consist of 3 divisions run in conjunction with Scottish league.
The number of Scottish sides would not be set it could 1, 4, 7. There is relegation and promotion to the league and up the divisions each year.
When I tell people about my idea of the western European league.
They often say that it would lead to old firm domination. What load of rubbish.
We already have old firm domination. My idea would enable a window for clubs to challenge the old firm.
Western european Super league

The old firm have won every title since 1985 because the current Scottish set up ensures only the old firm have the money. Oh by the way it is not due to SFA, or some conspiracy, that the old firm have so much money, it is due to the fact they have more fans and get higher attendances and merchandising.
In the present set up the old firm will get every league, every title. So do not give me some guff that the problem with my idea is that old firm will get more money and dominate the league. What a weak argument against my idea. That already happens.
Now the fact is my idea would make it far more likely the SPL can be won by a non old firm side.
Why?
Because if a non old firm side got into the European Super league premier, they would get the 5 - 9 million pounds TV money from being in the premier league. Suddenly they would be able to challenge for the title.
At present no Scottish side has the money to challenge the old firm. If we had a European super league that every club could gain promotion to, where they could get 5 - 9 million pounds a year, then even clubs like St Mirren, Airdrie United and Greenock Morton under good managers (of the Coyle level) gain promotion to this league then could get the money that could enable them to win the championship with a good manager.
That's right folks my idea would enable teams to realistically challenge for the SPL.
Bang! My idea is the best their is.
All the other ideas would never match my idea in gaining more success for the SPL sides, gaining the old firm the big league they want to play in while at the same time enabling other sides to challenge for the SPL.
A) A 16, 18, 20 team league would not make any difference to how dominant the old firm are in fact it would probably make them even more dominant.
B) The old firm leaving the league would destroy Scottish football.
C) The current situation is just rubbish as the Scottish sides cannot compete in European trophies, and the old firm win every league.

My idea would shake things up.

Western European Super league
My idea for football is the western European Super league.
So instead of the old firm joining the English premier league they could create a new league with countries in Western Europe outside of the big leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
Have half the season as the Scottish league but cut it to 22 matches a year then have the second half as a European super league., with promotion and relegation.

The wide area
A league in Western Europe could encompass teams from, Scotland, Holland, Portugal, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Faeroe Islands, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Massive population region
This region has a combined population of 100 million, without the major Western European nations, that is larger than any country in Western Europe. OK I accept the likes of Andorra and the Faroes are unlikely to produce any teams to qualify for this league, but they could play in the qualification tournament. Nations like Portugal and Holland have plenty of large sides, for this set up.

Continue with both Domestic and the new League
The set up would be that each league carries on with their national league but cuts the number of games in half to 18 - 24 games per league. This would open up a new spot for another league for 18 - 24 games. Qualification for European trophies such as the Europa cup, would still come from performances in domestic trophies.
So for instance the Scottish league would be cut from playing eachother 3 - 4 times a year to just two times a year, to just 22 games a year, instead of the current 38. Opening up 16 more weeks, to play another league this would be the western European super league.
The first half of the year would be the Scottish league, the second the western European super league.
How to get extra games for Scottish sides not in European league
The Scottish sides that do not qualify to play in the Western European league could have extra competitions to make up for the loss of games such as an Anglo-Scottish cup, bringing back the group stages of the league cup bringing back the tennents sixes tournament, and they would have to play qualification tournament to gain promotion to the west European league anyway.
So you could have two leagues run over the year instead.
In Mexico they have a winter and summer league so you can run two leagues a year.
These countries have some massive teams which together would form a strong league. Yet it would enable to continue to run their own leagues to qualify for European competition from.

The Set up of the league
Premier 21 teams play eachother once a year. 4 teams relegated each year.
First division 21 teams Play eachother once a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
Second division Play eachother twice a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
A qualification tournament for sides to qualify for the league, to replace sides relegated from the second division.
There is no limit on the number of teams from each country in the league.
Some might say well how can you only play eachother once a year. Well they do that in the FA and Scottish cup in soccer, in the six nations in rugby, the NFL in American football against sides outside their conference. 20 matches would be enough games against big teams to determine the champions of the league. You do not need to play eachother home and way as there are plenty of big teams to draw in crowds for the home matches.
10 home and away matches a year is enough to make income but also prevent the tedium of a long season where you travel huge distances for mid table mediocrity as you would do if it was just a 40 game league.

Problems with joining the English League
My issue with joining the English leagues is clubs like Rangers and Celtic could go years without winning a trophy or qualifying for Europe. While by having both a Scottish league and European League they would gets the best of both, they would a domestic league to win trophies in and qualify for Europe from, and a major league with very large teams to play against. They could have their cake and eat it. Rather than watching somebody else (mainly Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) eat the cake in the English league

Compare the worst that can happen in English Leagues to the worst in this set up
If Rangers got relegated to the English second division they would have no chance of winning major trophies no European football and no massive sides playing them. Plus if Rangers or Celtic were just middle table cannon fodder in the English Premier they might never win trophies or qualify for Europe. This is the entire genius of my idea. If Rangers were relegated to Second divsion of the European league they would still be playing in the SPL challenging for the title , cups and qualiftying for Europe. So you do not give the self defeating goal of joining the English league to do better in Europe but never qualifying for Europe because the side are not big enough to get a European place in the English league.
This way even a poor Rangers or Celtic team will still challenge for trophies in the Scottish league and qualify for Europe, even when in the second division of the Western European super league.

Each team on a level playing field
If Scottish sides join the English league they will be playing a in a foreign league who will have a financial and nationalistic reasons to support the English sides over Scottish sides. Plus in the English league, all Celtic and Rangers previous history will be written off with them, starting off on zero trophies, compared to other teams starting off with 100 + years of history. How ridiculous is that? In the Western European Super league they would be starting off on zero league titles but so will every other team. Plus no one country will dominate referees or other ideas that could bias leagues going to one country. While if you just play in another countries league it is a bit naive to think they will give you the same treatment as their own sides.

Compare the teams in each league
A typical Premier might have
1 Ajax
2 PSV
3 Feyenoord.
4 Benfica
5 Porto
6 Sporting Lisbon
7 Rapid Vienna
8 Celtic
9 Rangers
10 Anderlecht
11 Club Brugges
12 Copenhagen
13 Grasshopers Zurich
14 Basle
15 Vittese Arnhem
16 Boavista
17 IFK
18 AIK
19 Rosenborg
20 Standard Liege
21 Slavia Prague

A first divison might have
1 Mechelen
2 Malmo
3 Hearts
4 Brondby
5 Sparta Prague
6 Brann Bergen
7 Austria Vienna
8 Genk
9 SC Braga
10 Vitoria De Guimaraes
11 Twente
12 SC Heerenveen
13 ADO Den Haag
14 Gronigen
15 Germinal Beerschot
16 FC St. Gallen
17 AZ Alkmaar
18 Roda JC
20 FK Teplice
21 Neuchâtel Xamax

Second division
1 Aberdeen
2 Stabæk
3 Vålerenga
4 Viking Fotballklubb
5 IFK Norrköping
6 Helsingborgs IF
7 BSC Young Boys
8 Sturm Graz
9 Haka
10 Odense Boldklub

More glamorous sides
In my view this league would not just be as big as the EPL but bigger plus would have more glamorous teams from more different nations and far more glamorous cities. Lets face it what is better a trip to Vienna or Birmingham, Copenhagen or Coventry, Lisbon or Swansea, Swindon or Amsterdam.
With all respect to those English and Welsh cities. Remember this league would have national capitals. The lower leagues of England are just provincial cities.
OK toward the bottom you do not get sides like Man Utd, but that is true of every league. Look at the 52nd the best team in England, or Italy, or Germany.
North East and South East leagues too
I would support a similar set up for North East Europe and a South East European league.

This league would give an opportunity for smaller countries to play in bigger leagues, while keeping their own national leagues running, so not destroying their own leagues.
Plus have a small Anglo Scottish cup too.
Also some will say well how can you decide who the Scottish champions are in 22 games.
1. Well we decide who the world champions are in far less games in a World cup.

2. The Scottish 1890–91 league title was just a 18 game season.

3. The 1891 - 92 Scottish league season was just a 22 game season.
4. The 1892-93 Scottish league season was just a 18 game season.
5. The 1893 - 94 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season.
6. The 1894 - 95 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
7. The 1895 - 96 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
8. The 1896 - 97 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
9. The 1897 - 98 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
10. The 1898 - 99 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
11. The 1899 - 1900 Scottish Division One and Division two seasons were both a 18 game league season was just a 18 game season.
12. The 1900 - 01 Scottish division one season was a 20 game season while the second division was 18 games.
13. The 1901 - 02 division one season was just 18 games the second division was 22 games.
14. The 1902-03 Scottish division one and division two season were both 22 games.
15. The 1903-04 Scottish division two was just 22 games.
16. The 1904-05 Scottish division two was just 22 games.
17. The 1905-06 Scottish division two was just 22 games.
18. The 1906-7 Scottish division two was just 22 games, as was 1907-08, 1908-09, 1909-10, 1910-11, 1911-12.
So this drivel where people say but it has never been done before a 22 game season is rubbish. Tonnes of Celtic and Rangers and Hearts titles have been won in 22 games or less seasons. Will you start to discount those titles then.
20. Oh and Preston won the first English title 1888–89, and the second in 1889- 90 both seasons were won in a 22 game season. Oh and the second division of English football was 22 games in 1892- 93.
21. Oh by an example La Liga was a 18 game season for 1929, 1929-30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1932–33. Plus it was a 22 team league in 1934–35, 1935–36, 1939–40, 1940–41.

But they you still stick to your argument that the league could never have been 22 games eh!.
Another weak argument against my idea.
Isle of Man Houses

16, 18, 20 team league would not make a difference.

2010-02-20T04:08:00.000-08:00

Why is it all we ever hear about in terms of reform in Scottish football.
IS the two most tedious ideas?
These are ;
1. Changing the premier to 16, 18, 20 teams.
2. Celtic and Rangers joining the English league

I have been over point 2 that is it disgraceful traitors idea to destroy Scottish football. But my issue with idea 1 of explaining the premier league is that it is pointless ideas.

Expanding the premier to 16, 18 or 20 teams is waste of time.
Let me say I do not care if the premier is 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 teams. What I would say is that it would not have any impact on Scottish football quality if we did such a thing of expanding the league. It is s pointless idea.
I am fed up with every time Scottish football fails some people immediately say oh expand the league to 16, 18 2o teams and this would magically transform Scottish football. Why?
It would have no impact at all. We had a 10 team league in 80s when we qualified for world cups. In fact our most successful spell of world cup qualification 5 in row. From 1974 to 1990. 4 of them happened when we had a 10 or 12 team league. We also had Aberdeen and Dundee United challenging and winning titles. We had Aberdeen winning A European trophy. So what evidence is that expanding or contracting the number of teams in the league makes any difference. All this is that small sides are desperate to play in the premier sop put forward the 16, 18, 20 team idea as if it is the panacea to every problem in Scottish football when it is nothing to do with anything. It is like a euro skeptic who turns every political debate back to the EU, because they are so obsessed with the issue,as if it has anything to do with what we are talking about.
Would expanding the league make our league more money?
No. How would adding small sides in towns of 20,00 to 40,000 people to the league add any more TV money.
Would increasing the size of the league make out players better?
No. Why wold it? How does playing small sides from the first division make the players any better than playing better sides int her SPL?

The only affects would be.
A. Celtic and Rangers and other Scottish clubs in Europe would have even less money, and would be even less likely to do anything in Europe.
B. Small sides would have more of the TV money. But so what. If take that attitude why do not we share all the premier teams gate receipts and revenue with non league teams in Scotland and then we can do EVEN worse in European football.
C. Other teams get to play Rangers and Celtic
What expanding league would not have any impact on is.
A) The quality of football. Why would having team that struggle to get 3,000 to 4,000 at their home games improve the standard the league.
B) Style of football. One argument put forward is having more teams would make the league m ore open well look at league one and league two ion England which have more than 2-0 sides and have far more turgid style of football because there are low quality leagues,. Inviting worse teams into the league increases the chances that the league would be even more turgid.

I support Inverness but I do not see why we need to expand the league if we are not good enough to be in the premier fair enough. I do not see why we have to expand the size of the league to pretend we are better than we are.
It is just a selfish reaction of opportunistic clubs wanting to expand the league so they can get some of the TV money.
I would rather me give more resources to the top clubs. I do not mean Rangers and Celtic. I mean the ambitious clubs. As the only way our clubs can compete in Europe is if we concentrate our best players in the top clubs that play in Europe.
What would you have have, We share Scottish football resources out more evenly so that our elites clubs are worse and do rubbish in Europe.
2. We concentrate resources int he elite clubs so our clubs do better in Europe that is what they do in rugby they have concentrated the resources and elite clubs so the clubs do OK.

If anything we have too many professional soccer sides in Scotland.
Spreading the resources of Scottish football may sound a good idea, but it will just mean the elite clubs do worse and we as a country have worse record in Europe.

A 16, 18, 20 team league

WILL NOT IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR CLUBS IN EUROPE.

So the choice is
1. Do you want the league to be more equal, but with rubbish performances in Europe.
2. Do you want us to win in Europe but with a system where all the clubs can strive and be ambitious not just the old firm.
Look do not tell me all I care about it the old firm. I do not want them to join the English league. I want them to do well in Europe just as I want all Scottish clubs to do. But I think we should make sure our clubs in Europe have more resources. Sharing the TV revenue with more clubs is just going to make our clubs even worse.
isle of man mansions blog

Take Professional Photos That Sell Your Car Fast

2010-02-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

Take Professional Photos That Sell Your Car Fast

http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

QUEEN' S SPEECH 2009 (BLINDA DATA!)

2010-02-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

My fave video of Prisencolinensinainciusol

2010-02-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

My fave video of Prisencolinensinainciusol

Prisencolinensinainciusol is a song composed by Adriano Celentano, and performed by Celentano and his wife, singer/actress-turned-record producer Claudia Mori. A very popular performance of the song, broadcasted by RAI, shows Celentano with showgirl Raffaella Carrà, who is dancing and lyp-synching to Mori's vocals. It was first released as a single on November 3, 1972, and later on his album Nostalrock. The lyrics are pure gibberish, often described as sounding like American English as heard by a non–English-speaker.
isle of man houses

so tomorrow can only go on

2010-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

so tomorrow can only go on
My new idea for Bond movie name.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/
Song sung by Shirley Bassey.

Make a Scottish pro rugby side in a new town

2010-02-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

I think the next time a third pro rugby union side is devlopedin Scotland it should be put in one of the new towns to create a hot bed in one of the new towns. Such as East Kilbride or Glenrothes.
Look at the way Llanelli back their rugby union side. Scotland should try and get one of their decent sized towns to be rugby town. We have tonnes of pro football sides, we do not need any more pro football sides we could do with some pro sides in other sports such as rugby union.
East Kilbride is the largest scottish town without a senior football team. The rugby union authoties should take a chance and develop rugby union in a working class town.
isle of man mansions

We need to cut our obbsession with football

2010-02-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

I like football I am obsessed by it. It is like painful drug to me.
My teams Aberdeen and Scotland are doing rubbish right now so it is like a seriously agonizing painful drug.
But I cannot escape this.
Yet in my view the media should cut their interest in football.
If you looked at the sports sections of our papers you would think that the only sports in the world was football.
We should raise the profile of other sports. Football sides that do not go up high up the divisions should be punished with little media coverage.
The sports section of a paper should have no more than 40% at most about football except on cup final days in each country and world cup matches. But an average week should have rugby union, rugby league, ice hockey, baseball etc:
More sports should be reported on such as motor racing etc:
Take Scotland we should have more teams in other sports rather than 20 pro sides in football. It does not do us any good having so many pro football sides. It just spreads the resources more thinly.
isle of man mansions

We should not pay to watch football on TV

2010-02-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

We should not pay to watch football on TV

Football should free to watch in TV.
The premier league is a cartel. Why if you want to watch Man Utd should you have to pay to watch Wigan or Blackburn or vice versa. It is a commercial cartel. If you want to watch Man Utd you have to pay to watch all the other clubs.
Imagine if when you went to football ground you had to pay to weatch all the other games in the league too. It is a cartel no wonder these clubs mnake sop much money. It is surely a cartel by every football league, that makes football supporters pay more money than they need to.
The football clubs exploit the supporters passion for the teams to get more money our of them than they need and therefore pay players in sane wages.
Football tickets should be 10 pounds for adults and 5 pounds for children.
There should be less money in the game.
isle of man houses

Dundee 0 Aberdeen 5 Premier Division 01/05/82

2010-02-18T14:35:00.001-08:00

Dundee 0 Aberdeen 5 Premier Division 01/05/82
(Part 1)

Part two

isle of man mansions

Cut the league in half in number of games

2010-02-17T05:47:00.001-08:00

We need to cut the number of games in the SPL in half and have other trophies
The league is getting more and more tedious, and people are turning to the English league. We all know the results after 22 matches. Cut it down to 22 then play other trophies such as
1. A european super league with other countries such as Holland, Belgium, Portugal - Which all socttish sides can qualify for
For the other sides that do not qualify make up the loss of matches with
1. Bring back Group stages of the league cup = 8 matches - Groups of five with two clubs and best third place teams through to next round.
2. Bring back Anglo scottish cup 6 match group stage
3. Bring back Tennents sixes worth 2 matches

I would find this more enjoyable it would re liven Scottish football with opportunities for our side to qualify for a premier league style European super league and play other trophies.
And more trophies to win.

Can you take any more years of the tedium we have had a for the last 10 years?
It will just get worse.
Every year the same thing happens.
1. Old firm say they hate scottish football
2. Old firm run away with league.
3. Old firm apply to join English league but turned down
4. Old firm knocked out of Europe before Christmas
5. old firm run away with league
6. Old firm apply to join English league but turned down
7. Old firm win league

If we created a European super league cut down the number of games in the league by half, we could get an answer to all these problems.
We could have Vienna playing Celtic. for European titles.

Western European Super league

2010-02-17T05:15:00.000-08:00

Western European Super league
My idea for football is the western European Super league.
So instead of the old firm joining the English premier league they could create a new league with countries in Western Europe outside of the big leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
Have half the season as the Scottish league but cut it to 22 matches a year then have the second half as a European super league., with promotion and relegation.

The wide area
A league in Western Europe could encompass teams from, Scotland, Holland, Portugal, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Faeroe Islands, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Massive population region
This region has a combined population of 100 million, without the major Western European nations, that is larger than any country in Western Europe. OK I accedpt the likes of Anodraa and the Faroes are unlikely to produce any teams to qualify for this league, but they could play in the qualification tournament. Nations like Portugal and Holland have plenty of large sides, for this set up.

Continue with both Domestic and the new League
The set up would be that each league carries on with their national league but cuts the number of games in half to 18 - 24 games per league. This would open up a new spot for another league for 18 - 24 games. Qualification for European trophies such as the Europa cup, would still come from performances in domestic trophies.
So for instance the scottish league would be cut from playing eachother 3 - 4 times a year to just two times a year, to just 22 games a year, instead of the current 38. Opening up 16 more weeks, to play another league this would be the western European super league.
The first half of the year would be the scottish league, the second the western European super league.
How to get extra games for scottish sides not in European league
The Scottish sides that do not qualify to play in the Western European league could have extra competitions to make up for the loss of games such as an anglo-scottish cup, bringing back the group stages of the league cup bringing back the tennents sixes tournament, and they would have to play qualification tournament to gain promotion to the west european league anyway.
So you could have two leagues run over the year instead.
In Mexico they have a winter and summer league so you can run two leagues a year.
These countries have some massive teams which together would form a strong league. Yet it would enable to continue to run their own leagues to qualify for European competition from.

The Set up of the league
Premier 21 teams play eachother once a year. 4 teams relegated each year.
First division 21 teams Play eachother once a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
Second divsion Play eachother twice a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
A qualification tournament for sides to qualifty for the league.
There is no limit on the number of teams from each country in the league.
Some might say well how can you only play eachother once a year. Well they do that in the FA and Scottish cup in soccer, in the six nations in rugby, the NFL in American football against sides outside their conference. 20 matches would be enough games against big teams to determine the champions of the league. You do not need to play eachother home and way as there are plenty of big teams to draw in crowds for the home matches.
10 home and away matches a year is enough to make income but also prevent the tedium of a long season where you travel huge distances for mid table mediocrity as you would do if it was just a 40 game league.

Problems with joining the English League
My issue with joining the English leagues is clubs like Rangers and Celtic could go years without winning a trophy or qualifying for Europe. While by having both a Scottish league and European League they would gets the best of both, they would a domestic league to win trophies in and qualify for Europe from, and a major league with very large teams to play against. They could have their cake and eat it. Rather than watching somebody else (mainly Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) eat the cake in the English league

Compare the worst that can happen in English Leagues to the worst in this set up
If Rangers got relegated to the English second division they would have no chance of winning major trophies no European football and no massive sides playing them. Plus if Rangers or Celtic were just middle table cannon fodder in the English Premier they might never win trophies or qualify for Europe. This is the entire genius of my idea. If Rangers were relegated to Second divsion of the European league they would still be playing in the SPL challenging for the title , cups and qualiftying for Europe. So you do not give the self defeating goal of joining the English league to do better in Europe but never qualifying for Europe because the side are not big enough to get a European place in the English league.
This way even a poor Rangers or Celtic team will still challenge for trophies in the Scottish league and qualify for Europe, even when in the second division of the Western European super league.

Each team on a level playing field
If Scottish sides join the English league they will be playing a in a foreign league who will have a financial and nationalistic reasons to support the English sides over Scottish sides. Plus in the English league, all Celtic and Rangers previous history will be written off with them, starting off on zero trophies, compared to other teams starting off with 100 + years of history. How ridiculous is that? In the Western European Super league they would be starting off on zero league titles but so will every other team. Plus no one country will dominate referees or other ideas that could bias leagues going to one country. While if you just play in another countries league it is a bit naive to think they will give you the same treatment as their own sides.

Compare the teams in each league
A typical Premier might have
1 Ajax
2 PSV
3 Feyenoord.
4 Benfica
5 Porto
6 Sporting Lisbon
7 Rapid Vienna
8 Celtic
9 Rangers
10 Anderlecht
11 Club Brugges
12 Copenhagen
13 Grasshopers Zurich
14 Basle
15 Vittese Arnhem
16 Boavista
17 IFK
18 AIK
19 Rosenborg
20 Standard Liege
21 Slavia Prague

A first divison might have
1 Mechelen
2 Malmo
3 Hearts
4 Brondby
5 Sparta Prague
6 Brann Bergen
7 Austria Vienna
8 Genk
9 SC Braga
10 Vitoria De Guimaraes
11 Twente
12 SC Heerenveen
13 ADO Den Haag
14 Gronigen
15 Germinal Beerschot
16 FC St. Gallen
17 AZ Alkmaar
18 Roda JC
20 FK Teplice
21 Neuchâtel Xamax

Second division
1 Aberdeen
2 Stabæk
3 Vålerenga
4 Viking Fotballklubb
5 IFK Norrköping
6 Helsingborgs IF
7 BSC Young Boys
8 Sturm Graz
9 Haka
10 Odense Boldklub

More glamorous sides
In my view this league would not just be as big as the EPL but bigger plus would have more glamorous teams from more different nations and far more glamorous cities. Lets face it what is better a trip to Vienna or Birmingham, Copenhagen or Coventry, Lisbon or Swansea, Swindon or Amsterdam.
With all respect to those English and Welsh cities. Remember this league would have national capitals. The lower leagues of England are just provincial cities.
OK toward the bottom you do not get sides like Man Utd, but that is true of every league. Look at the 52nd the best team in England, or Italy, or Germany.
North East and South East leagues too
I would support a similar set up for North East Europe and a South East European league.

This league would give an opportunity for smaller countries to play in bigger leagues, while keeping their own national leagues running, so not destroying their own leagues.
Plus have a small anglo scottish cup too.
isle of man houses

Lottery results

2010-02-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

Most unlikely Lottery results
01 02 03 04 05 06

isle of man houses blog

BBC world cup 1986 titles

2010-02-17T02:06:00.000-08:00

BBC world cup 1986 titles

http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

I hate football but can't leave it

2010-02-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

I really hate football, my teams do rubbish but I keep coming back for more.
How do I cure myself?
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Acecoollo

2010-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

What we need is a western European super league.
This way clubs in the small countries could have bigger sides to play against.
The concept of an "European Super League" consisting of the best football clubs from across Europe has been discussed for years and has occasionally been officially proposed, but the idea has not yet gotten off the ground.
Here is a link to my idea
western european super league
isle of man houses blogspot

Manchester United 2012

2010-02-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

Manchester United 2012
After going bankrupt in 2011 Manchester United have bounced back by winning
Manchester United win the english North West Counties League with a undefeated run under the guidance of Denis Law the new Manchester United manager. Top scorer Bobby Charlton who has returned from retirement with Jack Charlton to save their club.
This season Manchester United mount stunning challenge to reach the first round of the FA cup.
80,000 turn up to see the games.
isle of man houses

Rename Europa Cup

2010-02-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

I think name Europa cup sounds too much like the European cup.
They should have chosen a name like UEFA Shield, or Continental Challenge Shield.
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Football clubs going out of business is not the end of the world

2010-02-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

Football clubs going out of business is not the end of the world
Portsmouth will just be reformed if they get put of business, OK they will have to start at the bottom of the English pyramid. OK that will take 10 - 12 years to get back but during that time they will win countless non league trophies and rise up back to the league. Is that really a crisis.
As far as English football is concerned does it matter if Portsmouth or Hull in the Premier. Therer will be plenty other teams to replace Portsmouth, and Portsmouth can spoend their time rising up through the divisions.
isle of man houses
Take the example of Fiorentina.
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A seasons. After climbing back up the Italian football system in the early 2000s, Fiorentina are currently competing in the Serie A.

2001 heralded major changes for Fiorentina, as the terrible state of the club's finances was revealed: they were unable to pay wages and had debts of around USD 50 million. The club's owner, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, was able to raise some more money, but even this soon proved to be insufficient resources to sustain the club. Fiorentina were relegated at the end of the 2001-02 season and went into judicially controlled administration in June 2002. This form of bankruptcy (sports companies cannot exactly fail in this way in Italy, but they can suffer a similar procedure) meant that the club was refused a place in Serie B for the 2002-03 season, and as a result effectively ceased to exist.

The club was promptly re-established in August 2002 as Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Florentia Viola with shoe and leather entrepreneur Diego Della Valle as new owner, and was admitted into Serie C2, the fourth tier of Italian football. The only player to remain at the club in its new incarnation was Angelo Di Livio, whose commitment to club's cause further endeared him to the fans. Helped by Di Livio and 30-goal striker Christian Riganò, the club won its Serie C2 group with considerable ease, which would normally have led to a promotion to Serie C1. However, due to the bizarre Caso Catania (Catania Case) the club skipped Serie C1 and was admitted into Serie B, something that was only made possible by the Italian Football Federation's decision to resolve the Catania situation by increasing the number of teams in Serie B from 20 to 24 and promoting Fiorentina for "sports merits". In the 2003 off-season, the club also bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name and the famous shirt design, and re-incorporated itself as ACF Fiorentina.

The club's unusual double promotion was controversial, with some suggesting that Fiorentina did not deserve it. However, the club remained in Serie B and managed to finish the 2003-04 season in sixth place. This put the Viola in a two-legged playoff against Perugia (the 15th-place finisher in Serie A) for a top-flight place during the next season. Fiorentina completed their remarkable comeback by winning the match 2–1 on aggregate, with both goals scored by Enrico Fantini, to gain promotion back to Serie A. In their first season back in Italian football's top flight the club struggled to avoid relegation, only securing survival on the last day of the season and only avoiding a relegation playoff based on their head-to-head record against Bologna and Parma. In 2005, Della Valle decided to appoint Pantaleo Corvino as new sports director.

Aberdeen need to have more ambition

2010-02-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

Aberdeen FC need higher attendances and should only be ambitious in the transfer market.
Instead of prioritizing buying players from Swindon just buy good SPL players who are known to be better than average like Serverin and Nicholson.
Buy Good youth players from Celtic and Rangers but only those who have done well for club such as Burke, Charlie Adam quality not some player who never played from them.
isle of man houses

Big countries should share out European TV money

2010-02-16T06:52:00.000-08:00

The big countries should share out European TV money.
In the UEFA / Europa cup if you draw a big club from a big country you get to keep all the TV money from the home match. In the European cup all TV money is given back to the big nations sides regardless of where the game was played.
Say if Hamilton draw Lyon in the UEFA/ Europa Cup.
In the home game Hamilton get all the TV money the french pay to watch the home Hamilton V Lyon game.
In the European cup all that money is just given to Lyon.
As money is allocated at the end of the season to the countries by UEFA directly according to the TV audiences.
This just means small sides never get the TV deals they can get in the UEFA cups. Sin giving the big clubs an advantage.

Swansea and Cardiff should join Welsh league

2010-02-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

Why not what are they going to win in the English leagues?
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Celtic and Rangers make Scottish football lack unity

2010-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Celtic and Rangers division is the reason Scottish football often fails. It causes a lack of unity in the national team. That causes the team to fail to reach the knockout stages of tournaments.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Wrexham should join the Welsh league

2010-02-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

Wrexham should join the Welsh league.
At present they are in the conference why is that any better than playing in a Welsh league they could win every year and get into the Europe Champions league from.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Put English clubs in the Welsh Marches in the Welsh league

2010-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

My idea is to have the English league sides such as Cardiff City, Wrexham Swansea City Newport and Merthy Tydfil in the Welsh league but allow English sides from the Welsh - English borders into the league. So that clubs such as Hereford, Shrewsbury, Chester etc could join. At present Welsh sides do poorly in Europe as the English based sides refuse to play in the league is to get Welsh marches sides into the league. Currently a small number of teams based in Wales play in the English leagues, of which Cardiff City and Swansea City are in the Football League. Other teams that play in the English leagues are Wrexham, Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay. I would like to put all of these teams in the Welsh league. Now the problem is that these clubs to do not want to play in a league that gets attendances of a few 100 instead of playing in a league where the teams get thousands watching their matches. But if we invite English sides from Welsh borders, into the league, with the Welsh sides, (based in the English league) from the old Welsh Marches that would mean a few larger sides in the league. That would surely be an attractive proposition for the teams to play in.

The Council of Wales, based at Ludlow Castle, was reconstituted as the Council of Wales and the Marches, with statutory responsibilities for the whole of Wales together with, initially, Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

Now obviously we would struggle to get clubs that get into the championship into the Welsh league, but say clubs like Chester or Shrewsbury that are never going to do much in the English league, they may want to play in the Welsh league. As they could win Welsh cups, Welsh league cups, the Welsh league and play in Europe.

The target clubs to attract to the Welsh league from England would be A) the Welsh clubs in the league and B) small clubs in the Welsh marches that are not big enough to do much in England but big enough to make an impact in Welsh Marches league.

So this would be

Welsh sides in English league to invite

A) Cardiff, Wrexham, Swansea, Colwyn Bay, Merthyr, Newport

B) English sides from the Welsh Marches

The major clubs to bring in

Chester City, Shrewsbury Town, Gloucester City A.F.C, Hereford United Football Club

Big towns in the English countruis in the Welsh Marches

Cheshire

Big towns in Cheshire

Ceremonial county District Centre of administration Other Towns or Cities
Cheshire Cheshire East (unitary) Sandbach Alsager, Bollington, Crewe, Congleton, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Middlewich, Nantwich, Wilmslow
Cheshire West and Chester (unitary) Chester Ellesmere Port, Frodsham, Malpas, Neston, Northwich, Winsford
Halton (borough) (unitary) Widnes Runcorn
Warrington (borough) (unitary) Warrington (none)

So in Cheshire, Chester City, Runcorn, Macclesfield could all join.

Big Towns in Shropshire

Telford, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Newport, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Shifnal, Bayston Hill, Wem

So towns that would be big enough to join could be Telford, Shewsbury, Wellington, and Oswerstry already have a side.

Big towns in Herefordshire

The major settlements in the county include Hereford, which is the county town and Herefordshire's only city, as well as the towns of Leominster, Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye, Kington and Bromyard.

So Hereford United could be a good side to bring in, with maybe Leominister.

Big towns in Worcestershire

The county town and only city is Worcester. The other major settlements, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove and Redditch are satellite towns of Birmingham. There are also several market towns: Malvern, Bewdley, Evesham, Droitwich Spa, Pershore, and Tenbury Wells.

So big towns to bring into the league from here couold be Worcester City F.C, Kidderminster Harriers F.C, Redditch United F.C, Malvern Town FC

Big towns in Gloucestershire

Cheltenham, Cirencester, Gloucester

So just Cheltenham Town, Cirenchester and Gloucester City A.F.C. from Gloucestershire

Also the other borders sides such as Bristol City, and Bristol Rovers, and Tranmere Rovers could be invited to.

So imagine the Welsh sides and Chester City, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Telford, Shewsbury, Wellington, Hereford United, Leominister, Worcester City FC, Kidderminster Harriers F.C, Redditch United F.C, Malvern Town FC, Cheltenham Town, Cirenchester and Gloucester City AFC could all join the league with Cardiff, Swansea, Colwyn Bay, Newport and Merthyr. Plus possibly Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Bath, and Tranmere Rovers. that would surely equal a strong league that could attract sponsors and interest, and do well in Europe.

An ideal target could be a 20 team league of

1. Cardiff

2. Swansea

3. Colwyn Bay

4. Newport

5. Merthyr
6. Wrexham

7. Cheltenham Town

8. Kidderminster Harriers F.C

9. Hereford United

10. Telford

11. Gloucester City

12. Cheltenham Town

13. Chester City

14. Macclesfield

15. Runcorn

16. Rhyl

17. Bangor City

18. Llanelli

19. TNS

20. Carmarthen Town

A league to match any in Europe. Plus we could have Bristol City, Bristol Rovers too.

I had this idea on the 21st of July 2009, but have decided to write it up on the 23rd of July 2009, then today I posted it on my blog.

Record League Champions of 2009
Rank Club Titles Years
1 Barry Town 7 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
2 Total Network Solutions/The New Saints 4 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007
3 Bangor City 2 1994, 1995
3 Rhyl 2 2004, 2009
4 Cwmbran Town 1 1993
4 Llanelli 1 2008

Welsh Marches League System
isle of man houses

An examination of the eras of non old firm domination in Scottish league reasons why

2010-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

An examination of the eras of non old firm domination in Scottish league reasons why?
Between 1970 and 1996 Aberdeen won 3 league titles, 6 Scottish cups, and 4 league cups, and the cup winners cup and a super cup.
This almost alone has made Aberdeen the third biggest trophy winning team in Scotland.
Outside of the era Aberdeen won one title, a Scottish cup, and 1 league cup.
Which would put them level with the likes of East Fife.
Equally Hearts won only two titles in the 20th century, and Hibs have not won a Scottish cup since the 1900s. Why would these 3 clubs that are obviously the 3rd, 4th and 5tgh bi clubs have such a poor record of non trophy wining eras?
While Celtic and Rangers barely go a couple of years without winning.
Why?
What accounts for the short period of domination years of Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibs dominance and why so many failures?
For Aberdeen the explanation could be is that football was stronger in the Industrial revolution areas, and Aberdeen was up in the north east. Two of the worst results for Scottish football were for Aberdeen teams 36-0 and 35-0, Aberdeen were only founded in 1903 and failed to win a trophy til after WW2.
Perhaps not only did WW1, and WW2 damage British football compared to other nations, but the social dislocation harmed the industrial revolution also harmed industrial heartlands and it also saw Aberdeen starting to win trophies. After WW2 Hibs had their only great era with 3 titles, as too in the fifties and early 60s Hearts had a small era of two league titles and Dundee and Kilmarnock had a small era,of one title each, while Celtic had a terrible era with only one trophy between WW2 and 1966. Equally the area of Motherwell won a league title before the 1940s but won none after.
So perhaps post WW2 Scotland industrial areas were in decline, but Rangers and Celtic got their act together but then the oil boom helped Aberdeen and then saw Aberdeen develop their own era where other than Queens Park Aberdeen had the only non old firm dominant era.
The most astonishing lack of trophies is for Edinburgh, not Aberdeen or Dundee as they have had some good eras of trophy winning.
What is astonishing is the lack of trophies for Hearts and Hibs considering they had good teams in the 19C.
What on earth lies at the route of the lack of Hearts and Hibs lack of trophy wins considering they won trophies in the 19C and early 20C. Considering they had claims as the 3rd and 4th teams in Scotland until the 80s. When Aberdeen took over and took their place in trophy wins. Well maybe it was that Edinburgh is not such an industrial era while in the 20s and 30s Glasgow produced Motherwell and Airdrie and Clyde to win trophies. East Fife and Dunfermline and Raith Rovers showed an industrial era winning trophies.

So maybe the main reason is that Hearts and Hibs have not won trophies is because of the lack of industrial region.
So the more industrial places won more trophies. Fife, Glasgow West of Scotland.
The greatest gap in trophy win is Hearts 60s to 90s. The explanation for that would be Aberdeen and Dundee United did so well. While Rangers and Celtic were still strong.
But if you look at Scottish football history there is some correlation between size of club and support of team and trophy wins in terms of history.
But the anomaly is how come Rangers and Celtic have been so dominant in Scottish football. Well it must be that Glasgow is the biggest city, and there success and rivalry breed more support and a deep base for support than any other place. Glasgow was well over double the size of Edinburgh in the early 20c.
And today their history of success has established them as the two super teams of Scottish football just as much as the success of Hibs and Hearts have established them as the two super teams of Edinburgh.
The only time Hearts and Hibs did well in winning league titles was just after WW2, and the 1900s and 19C.
Perhaps this astonishing anomaly of the lack of trophy wins for the two large Edinburgh teams can be explained by the enormity of the Rangers and Celtic in Scottish football. Because of the enormity of the population of Glasgow and West of Scotland compared to the rest of the country and the deep rivalry and working class nature of the region.
Perhaps it is only when seeing the anomaly of Aberdeen in the 70s, 80s and 90s that lack of trophies for Edinburgh seems odd. The explanation could be that industrial Scotland after WW2 was in decline while Aberdeen was growing in an oil boom but then again what about Dundee not famed for any advantages of the oil boom and was itself was quite industrial.
So why did Dundee succeed with their trophy eras. I would say Dundee FC won their trophy in the era when Celtic were not up to much. As too in the era when Hearts and Aberdeen won in the fifties and early sixties. Then Celtic go their act together I was say it was WW2 that struck Celtic down.
Why did Dundee United succeed in two league cups one title, and UEFA cup final. Perhaps it was because it was an era of Scottish decline across Scotland and this to some extent affected Edinburgh even if it was not that industrial it affected the West of Scotland including Glasgow.
But anyhow Dundee United's era was in the same eras Aberdeen. Maybe they got a knock on from the oil boom too.
If you look at Aberdeen and Dundee United in the eighties they had the same strategy both had young managers who brought through their own young talent.
The 1995 - 2010 era has seen Aberdeen and Dundee United in the top rank of Scottish football but the only teams to win trophies are Hearts 2 cups Hibs 1 league cup Livingstone 1 league cup and Kilmarnock 1 Scottish cup this was the most dominant era for Scottish football for the Old firm why this the Taylor report, the Bosman report and the increasing fiance aspect of football.
Maybe it was the capital city clubs of Edinburgh are now doing well because of the increasing importance of the capital in Scottish life my prediction is that Edinburgh may return to be a trophy winning region.
While the new firm may keep apace.
So maybe a big 6 has develped in Scottish football with Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Celtic Rangers, Dundee Utd. This was not so much the case in the past. Because the dislocating effects of the Bosman and Taylor reforms, have been warned off, and coped with, so now these clubs have sorted out and are using commercialization to be where they are aswell.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Isle of Man Football

2010-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

The Isle of Man Football League is a football league for clubs on the Isle of Man run by the Isle of Man Football Association. The league does not form part of the English football league system. All clubs on the island are amateur.

List of League winners

1896–97: Peel
1897–98: Gymnasium
1898–99: Ramsey
1899–00: Ramsey
1900–01: Ramsey
1901–02: Ramsey
1902–03: Gymnasium
1903–04: Gymnasium
1904–05: Gymnasium
1905–06: Gymnasium
1906–07: Peel
1907–08: Ramsey
1908–09: Douglas Wanderers
1909–10: Douglas Wanderers
1910–11: Ramsey
1911–12: Ramsey
1912–13: Ramsey
1913–14: Castletown Metropolitan
1914–15-1918–19 (no competition due to World War I)
1919–20: Gymnasium
1920–21: Ramsey
1921–22: Peel
1922–23: Castletown Metropolitan
1923–24: Castletown Metropolitan
1924–25: Castletown Metropolitan
1925–26: Rushen United
1926–27: Ramsey
1927–28: Coly
1928–29: St Marys
1929–30: Braddan
1930–31: Braddan
1931–32: Peel
1932–33: Peel
1933–34: Peel
1934–35: Peel
1935–36: Rushen United
1936–37: Braddan
1937–38: Braddan
1938–39-1945–46 (no competition due to World War II)
1946–47: Onchan
1947–48: Peel
1948–49: Peel
1949–50: Castletown Metropolitan
1950–51: Castletown Metropolitan
1951–52: Ramsey
1952–53: Peel
1953–54: Peel
1954–55: Peel
1955–56: RAF Jurby
1956–57: St Georges
1957–58: Peel
1958–59: Peel
1959–60: Peel
1960–61: St Georges
1961–62: St Georges
1962–63: Peel
1963–64: Peel
1964–65: Peel
1965–66: Peel
1966–67: Douglas High School Old Boys
1967–68: Pulrose United
1968–69: Pulrose United
1969–70: Pulrose United
1970–71: Pulrose United
1971–72: Peel
1972–73: Peel
1973–74: Peel
1974–75: Peel
1975–76: Peel
1976–77: Peel
1977–78: Rushen United
1978–79: Rushen United
1979–80: Rushen United
1980–81: Rushen United
1981–82: Castletown Metropolitan
1982–83: Douglas High School Old Boys
1983–84: Peel
1984–85: Rushen United
1985–86: Rushen United
1986–87: Gymnasium
1987–88: Rushen United
1988–89: Douglas High School Old Boys
1989–90: Douglas High School Old Boys
1990–91: Douglas High School Old Boys
1991–92: St Georges
1992–93: Pulrose United
1993–94: St Georges
1994–95: St Georges
1995–96: St Marys
1996–97: Douglas High School Old Boys
1997–98: St Marys
1998–99: Castletown Metropolitan
1999–00: Peel
2000–01: Peel
2001–02: Peel
2002–03: St Marys
2003–04: St Georges
2004–05: St Georges
2005–06: Laxey
2006–07: St Georges
2007–08: St Georges
2008–09: Peel

St Georges AFC. are a football club from Douglas on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and they play in amber and black kits. They play their home games at Glencrutchery Road in Douglas. Formed in 1919, St George's have been the dominant force in the Isle of Man's top division for a few years.

Peel Association Football Club are a football club from Peel on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and they wear red, white and black kit. They play their home games at the Peel FC Football Ground, Douglas Road in Peel. Formed in 1888, they are the most successful club on the island with 29 league titles and 30 victories in the Manx FA Cup. They were the first winners of the Isle of Man Football League in 1897.

Gymnasium FC are a football club from Douglas on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League. They wear a navy and white shirt, black shorts, black socks and play their home games at Tromode Park in Douglas. Gymnasium AFC was founded in 1889 by a group of businessmen who wanted to keep fit. They met at the old Douglas Gymnasium and initially played rugby before making the switch to football. Gymns were one of 8 teams that initially made up the official Manx Football League.

Castletown Metropolitan FC are a football club from Castletown on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and wear a red and white kit.

Pulrose United AFC. are a football club from Douglas on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and wear a red and black kit. They play their home games at Groves Road in Douglas. Formed in 1932, they won their first trophy in the 1967-68 season when they were First Division champions.

Rushen United FC are a football club from Port Erin on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League. The team wear yellow and black stripes kit and play their home games at Croit Lowey in Port Erin. Formed in September 1910 following a civic meeting at St Catherines Church Hall in Port Erin. The club motto is Moryn Vannin, which in Manx roughly means the "The Pride of Mann". The club has a reserve team who compete in the Isle of Man Football Combination as well as a ladies team and a junior academy.

Ramsey AFC is a football club from Ramsey on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League and they wear a blue and white kit, and a change strip of all red. They play their home games at the Ballacloan Stadium in Ramsey. Formed in 1885, they are the oldest and one of the most successful clubs in the Isle of Man Football League. Much of that success though came in the last part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century.

The Isle of Man national football team is the national football team of the Isle of Man and is controlled by the Isle of Man Football Association. The team plays in a yellow and red home kit and an all navy blue away kit.

The Isle of Man are not members of FIFA or UEFA, as the Isle of Man FA are members of The Football Association (The FA), with similar status to an English county. Since they are not a member of either FIFA or UEFA, they are not eligible to enter either the World Cup or European Championship, nor are their league clubs eligible for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup. It does not participate in these international competitions (it is a crown dependency of the UK and not a sovereign nation), even though it is larger than Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and the Faroe Islands. The Isle of Man therefore is limited to different forms of competition.

The main competition the Isle of Man national football team takes part in is the biennial Football at the Island Games. Isle of Man has won three Silver Medals in 1993, 1999 and 2003.

isle of man houses

Create a new fourth division

2010-02-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

What about getting all the reserve teams and top junior, east of scotland league and south of scotland league and highland league
I would have a northern league of reserves sides of Aberdeen, Dunde United, Dundee, St Johnstone , Inverness and top highland league sides and Tayport.
Plus a southern league of all the other SPL or first division sides with reserves teams from the south such as Celtic and Rangers reserves and Hearts and Hibs reserves. Real sides in the division would be auchinleck talbot, clydebank, Irvine, Gretna. Even get in Newcastle United reserves.
The real reserve only league do not work as they do not preapre teams for realk football, so how about creating a league with plenty of real first team sides in the leagues too.
http://isleofmanhouses.blogspot.com/

Small teams are real test

2010-02-13T04:36:00.000-08:00

Any team can do well on big money. Any country can do well when it has a large population. But what about sides that did well without money, and low populations that is the real test of a region and side's ability at soccer.
Who cares if Man City win tones of titles on the back of some rich guys millions.
What does that say about Man City? nothing
Who cares if Brazil have won 4 world cups when they are far bigger than any other football nation?
What does it say about a small town or city winning trophy after trophy on no money.
The most successful teams in British football are
1. Nottingham Forest
2. Aberdeen
3. Ipswich
4. Dundee United

The most successful international slides are
1. Uruguay.
2. Croatia
3. Denmark
4. Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic

The most overrated achievements
Real Madrid and Brazil
Wow clubs with lots of money and countries with lots of people win lots of football trophies who cares?

Western European Super league

2010-02-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

Western European Super league
My idea for football is the western European Super league.
So instead of the old firm joining the English premier league they could create a new league with countries in Western Europe outside of the big leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
The wide area
A league in Western Europe could encompass teams from, Scotland, Holland, Portugal, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Faeroe Islands, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Massive population region
This region has a combined population of 100 million, without the major Western European nations, that is larger than any country in Western Europe. OK I accedpt the likes of Anodraa and the Faroes are unlikely to prodce any teams to qualify for this league, but they could play in the qualifciation tournament. Nations like Portugal and Holland have plenty of large sides, for this set up.

Continue with both Domestic and the new League
The set up would be that each league carries on with their national league but cuts the number of games in half to 18 - 24 games per league. This would open up a new spot for another league for 18 - 24 games. Qualification for European trophies such as the Europa cup, would still come from performances in domestic trophies.
So for instance the scottish league would be cut from playing eachother 3 - 4 times a year to just two times a year, to just 22 games a year, instead of the current 38. Opening up 16 more weeks, to play another league this would be the western european super league.
The first half of the year would be the scottish league, the second the western european super league.
The Scottish sides that do not qualify to play in the Western European league could have extra competitions to make up for the loss of games such as an anglo scottish cup, bringing back the group stages bringing back the tennents sixes tournament.
So you could have two leagues run over the year instead.
In Mexico they have a winter and summer league so you can run two leagues a year.
These countries have some massive teams which together would form a strong league. Yet it would enable to continue to run their own leagues to qualify for European competition from.

The Set up of the league
Premier 21 teams play eachother once a year. 4 teams relegated each year.
First division 21 teams Play eachother once a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
Second divsion Play eachother twice a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
A qualification tournament for sides to qualifty for the league.
There is no limit on the number of teams from each country in the league.
Some might say well how can you only play eachother once a year. Well they do that in the FA and Scottish cup in soccer, in the six nations in rugby, the NFL in American football against sides outside their conference. 20 matches would be enough games against big teams to determine the champions of the league. You do not need to play eachother home and way as there are plenty of big teams to draw in crowds for the home matches.
10 home and away matches a year is enough to make income but also prevent the tedium of a long season where you travel huge distances for mid table mediocrity as you would do if it was just a 40 game league.

Problems with joining the English League
My issue with joining the English leagues is clubs like Rangers and Celtic could go years without winning a trophy or qualifying for Europe. While by having both a Scottish league and European League they would gets the best of both, they would a domestic league to win trophies in and qualify for Europe from, and a major league with very large teams to play against. They could have their cake and eat it. Rather than watching somebody else (mainly Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) eat the cake in the English league

Compare the worst that can happen in English Leagues to the worst in this set up
If Rangers got relegated to the English second division they would have no chance of winning major trophies no European football and no massive sides playing them. Plus if Rangers or Celtic were just middle table cannon fodder in the English Premier they might never win trophies or qualify for Europe. This is the entire genius of my idea. If Rangers were relegated to Second divsion of the European league they would still be playing in the SPL challenging for the title , cups and qualiftying for Europe. So you do not give the self defeating goal of joining the English league to do better in Europe but never qualifying for Europe because the side are not big enough to get a European place in the English league.
This way even a poor Rangers or Celtic team will still challenge for trophies in the Scottish league and qualify for Europe, even when in the second divsion of the Western European super league.

Each team on a level playing field
If Scottish sides join the English league they will be playing a in a foreign league who will have a financial and nationalistic reasons to support the English sides over Scottish sides. Plus in the English league, all Celtic and Rangers previous history will be written off with them, starting off on zero trophies, compared to other teams starting off with 100 + years of history. How ridiculous is that? In the Western European Super league they would be starting off on zero league titles but so will every other team. Plus no one country will dominate referees or other ideas that could bias leagues going to one country. While if you just play in another countries league it is a bit naive to think they will give you the same treatment as their own sides.

Compare the teams in each league
A typical Premier might have
1 Ajax
2 PSV
3 Feyenoord.
4 Benfica
5 Porto
6 Sporting Lisbon
7 Rapid Vienna
8 Celtic
9 Rangers
10 Anderlecht
11 Club Brugges
12 Copenhagen
13 Grasshopers Zurich
14 Basle
15 Vittese Arnhem
16 Boavista
17 IFK
18 AIK
19 Rosenborg
20 Standard Liege
21 Slavia Prague

A first divison might have
1 Mechelen
2 Malmo
3 Hearts
4 Brondby
5 Sparta Prague
6 Brann Bergen
7 Austria Vienna
8 Genk
9 SC Braga
10 Vitoria De Guimaraes
11 Twente
12 SC Heerenveen
13 ADO Den Haag
14 Gronigen
15 Germinal Beerschot
16 FC St. Gallen
17 AZ Alkmaar
18 Roda JC
20 FK Teplice
21 Neuchâtel Xamax

Second division
1 Aberdeen
2 Stabæk
3 Vålerenga
4 Viking Fotballklubb
5 IFK Norrköping
6 Helsingborgs IF
7 BSC Young Boys
8 Sturm Graz
9 Haka
10 Odense Boldklub

More glamorous sides
In my view this league would not just be as big as the EPL but bigger plus would have more glamorous teams from more different nations and far more glamorous cities. Lets face it what is better a trip to Vienna or Birmingham, Copenhagen or Coventry, Lisbon or Swansea, Swindon or Amsterdam.
With all respect to those English and Welsh cities. Remember this league would have national capitals. The lower leagues of England are just provincial cities.
OK toward the bottom you do not get sides like Man Utd, but that is true of every league. Look at the 52nd the best team in England, or Italy, or Germany.
North East and South East leagues too
I would support a similar set up for North East Europe and a South East European league.

This league would give an opportunity for smaller countries to play in bigger leagues, while keeping their own national leagues running, so not destroying their own leagues.
Plus have a small anglo scottish cup too.
isle of man houses

Scotland should cut down on obbesseion with football.

2010-02-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

We should cut down on football as a nation, as a national sport. The record of Scotland at football is abysmal, when you consider the facts. Despite being more obsessed with football than virtually any other nation and we helped push the sport forward, we were one of the first two nations to play international football, yet incredibly our reward for this in official international football consists of Qualifying for 8 world cups none of which we got past the first round in, this is statistically ridiculous. In club tournaments despite Celtic and Rangers being massive clubs we have won just 3 trophies. Less than the individual display of single clubs sides like Ajax, Porto, Liverpool, and Manchester United.

In fact the gods of football decided that our first game in the world cup tournament would be a 7-0 defeat to Uruguay, the sort of result a very very poor San Marino team would get. This from the nation that played the first international game. The game seems to be a cruel joke on our nation, utterly gut wrenching, poverty of results, and achievements.

I hate the game now.

Defeats in world cups to teams like Costa Rica, Peru, Morocco, draws with Iran and Norway in world cups, 7-0, 4-1, 3-0 defeats in trophy. The whole sport is a cruel, cruel joke. It will just get worse.

England will be the biggest country in Europe soon in terms of population, we will be a backwater obsessed with a sport that our nearest rivals will win and win again at, and that we will do nothing except waste tones of misery on.

I hate football. It is waste of time, we are obviously not genetically predisposed for the sport compared to other nations.

Look at displays like Croatia, even the Irish managed to get to a world cup consisting of English rejects, where is the justice in that. We are obsessed with the sport and get nowhere the Irish barely care about the sport get a bunch of English rejects, and an average English boss, with clod hopper tactics, and reach the quarter finals in 1990. Even With Alex Ferguson in 1986 we got 1 point in a group. The whole sport is a cruel cruel nasty joke.

It honestly is the worst sport in the world.

I loved playing football growing up, but we have done well at other sports, but not football considering what we put into it. From an evolutionary perspective what is the point in being a fan of a sport you are rubbish at.

From an evolutionary perspective it is like saying OK so animal A can fly and can fight best in the air, Animal b can swim and can fight best in the water. This is like saying animal A decides to fight animal b in the water. It will just get killed for it's stupidity.

Us making football out national sport is like that, evolutionary stupidity.

Even the English are pretty poor at the sport they only won one world cup by cheating at home, but the big wigs in football did them, a favour and let them win a cup, we will never get a break like that in this horrible, horrible awful sickening miserable game. But England are such a big nation now in terms of population they will always have a chance, and their fans base for their club sides is so big they will dominate European trophies, while we just sit their getting walloped.

The big countries in Europe get to keep all their TV revenue in European cup football, Which is pretty unfair as Why should Manchester United get all the English TV money when the game is held in Slovakia, that does not happen in cup matches in England If Man Utd play Ipswich in the FA cup in Ipswich they do not give all the Man Utd audience money to Man Utd. No wonder big countries dominate the game, even when English or German sides play in another country in the European cup all the tv revenue goes to the German or English side. The whole game is structured to be unfair

I hate football it is a horrible, horrible sport in terms of results.

It is getting worse and worse and worse. English clubs dominate Europe, Scottish clubs becomes backwaters despite the fact that actually per capita we put more into the sport, than any other nation. Who ever the god of football is it certainly someone who decided to place Scotland way down the list on terms of potential, with little cruel mind games to build us up then crush us. One minute we France home and away but we still don't qualify. In 1954, one minute we beat Spain then lose 7-0 to Uruguay.

I mean this can't we find another sport analyze what we would be good at as a people, a sport that we helped create and have a good historical record to fall back on and be proud of.

The most gut wrenching record is out bizarre display in world cups. We invented the sport and yet decided not to play in the first 4 world cups, then when we did got bizarre results, that make no sense considering we lose 7-0 to Uruguay. Look we had beaten Spain qualifying for the tournament a team who took their players from Real Madrid the world's best club, in an era when clubs sides determined your national side,. Sp we beat a great side like Spain, at the time. So we had a strong team. Yet then bang here you go total humiliation for you in your first match in the world cup. An illogical bizarre result, that made no sense, expect if the gods of football have a dislike of Scotland with a desperate desire to hurt us.

Another thing that gets me is that virtually every single big English side has won at least one European trophy, even teams like Man City, Everton, Newcastle Utd, Leeds Utd, Tottenham, Aston Villa, that barely get a chance to play in Europe. Yet all our big two sides can do is one trophy each despite playing virtually every single year in Europe. I mean Aston Villa won a European cup and they only got one league title in the modern era, Man City won a European trophy when they barely qualified for Europe ever. I can just about take Notts forest winning two European cups when they have only won one English league title, and Ipswich all big countries can produce some great sides but statistically where is the logic in virtually every single big English side , with mediocre managers, wining at least on European trophy. It makes a mockery of the fact the old firm have one European trophy each in all those years. They should have won atleast 3 or 4 each, on that basis OK the European cup was impressive but that's it one big trophy in all that time for Celtic. While even West Ham Utd won one, and they barely play in Europe.

I think we should just say get lost of to football go away get some other nation to love you, You piece of dung, you have treated us like a piece of dung, with your mind games, brutal humiliations and gut wrenching failure.

It is not as if we are poor at sport. We have had world champions in individual snooker, team snooker, formula one, team golf, majors in golf, rally driving. Look at our display in rugby an almost mirror image of football on the international stage. We were the first nation to play an international game at that sport too. It took longer for a world cup to start in that sport yet despite that we have qualified past the group stages in every world cup, and even reached fourth place in one tournament despite not even being bothered with the sport as a nation. In American football the Scottish claymores won the world bowl. In tennis we have had a US open runner up last year. Other sports have rewarded us with as much and even more than we deserve. Soccer has been a total nightmare, an awful nasty game.

The rugby gods seem to treat Scotland with respect, the soccer gods seem to mock us like idiots, pushing us down and down every year. It seems to get worse and worse, the gods of football seem to play how far can we push them. Like some ruthless evil torturer.

Honestly if football got expelled from history, our national reputation as a sporting nation would be better not worse, which just shows how football has treated us as a sport, considering we helped invent the sport.

Also football players get bizarre sickengly large wages that beggar belief, another reason to hate football.

My steps would be let's follow rugby, or ice hockey, or hockey or volleyball, or rugby league, or some other sports.

Instead of every small town in Scotland having a pro football side, we should have different sports for each town, or each region. Greenock could support an ice hockey team, Ayr a volleyball side, Kirkcaldy a rugby league side, Edinburgh could get behind their rugby union side, and make them one of the biggest in the world. Dundee could get behind a hockey side. Perth could get behind a pro Gaelic games side. Then we could follow other sports.

Do we need a national sport? We could try lots of different ones and pick and choose and do ok at all of them, rather than putting all our eggs in a basket which seems to smash every time.

The only sport I hate more than football for out national sporting reputation, is cricket in what it has done for Scotland. The English decided that we would play virtually as a county of England. It was some bizarre sport where England decided they represented the whole of the UK. In fact we did not even get that honor, of being treated as English country, no Scottish side played in the county league, until recently, with our best players playing for England we did not even have a real national side until recently, by which time we are once again way behind other nations to make any real impression ever on the sport. Another sport where offically we look like some backwater nation that only took up the sport recently when we one of the first nations to play it. So I hate cricket even more than football. I hope cricket dies out too. I really mean it football is an awful awful sport for our national record. It is a pity it is such fun to play I have devoted so much of my life’s emotional and intellectual energy to the game but in the end it is a horror story which just seems to produce misery results. I just have a growing intense feeling the gods of football are Scot haters. Who decided ok lets help them, invent a sport they will be rubbish at, and encourage them to be obsessed with it.

The sports that makes Scotland look OK in terms of our record are rugby, Snooker, Formula one, Rally driving, cycling, Golf, squash. With honorable mentions for our record in rugby league where we get a bunch of English rejects and do pretty well, considering no one plays the sport. So the English have been kind to us there in giving us a fake good record at the sport. So I am not taking this out on England. I am not blaming England for our record at football either. The English soccer authorities were pretty good to Scotland in the early years they did not decided to quash us as a nation like cricket did and they happened us with Wembley annual matches. But let’s be honest England has a pretty poor record as a nation at football that has been a relief for us, but imagine if we lose that. The sport will be utter agony then, utter utter uncontrollable agony.

My ideas with football are give up the damn sport, join up with some other country let their record do well for us and take up other sports instead as far as club and national sport goes. I really hate the gods of football. My message to them is you have goaded us and bullied us for too long, go away, you are no longer our national sport.

My plan is

We should diversify small Scottish towns should become dominate at one sport rather than football.

In Wales Llanelli is a good rugby town, that should be an example for our towns, concentrate on a sport other than soccer make a name for yourself big time.

I want to see small Scottish towns turning over to certain sports such as

One could play rugby union

One could play rugby league

one could play curling,

one could play volleyball

one could play netball

one could play ice hockey

one could play archery

one could play field hockey

one could play water polo

one could play gaelic football

one could play hurling

one could play baseball

one could play American football

one could play shinty as many do already.

The scottish government could subsidize the pro teams in different sports in these areas. Regions could turn over to certain sports like the borders does rugby.
Imagine if we had teams in the gaelic football it would be fun to see them, and we could watch with no expectation..
At present we put 80% in to soccer, 18% into rugby and about 2% into other sports,. Lets cut our interest in football in half. It is a horrible horrible sport in what it has given us back.
isle of man houses blog

Real Isle of Man

2010-02-13T04:09:00.000-08:00

Real Isle of Man Map

The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.
Ramsey, Douglas, Laxey, Castletown, Port St Mary, Port Erin, Peel
RDLCPPP
qwqwqw.21321323@yahoo.com

Are Rangers really in trouble?

2010-02-13T04:01:00.000-08:00

I do not believe Rangers are in serious trouble yet.
They still have Scottish and Northern Irish internationals playing for them on huge wages. Where is the evidence that they have serious issues?
They have sold only a few players. only
They got a player at the start of the year on 15,000 a week, offerred Boyd nearly 20,000 a week.
That is more than entire weekly wage of some entire SPL sides. Yet they still claim they are deaths door. OK so they are not as rich as they used to be. But it seems an excuse to silence fans and make it easier to sell the club after cutting costs.
It is like a rich man saying times are tough, I can barely afford to keep my 3 rolls royces maintained. I may have to sell one of them. Well maybe. I certainly won't be able to buy anymore for while.
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1983 Aberdeen FC - Euro Giants

2010-02-13T03:58:00.001-08:00

1983 Aberdeen FC - Euro Giants

isle of man houses

A west European league would be great

2010-02-13T03:46:00.000-08:00

Scottish football is getting more and more boring every year it is always celtic and rangers dominating year after year, far more than they did even in the past, but this is because it is a cartel. Where no clubs have an opportunity to grow. But I do not want scottish football to be taken away. Or to follow English soccer instead.
So how about we get celtic and rangers to create a west european super league with other big sides in other small countries.
We cut the scottish season in half to 22 games a year and have an extra league created for scottish sides to play in
First half of the year the scottish league which determines qualification for europe
Second half of the year A European league.

western european super league

Western European Super league

2010-02-13T03:31:00.000-08:00

Western European Super league
My idea for football is the western European Super league.
So instead of the old firm joining the English premier league they could create a new league with countries in Western Europe outside of the big leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
A league in Western Europe could encompass teams from, Scotland, Holland, Portugal, Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Faeroe Islands, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Massive population region
This region has a combined population of 100 million, without the major Western European nations, that is larger than any country in Western Europe. OK I accedpt the likes of Anodraa and the Faroes are unlikely to prodce any teams to qualify for this league, but they could play in the qualifciation tournament. Nations like Portugal and Holland have plenty of large sides, for this set up.

Continue with both Domestic and the new League
The set up would be that each league carries on with their national league but cuts the number of games in half to 18 - 24 games per league. This would open up a new spot for another league for 18 - 24 games. Qualifi8cation for European trophies such as the Europa cup, would still come from performances in domestic trophies.
So for instance the scottish league would be cut from playing eachother 3 - 4 times a year to just two times a year, to just 22 games a year, instead of the current 38. Opening up 16 more weeks, to play another league this would be the western european super league.
The first half of the year would be the scottish league, the second the western european super league.
So you could have two leagues run over the year instead.
In Mexico they have a winter and summer league so you can run two leagues a year.
These countries have some massive teams which together would form a strong league. Yet it would enable to continue to run their own leagues to qualify for European competition from.

The Set up of the league
Premier 21 teams play eachother once a year. 4 teams relegated each year.
First division 21 teams Play eachother once a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
Second divsion Play eachother twice a year. 4 teams promoted and relegated
A qualification tournament for sides to qualifty for the league.
There is no limit on the number of terasm form each country in the league.
Some might say well how can you only play eachother once a year. Well they do that in the FA and Scottish cup in soccer, in the six nations in rugby, the NFL in American football against sides outside their conference. 20 matches would be enough games against big teams to determine the champions of the league. You do not need to play eachother home and way as there are plenty of big teams to draw in crowds for the home matches.
10 home and away matches a year is enough to make income but also prevent the tedium of a long season where you travel huge distabnces for mid table mediocrity as you would do if it was just a 40 game league.

Problems with joining the English League
My issue with joining the English leagues is clubs like Rangers and Celtic could go years without winning a trophy or qualifying for Europe. While by having both a Scottish league and European League they would gets the best of both, they would a domestic league to win trophies in and qualify for Europe from, and a major league with very large teams to play against. They could have their cake and eat it. Rather than watching somebody else (mainly Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) eat the cake in the English league

Compare the worst that can happen in English Leagues to the worst in this set up
If Ramngers got relegated to the English second division they would have no chance of winning major trophies no European football and no massive sides playing them. Plus if Rangers or Celtic wqere just middle table canno fodder in the English Premier they might never win trophies or qualify for Europe. This is the entire genius of my idea. If Rangers were relegated to Second divsion of the European league they would still be playing in the SPL challenging for the title , cups and qualiftying for Europe. So you do not give the self defeatying goal of jopiing the English league to do better in Europe but never qualifying for Europe because the side are not beig enough to get a European place in the English league.
This way even a poor Rangers or Celtic team will still challenge for trophies in the Scottish league and qualify for Europe, even when in the second divsion of the Western European super league.

Each team on a level playing field
If Scottish sides jhoin the English league they will be playing a in a foreign league wgho will have a financial and nationaslitic reasons to support the English sides over Scottish sides. Plus in the English league, all Celtic and Rangers previous history will be written off with them, starting off on zero trophies, compared to other teams starting off with 100 + years of history. How ridiculous is that? In the Western European Super league they would be starting off on zero league titles but so will every other team. Plus no one country will dominate referees or other ideas that could bias leagues going to one country. While if you just play in another countries league it is a bit naive to think they will give you the same treatment as their own sides.

Compare the teams in each league
A typical Premier might have
1 Ajax
2 PSV
3 Feyenoord.
4 Benfica
5 Porto
6 Sporting Lisbon
7 Rapid Vienna
8 Celtic
9 Rangers
10 Anderlecht
11 Club Brugges
12 Copenhagen
13 Grasshopers Zurich
14 Basle
15 Vittese Arnhem
16 Boavista
17 IFK
18 AIK
19 Rosenborg
20 Standard Liege
21 Slavia Prague

A first divison might have
1 Mechelen
2 Malmo
3 Hearts
4 Brondby
5 Sparta Prague
6 Brann Bergen
7 Austria Vienna
8 Genk
9 SC Braga
10 Vitoria De Guimaraes
11 Twente
12 SC Heerenveen
13 ADO Den Haag
14 Gronigen
15 Germinal Beerschot
16 FC St. Gallen
17 AZ Alkmaar
18 Roda JC
20 FK Teplice
21 Neuchâtel Xamax

Second division
1 Aberdeen
2 Stabæk
3 Vålerenga
4 Viking Fotballklubb
5 IFK Norrköping
6 Helsingborgs IF
7 BSC Young Boys
8 Sturm Graz
9 Haka
10 Odense Boldklub

OK toward the bottom you do not get sides like Man Utd, but that is true of every league. Look at the 52nd the best team in England, or Italy, or Germany.
North East and South East leagues too
I would support a similar set up for North East Europe and a South East European league.

This league would give an opportunity for smaller countries to play in bigger leagues, while keeping their own national leagues running, so not destroying their own leagues.
kensington and chelsea

Put Celtic and Rangers reserves in lower leagues

2010-02-13T03:23:00.000-08:00

Put Celtic and Rangers in lower leagues

Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Dundee United and Hibs should all have reserve sides in the SFL. In Spain the big clubs all have reserve sides in the Spanish second division to give their players early experience of competitive football.

Jock Stein suggested in the seventies that Celtic reserves should have a team in the second division so that the Scottish youth players could get some experience of first team football matches. In that day it was Scottish older players blocking the talented youths. So it should make even more sense in this day and age as there are even more players blocking the progress of talented youths at the big clubs.
At present Hearts, and Aberdeen are starting to buy in more foreign players so once again even more big clubs will block talented Scottish youth players.
This is done in Spain and it doesn't make the Spanish league a joke.
I can't see how this is an insult for SFL clubs. Considering the first teams of Athletic Madrid, Celta Vigo and Real Villareal have been in the Spanish second division in recent years and they are all bigger than any SFL club and in fact bigger than Aberdeen, Hearts, and Hibs. So how can it be an insult to SFL clubs to play reserve sides. Whenever big clubs send reserve sides in the cup or friendlies against SFL sides the SFL teams get big crowds. So don't pretend playing a reserve side is an insult. Anyway Celtic and Rangers have plus records against every SFL club so this would allow a the chance for a club in the SFL to have a plus record against the old firm.
The reserve teams would be limited to under 24 players. Also reserve teams would be banned from promotion and the top non reserve sides in the SFL would still be promoted. And don't tell me that club can't be promoted if it doesn't Finnish top. Every year in England due to the play offs English clubs in sixth get promoted while the side in third doesn't. And Swindon Town once got promoted to the premiership when Sunderland were banned from promotion.
And don't tell me how can players play in two different trophies in the same year. Already players can play in the SPL, league cup, SFA cup, reserve league, reserve league cup all in the same year. Players can even play for three different clubs in the league in the same year.

How else can we guarantee Scottish youth players get first team matches. Expecting the old firm to fill their clubs with Scottish players is sci fi in this day and age. Even English premiership clubs are filled with foreign players. Even Aberdeen, and Hearts are starting to do the same again. Buying in eastern European players.
We can't expect clubs to loan out entire youth teams so lets just put the entire youth team in the competitive league.
Anyway loaning out doesn't allays work. Surely it makes sense to have extra poor clubs that create more opportunities.
We need more clubs not less clubs, more pro opportunities. I am fed up with the way big club finance bosses keep pretending we need less clubs well try saying that to Scottish rugby union that the answer is to have less clubs and less players. We need more clubs at all levels. And giving more money to the big clubs just means buying in more foregin imports. We need the big clubs to have more teams so they give more opportunities.

If a player does not get match experience then how are they supposed to develop. They will not learn what they need to work, on they will not learn composure for the big matches.
The reserve league is not useful for developing players. Even Celtic struggle to get above crowds of 100. How can that develop players for international or competitive football. And the standrd is lower. Just look at Inverness Calley Thistle in the SPL, or teams that get relegated to the SFL. This is not English premiership. The fact is the Scottish premier reserve sides apart from occasionally the senior old firm reserve sides, are not as talented as top SFL clubs.
And even the old firm youth teams will struggle in the SFL first division.
If it makes sense to loan out players to the SFL then surely it makes ense to stick the entire youth team there. And why did Jock Stein (one european cup, two european cup finals, two word cups, 10 league titles) think Celtic reserves should be put in the second division. That is reason is enough for me to do this idea. And the problem if the old firm doing to well can be stopped with restrictions.
The big problem with Scottish football is lack for first team opportunities for youth players. This will create a risk free system where Scottish youth players will get regular first team football.
I think home matches would get big crowds but even if they don't the reality is away games will get big crowds so will be useful experience for youth players.
How else can we guarantee, and I mean guarantee not hope that Scottish youth players get early experience of competitive football. The big clubs can easily afford this. By leaving the premier reserve league.
I can't see how this is offensive to SFL clubs.
This can be done by expanding the SFL first division to 18 teams and bringing in 3 non league clubs. Also wouldn't the SFL clubs rather have big clubs, in the league but make sure it is not clubs that can take their promotion place. So we can increase standards in the SFL but not create a rival for promotion to the premier from other SFL clubs. It will also make our league more continental.
This is how to get Scotland back to being ranked with Eire, Sweden and Denmark as dark horses for championships.

Another idea would be to create a fourth and fifth division. Where more sides could have reserve sides, up to perhaps 20 sides from Celtic to Ross County. Then stick 20 non league and junior sides in the league. So we could have two leagues of twenty, with relegation and promotion but a ban on promotion for reserve sides to the third division. Or the two new divisions could be north and south.

This could also be done for English football with Chelsea, etc: having reserve sides in the championship or league one.

And Cardiff City could have a side in the Welsh league.

Jose Mourinho, and Rael Bentiez have said in the past they supported English top sides have such a system so why do we not do this in Scotland. I think Arsene Wenger said it too. So many top managers have voiced this an idea.

Reserves in SFL

Luxury Liverpool Apartments

2010-02-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Luxury Liverpool Apartments

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Burnley FC's Homecoming Parade - Tues 26th May 2009

2010-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Burnley FC's Homecoming Parade - Tues 26th May 2009

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Windsor House, Burnley

2010-02-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

Windsor House, Burnley

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Burnley House, Hutton-le-Hole

2010-02-05T14:43:00.001-08:00

Burnley House, Hutton-le-Hole

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Victoria House Demolition

2010-02-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

Victoria House Demolition

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Victoria House

2010-02-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

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Chicago Real Estate- Penthouse City Condo

2010-02-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

Chicago Real Estate- Penthouse City Condo

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Eedes Cottage, Petworth

2010-02-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

Eedes Cottage, Petworth

west sussex videos and information

Landseer House, Chichester

2010-02-04T15:01:00.001-08:00

Landseer House, Chichester

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West Sussex videos and information

2010-02-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

West Sussex is a diverse county; it is well known for its stately homes and castles such as Arundel Castle and Bramber Castle. Over half of the county is protected countryside, offering popular walking and cycling ground for visitors and residents alike.

Chichester is the county town of West Sussex, and the highest point of the county is Black Down,

Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor. Crawley and Worthing are the largest settlements in the county, with populations of approximately 100,000 inhabitants each. Next in size order comes Bognor Regis, on the south coast, followed by the market town of Horsham. Chichester, the county town, boasts a cathedral and city status, and is situated not far from the border with Hampshire. Other towns in alphabetical order are Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath in the Mid Sussex district, and Littlehampton in the Arun district.

Other settlements include the towns of Arundel and Shoreham-by-Sea, and the smaller settlements of Billingshurst, Copthorne, Crawley Down, Cuckfield, Henfield, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint, Lancing, Lindfield, Midhurst, Petworth, Pulborough, Rustington, Southwater, Southwick, Steyning and Storrington.

Adversane, Albourne, Aldingbourne, Aldsworth, Aldwick, Amberley, Angmering, Ansty, Apuldram, Ardingly, Arundel, Ashington, Ashurst, Ashurst Wood, Balcombe, Barlavington, Barnham, Bepton, Bignor, Billingshurst, Birdham, Bolney, Bognor Regis, Bosham, Bosham Hoe, Botolphs, Boxgrove, Bracklesham Bay, Bramber, Broadbridge Heath, Burgess Hill, Burpham, Bury, Chichester, Chidham, Chithurst, Clapham, Climping, Cocking, Coolham, Coombes, Cootham, Copthorne, Crawley, Crawley Down, Cuckfield, Dell Quay, Dial Post, Didling, Duncton, Durleighmarsh, Durrington, Earnley, Eartham, Easebourne, East Dean, East Grinstead, East Lavington, East Preston, East Wittering, Eastergate, Ebernoe, Elmer, Elsted, Felpham, Fernhurst, Ferring, Findon, Fishbourne, Fishersgate, Fittleworth, Five Oaks, Ford, Foul Mile, Fulking, Fyning, Goring by Sea, Graffham, Habin, Hammerwood, Harting, Hassocks, Haywards Heath, Henfield, Heyshott, Hill Brow, Horsham, Horsted Keynes, Houghton, Hoyle, Hurstpierpoint, Hurst Wickham, Ifield, Ifold, Iping, Keymer, Kingston by Ferring, Kingston by Sea, Kirdford, Lancing, Langley,Lavant, Linch, Linchmere, Lindfield, Littlehampton, Lodsworth, Loxwood, Lurgashall, Lyminster, Madehurst, Mannings Heath, Middleton-on-Sea, Midhurst, Milland, Monk's Gate, Newtimber, North Bersted, North Horsham, Nuthurst, Oving, Pagham, Parham, Patching, Pease Pottage, Petworth, Plaistow, Poling, Poynings, Pulborough, Pyecombe, Rake, Rogate, Rustington, Sayers Common, Selham, Selsey, Shoreham Beach, Shoreham-by-Sea, Shripney, Singleton, Slaugham, Slindon, Small Dole, Sompting, Southern Cross, South Stoke, Southbourne, Southwater, Southwick, Stedham, Steyning, Stopham, Storrington, Stoughton, Sullington, Sutton, Tangmere, Terwick, Terwick Common, Thakeham, Three Bridges, Tillington, Treyford, Trotton, Turners Hill, Twineham, Upper Beeding, Upwaltham, Walberton, Warningcamp, Washington, West Chiltington, West Dean, West Grinstead, West Lavington, West Preston, West Thorney, West Wittering, Westbourne, Westhampnett, Wick, Wisborough Green, Woodmancote, Woolbeding, Worth, Worthing, Yapton.

Blackdown, or Black Down, is the highest hill in the historic county of Sussex, at 280 metres (919 feet), and is second only to Leith Hill (294 metres, 965 feet) in south-east England.It is also the highest point in the South Downs National Park.

chichester videos and information
Littlehampton, West Sussex, Pier Road & Arun Parade

Chichester videos and information

2010-02-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings. It is the seat of a bishopric, with a 12th century cathedral, and is home to some of the oldest churches and buildings in Great Britain.

Chichester today is a local government stronghold, with three levels of government being administered there. It is also a transport hub, and the centre for culture in the region, with a Festival theatre and two art galleries. Nearby Chichester Harbour, together with the South Downs and the city walls, provide opportunities for outdoor pursuits.
Chichester - Centre of Attraction - UK

Snow falling in Chichester

Catedral de Chichester

isle of man houses

The City of Chichester is located on the River Lavant south of its gap through the South Downs. This winterbourne often dries up during the summer months, and for part of its course runs through the city in underground culverts. The City's site made it an ideal place for settlement, with many ancient routeways converging here. The oldest section lies within the Medieval walls of the city, which are built on Roman foundations.
Chichester Cathedral, founded in the 11th century, is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and contains a shrine to Saint Richard of Chichester. Its spire, built of the weak local stone, collapsed suddenly and was rebuilt during the 19th century. In the south aisle of the cathedral a window in the floor affords a view of the remains of a Roman mosaic pavement. The cathedral is unusual in Britain in having a separate bell tower a few metres away from the main building, rather than integrated into it. Within the cathedral there is a medieval tomb of a knight and his wife, the inspiration of the poem An Arundel Tomb, by Philip Larkin. A fine memorial statue also exists of William Huskisson, once member of parliament for the city, but best remembered as the first man to be run over by a railway engine. Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms were commissioned for the cathedral.
Patricia Routledge opens Chichester Charity Card Shop

Landseer House, Chichester

2010-02-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Landseer House, Chichester

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Chichester Town Centre & The Butter market

2010-02-04T14:35:00.002-08:00

Chichester Town Centre & The Butter market

isle of man houses

Chichester - Centre of Attraction

2010-02-04T14:35:00.001-08:00

Chichester - Centre of Attraction

isle of man houses blogspot

Russell Court, Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, London, WC1H 0ND

2010-02-04T02:19:00.001-08:00

Russell Court, Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, London, WC1H 0ND

isle of man houses

Queen Alexandra Mansions, Tonbridge Street, Kings Cross, London, WC1H 9DW

2010-02-04T02:17:00.000-08:00

Queen Alexandra Mansions, Tonbridge Street, Kings Cross, London, WC1H 9DW

isle of man houses

Real Estate Agent In San Diego

2010-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Real Estate Agent In San Diego

isle of man houses

Tips for Undergrads Moving to NYC

2010-02-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

Tips for Undergrads Moving to NYC

isle of man houses

Montage of Stunning Luxury House Plans

2010-01-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

Montage of Stunning Luxury House Plans

isle of man houses

How To Build A House | Home Building Movie

2010-01-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

How To Build A House | Home Building Movie

Isle of man mansions