Let's all laugh at Gretna

[Gordon EF]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7426281.stm

Gretna are down to the 3rd division with Airdrie and Stranraer moving up to the 1st and 2nd respectively.

Excellent news. Stranraer are an awful team.

oops, wrong forum.

[frasermc]

lets face it. they're all but finished.

you'd shoot a lame horse to put it put of it's misery. someone needs to do the same thing to Gretna ASAP.

p.s. i heard that Brooks Mileson was seen near Methil earlier today and is in talks about taking a controlling share in The Fifers. :p

[Gordon EF]

p.s. i heard that Brooks Mileson was seen near Methil earlier today and is in talks about taking a controlling share in The Fifers. :p

Aye right.

We've got Willie Gray.:)

[YankHibee]

Well, whatever it is Gretna does probably could be called NSR truthfully. I'll move it anyway.

[frasermc]

it seems that there are 4 teams in the running for entry to the League if, ney, when Gretna snuff it.

1. Spartans
2. Annan Athletic
3. Preston Athletic
4. Cove Rangers


i love the fact that Annan appreciate the fact that they don't have floodlights could prove a bit of a stumbling block....

[Gordon EF]

it seems that there are 4 teams in the running for entry to the League if, ney, when Gretna snuff it.

1. Spartans
2. Annan Athletic
3. Preston Athletic
4. Cove Rangers


i love the fact that Annan appreciate the fact that they don't have floodlights could prove a bit of a stumbling block....

I reckon it'll be Spartans.

[st mirren till i die]

spartans, decent support, decent ground, bit of money.

[st mirren till i die]

pronounced dead

2/6/2008

gretna: lived the dream

[Gordon EF]

R.I.P. Gretna:D:D

[lovingthegreen]

pronounced dead

2/6/2008

gretna: lived the dream

Wow, what a crazy story. Come from England, dramatically rise through the Scottish football ranks (albeit with money they couldn't afford), reach a Scottish Cup Final as a third-division squad, make it to Europe and to the SPL, then go bankrupt and out of business. :eek:

[el_urchinio]

I think the moral of this story, aside from the stuff about living within one's means, is that a village of 2000 people is just not meant to have a SPL team. Or a Div 1 team. Or a 3000-seat stadium.

[Gordon EF]

I think the moral of this story, aside from the stuff about living within one's means, is that a village of 2000 people is just not meant to have a SPL team. Or a Div 1 team. Or a 3000-seat stadium.

Hmm, I'm not sure. If a club is run incredibley well and makes the most of it's resources and gets the backing of whatever community it's in, I don't see the problem.

Obviously it's a bad idea for any club to gamble it's existence on short term success

[Red Sky]

I think the moral of this story, aside from the stuff about living within one's means, is that a village of 2000 people is just not meant to have a SPL team. Or a Div 1 team. Or a 3000-seat stadium.


And the sad upshot of that is people from villages of 2000 on buses to Ibrox and Celtic Park every weekend. Hurooh!

[el_urchinio]

Yes, let's turn everything into an anti-OF rant, why don't we? :rolleyes:

The point is that Gretna's rise, so to speak, has been akin to placing a ladder on top of a ladder to get to the top. Eventually, the ladders all collapse because solid ground is far, far below you.

And yes, the Gretna situation was unrealistic for a variety of reasons. The video-game like progression through divisions far outstripped the team's ability to attract fans. This year's ground-sharing notwithstanding, Gretna increased their average attendance by only 250 people between League 2 and League 1. That still left them with paltry 1500 people in League 1, good enough for 3rd worst average attendance. Nevermind that no SPL team has average under 4000 in the past 5 years and that in some years, the bottom team pulled in 5000. No team has gone through divisions that quickly and managed to build a solid foundation.

The other thing, again, is the issue of the size of Gretna. Most teams outside of OF cannot count in any significant way on out-of-town support, and I can't think of a single team in the top 2 divisions located in a place smaller than Gretna. Hell, I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to Scottish geography, but are there any places with League 3 teams that are smaller than Gretna? Realistically, over a period of a decade or so, with controlled growth, Gretna could've made some inroads in surrounding areas. Dumfries and Galloway, as well as Borders, have a distinct lack of professional teams, with I believe only QOTS, Stanraer, and Berwick. Only QOTS are really close to Gretna, and I suppose there are places such as Annan, Hawick, Selkirk, etc. where Gretna could have found some converts. Even then, however, the total population of D&G and Borders is some 250,000 people. Gretna would have to pull a minor miracle to get even the number of people St. Mirren or Calley attract.

Either way, I hope they replace them with a team from the Orkneys, Hebrides, or Shetland...those places are seriously underrepresented in the League. :D

[Red Sky]

Yes, let's turn everything into an anti-OF rant, why don't we? :rolleyes:

That wasn't a rant and I haven't turned 'everything' into one. :p ;)

[Gordon EF]

Hell, I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to Scottish geography, but are there any places with League 3 teams that are smaller than Gretna?

Nope, Gretna was the smallest "town" to have a senior side.

[lovingthegreen]

Population 2,705.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna%2C_Scotland

[alexp92]

And the sad upshot of that is people from villages of 2000 on buses to Ibrox and Celtic Park every weekend. Hurooh!
look out! fraser could get cranky:eek:

[frasermc]

look out! fraser could get cranky:eek:

i could.

but i'm rat-arsed at the minute so the chances are very unlikely. :p

[alexp92]

i could.

but i'm rat-arsed at the minute so the chances are very unlikely. :p

shocking!!!:eek: