All good things come to an end. Or so they say. AFTN has been around since 1989, first as a fanzine and then making the jump to a website and forum in 2003. We've been through the many ups and down at East Fife in those 12 years but policing the forum has become a giant pain in the ass in recent years. As such, we made the decision not to renew it when it expired.
The forum is no more and will remain as a locked archive until it is eventually deleted by the host. We're looking in to try to save some of the content as an archive.
This is not the end of AFTN though. The site will continue and will be revamped and return in its full glory for the start of the 2016/17 season. Maybe even sooner. There will be a comment sections and possibly even a new, registered forum. Check our Twitter (@aftnwebsite) for all the latest info and we'll also post in on the EFFC memories Facebook page.
Until then, have a last browse here, thanks for all your support over the years, and 'Mon the Fife.
GoF
East Fife last played in the second tier of Scottish football in season 1996/7. The season was a disaster ending with only 14 points. In the intervening years only 10 other teams of those in the current SPFL have not enjoyed a season at this level ( Stenhousemuir, Berwick, Peterhead, Elgin, Forfar, Albion Rovers, Montrose, East Stirling, Queens Park and Annan).
Since relegation at the end of season 1996/7 East Fife have spent, including this season, a total of 10 seasons in the 'basement league'. Of those teams mentioned above (excluding Annan who are relative newcomers and have played all their football in the bottom league), both Forfar (4 seasons) and Stenhousemuir (5 seasons) have spent less time in the bottom tier than East Fife.
Montrose and East Stirling have been in the bottom tier for each of the last 20 seasons and Elgin have also played at this level for all of their 16 seasons in the league.
In the last 20 years East Fife have never been bottom of the heap - Shire, Queens Park, Forfar and others have.
Queens Park, Berwick and Albion Rovers have spent longer in the bottom tier than East Fife in the last 20 years and Peterhead have spent 8 seasons out of 16 in the lowest league.
With regard to a comparison with Cowdenbeath, often the subject of ridicule from East Fife supporters. In the last 20 seasons, Cowdenbeath have finished in a higher league position in 14 seasons (including 2015/16) than East Fife.
None of the teams above, with the exception of Queens Park, can claim to have a history as rich and successful as East Fife. All however, can claim to contribute to the uniqueness of Scottish football. It may be that it is clubs of this size/stature that we should be comparing ourselves with and not giants of the game such as Dumbarton and Morton, or those with a benefactor like Alloa.
In season 1995/6 we gained promotion with an ambitious player manager who had played at the very top level. In reality Archibald's team perhaps over-achieved. He was backed to the hilt by the Chairman and the Board during that season and the season before.
Today the situation is much different. Scottish football is in a different place. The ownership issues that have dogged East Fife for a number of years, the general state of the Levenmouth economy, the perceived lack of ambition of the club and a lack of younger supporters mean that the board members might be doing well to preserve our league status with the resources available to them and that the odd foray into Div 1 might be the best we should reasonably expect for a good number of years.
Interesting statistics but not too sure of the point being made Tamsun?
So, does this mean we simply sit back, accept our diddiness fate and watch a style of football that is putting it bluntly...fecking atrocious?
Do we support a manager who has not got a friggin clue how to manage a team?
Personally, after 20 odd years of following this club I'm no longer really that bothered to be honest and doubt very much I'll attend any more games this season.
From what I seen and heard on Saturday many have had enough wont be long until the club are scrapping by on barely 300 on a Saturday.
Juniors is pretty much where East Fife belong and I think they'd struggle even at that level.
I only looked at this as,like many others, I long for a time when there was some optimism regarding East Fife. In the 1960s when I first started to attend games we were usually just short of being promoted to the top tier - which had 18 teams then.
In the fifties, when we were a force in the top league there was full employment and the local economy was relatively bouyant and there was little competition from other activities. In the 70s the spell in the top league co-incided with the oil rig jobs at RGC, DCL opening and the last few years of employment in the pits. Basically, the success of a team like East Fife is linked to the economy of the area, the effective stewardship of those running the club and their ability to garner resources for it to make progress.
Basically in the last 20 years these have not been present in any real degree for East Fife. The history of Scottish football is littered with teams from small communities who are no longer present in the senior game - although many of these foundered in the years before the last war. Levenmouth has no divine right to have a team in the senior leagues and the performance of the team shows that East Fife is very much a small team and unless something changes, it will remain in the lower echelons in a country where the game in general is in decline.
Personally, I share the despair of watching a team that is struggling to succeed against the 'dross' in the poorest league in Scotland. Whether Naysmith is the right man for this club in this situation is, in my view, debatable at least. However, until there are other changes, for example, in the ownership and stewardship of the club our ambitions need to be very moderate and the job of being East Fife manager will remain a bit of a poisoned chalice.
Since Archibald got promotion we have done well for a season and a bit with Jim Moffat ( who the board did not have the resources to support in Div2 as it was) and Dave Baikie ( who was supported by the then Chairman, Mr Gray).
Other than that John Robertson did OK for a while but since him, Crawford, Durie and Naysmithmight all have done better had the club invested (or been able to) in an experienced assistant. Maybe there's a role for a Dick Campbell figure now, or perhaps Davie Clarke might have provided a support for Crawford or Durie.
Not much will change under present owner or board. This is our level and as each season passes I become less bothered. I can't see how things are going to get better either and let's face it, the majority in the local community couldn't give a **** about EF and certainly wouldn't pay that kind of cash to watch that standard of football when you can watch it for free in a local council park. Tough times ahead indeed.
The problem is the constant bile on here is a refection of what's happening on the park.
Here we have it folks.
Its all the moaning fans fault.
Unbe*******lievable ****e you spout.