Greedy Jambo Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 (edited) I'm not talking about clubs in the top 2 leagues but surely it's the way forward for the lower league clubs with no fans, no money and biscuit stadiums. We have far too many wee diddy clubs on the go. There's clubs down there that have built their stadiums on minecraft ffs. Edited July 5, 2020 by Space Pirate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingAboutObua Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 The way forward would be to ringfence the senior leagues to actually professional teams. A joke we have a 4 tier senior set up that over half are semi pro sides. But Why should the 4 Angus teams merge if they’re being run financially well and securely when teams like us, Dunfermline and the Rangers etc were run to the wall but wouldn’t ever mentioned to merge with anyone? Merging teams isn’t the right answer, but teams possibly should look into investing in shared facilities more. Combine the investment in training facilities of Inverness and County and you’d have a pretty good centre for both teams. It won’t happen but the Dundee clubs should look at a new stadium of 10-20,000, state of the art and able to host concerts and national football and rugby matches, Dundee uni varsity rugby etc, imagine how great a modern shared ground they could build together would be, opposite stands each, their own dressing rooms etc. Look at making clubs work together and have them seeing the benefits, rather than just saying Annan and QoS should merge cos they’re near by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Famous 1874 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Agreed. No way should we have 4 leagues in a country of our size. Get it down to 2, maybe 3. Some sides down there get around 100 people per game ffs. Get them back in the lowland leagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTT Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I've got to agree with @SomethingAboutObua, the fact that the league is called professional yet 2 of the 4 leagues aren't is a joke. I think two leagues one of 14 and maybe like 12 with regional leagues below is the best way forward. For promotion into the 'professional' championship you need to prove financially you can go full time with your team. This means that odds are you're not looking at guaranteed relegation by finishing bottom of the Championship and within the regional leagues theres no need to go up a league for the sake of it. You stay in your lane until you're strong enough to push up. The key point here is keeping clubs in leagues which suit their needs, not chasing the dragon and ending up ****ed. Colt teams could join the regional set up to help support smaller teams if fans were interested in watching them. Could even have a Premier regional league which mixes Highland/Lowland to let clubs test the water with travel costs etc. The 26 professional clubs can vote on matter impacting them whilst the regional clubs can vote within their structure. Perhaps they can look at negotiating separate TV deals, its a bit sneaky, but I'd be interested on what sort of uptake they'd get if the entire regional set up was stuck online and accessed via a subscription. This would be a way to set up a backdoor exit if Sky continue to lowball the game up here. I.e the infrastructure would mostly be there. How many subs could this method create? Run an affordable Commercial license for Pubs, see how many of them opt to ditch Sky with the fines etc for not paying the ridiculous charges. Could even go a step further and bring in other sports too. Merging clubs is a sticky situation. I think when that happens you run the risk of losing fan engagement, are there not Highland fans who refuse to support ICT who previously supported either of the previous clubs? Dundee are a club worth merging though, together they could rival Aberdeen. Reckon they'd easily manage 10k+. Its just about not losing that engagement, it has to be viewed as a merger not a takeover. 'Dundee City' for example. Ditch both clubs and start anew. But there will be fans happy with the status quo so its unfair to push it. Shared facilities makes a lot of sense especially for clubs in such close proximity. Something the government could maybe help push. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 42 clubs is a ridiculous amount for Scotland. We're a backwards football nation who are still stuck with an old school 4 league system. Other football nations have moved on and left us behind. We only need two professional leagues and perhaps 32 senior clubs. I emphasise the word Professional. No part time clubs. No feckin plastic pitches either. If clubs can't operate on a full time basis, they shouldn't be allowed in the Professional League system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpruceBringsteen Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Quite happy that there's now a pyramid so that for instance the idiot Hearts supporters team I helped start in 2001 technically could have improved to become a Championship team (never going to happen eh) Piss that clubs like that have a vote that counts every bit as much as a club that gets more fans in one game than they do in a month of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobNox Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I agree with others, no need to merge clubs, but also no justification for having 42 senior clubs in our league system. Two leagues of full time professional clubs would more than suffice, then regional leagues for the diddy clubs. We are currently in a situation where the SPFL clubs voted against league reconstruction, when that option provided a solution that was fair to all clubs. Our fan base and turnover far exceeds the total of all league 1 and 2 clubs combined, but these mickey mouse clubs have the ability to condemn us to hardship. They are part time clubs, they can far more easily mothball operations then restart again when the time suits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobNox Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 2 hours ago, Famous 1874 said: Agreed. No way should we have 4 leagues in a country of our size. Get it down to 2, maybe 3. Some sides down there get around 100 people per game ffs. Get them back in the lowland leagues. I'm certain there are clubs in the National League in England who attract more fans than the total of our league 1 and 2 clubs combined. Yet we allow representatives of these tin pot lower league clubs to actually have an influence on the professional game in Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deevers Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 3 hours ago, RobNox said: I'm certain there are clubs in the National League in England who attract more fans than the total of our league 1 and 2 clubs combined. Yet we allow representatives of these tin pot lower league clubs to actually have an influence on the professional game in Scotland. The problem now is actually getting rid of them. They now hold a disproportionate sway on things. Most of the clubs in League 2 attract less people to their games than many Junior sides do. A huge sea change is needed in the game here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normando Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Agree its like the corner shop voting on Tesco and Sainsbury matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairdin Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I don't think clubs should be mergers, there's alot of lower league clubs with long and proud histories. I do think the league structure immediately under the top two divisions should be regionalised. Don't take my word for it, the Albion Rovers chairman as good as said his club needs this to be viable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deevers Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 A Dundee fan I know reckons the clown at Dundee is trying to crash them and force an amalgamation with United. If that is the case it would explain a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italian Lambretta Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 They should have a vote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manaliveits105 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Celtic ad Celtic Lite - may as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Section Q Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 8 hours ago, Space Pirate said: I'm not talking about clubs in the top 2 leagues but surely it's the way forward for the lower league clubs with no fans, no money and biscuit stadiums. We have far too many wee diddy clubs on the go. There's clubs down there that have built their stadiums on minecraft ffs. Don't want to sound like sour grapes but any club who voted for our demise, and that's most of them, can be converted to a Tesco superstore without a batting of the eye lid in this camp. We need a total restructure of the football set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid Calder Jambo Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Deevers said: The problem now is actually getting rid of them. They now hold a disproportionate sway on things. Most of the clubs in League 2 attract less people to their games than many Junior sides do. A huge sea change is needed in the game here. The best thing would be for us to win our case then the SPFL goes bust and we start again with two decent leagues of full time professional leagues. What league in the world would have a Peterhead or an Albion Rovers holding sway over what a Hearts can or can't do. Lunacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabienleclerq Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 6 hours ago, SpruceBringsteen said: Quite happy that there's now a pyramid so that for instance the idiot Hearts supporters team I helped start in 2001 technically could have improved to become a Championship team (never going to happen eh) Piss that clubs like that have a vote that counts every bit as much as a club that gets more fans in one game than they do in a month of course. So Celtic should have more of a vote than us? There's too many teams but every team in the set up should have equal voting rights. The set up needs streamlined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Boy Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 8 hours ago, Space Pirate said: I'm not talking about clubs in the top 2 leagues but surely it's the way forward for the lower league clubs with no fans, no money and biscuit stadiums. We have far too many wee diddy clubs on the go. There's clubs down there that have built their stadiums on minecraft ffs. Budge mentioned there were too many clubs in the professional set up. You must agree with her by the looks of it. She wasn’t suggesting merging them though, if I remember correctly, she just thought there should be less of them in the professional part of the pyramid. Good to see you agreeing with her on some things though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Potter Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 8 hours ago, Cruyff said: 42 clubs is a ridiculous amount for Scotland. We're a backwards football nation who are still stuck with an old school 4 league system. Other football nations have moved on and left us behind. We only need two professional leagues and perhaps 32 senior clubs. I emphasise the word Professional. No part time clubs. No feckin plastic pitches either. If clubs can't operate on a full time basis, they shouldn't be allowed in the Professional League system. Superb post and every fact you mention is true, plastic pitches are a joke . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToadKiller Dog Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Should only be 2 senior leagues with regional leagues backing it up ,the Albion rovers owners nonsense jibe about bus fare to Brora shows Albion mentality they fear new ambitious teams and the loss of the comfy place some clubs have had at the bottom end of the league. No need to merge clubs just a better system . Scottish football is very much not a professional modern game still in many ways stuck in edwardian times . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nookie Bear Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 9 hours ago, Famous 1874 said: Agreed. No way should we have 4 leagues in a country of our size. Get it down to 2, maybe 3. Some sides down there get around 100 people per game ffs. Get them back in the lowland leagues. I just think some clubs need to stop chasing the dream of being linked to the full-time professional setup and accept they are amateur outfits. Having tinpot outfits dictating to us over decisions worth millions of pounds is unacceptable and we need to bite the bullet and start splitting the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All roads lead to Gorgie Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) I do have a lot of sympathy for the sense of community many clubs in small towns must give to the people living there. If only a lot more people in said towns would care more for their local team then the ugly sisters though. One team representing the county of Angus maybe and no disrespect to Annan but you already have QOTS just along the road. Cowdenbeath, East Fife, is Fife big enough to sustain four clubs, five if Kelty get in as well. Moving to new towns doesn't really work in terms of lifting crowds and getting the locals to support the teams either. There are no doubt too many clubs for a country our size in places with small populations with leanings towards the Ugly Sisters unfortunately! Edited July 6, 2020 by All roads lead to Gorgie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozi Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 To be fair these wee diddy clubs with crowds in the 100s are less likely to feel the burden of playing behind closed doors or with restricted numbers. Its clubs like Dunfermline, Raith, Falkirk, Partick etc... who have reasonably decent crowds and no TV money that will feel it worst I think. Oh and those imbeciles on moral high horses that kicked the wage deferral can down the road, tick tock lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brunoatemyhamster Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Deevers said: A Dundee fan I know reckons the clown at Dundee is trying to crash them and force an amalgamation with United. If that is the case it would explain a lot. Been saying this for months. Nothing about that Dundee vote to hand United the championship made sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Different Class Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 'Merging' Angus, Fife teams etc. will never happen because no-one wants it to. If their fans wanted to support a bigger team they would just go to one of the city clubs. The 2-3 thousand who go to watch Forfar, Arbroath, Montrose and Brechin every week would not magically turn into 3000 for Red Bull Angus. No doubt the league set up needs modernised but the merging argument has been done to death and offers no solutions to the quality of Scottish football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voxpop Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Here is an interesting essay question.... “should rangers and Celtic merge?”...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 9 hours ago, RobNox said: I'm certain there are clubs in the National League in England who attract more fans than the total of our league 1 and 2 clubs combined. Yet we allow representatives of these tin pot lower league clubs to actually have an influence on the professional game in Scotland. This is a good point. Clubs in SLeague 1&2 mere existence is because of the tv & prize money brought in by teams in the spfl. Their crowds see them through a season but that wouldn't be enough on its own. Yet these absolute part time diddy clubs like Albion Rovers with their 6 supporters are allowed to vote for a Professional Football Operation that turns over 12-14million a year, to lose millions in Revenue through Demotion because they can't be ****ed driving to the Highlands. How is that justifiable? We're a feckin tinpot league. Any SPFL/SFA CEO with a set of baws would restructure the league system, 16-16 or 14-18 and threaten any club that cannot afford to be full time to merge, die or, leave the Professional system. 1 hour ago, Voxpop said: Here is an interesting essay question.... “should rangers and Celtic merge?”...... That's not an interesting question nor is it even relevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo9 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 4 hours ago, Deevers said: A Dundee fan I know reckons the clown at Dundee is trying to crash them and force an amalgamation with United. If that is the case it would explain a lot. Both clubs have American owners don't they? Mergers and clubs moving cities isn't that uncommon over there. I'd be shocked if they tried it here though, it wouldn't end well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anything2 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 5 hours ago, Deevers said: The problem now is actually getting rid of them. They now hold a disproportionate sway on things. Most of the clubs in League 2 attract less people to their games than many Junior sides do. A huge sea change is needed in the game here. Cutting them loose will be hard and probably need to be agreed to several seasons in advance to give fair warning to teams to get their act together or risk being culled. Over time the pyramid teams will hopefully replace a lot of the deadwood but it will take time with only one non guaranteed promotion opportunity. Hopefully it can be opened up to allow more churn. Early signs with East Stirling and Berwick suggest that L2 teams will not bounce back right away so indicates that the standard of the lowland and highlqnd leagues are more than competitive with that of L2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack D and coke Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 12 hours ago, OTT said: I've got to agree with @SomethingAboutObua, the fact that the league is called professional yet 2 of the 4 leagues aren't is a joke. I think two leagues one of 14 and maybe like 12 with regional leagues below is the best way forward. For promotion into the 'professional' championship you need to prove financially you can go full time with your team. This means that odds are you're not looking at guaranteed relegation by finishing bottom of the Championship and within the regional leagues theres no need to go up a league for the sake of it. You stay in your lane until you're strong enough to push up. The key point here is keeping clubs in leagues which suit their needs, not chasing the dragon and ending up ****ed. Colt teams could join the regional set up to help support smaller teams if fans were interested in watching them. Could even have a Premier regional league which mixes Highland/Lowland to let clubs test the water with travel costs etc. The 26 professional clubs can vote on matter impacting them whilst the regional clubs can vote within their structure. Perhaps they can look at negotiating separate TV deals, its a bit sneaky, but I'd be interested on what sort of uptake they'd get if the entire regional set up was stuck online and accessed via a subscription. This would be a way to set up a backdoor exit if Sky continue to lowball the game up here. I.e the infrastructure would mostly be there. How many subs could this method create? Run an affordable Commercial license for Pubs, see how many of them opt to ditch Sky with the fines etc for not paying the ridiculous charges. Could even go a step further and bring in other sports too. Merging clubs is a sticky situation. I think when that happens you run the risk of losing fan engagement, are there not Highland fans who refuse to support ICT who previously supported either of the previous clubs? Dundee are a club worth merging though, together they could rival Aberdeen. Reckon they'd easily manage 10k+. Its just about not losing that engagement, it has to be viewed as a merger not a takeover. 'Dundee City' for example. Ditch both clubs and start anew. But there will be fans happy with the status quo so its unfair to push it. Shared facilities makes a lot of sense especially for clubs in such close proximity. Something the government could maybe help push. Like it👍🏼 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Brown Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 3 hours ago, ToadKiller Dog said: Should only be 2 senior leagues with regional leagues backing it up ,the Albion rovers owners nonsense jibe about bus fare to Brora shows Albion mentality they fear new ambitious teams and the loss of the comfy place some clubs have had at the bottom end of the league. No need to merge clubs just a better system . Scottish football is very much not a professional modern game still in many ways stuck in edwardian times . I just dont see Brora being a long term benefit to the professional game. Population 1100. Total back of beyond. being bankrolled presently until the owner gets fed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All roads lead to Gorgie Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I'm not sure many fans of the juniors actually wan't to join the SPFL and who can blame them. I think they like watching the junior brand of football in the raw where old rivalries go back decades. Games with Albion Rovers or Clyde wouldn't cut it with them and their crowds would dwindle to the same level we see in the lower leagues right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anything2 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 11 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said: I just dont see Brora being a long term benefit to the professional game. Population 1100. Total back of beyond. being bankrolled presently until the owner gets fed up. It's an interesting issue. On one hand we don't want another Gretna situation and in some ways reducing the number of professional teams could help guard against that as to even get into the SPFL you would have to beat long established teams who used to be L1 or L2 teams depending on how many you chop. So for instance if you had to beat Falkirk and Raith to get promoted rather than Bonnyrigg you would think that would ensure the quality needed to play at a professional level was met and make it harder for a wealthy local business man to back roll a diddy team up the leagues. On the other hand, you don't want there to be too big a jump in standard or you will end up with the same teams all the time and the promoted teams going straight back down. But that does allow for teams like Gretna to move quickly through the ranks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTT Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 12 minutes ago, All roads lead to Gorgie said: I'm not sure many fans of the juniors actually wan't to join the SPFL and who can blame them. I think they like watching the junior brand of football in the raw where old rivalries go back decades. Games with Albion Rovers or Clyde wouldn't cut it with them and their crowds would dwindle to the same level we see in the lower leagues right now. Its maybe why ring fencing a professional set up is a good idea. I mean, its surely possible for both to co-exist without being forced to integrate? I like that idea you've posted. Scottish football badly needs a working group to look into this stuff. A pyramid shouldn't necessarily mean promotion. Was it not Dunfermline's owner that was quoted as disliking promotion because you're going from winning every week to losing and fans eventually get pissed off and crowds go down? Maybe the same thinking could be applied and it would mean a regional champion isn't forced to go up if they don't want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All roads lead to Gorgie Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 26 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said: I just dont see Brora being a long term benefit to the professional game. Population 1100. Total back of beyond. being bankrolled presently until the owner gets fed up. Maybe there is a particular thing in that area where a whole county supports a team, we see it in Dingwall where Ross County get around 3000 through the gates in a town of just over 6000. Brora might only get about five to six hundred though on that calculation and even less travelling away fans. Can't ever see them make it all the way to the top league either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anything2 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 5 minutes ago, OTT said: Its maybe why ring fencing a professional set up is a good idea. I mean, its surely possible for both to co-exist without being forced to integrate? I like that idea you've posted. Scottish football badly needs a working group to look into this stuff. A pyramid shouldn't necessarily mean promotion. Was it not Dunfermline's owner that was quoted as disliking promotion because you're going from winning every week to losing and fans eventually get pissed off and crowds go down? Maybe the same thinking could be applied and it would mean a regional champion isn't forced to go up if they don't want to. There’s definitely a place for both but not sure they should be in the same league. I think if you join the pyramid then you are saying that you are trying to get promoted. Wider participation is an issue though. It affects Olympic sports that have limited funding as you end up with a very small group of elite athletes who make it impossible for the amateurs players to complete against and overall participation decreases because it's pointless unless you have the potential to become an Olympian yourself so anyone who hasn't shown signs of elite potential pack it in by about 22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobboM Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Looks like some posters are unaware of the changes that have been happening in non League football in the past couple of seasons. There are now NO "Junior" sides in the West of Scotland. Auchinleck Talbot, Pollok etc are no longer part of the Scottish Junior FA leagues and are now part of the pyramid feeding into the Lowland League. There are only 13(?) Junior clubs in the whole of the Lowland League area, all playing in a dead-end, no promotion & no relegation West Lothian league. There are now 147 clubs in the Lowland League pyramid looking to come out on top to reach the play off spot against the Highland League winner to play off against Club 42. In order to play in the Lowland League the clubs have to be SFA licensed and there has been a huge uptake amongst clubs in the East of Scotland successfully reaching the standard required in playing facilities and organisation behind them. The Lowland League covers the area south of the Tay (approx). However, Brechin City chairman was using his power and influence to ensure that Brechin City, if relegated, didn't have to go to the Highland League but would drop into the already very crowded Lowland League. That's one of the behind the scenes, hidden, corrupt influence conversations I would like to see revealed as part of Hearts current court case against relegation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All roads lead to Gorgie Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 10 minutes ago, OTT said: Its maybe why ring fencing a professional set up is a good idea. I mean, its surely possible for both to co-exist without being forced to integrate? I like that idea you've posted. Scottish football badly needs a working group to look into this stuff. A pyramid shouldn't necessarily mean promotion. Was it not Dunfermline's owner that was quoted as disliking promotion because you're going from winning every week to losing and fans eventually get pissed off and crowds go down? Maybe the same thinking could be applied and it would mean a regional champion isn't forced to go up if they don't want to. I think clubs who maybe find themselves top of the pyramid should take a vote of the fans certainly. I'm sure there are many fans of just say Linlithgow Rose who currently also go to Tynecastle or along the road to Falkirk and want to retain there junior club as it is. Not to become a rival in the same set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTT Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 6 minutes ago, Anything2 said: There’s definitely a place for both but not sure they should be in the same league. I think if you join the pyramid then you are saying that you are trying to get promoted. Wider participation is an issue though. It affects Olympic sports that have limited funding as you end up with a very small group of elite athletes who make it impossible for the amateurs players to complete against and overall participation decreases because it's pointless unless you have the potential to become an Olympian yourself so anyone who hasn't shown signs of elite potential pack it in by about 22. Its why I said a working group could probably come up with a better system. I think everyone should be able to agree the current set up is deeply flawed and seems a poor imitation of the English set up. We need to build a set up which works for us, not be trying to copy someone else (even the branding and naming is copied smh). I was trying to get at there still being a mechanism for promotion into the Professional set up but its totally optional. A club might be quite content being the top dogs in their regional league. I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of guys like Stewart, Levein, Collins, Strachan, English on what might be a more effective set up. If Sportsound are looking for ideas, talking about the flawed league structure and ideas for change might be an interesting point of discussion provided they get in interesting guests I.e Not Willie Miller or Chick Young. Both dinosaurs with nothing worth while to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anything2 Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 2 minutes ago, OTT said: Its why I said a working group could probably come up with a better system. I think everyone should be able to agree the current set up is deeply flawed and seems a poor imitation of the English set up. We need to build a set up which works for us, not be trying to copy someone else (even the branding and naming is copied smh). I was trying to get at there still being a mechanism for promotion into the Professional set up but its totally optional. A club might be quite content being the top dogs in their regional league. I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of guys like Stewart, Levein, Collins, Strachan, English on what might be a more effective set up. If Sportsound are looking for ideas, talking about the flawed league structure and ideas for change might be an interesting point of discussion provided they get in interesting guests I.e Not Willie Miller or Chick Young. Both dinosaurs with nothing worth while to say. Totally agree with the copying of the English leagues. It's a total Cargo Cult up here, we see something successful and think if we make ours look the same and call it the same thing we will get the same results but it misses the understanding of why something works in a particular situation. You are right, there should be a working group looking at our specific set of circumstances. I think a big issue we have is that we still haven't come to terms with the reality of the modern game. We have ambitions to be a league that challenges on a European front because in the early days of professionalism we could be competitive. I'm not sure that those are the goals of other European countries of our size, they seem much more focused on the international game. A clear set of objectives from the SFA would be really helpful and could provide a good steer to what is important in the current Covid-19 climate. No need for clubs to be voting for their own interests if the leaders had a clear direction of what is good for the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I think some folk need to be careful not to employ double standards here. On the one hand, we all slate the football authorities and the two Glasgow giants, Celtic & Rangers*, for their historical vice-like grip on the Scottish game, a control that's been 'earned' by virtue of the chasm in the size of support they have built up over the decades, relative to the rest of us 'diddies'. Yet on the other hand, we seem to want to control the fate of the lesser supported clubs based on the same or very similar criteria. Part of the reason for Scottish clubs' abysmal record in Europe in recent years has been the number of qualifying matches that have to be negotiated, thanks to UEFA's blatant pandering to elitism. For example, the top five nations having so many entrants in the misnomer that is the Champions League, while the genuine champions from the so-called lesser nations have to jump through a series of hoops just to get beyond the qualifying rounds. The problem is that the elite clubs such as Barca, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich etc have far more clout because they drive more money into UEFA's coffers. Celtic and Rangers* wield the same degree of power in Scotland because football has become all about money. The Scottish football authorities have already acknowledged that there is only one show in town and that is the money-spinning Old Firm hate-fest. Even when one of the two participants died the death of liquidation, they pretended it didn't happen in order to protect TV and other vital commercial contracts. An 11-1 voting system exists for certain matters precisely so that they have the power of veto. So if you think it's a good idea for our club to have any more influence than the club at the foot of division three just because our average home gate exceeds their's, count me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.