Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) (Quick note,apologies if this has been covered before) was thinking how good Scottish football could be with bigger leagues imagine instead of 4 leagues you have 3 leagues and make the lowland league a few teams smaller would make Scottish football more exiting (Abit like the German league format ) Edited January 7 by Jackhmfc1348 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlasgoJambo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Can’t say for sure but think you may be the first person to have suggested this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 9 minutes ago, GlasgoJambo said: Can’t say for sure but think you may be the first person to have suggested this. League expansion ? Or the three league idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 21 minutes ago, Jackhmfc1348 said: (Quick note,apologies if this has been covered before) was thinking how good Scottish football could be with bigger leagues imagine instead of 4 leagues you have 3 leagues and make the lowland league a few teams smaller would make Scottish football more exiting (Abit like the German league format ) As good a suggestion as any . Hate that we are stuck with this shite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, Sooks said: As good a suggestion as any . Hate that we are stuck with this shite Same, for me it’s the fact we have to play everyone 3-4 times a season every game is different of course but for example games like the Edinburgh derby would be more special cause it would come around a bit less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 2 minutes ago, Jackhmfc1348 said: Same, for me it’s the fact we have to play everyone 3-4 times a season every game is different of course but for example games like the Edinburgh derby would be more special cause it would come around a bit less It is killing the game . Over familiarity . Players all know each others games and basically cancel each other out . Imagine there was only one home and one away game against Hibs , Celtic , Rangers and Aberdeen each season . They would mean so much more and would be big occasions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tott Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Home and away once a season would help level the playing field. Its a no brainer,clubs like Dunfermline,raith,Falkirk ,Airdrie.Morton etc. all decent supports and would be a positive to the top league. At the moment we have to win the league twice to win it once..its utter bullshit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 7 minutes ago, Sooks said: It is killing the game . Over familiarity . Players all know each others games and basically cancel each other out . Imagine there was only one home and one away game against Hibs , Celtic , Rangers and Aberdeen each season . They would mean so much more and would be big occasions Exactly, it would also mean we would not put up with the old firm teams every second week (I know we bet Celtic but that was the first time at Celtic park since 2009) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Tott said: Home and away once a season would help level the playing field. Its a no brainer,clubs like Dunfermline,raith,Falkirk ,Airdrie.Morton etc. all decent supports and would be a positive to the top league. At the moment we have to win the league twice to win it once..its utter bullshit. Yea would also mean more away days at diffrent grounds and different towns instead of going to Livingston and Glasgow 6 times a season Edited January 7 by Jackhmfc1348 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 10 minutes ago, Tott said: At the moment we have to win the league twice to win it once..its utter bullshit. First rate analogy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kila Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 20 minutes ago, Jackhmfc1348 said: Same, for me it’s the fact we have to play everyone 3-4 times a season every game is different of course but for example games like the Edinburgh derby would be more special cause it would come around a bit less More than that when we draw a top flight team in the cups. 18 team top fight. Won’t be pretty at first but it’ll be an investment to a greater good. Shame the Glasgow FA will do all they can to prevent anything that’ll threaten their status quo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackhmfc1348 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 1 minute ago, kila said: More than that when we draw a top flight team in the cups. 18 team top fight. Won’t be pretty at first but it’ll be an investment to a greater good. Shame the Glasgow FA will do all they can to prevent anything that’ll threaten their status quo. If we get top six (don’t want to jinx,but obviously theirs a good chance we will) that will be 5 times this season we will play rangers,and if we do well in the Scottish cup theirs a high chance that will be 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) It has been covered before, but no harm in discussing it again… Personally, this is what I’d like to see: 3 Main Leagues - Premiership (18 teams) - Championship (18 teams) - Conference/Another (12 teams) Below that, Highland and Lowland Leagues as is (numbers could vary). PREMIERSHIP Legue Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. No split, 34 games over the season. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. European Playoffs We currently have 5 European spots: 1st = Champions League 2nd = Champions League playoffs SC Winner = Europa League playoffs 3rd = Conference League playoffs 4th = Conference League playoffs (We all know what happens if the SC winner has already got European qualification) What I would suggest, is at the end of the 34 game campaign and the SC final is done, the teams from 4th to 7th (assuming SC winner hasn’t qualified already, otherwise it would be 5th to 8th) have playoffs. Semi-finals at each home ground and final at Hampden. The winner gets the last European spot, that would normally be held for the 5th team (4th in league or 5th if SC winners already qualified) This would allow the teams to have an extra few games, would also add excitement to end of the season. Relegation 3 teams automatically relegated, no relegation playoff in the top league Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Premiership and Championship, the 18 teams would be: Aberdeen Airdrie Celtic Dundee Dundee Utd Dunfermline Greenock Morton Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Partick Thistle Raith Rovers Rangers Ross County St. Johnstone St. Mirren CHAMPIONSHIP League Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. 34 games, no split. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Premiership. Teams 3rd to 6th go into play-offs, two legged semi finals (one at each ground) and Final at Hampden. Relegation / Relegation Play-off Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Conference/Another. Team that finished 16th has two legged playoff against team that wins promotion playoffs in Conference/Another. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2, the 18 teams would be: Annan Athletic Alloa Arbroath Ayr Cove Rangers Dumbarton Falkirk FC Edinburgh Hamilton Inverness CT Kelty Hearts Montrose Peterhead Queen of the South Queen’s Park Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion Spartans CONFERENCE/ANOTHER League Format 12 teams playing each other 3 times, home and away. 33 games, then split like Premiership currently has. 38 games in total, allowing teams unlikely to advance in cups some extra gate receipt opportunities. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Championship. Teams 3rd and 4th go into play-offs, two legs one at each ground. The winner then has a two legged playoff against the team who finished 16th in the Championship. Relegation Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Highland or Lowland Leagues to be replaced by Champions of each the Highland League and the Lowland League. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of League 2, and for the purposes of this hypothetical scenario selective teams from Highland and Lowland leagues (based mostly on who’s been in the league set up recently) the 12 teams could be: Albion Rovers Bonnyrigg Rose Brechin City Celtic B Clyde Cowdenbeath East Fife East Kilbride Elgin City Forfar Hearts B Stranraer *Celtic B and Hearts B could not be promoted, but could be relegated SUPER CUP To satisfy those complaining about lack of OF games (TV), a Super Cup between league and cup winner from previous season can be the season opener. Either one off at Hampden (like in England) or two legs like European countries do, with one at each ground. SCOTTISH CUP No change LEAGUE CUP Same group format to begin with, but knockout stages are two legs. One at each home ground, all the way to the semi finals, only the final would be played at Hampden. Means teams worrying about dropping from 38 to 34 games have the opportunity to get more games through competition progression. RESERVES I would like an official in line reserve league set up, like the EPL2. If this was in place, then B teams would not be needed and would be replaced in Conference/Another league by other teams in the pyramid. Edited January 7 by BackOfTheNet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Actually, slight amendment, only change (maybe) to the Scottish Cup could be reintroducing replays. Again, if teams were worried from going down from 38 to 34 games, there’s an additional possibility of extra revenue that way too, and would be more scope for scheduling replays with less league games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ri Alban Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 2 divisions Division 1 16 teams Division 2 24 teams The league cup groups should make up the lose of games for those teams who don't qualify for European football. And let's move our season from March till November(TV companies will want something for the summer)with a summer break last week of June , first week of July, so it runs with any major tournaments. I'm sure teams who will play early European qualifying rounds will welcome said break. Scottish Cup final and league cup played roughly at the it's current schedule. I'm sure we can make cope with a slightly later SC final. Edited January 7 by ri Alban Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ri Alban Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, kila said: More than that when we draw a top flight team in the cups. 18 team top fight. Won’t be pretty at first but it’ll be an investment to a greater good. Shame the Glasgow FA will do all they can to prevent anything that’ll threaten their status quo. The SFA have/has feck all to do with the SPFL league structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Section Q Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Two division of 18-20 teams would be good for us. We don't rely on the ersecheeks anymore to fill Tynie, and we'd have access to more away allocations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregzy2k7 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, BackOfTheNet said: It has been covered before, but no harm in discussing it again… Personally, this is what I’d like to see: 3 Main Leagues - Premiership (18 teams) - Championship (18 teams) - Conference/Another (12 teams) Below that, Highland and Lowland Leagues as is (numbers could vary). PREMIERSHIP Legue Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. No split, 34 games over the season. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. European Playoffs We currently have 5 European spots: 1st = Champions League 2nd = Champions League playoffs SC Winner = Europa League playoffs 3rd = Conference League playoffs 4th = Conference League playoffs (We all know what happens if the SC winner has already got European qualification) What I would suggest, is at the end of the 34 game campaign and the SC final is done, the teams from 4th to 7th (assuming SC winner hasn’t qualified already, otherwise it would be 5th to 8th) have playoffs. Semi-finals at each home ground and final at Hampden. The winner gets the last European spot, that would normally be held for the 5th team (4th in league or 5th if SC winners already qualified) This would allow the teams to have an extra few games, would also add excitement to end of the season. Relegation 3 teams automatically relegated, no relegation playoff in the top league Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Premiership and Championship, the 18 teams would be: Aberdeen Airdrie Celtic Dundee Dundee Utd Dunfermline Greenock Morton Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Partick Thistle Raith Rovers Rangers Ross County St. Johnstone St. Mirren CHAMPIONSHIP League Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. 34 games, no split. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Premiership. Teams 3rd to 6th go into play-offs, two legged semi finals (one at each ground) and Final at Hampden. Relegation / Relegation Play-off Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Conference/Another. Team that finished 16th has two legged playoff against team that wins promotion playoffs in Conference/Another. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2, the 18 teams would be: Annan Athletic Alloa Arbroath Ayr Cove Rangers Dumbarton Falkirk FC Edinburgh Hamilton Inverness CT Kelty Hearts Montrose Peterhead Queen of the South Queen’s Park Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion Spartans CONFERENCE/ANOTHER League Format 12 teams playing each other 3 times, home and away. 33 games, then split like Premiership currently has. 38 games in total, allowing teams unlikely to advance in cups some extra gate receipt opportunities. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Championship. Teams 3rd and 4th go into play-offs, two legs one at each ground. The winner then has a two legged playoff against the team who finished 16th in the Championship. Relegation Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Highland or Lowland Leagues to be replaced by Champions of each the Highland League and the Lowland League. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of League 2, and for the purposes of this hypothetical scenario selective teams from Highland and Lowland leagues (based mostly on who’s been in the league set up recently) the 12 teams could be: Albion Rovers Bonnyrigg Rose Brechin City Celtic B Clyde Cowdenbeath East Fife East Kilbride Elgin City Forfar Hearts B Stranraer *Celtic B and Hearts B could not be promoted, but could be relegated SUPER CUP To satisfy those complaining about lack of OF games (TV), a Super Cup between league and cup winner from previous season can be the season opener. Either one off at Hampden (like in England) or two legs like European countries do, with one at each ground. SCOTTISH CUP No change LEAGUE CUP Same group format to begin with, but knockout stages are two legs. One at each home ground, all the way to the semi finals, only the final would be played at Hampden. Means teams worrying about dropping from 38 to 34 games have the opportunity to get more games through competition progression. RESERVES I would like an official in line reserve league set up, like the EPL2. If this was in place, then B teams would not be needed and would be replaced in Conference/Another league by other teams in the pyramid. You Sir have nailed it 👌 would absolutely love to see this happen. But unfortunately the idiots who run us will never adopt such a sensible league structure set up. But no it will always be about pandering to sky and 4 x OF games a season with a bullshit TV deal that no one really gives a toss about anyway. This crap set up that we have helps the OF the most and it allows them to maintain their iron grip on scottish football forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fila Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Would make absolutely no difference to the current state of our game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherbet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 5 hours ago, Sooks said: As good a suggestion as any . Hate that we are stuck with this shite I can assure you the old 18 team league was 5h1t as well.for hearts latterly, usually upper mid table. Couldn't challenge for the league, couldn't get relegated. If you went out the SC in the first round the season was effectively over in January as most games were meaningless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dsjambo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 30 minutes ago, Sherbet said: I can assure you the old 18 team league was 5h1t as well.for hearts latterly, usually upper mid table. Couldn't challenge for the league, couldn't get relegated. If you went out the SC in the first round the season was effectively over in January as most games were meaningless Exactly right, with 18 teams you end with months of meaningless games as most teams have nothing to play for. I mentioned before that the 18 team league was changed to a 10 in 1975 but it was too cutthroat with two teams relegated. We got caught in that ourselves 3 times if I remember correctly. Eventually it changed to a 12 team league and evolved to what we have now. None of these changes have made any difference to the quality of Scottish football and since us in 1986 and Aberdeen in 1990, nobody outside the OF has come close to winning the league. The main point now though is Scotland wouldn’t even get the crap TV deal it has now without the guaranteed 4 OF games. The clubs would lose the TV money they need to survive so reverting back to 18 teams just ain’t going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansel Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 The bum cheeks and the TV companies wouldn't part with their precious 4 glasgow derbies per year. Doesn't matter what the fans think unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinmaroon Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 7 hours ago, Sooks said: It is killing the game . Over familiarity . Players all know each others games and basically cancel each other out . Imagine there was only one home and one away game against Hibs , Celtic , Rangers and Aberdeen each season . They would mean so much more and would be big occasions If not reorganised properly, ensuring competitive games to the of the season, a task beyond the current incumbent, it will familiarity traded for meaningless mid-table games, the situation before the current set up. Requires an informed and enthusiastic imagination, which sadly the glorified clerk lacks. Plus SKY! Won't give up 4 games a season for the Uglies. How about 2 league games and the Battle of the Boyne Cup exclusively for the Bigot brothers - added incentive 50/50 crowd, even if 2 legs, makes it 6 fixtures for Sky. Then the human race, other teams (used loosely) can get on with life, only having to to Glasgow once for each team. Apart from when we beat them in semis and finals. There will be objections from Killie, St Johnstone, St Mirren etc., who sell almost all their tickets to the Uglies. Filthy lucre talks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Meldrew Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 30 minutes ago, Hansel said: The bum cheeks and the TV companies wouldn't part with their precious 4 glasgow derbies per year. Doesn't matter what the fans think unfortunately. Sadly, this is spot on. They don't care about the wider Scottish game - only the OF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 It’s been discussed A LOT on here over the years. I am 100% for it and I think there may be more traction developing- I think it would be fair to say the majority (not all) of fans want it and you recently had Davie Martindale and another manager who’s name escapes me saying it would be their preference as well. I think a top flight of 16 would be sufficient personally but not totally against 18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrekeo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 36 minutes ago, Hansel said: The bum cheeks and the TV companies wouldn't part with their precious 4 glasgow derbies per year. Doesn't matter what the fans think unfortunately. I’m not sure how true this is anymore from a TV perspective? Nobody outside the OF cares about the OF Games. Certainly not down south. I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that with an extended league with increased smaller grounds and therefore less of their scum in physical attendance, would mean more people watching the likes of Dunfermline v Celtic which is inevitably on TV anyway? Anyway, the big thing that does bring in viewers is competition and there’s zero chance of OF voting for that or smaller clubs who need the 4 home games a season to sell out 3 stands to be viable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 26 minutes ago, colinmaroon said: If not reorganised properly, ensuring competitive games to the of the season, a task beyond the current incumbent, it will familiarity traded for meaningless mid-table games, the situation before the current set up. Requires an informed and enthusiastic imagination, which sadly the glorified clerk lacks. Plus SKY! Won't give up 4 games a season for the Uglies. How about 2 league games and the Battle of the Boyne Cup exclusively for the Bigot brothers - added incentive 50/50 crowd, even if 2 legs, makes it 6 fixtures for Sky. Then the human race, other teams (used loosely) can get on with life, only having to to Glasgow once for each team. Apart from when we beat them in semis and finals. There will be objections from Killie, St Johnstone, St Mirren etc., who sell almost all their tickets to the Uglies. Filthy lucre talks. I have previously suggested the apparently precious (I’m not sure it’s really the case) 4 OF games a season could be retained in some way. Say a preseason ‘curtain raiser’ at Hampden for the Old Firm cup then in the winter break the 2 ‘world super powers’ could bugger off to Australia or Canada and play each other and ‘advertise’ Scottish football. Heaven forbid another club or clubs actually develop and won the league they could eventually take one of both the OFs places in these games. As for the meaningless games thing I just don’t buy it - it infers there’s not meaningless games at the end of the season at present- which there is. However, the main point is player development and more expensive football as there may be less fear - as highlighted by David Martindale recently and numerous others including fans for years. Edited January 7 by LarrysRightFoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lossiemouth Jambo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Undoubtedly an expanded league would make the run in more exciting. The duopoly of the OF would be less influential on the traditional race for 3rd place as there would only be 4 games against them rather than 8. A team who is clinical and consistent will be a challenger and make the league much more attractive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, Dsjambo said: Exactly right, with 18 teams you end with months of meaningless games as most teams have nothing to play for. I mentioned before that the 18 team league was changed to a 10 in 1975 but it was too cutthroat with two teams relegated. We got caught in that ourselves 3 times if I remember correctly. Eventually it changed to a 12 team league and evolved to what we have now. None of these changes have made any difference to the quality of Scottish football and since us in 1986 and Aberdeen in 1990, nobody outside the OF has come close to winning the league. The main point now though is Scotland wouldn’t even get the crap TV deal it has now without the guaranteed 4 OF games. The clubs would lose the TV money they need to survive so reverting back to 18 teams just ain’t going to happen. Not looking for an argument but don’t agree with any of that. Are you suggesting we stick with what we have -which is awful - rather than try to improve our game? I’m not saying bigger leagues will solve everything in one fell swoop but it’s a step in the right direction (even if it just showing everyone our game doesn’t need to revolve around the OF). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 2 hours ago, Sherbet said: I can assure you the old 18 team league was 5h1t as well.for hearts latterly, usually upper mid table. Couldn't challenge for the league, couldn't get relegated. If you went out the SC in the first round the season was effectively over in January as most games were meaningless There wasn’t 5 European spots was there? I also don’t know how many relegation places there was but I’m guessing 2? If we went to 18 there would need to be a minimum of 3 and hopefully the playoffs works be retained. So instead of 3 places being meaningful in 1975 you’d have around 8 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungalow Bill Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I’ve always fancied a bigger league, I’ve only ever known 10/12 team leagues. But, from what I’ve heard (on here and from older folk I’ve spoken to), some of the same problems still existed with the bigger league i.e. OF winning and lots of meaningless games. I’d still take it just to experience something different though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, gregzy2k7 said: You Sir have nailed it 👌 would absolutely love to see this happen. But unfortunately the idiots who run us will never adopt such a sensible league structure set up. But no it will always be about pandering to sky and 4 x OF games a season with a bullshit TV deal that no one really gives a toss about anyway. This crap set up that we have helps the OF the most and it allows them to maintain their iron grip on scottish football forever. Cheers. Remember it’s not just the TV companies being pandered to, but short sighted club owners who think they rely on multiple games against the OF too. 3 hours ago, fila said: Would make absolutely no difference to the current state of our game Completely disagree. Teams would have longer spells without having to play one of the OF, having a chance to build momentum. They also have less pressure when it comes to possibility of relegation, meaning more scope to give youth a chance. And in particularly it means tactically teams can play with more freedom, knowing a defeat or two won’t get them the sack, more expansive attacking options could be deployed. And on tactics, we’d have coaches that would have to prepare for playing 17 teams, 17 sets of tactics, 17 sets of different players, as opposed to 11 they currently do. Meaning we’d have better coaches rising to the top. (Would also mean more scope for giving coaches a chance rather than the current ‘jobs for the boys’ that currently infests Scottish football) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy2 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 2 hours ago, Sherbet said: I can assure you the old 18 team league was 5h1t as well.for hearts latterly, usually upper mid table. Couldn't challenge for the league, couldn't get relegated. If you went out the SC in the first round the season was effectively over in January as most games were meaningless How is that really any different to now? Scottish football as a whole has regressed massively since the 1975 reconstruction. We’ve produced virtually zero really top class players since. Give our promising youngsters a chance to play against men that are proper players and not guys their own age who shouldn’t be near professional clubs and are nothing but quota fillers. Nowadays, with season tickets the only way to guarantee your seat at Tynecastle and loyalty points the only way to guarantee the bigger away games, crowds are far less likely to drop off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I doubt many ( any? ) of the top clubs would go to an 18 club league playing each other twice. Gives two less games and makes it less attractive to TV. Money talks and it would be a tad quieter with this arrangement. I could see a league of 16 with some sort of balanced split ( as proposed by someone at Hearts previoudly ) bring more a go-er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) 2 hours ago, Sherbet said: I can assure you the old 18 team league was 5h1t as well.for hearts latterly, usually upper mid table. Couldn't challenge for the league, couldn't get relegated. If you went out the SC in the first round the season was effectively over in January as most games were meaningless The ‘meaningless’ game thing doesn’t sit with me I’m afraid. Look at the Championship down south, 24 team league and usually right up until the last day games have meaning. In what I set out in an earlier post, I had 18 teams - BUT - technically out of those 18, 10 of the positions in the league have meaning (11 if SC finalists/winners already qualified for Europe). If we had a European playoff with teams 4th to 7th (or 5th to 8th) and 3 automatic relegation spots, then teams at the top or middle of the table will be fighting fir the top 7 or 8, and down the bottom they’d be fighting not to be bottom 3. Yes, you could have teams that are sitting positions 10th to 14th who towards the end of the season (not January) would find themselves unable to reach the top 7 (or 8 ) and would be safe from relegation, but they wouldn’t be playing themselves every week, they’d be playing teams who were chasing European spots or fighting relegation. And if they were in a rare game where it was against each other, then that’s an opportunity to try out new tactics or players. We’d be talking less than a handful of games would be ‘meaningless’ in that sort of set up, back when we had a larger league, we didn’t have playoffs or as many automatic relegation spots, so it wouldn’t be the same. Edited January 7 by BackOfTheNet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansel Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, fila said: Would make absolutely no difference to the current state of our game It would increase the chances of a hearts or Aberdeen etc winning the league or finishing 2nd, as we would only play the rangers and celtic 4 times instead of 8. In Spain, La Liga is usually dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, but you also get an Athletico Madrid winning the league occasionally too. However, imagine La Liga had the same league structure as Scotland? A club like Athletico would then need to play Real and Barcelona 8 times a season making the chances of success much less likely. Do you think Leicester would have had their 2015 premiership win if they needed to play teams like Man City and Liverpool 4 times each? No chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnking123 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Teams like Kilmarnock would never go for it. Rely on old firm money to much. We would thrive, hibs and Aberdeen possibly. But others vote against it in a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackOfTheNet Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 1 hour ago, colinmaroon said: If not reorganised properly, ensuring competitive games to the of the season, a task beyond the current incumbent, it will familiarity traded for meaningless mid-table games, the situation before the current set up. Requires an informed and enthusiastic imagination, which sadly the glorified clerk lacks. Plus SKY! Won't give up 4 games a season for the Uglies. How about 2 league games and the Battle of the Boyne Cup exclusively for the Bigot brothers - added incentive 50/50 crowd, even if 2 legs, makes it 6 fixtures for Sky. Then the human race, other teams (used loosely) can get on with life, only having to to Glasgow once for each team. Apart from when we beat them in semis and finals. There will be objections from Killie, St Johnstone, St Mirren etc., who sell almost all their tickets to the Uglies. Filthy lucre talks. See my other posts, a final European spot playoff set up and 3 automatic relegation spots would mean ‘meaningless’ games would only happen towards the last few games of the season (if at all). And a season opener Super Cup would likely ensure at least one additional OF game (and if they didn’t play each other then it meant something exciting happened either in the league or the Scottish Cup). Could also be a 2 legged Super Cup like other countries have. That’s your 4 OF games right there. Would like mean TV companies pay more for SC or League Cup, as OF likely to play each other at some point of either competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philfigo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 It's a must for Scottish football, but the teams that give the old firm 75% of there own ground wouldn't run with it. Think there should be a massive drive or campaign by all clubs and supporters that do want it. We are stuck in a shit show at the minute of old firm dominance onnamd off the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 4 minutes ago, johnking123 said: Teams like Kilmarnock would never go for it. Rely on old firm money to much. We would thrive, hibs and Aberdeen possibly. But others vote against it in a second. The power needs to be taken out of the clubs hands. There should be an independent body set up to govern the game and fans wants should be put front and central. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Just now, Philfigo said: It's a must for Scottish football, but the teams that give the old firm 75% of there own ground wouldn't run with it. Think there should be a massive drive or campaign by all clubs and supporters that do want it. We are stuck in a shit show at the minute of old firm dominance onnamd off the field. Interesting that Davie Martindale is as advocate of a bigger league, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC Mallin_51 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 7 hours ago, BackOfTheNet said: It has been covered before, but no harm in discussing it again… Personally, this is what I’d like to see: 3 Main Leagues - Premiership (18 teams) - Championship (18 teams) - Conference/Another (12 teams) Below that, Highland and Lowland Leagues as is (numbers could vary). PREMIERSHIP Legue Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. No split, 34 games over the season. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. European Playoffs We currently have 5 European spots: 1st = Champions League 2nd = Champions League playoffs SC Winner = Europa League playoffs 3rd = Conference League playoffs 4th = Conference League playoffs (We all know what happens if the SC winner has already got European qualification) What I would suggest, is at the end of the 34 game campaign and the SC final is done, the teams from 4th to 7th (assuming SC winner hasn’t qualified already, otherwise it would be 5th to 8th) have playoffs. Semi-finals at each home ground and final at Hampden. The winner gets the last European spot, that would normally be held for the 5th team (4th in league or 5th if SC winners already qualified) This would allow the teams to have an extra few games, would also add excitement to end of the season. Relegation 3 teams automatically relegated, no relegation playoff in the top league Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Premiership and Championship, the 18 teams would be: Aberdeen Airdrie Celtic Dundee Dundee Utd Dunfermline Greenock Morton Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Partick Thistle Raith Rovers Rangers Ross County St. Johnstone St. Mirren CHAMPIONSHIP League Format 18 teams playing each other twice, home and away. 34 games, no split. Allows for a winter break and more opportunity to reschedule without fixture lists being too packed. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Premiership. Teams 3rd to 6th go into play-offs, two legged semi finals (one at each ground) and Final at Hampden. Relegation / Relegation Play-off Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Conference/Another. Team that finished 16th has two legged playoff against team that wins promotion playoffs in Conference/Another. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2, the 18 teams would be: Annan Athletic Alloa Arbroath Ayr Cove Rangers Dumbarton Falkirk FC Edinburgh Hamilton Inverness CT Kelty Hearts Montrose Peterhead Queen of the South Queen’s Park Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion Spartans CONFERENCE/ANOTHER League Format 12 teams playing each other 3 times, home and away. 33 games, then split like Premiership currently has. 38 games in total, allowing teams unlikely to advance in cups some extra gate receipt opportunities. Promotion Playoff Top 2 teams automatically get promoted to the Championship. Teams 3rd and 4th go into play-offs, two legs one at each ground. The winner then has a two legged playoff against the team who finished 16th in the Championship. Relegation Bottom 2 Teams automatically relegated to Highland or Lowland Leagues to be replaced by Champions of each the Highland League and the Lowland League. Participating Teams Using the current league standings of League 2, and for the purposes of this hypothetical scenario selective teams from Highland and Lowland leagues (based mostly on who’s been in the league set up recently) the 12 teams could be: Albion Rovers Bonnyrigg Rose Brechin City Celtic B Clyde Cowdenbeath East Fife East Kilbride Elgin City Forfar Hearts B Stranraer *Celtic B and Hearts B could not be promoted, but could be relegated SUPER CUP To satisfy those complaining about lack of OF games (TV), a Super Cup between league and cup winner from previous season can be the season opener. Either one off at Hampden (like in England) or two legs like European countries do, with one at each ground. SCOTTISH CUP No change LEAGUE CUP Same group format to begin with, but knockout stages are two legs. One at each home ground, all the way to the semi finals, only the final would be played at Hampden. Means teams worrying about dropping from 38 to 34 games have the opportunity to get more games through competition progression. RESERVES I would like an official in line reserve league set up, like the EPL2. If this was in place, then B teams would not be needed and would be replaced in Conference/Another league by other teams in the pyramid. Everything about this is better but sky would tell you to gtf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansel Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 39 minutes ago, Shrekeo said: I’m not sure how true this is anymore from a TV perspective? Nobody outside the OF cares about the OF Games. Certainly not down south. I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that with an extended league with increased smaller grounds and therefore less of their scum in physical attendance, would mean more people watching the likes of Dunfermline v Celtic which is inevitably on TV anyway? Anyway, the big thing that does bring in viewers is competition and there’s zero chance of OF voting for that or smaller clubs who need the 4 home games a season to sell out 3 stands to be viable. You might be right mate. As you say though, no way the of and smaller clubs will vote in favour of it. Think even the OF fans are sick of the 4 derbies (plus cup games) each season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingantti1874 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) No point in coming up with a solution which doesn’t involve 4 Glasgow derbies. We all want it but it’s entirely pointless. BUT there is a way to have a bigger league 16 team, 4 derbies AND a reasonable number of games. 16 teams split into 2 groups of 8 after 30 fixtures split into 4 groups of 4 after 37 fixtures The top group of 4 play off for the title and the top euro spots The second play off for the final euro spot The bottom group are the relegation group with bottom 2 down. Yes we all wish the split didn’t exist but this would mean * more games against different teams and a bit more interest *a closer title up to the 30 game mark at least. *making the last 3 games against direct competitors. * more games meaning slightly more revenue. its the best solution. Gives a bit of everything. A slight increase in games, slightly more revenue, more teams, should help other teams keep pace with old firm and maintains the dreaded 4 fixtures. Edited January 7 by kingantti1874 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manaliveits105 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Definitely do away with four games scenario the arse cheeks can play each other 12 times for the Weegie cup to keep Sky happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drylaw Hearts Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Scottish Football need a shake up in full. We need to start with separating the full-time clubs from the part-time clubs…..the part-timers hold too much sway when it comes to overall voting rights etc. The current system is tin-pot to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philfigo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 6 minutes ago, LarrysRightFoot said: Interesting that Davie Martindale is as advocate of a bigger league, Yeah he seem like a guy who just calls it as it is, but I bet his CEO would have a different view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingantti1874 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said: Definitely do away with four games scenario the arse cheeks can play each other 12 times for the Weegie cup to keep Sky happy Everyone thinks this It’s not going away ever, unless the old firm go away mate. It’s just never going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StirlingJambo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Don’t get the chat of a lot of meaningless games. That’s what we’re doing right now. We've got that much of a backwards mentality that finishing 3rd is like winning the league to us now. We’re never going to get anywhere near the arsecheeks playing them 8 times, which ends up 24 points behind before you even think about the other teams. Larger league set up can only help close the gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarrysRightFoot Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 5 minutes ago, Drylaw Hearts said: Scottish Football need a shake up in full. We need to start with separating the full-time clubs from the part-time clubs…..the part-timers hold too much sway when it comes to overall voting rights etc. The current system is tin-pot to say the least. 👏 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.