18 team top division

[Diclonius]

If the SFA and SPFL have a collective awakening and agree on an 18 team top division, what 17 teams would you prefer in it along with us? Included the highest 25 ranked teams in Scotland as per last season - try and choose 17!

[greenlex]

Needs to be playing each other home and away. Three up three down with play offs too.

[Sir David Gray]

Anything that does away with the split is good for me.

[Billy Whizz]

Unfortunately for the TV deal being negotiated, they'll want 4 Bigot firm Derby's

[Danderhall Hibs]

Unfortunately for the TV deal being negotiated, they'll want 4 Bigot firm Derby's

Could we do the 18 team league and guarantee they'll be in the same LC group and drawn in the 1st round of the Scottish cup?

[H18 SFR]

1. Hibernian
2. Hearts
3. Celtic
4. The Rangers
5. Dundee
6. Dundee Utd
7. Aberdeen
8. Partick Th
9. St Johnstone
10. St Mirren
11. ICT
12. Ross County
13. Kilmarnock
14. Livingston
15. Queen of the South
16. Morton
17. Dunfermline
18. Ayr Utd

Falkirk just miss out, gutted for them! 😀

[SouthMoroccoStu]

Could we do the 18 team league and guarantee they'll be in the same LC group and drawn in the 1st round of the Scottish cup?

lol I'm in for that idea

[Nameless]

1. Hibernian
2. Hearts
3. Celtic
4. The Rangers
5. Dundee
6. Dundee Utd
7. Aberdeen
8. Partick Th
9. St Johnstone
10. St Mirren
11. ICT
12. Ross County
13. Kilmarnock
14. Falkirk
15. Stirling Albion
16. Morton
17. Dunfermline
18. Raith Rovers

[Dibben]

1. Hibernian
2. Hearts
3. Celtic
4. The Rangers
5. Dundee
6. Dundee Utd
7. Aberdeen
8. Partick Th
9. St Johnstone
10. St Mirren
11. ICT
12. Ross County
13. Kilmarnock
14. Falkirk
15. QotS
16. Morton
17. Dunfermline
18. Raith Rovers

[makaveli1875]

icould only pick 16 . the thought of another game against houstons hammer throwers , dumbarton , alloa or ayr any time soon is depressing

[Risboro Hibby]

Sadly I remember the days of the old 18 team first division and from January onwards if you were a mid table team there was absolutely nothing to play for particularly if you were also knocked out of the cup in the first or second round So for me a 16 team league with keeping the split once everyone has played home and away then top 8 plays for champions and Europe with bottom 8 playing 2 down and 1 more in a play off seems more appealing to me 44 games in total seems a lot but return the league cup to knockout and let's be honest in the current set up the odds are stacked against Scottish teams going well in Europe anyway

[bigwheel]

Would be a terrible idea...I actually think what we have now is the best current solution...keeps most games meaningful all season


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[J-C]

Our only problem with a larger league is the ugly sisters in the West wanting more games against each other, that's the reason the league changed, to keep them happy.

[inglisavhibs]

Sadly I remember the days of the old 18 team first division and from January onwards if you were a mid table team there was absolutely nothing to play for particularly if you were also knocked out of the cup in the first or second round So for me a 16 team league with keeping the split once everyone has played home and away then top 8 plays for champions and Europe with bottom 8 playing 2 down and 1 more in a play off seems more appealing to me 44 games in total seems a lot but return the league cup to knockout and let's be honest in the current set up the odds are stacked against Scottish teams going well in Europe anyway
The old 18 club league nearly killed football in Scotland. Too many meaningless games which the fans(despite what they say) won't attend. We don't have the population in Scotland for a large league especially when a huge percentage of that small population support two teams.

[where'stheslope]

In all honesty, I got to 12 other teams and was struggling for another 5!

My pick was mainly on stadia and crowd potential and that's where 12 came from the others have no support of note or rubbish stadium.

[greenlex]

Sadly I remember the days of the old 18 team first division and from January onwards if you were a mid table team there was absolutely nothing to play for particularly if you were also knocked out of the cup in the first or second round So for me a 16 team league with keeping the split once everyone has played home and away then top 8 plays for champions and Europe with bottom 8 playing 2 down and 1 more in a play off seems more appealing to me 44 games in total seems a lot but return the league cup to knockout and let's be honest in the current set up the odds are stacked against Scottish teams going well in Europe anyway
This would be where three down with play offs would squeeze the "meaningless"games. I believe that from a club point if view there is no such thing. Crane Martin Dunsmore et all would all feature if there was little to play for. Develop the youngsters in the Hibs first team rather than elsewhere. Have a reserve league too rather than under 20s. Or better still have both.

[houstonhibbee]

Including Hibs, 16th place has 52 votes (Ross Co) then there is a big gap to 17th with QOS on 39 then Livi on 34.

So i would suggest preference is for 16 teams rather than 18.............

Also big gap between 14th (Raith 65) and 15th (Morton 54)

[--------]

No. Wasn't working then, wouldn't work now.

Too many meaningless games, and there's no way people would turn up to watch a mid-tab;e match with both teams fielding 'development' players. Not at the prices we're expected to pay these days.

[houstonhibbee]

No. Wasn't working then, wouldn't work now.

Too many meaningless games, and there's no way people would turn up to watch a mid-tab;e match with both teams fielding 'development' players. Not at the prices we're expected to pay these days.

With respect totally disagree.

Times have changed. Bigger league will help level playing field and provide more competition, sadly lacking right now and with boring repetition of games.

Agree it wasn't working before. I think 16 would be better than 18 with play offs for promotion from lower league similar to England to keep it interesting

[West lower]

I keep hearing how there would be many meaningless games in a big league. I agree to an extent, as I am old enough to remember pre the 10 team leagues. However, it was in these "meaningless" games that the up and coming players got their chance. Players like Crane and Shaw would get a run out, whereas the way it is just now this just won't happen. I remember Willie Miller saying it was in a "meaningless" game like this that he first played with a young McLeish. He kept his place. Reckoned it helped the young Scots develop, and ultimately our national team benefitted. Money talks though.

[Renfrew_Hibby]

What ever happened to the idea that was being talked of...
2 top leagues of 12 and a north/east of 10 with a south/west of 10?
The top 2 divisions would split into 3 leagues of 8 after 2 rounds of fixtures. The points would be reset and you would then have a title race, a promotion race and a survival league.

Works out at 36 fixtures for everyone, 18 home & 18 away.
The 2 lower regional leagues would be linked into the non -leagues for a proper pyramid set-up.
Sounded great to me!

[stoneyburn hibs]

16, 18 top league with 1 home and away fixture would be great imo. It's a groundhog dirge right now.

[mca]

A 16 Team league... yes.. but would it work.. ??

[Eyrie]

What ever happened to the idea that was being talked of...
2 top leagues of 12 and a north/east of 10 with a south/west of 10?
The top 2 divisions would split into 3 leagues of 8 after 2 rounds of fixtures. The points would be reset and you would then have a title race, a promotion race and a survival league.

Works out at 36 fixtures for everyone, 18 home & 18 away.
The 2 lower regional leagues would be linked into the non -leagues for a proper pyramid set-up.
Sounded great to me!

It was rejected in a vote.

Pity, because I was in favour of it and have been for over thirty years. The only teams to visit Easter Road twice would be teams at our own level with an incentive to play rather than suffocate the game. We'd likely get Aberdeen, Celtc, Hearts and Sevco as four of the seven.

The mid-tier of eight would create a fluid promotion/relegation situation, so that relegation would no longer be the disaster that it is now. There would still be enough games towards both the split and the end of the season where it would be possible to blood youngsters.

Only thing I'd add is that the leagues of twelve should finish in early January. There could then be a Scottish Cup round followed by a two week winter break so that any outstanding fixtures can be accommodated before the leagues of eight start at the beginning of February.

[ED Hibee]

Not old enough to remember the days of "meaningless games in an 18 team league, but as someone who has witnessed team relegated twice and 4 seasons in the first division/championship (6 out of 30 seasons I have followed Hibs), give me a few more meaningless games any day.

[Eyrie]

A 16 Team league... yes.. but would it work.. ??

Four fewer home games and matches against Aberdeen, Celtc, Hearts and Sevco replaced by visits from Dundee, Ross County, Morton and Falkirk. There could be clubs with nothing to play for once they're knocked out the cup in February and it's likely that half the league will have nothing left by late March so the attendance for Hibs (6th) vs Motherwell (tenth) will make the PBS look busy.

You tell me if it will work.

[southsider]

When the new Huns go t*ts up again. A 18 team top league without them would be braw.

[greenginger]

Would be a terrible idea...I actually think what we have now is the best current solution...keeps most games meaningful all season


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I dare say Kilmarnock v Hearts last night was " meaningful ", but did that make it attractive to watch ?

Our top league seems to be tending towards bigger more powerful players at the expense of ball skills and these players more often come from English or Euro leagues.

I'd settle for a competition of football skills rather than a meaningful kicking match any day.

As for Sky/BT Sport wanting 4 bigot -fests, give them that Glasgow Cup final home and away, and let the rest of Scottish Football watch football.

[Malthibby]

As long as Sevco Hearts & Celtic aren't there I don't care.

[heretoday]

It'll never happen for financial reasons which are the only reasons that count these days.

In the old 18-team league you were at least guaranteed to see a couple of tricky players on the pitch and that made it more entertaining. People like Andy Ritchie, Alex Edwards or Jocky Scott to name three. Now it's the agents who are up to the tricks.

[jgl07]

I would go for a top Division of 16 teams. The League Cup Group matches would be played by every team and be essentially regionalised.

Hence you could still get the four OF derbies.

Hopefully the top six to eight would be fighting for European places and the bulk of the bottom eight would be trying to avoid relegation places.

The lower leagues in England all have 22 teams and they seem to have very few meaningless matches. For example, Birmingham City were looking good for a promotion play-off place when Gary Rowett was sacked. Now under Gianfranco Zola, they have drifted into severe danger of relegation.

The old 18-team Divisions in Scotland had two up and two down. I think that for an 18-team league it should be four up and four down while for a 16-team league, three up and three down should suffice.

So with a 16-team league and four European places potentially up for grabs and three relegation slots I can't see there being many meaningless matches.

[Eyrie]

Celtc and Sevco will never agree to be in the same four team pool for the league cup because only one team would make it to the knock out stages. If you have two, then you need to fit in another round of matches for the last sixteen.