Outwith Celtic and Rangers, what would you say is the quality of our top flight?

[G B Young]

In the light of Heckingbottom's comments that the quality of Scottish top flight is at the'English League One, lower half' what to you think the level is?

Personally I think the quality as low as I've known it for a long time and would suggest Hecky wasn't too far off the mark - but I'd suggest top half of League One is about the standard.

[Diclonius]

Us, Hearts and Aberdeen are Championship lower/L1 upper based on resources. The rest are probably lower L1 to Conference.

[hfc rd]

Us, Hearts and Aberdeen are Championship lower/L1 upper based on resources. The rest are probably lower L1 to Conference.


That’s what I’d say too.

[BigKev]

Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen would all survive comfortably in the English Championship as things stand. With the additional tv revenue we’d challenge for play off spots.

Motherwelll, Killie, St J would be yo yo teams and the Hamilton, St Mirren, Livi’s would be League One outfits.

The Dundee clubs could easily become established Championship sides as well.

[SouthMoroccoStu]

Rangers and Celtic are the cancer of our game
Their presence suffocates the other teams and prohibits the other teams and national teams in our country
And the governing body’s pandering allows this to continue

[Unseen work]

It’s hard to compare at the moment, but if a club our size - stadium, training facilities and fan base was in the championship as an English team you’d be hoping you’d have a shot of play off spot.

English football as made a lot of small clubs seem big by the amount of money that’s been pumped into them. Look at Bournemouth for example, their Stadium holds about 13k and are by no means a big club but with the money they’ve received they’ve reinvested it well and are now a mid table premiership team.

As it stands with our current squad we would be league 1 imo.

[wookie70]

It’s hard to compare at the moment, but if a club our size - stadium, training facilities and fan base was in the championship as an English team you’d be hoping you’d have a shot of play off spot.

English football as made a lot of small clubs seem big by the amount of money that’s been pumped into them. Look at Bournemouth for example, their Stadium holds about 13k and are by no means a big club but with the money they’ve received they’ve reinvested it well and are now a mid table premiership team.

As it stands with our current squad we would be league 1 imo.

I probably agree that Hibs would be top half championship/play offs with teh revenue that Championship clubs get. However Hecks comments seemed to me to be a direct comparison and I think he was on the mark or pretty close. Over a season I think with the current squad or the one he inherited we would have been relegated from the Championship.

[ScottB]

Comparing like for like is hard, with our much lower revenues, I still think, say, the Hibs side of a year or two ago, could make a decent fist of it in the Championship. But then if you gave us the income the other clubs in that league enjoy, I think we’d definitely do well.

Ultimately in England, if you can manage the riches in a decent manner, you can get to the top. If Bournemouth can be a regular fixture in the topflight, then so could any of our bigger clubs.

In direct comparison, well, it is League One ish, in terms of budgets, wages paid etc.

[Brightside]

In the light of Heckingbottom's comments that the quality of Scottish top flight is at the'English League One, lower half' what to you think the level is?

Personally I think the quality as low as I've known it for a long time and would suggest Hecky wasn't too far off the mark - but I'd suggest top half of League One is about the standard.
None. The standard has gone down hill last few years.

[Sir David Gray]

If the Scottish Premiership clubs had the same resources as the English clubs, Celtic and Rangers would probably be competing with the top 6/8 clubs.

Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen would be lower Premiership or upper Championship, the likes of Motherwell and Kilmarnock probably upper League One and then Livingston, Hamilton, Ross County etc would be League Two or below.

[calumhibee1]

As far as I was concerned, PH wasn’t saying we’re clubs that size wise belong at the bottom of League One. I read it as with the resources we have and the resources they all have down there that were probably bottom half league one. I don’t think he’s that far off to be honest. Our good sides - us a couple of years ago with the midfield trio, some of the Aberdeen sides of recent years would probably be competitive in the bottom half of the Championship.

[hibsbollah]

Quality of player, he's broadly correct, mid English div 1. But difficulty of match day, physical challenge etc, lower Championship.

But it's not that important or to be concerned about. The fallout from the massive parachute payments to former Prem teams and the speculate to accumulate policy of Championship teams to reach that promised land, means it's impossible to compare. Youd get equally as revealing an answer comparing us with the Swedish league, or the Belgian.

[sambajustice]

Right now, League 2 to conference.

With access to english money potential would be there to be upper championship to Premiership, it's just too hard to tell.

Hibs have more season ticket holders than Bournemouth have seats for example.

Then look at the likes of Leeds, Wednesday and Sunderland. More huger teams than us but toiling.

I always find this discussion ridiculous. Potential would be there to be good but no guarantee!

[Deansy]

Rangers and Celtic are the cancer of our game
Their presence suffocates the other teams and prohibits the other teams and national teams in our country
And the governing body’s pandering allows this to continue

Yup - not only do they get to buy better-quality players with the money that sectarianism provides, as soon as any of the other clubs discover a promising talent, they either just buy them or use their media to unsettle them !

[mjhibby]

Lower half of English championship IMHO.

[heretoday]

Lower half of English championship IMHO.

Even lower I'd say. Can you imagine Motherwell competing with the lower half of that league?

[Since90+2]

If the Scottish Premiership clubs had the same resources as the English clubs, Celtic and Rangers would probably be competing with the top 6/8 clubs.

Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen would be lower Premiership or upper Championship, the likes of Motherwell and Kilmarnock probably upper League One and then Livingston, Hamilton, Ross County etc would be League Two or below.

I'm not sure we can say with any confidence that Hibs ,Hearts and Aberdeen would be lower premiership.

There are some huge clubs that have floated about the Championship in England for years,some considerably bigger than the 3 clubs mentioned.

Take Leeds ,Sheffield Wednesday and Notts Forrest for example. All massive clubs with larger support basis than us and who have not been in the Premier League for years.

[LancashireHibby]

Interesting to see talk of resources - these only really come to you once you make the Premier League. As above, the Championship is an absolute graveyard for clubs with much bigger support than Hibs.

With having a season ticket at Bolton, I’ve spent the last two years watching the Championship and League One this season, and I’d say the latter is largely on a par with most SPFL teams. Let’s be honest though, the European results haven’t exactly helped the league’s reputation, while crowds at St Johnstone and others wouldn’t look out of place in the Conference or even Conference North in Hamilton’s case.

[Keith_M]

This is difficult, as I think there's a range of quality in teams outside the top two.

I'd guess somewhere between bottom half of the Championship (e.g. the Aberdeen side of the past few seasons) and bottom half of League One (e.g. St Mirren).

That's aside from this season, as some of the large sides are in a bit of a slump.

[Since452]

EPL. Burnley couldn't beat Aberdeen over 180 minutes. Man City couldn't beat Celtic over 180 minutes.

In all seriousness it's like comparing us with the French leagues. Who knows? It's a foreign league. Different set up, different revenue streams, different youth structures etc. Always bugs me when people try and compare us with them.

[Eyrie]

It depends.

Drop the existing top flight into England and the Ugly Sisters would probably be lower Premiership with the best of the rest in the lower Championship and the other clubs somewhere in League One.

Give us the same revenue and the Ugly Sisters would be midtable Premiership, challenging for Europe and cups. Hibs, Aberdeen and Hearts would be the upper Championship with the occasional promotion followed by relegation. The remaining clubs would be split between lower Championship and League One.

[LancashireHibby]

Give us the same revenue and the Ugly Sisters would be midtable Premiership, challenging for Europe and cups. Hibs, Aberdeen and Hearts would be the upper Championship with the occasional promotion followed by relegation. The remaining clubs would be split between lower Championship and League One.
There isn’t any revenue in the Championship though, most clubs are in a mess, all in the hope of reaching the promised land. Bar the odd exception like when Burnley went up, the top dozen teams generate far more cash than any non-OF could only dream of, or are simply having an owner throw money at it in the hope of recouping it upon promotion.

[Sir David Gray]

I'm not sure we can say with any confidence that Hibs ,Hearts and Aberdeen would be lower premiership.

There are some huge clubs that have floated about the Championship in England for years,some considerably bigger than the 3 clubs mentioned.

Take Leeds ,Sheffield Wednesday and Notts Forrest for example. All massive clubs with larger support basis than us and who have not been in the Premier League for years.

You've then got the likes of Burnley, Bournemouth, Watford etc who are currently in the Premier League and Huddersfield, Fulham and Cardiff last season and I'd say Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen are bigger than all of these clubs.

It all depends on being run the right way in England and using the huge resources at your disposal correctly, the big Championship clubs you mentioned haven't been doing that and I'd say if our three clubs were run properly we absolutely could be Premier League standard.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Currently probably upper league 1 .... I was at Wigan v Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago, 4th from bottom v a team 3 points off joint top at the time, and the quality of Forest in particular was surprisingly average. Big athletic players on both sides for sure, but some of the loose passing and lumping of the ball that went on would have been booed at Easter Road.

For me this is about potential and from that perspective both Hibs and Hearts could be really successful if they were dropped into the English system. Over recent years the average attendance between the clubs has approached 30,000 and with the asset of one of the world's great cities as an attraction both clubs would surely be an attractive proposition for investment if playing in that far bigger market, and attractive for players if we could guarantee them the same money as the likes of QPR or Sheffield Wednesday.

As a purely academic exercise: If you had an amalgamated Edinburgh United joining a UK league system who were the only Scottish alternative to following one of the Ugly sisters in such a set up I guarantee you that within a few decades there would be a 50,000 capacity stadium somewhere in the city which would be full most weeks if such a club fulfilled its potential.

[PeeJay]

English league one, lower half and I'm being generous ... I am pretty certain that we (currently) and most of the other clubs would fail to compete consistently with most of the teams down there -

[Sir David Gray]

English league one, lower half and I'm being generous ... I am pretty certain that we (currently) and most of the other clubs would fail to compete consistently with most of the teams down there -

Based on our current squad then yes but if we had the English finances then we would be a potential Premier League side.