The SPL: Competitive or Pish - Discuss

[hibbie02]

Much as I like seeing Hibs sitting sitting second in the League, it begs the question... Where else could you have a team sitting in second place having dropped 8 points out of 21? If Rankers draw today, that would still be the case.

Some would say that it may be down to the competitive nature of the SPL, where most of the teams have the ability to beat most of the others, or at least draw.

Others would say the SPL is pish and the quality is awful, with even the Uglies being averaged down to the level of the rest of the teams.

So, is the SPL genuinely competitive for the first time in years or is it just Pish?



p.s. One team only has 7 points out of 21 and nae strikers..........

[Hibbyradge]

Pish is not the opposite of competitive.

Therefore, the answer is both.

[J-C]

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Pish is not the opposite of competitive.

Therefore, the answer is both.

So we're agreed then it's competitively pish.

[broonie27]

it's pish. but i'm stuck with it!

[Hainan Hibs]

Hibs in 2nd place and Hearts down near the bottom? The SPL rocks!

[Phil MaGlass]

At the moment its quite competetive as the Huns are crap, its good to see so many Scottish youngsters being given a chance throughout the SPL and that can only bode well for the future of the Scottish game and National team.We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with some good fitba and cash in the bank,Hertz are pi5h, D.Utd have been playing well for the last few years, M,Well are doing it and St.J,stone and St.Mirren are playing attractive fitba.Its not all doom and gloom.Just cos the OF are pi5h doesnt mean Scottish fitba is.

[.SeventyFive]

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At the moment its quite competetive as the Huns are crap, its good to see so many Scottish youngsters being given a chance throughout the SPL and that can only bode well for the future of the Scottish game and National team.We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with some good fitba and cash in the bank,Hertz are pi5h, D.Utd have been playing well for the last few years, M,Well are doing it and St.J,stone and St.Mirren are playing attractive fitba.Its not all doom and gloom.Just cos the OF are pi5h doesnt mean Scottish fitba is.

Definately agree with this. It's shaping up to be a really good season. The Old Firm aren't as good, the smaller teams are better and the middle teams are about the same so everything should be a lot tighter.

There is already a thread on here talking about the entertainment value from yesterday so to me that suggests that we are seeing not completely pish, competitive football. With a bit more money overall in Scottish football, it could be a really interesting league year on year.

[banarc7062]

Looking at current standards throughout our senior leagues at this time IMO we must be on a par with the Welsh or Irish leagues......P**h

[Westie1875]

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Hibs in 2nd place and Hearts down near the bottom? The SPL rocks!

Yep, lets just end the season now, I quite like how the table looks

[blackpoolhibs]

Most of the time we are pish, yogi has us playing better than normal. The game yesterday was exciting, some great skill from lots of players. If yesterday was pish, i dread to think what last season was called.

We are getting better, the old firm are in decline, thats good for everyone bar the old firm, thats not pish.

[Expecting Rain]

The SPL is better this season because Hibs are better, a mediocre Hearts side finished third last season playing a 4-5-1 system at home and managed to lose the derby to a patchwork Hibs outfit, Dundee United and us should be challenging for 3rd place and judging by yesterday we have the better football team.
The demise of Celtic and especially Rangers will make it a more competitive league and hopefully the final standings will be a lot closer than last season to prove a point, the gers will have to rely on officialdom to help them into second spot, some of their guys did a pretty good job yesterday especially the assistant on the East Terracing side and will probably be rewarded with a place in the League Cup or Scottish Cup Final.

[yekimevol]

i their is a big chance this season because smelltic and the huns this season are ***** so if there is ever a chance this season is it if yogi can get the goals and the performance against dundee u then where on the road for a gd season

[Toaods]

the lack of quality speaks volumes....just go down the other side of the border and you'll be lucky to find any mention of the SPL.

I don't think the EEC member countries all tune in to watch the SPL big game of an evening.

[Ed De Gramo]

The fight for 3rd is usually exciting...just a shame that 3rd gets you nowt except an exit out of European competition at the 1st hurdle...

The league would be awesome if the OF disappear but would need the current level of sponsorship and backing....

[Alfred E Newman]

Yesterday most of the 13000 who turned up would feel they had their moneys worth in a thoroughly entertaining game. Its not always like that but that goes for most games, old firm included. If you go down south away from the usual top 4 or 5 in the Premiership its just the same. Yes we are subjected to a load of crap at times but so is everyone who attends on a regular basis and yes it is overpriced and the players are paid too much.. But sometimes we tend to be over critical and as long as we enjoy it what the hell. On yesterdays display and last week at Motherwell we are going to be better entertained than most, even if we don`t finish in the top 4 at the end of the season.

[joe breezy]

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Looking at current standards throughout our senior leagues at this time IMO we must be on a par with the Welsh or Irish leagues......P**h

I don't think the SPL is that bad, Glentoran are one of the best teams in Northern Ireland and we outplayed them and they got gubbed by poor opposition in Europe

I've been to a few Cardiff games and Hibs could beat them

However, I do think the standard is poor at times outside the top 5 and the European performances of the Old Firm are poor too (all Scottish teams but they usually do a bit better)

[fife hfc]

I agree the quality overall is not great but if hibs are involved in football games all season like yesterdays then I will feel very entertained. Both teams played the ball on the deck and went for it, for Hibs and Utd.

I have sky sports but rarely watch the English game on a Sunday afternoon, but did so today. i must say considering what Liverpool and Chelsea players get paid the ball was in the air, far more than yesterday and I geniunely believe the game yesterday was of a better quality considering the players are supposedly far poorer.

Also the OF game today was rank except for the chinese player who looked one of the few decent players on the pitch.

[TheEastTerrace]

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Much as I like seeing Hibs sitting sitting second in the League, it begs the question... Where else could you have a team sitting in second place having dropped 8 points out of 21? If Rankers draw today, that would still be the case.

Some would say that it may be down to the competitive nature of the SPL, where most of the teams have the ability to beat most of the others, or at least draw.

Others would say the SPL is pish and the quality is awful, with even the Uglies being averaged down to the level of the rest of the teams.

So, is the SPL genuinely competitive for the first time in years or is it just Pish?



p.s. One team only has 7 points out of 21 and nae strikers..........

According to that wee jumped up ginger tw@t Strachan, who was making an appearance on Goals on Sunday, he predicts that there will be a bigger gap between 2nd and 3rd than ever before in terms of points total.

[fordie2]

Is the SPL really that bad?

Are we just that spoilt for choice with big games, that we are subconsciously comparing the SPL with LaLiga, EPL and SerieA etc?

Compare the SPL to nations of a similar size to Scotland and we will be right up there IMO.

I don't think any of the top 6 would look out of place at the top end of the Championship down south for instance.

[Scotthibs1875]

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At the moment its quite competetive as the Huns are crap, its good to see so many Scottish youngsters being given a chance throughout the SPL and that can only bode well for the future of the Scottish game and National team.We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with some good fitba and cash in the bank,Hertz are pi5h, D.Utd have been playing well for the last few years, M,Well are doing it and St.J,stone and St.Mirren are playing attractive fitba.Its not all doom and gloom.Just cos the OF are pi5h doesnt mean Scottish fitba is.

I agree with almost all of that apart from St.Mirren playing good football.I think they are *****e and i think its between them and Hamilton most likely to be relegated.

[jacomo]

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the lack of quality speaks volumes....just go down the other side of the border and you'll be lucky to find any mention of the SPL.

I don't think the EEC member countries all tune in to watch the SPL big game of an evening.

Ah yes, but with the Super Duper Best League in the World (TM) to distract them, no wonder the English pay less attention to us.

The 5 big leagues in Europe dominate much more than they used to, but they're also a little overhyped. Look at strikers going south of the Border - both Cousin and JVH were signed by Hull, Fletcher by Burnley. All 3 players are "good enough" for the EPL, although flaws in their games were obvious up here.

The standard of defending in the SPL is pretty bad, though, with players making basic mistakes week in week out.

[Squibbit]

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Is the SPL really that bad?

Are we just that spoilt for choice with big games, that we are subconsciously comparing the SPL with LaLiga, EPL and SerieA etc?

Compare the SPL to nations of a similar size to Scotland and we will be right up there IMO.

I don't think any of the top 6 would look out of place at the top end of the Championship down south for instance.

As long as it's not above Forest...I would concur

[C I Hibee]

I went over from Guernsey to Germany at the weekend to meet some German mates and take in the Borussia Monchengladbach v B Dortmund derby.
Before going I made a point of watching two BMG games on ESPN. I thought they were both very poor. I have to say the game on Saturday was just as poor, and I have certainly seen better football from Hibs this season. MGB are suffering at the moment, I believe, from only having one or two Germans in the starting eleven.
The Stadium and training pitches are class. Our mates who are well in at the club, organised a Sunday morning Stadia tour, during which we were introduced to the Vice President of the club a certain Rainer Bonhof.
An interesting footnote to the trip was the thoughts of the fans regarding their old stadium which was back in the centre of the town.
They now have to drive or get taxis to their new out of town site.They wish they were still at the site of the old ground.
I now a quite sure Hibs made the right decision in staying at ER

[One Day Soon]

Mostly pish.

However Hibernian FC are, for a whole variety of reasons, extraordinarily well placed to thrive and prosper in the next few years at the very time that most other clubs in the league are not. Take a very large bow Rod Petrie.

[Hibercelona]

We are only pish because we compare ourselfs too much with the EPL and other top flight leagues.

If we stopped comparing the SPL to the EPL, The Spanish League & the Italian League.... etc

We'd find that the SPL isnt all that bad for the money thats in it.

The Hibs and Dundee Utd game was superb on saturday.

When I was watching the Chelsea and Liverpool game the next day... I couldnt help but think how much better our game was!

A lot of dross exists even at the highest levels of football.

[heretoday]

So far there is every chance this season will see a more competitive SPL. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it good quality to watch.

I can remember a time not so long ago when I took virtually no notice of what was happening in England but existed happily on a diet of Scottish football.

The blanket coverage of the Prem may have turned my head a bit, but now I don't think I could sustain interest in the SPL alone.

Let's face it, the Scottish game is not exactly blessed with interesting characters. The second rate Scottish footy media is to blame for much of that of course but the game itself really has deteriorated in standard.

It won't matter by the way if Hibs are involved in the shake-up at the end of the day!

[hibbie02]

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I went over from Guernsey to Germany at the weekend to meet some German mates and take in the Borussia Monchengladbach v B Dortmund derby.

Didnae realise Borussia was actually a place!






















I know.......... I spent long enough in Germany to know...........

[hibbie02]

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We are only pish because we compare ourselfs too much with the EPL and other top flight leagues.

If we stopped comparing the SPL to the EPL, The Spanish League & the Italian League.... etc

We'd find that the SPL isnt all that bad for the money thats in it.

The Hibs and Dundee Utd game was superb on saturday.

When I was watching the Chelsea and Liverpool game the next day... I couldnt help but think how much better our game was!

A lot of dross exists even at the highest levels of football.

You should have watched the Arsenal Game........

[sambajustice]

Both.

Its crap but it is more competitive now than it was a few years ago!