The Grand Design - SPL Restructuring

[I Love Lamp]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...em/8653062.stm

They did it.

They found a way to make it look even more ridiculous than it already does.

[Sir David Gray]

I didn't think it was possible to create a more farcical set-up than what we have just now.

Clearly I was wrong.

[Bristolhibby]

For the love of Christ. 18 teams, play each other twice. Scottish football - done.

This is the idea of a load of self serving lunatics!

J

[Sir David Gray]

Could someone please try to explain to me what is difficult about arranging an 18 team SPL with each team playing each other twice - once at home and once away.

That would make it a 34 game season.

Is that really such a far fetched idea?

[ChooseLife]

That is unbelievable...

I'd rather keep it the way it is thanks.

[dawn]

"Another SPL chairman admitted that, while he favoured an even bigger top league, a 14-club set-up was more likely to find favour with clubs because of financial considerations, with fewer clubs sharing SPL income."

Sums it up!

"the love of money is the root to all evil"

[I Love Lamp]

I can understand the financial arguments to an extent but the problem is that the momentum is all downward just now. The pot of money is shrinking. Perhaps the new setup could result in a collapse in the quality of the 'product' (scarcely imaginable I know) for a couple of years due to the need to share out the money among a greater number of clubs which could affect future TV deals etc. However, that is not necessarily so since the TV deal at the moment is just to cover the OF, the Edinburgh derbies and a couple of extras. The Dundee and Highland derbies would be added to this. It is difficult to see that the deal would go down in these circumstances since the customer base would remain similar and it could even go up. The hope is crowds might get a boost to, thereby making up a bit of the shortfall.

Even if it did collapse, though, the point is that the direction just now is one of decline and sometimes you have to do something big to give a jolt to the system. I remember that Levein at Dundee United used to bring on another centre-half and then shove Lee Wilkie upfront (did it once at McDiarmid when I was there) to keep teams guessing. Changing the league to an 18 team league could well be that change.

And if all that wasn't good enough, the fans have said they want an end to the split. Every business should listen to its customer base. Adapt or die.

[Brando7]

After the split, clubs in the top six and the bottom eight would then play each other twice.

This would mean 36 matches for the clubs in the top six, with 40 games being played by those finishing in the bottom eight.

WTF

[jakedance]

The problem is the tv companies will always want four old firm derbies a season and the clubs want the current number of old firm visits a season. They won't vote for anything that reduces income. An 18 team league may be better for Scottish fitba long term but most clubs live hand to mouth and can't take the hit.

Bit of a catch 22.

[the_ginger_hibee]

I've checked the date 3 times now and it quite clearly doesn't say April 1 2010.

Please, for the love of football and scottish 'fitba, tell me the article has been dragged up from the 1st. There is no way this can be the actual way we are going to go.

Also didn't think there was a way to make the current split seem reasonable, but alas, add in an 'uneven' split with some mental way of playing each other and bam - our current set-up seems not so bad after all!

Top six and the bottom eight.

36 matches for the clubs in the top six, with 40 games being played by those finishing in the bottom eight

Who comes up with this *****? Honestly. What a mess.

[Ryan91]

This is a farce, total farce. This guarantees 4 Old Firm games a season, they never learn do they, screw what the fans want, let's do it our way. They do love the idea of a 'split' - top 6 bottom 8 playing each other twice, why not make it even and have a top 7 bottom 7, 6 more games post split and each team playing 3 times at home and 3 away after the split. Also forget the idea that the 7th placed club can stay 7th with less points than the club in 8th after the split, 32 games played, 2 teams relegated one automatically, 11th through 13th play in a round-robbin mini league format with team with fewest points going down along with 14th. But really a 16 team league format would work best, 18 teams would be too many unless we had a full pyramid system with Junior Clubs able to gain promotion to higher leagues.

GGTTH

[hibbytam]

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After the split, clubs in the top six and the bottom eight would then play each other twice.

This would mean 36 matches for the clubs in the top six, with 40 games being played by those finishing in the bottom eight.

WTF

It is actually impressive the level of complication they have managed to put into something that should be so simple.
It's a pity that the money speaks higher than what the fans want, and the game needs.

[EuanH78]

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This is a farce, total farce. This guarantees 4 Old Firm games a season, they never learn do they, screw what the fans want, let's do it our way. They do love the idea of a 'split' - top 6 bottom 8 playing each other twice, why not make it even and have a top 7 bottom 7, 6 more games post split and each team playing 3 times at home and 3 away after the split. Also forget the idea that the 7th placed club can stay 7th with less points than the club in 8th after the split, 32 games played, 2 teams relegated one automatically, 11th through 13th play in a round-robbin mini league format with team with fewest points going down along with 14th. But really a 16 team league format would work best, 18 teams would be too many unless we had a full pyramid system with Junior Clubs able to gain promotion to higher leagues.

GGTTH

I like the cut of your jib young man

[MountcastleHibs]

They're off their heids!

18 teams, play each other twice a season - home and away, 34 game season... Sorted

It's just ridiculous having a 14 team league, splitting into a top 6, and bottom 8... Totally and utterly ridiculous

[ScottB]

Jesus Christ!

So they plan to replace a stupid, uncompetitive, overcomplicated league set up with one that's even worse?

Splitting the league at the half way stage is a disastrous idea! At the moment your dooming the teams at the top half of the bottom section to a few pointless games, now they will face half a seasons worth! Worse still they could easily face players wanting to leave in the January window because of it etc. How many times have we seen teams make late season charges (or drops) that will also be eliminated. How much in ticket income would Hibs lose if we were doomed to half a season in the bottom half?

If this is about smaller clubs lust for Old Firm cash, why on earth would they agree to accepting only 2 games against them a season guaranteed? The St Mirrens, Falkirks and St Johnstones have the most to lose from this, why not just go for the 18 team league? Same number of matches against the big clubs, but more small teams as an insulation against relegation?


Does any other league in the world use the stupid split idea anyway??

[s.a.m]

I've had an idea!


A league of 20, based on the previous years placings. The top two take part in a seperate 'mini-league' (provisional title 'Scottish Collective of Uber Menschen - S.C.U.M.), who play each other 16 times home and away then, following a split, play each other another 4 times home and away. The bottom 18 play each other twice (home and away), with each club agreeing to ensure that points accrued do not land any team other than the aforementioned S.C.U.M. in the top two at the end of the season.

Telly happy, Old Firm happy, non-Old Firm fans happy. I think I have a solution, ladies and gentlemen.

[Frogga]

What I don't understand is if they insist on this split then why don't they have 16 teams and then you could have a top 8 and bottom 8.

A top 8 would mean 4 more games for the big teams resulting in more money and would avoid the league becoming lopsided.

16 teams would keep the fans happy too.

The proposal they have just now seems to be a very poor attempt to act like change is taking place.

And why do we need an 11-1 favour to bring in a new rule?? I thought all this was abolished for a 8-4 ruling to avoid the OF v the rest philosophy from holding back good ideas (not that this the 14 team league is a good idea...).

[Dashing Bob S]

This is one of the reasons I despair of the cretins who run Scottish football. Why they just come out and say, "the game needs change but we can't do anything because the TV companies want 4 OF games per season, and 14 clubs is about the maximum we can divi up the (declining) SPL loot between."

Instead they not only shuffle deck chairs on the titanic, but throw the life rafts over the side without getting anyone into them. Look how moribund our season is already, and that's with teams still fighting for Europe, and the relegation slot.

If it was, say on the basis of the current table, a double-header clash between, say, A'deen and and St Johnstone, would anybody actually bother to attend those games? What would be the point?

And what is the point of this exercise, and of the timid, complacent, steady-as-she-sinks bowling club officials who run the senior game in this country?

[GreenCastle]

FARCE!

How to kill Scottish football even more

Do they ever listen to any fans ?

[H18sry]

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FARCE!

How to kill Scottish football even more

Do they ever listen to any fans ?

no

[ANDY McGEECHAN]

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This is one of the reasons I despair of the cretins who run Scottish football. Why they just come out and say, "the game needs change but we can't do anything because the TV companies want 4 OF games per season, and 14 clubs is about the maximum we can divi up the (declining) SPL loot between."

Instead they not only shuffle deck chairs on the titanic, but throw the life rafts over the side without getting anyone into them. Look how moribund our season is already, and that's with teams still fighting for Europe, and the relegation slot.

If it was, say on the basis of the current table, a double-header clash between, say, A'deen and and St Johnstone, would anybody actually bother to attend those games? What would be the point?

And what is the point of this exercise, and of the timid, complacent, steady-as-she-sinks bowling club officials who run the senior game in this country?

Probably Dalkeith Bowling Club

[Barney McGrew]

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"the game needs change but we can't do anything because the TV companies want 4 OF games per season"

And that in a nutshell is why we'll never get a sensible league set up in this country

[Steve20]

Don't get me wrong, this new idea is rubbish. However, it's better than what we have just now. At least you won't have to play someone three times away or have teams with more games away than at home.

Still don't know why we can't have an 18 team league.

[PeeKay]

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Don't get me wrong, this new idea is rubbish. However, it's better than what we have just now. At least you won't have to play someone three times away or have teams with more games away than at home.

Still don't know why we can't have an 18 team league.

It looks like what they have done is come up with a system that addresses this problem alone - no doubt in response to Martin Bain's comments on "lack of sporting integrity" - but ignores all the other well-documented problems with the current set-up.
One of the fundamental problems is that there are too many clubs chasing a diminishing fan base, but when the Huns and Yams finally go into financial melt-down that will be that solved

[HFC07]

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For the love of Christ. 18 teams, play each other twice. Scottish football - done.

Exactly it couldn't be more simpler than that, why confuse things FFS its not rocket science all teams are sick of seeing the seam teams over and over. Is it not enough that at the moment you play a team at a minimum of 3 times a season. 4 times if you are in the split and 5 times if you are drawn in the cup with them and dare i say it 6 times if in the unlikely event you get them twice in both cups.

It is simple, have an 18 team league to play each other twice a season and possibly more due to meetings in the cup, but you can't control that.

SFA get it sorted and stop the wine drinking while trying to arrange the league; its not a good set up and makes us look even more amateurish than we already are.

[bighairyfaeleith]

This is absolute ****. Honestly it has to be a joke. Just create a 16 or 18 team league with two relegation spots and everyone plays each other twice. You can make the promotion more interesting by doing playoffs like in england. That way we only have to put up with vermin like the huns and yams at our shiny new stadium once a year!!

A split of 6 and 8, I mean what the ****?????????????

Surely there has to be a way to let them know this is a stupid ****ing idea??

If we tell hibs will they pass the message on?????

[K.Marx]

Was April 1st not a few weeks back!?

You just couldn't make this up, 8 teams playing 40 games and 6 playing 36!? WTF?

[.Sean.]

I should really be shocked at this awful proposition, but this is the SPL and I don't think those who run it have an ounce of football knowledge between them. Farcical setup, and that's being kind.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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The problem is the tv companies will always want four old firm derbies a season and the clubs want the current number of old firm visits a season. They won't vote for anything that reduces income. An 18 team league may be better for Scottish fitba long term but most clubs live hand to mouth and can't take the hit.

Bit of a catch 22.

It always amazes me that when a company or organisation finds itself in trouble, the people given the task of fixing it are the same people who created the mess in the first place.

There's times I despair about Scotland. I like to think we are a creative, imaginative, fair country. Every now and then I am taken back down to earth by petty, small minded, small time people like the SPL.

We have to vote with our feet on this one. It's a total joke. The worst thing about our league, for me, is the need to play the same teams four times a year. It is so boring.

The other thing is, now we are in the third tier of European football, should we not just face facts and adopt summer football? It would at least give us a chance of progress in the Euro competitions, and get us back up the ladder.

Those idiots in the West, really have to drop this misplaced grandiosity they have about the importance of the OF in world football, and get back to basics.

[Beefster]

As had been said, there are numerous options that would make the SPL better, remove the split and re-engage the fans yet the SPL are suggesting an option that would do none of these things and would make the set-up even more bizarre.

You could not make it up.

If Hibs vote for this, I'll seriously consider giving up my ST.