Spl Reconstruction

[Spike Mandela]

Following on from other thread what size division would you like to see.

[wazoo1875]

16 for me , that way if they wanted to keep their mental split, at least everyone would still be playing the same amount of games. Imagine winning the league by playing 36 games and to be relegated having played 40. Just doesn't seem right to me.

[Steve20]

18 teams, with 2 or 3 relegation positions.

[calumhibee1]

18 - 2 up, 2 down automatically and a home and away play off between 3rd bottom of the SPL and 3rd top of the First Division.

[sambajustice]

Should be 2 leagues of 18 with regional divisions all the way down to amateur level!

[Spike Mandela]

Early days with the poll but already showing the option that the SPL are reported to like lagging well behind. Time for fans to get a voice, surely.

[Gatecrasher]

Why do folk want a 16 team league? you will get less for your ST money and no doubt you will be paying the same as you are now. A 14 team league will make the open when the crowds start to drop

[down the slope]

16 teams with a league cup as used to be made up of a four team section from mixed divisions, this used to be a curtain raiser to the new season when the league did not start until september, things were bad back then but not as bad as now, it could not have been that bad as Celtic won the european cup when we had such a set up.

[simple]

I just voted 16 teams, play each other home and away, then split the league into two 8's, playing each other once, this makes another 3 or 4 games at home and either 3 or 4 away. Yes, you will play 1 or two less games at home but overall you play 37 games compared to 38 the now. 1 team automatically relegated and the other plays a play off against the runner up in division 1. The only issue I can think of is you can only play teams 3 times so working out the home or away fixture after the split maybe tricky.

[MyJo]

16 team SPL & 1st Division (Scottish Championship?) each playing 30 games a season.

Restructure the league cup to a 32 team competition in the same format as the champions league with 8 leagues of 4 made up from these 32 teams. Seeding done based on league position from the previous season (ie top 8 in SPL = pot 1, bottom 8 in SPL = pot 2). This gives each club an additional, guaranteed, 6 cup games each that could be included to season tickets etc and cover for the drop in league games.

[Ritchie]

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16 team SPL & 1st Division (Scottish Championship?) each playing 30 games a season.

Restructure the league cup to a 32 team competition in the same format as the champions league with 8 leagues of 4 made up from these 32 teams. Seeding done based on league position from the previous season (ie top 8 in SPL = pot 1, bottom 8 in SPL = pot 2). This gives each club an additional, guaranteed, 6 cup games each that could be included to season tickets etc and cover for the drop in league games.

i like the sound of that.

has the league cup idea even been considered?

[JE89]

I honestly can't understand the want for more teams in the league. Playing each team twice a season would be guff in Scotland. I don't have a season ticket whilst I'm at Uni in Aberdeen but for the ten or so years I had one previously the games you look forward to the most are Hearts, Rangers, Celtic and occasionally Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, depending on where they/we are in the league.

With this format we would play these teams ONCE at home. So for me a season ticket would consist of 14 or so average games and 3 or so that I'd really look forward to. The current 'top 6' games would be filled with 1st division pish, instead of an extra game against Huns/Celtic/Hearts. To me, that is not worth the same amount that the season ticket is currently worth and I know I for one would have to seriously consider purchasing a season ticket when I graduate.

Season ticket sales would fall, with people buying a single ticket for the 'big games' leaving an attendence of about 8,000-11,000 for every other game in a 20,000 seater stadium. No thank you.

[I Love Lamp]

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i like the sound of that.

has the league cup idea even been considered?

You're right, it's a terrific idea but it has probs not been considered because the League Cup is run by the SFL which is separate from the SPL and restructuring both competitions simultaneously and reciprocally would create a maze of committees, feasibility studies and about ten years. No reason it should but with 3 self-interested associations involved in virtually every decision, progress will inevitably move at a glacial pace!

This is why the main reform needed to the Scottish game isn't tinkering with the number of teams in the league but moving to a single administrative association.

Do that, and you unlock the door to changing the whole shabang!

[Sunny1875]

16 teams please.

1 home 1 away and expanded cup competition.

[Gatecrasher]

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16 team SPL & 1st Division (Scottish Championship?) each playing 30 games a season.

Restructure the league cup to a 32 team competition in the same format as the champions league with 8 leagues of 4 made up from these 32 teams. Seeding done based on league position from the previous season (ie top 8 in SPL = pot 1, bottom 8 in SPL = pot 2). This gives each club an additional, guaranteed, 6 cup games each that could be included to season tickets etc and cover for the drop in league games.

Sounds like a decent idea TBF However how likely is the league cup to be included in your ST- unlikely IMO

[MyJo]

Another option i have rattling about in my head is a 16 team SPL playing each other twice in a 30 game season then having the league split into 4 "mini-leagues" with 1st to 4th playing each other home & away again to decide the title & qualification places for Europe and 13th to 16th doing the same to decide which 2 get relegated (points wouldn't be carried over into the mini-leagues so its all to play for). It would mean a few meaningless games for those teams in the 5th to 8th and 9th to 12th mini leagues but it would be an exciting few weeks at the end of the season, give other teams outwith the OF a crack at the title or Champions league place and assuming the OF will always be in the top 4 give the TV companies their 4 old firm games a season.

[Renfrew_Hibby]

How's this for a total revamp?...

Adopt the NFL conference set up. Lets say 20 teams, split them into small mini leagues of say 5 teams so it would liook something like this -

group A: Hibs, Motherwell Dundee Inverness QOS
group B: Hearts Hamilton Dundee UTD Ross County Raith
group C: Celtic St. Johnstone Morton Kilmarnock Dunfremline
Groue D: Rangers St Mirren Aberdeen Falkirk Partick

Everyone plays each other home and away (all 20 teams) so thats 19 home and 19 away =38. But all teams are still in there mini leagues ultimatly just compeating agains the 4 other sides in their group.
You then go to a post season where the top 2 sides in each group go through this then would be a knock out format and have a Super Bowl style finale!

Bonkers I know but it would give all sides a real chance of progress and keep things very competitive.

[JDanielR1875]

Voted for 20 team SPL

[Spike Mandela]

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How's this for a total revamp?...

Adopt the NFL conference set up. Lets say 20 teams, split them into small mini leagues of say 5 teams so it would liook something like this -

group A: Hibs, Motherwell Dundee Inverness QOS
group B: Hearts Hamilton Dundee UTD Ross County Raith
group C: Celtic St. Johnstone Morton Kilmarnock Dunfremline
Groue D: Rangers St Mirren Aberdeen Falkirk Partick

Everyone plays each other home and away (all 20 teams) so thats 19 home and 19 away =38. But all teams are still in there mini leagues ultimatly just compeating agains the 4 other sides in their group.
You then go to a post season where the top 2 sides in each group go through this then would be a knock out format and have a Super Bowl style finale!

Bonkers I know but it would give all sides a real chance of progress and keep things very competitive.

Now that is thinking outside the box!!! Took me two reads to actually understand it.

On that logic we could finish second in our group to Motherwell (amass several less wins than the OF) then win 3 games cup style and win the league. Love it

They would never go for it but it sure would be exciting!!!

[NYHibby]

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I honestly can't understand the want for more teams in the league. Playing each team twice a season would be guff in Scotland. I don't have a season ticket whilst I'm at Uni in Aberdeen but for the ten or so years I had one previously the games you look forward to the most are Hearts, Rangers, Celtic and occasionally Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, depending on where they/we are in the league.

With this format we would play these teams ONCE at home. So for me a season ticket would consist of 14 or so average games and 3 or so that I'd really look forward to. The current 'top 6' games would be filled with 1st division pish, instead of an extra game against Huns/Celtic/Hearts. To me, that is not worth the same amount that the season ticket is currently worth and I know I for one would have to seriously consider purchasing a season ticket when I graduate.

Season ticket sales would fall, with people buying a single ticket for the 'big games' leaving an attendence of about 8,000-11,000 for every other game in a 20,000 seater stadium. No thank you.

Agree with this

[--------]

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i like the sound of that.

has the league cup idea even been considered?

That's how we used to play when I was a lad. The sections were made up according to League position the previous season; 4 sections from the First Division, and five from the old Second, plus the two relegated teams.

Somehow or other we always seemed to be in the same section as Rangers....

It would need to be decided whether the top two from each section, or only the winners progressed to the knock-out stages. The Scottish Cup could be left as it is, IMO. But it could be a very good way forward - provided some clubs were forced to put their houses in order financially. Re-organisation won't sort things on its own; the SPL, the SFA, and the clubs themselves have to start to put their respective houses in order.

MyJo's plan would give every club 18 home games a season at least, plus European ties and SC ties as a bonus. It would be a good idea, IMO, to reinstate a proper Reserve League as well. I think it would work.