Ron Gordon Interview with Mark Chapman & The Athletic

[04Sauzee]

Just listened to this , found it a great listen and thought it was worth sharing

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5GGlmsHcRrIrtypB3b46TX?si=zZAzNVEsTwyQ5o8BYWYZSA&u tm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

[Greencore]

Was not expecting the CIA stuff 😂 very good interview. Very hard to dislike Ron when he speaks so much sense, could listen to him all day sounds very genuine and humble

[Sioux]

Excellent. RG is a guy that knows what needs to be done, and how to get there. Great insight to his thinking and approach.

[Pagan Hibernia]

He will improve this club in every way while making sure it is sustainable.

the post Tom Farmer era and the inevitable succession had me worried for a number of years... but we’ve got a good one

[JXM73]

Sounds like an intelligent donald trump..

[Green Reaper]

Very interesting listen. Ron speaks so well about our club and is a great ambassador for us. His enthusiasm is infectious and I can only imagine how good that is and feels for all the Hibs staff.

[matty_f]

Enjoyed that, I think we’re in great hands, to be honest. The club have stepped up a gear or two since he arrived and I can see that improving still

[Heisenberg]

Good interview, thanks for sharing. He’s going to get some heat for the “too many clubs in scotland” stuff. Sure Budge said similar and got ripped apart.

[Green Reaper]

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Enjoyed that, I think we’re in great hands, to be honest. The club have stepped up a gear or two since he arrived and I can see that improving still

When are you getting him on Longbangers Matty 😁

[04Sauzee]

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Good interview, thanks for sharing. He’s going to get some heat for the “too many clubs in scotland” stuff. Sure Budge said similar and got ripped apart.

He already has on social media but that's from folk not really listening to the podcast and just reading the 'too many clubs' statement. From listening to the podcast it didn't look like he was trying to starve any of the so called smaller clubs of any money?

[hibsbollah]

‘Hibs is an easy club to fall in love with’.
Well no arguments there.

[EdinburghHibern]

Ron and Hibs could get slaughtered by the media and opposition fans with what he has said here- the scottish football pyramid has too many teams? Very disrespectful to not only smaller established clubs like Cowdenbeath Alloa,Montrose Brechin etc but also very disrespectful to smaller clubs that have come up the pyramid like Kelty,Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

For me the root of the issue is the top league clubs bottling it to expand the league to 16-18 teams not only during the Sevco fiasco but also during covid.

[Alex Trager]

Another good interview. Nothing new here really, except his CIA past and the pyramid stuff

[04Sauzee]

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Ron and Hibs could get slaughtered by the media and opposition fans with what he has said here- the scottish football pyramid has too many teams? Very disrespectful to not only smaller established teams like Cowdenbeath Alloa,Montrose Brechin etc but also very disrespectful to smaller clubs that have come up thr pyramid like Kelty,Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

For me the root of the issue is the top league clubs bottling it to expand the league to 16-18 teams not only during the Sevco fiasco but also during covid.

Did he say there wouldn't be a pyramid system?
I don't think he's wanting to stop these clubs getting the money they are currently getting . I think although I could be wrong he's trying to say it's easier to market a strong league with fewer clubs and more money would come into the game. The money would still trickle down the league's as it currently does but they would actually probably get more money because there is more money coming into the game?

I could be way off the mark though.

[Not In The Know]

Great interview.

This highlights how little attention the MSM pay to Hibs. Rons the real deal and all they can do is blow smoke up the old firm, Budgie and McCormacks arse.

[Sioux]

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Ron and Hibs could get slaughtered by the media and opposition fans with what he has said here- the scottish football pyramid has too many teams? Very disrespectful to not only smaller established clubs like Cowdenbeath Alloa,Montrose Brechin etc but also very disrespectful to smaller clubs that have come up the pyramid like Kelty,Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

For me the root of the issue is the top league clubs bottling it to expand the league to 16-18 teams not only during the Sevco fiasco but also during covid.

So what if he gets slaughtered. There's no doubt in my mind that Scottish football is held back because of the need to cater for clubs that are part-time. The status quo was perhaps relevant in the 1960s, but not now, where the owners and officials have totally different priorities to the full time professional outfits.

The SPFL should consist of full time clubs, the others should play in leagues with clubs of a similar standard. A percentage of the income of the SPFL can be directed to an 'association board' to decide amongst themselves as to how that money should be distributed.

A top league of 16-18 clubs makes no difference to the view, held by many for many years, that there are too many clubs in the SPFL.

[Renfrew_Hibby]

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Did he say there wouldn't be a pyramid system?
I don't think he's wanting to stop these clubs getting the money they are currently getting . I think although I could be wrong he's trying to say it's easier to market a strong league with fewer clubs and more money would come into the game. The money would still trickle down the league's as it currently does but they would actually probably get more money because there is more money coming into the game?

I could be way off the mark though.

For me it's not necessarily too many clubs but not enough clubs with growth potential.
To have a strong league you need a decent amount of strong or potentially strong clubs. We only have a handful that fit into that category. After that it just falls away and there's really not much you can do about it.

Due to our population and its confinement to the central belt and the total dominance through culture/tradition/media exposure of just two clubs then unfortunately I dont think its possible for Scotland to have a strong league of say 8 to 10 decent clubs.

You can spread the wealth all you like and change business models to create and give Mothetwell for example a more competitive team and bridge the gap on Celtic but the facts remain that Fir Park is only 10 or 12 miles from Parkhead and Celtic is a massive cultural institution in that part of the world. Motherwell will still be playing to smallish crowds and the perception of 'Mickey mouse' wont change in the eyes of sponsors, Skysports ect.

[CMac1988]

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Did he say there wouldn't be a pyramid system?
I don't think he's wanting to stop these clubs getting the money they are currently getting . I think although I could be wrong he's trying to say it's easier to market a strong league with fewer clubs and more money would come into the game. The money would still trickle down the league's as it currently does but they would actually probably get more money because there is more money coming into the game?

I could be way off the mark though.

That's how I interpreted it.

Easier to think of it as going back to two governing bodies with one governing the top 2 leagues (since he mentions full time teams) and another the rest. Pyramid is still in place but that top body would have more control and flexibility when it comes to generating income as it will focus on less clubs. The flip side of course is if it doesn't generate any additional income you're further splitting what's there and that's when it can have a negative effect on the lower body and its teams.

Interesting debate.

[Oscar T Grouch]

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Just listened to this , found it a great listen and thought it was worth sharing

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5GG...nk&dl_branch=1

Here is the Apple link for iPhone users

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas...=1000533153052

[.Sean.]

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Good interview, thanks for sharing. He’s going to get some heat for the “too many clubs in scotland” stuff. Sure Budge said similar and got ripped apart.

Is he wrong though? A lot of clubs in league 1 and league 2 are borderline social clubs with a football team and 300 fans yet they get their say on league matters involving full time professional clubs in the top division.

[bingo70]

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Is he wrong though? A lot of clubs in league 1 and league 2 are borderline social clubs with a football team and 300 fans yet they get their say on league matters involving full time professional clubs in the top division.

Spot on.

He is probably looking at the MLS that has 24 teams from the USA and then looks at Scotland that has 42 all getting a say.

Obviously there’s levels below the MLS but I’d imagine their influence in the game is reflected in that they are a lower standing team.

[Andy74]

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Is he wrong though? A lot of clubs in league 1 and league 2 are borderline social clubs with a football team and 300 fans yet they get their say on league matters involving full time professional clubs in the top division.

Yep, exactly this. Not something he’d be used to seeing in US professional sports. High School teams have a higher standing there than probably most of our professional level teams.

[blackpoolhibs]

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Is he wrong though? A lot of clubs in league 1 and league 2 are borderline social clubs with a football team and 300 fans yet they get their say on league matters involving full time professional clubs in the top division.

Exactly.

[nonshinyfinish]

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Good interview, thanks for sharing. He’s going to get some heat for the “too many clubs in scotland” stuff. Sure Budge said similar and got ripped apart.

I think Budge only got ripped apart when, having previously said that the Scottish leagues should have about half the number of teams, she was banging the drum for expansion to 44 or 46 or 128 or whatever was necessary to stop Hearts going down… all while having the brass neck to accuse other clubs of self-interest.

I think it's probably true that there are too many clubs in the leagues, the tricky question is what you do about it. Obviously you can't just say "right, Cowdenbeath don't exist anymore, piss off and support someone else". Some kind of reorganisation (perhaps along full-time/part-time lines as suggested above) must be workable though.

[JimBHibees]

Excellent listen great to hear his enthusiasm for the club. His back story is very interesting and obviously a very smart and successful guy. Think we are very fortunate to have him running our great club.

[JimBHibees]

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Ron and Hibs could get slaughtered by the media and opposition fans with what he has said here- the scottish football pyramid has too many teams? Very disrespectful to not only smaller established clubs like Cowdenbeath Alloa,Montrose Brechin etc but also very disrespectful to smaller clubs that have come up the pyramid like Kelty,Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City.

For me the root of the issue is the top league clubs bottling it to expand the league to 16-18 teams not only during the Sevco fiasco but also during covid.

So that is your takeaway from his interview. Wow

[chippy]

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For me it's not necessarily too many clubs but not enough clubs with growth potential.
To have a strong league you need a decent amount of strong or potentially strong clubs. We only have a handful that fit into that category. After that it just falls away and there's really not much you can do about it.

Due to our population and its confinement to the central belt and the total dominance through culture/tradition/media exposure of just two clubs then unfortunately I dont think its possible for Scotland to have a strong league of say 8 to 10 decent clubs.

You can spread the wealth all you like and change business models to create and give Mothetwell for example a more competitive team and bridge the gap on Celtic but the facts remain that Fir Park is only 10 or 12 miles from Parkhead and Celtic is a massive cultural institution in that part of the world. Motherwell will still be playing to smallish crowds and the perception of 'Mickey mouse' wont change in the eyes of sponsors, Skysports ect.

Doesn’t Saintees getting 10k sell outs for 2 European games counter your argument somewhat ?

[chippy]

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So what if he gets slaughtered. There's no doubt in my mind that Scottish football is held back because of the need to cater for clubs that are part-time. The status quo was perhaps relevant in the 1960s, but not now, where the owners and officials have totally different priorities to the full time professional outfits.

The SPFL should consist of full time clubs, the others should play in leagues with clubs of a similar standard. A percentage of the income of the SPFL can be directed to an 'association board' to decide amongst themselves as to how that money should be distributed.

A top league of 16-18 clubs makes no difference to the view, held by many for many years, that there are too many clubs in the SPFL.

Generally agree with this. SPFL for full time clubs only. Bottom of 2nd tier has to get re elected as in the past. 24 -28 clubs for me. Could organise 12/12 or 14/14 or 16/12. All would have splits. The latter would be my preference.

[Greenworld]

Fair point from interviewer re our name Hibernian and how it does not mention Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Hibernian football club.
Doesn't sound that bad.
Great interview

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[chippy]

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Fair point from interviewer re our name Hibernian and how it does not mention Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Hibernian football club.
Doesn't sound that bad.
Great interview

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Do not mess with the name of our club. It’s been tried in the past and failed.