Play off for the title.

[PaulRFC1 115]

SCOTTISH football could change forever with plans for money-spinning play-offs in the SPL.

Representatives of Hearts, Kilmarnock and Dundee United have secretly discussed ground-breaking proposals to bring the format to the top FOUR teams in Scotland.

SunSport can reveal their sensational plans would mean the team who finished top of the league WOULDN'T automatically be crowned champions.

Instead, there would be two-legged semi-finals between first and fourth and second and third, before a glittering winner-takes-all Hampden showdown.

The men behind the plan - which they believe will be worth at LEAST £4million per season - had hoped to table the sensational plans at today's SPL summit which was postponed due to the weather.

Last night an SPL insider revealed the top-secret proposals United, Killie and Hearts believe will smash the Old Firm's football stranglehold.

A source said: "This has only come to the fore in the last 48 hours but the implications are MASSIVE.

"The league propose play-offs at the bottom but is that really going to float the boat of the broadcasters or fans?

"If you do it at the bottom, why not the top? It's radical and people will initially assume it's madcap. The people involved say it's anything but."

The minds behind the controversial system acknowledge the Old Firm are likely to be against it.

They believe that's exactly why EVERY other club will back the move.

They have calculated all five play-off games would attract a total of 200,000 fans, with gate receipts totalling £4m.

That's before any broadcasting deal to show the play-offs would be struck.

Going by last season's final SPL table, Walter Smith's champs Rangers, Celtic, Dundee United and Hibs would all have been involved.

A source said: "There isn't a reason why anyone outside the Old Firm SHOULDN'T vote for this. They've nothing to lose."

Dundee United chief Stephen Thompson admitted he was in favour of play-offs at the top end of the table.

He said: "The proposals that have been put to us contain a lot of decent ideas and a lot of good things have been tabled.

"However, if there is to be a 10-team league - and I still do not think that is right from a purely footballing sense - why can't it be more radical?

"I strongly believe that fans of teams outwith the Old Firm have become fed up of those two sharing the title between them.

"It is incredible and extremely regrettable that the last non-Old Firm title win was 25 years ago.

"I think we need to go further and make things more interesting at the top of the table as well as having promotion/ relegation play-offs."

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/3309058/Play-off-for-SPL-title.html#ixzz18dqrlTwU

Fucking hell.

What a stupid idea.

What is the point in a league if this was in place ? fucking clowns.

One of the most ridiculous ideas I have heard.

[TravelingWilBEARy 4,319]

I'd imagine that not one word of this is true, especially given the source.

[docspiderman 1,234]

Why bother to have a league? No wonder teams and scottish football are in such a mess.

[Bear_Necessities 41]

Sounds like bull shit to me

[GOAT 30,449]

Hahahaha, Rangers vs Celtic in a winner takes all match for the title.....like thats going to happen!

[bluepeter 5,627]

Why waste time playing football all season, why not just draw straws in August? Of course the diddy teams are going to want this, but a league is all about who scores the most points over a season, isn't it?

[GOAT 30,449]

It would make the league interesting to outsiders again, but what's the point in having a league? Who takes the european spots? It would need to be a bigger league than 10 teams. i'm still pissing myself at the fact someone thinks Rangers and Celtic will play a winner takes all clash for the SPL crown. I'm sure Strathclyde police will have something to say on that.

Hampden would also have to be redeveloped into a bigger stadium IMO.

[roboscot 1,176]

Hahahaha, Rangers vs Celtic in a winner takes all match for the title.....like thats going to happen!

I'd fly home for a 6pm kick off.

[clelandhattrick 8]

Typical hypocrisy.

Teams like Hearts etc. blame the OF for being self-interested and greedy, yet they're the ones who'll fuck up Henry McLeish's supposed revolution with their stupid plans like this.

[DarcheVinny 1,003]

never going to happen! for outsiders it would be immense but no, not going to happen!

[docspiderman 1,234]

When we read that the "business men" who thought up this nonsense are the dickhead from Dundee Hibernians,the asshole from Kilmarnock and the Lithuanian lunatic representative alarm bells should be sounding. It really is time that they were put in their place.

[RFC55 109,337]

You have to wonder about Thompson's state of mind. In Holland the eriedivise(sp) winners are the winners, then second thrid and fourth(i think) play off for the UCL place with 5th to 8th playing off for the Europa leauge. So basically what he wants means you could finish 30+ points behind the Rangers but still win the leauge. Aye right you are ya dick

[RFC55 109,337]

When we read that the "business men" who thought up this nonsense are the dickhead from Dundee Hibernians,the asshole from Kilmarnock and the Lithuanian lunatic representative alarm bells should be sounding. It really is time that they were put in their place.

They are also the greedy bastards who chased the Setanta deal, when Rangers, taigs and mutton molesters told them to go for the Sky deal. But oh no the diddy teams no best

[minstral 5,375]

That would be the end for me of watching football if this was to happen. i have never heard of such a stupid plan, and think many more fans would give up the game.

[Jelle1880 225]

They tried this in Belgium.

It lasted all but one season.

Fucking mongo's.

[keithgersbear 3,225]

I think some people should look up the word league. Its based over 38 games.

[RFC55 109,337]

post is pish Il start again

[Hoody 103]

Save everybody a lot of time and money and just pull the names out of a hat at the start of the season. Stupid fucking idea.

[gunslinger 270]

so we should just rest players all season and walk to a top 4 finish.

[RFC55 109,337]

DJW last season saw HIVS finish 4th and they were 33 points behind us with a goal difference thta was 51 behind ours. Now Hivs dont deserve the leauge title because if they did they would be top. To say a club i 4th winning the leauge would be good is nuts. Rangers won it so Rangers deserve it, as has happened every year since time began. It would make the SPL a bigger laughing stock than it currently is.

I mind Kevin Thomson saying last year that Dundee utd etc ould be at least 20 points behind come the end of the season and he was slaughtered for it, yet he was true. It would mean teams wouldnt have to bother trying to finish 1st as aslong as they make the 1st 4 they can "win" the leauge anyway

[mmrfc1873 48]

That has to be the dumbest idea I've ever heard.

[RFC55 109,337]

If it's feckin warm there, then please do

Well you'd guess that we would beat Hibs over the two legs, and Celtic would beat United, so ultimately, I see it as a chance to exploit as much money as possible from Rangers vs. Celtic.

We're the dominant side right now, but back in the days when we were 20 odd points behind them, it would have been great to know that we were still in with a shot, come the end of the season.

In my opinion, the SPL will struggle to make up much ground in Europe if it sticks to the traditional structures. A massive winner-takes-all game at the end of the season would get massive, massive interest, and hopefully bring a lot more interest to the Scottish game.

Nope im sorry mate but HIVS destroyed us justa few weeks back and that could technically happen again. So had that been one of these stupid play off games then we would be trailing them 3-0 and having to go to Easter road. Would the Spl grow because Hibs defeated Rangers and won the title despite the fact they were so shite in the 1st place they were 30 odd points behind the leaders?

[AGM_72 3,652]

I see where you're support of the idea is coming from djw, but I'm reluctant to accept this as a viable road for our league to go down.

[RFC55 109,337]

Yeah, it's a possibility, but I reckon our players would be much more fired up for a knockout fixture which actually means something against HIVS (hope you don't mind me stealing that ), rather than a run of the mill SPL game against them.

In an ideal world, you'd want your players to be fully motivated for every single match, but we all know it doesn't really work that way; I'd be pretty confident that we could beat anyone in the SPL over two legs, in such a format.

It would mean teams could make sure they have 4th secured and then stop playing, too many flaws in the idea. I think it would make the SPL a bit more of a laughing stock.

We cant say for certian that we would be Hibs over 2 legs or any other team. You say our players would be fired up but so could they. Id rather win or lose the leauge fair and square and thats over 38 games.

[Right_To_Censor 1,951]

winner of the league wins the championship, 2nd 3rd 4th and 5th play in the playoff and the winner of that gets 2nd spot which = a european spot.

greedy bastards