Walter backs 18 team league

[BRITNEY IS NOT FEELING IT 8,293]

Walter Smith backs 18-team SPL in the long term

Published Date: 06 January 2011By ALLAN MACKIERANGERS boss Walter Smith believes an 18-team league would be the ideal scenario for Scottish football, but admits that it is unlikely.

SPL teams are currently considering league reconstruction, with SPL boss Neil Doncaster backing a 10-team set-up.

Smith said today that he would prefer to have 18 teams of a high enough standard to attract significant investment from broadcasters, but admitted that was some way off.

"I just think it's very difficult in Scotland to try and achieve the balance in terms of the number of teams who are going to be involved in the league," said Smith.

"I would think the two leagues of 10 - as long as we were trying to make sure the second division was trying to raise its standard and facilities and so on so that we would eventually have 20 teams who were of a good level.

"That would maybe give us the option to come into line with a lot of leagues in other countries.

"It's very difficult for a small country to substantiate a level of 18 first-class teams in the current financial market and I think that's the difficulty that people have in terms of making the decision.

"There is a solution that suits everyone if you have a whole load of extra finance coming in. That would be the answer to everyone's problems.

"I don't think there is any doubt that an 18-club league would be what everyone would want.

"But it's trying to get 18 of a very good standard that will attract television money. It's a very difficult environment that we find ourselves in at the moment."

• Online poll: What change would you like to see to the structure of the SPL? Vote now »

The plan to reduce the SPL from 12 to 10 teams has already been met with opposition from Dundee United, Inverness and Kilmarnock.

But Smith pointed out that United were one of the teams who thrived the last time the top-flight comprised 10 clubs.

"I'm a football manager, I'm not going to determine anything," he said.

"We had a 10-team league before and I don't think Aberdeen or Dundee United would have complained about a 10-team league at the period of time when they had a level of success.

"I was at Dundee United at that time when they had the 10 teams. It's not perfect but I think it's better than what we've got at the present moment with the split.

Dundee United and Aberdeen achieved a level of success during that period of time and certainly that was when they were at their most competitive in recent seasons. It didn't do them any harm at that stage.

"From my point of view, it's a very difficult decision for people to make.

"They are not going to make everyone happy but it didn't do us any harm with the 10-team league before."

He added: "It's always difficult to get the proper balance between the finance and what you might think is the proper thing to do.

"It's not a decision that I envy everyone making. It's a very awkward one.

"I'm not up to speed with all the financial aspects that are involved in it, television money, splits of finance or whatever.

"When I read that the 10-team league is not the thing for Scottish football, I don't think the league are saying that it is, but I think it might be one of the things they have to do to reach an end.

"Everybody can only hope that it leads to a more competitive environment for us."

Thought's ?

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

Only 2 Old Firm games per season and 6 new pish sides added to the fray. Big no for me, though i know loads of people on here back it

Imagine having a run of 8 games in a row against St Mirren, Hamilton, Ross County, Dundee, Partick Thistle, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Raith Rovers

[ricksen_da_best 2,034]

Only 2 Old Firm games per season and 6 new pish sides added to the fray. Big no for me, though i know loads of people on here back it

Imagine having a run of 8 games in a row against St Mirren, Hamilton, Ross County, Dundee, Partick Thistle, St Johnstone, Dunfermline, Raith Rovers

id be there to watch the rangers, who gives a fuck about the opposition? the opposition isnt going to improve. if you want big games you better start support chelsea .

[debear 603]

He supports it eventually.

He supports the 10-team in the short term with a view to cash being filtered down, then teams eventually being good enough to support a 18 team league.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

id be there to watch the rangers, who gives a fuck about the opposition? the opposition isnt going to improve. if you want big games you better start support chelsea .

You could almost guarantee that for some of our home games, we'd be down into 35,000 territory

[ricksen_da_best 2,034]

You could almost guarantee that for some of our home games, we'd be down into 35,000 territory

when do you see ibrox under 40000 on a saturday on a league game?

[mairydilk 22]

i dont approve of them going back to a 10 team top flight if they are going to add more teams after a few seasons.

they should go for 16 or 18 and be done with it.

[Escobar 13,676]

I would look forward to it to be honest, more experince of different grounds and playing them and the sheep only twice a season would hopefully improve atmosphere at the games. I wouldn't care about playing the shitey teams away from home, that's not the reason you go to the games in the first place

[J-Maestro 11,975]

People forget how piss poor the standards of other leagues across Europe are too in their 18 team leagues.

Ligue 1 for a start has a about 12 good teams who are always there or thereabouts and that's it everyone else is awful.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

when do you see ibrox under 40000 on a saturday on a league game?

It never used to be under about 48,000 until the likes of Hamilton, St Mirren, St Johnstone returned to the SPL. Throw in Ross County, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline and you're looking at even less than 40,000

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

Makes sense.

You could have the present 12 and add 6 to it like Dunfermline, Partick Thistle, Dundee, Falkirk, Raith Rovers & Ross County and still maintain a standard on a par with the bottom half of the SPL - teams like Hamilton, St Johnstone & St Mirren.

[MartinGers93 388]

Thats only 32 games a season though

[j1mgg 3,766]

Has to go with a larger league of preferably 18 teams followed by a division below of the same. It gets annoying playing teams sometimes 5 or 6 times in a season. Money would trickle down to the smaller clubs and in less than 5 season they would be of a decent standard of what positions 3 - 6 are just now.

People on here would be happy if we played celtic 36 times a season.

[Escobar 13,676]

Thats only 32 games a season though

Less fixture congestion for when we go on our infamous European runs

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

Has to go with a larger league of preferably 18 teams followed by a division below of the same. It gets annoying playing teams sometimes 5 or 6 times in a season. Money would trickle down to the smaller clubs and in less than 5 season they would be of a decent standard of what positions 3 - 6 are just now.

People on here would be happy if we played celtic 36 times a season.

I'd rather play Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Celtic 4 times a season than have a season full of 'filler' games against abysmal opposition in front of 4 or 5 thousand fans. It's been very obvious in recent seasons that our players cannot up their game against shite opposition, especially away from home, culminating in incredibly boring matches that we inevitably win by the odd goal

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

Thats only 32 games a season though

34.

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

I'd rather play Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Celtic 4 teams a season than have a season full of 'filler' games against abysmal opposition in front of 4 or 5 thousand fans

and what about Hamilton, St Mirren, St Johnstone, Kilmarnock, Motherwell at least 4, maybe 5 (if they finish in the top 6), 6 if they draw them in the league cup, 7 if they draw them in the Scottish cup, 8 if they need a Scottish Cup replay.

You need to look at it from all angle's.

[GersBear 6]

I quite like the 18 team idea. Gives the smaller teams a bit more chance of becoming bigger. With serious ticket sales and whatnot. May be good for scottish football overall imo.

[Scott-RFC 308]

Id rather play Dunfermline or Partick than St Mirren 6 times

Also with these teams having more regular high profile games (in Scottish terms), eventually their standard will improve.

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

Id rather play Dunfermline or Partick than St Mirren 6 times

Also with these teams having more regular high profile games (in Scottish terms), eventually their standard will improve.

For the rest of the SPL teams it's really the Devil and the deep blue sea.

They either want their game to improve, or they want just that little bit extra money.

They want both and complain when they don't get either.

[papaguy51 912]

A lot of the SPL clubs who have spent the last umpteen years bumping their gums about the big bad Old Firm being 'money whores' are showing themselves up to be complete hypocrites.

I love it when you hear a Motherwell fan say 'we don't need the Old Firm in Scotland' - aye, seems like it.

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

A lot of the SPL clubs who have spent the last umpteen years bumping their gums about the big bad Old Firm being 'money whores' are showing themselves up to be complete hypocrites.

I love it when you hear a Motherwell fan say 'we don't need the Old Firm in Scotland' - aye, seems like it.

exactly.

[GersBear 6]

A lot of the SPL clubs who have spent the last umpteen years bumping their gums about the big bad Old Firm being 'money whores' are showing themselves up to be complete hypocrites.

I love it when you hear a Motherwell fan say 'we don't need the Old Firm in Scotland' - aye, seems like it.

Well said mate.

[The Doctor 2]

It'll be two leagues of 10 I'm afraid, I can't see a 16 or 18 team league being financially viable anytime soon. Also, since when have the SPL or SFA given a flying fuck as to what the fans think?

All the "official" noises you're hearing now are just designed to slowly but surely generate support for the two leagues of 10. If you say it often enough, it'll become the accepted.

[papaguy51 912]

They keep saying a 16 team league wouldn't be financially viable because of crowd numbers, yet after a recent widespread fan survey 90% of people surveyed said that they are against two leagues of ten in favour of a bigger league.

So tell me - how exactly will that work? The two leagues of ten may attract LESS people, whereas increased crowd numbers and sponsorship from a bigger league may well make up for the increase in teams.

Honestly, the people who run Scottish football are fucking imbeciles.