10-club SPL 'is dead'

[caseyjones 3,009]

All a bigger division will do is spread the Rangers and Celtic money even thinner, resulting in greater mediocrity throughout the league. No matter how hard you may try, you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

[MikeBlue 136]

The rumoured setup for a 14 team league is a lot more ridiculous than the current split

a top 6 and a bottom 8, with the top 6 only playing 36 games and the bottom 8 playing 40

OTOH look at all the competitions where there is a post league knockout system - CL, NFL. Makes the split seem relatively innocuous. It's a commercial entertainment business and the SPL can't ignore that.

Can't see there being sufficient support for 14 anyway so I would imagine we're stuck with 12

[MosesMcNeil 1,664]

16 teams - there aren't 16 teams in Scotland worthy of the name.

I can just see Sky execs whipping their cheque book off the table when the 4 OF games are scrapped and, instead, they are advised to run with Queen of the South vs Morton.

The quality of football on display in this country is already a joke, but some want to dilute that further still?

If it takes entry via the Blue Sqaure, the case for The Rangers to get out of Dodge has never been more compelling. Fuck Scottish fitba - I hate it with a passion.

[caseyjones 3,009]

16 teams - there aren't 16 teams in Scotland worthy of the name.

I can just see Sky execs whipping their cheque book off the table when the 4 OF games are scrapped and, instead, they are advised to run with Queen of the South vs Morton.

The quality of football on display in this country is already a joke, but some want to dilute that further still?

If it takes entry via the Blue Sqaure, the case for The Rangers to get out of Dodge has never been more compelling. Fuck Scottish fitba - I hate it with a passion.

[Ace 3,556]

Many argue against the split but look at the last day ... The league title was decided then, European places were decided with a week to go as was relegation.

You can't argue that there wasn't a sense of excitement as the season finished.

[RFC55 108,936]

We are stuck in a hole.

We increase it to 16-20 teams we've only got 2 Old firms and Sky won't be too interested. Small clubs will bitch about not getting the revenue (that pretty much keeps them afloat) by playing the OF 4 times a season so that idea will be binned

From listening to some of the clubs mate, they have said that Sky have said they are taking nothing to do with any leauge reconstruction plans. They havent set a specific amount of OF games needed etc. IF the leauge becomes 14 they will get 4 if it goes to 16 they wont.

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,789]

Thank god. Would have been a massive step backwards. I would love us to expand to 14-16 but cant see it happening. Absolutley no need for a country of our size to have 4 divisions. We should follow the other european countries example, 2 divisions and then non-league football.

This.

There are far too many leagues and clubs in Scotland.

[docspiderman 1,228]

This.

There are far too many leagues and clubs in Scotland.

That is the problem in a nutshell!

Having the buffoon Yorkston back in the decision making spot is another disaster;the man who thought that spl tv would be easy to set up and championed the idea that the poorer smaller clubs in the spl should have more control than the clubs who keep it afloat.

[GaryMc 2,394]

From listening to some of the clubs mate, they have said that Sky have said they are taking nothing to do with any leauge reconstruction plans. They havent set a specific amount of OF games needed etc. IF the leauge becomes 14 they will get 4 if it goes to 16 they wont.

I'd go for 14 to be honest.

I don't for one minute believe Sky would be willing to pay the same terms let alone even better terms than our current deal with them if there was only 2 Old Firm matches a season.

It sucks but at the end of the day that's all Sky are interested in when it comes to Scottish Football.

[TMB 14,167]

Looking at the bigger picture I think 3 divisions each with 10 teams would be great. I read somewhere that Scotland has twice the amount of football clubs that England does. Scotland needs a massive cull of football clubs so the revenue is not shared between so many different places. If Scotland had 3 divisions of 10 then many Scottish football clubs would die out within 5 to 10 years and although it's harsh it'll be good for us in the long term.

[derekweir29 505]

The split is a joke no other league in Europe has it.

I wasn't at all in favour of a 10team SPL whole of the leagues need restructured should introduce more playoffs etc 3 up 3 down.

Possibility of introducing maybe more junior highland league teams maybe to make up numbers.

The guy who is in charge just now of the SPL Doncaster just seems to be an absolute muppet.

[RFC55 108,936]

Looking at the bigger picture I think 3 divisions each with 10 teams would be great. I read somewhere that Scotland has twice the amount of football clubs that England does. Scotland needs a massive cull of football clubs so the revenue is not shared between so many different places. If Scotland had 3 divisions of 10 then many Scottish football clubs would die out within 5 to 10 years and although it's harsh it'll be good for us in the long term.

Unless you are retarded an easy calculation would tell you thats wrong

[rfcfraserrfc 262]

Get rid of the fucking split, please.

So what if the tims remaining games were against St mirren,Dunfermline and St Jonstone and ours were against Hearts, Dundee Utd and Abderdeen ?

[caseyjones 3,009]

So what if the tims remaining games were against St mirren,Dunfermline and St Jonstone and ours were against Hearts, Dundee Utd and Abderdeen ?

We would have had easier games preceding that.

[rfcfraserrfc 262]

We would have had easier games preceding that.

But it would be the final 3 that is put into question

[caseyjones 3,009]

But it would be the final 3 that is put into question

It's the luck of the draw. The league is decided over a whole season, and being able to handle the pressure in the final few games is all part of the test.

[simplythebest 11,453]

16 teams - there aren't 16 teams in Scotland worthy of the name.

I can just see Sky execs whipping their cheque book off the table when the 4 OF games are scrapped and, instead, they are advised to run with Queen of the South vs Morton.

The quality of football on display in this country is already a joke, but some want to dilute that further still?

If it takes entry via the Blue Sqaure, the case for The Rangers to get out of Dodge has never been more compelling. Fuck Scottish fitba - I hate it with a passion.

The conference? No chance.

Far too much money that would be lost by going to that low a level, there'd be no guarantees of getting all the required promotions right away to make it to the Premiership.

[AlCapone 7,678]

14 team league with a spit after 26 games with the top 6 playing each other to twice to give us 36 games including 4 Rangers V C*ltic games

[TMB 14,167]

Unless you are retarded an easy calculation would tell you thats wrong

It's not wrong. Scotland do have more football clubs than England and look at the difference in population. That's a major problem You're just assuming that I'm talking about professional clubs, but I'm not.

Also, Look at the state of Dundee and Dundee Utd too. If Dundee had just one club (Dundee City) it would be better for all concerned. Why have two stadiums a stone throw away from each other when there's little money around it's idiotic. Why not just invest in one stadium and even share it. If it's good enough for AC Milan and Inter it's good enough for Dundee and Dundee Utd.

Many more clubs will go out of business in coming years and it'll be for the greater good.

[RFC55 108,936]

It's not wrong. Scotland do have more football clubs than England and look at the difference in population. That's a major problem You're just assuming that I'm talking about professional clubs, but I'm not.

Also, Look at the state of Dundee and Dundee Utd too. If Dundee had just one club (Dundee City) it would be better for all concerned. Why have two stadiums a stone throw away from each other when there's little money around it's idiotic. Why not just invest in one stadium and even share it. If it's good enough for AC Milan and Inter it's good enough for Dundee and Dundee Utd.

Many more clubs will go out of business in coming years and it'll be for the greater good.

If you are not talking about professional teams/leauge teams thats quite pathetic. Your going down to junior and amatuer level? Even Highland leauge? These leauges dont bring promotion to the leauge system in Scotland so its not even worth debating. Scotland does however have more associations than England which is ridiculous! We need to be under one association wether thats the SPL/SFA/SFL

[delparlane 5,660]

It's not wrong. Scotland do have more football clubs than England and look at the difference in population. That's a major problem You're just assuming that I'm talking about professional clubs, but I'm not.

Also, Look at the state of Dundee and Dundee Utd too. If Dundee had just one club (Dundee City) it would be better for all concerned. Why have two stadiums a stone throw away from each other when there's little money around it's idiotic. Why not just invest in one stadium and even share it. If it's good enough for AC Milan and Inter it's good enough for Dundee and Dundee Utd.

Many more clubs will go out of business in coming years and it'll be for the greater good.

While reality dictates that I do agree with your point, it's easy to say for us a Gers supporters; for other smaller clubs, it would be a helluva wrench to the community to lose their club that has so much of its history interwoven with the local fabric. Fair enough, you can argue that is where things are headed, but try pitching that to Dundee or DU supporters - imagine how we'd feel if we were told we had to join forces with Septic. I know also that ICT is a product of just such a cull/amalgamation and they have thrived since joining forces, but talk to WVB about just what was lost when they did. Och weel, I guess I'm just getting on and maybe a bit stroppy, but I have to say the thought of such harsh actions saddens me more than a bit.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

The conference? No chance.

Far too much money that would be lost by going to that low a level, there'd be no guarantees of getting all the required promotions right away to make it to the Premiership.

For a start, pretty much all of our players would leave

They wouldn't put their careers on hold for at least 4 years

[Gid 46]

While reality dictates that I do agree with your point, it's easy to say for us a Gers supporters; for other smaller clubs, it would be a helluva wrench to the community to lose their club that has so much of its history interwoven with the local fabric. Fair enough, you can argue that is where things are headed, but try pitching that to Dundee or DU supporters - imagine how we'd feel if we were told we had to join forces with Septic. I know also that ICT is a product of just such a cull/amalgamation and they have thrived since joining forces, but talk to WVB about just what was lost when they did. Och weel, I guess I'm just getting on and maybe a bit stroppy, but I have to say the thought of such harsh actions saddens me more than a bit.

I see your point but the day is fast approaching that this might happen regardless through clubs going bust. Personally I think it would be good for Scottish football if some clubs did disappear.

[MosesMcNeil 1,664]

The conference? No chance.

Far too much money that would be lost by going to that low a level, there'd be no guarantees of getting all the required promotions right away to make it to the Premiership.

Where's your ambition? No guarantees, but when playing teams with tiny resources why would we need them? That's a serious question given the parallels regarding the stature of club we already face in the SPL.

The SPL is a dead end. The fitba equivalent of a Dodo in waiting. Attendance wise, out-with the OF, it's equivalent to playing football in League One in England (some of our clubs) and it's being kind to suggest St Johnstone or St Mirren would hold their own in League Two. In fact, neither of those clubs could match the best supported team in the Blue Square for average attendances.

Here's the bottom line - we stay in Scotland and forever more consign our club to bit-parts in Europe when we should be competing at the very top season in season out.

I make no apologies for wanting the very best for The Rangers. And the SPL is not it, not by a long, long way.

[MosesMcNeil 1,664]

14 team league with a spit after 26 games with the top 6 playing each other to twice to give us 36 games including 4 Rangers V C*ltic games

You can mix that shite up in an endless variety of ways. You'll still be mixing shite.