British League

[The Specky Forum Organiser 64,469]

Hamilton, Livingston and Ross County are all 'too small' to be in the top flight as well.

[MurrayWilson 3,375]

5 minutes ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

I agree in principle, think the reality would be shite TBF. 

I appreciate this context and nuance could be applied in most countries but in Scotland in particular it really hits hard.

The likes of Alloa, Arbroath, Greenock, Ayr are in reality too small to be in a top league, I know there is an element of Super League shut sides out wankyness to that but there also isn't - a bigger league, would likely see less TV money, less TV money spread wider which hurts more sides than it helps, there being in the league would damage the game more than it would enhance it.

Scottish football does need Rangers playing celtic multiple times to generate the money to help these clubs survive, if for instance it had been a 20 team league now during Covid, I reckon the league would have collapsed

If Scottish Football went through a reset and started again tomorrow, it would be best served doing so with about half the teams currently playing in the league structure and regional sides with more teams merged together. To me this country doesn't have the population to merit the league structure we have. 

Ross County and Inverness for example have both punched well about their weight TBF to them so possibly make a case for being stand alone clubs, but to me they two sides in the locations they play having two teams is fucking daft, would apply that to a few other locations. 

Its annoyed me for years that sky give an upcoming old firm game the big build up then give the combined spl less than they do two epl teams. Looking at it like that the 4 old firm games dont generate that much money. Arbroath, Morton  and Ayr have all been part of the top league and at a time when our clubs were winning european trophies.

I reckon ,as ive said, that twice against everyone may just give others a chance of mounting a league challenge. That would increase interest and maybe revenue. We will have played celtic 4 times in four and a half month by the end of this season. Daft to be honest and takes away from the occasion, even though its great to win them. Its usually the case we play an extra old firm game in a cup anyway so the broadcasters would have that. I get the arguments against this but its worth a shot surely.

[RS4_wul 4,107]

36 minutes ago, plumbGER said:

Yes we do but guess what? Greed kills that too.

I'm meaning in terms of quality/size of stadium etc.

Really don't fancy playing against say, Dundee, partick thistle, dunfermline, raith rovers etc in the top league along with the shite we already have in it.

I'm not sure an 18 team top league would work, who knows?

All I do know is we have far too many clubs for a nation with our population. 

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

21 minutes ago, MurrayWilson said:

Its annoyed me for years that sky give an upcoming old firm game the big build up then give the combined spl less than they do two epl teams. Looking at it like that the 4 old firm games dont generate that much money. Arbroath, Morton  and Ayr have all been part of the top league and at a time when our clubs were winning european trophies.

I reckon ,as ive said, that twice against everyone may just give others a chance of mounting a league challenge. That would increase interest and maybe revenue. We will have played celtic 4 times in four and a half month by the end of this season. Daft to be honest and takes away from the occasion, even though its great to win them. Its usually the case we play an extra old firm game in a cup anyway so the broadcasters would have that. I get the arguments against this but its worth a shot surely.

Football and fan behavior is completely removed from that time, the world has completely changed since then 

The Old Firm gets the biggest buildup because most Sky Subscribers don't give a shit about Motherwell v St Johnston, as a game Mothewell v St Johnston will have less interest than most English Championship games, it will have lower attendance when the games can have fans, it is a no mark game in the context of UK Football. 

A game even as inconsequential as Burnley v Leeds is still being broadcast to a country with a population of 55 million v that of 5 before even considering the wider appeal of the actual league both games are played in, there is no marketing would ever make the Scottish league appeal the way England can, population alone suggests that.  A Burnley v Leeds game for instance could feasibly be a game that means Euro Qualification for other sides, or relegates sides etc and so on - all of those sides potentially involved will have an unquestionably wider appeal than all but 2 teams in Scotland. 

The only ever interest in Scotland and the league in Scotland is going to be the OF to people who aren't from Scotland, until a time when sides in Scotland do things to make people think other than that, other than Rangers and celtic no club in this country shows the motivation to merit making the goals even bigger for them 

Every team in this country had a free hit to try and make themselves bigger, win more, get some trophies on the table for the best part of 10 years .... the most successful club outwith celtic during that period of time, St Johnston - I just highly doubt a bigger league would see a huge mix up in who wins here personally, the likes of Hibs, Dundee United, Hearts have even struggled to stay in the top flight let alone win it. 

I can't agree re the over saturation of playing them either. In 2010/11 we played them 7 times, and it was for the most part, fucking great, I would take that over seeing us against the likes of Morton and Ayr TBH, which as a "shot" would see the game in this country loose a shit load of finance, there would be little long term gain either. 

There has always been a want in this country to generate "competition" the harsh reality is in just about every league in the world, you get teams who are good and those who aren't - for the time being the best move is to bring in the most revenue possible to the game, the current structure is that the smaller clubs are just too daft to see that  

[Inigo 32,526]

Used to like the idea. Not so much now. Would prefer an Atlantic League, which won't happen.

[plumbGER 24,518]

36 minutes ago, RS4_wul said:

Really don't fancy playing against say, Dundee, partick thistle, dunfermline, raith rovers etc in the top league along with the shite we already have in it.

Why not? Those plus Inverness Caley, Hearts and Morton are all bigger than Hamilton for instance.

Play each other twice a season and it makes for a much more competitive league. A provincial club would only have to play the old firm 4 times rather than 8 so it would give them at least a fighting chance of finishing second. More games against clubs of their own stature would allow them to potentially go on a winning run.

[King Jela 20,360]

13 hours ago, Hadron Collider said:

There are more than 20 Rangers Supporters Clubs in Canada mate. Think the US has a dozen, maybe more. Australia? South Africa? Not sure where else. 

How much does that all realistically add up to though? Genuinely. Is it more than, say, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton, Chelsea and Man City have in these places? Is it fuck. 

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

4 minutes ago, King Jela said:

How much does that all realistically add up to though? Genuinely. Is it more than, say, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton, Chelsea and Man City have in these places? Is it fuck. 

Man Utd have 5 supporters clubs in Canada. That should be enough for you to gauge things. 

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

15 minutes ago, Hadron Collider said:

Man Utd have 5 supporters clubs in Canada. That should be enough for you to gauge things. 

Rangers last trip to Canada 

 

Man U in America...

 

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

3 minutes ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

Rangers last trip to Canada 

 

Man U in America...

 

Bottom picture. Tourists. 

[The Specky Forum Organiser 64,469]

We have absolutely nowhere near the same number of supporters in these countries as the top teams in England do. 

Look at the numbers the International Champions Cup gets ffs.

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

4 minutes ago, Jeffrey said:

We have absolutely nowhere near the same number of supporters in these countries as the top teams in England do. 

Look at the numbers the International Champions Cup gets ffs.

That’s the numbers EPL teams get when they go on tour. Now if we were in the EPL. 🤔 

 

[TheKingObv 10,639]

In terms of die-hard following we are a massive club and probably have the 3rd largest fan base in the UK and by extension not too many larger in the world.

In terms of 'fans' with a reasonable/passing interest in the team then we are absolutely dwarfed by many teams in the EPL. Similarly in terms of stature these same teams now dwarf us on a global scale due to the exposure of the EPL.

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

2 minutes ago, Hadron Collider said:

That’s the numbers EPL teams get when they go on tour. Now if we were in the EPL. 🤔 

 

Just to add, that looks like a game at Michigan Stadium when Man Utd were playing Real Madrid. 🤷‍♂️

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

6 minutes ago, Hadron Collider said:

That’s the numbers EPL teams get when they go on tour. Now if we were in the EPL. 🤔 

 

We would have loads of fans you have just classed as "tourists"? 

[Iakona 2,260]

Vast majority of Rangers supporters in America/Canada are ex-pats (or related to ex-pats)

Your average American/Asian who develops an interest in football isn't picking Rangers as their team. We did have a few when we had Bedoya, Beasley Edu and Bocanegra, but they all disappeared a soon as they left. Same with the Mhanks when they had Nakamura, all those Japanese "fans" have since fucked off to one of the other 12 teams they follow.

EPL teams, Barca, Real, Juventus, the Milan's and Bayern are in a different league entirely when it comes to world wide appeal. We might look down on them as tourists, but they are still buying tops, funding international tours and subscribing to premier league tv services.

 

 

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

3 minutes ago, TheKingObv said:

In terms of die-hard following we are a massive club and probably have the 3rd largest fan base in the UK and by extension not too many larger in the world.

That's baws in all honesty. 

[The Specky Forum Organiser 64,469]

12 minutes ago, Hadron Collider said:

That’s the numbers EPL teams get when they go on tour. Now if we were in the EPL. 🤔 

 

Then we'd get loads of tourists?

[TheKingObv 10,639]

 

2 minutes ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

That's baws in all honesty. 

Who else in the UK has a larger die hard fan base? 

I think you're missing my point. My point is we aren't as big a club as many people think - there is far more to the size of a club these days than than the amount of passionate fans it has. Just need to look on social media for the overall reach of our club and it's dwarfed by many clubs who people class as smaller than us. 

 

[TamCoopz 19,605]

9 hours ago, Blue Avenger said:

Football is a competitive sport. If you have no aspiration to compete against the best, then what's the point? 

One minute we're British, now we're Scottish. OK., I get it. Let's be the big fish in a very small uncompetitive pond, where the total competition amounts to the number of one and they're Irish. 

Not that any of this shite will happen, but surely to fuck our ambition is better than this backwater if the gift horse showed up. 

Wit

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

1 minute ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

We would have loads of fans you have just classed as "tourists"? 

It’s the exposure that’s required with being in a league like the EPL. Fucksakes, look at the way Scottish football is run with these cunts. Our bans for the 5 players were upheld. Any other league you can think of that would do this? Rangers covered it in the announcement after the appeal was dismissed. Another reason to get the fuck out. 

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

8 minutes ago, TheKingObv said:

 

Who else in the UK has a larger die hard fan base? 

I find that term pretty selective, "die hard" 

Newcastle have a capacity of 52,000 they pack it every week, they are doing that because they have a hug element of die hard support, West Ham had the highest attendance of all sides in Europe in 2018 before even considering the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U and Chelsea

Factor in how many of their "die hard" fans who have simply been priced out their grounds as well before just considering capacity. Factor in that different fans see the term "die hard" in different ways, i.e in Italy, when we were attending our ground in defiance their fans wouldn't and would likely chase cunts down the streets and burn cars etc and so on. 

Then throw in different fan culture around the world and just how many massive, massive teams play outwith the UK - a top 5 or so in the UK means very little in the context of World Football when factoring in Europe, South America etc and so on. 

 

[The Specky Forum Organiser 64,469]

The bans were always going to be upheld, we clearly only appealed it so Patterson could play when Tav was out.

[Dennis Reynolds 1,329]

3 minutes ago, Hadron Collider said:

It’s the exposure that’s required with being in a league like the EPL. Fucksakes, look at the way Scottish football is run with these cunts. Our bans for the 5 players were upheld. Any other league you can think of that would do this? Rangers covered it in the announcement after the appeal was dismissed. Another reason to get the fuck out. 

Some dealer you must have mate, good gear to be on that form at this time of day. 

[Hadron Collider 30,782]

1 minute ago, Dennis Reynolds said:

Some dealer you must have mate, good gear to be on that form at this time of day. 

Don’t think I’ve been insulted this early in the morning before. 👍🤔