I have watched a bit of the Championship on BBC Scotland recently. It’s seldom brilliant football but almost always entertaining. For most of the season I despaired at the prospect of Arbroath picking up the automatic promotion spot. The last thing we need is another tiny club with tiny resources lining their entire team along the 18-yard line.
This is unfair, of course. What this tiny team have achieved to get within a whisker of the topflight is remarkable. With Premiership TV money, they could emulate Ross County and previously Hamilton. They would bring little interest to the league, but seven figure payments go a long way when you carry low overheads.
The alternative is Kilmarnock, a side with vastly greater resources and a truly terrible artificial surface. Inverness and Partick will likely compete with the Premiership’s 11th club for the remaining topflight spot. Raith seem to have lost their way since the Goodwillie fiasco.
Clubs only survive in the lower leagues so long before whatever local appeal they had fades to an insignificant level. Dunfermline have a history, a decent sized local population, with an affluent business community, but the Leishman days are gone for good, never mind the Stein era. Ironically, it could be Raith, newly relevant in Kirkcaldy, who are more likely to bounce.
Former Celtic central defender, John Hughes, is currently managing Dunfermline. He led Falkirk to the topflight 19 years ago, then onto the top half of the table and a Scottish Cup Final. When he left for an ill-advised spell at Hibs, Falkirk never recovered. They have lost more than they’ve won in League One this season.
I’ll regret whoever goes down of Dundee or St Johnstone. Both are sold clubs with enough fans to do better. Despite the pitch, a Kilmarnock would be welcome. It makes for a healthier league.
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Afternoon all
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Obviously there was no appetite within the top league to vote on the prohibition of artificial pitches, with Kilmarnock and Hamilton both out, there was a chance to get the 11 to 1 majority (I assume Livingston would have voted against!) required. With it looking like Kilmarnock will be back, then the chance has gone.
Why would any league with ambition allow clubs to use not only artificial pitches but also very poor ones at that?!
The play-offs from that league are an absolute joke. Hardly surprising given who runs the thing.
Fourth placed team in a league of ten getting into the play-offs? That would be like the tenth placed team in the English Championship!
Since they started this about seven years ago? – the team finishing fourth have never won a tie!
It just means extra games for the third placed team, which then tires them out before they play the team finishing second.
It’s not even as if they have to get three teams from the Championship to make four in total for a semi-final type round (like the lower leagues) because they don’t even do it that way!
The sooner the clowns who come up with this guff go away and let people in who know what they are doing the better!
MCPHAIL BHOY
Couldn’t agree more . Artificial surfaces are not for top flight football . I know in other leagues , far better teams than Kilmarnock have them (e.g.Bodo Glimt) but they are not fit footballing surfaces . I know it’s all down to money , with the likes of Hamilton hiring out their pitch while not having to worry about wear and tear , but it would be nice if promoted teams coming up from the championship could be helped financially to install grass .
Gooooooood afternoon all
Another braw day in ML5.
I don’t see much difference between the bottom 2 teams in the SPFL and the top half of the Championship, expand the leagues to 18 and have 1 game home and 1 away (34 games total) against every team (no split shit) , + minimum requirement for top-flight should be grass pitch with undersoil heating.
Ange only took half a season to change how we play on artificial pitches. Don’t think we need fear going to play on them while he is in charge.
Just seen the comments from the repulsive Arlene Foster re St Patrick’s Day, disgusting human being.
Accepting tickets for the Derby game,an utter disgrace.Nicholson’s first big test,and he makes a right James Hunt of it.
Huns now calling the tune on this,as he jigs away.Disgusting toadying.
Rant finished,back to lurking.FREE BIG JIMMY,another shocking call.
Good afternoon all from sunny Giffnock. May your Friday be blessed with beer and curry.
I think McCoist is deliberately understating the importance of the upcoming derby. To describe it as a must not lose for them is a big understatement, infact he’s plain wrong. They must win this game.
If the tables we’re turned, media would be full of pundits telling us Celtic must win.
agree ,we should have told thems to shove their tickets , they brought this in and they have decided when we would get 700 , we as a club should’ve been stronger when they came asking for us to return and accept their offer , the whole stand behind the goal or nothing at all, there will be method for their madness.
Some serious ?surgery would be need to be performed on the game in Scotland to produce a healthier top division.
Any club that can sell 5000 season ticket-holders should be included as a matter of right. There could be schemes to help some clubs to reach this figure.
Plastic playing surfaces must be banned – again initial help could be offered to bring this into effect.
There then should be no relegation for a period of five years after which the bottom club would only go down if the club who wins the second-tier can fulfil the ST & pitch criteria
If we accept that the current twelve would look to ensure their survival ,then it would open the door for the likes of Kilmarnock, Partick Th, Falkirk, Dunfermline to step up, with ICT as first-reserve if Ross Co unable to get to the 5000.
Give the fans of the ‘provincial’ clubs an opportunity to put their money where their ambition is – back their local club like they do when they get to semis & finals, and get top-flight competition all year round.
A sixteen team well supported top-division, with thirty home & away fixtures followed by a 50% split offering another seven matches (total 37 games), would result in a healthier & more interesting league.
Radical? – yes
Draconian?- maybe
Overdue? – most definitely
Have I walked into a competition to see who can come up with the best idea to destroy Scottish Football?
Madre mia.
“I’ll regret whoever goes down of Dundee or St Johnstone”
I’m afraid Dundee lost any goodwill I might hold when they sold Glen Kamara to sevco for 50k in the January window, despite having a tough relegation fight ahead of them. A bizarre decision which no doubt contributed to losing their premiership place, for 50k.
I’d love a healthier league.
Key requirement for that though would be for our so called “largish” clubs or clubs with a strong history and/or decent infrastructure ….
e.g. Kilmarnock, Dundee, Dunfermline, Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers …
To be as healthy as the Ross Countys, Livingstons and Arbroaths of this world !!!
To help that, we need to revisit the structure of the top division.
IMHO,
– 14 teams
– home and away twice – 26 matches
– League splits 7 and 7
– home and away twice – 12 matches
– total games, 38
– 19 home / 19 away for all
Only issue to manage – post split each team has 1 free week in 7.
Big deal
First round of 7 – no problem
Second round of 7 is business end of the season
So schedule the mid table teams to have the free week on last day of the season.
i.e. all those fighting to avoid relegation or play off in bottom 7 play at 3pm on last day
Likewise with those in top 7 fighting for league title or European qualification
!!BADA BING!! on 25TH MARCH 2022 1:26 PM
‘Just seen the comments from the repulsive Arlene Foster re St Patrick’s Day, disgusting human being.’
###
To be fair, she wasn’t wrong about the Pelosi/Bono thing. That was truly cringeworthy.
Anyhow, the mention of her name always brings a smile to my face.
Because it reminds me of this.
##
‘Arlene Foster is touring the countryside in her Chauffeur driven car. Suddenly a cow jumps out into the road. They hit it full on and the car comes to a stop. Arlene in her usual charming manner, says to the chauffeur……. “You get out and check – you were driving.” The chauffeur gets out, checks and reports that the animal is dead. “You were driving; go and tell the farmer,” says Arlene Five hours later the chauffeur returns totally plastered, his hair ruffled and with a big grin on his face. “My God, what happened to you?” asks Arlene . The chauffeur replies: “When I got there, the farmer opened his best bottle of malt whisky, the wife gave me a slap-up meal and the daughter made love to me.” “What on earth did you say?” asks Arlene “I knocked on the door and when it was answered, I said to them…. “I’m Arlene Foster’s chauffeur and I’ve just killed the cow.”
Paul. Is this not an argument in favour of a franchise system?
The biggest and best run clubs with the best facilities and best prospects.
So robertsons statement a few weeks ago has come to pass ,he said he would give celtic fans 700 tickets and our club gratefully received , back of the bus right enough it would make you puke . Dont get excited at us winning the league it won’t be allowed to happen .
TOM MCLAUGHLIN @ 2:16
Have I walked into a competition to see who can come up with the best idea to destroy Scottish Football?
—–
I hope not!
There will need to be a change:
1) because the status quo is stagnating & offers no real prospect of generic growth.
2) The ingress of the womens game will present a new and previously unimagined challenge in the very near future.
The push for equality in football has begun all over the world and is picking-up pace. The playing of womens’ matches, both at domestic & international level at the designated main stadium has already started and will become the norm in the not too distant future – to resist will be seen as discrimination. (Maybe with these number of matches being played domestically, universal plastic surfaces might be the only solution going forward.)
Thereafter there will be pressure to equalise the wages budget and sponsorship/merchandising income in all clubs who have a womens team. We have already had it confirmed that the SWPL will cease this season, and from next, all womens’ teams will be full members of the SPFL. That, in itself, is a huge step forward.
Gender equality on all levels is the next big thing in the football world. It is irresistible – there will be no opt-outs.
What happens when trans-gender legislation is introduced into the mix can only be imagined at this juncture?
This is the future, only the timing is unclear.
Ernie- it’s a good one….😜
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 25TH MARCH 2022 2:27 PM
I’d love a healthier league.
Key requirement for that though would be for our so called “largish” clubs or clubs with a strong history and/or decent infrastructure ….
e.g. Kilmarnock, Dundee, Dunfermline, Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers …
To be as healthy as the Ross Countys, Livingstons and Arbroaths of this world !!!
To help that, we need to revisit the structure of the top division.
——-
If the rumours about how Livi are funded I don’t know if they’re the sort of club we should be benchmarking.
…Livi are funded are true…
🙄
Jeezo
Not only are we going to be bankrupted by funding historic child sexual abuse settlements, we are going to have to compulsorily fund transexual soccer teams as well.
Right enough, we’ll struggle to finish Top 6.
SFTB 🤣🤣
MAJESTIC HARTSON on 25TH MARCH 2022 3:12 PM
…Livi are funded are true…
🙄
————-
I’ll bite; what’s the story? counterfeit macaroni?
The last few comments from Majestic and Coneybhoy are giving me aching sides. That’s a compliment by the way.🤣
You don’t need to look too much further past the manager….
Them Celtic Supporters who got one of them 700 tickets are as much to blame as Nicholson for accepting them ,it works both way not one individual.
Coneybhoy,
Possibly, I would put it pasta owners…
Bada, exactly. I’ve been wondering if this is why he never gets touted for any jobs that come up.
SFTB @3:12
—–
Instead of using your usual tool of ridicule & dismissiveness – why not try to give your genuine opinion on the equalisation of gender in sport -jumping to the trans- gender issue whilst ignoring the more pressing one, gives you the chance to make a cheap jibe. The twenty-eight and counting who are part of the CBC class action must be a concern for all of the Celtic family, both financially and reputationally.
The former is a real situation that not only Celtic have to figure out – the latter is the ‘elephant in the room’ from a bygone and less enlightened age.
Sticking heads in the sand and hoping things go away is short-termism.
Let’s hear your ‘words of wisdom’ – if you think these issues are just ‘hot air’ -come out and say it. I will be very interested.
SFTB…
JHB says “Not only are we going to be bankrupted by funding historic child sexual abuse settlements, we are going to have to compulsorily fund transexual soccer teams as well.”
Perhaps we can wangle our way out of that.
MJ- Accies another dubious background……
Well, it was good while it lasted.
What happened to the “good players can play on any surface” mentality??
Perhaps it is time for Fairhurst to dust down their “review” of March 2019 in preparation for the subsequent visit to Celtic Park of 800 Rangers supporters at a date yet to be confirmed. Said review of course was the;
‘Independent Review of Crowd Congestion Incident on 2nd September 2018’.
There was nothing ‘Independent’ about it, it was bought, paid for and commissioned by ‘Celtic PLC’ which concluded that the actual and potential danger caused by decisions made by Celtic PLC and Police Scotland presented “a unique set of circumstances which had not occurred previously at Celtic Park”. In short, the report is little more than a fourteen page whitewash, with a brief of explaining away deliberate and premeditated decisions to reroute tens of thousands of Celtic supporters behind the North Stand Underpass, ie Janefield Street, in both directions simultaneously in order to accommodate eight hundred (796 actually) Rangers fans. And the conclusion? Lets do it again.
MAJESTIC HARTSON on 25TH MARCH 2022 4:02 PM
Coneybhoy,
Possibly, I would put it pasta owners…
Bada, exactly. I’ve been wondering if this is why he never gets touted for any jobs that come up.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Pasta owners or not there’s no way they could rigatoni out of trouble if caught!