Scottish football is in a situation where a group of professional clubs issued a statement insisting the need to have a grass pitch in the top flight is “creating huge financial entry barriers to the top league”.
Four lower league clubs who currently have artificial pitches, Falkirk, Hamilton Accies, Raith Rovers and Queen of the South issued a joint statement, the essence of which reads, “We believe that all clubs with the ability and ambition to reach the Premiership should be encouraged to do so, without having unnecessary barriers being created to demotivate and disincentivise them.”
As honourable as that sounds, it is a bit disingenuous. To compete at any level of professional football across Europe, you need to meet various standards. At the lowest levels, this is no more than player and spectator safety. As you go up the ladder, you need to have media facilities and will be required to appoint supporter liaison officers.
The Scottish Professional Football League encompasses a business with an income in excess of £100m, and some businesses which employ only a handful of fulltime staff. An effort to level down to what the least resourceful can achieve does not suit clubs with “ambition”, it rewards the opposite.
Football leagues were established to ensure meaningful games between clubs which are well matched. In Scotland, this is a challenge, because we are a small country with many tiny clubs, two enormous clubs and a handful of clubs capable of regularly attracting 15,000 fans.
“Ambition” is why the larger clubs want to impose standards on topflight participation. Their interests are not consistent with corner-shop clubs.
There is also an interesting discussion around numbers. Corner-shop clubs outnumber the bigger city clubs most of whom are found in the topflight, but topflight clubs have weighted voting rights on matters like this. If the game is truly about fans, the corner-shop clubs are on shaky ground, as over 95% of those who make turnstiles click support clubs who regularly play in the topflight and who want to improve this product by playing on grass.
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2 more sleeps as Jobo might say.
HH!
Paul67
“ The tail wagging the dog “
Jimmy Sanderson
It’s a pity that the best artificial surfaces currently still don’t match an average grass park because were they to it would benefit the game here considerably.
Quality Standards are set for (generally) good reasons, and the quality of the playing surface is surely one of the most fundamental in this sport.
Hey ho.
Good afternoon all from the Penny Farthing. Nearly time for luncheon with the small doll at Sholeh restaurant on Nelson Street. Great food, lovely people.
Big wheel takes the wee wheel to Penny Farthing.
scullybhoy on 23rd May 2024 12:01 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be7pgJGH2vY
scullybhoy on 23rd May 2024 12:08 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTFzmwOCjRw
Aipple
🤣🤣
https://thecelticstar.com/the-story-of-peter-johnstone-a-celtic-great-who-died-in-wwi/
Well done to corner-shop club Atalanta. Shows what can be achieved with a bit of ambition and vision.
I’m taking a wild guess that they aren’t run by a bunch of crusty old fossils who are terrified of being too far in front of Brescia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypt-8RIaaCg&t=2s
1. De Stephanio for not stop scorer but hat trick.
2. hat trick guy who lost in the final would possibly be Eintracht Frankfurt striker v Real Madrid. Stein?
3. Sounds a bit Roy of the Rovers so I’ll go for Roy Race.
Stefano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOU6xvpS8rE
Why don’t the corner shop clubs say what they really mean and ask for financial assistance?
Oh , that’s right , it would be pointless because they are run by a corner shop ,cash strapped, National association .
A Di Stefano.
C ROY of the ROVERS.
B My fav player since i was 8 .
SCULLYBHOY
Great footage and additional info re my poser.
WBC..Thanks for reply.
BRRB…Have a nice one.
Tony the Tiger instead of Roy Race.
Four lower league clubs who currently have artificial pitches, Falkirk, Hamilton Accies, Raith Rovers and Queen of the South issued a joint statement, the essence of which reads, “We believe that all clubs with the ability and ambition to reach the Premiership should be encouraged to do so, without having unnecessary barriers being created to demotivate and disincentivise them.”
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Probably in a minority of one, but here goes anyways.
I found the article itself quite dis-ingenuos.
Four of Scotlands oldest community based clubs, who have moved with the times to acheive continuity of existance, while having to compete unfairly with cheating big boys (EBTs) have the cheek to look after their finances by having artificial pitches to control costs and provide a stadium that is used more often for the needs of the locals.
Falkirk – 1876. 9even moved to a great new stadium to modernise and survive). Unbeaten Champions,
Hamilton – 1874 – lauded as having a great youth system that allows much advancement , lewis ferguson anyone,
Raith Rovers – 1883, into the playoff, and battled United all season. I would be happy with them in the league, pleasant day out it used to be.
cQueen of the south, not yet 95 years old, but that is 82 years older than 2nd Rangers.
Horne wrote in The Scotsman following Queens appearance in the 2008 Scottish Cup Final: “In the Palmerston Park club’s songbook, it is clear there is no room for songs which feature religion, violent vendettas or centuries-old battles that took place in other lands.”[8]
All these clubs have the same rights to survive in whatever way they can, if they follow the rules.
If the rules are proposed to change then sure why not raise a voice.
Celtic hate playing on any plastic we are told often, Kilmarnock this season. Given as an easy excuse for losing, except offcourse when we wint the league on the carpet, It is ok then.
The worst pitch in the league is Dundee, The flooding helped us win the league.
Cleti park is lauded this past month as being beautiful and green, and conducive to great football.
The same pitchis derided in February for being muddy, and bobbly, and not having grass, maybe clubs dont like playing on it, who would have thought it, no grass in the end of winter, with a park 90% missing direct sunlight.
This piece smacks of being a big fish bullying the wee fish in the small pond.
Poor fare.
Hamilton Accies produce very little players who move on to bigger things.
Celtic use artificial lighting and other methods to enhance grass growth when no direct sunlight.
Glasstwothirdsfull
Credit to Atalanta for winning the second tier European trophy. Their first.
They benefit from playing Milan Inter Juventus Fiorentina Roma Lazio Napoli on a regular basis. They provide a shop window for potential player development and guarantee an opportunity to compete with top level clubs nearly every week.
We don’t have that luxury. Indeed when old rangers died we had no competition to speak of for 4 years and suffered badly in terms of recruitment appeal for any aspiring players. We also suffered badly from any kind of meaningful exposure to prepare for qualifying games against teams in Europe.
So by end of next season only 2 teams will have won the Scottish league in 40 years. We should have won 22 and them a ‘very tainted’ 18 in that period.
Given that dominance it is surprising then that there have been only 3 Celtic v Rangers (various editions) SCOTTISH CUP finals in that 40 year period. Saturday will be the 4th.
In my lifetime of 62 years there has been 10 in total.
8 of these has been decided by just one goal. In some cases after replay or extra time.
Of the 7 I have been privileged to attend personally, we have won 4 and lost 3 but all by 1 goal margins and in 4 out of the 7 it was NOT the team which won the league who won the Scottish Cup when Celtic played Rangers in a final.
My point is that history suggests that for the most part and regardless of form and who is favourite, these games are rarely easy and not just about turning up.
Big wins for either side such as rangers in the replay in early 60s and us in 69 are rare.
I would love a 5-0 as much as anyone but this will be massive on Saturday. Massive for them almost more than us. We need to back our team with everything and banish the shite talk about them being crap. There will be no place for misplaced arrogance on Saturday. Fans or players. IMO.
There will be no finer sight on Saturday at 5pm than to look over to their emptying end and thinking of my dad doing the same back in 69, or me sitting with him in 71 watching from the main stand that Wednesday night, or in 80 with the police horses, or in 89 helped by wee Joe. Any win will do.
B. FERENCE PUSKAS.
Ambition/ SFA, oxymoron if ever I heard it. FFS, rules should state, no artificial pitches in any professional football league, end of, deal with it. If the clubs with plastic want to play pro football, they know what to do.
Another glaring example of minority rule, as life itself is
KINGLuBO
Atalanta are very much a project type club. Buy low sell high.
Excellent coach, in a very competitive league.
They’ll lose a bunch of players in the summer to go with the ones that left last year.
ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 23RD MAY 2024 12:42 PM
Hamilton Accies produce very little players who move on to bigger things.
Celtic use artificial lighting and other methods to enhance grass growth when no direct sunlight.
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Lewis Ferguson, James McCarthy, James McArthur, Danyy Armstrong, Greg Docherty, Zander Clark, – 2000 combine league appearances in leagues above Hamilton accies. Several internationalists.
Artificial lighting no matter how good does not replicate sunlight, all the Percy Throwers on here can notice that in February.
AIPPLE on 23RD MAY 2024 12:09 PM
Big wheel takes the wee wheel to Penny Farthing
Chapeau Aipple – great humour
Lookman was playing public park football having been rejected by clubs,
charltn spotted him and gave him a chance, then the loan to atlanta.
i blame peter lawwell for missing him
KINGLUBO on 23RD MAY 2024 12:50 PM
Ambition/ SFA, oxymoron if ever I heard it. FFS, rules should state, no artificial pitches in any professional football league,
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what has the sfa got to do with the professional league structures and rules of entry ?
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 23RD MAY 2024 12:16 PM
100%. Pity our board are only in it for themselves.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 23RD MAY 2024 12:16 PM
Atalanta are owned and run by two seventy year olds, their chief exec is ten years older than ours. 66 year old manager
Great to see a club their size doing so well, as a result of a very smart transfer model. Their data must be very good – Lookman, Scamacca, Kolisinac and De Ketelaere were all failures at their previous clubs. Lookman looked like the epitome of a journeyman.
We shouldnt forget that this was their second trophy ever after the copa in 1963, since when Celtic have picked up a few.
success is the obviously relative and objective
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 23RD MAY 2024 1:01 PM
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 23RD MAY 2024 12:16 PM
100%. Pity our board are only in it for themselves.
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how ?
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD MAY 2024 11:34 AM
Big Jimmy
Yes I can see that you and 5 others have started to make their predictions (I am not allowed to see what they are until kick off takes place). I have to say I am spectacularly uninformed about International football and have no idea who is favourite.
I won’t make your Friday Shipbank gathering as I’m going to a lunch at the Golf Club on that day- so I may have turned racist by then. If you’re out for a midweek celly before then, let us know
………….
Okay Mate. I will Text you IF I am going out in Mid Week for a few Beers.
MON the ITALIA…
LOL
HH.
The Atlanta manager is 66.
That was his first trophy as a manager.
I didnt think the jeans and blazer combo worked so well.
Who would Win a Race between ROY RACE….and DAIZEN the RACER ?
HH.
Taking off success being relative, you can understand small community clubs being so keen to have plastic pitches because of the lower maintenance costs and increased income from renting it out.
They aren’t football cubs in the same way as the bigger clubs, football glory is such a rare thing for them that it can’t be included in any business thinking. Survival is more important for them and for the community they say they support.
So no problem with them wanting it but the SFA and SPL need to see beyond that
BIG JIMMY on 23RD MAY 2024 10:25 AM
General Election JULY 4th 2024……
Apparently, this will be the FIRST SUMMER General Election since 1945…..
I wonder what Party did BRRB Voted for back then ?
LOL
HH Mate.
TEXASTIM re: ye old bikes
Not long until the tour.
HH!
Talking of Ademola Lookman, there’s a documentary about the breeding ground of talent that is South London that Lookman features in. Loads of young kids from high rise council estates learning the game ion caged off crappy astroturf
Lookman did very well at school and comes across as a very respectful young man who was brought up by his mum in a council block. It’s a good reminder about where a lot of these guys come from, worth a watch to see a completely different life to what we watch on sky sports every week
BIG JIMMY on 23RD MAY 2024 1:07 PM
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD MAY 2024 11:34 AM
…………..
Engerluund are the 3/1 Favourites for EURO 24.
They will NOT be getting my Cash on Winning the Tourney….but I will be backing Phil Foden to score some Goals in individual games.
Whit a Player that boy is.
FORZA ITALIA !
Italy are around 8/1 to Win EURO 24.
HH.