Tonight I’m off to watch Celtic take on Hamilton Accies to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points. Here’s what’s going to happen: either we’ll win, and I’ll go home thinking about 5-in-a-row, or we’ll drop points at home to Accies, again, and there will be a joyless walk along London Road. There would be no compensation whatsoever in the latter, no matter how bravely Accies defend their 18 yard line. The former will provide limited joy, as despite previous results, I’ve already anticipated a positive outcome.
Hamilton Academical are a remarkably successful community football club. They are a fraction the size of Dunfermline, St Mirren or Hibs, who languish in the lower leagues, not to mention Dundee United, but no matter how admirable, they are not box office material.
The prospect of league reconstruction – creating a 14 or 16 team top flight, bringing in clubs unable to match Accies on the field, at the cost of games against top 12 teams, is enormously unattractive and unwelcome.
We abandoned an 18 team top flight in favour of a top 10 in 1975 because we are a tiny country who cannot support more than 10 competitive teams (or even that many). Football fans turned up in huge numbers for games against genuinely top clubs, but attendances against semi-professional clubs were as lousy as you would expect them to be.
My first objection against the last reconstruction was use of the word “Professional”. The SPFL includes professional, semi-professional and amateur clubs. The four division league was tarted up as something it’s not. We can, at best, support two leagues of genuinely professional clubs, with two leagues of semi-professional clubs below them.
A professional group of 20 clubs, separated into two divisions, should be created, with only marginal drops in commercial income distribution as you go down the gradient. Semi-professional clubs should acknowledge that status and organise their game accordingly. Set participation criteria, objectives, partnering and commercial plans to suit their needs. They should be free to formally partner with professional clubs, share resources, including expertise and youth development objectives.
There should not be automatic promotion and relegation between the professional and semi-professional leagues. At most, there should be a one up, one down, play-off. This would give teams who drop quickly, like St Mirren, a floor from which they can bounce off, instead of having to take unplanned or worse, un-budgeted, action mid-season to remain in tier two.
I love the prospect of a Scottish Cup game at East Kilbride, but that anticipation required the immediacy of the Cup. No sport survives by creating more mismatches games than it already has.
But this is Scottish football, so I suppose we should expect the worst from Hampden this afternoon.
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Incredible .. justice is IMPOSSIBLE in Scotland. I thought the comments were a spoof!
Tim Tanium
While I agree that a merged competition would appeal to Celtic, I’m not so sure it would appeal to the vikings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_League
The league has received quite a lot of criticism since the first season. The teams rarely bother to play with their best side, and this leads to a lack of interest. Raising the award money and/or giving direct place in the UEFA Champions League have been suggested as ways to improve the situation.[citation needed]
The 2007-2008 edition was cancelled for financial reasons, but the board planned to resurrect the tournament for the 2008-2009 season.[1] On 11 October 2008 it was announced that the 2008-09 season would not be held either, as the TV rights for the tournament had not been sold.[2]
So was this loan repaid and accepted by SD, difficult to tell from the info from court today, do we assume that it was as the SD legal rep did not raise this.
Dessybhoy
according to Phil Mc G it was paid off
HH
What the feck is the point of league reconstruction, if the league is bent.
Who wants to pay to watch blatant cheating?
I think it be a slightly better idea to clean the stable, rather than sit in the s***.
What happened to sporting integrity?
HH
THE GREEN MAN on 19TH JANUARY 2016 12:28 PM
THECLUMPANY
A good verbal slap for Keith Jackson.
He needs it:)
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/#sthash.zNRaEhlk.dpuf
Excellent article.For more,read James Forrests slaughter of this moron Jackson in todays”On Fields Of Green”,and the deluded Sevconian who tries to take him on in the comments.
….they’re nobody’s child,
the law can’t touch them at all……..
BobDylan CSC
Not been too impressed with MAs legal team.Sound more like a “Legal Aid”team.
Awe naw
Cheers
Chairbhoy,
Never seen that idea previously but will say I think it is a good idea and we could and probably will do a lot worse.
I see Dallas’ useless offspring ,is getting fired through the ranks,i wonder how that’s going down amongst his fellow goat worriers?
Maradominic
This was the Royal Courts of Justice in England with an English Judge who was not a mason…
HH
TURKEYBHOY
I spend most of my time writing, i have to be accurate and balanced.
CQN is where i can drop a few typos, and have a laugh.
Keith Jackson has all the skills of the halfwit hun journalist.
The fact that he is trying to be serious, is astounding.
80 grand a year for that drivel, he should have a mask on:)
How the hell he gets away with it….I have my suspicions:)
Muppet of the highest order.
HH
Something has to be done to improve the level of Scottish football but I am not convinced that league reconstruction will deliver many benefits.
The most pressing need in my opinion is to improve the standard of football played in Scotland, across the board. To do this we need to move away from the notion that Scottish teams play ‘robust’ football. The referees need to be educated to remove the industrial side of the Scottish game. This will make it easier for young players to be bled into teams and improve the game from the grassroots up.
I would even consider borrowing an element of the rugby union game, which is the bonus point. This could be awarded to teams who score 3 or more goals in a game.
If we remove the thuggery from our game and reward teams who play attacking, typically attractive, football then the game will flourish.
Anything else seems like re-arranging the deckchairs.
Cheers
Rev Davie, there has never been an impending change in league setup to facilitate Newco in the top flight. This is not one either.
Newco are top of the Championship and will either get promotion, or suffer an insolvency event which will render reconstruction moot (for them).
Read carefully. I said that league reconstruction has been on the wish list of many for years but was actually resisted by Rangers (and Celtic), which is hardly a plot to help Newco get to top flight football.
The only thing that has changed is that the veto Celtic and Rangers had until 2012 no longer exists. Calling this change corruption is simply not the case. Read the blog – there are many who would like to see the league expanded. They are not part of a conspiracy to corrupt either.
Chairbhoy, thanks.
Tim Tanium, I’d take Scandinavia compared to what we have now.
jamabhoy
I agree with your point about the ways games are refereed are a huge detriment to skill thriving, a thug only needs to land a kick once to finish a career.
Secondly if leagues are to be reconstructed so should the season and a switch to a March to November league adopted
The league could do with a change,but not to accommodate Sevco at any point,time to let some other clubs try and pull in a bit of money.
Yeah, everything is great.
League reconstruction…fantastic.
But..er…what about the SFA, and the honest mistakes….and all the rest of the sevconian shenanigans.
Will we all just move on…like Dave King wants?
Nothing here to see.
HH
PAul67… never a change to facilitate the H*ns? You are joking.. Why do you think the play off system was introduced. that is a change..
Paul67
” suffer an insolvency event which will render reconstruction moot (for them).”
Is it not possible for them to admin and still get promoted ?
HH
Lovely wee item on Italian radio –.
Yusupha Yaffa .-Gambian footballer ,currently at MSV Duisburg .
Being sued for fraud by AC Milan .Allegedly he claimed to be 16( and had convincing papers) when he signed for AC Milan in 2013 . Seems he was actually 25 . A hotly tipped prospect , he was sent on loan to Bologna . That didn’t work out so AC Milan gave him a free transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt who in turn gave him to MSV Duisburg . Apparently the player’s true age came to light when he appeared in a Frankfurt court charged with rape.
Honest, this is not a wind-up ….
https://bearsfightback.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/welcome-to-bears-fight-back/
I dont buy MA gettin his bum felt by Judge Peter Smith.
My money is on MA at the trial
HH
The clubs already have the power to change the SFA as the clubs are the SFA, why dont they get a consensus among themselves and force change if need be, there must be enough common ground among clubs for this to happen, as it stands they, the clubs appear happy with governance of the game in this country.
67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar…… Ipox belongs to the creditors –
reminds me of an episode of Dad’s army… “dont tell him your name Pike””
67Heaven
Wooft…just like i said.
It will be hell on earth next season.
I hope some are happy counting the proceeds from bigotry.
That crazy hun attitude is what they are encouraging.
It beggers belief.
It could only happen here.
HH
67Heaven
They are the victims.
Get used to it.
Warped to the very core, and then some.
Bereft of reason.
Be easier talking to a pile of sawdust.
They are over the rainbow.
Bigotry has consumed them.
If there is a hell., they will burn.
Hopefully:)
HH
HH
Paul 67…
The hidden agenda is the huns going bust and due to whatever points deducted (of which they will decide depending on what suits them) some on here like myself, think the fix is on.
Dumbhoy…
Don’t be so nieve, the handshake crosses borders.
paul
thanks for your reply…I’m not having a dig at you in case that’s the way it came across.
I’m having a dig at the corrupt entities that run our game…the changes being made
by committee and chairmen is to allow the zombies into the top division regardless of
where they finish (2nd strike admin or not) and the poor excuse of a side they will be, being able to
compete with clubs dragged up from the 2nd division in Scotland (the championship) that will finish below them every season for evermore.
if this is not corrupt and skulduggery…I’m really surprised that this is not seen for what it is.
sipsini
the fix is indeed on (stuck on since last year when hearts beat the zombies to promotion)
it will not be allowed to happen again
why do you think the Glib and Shameless Liar visited Hampden only a few weeks ago..
I dont think its credible to pretend that the football authorities in Scotland uphold sporting integrity.
They dont, its as simple as that.
There is a history of bias there, easy to uncover.
I remember in the pre-internet days, Celtic fans were constantly ridiculed for being paranoid.
And when the age of information kicked in…Wow, look what we found, and it didnt take the internet bampots long to expose it.
Its about time we confronted this vile cheating and corruption properly.
Just say no to the cheating, and stand up against it.
A simple principle, but one that loads of people seem to have a problem with.
HH
SIPSINI on 19TH JANUARY 2016 2:12 PM
Paul 67…
The hidden agenda is the huns going bust and due to whatever points deducted (of which they will decide depending on what suits them) some on here like myself, think the fix is on.
People like me who have long preached the Gospel of THEM not being deid, have long known that the fix is in.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-2/#comment-2757010
Tonights referee in the latest installment of the SP Hell is……..Willie Collum ably assisted by Willie Conquer
The bears fIght back – indeed
That’s hillary ass …… their clubs achilles heel is their dignified silence —- oh my aching sides
So beware folks – if you blog something negative about sevco ( eg calling them sevco ) they will Hunt you down and investigate everything about you then take you to task .
I know – we are all shaking in our boots
THE GREEN MAN on 19TH JANUARY 2016 2:25 PM
I dont think its credible to pretend that the football authorities in Scotland uphold sporting integrity.
An associated problem is, that like it or not, Celtic is part of football’s authorities.
It is a conscious or unconscious realisation of this that is behind the frustrations leading to the sheer ill naturedness of some of the recent postings here.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-2/#comment-2757011
Can any layman’s lawyers tell me if it could be possible that MA wanted to drop the 200K damages at today´s hearing because he will in fact go for more than 200k at the actual trial ?
Clearly MA didn´t want the contempt charged dropped as the trial is going ahead in two weeks only the damages.
HH
Yup this il work
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/aberdeen/1339638-clubs-could-be-docked-points-under-anti-offensive-behaviour-plans/