The great and the good (extensive poetic licence used) of the SPL and SFL will gather at Hampden tomorrow to shuffle the deckchairs of Scottish football. For reasons which no one has, or will, explain, it will be suggested that three leagues, with 12, 12 and 18 teams, will be able to resolve the problems of our game.
There will be no consultation with fans, Uefa or neighbouring associations, and no claim will be made that this reorganisation will be able to resolve a single significant issue.
For all its limited appeal, the Scottish Football League is in rude health. On the whole clubs live within their means and in places play important roles in their communities. This is as good as it gets for the likes of Alloa, Montrose or Brechin City. They could all benefit from a higher solidarity payment from above, but this would be the case no matter what level the trickle-down was set at. Their interests would be best served by ensuring that those sending payments down the pyramid are as fat as possible.
The clubs with most to gain from substantive change are those condemned to compete for second place in the SPL. Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts have been neutered in recent decades. United and Aberdeen have gone from being the two most impressive clubs in Europe at developing young talent, to clubs who cannot hold onto players long enough to put a competitive team on the field.
Scottish clubs with ample support, stadium and coaching talent have been left behind by smaller clubs in England, from Wigan to Burnley, who benefit from operating in a more lucrative commercial environment.
Hearts are trying to sell shares to raise a few million to keep themselves afloat at the moment. The club would be worth ten times as much if it was located 100 miles down the road, or structural change made it possible for it to benefit from a more valuable environment. Shares in clubs like Aberdeen, Dundee United and Hibs would also be worth many multiples of their current value.
Stephen Thompson has spoken of the financial burden Dundee United place on his family, a regionalised league structure would turn this burden into a vastly more valuable legacy. It beggars belief that Hearts, United, Aberdeen and the rest have not grasped this reality and started to make inroads.
It’s time for some radical thinking.
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Murdochbhoy, yermanfromMK
10:40 on 8 January, 2013
miki67
10:14 on
‘The Eton boys have effectively moved the control of the nation back to where it was in the 1950′s.
They never much cares for the 60′s liberalisation.’
On social matters the Eton mob around Cameron are very much in favour of the social liberalisation of the 60s.
Unlike their bedrock support.
That’s why UKIP are such a threat to them.
On economic matters too they’re not one nation Tories like Hume or MacMillan or Heath. They’re more in the mould of Thatcher.
For what it’s worth —– Juve related gossip.
The Drogba thing is not happening .
Juve need a centre forward —- so —
They might sign Roma’s Osvaldo.
They might sign Genoa’s Immobile.
Juve’s manager has complained about the Juve supports ” hysterical” reaction to the home loss against Sampdoria — ” the players had an off day –they are not Martians “.
A Club spokesman has publicly requested that the support give Bendtner more support ——“jeering him doesn’t help him or the team ”
Sunny ,clear blue sky , high teens. Listening to Actress -RIP –fine album -way down south
.
GoogyBhoy..
Good Yin..
Whit Aboot the Escossè Balloon.. Shirley Sally Is Fav..;-)
Summa
South of Tunis
Juve to sign immobile forward… Sounds good to me..
yorkbhoy.
Very good player .
Averages a goal every 2 games
4 goals in 5 appearances for Italy Under 21.
This deserves a repost every day for 125 days (may 5th)
10p a day £12:50, 20p a day £25:00.
A fantastic gesture I’M IN :)).
Vmhan
10:48 on
6 January, 2013
While its quiet I’ll repost Kitalba’s message from the KANO 125 CFC fundraiser:
kitalba
11:15 on
28 December, 2012
Kano got sick one night, very sick. If it was not for so many Celtic Supporters, from so many places, then Kano would be an ornament in a sterile hospital room. That is not nice because Kano still breathes and he still thinks and he is still a Celtic Supporter to his very core.
A lot of money, by a lot of people, was raised to take Kano home. He can’t ever balance the books, but he’d love to.
None of us gets more than one go on the roundabout of life.
Celtic is celebrating their 125th Birthday and indelibly stamping it into their history by encouraging all to embrace the simple ethos of the clubs founding… let’s try and help those who just don’t have more than the air that they breathe.
A lot of Celtic Supporters are doing a lot of different things to raise money for to help those less fortunate than ourselves. To a lot of people that is no big deal.
I’m determined to help Kano pay back the kindness shown to him by the Celtic Support by supporting my club to help unfortunates. No big deal.
There are some from here who have said they will help me to help Kano to help Celtic to help others.
I give up the bevie for 125 days and I give up posting on here for 125 days as of the 1st Jan.. No big deal really, Kano has done both for the best part of four years.
I ‘m going to put a wee bit aside for each day that I don’t drink or post and forward it to Celtic to hopefully fill a belly that needs a feed or to make an unfortunate hope where only darkness is their dawn.(but maybe I can have St. Pat’s day off so I can share a day with some good Tims)
I’ve only one life and when I’m gone I soon be forgotten but if I’ve ever managed to feed one hungry person, if only for one day, then my life was worth something.
No big deal to me or you but the person I fed, he/she will never know where the food came from and they won’t ever be visiting my grave to put some pretty flowers at the base of a head-stone, they’ll be too busy worrying about tomorrow.
I can live with that and like Kano, once I’m gone, I’ll know that I never changed the world, hardly left a mark, but still I took to Celtic and I did something to try and ease the pain of others… sort of the Celtic way.
South of Tunis..
Out of touch with Italian football, was hoping it was a description rather than a name..
Hopefully it will fall through
Problems With A Blocked Cloaca Maxima..?
Way Down South….?
YOU NEED Silet-BANG..!
Does What It Says….
On The Bottle….
Sorted….
~~~~~~~~~
Good Analysis Of League Restructuring Proposals From Rev. Sheepie….
His Point #5 Explains How The Changes Would Make It Easier For The DeidHuns To Gain SPL Status….
Without Having To Win Each League Division…
http://wingsland.podgamer.com/all-change-for-no-change/#more-26809
Re: Peter Kearney’s comments:
Do we have a particular anti-catholic problem in this country?
I’m not sure we do. I acknowledge that the statistics show that you are more likely to be the target of a hate crime if you are RC, however, is this not reflective of the demographics of the persons committing hate crimes generally? In other words, is it not simply the case that there are more non-catholic hate offenders (mirroring the proprotions of RC/Non RC Christians in the general, population, and in the offending population more generally) than catholic hate offenders?
Personally I don’t see any societally endorsed, or institutionalised discrimination in the workplace, in access to University resources, in housing and other social allocations.
What I preceive is a residual reluctance to overtly demonstrate faith, or faithful observance, but that may be an imagined problem which is projected by Catholics (I am one) onto wider society. I am sure that will change with time. We have seen great strides made since the “what school did you go to” era. In my opinion, we have effectively used legislation where it can be most obviously effective, in the workplace and in the criminal law ( I don’t include the criminalisation of football supporting incidentally), to eradicate out-right dangerous and bona fide prejudice. What we have now is a reluctance to be open with expressions of faith because we are afraid of the reaction, or the perceived barrier that will be drawn up between RC individuals and other denominations or non-believers.
That is largely a cultural problem which will, I think, be eroded the more the visual and insitutional supports (workplace discrimination, differential social allocations) which endorsed the perceptions of superiority, entitlement-and on the other side frustration and insecurity-are removed.
We have, in my opinion, made good strides in this country when it comes to anti-RC prejudice.
Re earlier posts on Eton Boys.
A No vote in independence referendum will effectively condemn our children, grandchildren and great grand children to a hundred years of Cameron Clegg and their like.
Even worse, so called Labourites such as of Dr. Reid and Darling are happy to encourage us to go down that particular path.
quonno – A No vote in independence referendum will effectively condemn our children, grandchildren and great grand children to a hundred years of Cameron Clegg and their like.
A yes vote will see Scotland bankrupt and broken within 10 years, as hopelessly ruined by the EU as Ireland is. (thumbsup)
leftclicktic
11:22 on 8 January, 2013
This deserves a repost every day for 125 days (may 5th)
10p a day £12:50, 20p a day £25:00.
A fantastic gesture I’M IN :)).
Vmhan
10:48 on
6 January, 2013
While its quiet I’ll repost Kitalba’s message from the KANO 125 CFC fundraiser:
kitalba
11:15 on
28 December, 2012
Kano got sick one night, very sick. If it was not for so many Celtic Supporters, from so many places, then Kano would be an ornament in a sterile hospital room. That is not nice because Kano still breathes and he still thinks and he is still a Celtic Supporter to his very core.
A lot of money, by a lot of people, was raised to take Kano home. He can’t ever balance the books, but he’d love to.
None of us gets more than one go on the roundabout of life.
Celtic is celebrating their 125th Birthday and indelibly stamping it into their history by encouraging all to embrace the simple ethos of the clubs founding… let’s try and help those who just don’t have more than the air that they breathe.
A lot of Celtic Supporters are doing a lot of different things to raise money for to help those less fortunate than ourselves. To a lot of people that is no big deal.
I’m determined to help Kano pay back the kindness shown to him by the Celtic Support by supporting my club to help unfortunates. No big deal.
There are some from here who have said they will help me to help Kano to help Celtic to help others.
I give up the bevie for 125 days and I give up posting on here for 125 days as of the 1st Jan.. No big deal really, Kano has done both for the best part of four years.
I ‘m going to put a wee bit aside for each day that I don’t drink or post and forward it to Celtic to hopefully fill a belly that needs a feed or to make an unfortunate hope where only darkness is their dawn.(but maybe I can have St. Pat’s day off so I can share a day with some good Tims)
I’ve only one life and when I’m gone I soon be forgotten but if I’ve ever managed to feed one hungry person, if only for one day, then my life was worth something.
No big deal to me or you but the person I fed, he/she will never know where the food came from and they won’t ever be visiting my grave to put some pretty flowers at the base of a head-stone, they’ll be too busy worrying about tomorrow.
I can live with that and like Kano, once I’m gone, I’ll know that I never changed the world, hardly left a mark, but still I took to Celtic and I did something to try and ease the pain of others… sort of the Celtic way.
What a great post/repost, I’ll certainly be doing my thing ( 5th May my late Mum’s birthday ) .
Thank you and Gb.
The only way I can see league reconstruction working in Scotland is to have one football body. Disband all other and have a Scottish Football League. One body and no others.
We need a pyramid system and this would include all Junior leagues, Highland, Southern, etc.
Have two professional leagues. a 14 team top league and a 14 team 2nd tier. The rest of the teams would be in relevant regional leagues of similar size. That may mean that central region may have a number of leagues in a similar pyramid system. This would mean that every football team in Scotland whether they be junior or otherwise would have the chance to make it into the top league through promotion.
Some of the clubs we have in the so called professional leagues have been in the lower reaches for decades and will not improve. The 3rd and 4th divisions are stale and need more competition.
The two top leagues should have promotion and relegation through the play off system and these matches should be played at one of the top leagues grounds depending on the location of the two clubs. A one off match and then a final at Hampden.
The top two leagues should enter the cup competitions at a much later stage than the rest and again a pyramid system should exist and the early rounds should be regionalised and should commence as early in the season as required.
Split would take place after everyone had played each other twice. That would leave a top 8 and a bottom 6 and the team who would be involved in the playoffs would play less matches to be able to slot the playoffs in before the end of the season.
It would work out around 40 games a seaon and a winter break would be slotted in for January when the punters have less money and the pitches need a break.
This would then give teams more local derbies each year and prevent clubs from the north travelling to the south of the country when they are part time. Some clubs and fans must spend half the season travelling hundreds of miles each week to watch their club. It would give teams the opportunity to get into the more lucrative league when they are ready and depending on stadia and pitches. some clubs may have to merge and it is something that needs to happen anyway. We have way too many clubs. Rather than have a couple of Junior clubs and a senior club in a town they can amalgamate and have one club that can compete. We have way too many teams in Scotland at all levels and if a town wants to have a top level club this is a way of doing it. If they don’t and want to live in the past that is their choice.
We would be able to rid the country of these blazers right accross the board and rather than just mixing up what we already have we would be taking huge strides into changing the game from top to bottom. Celtic and Sevco or anyone else for that matter could have a team in the regional leagues or even more if we wanted to have an affiliate club in say the Highlands. This would allow Celtic fans in these areas who can’t make it to games to see our reserve or youth players close at hand. That would mean buying or getting agreement from certain clubs to be called Buckie Thistle (Celtic) for instance but they would get the perks that come with it.
There is never any solution to these situations that will please everyone but a pyramid system similar to what I have suggested is the only way I can see our game improving long term.
A bit of a ramble but I hope most people get the just of what I am talking about.
LB
quonno
11:39 on 8 January, 2013
‘Re earlier posts on Eton Boys.
A No vote in independence referendum will effectively condemn our children, grandchildren and great grand children to a hundred years of Cameron Clegg and their like.’
No it won’t.
Labour are on course to win the next General Election.
As a matter of interest have the Tories ever won a majority of the overall vote in England and Wales?
They did once in Scotland in the 1950s.
Where are all those Scottish Tories now? Who do they vote for? What party now represents the once solid Tory areas in the NE of Scotland, Perth and Kinross and the like?
philvisreturns
11:43 on
8 January, 2013
If Scotland is such a potential basket case, why is Westminster so keen to hold onto it?
Personally I would like to see referendum extended to whole of UK.
After all No campaigners are using Yes vote as the road to potential break up of United Kingdom.
Cynic as I am, I cannot wait to see the number of folk with names like Gallagher, Sweeney,
O’Neill etc. who think that an independent Ireland is a great thing but don’t like the same idea for Scotland.
gerryguk7 – Do you have a particular anti-Celtic problem in your “country”?
Ernie
They did once in Scotland in the 1950s.
Where are all those Scottish Tories now?
=====================================
I`d imagine in the same place as RFC :-)
Ernie,
When I referred to the 60’s liberalisation I meant the social subculture rather than any commercial consideration.
Today the Eton boys have free reign to nail everybody due to Thatcher enticing them into becoming a compliant nation of mortgage holders whose motivation isn’t the greater good but individual materialism.
gerryguk7
11:33 on 8 January, 2013
‘Personally I don’t see any societally endorsed, or institutionalised discrimination in the workplace, in access to University resources, in housing and other social allocations.’
Institutionalised discrimination is illegal and is therefore very rare.
Attitudinal discrimination isn’t.
“If Scotland is such a potential basket case, why is Westminster so keen to hold onto it?”
Oil revenues?
Scotland produces more oil than Kuwait,believe it or not.
cliftonville celt from belfast
21:23 on
7 January, 2013
Linfield are what the zombies aspire to be !!!!! Even though half their team come from west belfast (seriously)
Glens support probably smaller tonight as the rest are currently bricking the peelers & short strand as we speak
Crusaders are Huns who hate cliftonville as local rivals
Portadown probably worst hun team after linfield – used to protest at cliftonville fans being allowed to travel to portadown cos we were republicans
***************************************************************************
Linfield fans are indeed a hateful shower, and fair few of Linfields players do indeed come from West Belfast. You couldn’t like if you reared them as they say. Their song book is a replica of the old rangers before that went bust, that’s who they wanted to be, goodness knows why.
Glentoran are a strange one, i know plenty of middle class Catholics who support them and are also Celtic supporters. Last night though we had the ’10 german bombers’, songs about child abuse etc etc. Obviously the flags protest had a bit to do with their song book as normally they’re not that bad.
Crusaders, well they’re not called the inbreds for nothing. I’d actually say they’re worse than Linfield fans. Constantly yapping about Cliftonville fans walking down past houses in Skegoneill Avenue to their ground on the shore round, while the residents stand at the door of their houses calling us fenian bastards. If the ground opened up and swallowed the shore road then it wouldn’t be missed. Hateful shower of supporters.
Portadown: As this shower of sectarian scumbags well, what can i say. I was on a supporters bus to Shamrock Park ( that’s the name of their ground) in the mid 90’s during the Drumcree protests. We got to the ground only to be confronted by over 500 protesters including Billy Wright stopping the buses getting into the ground to let us out. What happened next will live with me until my dying day.
Hand to hand fighting after they smashed bus windows and tried to drag people of the buses, beers tins used as weapons to stop people getting on the buses. All this while the cops stood and watched ( no real surprise there). Needless to say Portadown fans are the lowest of the low, i’ve never set foot in the ground since and i never will.
But that’s the Irish League for you. Generally nowdays you’ll get fans of all clubs having a beer in the Cliftonville social club before their games with us, sadly though that hospitality isn’t extended to us Cliftonville fans in 90% of grounds.
Tuneless and Clueless .
Assume you don’t have access to a tele in the Rubber Room —
Cillit Bang —–Bang ! And The Dirt Is gone.
How is your fear index today ?
Ramsey loan move? Or is he cup-tied…..
quonno
11:50 on 8 January, 2013
philvisreturns
11:43 on
8 January, 2013
‘Cynic as I am, I cannot wait to see the number of folk with names like Gallagher, Sweeney,
O’Neill etc. who think that an independent Ireland is a great thing but don’t like the same idea for Scotland.’
The difference between Scottish and Irish independence is like the difference between consensual sex and rape.
Being in favour of one one does not require you to be in favour of the other.
Ah, Philvis …
‘A yes vote will see Scotland bankrupt and broken within 10 years, as hopelessly ruined by the EU as Ireland is.’
I think you may have missed the news that Ireland is now the poster boy for your banker pals, (apparently) rising so quickly from its own crock of … debt.
Anyway, (and I say this as a Scottish-based Irish citizen who is poorly inclined towards this self-proclaimed best wee paroakial nation in the world cutting itself adrift from the rest of the UK) who’s to say the Scots are incapable of learning from the bitter lesson of their Celtic neighbours?
Okay: the answer to that is rather obviously you … !
FF
ernie lynch – A Scottish vote in favour of independence would almost inevitably lead to Irish independence though,would it not?
LiviBhoy
11:46 on 8 January, 2013
Far too sensible, and radical, proposal for the ‘get sevco back to the top asap’ cabal that run our game
I’ve never really understood why people equate a vote for independence as some kind of guarantee that we’ll be under an SNP govt for the rest of our lives.
At the risk of repeating myself, a Yes vote would allow Scottish Labour to release itself from the shackles of the Westminster Party and be a true Labour Party once again. If they were I’d vote for them.
As Ernie Lynch points out, the SNPs history is much closer to Tory than the current socially conscious party they seem to be today. Whether they’d return to their roots in an independent Scotland is a big unknown.
I happen to think the SNP wouldn’t be too upset with a No victory, and Scottish Labour the opposite. Both parties’ best chances of long-term power come from achieving the opposite of what they must campaign for.
Them’s the breaks.
Just wondering (and probably already discussed). ……….. But………with the 3×8 split, what will the middle 8 teams be playing for ?
IMO this reconstruction is to get sevco back to SPL1 as quickly as possible, and when that happens, Scottish Football will lose all integrity (not only sporting integrity)…….. And many fans, including myself, will not be able to support Scottish Football in ANY way….
Get us out of this sham, Celtic, NOW……before it is too late….
The Labour Party are run by Public Schools boys just as much as the Tory Party.
Why equate Scotland with Ireland and not say Denmark who are in the EU or Norway who are not in the EU and who both benefit from the North Sea Oil unlike Ireland?
Or would that rubbish your point?
ernie lynch – Labour are on course to win the next General Election.
It’s going to be a close one I think (Cameron v Miliband is like Alien versus Predator in the likability stakes), but my money’s on Labour winning on the back of promising its client voters more endless free goodies at someone else’s expense, and the Conservatives losing because they’re determined to insult their own supporters, unless those supporters happen to be gay, Guardian-reading, metropolitan lefties with a financial stake in wind farms.
Shortly thereafter Miliband and Balls will finish the job they started in the previous government and bankrupt us for reals, but it will be worth it for the lulz of seeing Ed Miliband on TV every day, and also for finally getting a government in place willing to tackle the important issues: topping up the beer and fags allowance of people who don’t feel like working for a living (God bless ’em), importing millions more uneducated foreigners who can’t speak English to rub the right’s nose in diversity (and vote Labour, peace be apon them), and taking sweeties away from fat kids.
Then we will have the revolution, comrade! (thumbsup)
weeminger
12:04 on 8 January, 2013
it’s not going to happen, ever …….. and that’s good, since it would go the same way as a nearby Provence…..
Can any techies help me? I created a profile on Facebook a few days ago and happened to mention that Barcelona are one of my favourite teams. since the I have been swamped with photographs of Barcelona players etc. I would like to remove them as they are a bit overpowering but I can’t see any obvious way of doing so.
I would be very grateful for any advice.
16 roads – Neil Lennon walks on water.
12:03 on 8 January, 2013
‘ernie lynch – A Scottish vote in favour of independence would almost inevitably lead to Irish independence though,would it not?’
No.
If anything it makes it less likely.
SF have pretty much accepted that the Unionists in NI have a veto on unification ie that it will only happen when a majority of the people of NI vote in favour of it.
That’s less likely to happen if Scotland leaves the UK.
greenjedi – Why equate Scotland with Ireland and not say Denmark who are in the EU or Norway who are not in the EU and who both benefit from the North Sea Oil unlike Ireland?
Not sure who you’re talkin’ to, Jedi but good point.
The reason people point to Ireland and not Norway is because:
1) Independence for Scotland isn’t on the agenda: the SNP’s entire plan is to be “independent” within the EU. Like Ireland.
2) Alex Salmond has spent 20 years telling us an “independent” Scotland would be like Ireland.
(thumbsup)
new article posted.
Kayal33
I think the key to the proposal is that the whole game in this country would need to change and this wouldn’t happen in a number of weeks or months. It would need a few years to stream line and set up.
The major issue is that people are looking for a quick fix. That’s not what is required. It needs to be well thought out, planned and communicated.
This would need to be at least a 2 or 3 year plan to get it right.
Sevco would need to go up the leagues like everyone else. I don’t see that it benefits them to rise too quickly anyway and they know it. If they went into the first division next year they would have to raise prices for their fans which would hit their crowds and then buy more players on SPL wages. They want to rise gradually through the ranks and they need to!
LB
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors – 12:10 on 8 January, 2013
I tend to agree about it not happening, especially now and that’s also why Salmond was pushing it forward. He knows it won’t happen and now he can say he tried and they’ll stay in power because they’re the only credible alternative to the Tories and Labour up here.
If all they ever achieve is preventing our NHS going the same way as it is down South, then they’ll have my thanks.