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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Live video cam of an eagles nest in SW Florida, great for the kids.
See if you can use the following address to watch this Eagle’s nest in SW Florida. It’s cool to watch. She has several eggs she’s sitting on. This is in a family’s yard and they (somehow!) got this camera up in the tree so you can watch this nest 24 hours a day.
http://www.ustream.tv/SouthwestFloridaEagleCam
So this is where you have all been.
Gordon Smith whilst chief exec of sfa blamed all the ills of scottish society upon the catholic education system . He was rewarded for his sterling work by being appointed as director of football at his beloved rankers-that rather quickly went tits up !
Scottish football is now apparently badly of need of re-construction.
Whos vision do we turn to ? Gordon Feckin Smith.
ONLY IN SCOTLAND !
I sometimes think the injured players are picked out a hat at the sfa and that’s the order they are put out the game either through injury or banning, Vic had to be a slow burner they need to accumulate cards.
The injury prone at Celtic tend to have serious injury inflicted on them.
mncelt
Philbhoy, dont know about Weter Hailes(you will take pelters) but “Western Isles” has most authentic, off the beaten track old Tom Morris course in world..ie ASKERNISH. Golfers please treat yourselves. Also available as day trip package from Glasgow in absolutely Celtic daft island. Had Americans Canadians, scandanavians etc over for the Uist Open in August. They loved it.
leftclicktic
:-)
cheers
hail hail
Weeman67
Interesting webcam. I have a bald eagle nest just off my property. They have been nesting there every year for the last 6 or 7. They usually only have 1 or 2 chicks. You do not get a true sense of the size of these birds from the webcam. I once saw one of them swoop down to the reeds by the side of the lake and pick up a large duck to take back to feed the young.
I have thought about getting a webcam up there but there is limited opportunity as they use the nest pretty much all year round. It’s illegal in the USA to do that as these are protected species. Also, climbing 100 feet or so up the tree is not something I would look forward to.
Knightswood pitch n putt there’s a duck pond full of swans to aim at, embdy got any swan receipies, watch for the dog dirt in fact you don’t need to watch for it there’s plenty
Thanks everyone for the golf recommendations so far. Keeping a log and will put together a plan based on what I have.
Whitedoghunch – that hotel looks amazing, but at around 500gbp per night for minimum 2 night stay it’s a little spendy!
Sorry if already posted but the Balon D’Or is on Eurosport at the moment. Build-up programme showed Iniesta’s battle with The Wall.
weeman67
great streaming video…thanks for posting that.
I see a lot of falcons and buzzards down here but have only seen one bald eagle while travelling westwards on Alligator Alley. They are beautiful creatures.
mncelt:
As mentioned to weeman67, there are loads of buzzards about here in SE Florida and they are absolutely enormous!! Some of the ones I have seen must have wingspans of 10-12 feet. Very impressive to see swooping down to pick up their prey.
Hail Hail
canamalar.
You may have a point,there,pal.
Howevahhh..
Be that as it may..
Any Player , who is CONSTANTLY.. calling In.. Unfit , fur Dooty..
Is ..
In Ma Opinion.
A very Likely Candidate, fur the…
Fare-Well, Handshake.
Molly, wus a great wee Player.. so he wus..and ..Probably.. still is..
Howevahhhhhhhhhhh…
It seems tae me.. and Ah am probably Wrang, aboot this..
But..
Ah canny help feeling the Some Players are
Jist..
well..
INJURY PRONE.
Unlucky?
Mebbe..
Anywey..
Ah wid …
Let Beram Go… if .. a Suitable offer wiz made.
He wullnae be Missed.
Young Jamsie??
Ah still hivnae Finalized Ma Feelin’s aboot.. whether Ah wid
Let him go .. if a Suitable offer wiz made.
Ah will gie him..
One More Season..
Tae Reach Ma Verdict ..oan whether Ah wid Hing oanta Him or.. Cut Him Loose.
if the money wiz right.
Kojo
Still, Laughin/
Counted 7 Imperial Eagles the other day when i was walking my dogs.
See if a bald eagle took a peekinees would it be like a Chinese carry out
Kojo,
Or you could have a player like Broonie who refuses to let serious injury keep him out, to the detriment of both the team and his long term health.
BFDJ on Snyde – “I’m sure big companies plan a year ahead.”
Governor of the Bank of England awaits…Warren Buffett will be on the phone looking for advice…Hans
weeman67, mncelt
No just ducks the the eagles are liftin’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alVvGkIYpG4
Teuchter ár lá
Saw this thread on KDS, which I had not thought of could this be the way to get Sevco fast-tracked
*******************
How many ‘SPL approved’ stadia are there in Scotland?
There’s obviously 12 just now, and in the lower divisions you have:
Dunfermline
Partick Thistle
Falkirk
Hamilton (if they rebuild their temporary stand which I think is down now)
Airdrie
Raith Rovers
Livingston
Sevco
Queens Park
If they stick to the 6000 seat criteria then there aren’t too many clubs that could meet it, so there’s your potential route for the Sevconians.
That’s only 21 clubs, you’d need another 3 with 6000 which we don’t have. I don’t see a way you can get to a stadium criteria where you’d get 23 clubs and just Sevco to comply, because as only the top 12 SFL clubs get into SPL2, and sevco will be number 20 (if they win the 3rd division) you’d need a criteria which only 11 division 1 and 2 clubs could meet and 8 others couldn’t.
I only have to turn my back for a couple of days .. & suddenly the Fascist octogenarian Mynah Bird & his grovelling apprentice are back telling ACTUAL Celtic supporters what is happening at OUR club.
Ian Paisley would have more feeling for Celtic than this pair of impostors.
Interesting to note that Cardiff are sitting 7 points clear at the top of the EFL Championship, and 9 clear of 3rd placed – the top 2 are promoted automatically.
Meantime Swansea are sitting 9th in the EPL, 11 points clear of the relegation places.
On balance, there is a fair chance that 10% of clubs in the EPL next season will be Welsh.
Regionalisation by the back door?
St John Doyle,
Said earlier don’t be surprised if standing sections are introduced to allow downgrading of requirements, will be heralded as responding to the growing demand from fans for standing areas, and how the fans come first.
…………..BBC News Reporter wearing green and white Timmyish scarf shocker………………..
Suffering Succotash!
BFDJ: viewing figures are down by 50% on ESPN.
Ned Flanders: where did you get that info?
BFDJ: came from a man at the top (where – who knows).
Ned: well that will be because there are no games between Celtic and sevco!
Do these Elmers every check out; figures, statistics – even basic information?
ESPN didn’t get to screen these derby games – it was SKY!
canamalar
Right,oan..Pally.
Ah hiv previously stated Ma sentiments oan..the Broonie.. Fiasco.
Yep..
It is a Fiasco..or.. damn well… near wan.
It is ridiculous, that a Key Player such as Broonie..
Has insisted in Following his AIN MEDICAL ADVISEMENT..
and.. has resisted.. hiving an operation tae fix his Physical Disability.
Ah canny understaun, why ..he has bin allowed tae.. actually..
Pick and Choose.. whit game he wull deign tae play in.
Nuts…
Ah wid call it..
Pure.. Whacko.
He is an employee of Celtic, and he should bow tae their Wishes, that he should seek
an operation tae correct his Disability.
Yep.. Broonie, wid be a likely candidate fur ..the
“Fare ye Welll, Handshake”
If he still remained Intractable.. in ignoring Celtic’s wishes in this Matter, concerning his
Leetle Physical Problem
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
Seems like off-the-radar Jackson is not too pleased about the 12-12-18 idea. Wouldn’t be upset that his favoured team wouldn’t get a fast-track to the SPL would he?
GlassTwoThirdsFull
18:37 on 7 January, 2013
Jackson doesn’t have an opinion, he doesn’t even have a thought, he is told what to say to suit the agenda of his newspaper.
ANyone watching the FIFA awards?
The structure does not need altered, the administration does
Better watch out guys – apparently Kenny Van Miller is set for Sevco……..
glasstwothirdsfull
Don’t be too quick to assume Sevco won’t skip a year otherwise why would this reconstruction be getting rushed through .
In my experience from last term only believe what we are told when it happens
GTTF
is that the sevco that cannot register players for two transfer windows because of an sfa sanction ,reconstruction anyone
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
fstb,
I think the reconstruction has a lot to do with creating cover and obfuscation so that in future years they can refer to this time as turmoil, not because the biggest club in the country was caught cheating and forced out of business but for all the changes that had to take place for the benefit of the whole game to allow the fraudsters an alternative story they will try and drive home as the only truth.
fergus slayed the blues,
Indeed. I’m convinced that there will be an argument made for the champions of the third division (whoever that might be … oh look it’s The Rangers) to be in the middle division.
Like – If all third division teams go into the bottom 18 team division for next season then this season will be a total waste of time. There will be no promotion, no reward for winning the division, which would be very unfair and make all of the remaining games meaningless. We can’t have that …
Ah hiv always Harboured.. a Chariness..
Regarding..
How Long.. The Humpty Dumpty Oofit..
wid spend in the Boondocks.
Yep..
If widnae surprise me.. wan leetle Bit…
It..
The Humpty Dumptys.. wid be playing amongst the Big Bhoys..within a Much, Much, SHORTER..
period of time.. than one wid Believe,at the present.
Kojo
Still.. Laughin’, though.
•-:¦:-•** -:¦:- sparkleghirl :¦:-.•**• -:¦:-•
I turned it off when they announced the sevco crazy bint was going to sing!
Hail Hail
Dublinbhoy, she’s gone now, you can come out from behind the sofa.
Celtic set to lose star player……………………………Celtic set to lose star player……………………………..Celtic set to lose star player
Rami Gershon Israeli star signs for Celtic
•-:¦:-•** -:¦:- sparkleghirl :¦:-.•**• -:¦:-•
Thanks for the heads up :)
Nice report on how and when the teenaged Messi sign for Barca though.
Hail Hail