It was only in February this year that the proposed Russia-Ukraine joint league first reached the stage of formal meetings between clubs to discuss the viability but tonight a showcase tournament between top clubs from each country gets underway tonight. It is hoped the formal joint league will start this time next year when the top nine teams from each country will form the Unified First League.
Despite discouragement from Fifa, Uefa have insisted only that proper procedures are followed to give their ascent to the league. Gazprom, the Russian energy giant and Uefa Champions League sponsor, has underwritten the project with a commitment of 1 billion euros per annum.
As we know, in football, money talks, and the Russian and Ukrainian clubs, together with their national associations and Uefa, have been talked happy to make change possible.
In order to become competitive with their rivals in the west while meeting Uefa Financial Fair Play rules, Russian and Ukrainian clubs need to increase income, which the Unified First League would go a long way towards. Uefa president, Michel Platini, has long accepted that regionalisation was a viable way forward for domestic leagues, while former powers in smaller leagues have become disenfranchised from the game’s top table.
What does it mean for us?
Well, we don’t have a Gazprom, not yet, anyway, but once Gazprom’s financial and political muscle establishes the principle of regionalisation, that principle is available to all. Former Yugoslavia countries are already in talks, while Scandinavian countries have already had a few abortive attempts at (underfunded) regional cup competitions.
The British region.
Welsh football has managed to retain its national identity, provide an infrastructure for provincial and community clubs, while federating with the FA in England to allow their larger (sic) clubs to find their competitive level.
The model is already established for Scottish football, which has realised living with one (or two for that matter) massive club which completely invalidates their league competition as a ‘competition’ is no longer the best way to order their affairs.
Financial recklessness caused the collapse of one club a year ago while the recklessness of a Lithuanian bank has put another in jeopardy. A handful of other top-flight clubs now realise their financial commitments, not to mention sporting objectives, are no longer viable, with or without the crumbs from the table thrown in their direction when TV cameras and a few thousand fans arrive a few times per season.
Federate with England, just as the Welsh did. It will bring ‘competition’ back to our competitions, put thousands of everyone’s gates and provide access to viable commercial contracts.
Why are our leagues and Association not speaking to the English about this right now? The Football League in England is every bit as much a basket case as Scottish football right now, they also need to change the structural model and, unlike the equally lunatic (English) Premier League, appear to be self-aware in this respect.
Go talk to the Welsh FA, Cardiff City, Swansea, Wrexham or New Saints FC (!) and ask them what organising their game along the lines of the Scottish model would do to them.
Scottish football must federate or it will die. As such, if we stand on the precipice of crisis, let’s make it a good one. It’s the only thing which will get things moving.
Get Downfall here on Kindle or Heart of a Lion below:
[calameo code=000390171b241bb2703f4 lang=en page=132 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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googybhoy ♥ Celtic,
There will be some interesting characters in that one .. the killer might be a bit obvious though
Simply The Best Bus……
They are off their Sevconians rockers.
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
11:19 on 28 June, 2013
Blindlemonchitlin,
Summing up a 97,000 word book in 140 characters isn’t easy. How’s this?
Calling Cards: “A Glasgow psychological thriller. A journalist investigates a suicide, finding a series of murders. The Council Leader is being blackmailed. Are the two connected?”
I’m not really a book lover but I will be buying your Book.
;)
Dontbrattbakkinanger
Had CQN been about then the £817 would not have been and issue and maybe the ‘Free State’ just might have beaten the mighty Holland.
petec,
Much appreciated, thanks.
Summa…,
I don’t need permission just the 100 backers, if you are referring to the format/ form question I asked, in that case, still no further on.
Gordon J
Your book sounds very interesting and I can clearly see that you got the idea from Oldco.
Oldco represents the suicide, responsible for their own death.
The murders that follow are the many businesses killed off by the wilful actions of Oldco.
The leader being blackmailed is obviously Regan and the blackmailer is none other than Ogilvie.
I shoulda been a literary critic.
So a wee chookie birdie got lost then flew into a big white thing, sounds to me like it was on course for extinction anyway.
I wonder if aeroplanes were just coming on to the scene would they be getting the same treatment ?
BMCUW @ 11 29..
” the hun who went to Newcastle “..
Here’s one who didn’t —
I knew a Rangers supporter who decided to go to the Newcastle / Rangers game in 1969 . He boarded a supporters bus at Milngavie X and got off the bus near Glasgow Zoo. His brief time on the bus helped him decide that he didn’t want to be Wan of Ra Peepil . He became a PTFC fan .
We Won It First 1967@liamt671m
Albion Rovers on the Ramsden’s cup draw, getting Sevco is great for us, they’ll come here and park the new bus, it’s incredible”
I know understand why Donald Trump is taking on Salmond with regard to these wind-turbines…the man is a bird lover.
That’s the only explanation for the nest on top of his heid!
Roy..,
Or it could be his own soup stock
canamalar1
If an accumulator comes up and I am flush, I will buy Celtic shares.
Nothing has happened ever since Bobby’s Ipod.
It is obvious that things happen for a reason. It is not often deciphered early.
It takes a lot of TIME before the symbolic and even the gestural stuff really sinks in.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS.csc
petec,
Hail Hail
Gordon j
My book is one of those where we all know the bad guy but how will be caught.
Will the FSA catch him? Or the local media? Or the European FSA?
Huv yeez sheen wur new busssh?
It’sh pure classh sho it ish.
Ah bet youshe huvnae goat wan.
Rat’sh why we arra peepel.
http://t.co/PWXIZxMxle More inconvenient slips by media @STVkeith @STVSport SFL hstory comes to an end but TRFC are RFC & history continues!
Where can I buy the SFL history?
Where’s the history shoap?
canamalar1
like it :)
The Spirit of Arthur Lee 11:49:
The Wee Rovers get sevco, Mmmm, they’ll need t park the Bus in ML6 and get Taxis down to ML5 or the could park the Bus in Home Bargains Car Park across from the ground, they’ll feel right at home…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
South Of Tunis
11:27 on 28 June, 2013
‘Karl Marx -A Nineteenth Century Life -[ Jonathan Sperber ].
Excellent . A new look at the life and the ideas of the ole womanizing , scrounging, carbuncled curmudgeon…’
###
Is it a new look?
Sounds very much like Francis Wheen’s book.
Sitting here thinking this morning that I really should have waited and not renewed my ticket for next season. Before the middle of August we have already rearranged what should have been 2 home games for the club with dubious benefits. I now find myself in a position where I am already losing out on a published benefit of the season ticket in that I will not be able to attend an included in the price European match. I don’t imagine that Celtic will let me carry this benefit forward due to them allowing fixtures to be rearranged. I also wonder if the club would have been so accommodating if it had been some other wee diddly club based in the British Isles.
Lesson has been learnt and even at this early stage season ticket will not be getting renewed for 2014-2015 season
Ps At present unused 2013-2014 season ticket for sale or rent £1200 ono
Gordon
That sounds snappy and tasty.
Just the sort of thing Mrs. Blind likes a good rumble about the floor with.
Free copies for all your pals on CQN, natch?
Mind ou, if the old aphorism about ‘write what you know’ is true, you’ve led an interesting life!
Bawsman 12:00 on 28 June, 2013
Where can I buy the SFL history?
Better be quick before Charlie nips in first.
Bryan McManus@BryanMcManus33m
Jim White has an exclusive interview with the new Rangers bus coming up on @SkySportsNews at midday
Saw a post earlier and saw on twitter that we are stepping up our interest in Kevin Doyle, one tweet quoting £3 million, no chance be lucky to get a third of that amount. Can’t see it myself, him to us unless a last minute loan. Likely destination, Leeds or a club of that ilk.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lennybhoy…Supporting Neil Lennon and CFC until I die
seemed to be a journalist in Ireland taking a flyer: no quotes etc looks made up …
HH
The old Zen Buddhist koan,.. “If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?”…was debated by wise old monks.
After deep contemplation the most respected Zen Master spoke….
‘ Ah….Jobo Balde.’
More news on the Bus from Lenny
https://twitter.com/Jiggythetim/status/350568674790354944/photo/1
ernie lynch
12:03 on 28 June, 2013
South Of Tunis
11:27 on 28 June, 2013
‘Karl Marx -A Nineteenth Century Life -[ Jonathan Sperber ].
Excellent . A new look at the life and the ideas of the ole womanizing , scrounging, carbuncled curmudgeon…’
###
Is it a new look?
Sounds very much like Francis Wheen’s book.
___________________________________
My Dad made a quip when I showcased my new Fiat….Yesterday, btw.
And “look at you now, you have made your way all the way up to a 3 year old car. ”
;)
You will know what I am saying. He was proud as punch I got that status of a really newish Car.
He reads the Herald and Record every day…… I tried tentatively to steer him away, Who Am I to dictate to my Dad?
canamalar1
11:48 on 28 June, 2013
‘So a wee chookie birdie got lost then flew into a big white thing, sounds to me like it was on course for extinction anyway.
I wonder if aeroplanes were just coming on to the scene would they be getting the same treatment ?’
###
That particular bird wasn’t going to survive, because it was so off course, but that’s not the point.
Wind turbines do kill birds, including red list species.
And the difference between wind turbines and airplanes is that airplanes are of practical use. Wind turbines are just a money making scam whereby landowners and multi national energy companies make a lot of money* by what is in effect a regressive, compulsory tax. And they don’t reduce the need for conventional power stations to provide an assured supply when the wind doesn’t blow.
* The large turbines provide the landowner with a guaranteed annual income of £25-50K per turbine, for no capital outlay and no risk.
The magic bus might allow them to expand their song book…
C’mon Union Berz, altogether now:
“The wheels on the bus go round and round…”
Muppets.
ernie…,
That’s your opinion and your welcome to it, I disagree with them being useless, and I think they are a beautiful representation of modern industrial art.
Why would we sign Doyle now that we’ve signed Balde? We currently have Balde, Hooper, Stokes & Watt. If Hooper leaves, or Stokes doesn’t sign a new contract, its goalscorers we need, like for like replacements, not a non-scoring, past his best, striker.
Oh and I doubt wind turbines kill a fraction of as many birds as aeroplanes.
The RSPB is 125 years young next year; it is another of the many excellent ‘socialist’ organisations with roots in the NW of England and I agree 100% with the fine sentiments expressed by ole Ernesto.
…and the problem is not just when the wind doesn’t blow; of more relevance to Caledonia is when it blows too hard.
ernie lynch @ 12 03 .
It is very different from Francis Wheen’s book . Much less frivolously gossipy , much more interested in the philosophy and the zeitgeist .
Canalamar- you would change your tune if you knew how many white throated needle tails had shares in the ole Cellick ;/)