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:
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Federation England ha
fanad
Correct, and straight round to the Estate Agents.
FAO Masty
https://twitter.com/TomSelleckCSC/status/350301081676414976/photo/1
Take 1
KKelt- someone has to speak up for the wee birds.
Alec Salmond is getting away with murder.
Wind turbines are a pestilence, they are sevconian and sinister.
Soon there will be no countryside left worth looking at.
Drive down the M74 and try to count them.
They are generating more money than energy.
soal
yer some man I need my grandson to turn the lappy on for me…
Wee teuchie birdie ya bas
Statistically, if you drive down the M74 counting wind turbines, you are 7.8% more likely to run over a cat.
‘An evening with Gordon Smith’ at the Louden.
Should be a riot.
HH!!
Seen the Lorraine Herbison (Clyde Sports head honcho) email exchange with CW as leaked by Charlotte.
Oh dear. Fawning, sycophantic, unquestioning, subservient, cow-towing….
Awful. To call yourself a journalist and communicate with the man at the centre of a major story like that. Just dreadful.
Talking of statistics, only to be found on 54% of football blogs:
Once upon a time there were three little bears. Now there are 500 Million of the furry little street artists, last seen doing the Walk Away dance to the tune of ‘Every Loser Wins’ by Nick Berry.
TBB – and a 7.4782% chance of runnin’ over an ole hippie.
istanbulcelt
Searching for the wrong eyed Jesus is a great music film, don’t know if it’s on you tube but if you can track it down it’s great..
Wrong eyed Jesus is a Jim White album, before he sold his soul to Sevconia and SSN.
Dontbrattbakkinanger
Yep he’s the main man in the film, have you seen DBBIA, got some great performers in it, Ole Edward Bunker shows up in it too..
Just in to say….
ItaliaBhoy
19:06 on 27 June, 2013
Lorraine Herbison (Clyde Sports head honcho)
______________________________________
Would this be the same person who made up lies aboot my
favorite hunskepler – Terry O’Neill from Uddingston ?
Hail Hail
After 3 months of incessant hassle to get a phone line and a further week and a half to get the broadband activated I am finally back online!
WWCbackintheroomCSC
BTW – we signed anyone?
(only joking)
Awe shit he’s back, that’ll be the e d of all our aspirations :o)
ItaliaBhoy 19:06
Got a link? I know someone who would love to read them! :-)
MiaowCSC!
Starry , I’ve not played the album for ages.
I’ll have to give it another spin.
Got Whisperin’ Bob on the wireless just now.
Following a request from Cliftonville, the first leg of Celtic’s UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie will take place in Belfast on Wednesday, July 17 (KO: 7.45pm). The return leg will be at Celtic Park on Tuesday, July 23 (KO: 7.45pm).
Neil Lennon’s side will be looking to gain a good first-leg result in Belfast to take back to Glasgow for the return. And with that match being included in the Celtic season ticket package for 2013/14, Paradise is sure to be packed as the Hoops aim to reach the next qualifying round and a step closer to the group stages of the competition.
The Celtic manager said: “It will be the first time I will have taken Celtic to a competitive game back home so that is something to look forward to, but we will be totally motivated, obviously, to play as strongly as we can and try and win the tie.
“It’s a great draw and it will create a lot of interest back in Belfast but I am very wary of the tie.”
Tickets for the match are now on general sale priced from £20 for adults, £5 for under-13s, and £10 for 13-15 year olds or those aged 65 and over.
Tickets are available online, on 0871 226 1888* (Option 1 | Option 1) or from the Ticket Office at Celtic Park.
official cfc
I used to work in a Lanarkshire steelworks
We periodically brought in a crackshot who would take out more birds in one night than macca did in a lifetime
Off oot tae work – Hail Hail n God Bless
FYI Here’s the RSPB policy on wind-farms:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/policy/windfarms/
shorter version: They are for them so long as they are not on major migration routes e.g. like in the hills above Tarifa.
I recommend Oscar winning (possibly?) documentary Searching for Sugarman. Loved it.
istanbulcelt
18:18 on
27 June, 2013
Ok guy’s sat at home wondering what to watch on Youtube…..
What’s worth a wee watch? Documentary and music wise.
italiabhoy-She has previous,i asked her why Snyde gave no coverage to Celtic replacing 10k worth of stolen kids Christmas presents at Ormond St Hospital (was in English papers).Also a bhoy on here complained during the Belfast Flay the Fleg riots a few months ago.Her report was it was a peaceful protest until it passed thru a Republican area,whereas all news reports told a different story….
Dontbrattbakkinanger
They just don’t make ’em like Whisperin’ Bob noo, what a mainstay of my youth and formative years..
Gincher67
Good shout, great movie, had me in tears!
!!Bada Bing!!
She was a hospitality guest of Chuckles & his Pal (the one he refers to in racist terms) at Newcastle’s last game of the EPL season – FACT!
WWC
Welcome back, don’t worry, absolutely nothing has happened in the past three months, nothing at all.
HH
The requisite numbers are now complete, inspection of the shareholders register is the next step, whose up for it?
Go to Celtic park, demand access to the sharehders register, they can’t deny you, if they try you can phone the polis.
While they are spouting drivel about amalgamated competitions they are refusing to address existing problems. Focus
Malarkey, thanks for that.
The RSPB sensitivity map seems to have made little difference to where they’ve put the bloomin’ things.
The bottom line is that the multi- national energy companies have very deep pockets and with the current Scottish government policy they nearly always get what they want.
There are Scottish landowners who are doing very well out of this.
you big lassie. i just had something in my eye…;-) emotional stuff.
starry plough
19:33 on
27 June, 2013
Gincher67
Good shout, great movie, had me in tears!
Starry- he’s on the podium of my favourite Harrises, along with Emmylou and Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur.
istanbulcelt
It Might Get Loud http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y9KEtiQ8CM
Best music doc I have seen in years. If you like guitars you will like this.
……and, whisper it,Bob.
It’s basically like Keep In Time but for geeetaaaahs
HH
BadaBing Italia Bhoy
Snyde , Bowie , SSB are always ramping up the BIG Lorraine from Norn Iron connection..
Snyde is an abomination as is STV..
Crawling with succulents..