bang on mate id have those teams in our league asap
our kids could all get games for those teams on loan deals and get much better experiance
id also have celtic and rangers reserves in the lower level 18 team league with no chance of promotion
losing the reserve league was bad idea aswell
Never going to happen. That old chestnut about 4 OF games means that we're stuck with this format.
Tim, i fear you are right.
But something's got to give.
Scottish football will NEVER improve under the current set-up - no matter how many think tanks say so.
Expansion is the only way the product has any chance of improving.
Never going to happen maryhill, sky don't want it and they my friend call the shots because they have all the bunna! Probs is the way forward but sky wouldn't want it as there's no money in it!
Yeah defo need some of these teams in our league
the morton st mirren game would add some great extra fixtures and maybe take some of the police critisism towards celtic and rangers
The Lower league teams are only good enough for the top when they beat the Gers haha.
Nah I know what your getting at, we need to expand the league it would make it more interesting for a couple of seasons at least.
Play offs as well would add a bit more excitement look how good it has done in the English leagues .play off finals would fill stadiums and it would be something everyone would watch. There is so many things that would improve scottish football but the vested interest wont let it happen. We have to wait for them to die out I fear.
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
The beaks in Scottish football need to wake up.
If the product continues to decline as fast as it has done in the last 10 years, you can bet your last pound Sky won't show our game any loyalty.
Don't be surprised if it comes to fruition in the not too distant that they only want rights to the four old firm games and nowt else.
Rangers and Celtic don't have a player between them who is well-known outside Scotland. The appeal to the outside world is diminishing at a terrifying speed. The heady days of the Old Firm are gone.
What have you done with maryhillbear you charlatan
Seriously though I completely agree with you. However I also completely agree with tim o'tay.
It is reckoned that the four old firm games account for about 50% of the commercial viability of our entire league. So reducing that from four to two will reduce this by 25%. Added to that six more teams to split the income with and only two old firm visits a season for the other clubs instead of at least three and maybe four and none of them are going to vote for that unfortuantely.
CelticDave86
Seriously, I've long shouted for a bigger league. The current set-up is suffocating.
You have to ask how the old league set-up survived before...without the tv money.
And produced better teams, better players, with not just the Old Firm dominating year upon year upon year.
We've sold our game down the swanny and in typical Scottish fashion we won't take a chance, but rather play it safe.
What happened to the time when we used to be a nation of innovators?
only way it will happen is if we bin sky and set up spl tv and reform the whole thing
doubt it will happen not one chairman has the cajones(sp?)
Me to. I will watch celtic no matter what but the SPL is the most tedious league to watch. No disrespect to the other teams but watching Celtic play motherwell and st mirren st jo and the rest over and over is starting to take its toll. A league set up where they play each other twice is the way forward it keeps it fresh and it keeps it exciting. Say we play motherwell like we did and pump them 4-0 its only a few weeks if that till we play them again and 9 times out of 10 pump them again. Where as if we only played them once every 4 or so months it adds that bit of mystery to the team and would open the league right up. I always want to see Celtic come out on top but maybe just one season we could see Hearts( I hope not) or Killie or the like win the SPL. It would get reported all over the world and maybe generate a bit of interest in our game. and it would see some of our young scottish players who some times are just as good as the Scottish players playing for the OF but never get a chance because they play outwith.
I meant to add get a chance for the national team
18-team league.
Three foreigner rule.
Two U21 rule.
I am...
The Voice of Reason.
Maryhill you are he voice of reason however sky will not allow it as they hold all the financial cards for our football in Scotland.
Sorry it's the Scottish football authorities that will not allow it as sky will withdraw their money because the Scottish football authorities sold our game year ago!
It's time to move on from Sky...
Totally agree mate. The SPL chairman should be ashamed of themselves, by what they are doing to our game.
Maryhill - the only thing I fan think of is if we go with an American broadcaster/company other than sky which has a wider audience or the SPL/SFA start a new company up to show Scottish football which would need to be seriously financed!
How about we move ditch SKY,ESPN,Setanta and just get a decent Sportscene highlights package on a saturday night. Is it any wonder the crowds are dwindling with the youth of the country never actually going to games and when they do, they see a product that does not go anywhere near matching the Match of the day teams they currently see.
With the financial void that is left behind the clubs would be better served, removing the foreign tat stealing wages from our clubs and give Youth a chance in conjunction with league expansion. Building our game for the long term, not just the quick buck. However this will never happen and we all know it.
16 Team League with a split after 30 Games then Play each side twice and scrap the league cup.
44 Game League Season and no league Cup.
Hows about Virgin Media?? Would they be ablt to start something up??
It all depends on whether the authorities and the current SPL clubs really are interested in improving the game in Scotland or whether they just want to keep what they have.
It seems to be the latter but one day they'll find that no one turns up or is interested anymore.
Every time there is an attempt to move to a bigger league all we hear is that it's not financially viable and clubs will go out of business with reduced income.
The current set up is dire, I'm completely fed up watching the same teams at CP at least twice a season.
Last season we played Rangers 7 times, familiarity breeds contempt, you don't get Barca v Real 7 times a season.
Increase the number of clubs to either 14 or 16, give it a chance and I reckon fans will support it especially as it removes some pressure from managers to play safety first football all the time.
Agree with all except the three foreigner rule. The EPL will continue to poach our star players (Dorrans, Goldwillie, Hutton) and if we couldn't exploit the markets like China, USA, Hondorus etc that we have recently, we would have utter dross! Rangers get slaughtered for playing McCulloch, Broadfoot and even Whittaker. Imagine if all we had were 8 McCullochs???
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18 team top league - get it sorted
Page 1 of 2
posted on 22/9/11
bang on mate id have those teams in our league asap
our kids could all get games for those teams on loan deals and get much better experiance
id also have celtic and rangers reserves in the lower level 18 team league with no chance of promotion
losing the reserve league was bad idea aswell
posted on 22/9/11
Never going to happen. That old chestnut about 4 OF games means that we're stuck with this format.
posted on 22/9/11
Tim, i fear you are right.
But something's got to give.
Scottish football will NEVER improve under the current set-up - no matter how many think tanks say so.
Expansion is the only way the product has any chance of improving.
posted on 22/9/11
Never going to happen maryhill, sky don't want it and they my friend call the shots because they have all the bunna! Probs is the way forward but sky wouldn't want it as there's no money in it!
posted on 22/9/11
Yeah defo need some of these teams in our league
the morton st mirren game would add some great extra fixtures and maybe take some of the police critisism towards celtic and rangers
posted on 22/9/11
The Lower league teams are only good enough for the top when they beat the Gers haha.
Nah I know what your getting at, we need to expand the league it would make it more interesting for a couple of seasons at least.
Play offs as well would add a bit more excitement look how good it has done in the English leagues .play off finals would fill stadiums and it would be something everyone would watch. There is so many things that would improve scottish football but the vested interest wont let it happen. We have to wait for them to die out I fear.
posted on 22/9/11
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 22/9/11
The beaks in Scottish football need to wake up.
If the product continues to decline as fast as it has done in the last 10 years, you can bet your last pound Sky won't show our game any loyalty.
Don't be surprised if it comes to fruition in the not too distant that they only want rights to the four old firm games and nowt else.
Rangers and Celtic don't have a player between them who is well-known outside Scotland. The appeal to the outside world is diminishing at a terrifying speed. The heady days of the Old Firm are gone.
posted on 22/9/11
What have you done with maryhillbear you charlatan
Seriously though I completely agree with you. However I also completely agree with tim o'tay.
It is reckoned that the four old firm games account for about 50% of the commercial viability of our entire league. So reducing that from four to two will reduce this by 25%. Added to that six more teams to split the income with and only two old firm visits a season for the other clubs instead of at least three and maybe four and none of them are going to vote for that unfortuantely.
posted on 22/9/11
CelticDave86
Seriously, I've long shouted for a bigger league. The current set-up is suffocating.
posted on 22/9/11
You have to ask how the old league set-up survived before...without the tv money.
And produced better teams, better players, with not just the Old Firm dominating year upon year upon year.
We've sold our game down the swanny and in typical Scottish fashion we won't take a chance, but rather play it safe.
What happened to the time when we used to be a nation of innovators?
posted on 22/9/11
only way it will happen is if we bin sky and set up spl tv and reform the whole thing
doubt it will happen not one chairman has the cajones(sp?)
posted on 22/9/11
Me to. I will watch celtic no matter what but the SPL is the most tedious league to watch. No disrespect to the other teams but watching Celtic play motherwell and st mirren st jo and the rest over and over is starting to take its toll. A league set up where they play each other twice is the way forward it keeps it fresh and it keeps it exciting. Say we play motherwell like we did and pump them 4-0 its only a few weeks if that till we play them again and 9 times out of 10 pump them again. Where as if we only played them once every 4 or so months it adds that bit of mystery to the team and would open the league right up. I always want to see Celtic come out on top but maybe just one season we could see Hearts( I hope not) or Killie or the like win the SPL. It would get reported all over the world and maybe generate a bit of interest in our game. and it would see some of our young scottish players who some times are just as good as the Scottish players playing for the OF but never get a chance because they play outwith.
posted on 22/9/11
I meant to add get a chance for the national team
posted on 22/9/11
18-team league.
Three foreigner rule.
Two U21 rule.
I am...
The Voice of Reason.
posted on 22/9/11
Maryhill you are he voice of reason however sky will not allow it as they hold all the financial cards for our football in Scotland.
posted on 22/9/11
Sorry it's the Scottish football authorities that will not allow it as sky will withdraw their money because the Scottish football authorities sold our game year ago!
posted on 22/9/11
It's time to move on from Sky...
posted on 22/9/11
Totally agree mate. The SPL chairman should be ashamed of themselves, by what they are doing to our game.
posted on 22/9/11
Maryhill - the only thing I fan think of is if we go with an American broadcaster/company other than sky which has a wider audience or the SPL/SFA start a new company up to show Scottish football which would need to be seriously financed!
posted on 22/9/11
How about we move ditch SKY,ESPN,Setanta and just get a decent Sportscene highlights package on a saturday night. Is it any wonder the crowds are dwindling with the youth of the country never actually going to games and when they do, they see a product that does not go anywhere near matching the Match of the day teams they currently see.
With the financial void that is left behind the clubs would be better served, removing the foreign tat stealing wages from our clubs and give Youth a chance in conjunction with league expansion. Building our game for the long term, not just the quick buck. However this will never happen and we all know it.
posted on 22/9/11
16 Team League with a split after 30 Games then Play each side twice and scrap the league cup.
44 Game League Season and no league Cup.
posted on 22/9/11
Hows about Virgin Media?? Would they be ablt to start something up??
posted on 22/9/11
It all depends on whether the authorities and the current SPL clubs really are interested in improving the game in Scotland or whether they just want to keep what they have.
It seems to be the latter but one day they'll find that no one turns up or is interested anymore.
Every time there is an attempt to move to a bigger league all we hear is that it's not financially viable and clubs will go out of business with reduced income.
The current set up is dire, I'm completely fed up watching the same teams at CP at least twice a season.
Last season we played Rangers 7 times, familiarity breeds contempt, you don't get Barca v Real 7 times a season.
Increase the number of clubs to either 14 or 16, give it a chance and I reckon fans will support it especially as it removes some pressure from managers to play safety first football all the time.
posted on 22/9/11
Agree with all except the three foreigner rule. The EPL will continue to poach our star players (Dorrans, Goldwillie, Hutton) and if we couldn't exploit the markets like China, USA, Hondorus etc that we have recently, we would have utter dross! Rangers get slaughtered for playing McCulloch, Broadfoot and even Whittaker. Imagine if all we had were 8 McCullochs???
Page 1 of 2