SCOTTISH football last night stood on the brink of revolution amid fears more than one SPL club is going to the wall.

 

Record Sport understands a move towards the restructuring of the SPL will start as soon as this season's championship and relegation issues have been decided.

 

Concerned chairmen have been holding emergency talks in secret for weeks. Matters are now coming to a head in advance of financial figures being released which will show the catastrophe that's on the way unless the Top Twelve is expanded into an 18-team league.

 

SPL chairmen met at Hampden yesterday as calls mounted for a change of direction and even the SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster has now publicly admitted the split isn't the answer to falling crowds and declining standards.

 

One concerned club spokesman said: "There are balance-sheet figures about to come out which are appalling.

 

"Clubs will go to the wall. unless there's change across the board, and soon.

 

"We can't go on paying salaries that the clubs just can't afford. Income must become relative to clubs' expenditure.

 

"Chairmen have been talking to each other in the background but it would be inappropriate to speak out before the major issues have been settled.

 

"Scottish football needs restructuring because the game is the big picture.

 

"If you sort out the product then the financial picture gets better in time.

 

"It might be sore to begin with, and income might drop by as much as 30 per cent, but if we don't take steps to find our true level then there will be serious consequences."

 

Rangers manager Walter Smith has already stated his preference for an 18-team Premier League, reducing the number of fixtures to 34.

 

That would take away the complaint that the same teams are meeting each other too many times during the season.

 

Support for that change to the current system was growing last night .

 

Formal moves to alter the structure of the SPL and redraw the remainder of the clubs in the Scottish Football League are now only a matter of weeks away.

 

Taken from the Daily Retard so may be utter bollocks, but I certainly hope not.

The 30 Scottish Football League clubs unanimously back a restructuring plan to merge with the SPL and have 3 leagues of 16, 10 and 16

 

The SFL restructuring plans now go to the SFA Game board , and need approval from the SPL. But it would require an 11-1 vote from spl clubs

 

 

 

if they vote to introduce that for 2014/15, then assuming newco go up this season, they'd only need to finish mid-table in the season affected by their summer transfer ban in order to qualify for the second tier. Then, free to buy players again, they only have 9 teams between them and the top-flight.

 

 

They wouldn't be trying to pull a fast one on us here, would they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

They wouldn't be trying to pull a fast one on us here, would they?

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Latest plans analysed:

 

 

Nail. Head.

 

 

if they vote to introduce that for 2014/15, then assuming newco go up this season, they'd only need to finish mid-table in the season affected by their summer transfer ban in order to qualify for the second tier. Then, free to buy players again, they only have 9 teams between them and the top-flight.

 

 

They wouldn't be trying to pull a fast one on us here, would they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did they not say it will be from 2015/16?  Why would it be in the SFL clubs' interest to have the supposed cash cow of The Rangers by-passing a league?

It's not always a conspiracy Linda!

Did they not say it will be from 2015/16?  Why would it be in the SFL clubs' interest to have the supposed cash cow of The Rangers by-passing a league?

It's not always a conspiracy Linda!

 

but, usually it is.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20329684

 

"The 30 Scottish Football League clubs have unanimously voted to propose a new three-tier league structure of 16, 10 and 16 teams for season 2014-15."

 

but, usually it is.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20329684

 

"The 30 Scottish Football League clubs have unanimously voted to propose a new three-tier league structure of 16, 10 and 16 teams for season 2014-15."

 

 

Well it's irrelevant as afc and celtic won't vote for it so it's not happening.

 

I'm supporting the 12-12 idea from the SPL 

"Scottish Premier League clubs agree to pursue move to two divisions of twelve clubs with split into 3 leagues of 8 teams after first round of 22 matches."

"Scottish Premier League clubs agree to pursue move to two divisions of twelve clubs with split into 3 leagues of 8 teams after first round of 22 matches."

Thumbs up from me.

I think it's a great idea, as per my previous post on it.

I was reading an article on twitter by a football agent who had put some thought into potential new structures and it seemed like he had some good ideas.  I'll try to dig it out when I got home.

 

*Edit*

 

http://insidescottishfootball2012.wordpress.com/

 

2 x 12 becoming 3 x 8?  Sounds absolutely shite to me.  Sixteen team top division playing home and away please, if that doesn't give them enough games make the league cup a champions league format to fluff up the numbers a bit.

 

Doncaster's a cunt.

2 x 12 becoming 3 x 8?  Sounds absolutely shite to me.  Sixteen team top division playing home and away please, if that doesn't give them enough games make the league cup a champions league format to fluff up the numbers a bit.

 

Doncaster's a cunt.

 

 

I concur. On all three. Particularly the last.

2 x 12 becoming 3 x 8?  Sounds absolutely shite to me.  Sixteen team top division playing home and away please, if that doesn't give them enough games make the league cup a champions league format to fluff up the numbers a bit.

 

Doncaster's a cunt.

 

Far too sensible CtS, you can't possibly have the interests of Scottish football at heart ya knob

I wonder how many more of these hair brained schemes we're going to have to listen to. CtS, stop being logical! No room for that here ffs!!! 

Split the teams into regional leagues of, say 6. Play each other team in your league home and away 4 times, then a selection of the other teams (based on previous season(s) performance?) 8 home, 8 away to give 36 games. then the winnerrs of each league go into, call it a "playoff" system 1 leg "knockout" games to decide the final positions.

(Or, more briefly, copy the NFL/NBA/MSL/NHL/MLB system)

What are the positive aspects of having a 16 team league? Genuinely don't see any personally but being an open-minded kinda chiel, I'm interested why you all think it's such a good thing for a) aberdeen fc, b) the national team, c) fans, d) finances, e) "scottish football"

Split the teams into regional leagues of, say 6. Play each other team in your league home and away 4 times, then a selection of the other teams (based on previous season(s) performance?) 8 home, 8 away to give 36 games. then the winnerrs of each league go into, call it a "playoff" system 1 leg "knockout" games to decide the final positions.

 

 

(Or, more briefly, copy the NFL/NBA/MSL/NHL/MLB system)

 

 

So the North East would be... Aberdeen , Brechin, Montrose, Abroath, Dundee and United? Fuck knows what the "Highland regional division" would look like? Inverness, Ross County, Nairn County , Forres, Elgin and Keith? All sounds horrific. Lets leave this funny stuff to the yanks.

It's as viable as anything suggested by the SFA/SPL/SFL

btr, the main attraction of a 16 team league for me (as a fan) is quite straight forward.  More variety, less repetitive, and a sensible straightforward league format that doesn't further humiliate scottish football to outside observers.  Any kind of split mid-season is wrong in my opinion. 

 

 

I haven't really got answers about 'the national team' and 'finances', but I'm guessing both those issues are at an all time low anyway, and I can't see how an 8-8-8 set up would improve those situations either?

 

 

We need a pyramid system like the english fa, whereby ambitious amateur clubs (like the rangers  ) can start at the very bottom and work their way up. In fact the whole english set up should be a model for the future of our game, albeit on a smaller scale.

btr, the main attraction of a 16 team league for me (as a fan) is quite straight forward.  More variety, less repetitive, and a sensible straightforward league format that doesn't further humiliate scottish football to outside observers.  Any kind of split mid-season is wrong in my opinion. 

 

 

I haven't really got answers about 'the national team' and 'finances', but I'm guessing both those issues are at an all time low anyway, and I can't see how an 8-8-8 set up would improve those situations either?

 

 

We need a pyramid system like the english fa, whereby ambitious amateur clubs (like the rangers  ) can start at the very bottom and work their way up. In fact the whole english set up should be a model for the future of our game, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

I'm not sure increasing the quantity will really increase the variety.  With a 16 team top league there are likely to be the same small number of teams being relegated/promoted each year as the variation in the top 20 teams in the country is pretty limited.  Further more I see it unlikley that more folk will turn up at Pittodrie for a game v Hamilton Accies rather than a second game against, for example, Hearts, while equally I doubt we'll take as many to Hamilton as we would do to Gorgie.  It's all very well saying we want more teams and variety but I suspect as well as losing the cash from 3 home games we'll end up with a smaller average attendance.

 

We do need more variation and that can be provided by a 12 team league that has a decent promotion/relegation set up.

8-8-8 gives you alot of variation and given that the bottom 4 from the top league who have been losing all season go head to head with the top 4 from the second league who will have been winning all season, would suggest to me you could have as many as 3 or even 4 new teams starting out in the top league the following season.

The set up ensures competitive games that means something almost all the way through the season, hence big crowds and a bigger shake of the leagues each season.

 

16 team league means a massive dead space of meaningless games from probably 7th to 12th, with a subsequent drop in crowds, less enticing teams coming to Pittodrie and more boring trips to the likes of Hamilton.

Just so I can get this right in my head, after the 8-8-8 split the top 8 are guaranteed to be in the top 12 the following season, joined by the top 4 from the middle 8?  Therefore there's a totally meaningless end of season cluster of fixtures for most of the top 8 clubs too, only the top 3 or 4 will be battling for europe...or am I missing something?

True that ^

 

 

Let's face it, as enticing as a 16 team league sounds in theory, who are the other four teams who are worth bothering travelling to? Outside of Dunfermline, which teams would you really give a fuck about travelling to? Raith, Livi, Hamilton and perhaps Plastic Whistle at a push.

 

 

What happens the following season when potentially three teams go down and another three new ones come up? Who are we gonna be facing then? Pretty sure SkySports ain't gonna give a fuck about Raith vs Cowdenbeath infront of 183 fans.

Looking at the bigger picture for the Scottish game though, the clubs you mention will benefit financially from mixing with spl teams, allowing them to strengthen and ultimately attract more fans back.  The 'closed shop' that the spl has become is not healthy for the scottish game as a whole.

8-8-8 just sounds like nonsense to me.  I agree with CtS, I can't stand the split and if they are going to re-organise the league and introduce another split then Scottish Fitba will just look stupid.

 

Top league of 16 or 18 for me.  Couldn't give a fuck if places are attractive to travel to or not.

 

All of it is irrelevant unless the spread of money throughout the Scottish game as a whole is sorted out. There could be a 42 team league but while 90% of the money generated within that league goes to the top two clubs, who also get to make even more through playing in Europe, nothing will ever get better.