Top 6 split

[CarlisleReiver]

Interesting looking at the season's fixtures: Pre top 6 split:

Rangers play them twice away
Aberdeen play them twice away
Hibs play them twice away
Heart play them twice away

It's early in the season but I would suggest that all 4 of them will end up in the top 6...... with just 5 games, I think you can work out the rest.

TheRangers fixtures

Celtic play them twice at home
Hearts play them twice at home
Hibs play them twice at home
Aberdeen play them twice at home

So all being equal....

 

[Bridie Bhoy]

This was due to happen 2 years ago as well until the season was cut short. By the time of the split we would have played all 5 of the other top 6 away from home twice, so would have ended up having to play 2 of them three times away from home (I think sevco had already played all 5 twice at home, so would have had 2 of them 3 times at home).

It is an absolutely farcical situation entirely caused by this ridiculous split. My preference would be a top league of 16 to cut back on the large numbers of games our top teams have to fit in (any side playing in Europe is usually playing twice a week from the end of July up to new year, with internationals too - is it any wonder we struggle year on year?). But greed of other clubs wanting more games against Celtic & sevco, plus the need to sell the Glasgow derby game 4 times a season to Sky in order to get such a pathetically low tv deal means we have this stupid split.

If they must keep the split (for the reasons above) then have a top league of 12 (or even 14) so we play each other home and away, then split and the top 6 & bottom 6 (or 8) can play each other home and away. This is surely the fairest way to proceed?

 

[CarlisleReiver]

Absolutely agree with you Bridie Bhoy.

 

[Bridie Bhoy]

Plus we have to consider the chaos to be caused by next year's Qatar World Cup (yeah, I know Scotland won't be there but Celtic will have several players there from other countries). This could lead to an international break from early November through to just before Christmas. Usually we'd play about a dozen club matches during this period - when will these be fitted in? Does the domestic season extend into June and then clubs start European qualifiers at the start of July?

 

[Winter]

This was due to happen 2 years ago as well until the season was cut short. By the time of the split we would have played all 5 of the other top 6 away from home twice, so would have ended up having to play 2 of them three times away from home (I think sevco had already played all 5 twice at home, so would have had 2 of them 3 times at home).

It is an absolutely farcical situation entirely caused by this ridiculous split. My preference would be a top league of 16 to cut back on the large numbers of games our top teams have to fit in (any side playing in Europe is usually playing twice a week from the end of July up to new year, with internationals too - is it any wonder we struggle year on year?). But greed of other clubs wanting more games against Celtic & sevco, plus the need to sell the Glasgow derby game 4 times a season to Sky in order to get such a pathetically low tv deal means we have this stupid split.

If they must keep the split (for the reasons above) then have a top league of 12 (or even 14) so we play each other home and away, then split and the top 6 & bottom 6 (or 8) can play each other home and away. This is surely the fairest way to proceed?

Same as CarlisleReiver totally agree with you BB the SFA/spfl are a bad joke. Their administration has run our game into the ground. This 'split' nonsense wasnt even their own idea they pinched it from Denmark which is just as much a shambles as the spfl with clubs who finish in the top 6 still playing against the bottom 6 clubs . If you google the Danish superliga you'll be completely flummoxed by the lack of organisation. Personally Ive always been for a 16 club premier and in the past that may not have been possible but now with clubs from the lowland and highland leagues gaining promotion to the league it is completely possible. Also these clubs arent merely making up the numbers they are acquiting themselves very well. The argument against such a move was always the ' meaningless games ' argument. Now however with relegation and promotion going to the last day usually, thanks to the restructuring of the tables to accommodate sevcos quick return ( which didn't quite work as planned) the top 4 can win promotion . Just as often the bottom 4 are fighting until the last day theres no longer any reason why our country shouldnt have 14 or 16 clubs. A 16 club division could see each club have 2 h&a games (30 total ) with 8 games left to play. The split could be top and bottom 5 clubs playing off twice or once for the championship and relegation giving us 38 games total. It's not rocket science but it is the spfl trying to get as much money from us all as possible. The sooner the charlatans who run our game are turfed out of the game the better for all concerned. They cannot even hold a ballot to call the league. And this is what were up against, throw in the pathetic sponsorship deals that lag behind finland and other Scandinavian countries and we are the laughing stock of European

 

[Mancbhoy670]

Same as CarlisleReiver totally agree with you BB the SFA/spfl are a bad joke. Their administration has run our game into the ground. This 'split' nonsense wasnt even their own idea they pinched it from Denmark which is just as much a shambles as the spfl with clubs who finish in the top 6 still playing against the bottom 6 clubs . If you google the Danish superliga you'll be completely flummoxed by the lack of organisation. Personally Ive always been for a 16 club premier and in the past that may not have been possible but now with clubs from the lowland and highland leagues gaining promotion to the league it is completely possible. Also these clubs arent merely making up the numbers they are acquiting themselves very well. The argument against such a move was always the ' meaningless games ' argument. Now however with relegation and promotion going to the last day usually, thanks to the restructuring of the tables to accommodate sevcos quick return ( which didn't quite work as planned) the top 4 can win promotion . Just as often the bottom 4 are fighting until the last day theres no longer any reason why our country shouldnt have 14 or 16 clubs. A 16 club division could see each club have 2 h&a games (30 total ) with 8 games left to play. The split could be top and bottom 5 clubs playing off twice or once for the championship and relegation giving us 38 games total. It's not rocket science but it is the spfl trying to get as much money from us all as possible. The sooner the charlatans who run our game are turfed out of the game the better for all concerned. They cannot even hold a ballot to call the league. And this is what were up against, throw in the pathetic sponsorship deals that lag behind finland and other Scandinavian countries and we are the laughing stock of European

Unfortunately this rediculous situation won't be sorted for the benefit of Scottish football until the skum dies again, when this eventually happens perhaps the majority of Scottish clubs will have the foresight to make the major changes to the system/leagues that is required to make Scottish football more self supporting and help to develop the players who can improve the "product" and make it more attractive to both the paying public and to the broadcasters. IMHO it will require chairmen and owners of the clubs to be less concerned with their own clubs and more supportive of the game in general. I believe that this could be beneficial to the smaller community based clubs who could help rebuild interest in our national game. A top league of 16 teams would give clubs the chance to invest in young players and give them more chances to develop. There is a multitude of teams from the Juniors, Highland and lowland leagues who could be added to the spfl and look at the number of ways that regional leagues etc could be used to re-ignite interest in the game. I'm sure that there is someone out there who is capable of coming up with a plan that would work. HH

 

[Winter]

Unfortunately this rediculous situation won't be sorted for the benefit of Scottish football until the skum dies again, when this eventually happens perhaps the majority of Scottish clubs will have the foresight to make the major changes to the system/leagues that is required to make Scottish football more self supporting and help to develop the players who can improve the "product" and make it more attractive to both the paying public and to the broadcasters. IMHO it will require chairmen and owners of the clubs to be less concerned with their own clubs and more supportive of the game in general. I believe that this could be beneficial to the smaller community based clubs who could help rebuild interest in our national game. A top league of 16 teams would give clubs the chance to invest in young players and give them more chances to develop. There is a multitude of teams from the Juniors, Highland and lowland leagues who could be added to the spfl and look at the number of ways that regional leagues etc could be used to re-ignite interest in the game. I'm sure that there is someone out there who is capable of coming up with a plan that would work. HH

Theres plenty of people with good ideas but until the chairmen and boards understand that theres more at stake than their eee club I wont hold my breath. 100s of thousands of pounds spent for ridiculous numbers of 'delegates' and their nannys to go to to Saudi and elsewhere to learn different tactics and cultures and all they learn is wheres the mini bar