Celtic boss Strachan: SPL needs to sell itself better - TalkCeltic

Draupnir · 15-03-2008, 08:15 AM

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan says Scottish football has to sell itself better to the global market.

"I keep saying that to promote the game we have to give the people outside Scotland the best," he said. "We want more sponsorship and to get people thinking highly of the league.

"Aberdeen, Rangers and ourselves have done well in Europe, but some games are shown live to the world with nobody in the stadium - it's not the best."

"Sometimes we let ourselves down by some of the pitches we play on and by the fact that there is a club struggling to get a team together.

"If we want to make it the best we can then we have to look at the whole thing and have a revamp," he added.

"We have to see how we package the game for the whole world to look at because there is a good product here."

daviebhoy88 · 15-03-2008, 09:14 AM

hes right, Scottish football needs to get sorted.

clagan24 · 15-03-2008, 01:00 PM

how do you expect people to watch killie against st mirren? scottish football isn't good enough to sell abroad IMO

**tim park** · 15-03-2008, 01:28 PM

i wish the "ginger midget" would get celtic right first before wanting to fix the whole of scottish football

gordon 1 thing at a time please

Ham&Jam · 15-03-2008, 03:25 PM

Well he has got a point, too many games v shit opposition in crap cup competitions. Some grounds are a damn disgrace too particularly the pitches which makes it impossible to play decent football. The thing is though he is pointing out what we already know but doesn't offer any ideas to change it. Personally I would relegate one or both of the cups to the lower divisions or the Juniors with the SPL fighting out for the honour to take part in the CL or UEFA Cups only.

ChampionsElect · 15-03-2008, 07:45 PM

Needing sorting for a while

CellicBhoy08 · 16-03-2008, 07:04 PM

the spl's a joke the referees are so byist a cannie name 1 good scottish official.

topbhoy1967 · 16-03-2008, 07:11 PM

Scottish Fitba is shite - here is my list of things to help im prove our game -

1. Scrap winter football - play the season over the summer.
2. Scrap the 6000 all seater rule - bring it down to 2000
3. Any club playing SPL football MUST have a short and long term plan to help encourage more kids into the game (be it youth teams or just getting more locals to watch the games.
4. Get a British Cup going (instead of the CIS)
5. Fine Rangers for being cunts
6. Cant think of a 6th.

Colin McRae · 16-03-2008, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topbhoy1967

Scottish Fitba is shite - here is my list of things to help im prove our game -

2. Scrap the 6000 all seater rule - bring it down to 2000

why?

topbhoy1967 · 16-03-2008, 07:19 PM

cos there are too few teams with 6000 all seater stadiums - must have cost Gretna an arm and a leg to rent out Fir Park.

Colin McRae · 16-03-2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topbhoy1967

cos there are too few teams with 6000 all seater stadiums - must have cost Gretna an arm and a leg to rent out Fir Park.

easier option: don't let gretna in the leauge.

topbhoy1967 · 16-03-2008, 07:25 PM

hindsight!

Doesnt change the fact that far too teams have less then 6000 all seaters.

I think scottish football just has to accept that we are not as big as we think we are.

Feed the bear · 16-03-2008, 07:26 PM

Clubs who can't fill their grounds should be forced by the SPL to offer all the schools within a 3 mile radius free tickets, 2 per child. This would encourage more kids to come to games and maybe then take the game up. It could also help stimulate merchandising for the clubs involved as the chances of an 8yr old pestering his old man for a Falkirk shirt for example are pretty slim unless he's being taken to the games or his family are die hard fans. Clubs would benefit and would possibly make money from the initiative as a pose to having a ground half empty.

I also think some kind of wage cap should be introduced within the SPL in line with a club's turnover. This would at least lessen the chance of clubs going into deep financial mire through paying high salaries. It would reduce their chances of attracting some big names but I think we'd see a clear out of some of the journeymen pros who only come here for the money. It would also allow more home grown talent to come through. Not a perfect solution but one that could possibly work for some of the smaller clubs.

I think the vast majority of fans, players and the clubs in general would like to see some form of winter break. Until there is a general concensous and people actually get together to protest, it won't happen. The SPL and SFA are in it up to their collective balls with the likes of Setanta and sponsors just to make money. They have no real interest in the good of the game. The SPFA should become a lot more involved and grow a pair. Make some noise and maybe something would happen.

I'd also like to see some kind of initiative whereby some of the top pros in our game (and the highest paid ones) "sponsor" a young player, say a 15/16yr old and help fund their travel/accomodation costs etc. This could be done by way of a levy paid to the SPFA which could then be distributed among young guys in some of the lower leagues. It's tough when you have to finance things yourself at that age, or rely on parents who may not be able to make the sacrifice.

It's also about time we made some of the clubs more accountable for the state of their grounds and primarily the pitch. I know there are rules in place but for Fir Park to have 8 games postponed in under 2 months is a disgrace and for it to be allowed to continue until now is a damning indictment on both the SPL and the SFA.

Other countries must be looking on pissing themselves at us!

Celtic_Lass · 16-03-2008, 07:27 PM

Scottish football's never been popular and i don't think it ever will... A scottish team would need to win the CL or something a few more times or something like that, maybe then someone would pay a bit more attention.

Colin McRae · 16-03-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topbhoy1967

hindsight!

Doesnt change the fact that far too teams have less then 6000 all seaters.

I think scottish football just has to accept that we are not as big as we think we are.

nothing to do with hindsight. they should never have been aloud in the league in the first place. other teams have been denied the spl because they didn't have a good enough stadium why were gretna aloud in?