The New SPL 1 and 2?

I have to say I'm delighted with the SPL for once. It's high time we tore this daft league set-up apart. Nearly 50 pro teams in a country our size is just nonsense.
I always cringe when reading the scores on a Sunday and see English div 2(old div4) teams with bigger attendances than half the SPL, and when I get to SFL div 2 the attendances are worse than a netball teams.

No disrespect to the wee towns (Alloa, Forfar etc) but all these clubs need to go semi pro and leave the bigger clubs to share the money and hopefully, the fan bases. It'll do the game good in the long run.

 

Its about time they took proper control of the development of Scottish Soccer.

 

does this mean the league cup(CIS CUP) will be scrapped?

 

Why did you think that?

 

an useful site http://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn.htm

 

SPL2

SPL2 plans have been accepted and hoped to be in place by 08/09 season, I know it doesnt really affect our end of the table too much but what yous think about it?

 

Think it's a really gd idea. Give more income to smaller clubs.

 

Yip, hopefully more money will make them better teams which will give the Scottish League a better repuation which will benefit us in the long term.

 

yeh thats whayt im thinking, im all for a more competitive league. Some guy suggested this as a gd set up on a forum, I think what he said bout the league cup sounds really gd: heres what he said....................................................

"I have spoke about this on several occasions (whilst pished in the student union!!) and the only way forward for Scottish football as a whole is reformatting.

A 20 team premier league, 14 team first division and 10 team second division

Premier league - 20 teams who play each other twice a season, much like English premier league. 38 games, from a TV point of view - have as many derbies on one day.

EG - celtic v rangers 12.30 on sat. followed by say Hearts v Hibs 3pm then Airdrie v Motherwell 5.30 etc. Would give a decent amount of PASSIONATE football on the one day, decent drink/banter before a game.

there would be 2 down from the PL, the team placed 18th would be involved in a playoff with 3rd in the 1st division.

1st div - 2 up, 3rd place would play off against 18th in PL. 2 teams relegated

Play - off = one game, 90 minutes. if tied, extra time then penalties.


2nd division - 2 promoted. try and get a pyramid system in place with the juniors, or another association in scotland(highland league etc) 1 relegated from this division. 9th place goes into a play off with 2nd in (for example) highland premier league

I would also change the whole cup format.

The league cup would be played in a group format similar to the world cup. This would make sure that each team would be given a decent share of the money so a hypothetical group would be

Celtic
Airdrie
Raith
Albion Rovers

3 more games, 2 winable ties to progress to next round and also a big game against celtic. then progress onto knockout stage and have the final played in January or mid feb.

Picture this scenario for most lower league clubs. Middle of Feb, safe in the league or staring relegation in the face. Nothing to look forward to, season dwindling to a close..............in the reformation, this is when the challenge cup should begin.

It would give all the teams with nothing to look forward to, something to compete for. Teams up there, ie - St Mirren atm, would maybe field reserves, teams who were safe ie - us , would have something to fight for.

Scottish cup would stay as is!

**** ME, what a long post. there are no doubt things that people wont agree with but at the end of the day, this is what i think needs to happen so that we can get Scottish football and its members back on stable ground!"

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lot in there, but seeded group stages, even seeded CL style would really improve interest in the cup for smaller teams!

 

think mayb just a new system, like a seeded group stage then knockout

I posted a new thread on this in the main bit didnt realise lol

 

Im gunna copy n paste what I put on another forum ......


I know that Pearse Flynn is the man behind this plan and he is ready to take on the SPL/SFA and SFL on this.

It doesnt sound like a bad idea considering that clubs like St Johnstone are considering going part time simply because of the poor and disastrous financial climate that is the First Division and below.

Even if it does go ahead and I doubt very much that it will, I dont see how it will assist the Scottish game.

There are certain parties and associations who are taking a lot of money out of Scottish Football but put nothing back in.

Attendances are simply * poor, something more than "lack of money" has happened to the Scottish game, namely the passion.

I cant be arsed looking up attendances of First Division games but with the exception of Airdrie, Gretna, Dundee and Partick, attendances will be in the low 1000's, even if they reach that.

No one goes to the games anymore, Livi in the SPL last year will be lucky if they had 1000 fans at a home match against Celtic. The same will apply to the likes of Dundee Utd, Dunfermline and Motherwell.

There are no numbers at the games anymore which has a massive impact on the turnover of the club, please refer to "football is about the fans". Lets not underestimate that quote.

Queens Park, jesus they are hiring out a 50,000 seater stadium, think about that for just a few moments and tell me how that works out for the club.

Nice big stadium sure, nice big rental fee's too I bet. The best thing they could do is share Firhill or something.

The game is ruined up here beyond help. The Old Firm are prime examples, if these two clubs are operating at a continual loss, bearing in mind that they receive 50,000 and above attendances each week, have a massive travelling support and are in European Football each season as well as enjoying domestic success, then what hope is there for the rest of them? Is that not quite simplified?

 

its obviouse to everyone that money is the problem that has brought the scottish game down, most english championship team earn more money than us through TV deals with SKY and highlights on ITV. Its crucial for the SPL do try and get a decent TV deal. They are obviously never going to get it as good as the premiership.

This i think is part of th reason for them wanting to join the SPL because they hav no confidence in the SFL as they hav not been able to negotiate a contract for neither a sponser or a TV deal which means the only many coming in is from gate reciepts, which as somebody already said, are pathetic or from club sponsors

 

IMO, they need to cut the professional teams in Scotland by half. 40 odd pro teams in a country that doesn't love the game is ridiculous.
No disrepect to the north and south but they just aren't interested in the game. Teams that get 2-300 fans at a home game should be semi pro at best.
Even the SPl teams don't have a support. Look at Aberdeen, they have a population equal to the likes of Sunderland and Barnsley but can't get more than 10'000 at a home game. Edinburgh has half a million people but Hearts and Hibs can't get 30'000 between them. And it's nothing to do with the old firm winning the league every year. Smaller teams in the bigger countries have no chance of winning their leagues either but they still have large supports.

I think the new SPL is spot on. Two leagues, 22 teams and all the rest will either fold or compete in regional semi-pro non-leagues. It'll work out in the long run as the 2000 or so that go to Forfar, Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin will start going to the Dundee teams for instance.
Less teams = more support = more money = better games

 

Big Al thats absolutely spot on mate, i think you,ve been reading my mind lol