As the SPL have now said they are open to league reconstruction what does everyone else think would be the best way forward?
I have heard people call for an 18 team league but I think that would kill the SPL as there be be so many meaningless games and teams having nothing to play for around the middle of the table who would happliy sit there year after year with no real danger of relegation or realistic chance of challenging. Also a 16 team league would only give 30 game which isn't enough and would be voted against be most if not all teams in the SPL as they would lose considerable income.
I remember hearing something that John Robertson put forward about a 14 team leage with a split. I can't remember exactly what his idea was but thinking about it there is a great idea in there. I always felt the split generated some excitment into the league and gave mid table teams something to aim for and with a 14 team league it could be done fairly as well. Each team could play each other twice giving 26 games then split into a top 7 and bottom 7 where they would play each other home and away once more giving 38 games, 19 home 19 away for everyone and each team would have played everyone home and away evenily in their section.
This would keep the interest of the split and do it in a fair way, also for relegation I would like to see 13th and 14th places relegated with the 12th placed team going into a playoff against the 3rd team in the 1st division. This would keep the relegation section highly competative and lead to a lot more important games where attendances would surely rise.
Also the 1st and 2nd divisons could follow the same 14 team format with a split and this would give many teams the oppertunity of making the top 7 and then possibly at least having a chance of getting the playoff position and the relegation section would again have the bottom 2 relegated and the 3rd bottom team in a playoff with 3rd from division 2. This again would make both section highly competative with most teams having something serious to play for. Furthermore I would like to see the oppertunity for non league teams to be promoted to the 2nd division and possibly regionalised leagues created in a type of pyramid system.
As the SPL have now said they are open to league reconstruction what does everyone else think would be the best way forward?
I have heard people call for an 18 team league but I think that would kill the SPL as there be be so many meaningless games and teams having nothing to play for around the middle of the table who would happliy sit there year after year with no real danger of relegation or realistic chance of challenging. Also a 16 team league would only give 30 game which isn't enough and would be voted against be most if not all teams in the SPL as they would lose considerable income.
I remember hearing something that John Robertson put forward about a 14 team leage with a split. I can't remember exactly what his idea was but thinking about it there is a great idea in there. I always felt the split generated some excitment into the league and gave mid table teams something to aim for and with a 14 team league it could be done fairly as well. Each team could play each other twice giving 26 games then split into a top 7 and bottom 7 where they would play each other home and away once more giving 38 games, 19 home 19 away for everyone and each team would have played everyone home and away evenily in their section.
This would keep the interest of the split and do it in a fair way, also for relegation I would like to see 13th and 14th places relegated with the 12th placed team going into a playoff against the 3rd team in the 1st division. This would keep the relegation section highly competative and lead to a lot more important games where attendances would surely rise.
Also the 1st and 2nd divisons could follow the same 14 team format with a split and this would give many teams the oppertunity of making the top 7 and then possibly at least having a chance of getting the playoff position and the relegation section would again have the bottom 2 relegated and the 3rd bottom team in a playoff with 3rd from division 2. This again would make both section highly competative with most teams having something serious to play for. Furthermore I would like to see the oppertunity for non league teams to be promoted to the 2nd division and possibly regionalised leagues created in a type of pyramid system.