The SPL were speaking to the SFL clubs on Thursday at Hampden (17th Feb) about the regional league system. It would appear that the 10-team SPL plan with all the trimmings hasn't changed one bit. Jim Spence even repeated the claim that SPL clubs are in "broad agreement" which is sloppy journalism considering at least a quarter are opposed to it.

These ideas are all from Henry McLeish's bestseller (in the SPL, staff-only, bookshop). Am I the only one that finds this refusal to go back to the drawing board wholly disgusting?

I wrote to Doncaster at the end of January telling him that as a fan I was not in favour of a 10 team SPL and how it would affect my view of football etc etc. He wrote back a week or so later with a very bland thank you saying:

' As you will appreciate, we have received many proposals from fans suggesting alternatives to the existing structure, fixture scheduling, improvements to the game in general and it is impossible to reply to each in detail'. He went on to say 'The SPL is fully committed to looking at ways of progressing the game in scotland. In early 2010 we embarked on a Strategic Review which has looked at, inter alia, the effectiveness and commerciality of the current structure in Scotland. This has been a lengthy and detailed process and any proposals for change will be considered by the SPL Clubs. Thank you for taking the time to write to me with your thoughts and for your interest in the Scottish Premier League'

I also wrote to Topping the Chief Executive but got no response from him.

So it's very clear. He says they have had lots of representation but are not willing to listen, instead it will be discussed with the SPL Clubs.

My advice then is to bombard Doncaster with letters and also to write to our own Chairman showing him our support. He has a very difficult job but if he knows he has the fans backing and can go into any meeting with a box full of letters from his own club's fans then he will truely represent us.

By the way I also wrote Terry congratulating him on his well published views and I think he too deserves our support.

The SPL were speaking to the SFL clubs on Thursday at Hampden (17th Feb) about the regional league system. It would appear that the 10-team SPL plan with all the trimmings hasn't changed one bit. Jim Spence even repeated the claim that SPL clubs are in "broad agreement" which is sloppy journalism considering at least a quarter are opposed to it.

These ideas are all from Henry McLeish's bestseller (in the SPL, staff-only, bookshop). Am I the only one that finds this refusal to go back to the drawing board wholly disgusting?

Just to say that both sections of his report are free to read online. A quick google search and you will find them.

Also I was reading that a pyramid system is pretty much dead in the water now becasue the 3rd division teams don't want it. This is as bad as the SPL farce, of course they don't want it as they could drop out of the league, again thinking of themselves and not the good of Scottish football. Third Division club 'Clubs want to play in a Scottish league, not a regional set up' and 'I'm not sure there is any appetite for the pyramid system from the clubs outside the SFL.' Not sure, how about we try asking them and I'm sure there would be plenty of appetite for it. Load of rubbish again,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/9402172.stm

Taken from the BBC Website

Looks like another 'grand' idea is about to fall through.

Any team in the 1st division with ambition wont vote for a 10 team SPL either

I assume the 10 team SPL general agreement is the same general agreement that we had when 3 clubs didnt agree.

Scottish regional league idea fails to win support

By Jim Spence

Proposals to regionalise the lower divisions in the Scottish Football League are dead.

The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football Association presented their vision to the 30 SFL clubs at Hampden on Thursday.

But one leading Third Division club spokesman told BBC Scotland: "Clubs want to play in a Scottish league, not a regional set up.

"The proposal has gone. It is dead in the water."

The SPL's 12 clubs reached a broad agreement in February to move towards a new 10-club top-tier and a second tier of 12 encompassing the SFL's current Division One sides.

After formulating its proposals, the SPL promised to consult the SFA and SFL.

I'm not sure there is any appetite for the pyramid system from the clubs outside the SFL

Third Division source

And regionalisation of the leagues below was a feature of the recent SFA-commissioned report into the professional game by former First Minister Henry McLeish.

However, at this week's meeting, there appears to have been no demand among clubs in Divisions One, Two and Three to change the current national league set-up at that level.

There are also doubts over the introduction of a pyramid system, which was also aired in the McLeish report.

That would allow clubs from the Juniors, the Highland League and the East of Scotland League entry to the SFL via regionalised leagues.

One spokesman for a Third Division club said: "There is nothing imminent.

"I'm not sure there is any appetite for the pyramid system from the clubs outside the SFL.

"We are in a consultation period just now with the SPL about their views for the game and we will canvas opinion to see whether there is interest in a pyramid system.

"But I'm not sure there is any real interest"

Edited February 19, 201115 yr by 12th Man

As Edwyn Collins once said: rip it up and start again. There appears little way of progression in a meaningful manner. In fact, I'm not sure there is any way of satisfying a majority of clubs in any system.

Just get a 20 team SPL and let Rangers and Celtic go into a split at the end of the season and they can play each other game after game for all that tv money they want.

"commerciality of the current structure in Scotland"

Says it all for me, fans and their opinions don't count, just listen to the likes of Stewart Milne at Aberdeen sucking up to the old firm and bleating absolute nonsense about how good it would be for scottish football.

Doncaster - The man with no Plan B

Doncaster - The man with no Plan B

And a shyte plan A.

It's become blatantly obvious to me that the "SPL Restructuring" plan is/was actually intended more as a SFL takeover plan.

For the top 20 or 22 teams the promise has been one of more money/opportunity, for the rest it's been asked that they make the sacrifice "for the good of the game".

In truth what's really being proposed is that the SPL want control over all the money coming in to the league setup and the power to control it's distribution. The top teams will get a better %*, and this will be funded, in part, by distributing less to the lover level teams. (*reluctant to say more moeny as it's entirely possible the proposals could damage the game to the extent that incomes would decrease as a result).

I still find it amazing that the SFA continue to remain so silent during all of this. It's not the SPL's place to be redesigning the game in Scotland, it's the SFA's. In fact, allowing Doncaster and his cronies to continue doing what they are doing is only resulting in further damage to the sport and it's reputation and the SFA need to step in and put a stop to it now before something happens that does some real harm.

The Hamilton chairman was on Sportsound earlier ... and he must have been in a greenhouse with a bag of boulders as he moaned something about people not considering fans any more (sorry was only half listening) ...

As the Hamilton chairman is in favour of the current restructuring plan, Richard Gordon pushed him on it and asked why they were ignoring a poll showing 80% in favour of a different idea .... his response was classic .... "I am sure if you polled the OF fans you would get a different answer". He is not for turning and is definitely one turkey that will be voting for Christmas.

According to this idiot, a poll conducted by the supporters, for the supporters, and open to all supporters, should be ignored and we should instead poll the supporters of two teams .... one of whom (the green ones) who are now trying to dictate the start of the season so they can play in a lucrative overseas friendly.

The Hamilton chairman was on Sportsound earlier ... and he must have been in a greenhouse with a bag of boulders as he moaned something about people not considering fans any more (sorry was only half listening) ...

As the Hamilton chairman is in favour of the current restructuring plan, Richard Gordon pushed him on it and asked why they were ignoring a poll showing 80% in favour of a different idea .... his response was classic .... "I am sure if you polled the OF fans you would get a different answer". He is not for turning and is definitely one turkey that will be voting for Christmas.

According to this idiot, a poll conducted by the supporters, for the supporters, and open to all supporters, should be ignored and we should instead poll the supporters of two teams .... one of whom (the green ones) who are now trying to dictate the start of the season so they can play in a lucrative overseas friendly.

I'm sure if you did poll the OF fans then the overwhelming majority would not favour a 10 team league. What a load of tosh he was speaking.

It's all very depressing. We need a real shake-up in the game that encourages dynamic change. We need a pyramid system that breathes new life into the bottom echelons of the Scottish League. In England the potential for teams to progress from minor leagues into the league means that small clubs can have real ambition whilst established clubs cannot afford to be complacent. As a result quality throughout the structure has improved.

Take today's match in the cup where it appears as though non league Crawley Town outplayed Man Utd at Old Trafford - they had more of the possession and more shots at goal. League restructuring needs to be about improving quality throughout the leagues because that is how quality in depth at the top will be produced. It is not just about how many title deciders the old firm can have in a season.

its got to the pint were im just sick of hearing about it the sfa should either do something or leave it as it is!

its got to the pint were im just sick of hearing about it the sfa should either do something or leave it as it is!

What has it got to do with the sfa?

its got to the point were im just sick of hearing about it the sfa should either do something or leave it as it is!

What has it got to do with the sfa?

they govern scottish football

its got to the point were im just sick of hearing about it the sfa should either do something or leave it as it is!

What has it got to do with the sfa?

they govern scottish football

No they don't.

They have no authority over the league at all and have no say on the league structure.

sfa, spl both not doing very good jobs right now

sfa, spl both not doing very good jobs right now

This is struggiling to sink in!!

The SFA have SFA to do with the SPL or the SFL, the league set up, structure etc. They couldn't change it if they wanted to.

The only body who governs the league and can propose change is the SPL and the SFL in the lower leagues.

ok youve made you point

J Di Maggio

So where does that leave the SFA then?

Do they have any job to do, any work to engage in or any influence in Scottish Football at all --in your view ?

As I understand it, the SFL and SPL both run under license to the SFA and if the SFA don't like how they are running the game or think they are bringing the game into disrepute then they have the power to take action by imposing sanctions or, ultimately, revoking their license. Yes, the SPL could continue without that affiliation, but it's teams would no longer be able to qualify for/play in things like domestic or European cups etc.

Im not to sure that is correct CaleyD, I think the SPL are a seperate body to the SFA all together and the SFA couldn't do a thing to intefere in the league set up. The SPL broke away from the SFL, there is just an agreement to promote relegate between set ups. It is the same situation in England and did one of the league executives not kick up a fuss when he said they were in competition with the FA?

Scarlet- Ofcoure the SFA have a job to do, they run the national team, the Scottish cup, refs and grass roots and football development but they have nothing to do with the SPL at all and could never intefere in the running of the league.

It's telling that there is confusion about who does what in the scottish game. Three organisations and very little end result.

It seems more and more likely that this sorry affair will drag the game further down. Unless we can replace Doncaster and Topping with people of the same calibre as Roxburgh, Craig Brown, David Taylor, etc., there is very little hope. Wrong people, wrong ideas.

The head of the saints supporters club i spoke to on the train has met doncaster and he told me that all fans who want expansion for variety and excitement have no chance. Doncaster is hear to make the spl as much money as pos and unfortunately the old firm are the controlling factor because of tv money. A reduction in old firm games mean a reduction in tv income and the other thing is most chairman are business men and that money will talk more than supporters so even though i dont agree with any of it i think we will all have to lump it

I think that's exactly as it stands now. Maybe things will have to get worse to get better. The fans arent idiots, we know what their agenda is, however our worries are based on the good of the game,i.e. falling attendances, falling co-efficient, too many average foreign players, youth not getting a chance, a malaise and apathy seeping in, top-heavy bureaucracy, and a ticking timebomb of debt.

Cut your cloth v buy buy buy.