I came up with an answer to the problem with the split which actually solves another problem...more on the second problem at the end.
The problem with the current split is that teams in the bottom half cannot climb any further than 7th and top half drop below 6th. You then have the argument about our situation where our points tally would have taken us to 5th....and the counter argument that it's maybe in part due to "easier" competition in the closing games.
So, how do we get a split (to maintain fixture numbers) where teams can still move freely up and down the table without the easier/harder games argument? Well, you don't split it top and bottom.....
Instead you take the league places after 33 games and you split into two groups of odd placings and even placings.
Those in places 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11 form one group, the rest another group.
This means that the level of competition across the remaining 5 fixtures is spread across all levels and as such you can justify allowing teams to move freely up and down the ladder based on the points they earn.
The other problem it (likely) solves is that you don't have the worry of an OF title decider (Police don't want it, SPL are scared of it). As they are going to be, more often than not, 1 & 2 after 33 games they will be in different groups. If they are 1 & 3 then someone is splitting them and any OF match isn't likely to be a title decider so a lot less tension involved.
I came up with an answer to the problem with the split which actually solves another problem...more on the second problem at the end.
The problem with the current split is that teams in the bottom half cannot climb any further than 7th and top half drop below 6th. You then have the argument about our situation where our points tally would have taken us to 5th....and the counter argument that it's maybe in part due to "easier" competition in the closing games.
So, how do we get a split (to maintain fixture numbers) where teams can still move freely up and down the table without the easier/harder games argument? Well, you don't split it top and bottom.....
Instead you take the league places after 33 games and you split into two groups of odd placings and even placings.
Those in places 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11 form one group, the rest another group.
This means that the level of competition across the remaining 5 fixtures is spread across all levels and as such you can justify allowing teams to move freely up and down the ladder based on the points they earn.
The other problem it (likely) solves is that you don't have the worry of an OF title decider (Police don't want it, SPL are scared of it). As they are going to be, more often than not, 1 & 2 after 33 games they will be in different groups. If they are 1 & 3 then someone is splitting them and any OF match isn't likely to be a title decider so a lot less tension involved.