Gabby

Also, it looks like the A League will be following the other professional football codes in Australia by having microphones on the referees left on during TV coverage. This technology is also available for fans at the stadium using an earpeice that can be purchased. It certainly helps fans to know what the ref's are thinking when they make decisions. The audio also includes converstations between the Refs and Players.

The game generates many millions of pounds each year yet the key "on field" decisions are made by glorified amateurs. This is not fair to the professional players that train hard or the fans that spend their hard earned watching them. Referees would be more accountable if they were fulltime, professional because it would be their main source of income.

It always amazes me when people complain about referee performance and pay. We have a situation where football is professional where players are identified at 10 years of age, nurtured, placed in special programs so they can be ready for professional football. A simiar program should be in place for referees. What about targeting players that don't make it as professionals. Nurturing them, build refeering programs - in essence build a career path for them and then pay them appropriatly as professionals. The result would be professional players being refereed by referees of at least a similar standard.

Caley D, I would argue that you are too close to this to look at the proposal objectively, as a result I suspect you are letting your prejudices determine your decision making rather than considering facts. This results in quite frankly hysterical comments such as 12 teams to 10 teams means less money for clubs and 12 to 14 teams means more money. Taking straw polls of fans is really of little consequence. This is because at the end of the day fans vote with their wallets by either attending games and buying merchandise. This is how clubs survive and therefore this is the only true measurement indicating what fans are thinking (Obviously I can't attend many games but I do buy a heap of merchandise, especially now the Aussie Dollar has appreciated against the Bristish Peso) Also you mistake the word elitist with elite. When I speak of an elite competition, I am talking strictly about the athletes involved. The premier division should be a showpiece for the best Scottish footballers to compete and develop. I am tryiing to look at the bigger picture. This is not about individual clubs this is about improving the product to attract more sponsors, more fans. I know it is unlikely we will see eye to eye on this, all I am trying to do is add some balance to the debate.

Hi Caley D I can see what you are saying but I believe your argument is flawed for the following reasons: 1. I don't understand how reducing the league to 10 teams provides less value to sponsors. Companies sponsoring the league want to sponser a quality product regardless of the number of teams involved. Team sponsors sponser a team regardless of all other teams in the league. 2. Yes 2 extra teams will require a parachute payment, this is a one of payment to reduce the number of teams in the league. As such, it no longer becomes an issue after the first season.) 3. Scrapping the U21 rule means that players earn their spots on merit instead of taking up bench spots. If they aren't good enough for the elite competition they shouldn't be playing in it. 4. The OF are still a cash cow. While the stadium doesn't always fill I would hate to see the average crowd for the season without these games. 5. Increased variety doesn't mean better quality. In fact the opposite would be the case. More lower quality teams means more lower quality games that people wouldn't want to watch. Are you seriously saying that fans want regular games against Raith, Falkirk or QoS? This idea improves Scottish football by exposing elite players to regular games at a higher level. It won't happen overnight but I think it would be a step in the right direction. What has dawned on the teams is self interest, the SPL was built on self interest and the tradition continues. Enjoying the debate.

Two of them (Hibs and Aberdeen) were fighting relegation this season. Which makes they're stance even less understandable. At least we agree on something.We must be doing something right - Australia ranked 20, Scotland ranked beyond 60. This is a fair reflection of the standing of both teams. Especially given the situatin where Scotland receiveds more ranking points for defeating the Faroe Islands than Australia would get for defeating Japan even though Japan is ranked 100 places higher than the Faroe Islands. The Aussie national team may well be better than the Scottish national team. That does not mean the league is better. It is not. And that is what this is about... improving the SPL. It is impossible to realistically compare the SPL and the A League. The A League is only 6 years old and it competes against 3 other different professional football codes for finances and athletes. Given time I would expect the A League to surpass the standard of the SPL.

At least we agree on something. We must be doing something right - Australia ranked 20, Scotland ranked beyond 60. This is a fair reflection of the standing of both teams. Especially given the situatin where Scotland receiveds more ranking points for defeating the Faroe Islands than Australia would get for defeating Japan even though Japan is ranked 100 places higher than the Faroe Islands.

Have to totally disagree with you on most points Gabby. Ten team league means playing each team four times a season. Fans have indicated they dont want this. Ten team league means teams fill up with tried and tested players and abandon youth development. Nobody wants this. The available money would become less and less in the long term because fans will stay away so gate reciepts will be down. Initial SPL was ten team and it failed then. Nothing indicates it will work again. More OF games will not increase exposure for other teams simply because the TV deal allows for the screening of 36 games a season regardless of number of times each play the OF. Ten team is dead and long may it remain that way If what you say is true Alex then expanding the league to 14 or even 18 teams is a false economy. Less money to go around combined with more teams that fans don't want to see. SPL attendance has been in decline for years. Rather than fans "indicating" this, reduced attendance is what is actually happening at the moment. I would also argue that very little real youth developement occurs at SPL level. While I will submit that ICT has a good current crop of youth this really seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Teams may fill their squad with tried and tested, because they are tried and tested. In an elite competition, these tried and tested players should elevate to a different level. By playing games at a consistently higher standard they will be better prepared for international football. I still believe that this should be further explored and tweaked. Edited to correct spelling

In all honesty, I think this decision to say no to a 10 team league is a grave mistake in the long term. I have been looking at this and when I take the emotional hysterics and the self interest (that the old firm are quite regularly and quite rightly accused of) I actually think there are some medium and long term benefits to Scottish football. Why do I think this: 1. Scottish football does not have the financial muscle or the available talent to support a 12 team premier competition. It certainly does not have the financial muscle or available talent to support 4 professional and semi-professional leagues. A ten team premier league reduces the amount of players required and therefore provides positions to elite players only. There should not be positions available for players over 36 years of age in an elite competition. As a side note, this would work best in conjuntion with the scrapping of the silly U23 rule. 2. The split goes. 2 rounds of home and away games. 4 home old firms games a season - locked in. This actually increases TV exposure for all teams. The draw for the entire season is known at the start of the year. (Imagine how much earler the HM could be organised!) 3. The available money is distributed to less teams which means the premier league teams have more cash. Ideally a better split of the available cash would be an even better outcome. In conclusion the dismissing of this idea reeks, as usual, of self interest instead of the benefit of Scottish Football as a whole. I suppose I will be accused on being a mad Aussie with no understanding of Scottish football culture and you would be right. But I also know that the SPL has been going backwards since inception and it has taken Scottish Football as a whole with it. Discuss.....

It gets really depressing when you are older than the Manager

Wish I had a dollar for every time I have seen the sentence "Cooper Sacked" on this forum!!!

My question, without notice, would be: Mr Doncaster, why do you bother?

Is it just me or does he look like a younger Gringo Jnr?

Lads, Lads calm down... Heres what you get. The strongest most physical player i have ever seen (you should see the six pack) he will run his heart out for you, If he doesent have time to think will score, If he has time to think will miss 9 times out of 10. Can be the most frustrating individual you have ever seen (I mean sitters missed another one from six yards against County on Saturday). He has hit "fresh air shots" been one on one and always misses. You have to take this as a package. He is the ultmate 100% out and out effort. And can cause chaos to ANY defence, but alas he is no Rooney. Would i be sad to see him go...He`s a person you just cant help liking and would light up your dressing room, has become a CULT figure here and the fans love him and eventually have forgiven him for his errors....... of course i would. You will have to give him time, the Premier league dont know whats going to hit them, Be prepared to see him on highlight shows scoring a few goals but ending up on the football clangers videos. Sounds like Hislop

HT: 0:0 FT:1:0 1st scorer us: Rooney 1st scorer them: Imre Crowd: 3669

Maybe someone should call him a waah-mbulance.

HT: 0:0 FT: 0:1 1st scorer us: Rooney 1st scorer them: Sutton Crowd: 4682

Hi Guys We are safe but I can't say the same for others in Brisbane, Toowoomba or the Lockyer Valley. I live less than 1km from the river not that far from where it opens into Moreton Bay. I went down to the river and watched furniture, tanks, 150m of river walkway hurl down the river. We were lucky in Brisbane because we had 2 days warning that the water was coming. The poor people of the Lockyer Valley just west of Brisbane didn't know an 8 metre wall of water was coming at them until it arrived. It wiped out entire villages and farms with about 60 people still missing. Thank you to all my friends from CTO for their concern.

HT: 0:1 FT: 0:3 1st scorer us: Odhiambo 1st scorer them: Gunn Crowd: 1326

Butcher is incapable of managing a team to play attacking footie. In fact, this is the reason he was sacked from his other managerial positions. I know this is why he was sacked from Sydney FC. they had a squad that was accustomed to playing attractive, attacking football and he tried to apply his defensive, play of the break style footy. It lead to Sydney laying well in the bottom half of the table. His managerial philosophy is not suited to "bigger clubs". Butcher's style is well suited to us and clubs like Motherwell - this is why he would never succees at a club like Rangers or promotion chasing clubs in England. As fans we need to recognise his strengths and accept his weaknesses and understand that he and ICT are a perfect match. Rant over

HT: 0:0 FT: 0:1 1st scorer us: Rooney 1srt scorer them: Sammon Crowd: 3894 1str yellow: Duncan 1st Pint: Me!

HT: 0:0 FT: 1:0 1st scorer us: Rooney 1st scorer them: Higdon 1st yellow: Tokely Crowd: 4127

HT: 0:0 FT: 1:1 1st scorer us: Rooney 1st scorer them: Elliot 1st yellow: Black Crowd: 12 497

HT: 0:0 FT: 1:1 1st scorer us: Rooney 1st scorer them: Miller Crowd: 7070

Brew may be the only option Aberdeen can afford. They will probably get him for half a packet of crisps and a can of Fosters.