Ideas For Niall Doncaster:

[GMD11UK]

Not sure what these "5,000" fans were surveyed on but i'd prefer ol donnie to take into consideration the following and by take into consideration i mean, put in place asap.

• Stay with 12 team spl or expand, do not reduce
  
• 2 up 2 down from spl to div 1
  
• Agree player wage caps
  
• SPL teams to allow officals to check their finances post season to flag any clubs that risk administration
  
• More midweek games to allow for shorter seasons/generous winter break
  
• Lower ticket prices, fuller stadiums are a slightly lower cost or half empty ones at current rates
  
• Scrap Euro place for Cup winners, give it to the top league places to help our co-efficient ranking
  

Anybody got anything to add, sensible ones mind aye!!

[Joe DiMaggio]

Not sure what these "5,000" fans were surveyed on but i'd prefer ol donnie to take into consideration the following and by take into consideration i mean, put in place asap.

• Stay with 12 team spl or expand, do not reduce
• 2 up 2 down from spl to div 1
• Agree player wage caps
• SPL teams to allow officals to check their finances post season to flag any clubs that risk administration
• More midweek games to allow for shorter seasons/generous winter break
• Lower ticket prices, fuller stadiums are a slightly lower cost or half empty ones at current rates
• Scrap Euro place for Cup winners, give it to the top league places to help our co-efficient ranking

Anybody got anything to add, sensible ones mind aye!!

I would like to see playoffs introduced at the bottom of the league as they are exciting and maybe look at the possiblity of having a playoff for the last league Europa place. (This won't work at the moment with 3rd place being our last guaranteed position and I think whoever finishes 3rd deserves qualification for Europe but it could work if we regain a 4th league place).

For the other points- I don't like the idea of more midweek games at all, doesn't suit as in the slightest.

The lower ticket prices are something everyone wants but I can't see it happening in the near future. Also reducing ticket prices by half won't double the crowd, I remember Motherwell heavily reduced theirs for a time and there was no major rise in crowds.

You can't scrap the Euro place for Scottish Cup winners, for a start the winners deserve a place in Europe, it adds extra meaning to the cup and also UEFA won't allow it. The national cup winners get a place by their rules. The league did try to remove the Euro place for runners up, which I agree with as coming second in the cup isn't an achievement which should be rewarded over 4th place in the league, but UEFA said that we couldn't do this.

[+MrCaleyjag]

Increasing the midweek games wouldn't work, UEFA have reserved most midweeks for Champions League and Europa League matches and games aren't allowed to clash or be scheduled for those dates, most of the spare weeks are used up anyway for league games. More midweek games would be less of a benefit to a lot of fans who travel as they potentially wouldn't be able to make it due to work commitments etc.

Dropping ticket prices is a must and surely has a bearing when people are thinking about whether to go or not, yes you will always get the fans who go no matter what but some prices are just stupid.

I agree that the league shouldn't be dropped to lower than 12 teams, it's been tried before and was scrapped for the 12 that we are currently using, only the tinkering of the SPL in creating a split has caused a change since then, this is another thing that has to go. Whoever thought of this ridiculous rule needs shot, let us never see a split in a league again please!!! The only thing with increasing the league size is that there has to be a minimum number of teams in it, 16 or 18 I think would be needed, to guarantee our teams will be eligible to play in European competition (I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong) but UEFA rules stipulate a minimum number of games must be played over the season. The main problem comes from the fact that the SPL don't want to include any teams from the SFL in a proposed bigger top league, Doncaster himself said on the radio he didn't want to dilute the quality of the top division, totally unfounded and completely wrong in my opinion. The other problem is that all the SPL teams want 4 games against the Old Firm to guarantee a good revenue on those days so will be opposed to any increase that means each team only meet twice.

I would structure a 16 or 18 team top flight, with the same as a Division 1, then I would regionalise the rest of the Scottish game. Have a 2 up 2 down system from top flight to Division 1 along with a play-off also which would give the 3rd placed team in Division 1 a chance of promotion. Open up Division 1 to relegation also so that regional teams have a chance of promotion which could be worked on a play-off system as well at regional level.

[Renegade]

Impose a rule on the amount of foreign players in a team as well as focusing money on youth development not on foreign rejects.

Scrap the "Win at all costs" mentality of youth coaching and teach how to play the game with a focus on technical ability.

[Ronaldo]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

[GMD11UK]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

and get a proper haircut!!

I think if they had said ir more advance than a few days that they would be doing cheap tix for a few of the diddy teams like hamilton & st johnstone we might get a better turnout. should be a good crowd for the elgin game but it's about creating awareness aswell as just the gesture.

[Joe DiMaggio]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

and get a proper haircut!!

I think if they had said ir more advance than a few days that they would be doing cheap tix for a few of the diddy teams like hamilton & st johnstone we might get a better turnout. should be a good crowd for the elgin game but it's about creating awareness aswell as just the gesture.

The Elgin game will be below 3,000 comfortably.

[ICTBTTH]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

and get a proper haircut!!

I think if they had said ir more advance than a few days that they would be doing cheap tix for a few of the diddy teams like hamilton & st johnstone we might get a better turnout. should be a good crowd for the elgin game but it's about creating awareness aswell as just the gesture.

The Elgin game will be below 3,000 comfortably.

Aren't elgin going to be taking a few pikey's through with them on saturday seeing as it is a derby kinda an the first time the teams have met in a competitive competition nationally?

[Joe DiMaggio]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

and get a proper haircut!!

I think if they had said ir more advance than a few days that they would be doing cheap tix for a few of the diddy teams like hamilton & st johnstone we might get a better turnout. should be a good crowd for the elgin game but it's about creating awareness aswell as just the gesture.

The Elgin game will be below 3,000 comfortably.

Aren't elgin going to be taking a few pikey's through with them on saturday seeing as it is a derby kinda an the first time the teams have met in a competitive competition nationally?

Yeah but it will still be between 2-3,000

[MabawswaRichie]

Scrap the "Win at all costs" mentality of youth coaching and teach how to play the game with a focus on technical ability.

I totally agree.

However it will never happen unless the SFA is overhauled completely and new foreign coaches come in to teach the Scottish ones how to coach properly. Much like France did when they failed to qualify for USA '94.

[+HawkeyeTheGnu]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

Are we not confusing Mr Doncaster with Mr Regan?

[caley100]

1. Stick to cricket

2. Go back to Yorkshire.

and get a proper haircut!!

I think if they had said ir more advance than a few days that they would be doing cheap tix for a few of the diddy teams like hamilton & st johnstone we might get a better turnout. should be a good crowd for the elgin game but it's about creating awareness aswell as just the gesture.

The Elgin game will be below 3,000 comfortably.

Will that be an 'official' 3000? dont forget there will be cash gates.

Anyway.. wage caps.. forget it, the old firm have more financial clout than all the other teams put together.

Midweek games will cost clubs too much money.

Dropping ticket prices will not bring in more fans, i've offered free tickets to people over the years to get them interested and its met with indifference, you are either a footie fan or you are not.

[SMEE]

Dropping ticket prices will not bring in more fans, i've offered free tickets to people over the years to get them interested and its met with indifference, you are either a footie fan or you are not.

I beg to differ. Apart from the fact that i have my kids most weekends ICT are at home, even when they arent staying with me....due to my low income, I find it difficult to find the money to get in to the games (beggars cant be choosers, so this would have to be the cheapest part of the ground)

Then....on top of that, there is the costs of getting into town and back, then the costs of getting to the ground and back. all things considered...its very rare that i can actually finacially justify going to games. I often wonder how many others are in the same situation as me

Edited January 7, 2011 by SMEE

[qwerty11]

Scrap the "Win at all costs" mentality of youth coaching and teach how to play the game with a focus on technical ability.

I totally agree.

However it will never happen unless the SFA is overhauled completely and new foreign coaches come in to teach the Scottish ones how to coach properly. Much like France did when they failed to qualify for USA '94.

^

This is the way forward! It'll benifit the quality of football watched on a Saturday and will also improve the national team IMO!

[caley100]

Dropping ticket prices will not bring in more fans, i've offered free tickets to people over the years to get them interested and its met with indifference, you are either a footie fan or you are not.

I beg to differ. Apart from the fact that i have my kids most weekends ICT are at home, even when they arent staying with me....due to my low income, I find it difficult to find the money to get in to the games (beggars cant be choosers, so this would have to be the cheapest part of the ground)

Then....on top of that, there is the costs of getting into town and back, then the costs of getting to the ground and back. all things considered...its very rare that i can actually finacially justify going to games. I often wonder how many others are in the same situation as me

Fair enough mate, i see what you are saying but overall dropping the price will not be cost effective.

Oh aye, meant to mention the Largs mafia, this is indeed a fair point, coaching certificates are earned by managers at the same place - SFA largs, i presume they are all coached by the same people/methods so we will still have managers(mostly) setting up the teams to play the same way, which as we can see when our 'ordinary' teams play in Europe is not very clever.

Nice to see Mixu setting up Killie to play footie and now getting results - fair enough, but will they be able to keep him long term?