Charlie Queries The Split

[RiG]

Charlie Christie has called for the SPL to review the worth of splitting the league in two for the final five games of the season.

Christie's Caley Thistle players travel to Motherwell today with the aim of reducing the five-point gap between Inverness and sixth-placed Kilmarnock.

If they fail to win at Fir Park the odds will be stacked against them as they try to overtake Killie and move into the upper echelons of the table by April 8.

Christie believes too much importance is put on being among Scotland's elite clubs for the final quintet of fixtures each campaign. He feels the only gains to be made from finishing at the right end of the table are financial and he would rather take his team to the Scottish Cup final on May 26.

The controversial split system was introduced for the first time in the 2000/01 campaign and while it has made some league campaigns more exciting, others have ended bizarrely.

Caley Jags were among the bottom six teams when the league split last season but won their final five games. That gave them a total of 58 points as they finished seventh, three places behind Hibs, who had two points less.

Christie said: "I am very interested in the theory behind the split and we have to put things in perspective. Teams make a lot of getting to the top half but the main reason doing that would be of any benefit to this club is for a few more pounds. We don't get any medals or trophies for doing it.

"Someone asked me if I would prefer a top-six finish or to get to the Scottish Cup final. I laughed and said it had to be the Scottish Cup final as that is the kind of thing which will go down in history. Will someone remember who was sixth in this season's SPL in five years? No.

"Although I would like to get into the top six, the importance of reaching it can be blown out of proportion and I think a wee revamp could be in order.

"Yes, it gives teams in the lower half a target to aim for but it is purely there to accommodate 38 games in a season.

"I never knew that until the SPL managers summit at Gleneagles in October and I think it needs to be looked at, although I know I am presenting a problem rather than a solution with that."

Christie's team will try to end a run of eight away league fixtures without a win against Well today without injured forwards Craig Dargo and Dennis Wyness.

*P & J*

[The Mantis]

That's right, it's just to make the number of games acceptable. I think we copied the Swiss system.

[+Gringo]

The SPL is an unfair league in my opinion. In a fair league teams will play an equal amount of games (home and away) and play each other in the league an equal amount of times. This doesn't happen in the SPL. Its a bollox league designed to give the OF more money by having 4 derbies a season (excluding any cup games).

[The Mantis]

To be honest Gringo, they fill their stadiums every week anyway. I think it's the other clubs wanting to play them twice that's always been the barrier to reconstruction, as otherwise we'd maybe get a 16 team league.

I'm old enough to remember an 18 team league and it had its faults too (but too old to remember what they were  :015: :015: :015:). In a country this size, there's really no solution that's perfect.

[Harry Chibber]

Think he is possibly just reviewing things now because he realises it's likely we'll finishing in the bottom half for another season.  To be fair though he has a point, it's as though the SPL know that they need to change something but are too scared to make the leap into a 16 team league.  Until then any small change seems like a token gesture

[beachcomber]

It's a great idea, the top team from the bottom 6 all get a marvelous personalised timepiece as a momento of their achievements.....

More seriously though, it does keep the interest up, compared with being mid table in a bigger league where games rapidly become meaningless around this time.

[Alex MacLeod]

Does Mickey Mouse wear a beachcomber watch?

[beachcomber]

probably  :016:

[clacher_holiday2]

and why does his opinion matter..

as a fan im all for it

[Johnboy]

CC wouldn't be questioning the split if we looked like making the top six....

I'd say the split does create more competion in the SPL and helps keep it interesting....

As for CC saying no one will ever mind who came 6th in the league - not so - we certainly would if we were ever lucky enough to get there.

[Alex MacLeod]

Personally I think the split is a waste of time and only geared to make extra cash for the top two or three teams. The team who finishe 7th at the split has nothing more to play for unless the gap between 7th and 12th is extremely narrow.

[Johnboy]

Under the old system any team outside the top four had nothing much to play for....

[Scarlet Pimple]

It's all about money!

It's ALWAYS about money these days.

It's always about money these days and the prices are far too high.

And :012: that's my view.  ( :015:)

[clacher_holiday2]

without the split you could probably stop the league now as all the positions that matter are settled

as it happens theres still something to play for (should we ever decide to start playing)

[CaleyD]

ch2, under your philosphy that all the positions that matter are already decided, then the split makes absolutely no difference and doesn't change that fact.

All the split does is gives the middle teams something to aim for - a top 6 finish - which makes still the post split matches practically meaningless anyway.

It's not the split which is the biggest problem in making the SPL more (evenly) competitive, it's the distribution of the money that comes in to the legue that's the problem.  As with many things in life it is designed to make the wealthiest clubs even wealthier, leaving the 'smaller' clubs battling it out for thescraps - which in reality make very little difference to their ability to strengthen and compete with the big boys.

In short, the Split only acts as a distraction to the bigger and more important issues that exist in Scottish Football.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

More small team mentality - I am afraid. If we had got our tactics rite in the last two away games and had picked up 4-6 points the split would not be a talking point. I have always said that the system is a nonsense and laffed at down South. All teams should play each other the same number of times. It could be that the SFA should be a 10 club league and the SFL a 12 club league. That would make it more interesting. And lets face it - Money is what it is all about these days and influenced by the OF.

[Stevie]

Spot on IHE, the system is a farce.

[Alex MacLeod]

without the split you could probably stop the league now as all the positions that matter are settled

as it happens theres still something to play for (should we ever decide to start playing)

With eleven points between 2nd and 6th and 11 games to go how can you say the positions that matter are settled?

[RiG]

The Champions and relegation spot has been pretty much decided. Ultimately they are the ones that matter most in the SPL come the end of the season.

[Johnboy]

Personally I think the split is a waste of time and only geared to make extra cash for the top two or three teams.

It generates extra cash for the top six... Think about it....we would have extra games against the OF, the Dons, Hearts, and one other... it would be great for us if we ever got there......

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

We simply have to begin by changing our small team mentality.

[clacher_holiday2]

im really not sure why people are crying about the split here.  is it really that big a deal

[beachcomber]

in the scheme of things, no.

[CaleyCanary]

It's a really big deal if yer tring to organise a Highland March!!!

[Harry Chibber]

Sign the petition... :link: