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League restructure


Jack Waddington

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39 minutes ago, Robert said:

If a 27 game season is planned for the Championship, that means 2 home games against some teams but just 1 against others. We could get Hearts and Dundee at home just once, which would be a disadvantage. 

Surely it would be fairer to split after 18 games into 2 mini leagues, top 5 and bottom 5 so a 26 game league with the same balance of home and away games. 

Downside is that it would mean 6 games against 1 or 2 teams if we make the play offs but that is how it is in a normal season anyway. 

Just a thought to make things fairer, if that word is in the Scottish football dictionary. 

I'm kind of hoping we get Hearts away twice, as it means I might actually get the chance to see Caley play in Edinburgh....last time I tried this our match against Hearts was postponed because of high winds, and my eldest daughter had come up for the match. An October restart feels like such a long time away, and it'll be worse if the games start off behind closed doors.

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46 minutes ago, Robert said:

Just a thought to make things fairer, if that word is in the Scottish football dictionary. 

I think this farcical ending to the whole sorry affair has just proved it isn't. What I find saddest of all is the missed opportunity - this was a chance to improve our league structure for everyone's benefit and they have collectively blown it!

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Club Champions Runners-up Third place Last Championship
Rangers[d] 54 32 20 2010–11
Celtic 51 31 17 2019–20
Aberdeen 4 17 9 1984–85
Heart of Midlothian 4 14 18 1959–60
Hibernian 4 6 13 1951–52
Dumbarton[d] 2 0 0 1891–92
Motherwell 1 7 9 1931–32
Kilmarnock 1 4 4 1964–65
Dundee 1 4 1 1961–62
Dundee United 1 0 8 1982–83
Third Lanark 1 0 2 1903–04
Airdrieonians (1878) 0 4 2
Falkirk 0 2 1
Morton[e] 0 1 4
Clyde 0 0 3
Partick Thistle 0 0 3
St Johnstone 0 0 3
Dunfermline Athletic 0 0 2
East Fife 0 0 2
St Mirren 0 0 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 0 1
Livingston 0 0 1
Raith Rovers 0 0 1
St Bernard's 0 0 1

 

I can see 2 reasons here why clubs may not have ambition.

In the majority of cases the only ambition is survival and no amount of league reconstruction is going to change that.

Btw, I wonder if our neighbours across the bridge will ever make it into this table!

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Aye - the main thing it tells us is that Rangers and Celtic should have been pushed out into a more competitive league a long time ago!

That really does bring home how dominant they have been.  Not good for the other clubs, and not good for them either.

35 years since another team last won the league  :frustrated01:

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54 minutes ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

35 years since another team last won the league  :frustrated01:

Saying that reminds me of the 2014-15 season, we were top of the league for ages. Forget when it was though that our form dropped...checking Wikipedia, looks like it was around Christmas and March/April our form dipped. Wonder why tbf...

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On 6/15/2020 at 1:45 PM, Scotty said:

I think this story still has a bit to run ... maybe to UEFA and/or ICAS especially after the ruling in France.

It may come to nothing in the end but if Hearts do end up in the championship alongside us, whilst seeking any legal means to stay in the Premiership it could force them to lose focus and maybe take a while to get going when things restart. We are notorious slow starters so if we manage to prepare properly and come out of the start gates quickly for once we could do well, especially if the season is indeed shortened to 27 games.

 

Seems I was right about the story having more to run based on lightlamp2's link above.  I wish Hearts all the success they can get from this. Not only because it would benefit ICT - and I would be lying if I said that didn't matter, it does - but also because it is the right thing to do. Hearts, Partick, Stranraer, Brora and Kelty are all victims here and no league body should ever seek to disadvantage its members like this when its aim is to foster the game for the good and benefit of ALL of its members. Here's hoping that Hearts are successful and in the process they take down Doncaster and all his useless cronies in the process. 

Late starters and a shortened season, you're making me nervous..

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2 hours ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Aye - the main thing it tells us is that Rangers and Celtic should have been pushed out into a more competitive league a long time ago!

That really does bring home how dominant they have been.  Not good for the other clubs, and not good for them either.

35 years since another team last won the league  :frustrated01:

I can think of many reasons why Scottish football would be the better for not having either The Rangers or Celtic with a more open and competitive league only one of them.

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1 hour ago, Jack Waddington said:

New news. Partick are off to court alongside Hertz no word on if Us,  Stenny, Brora and Kelty will be appearing alongside them...

https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/board-update-16th-june-2020/

Oh deary me. What a bunch of whiners. Why can't they just accept their enforced relegation and job losses and move on? The most important thing to remember through all this is that Celtic got their title awarded to them so Scottish Football will be alright. Partick should just take there medicine as Saint Roy says and unite behind each other. For the good of the game!

 

/sarcasm

 

That last paragraph was very juicy from the statement. Bang on

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/albion-rovers-gaffers-birthday-relief-22198675.amp?fbclid=IwAR3cYQ3YxCXk4v7jdAxsQRiSKrUcjJ_s_6QtKKcVaAcbg-oTxjuBGWSBrms

 

Just read this too. Remind me again why Strachan was hounded for saying their is a lack of professional clubs in Scotland?

Edited by lightlamp2
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Scottish leagues a joke would be way more competitive if old firm would go to England! Knew hearts would go they deserved it would've been fairer if we got a play of 1 of game against whoever was 2nd bottom tho that's what I thought would've happened at the start

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6 hours ago, lightlamp2 said:

Oh deary me. What a bunch of whiners. Why can't they just accept their enforced relegation and job losses and move on? The most important thing to remember through all this is that Celtic got their title awarded to them so Scottish Football will be alright. Partick should just take there medicine as Saint Roy says and unite behind each other. For the good of the game!

 

/sarcasm

 

That last paragraph was very juicy from the statement. Bang on

 

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/albion-rovers-gaffers-birthday-relief-22198675.amp?fbclid=IwAR3cYQ3YxCXk4v7jdAxsQRiSKrUcjJ_s_6QtKKcVaAcbg-oTxjuBGWSBrms

 

Just read this too. Remind me again why Strachan was hounded for saying their is a lack of professional clubs in Scotland?

What a selfish, self-centred dick! Never mind what damage we'll inflict on others, we can save a few bob!

Albion probably have one of the shortest total away mileages over a season. I would imagine there were likely similar feelings in other central belt clubs, must have been with so many voting against the proposal. Teams with a remote geographical location like Brora and the rest of us in the Highlands face far higher costs with more frequent long distance away days. 

If this is going to be a major factor in decision making for the lower league clubs then nothing will ever change. Perhaps we do need to look at a league structure with a North/South divide for the lower leagues. Albion could then happily just play against their local pals.

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7 hours ago, Jack Waddington said:

New news. Partick are off to court alongside Hertz no word on if Us,  Stenny, Brora and Kelty will be appearing alongside them...

https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/board-update-16th-june-2020/

...and the very best of luck to them. No way Stranraer will be joining them, PT couldn't do it without their mystery benefactor stumping up the dosh. As for us, Brora and Kelty; none of us have a legal case to fight. We may all be a bit miffed at missing out on the opportunity to compete in play-offs but as it stands we're not being forcibly ejected from a league, we just stand to gain if their legal challenge is successful - fingers crossed.

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Steven Mackay has summed it up quite well...

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/highland-league/2265200/brora-manager-mackay-plays-down-comments-from-rovers-boss/

Also sent Albion a PM asking if the comments reflected the views of the club, because it's entirely unprofessional to vote no cos it's "too much of a trek" then say it's a "birthday relief" that the reconstruction talks got smothered. This is people's livelihoods we're talking about here, not only would the players be grown by playing professional football, but the village would severely benefit due to the inflow of all the fans from around the country.

Screenshot_20200616-220532_Twitter.jpg

Edited by Jack Waddington
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Brian Reid appears not to be very bright and has given a tabloid the kind of gift they usually only dream about.


Once the pyramid gets underway, there are a few clubs like Albion Rovers who will end up playing in the LL or HL if they cannot sustain playing nationally.
In fact Rovers are lucky still to be in the SPFL at all, as they owe it to Berwick’s collapse at the end of last season, beginning when Rovers miraculously gained 6 points In a single day when they had only collected about 8 in the whole season. Cove would certainly have thumped them in the playoff.

 

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Ewan Murray Tweet 

The SPFL will pay £300k a year to satisfy Sky, has a BT claim, a BBC claim, a foreign rights claim and still no title sponsor in a pandemic. They are now subject to imminent damages claims from two clubs. You'd have to be very confident...
 

BT claim believed to be in the region of £3 million! How in the hell have we arrived at this?! At least with null and void (which we were told was “unthinkable “) there would have been no forced relegations, therefore no damages claims from wronged member clubs. Hard to think of a worse outcome than the one we’ve been landed with.

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On 6/16/2020 at 9:48 PM, CaleyCanary said:

What a selfish, self-centred dick! Never mind what damage we'll inflict on others, we can save a few bob!

Albion probably have one of the shortest total away mileages over a season. I would imagine there were likely similar feelings in other central belt clubs, must have been with so many voting against the proposal. Teams with a remote geographical location like Brora and the rest of us in the Highlands face far higher costs with more frequent long distance away days. 

If this is going to be a major factor in decision making for the lower league clubs then nothing will ever change. Perhaps we do need to look at a league structure with a North/South divide for the lower leagues. Albion could then happily just play against their local pals.

Entirely agree. I have thought for a very long time that Scottish football should have one national fully professional league of 20 clubs playing each other twice a season in the 'normal' way. A largely semi professional north and south league below that of either 20 or 22 clubs each comprising the lower league clubs and the more ambitious Highland and Lowland league teams.

The bottom 2 in the National league should be relegated automatically and replaced by the winners of each of the North and South divisions with the four teams just above them playing off against the top two in the North and the top 2 in the South for with the 4 winners starting the next season in the national league and the 4 losers being consigned to the most appropriate regional division.

That way, there is much to compete for, a freshness every season, scope for ambitious clubs to progress and less ambitious clubs to find their level and the smaller, less wealthy clubs, will have more limited travelling expenses.

 

Edited by Kingsmills
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So now we have Dundee Utd, Raith and Cove kicking off as they say they will robustly defend any attempts to stop their promotions...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53111932

...if they'd all done the decent and sensible thing by voting for the 14-10-10-10 restructure in the first place none of this legal wrangling would have needed to happen! You couldn't have made this up, what an utter shambles!

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On 6/17/2020 at 10:26 PM, CaleyCanary said:

Good article by Tom English, takes the opportunity for a pop at Roy MacGregor...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53062777

I used to have a grudging respect for Roy McGregor and what he did for his club.

However, that has now utterly evaporated. His conduct during this pandemic in his disregard for the welfare of other clubs and the welfare of his the players his club has no more use for by refusing to quite legitimately continue to to furlough them is a disgrace.

When the chips are down his hypocrisy has truly exposed.

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41 minutes ago, CaleyCanary said:

So now we have Dundee Utd, Raith and Cove kicking off as they say they will robustly defend any attempts to stop their promotions...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53111932

...if they'd all done the decent and sensible thing by voting for the 14-10-10-10 restructure in the first place none of this legal wrangling would have needed to happen! You couldn't have made this up, what an utter shambles!

I particularity like how those clubs mention that litigation could prove financially ruinous for them. After voting to cause financial ruin to other clubs. Zero self awareness

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It’s a total farce and embarrassment. All leagues apart from ours seem to have handled the situation. We are in turmoil. 

Yes, we could have benefitted from reconstruction, but that is a side issue which should not detract from the potential to have delivered a fair outcome that would not have relegated clubs prematurely. 

Hearts and Partick could yet stop the season starting. If their action is successful we could get further action from the promoted teams. 

We are past the point of no return, but we could have even more chaos next season than this. 

And if we get a second wave of the virus or localised lockdowns, goodness knows what will happen. 

What a mess but roll on 17 October if that is when the league will start!

I’ve seen reference to the Betfred Cup starting before the league starts but only for the Championship. I may have that wrong: anyone know anything!

Edited by Robert
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