League reconstuction - v2006(summer edition)

To get to a solution to the problem you need to understand the problems first. Look initially at the make up of the clubs in this wee country. There are approximately 22 full time professional teams. There are then another 20 semi – professional league clubs and various semi – professional leagues (Highland, East, Juniors) before moving down to the amateur level. Many of the semi – professional league clubs have lived a charmed life living off of league sponsorship handouts, pools money, etc., whilst making a mockery of the fact that there is no trap door for them (East Stirling being a classic example). Many of the semi-professional non-league clubs have contributed more to the game than these clubs. At the same time there has been a few clubs, including our own, who have tried to react to the Taylor Report, remained full-time and committed to keep a certain profile and status in the game but found that the Self Preservation League’s overly tight relegation/promotion, coupled with the unfavourable number (12 clubs) has left Division 1 a rather desolate and depressing place to be.

Crowds have dropped in some places. I go to home games against teams like Brechin and Stranraer and the crowds are definitely thinning out. Give us a Partick or Morton and the crowds start padding out. And I’m only talking about the home crowd here. To me that means that there are literally hundreds, maybe nearer 4 figures, who find something else to do with their time when there is a boring fixture. Add to that the input figures (the contribution of away fans) that some of these teams bring: Partick or Morton would bring 1000 fans minimum, Brechin will bring 30 on a good day. Is this the reward for building a legoland stadium and paying full time wages to 25 people?

I’m no fan of the SPL. Lex Gold strikes me as being almost Satanic, Roger Mitchell was an absolute jerk, the preposterous squad numbers, the self preservationist outlook, the treatment of Falkirk a couple of years ago, the lack of relegation places, the split, etc. They’ve ruined football almost as much as the old-timers that let places like Cliftonhill, Firs Park, Somerset, etc., remain as Victorian relics and death traps. Look at this year’s relegation ‘battle’. Weren’t Dundee United, Falkirk, Dunfermline and Livingston just awful this year? How much better for these clubs would it be if they were challenging for honours at the top of D1 instead? I remember Dunfermline v. Falkirk games attracting almost 10,000 fans in D1, last season they’re lucky to get 6000. There’s something in there that needs exploring.

The SPL and the full time SFL clubs need to come under the one umbrella and work out a mutually suitable league structure. SPL (should stand for Scottish Professional League) should have two tier structure. There should be a certain criteria for membership based on Taylor Report compliance, commitment to full-time standards, etc., but there should be no guarantee of safety to ensure standards are met, and that any future ‘Gretnas’ are not blocked out.

Look at the current set ups. With the SPL currently having 12 clubs, and with Partick and Morton (even Raith and A*r) both having bad years Division One has been a wasteland. The ridiculous 1 up / 1 down ruling meant that the season can be over by Christmas if there is a runaway leader and that has happened. The SPL created a bottle neck with the 1 up / 1 down set up then sucked more life out of the rest by going from 10 to 12 clubs. Any league restructuring needs to look at what’s best for all and create an environment where relegation isn’t an incurable disease. That means creating a second top league that’s actually thriving in it’s own right, a second tier league that is not impossible to escape from and one that has the interests of the fans at heart. After all, we’re the ones who the ‘beaks’ want to pay them all our hard earned spondoolies in the first place!!!