League restructuring - Another SPL mess

So the great and the good of the SPL met for 3 hours yesterday and decided that SPL, 1 and 2 each with 10 teams is the way to go , despite the fact that a quite extensive survey of fans overwhelmingly opted for an extended SPL of 14 - 18 teams. It looks like there is a split in the SPL, so whether they can get the required 11-1 majority seems unlikely at present, but I'm sure the dissenters will be pressured by the rest to preserve their cosy little clique. "This will give all the Scottish clubs more money" says Doncaster . Aye right!
What does everyone think of where we are, and where change should come?The game is stale , and even OF fans are pissed of with 4 league games a season.

 

I think they're right about the financial side of things. Let's face it the only reason Sky and ESPN paid any money at all was because of the old firm games.

In an ideal world I reckon 16 or 18 teams would have been great for football but the problem is that all clubs (including the old firm) are too reliant on TV money. If they lived within their means and didn't pay crazy wages to crappy players the TV money wouldn't be so important.

 

There is absolutely no chance of them making it bigger simply because of the reduced number of OF games a season. How do the SPL sell that one to Sky/ESPN? The four OF games a year is the number one reason that they still show Scottish football on Sky.

I don't agree with two leagues of ten teams as it seems utterly pointless. I'd like to see it stay as 12 teams, get rid of the split and bring back the play-off for relegation/promotion. Plus why not let the teams who are good enough to have reserve squads put those teams into the lower division but ban them from promotion. It might inject some life into the lower leagues if the likes of Celtic/Rangers/Hearts etc had their reserve teams in there like in Spain.

 

It seems strange that some of the teams that are supporting the 10 team league are very likely to be among the first relegation certs (St Midden and the Pakkies ) whereas Hearts and Dundee Utd are against it. Possibly they are looking at the short picture where they get the OF at their place at least 3 times a season, and each game must be worth £100k at least.

 

I just don't see the benefit of changing the number of teams in the league up or down as I can't envision why it would make the league better. Nobody has given a valid explanation as to why changing the number of teams is good/bad. They just argue that it's better or worse and don't back it up with any reasonable evidence.

More teams means the TV money is even further divided which will kill the smaller clubs. Plus those teams will have less visits from Celtic/Rangers which, as you said Staggie, is worth a lot of money. Factor in less OF games and I can't see the point in making it a 16 team league.

I still don't know why we have the split in Scotland as it's a total farce every year.

 

Scottish football is dead.

Boring, mundane, **** quality, all the birds that go to the games are mingers, too many hangers on, dickheads running every club and the SPL/SFA, too many clubs etc. etc. etc.

The only way it will ever be good again is if there is a constant stream of really good young players coming through. FFS, how many millions of pounds do Rangers, Celtic and the rest need to spend to develop a few really good young players? Other countries can do it!

 

Scottish football is dead.

Boring, mundane, **** quality, all the birds that go to the games are mingers, too many hangers on, dickheads running every club and the SPL/SFA, too many clubs etc. etc. etc.

The only way it will ever be good again is if there is a constant stream of really good young players coming through. FFS, how many millions of pounds do Rangers, Celtic and the rest need to spend to develop a few really good young players? Other countries can do it!

 

How about a 14 team league with each team playing each other 3 times a season?
once at home once away and once at a neutral venue??
an old firm league game at hampden with a 50/50 split would be crackin!!
especially if it was a potential decider!!!

is that a good idea or am i spouting ****e?

 

The average ticket price for a non-season ticket seat in the SPL is something like £19 compared to €19 in the Bundesliga. Why is the Bundesliga about £1-2 cheaper than the SPL?

It costs on average €10 to watch Borussia Dortmund but about £22 to watch Aberdeen. That just makes no sense, we're constantly being ripped-off and the fans have had enough.

 

I think the fans will stop going to games, due to the ridiculous ticket prices, coupled with the ripoff charges for ecoli-burgers and other ****e the clubs sell. Also sky are beginning to hike prices where people wont be prepared to pay . The EPL has peaked as the "world's best" and will have to start living within it's means, like the OF are painfully having to do at the moment. Although tv money has built the game up to what it is, it is also going to be the cause of it's demise.

 

It really is a disgrace Staggie. A couple of seasons ago Caley charged me £25 + booking fee in the away end for a Celtic game. Then they have the cheek to sell pies which you could hammer nails in with for £2.5.

In what world is it worth £30+ to sit in a plastic seat with a solid, disgusting pie and a watery Bovril watching Inverness play Celtic to a boring 1-1 draw?

But English football is even worse. £60 to watch Liverpool? £8 for a burger at Wembley!! That had better be the best stadium burger in the world. Even Madison Square Garden is cheaper than that and you can get a beer in there.

 

I know guys who go down to watch Rangers home and away every ****ing week, and even they (true fans ? mugs ? ) are getting ****ed off with the status quo, as they feel a lot of the clubs over price the OF compared to other teams. Apparently the burgers at Ibrox are mingin' also.

 

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kiss my ass

 

I used to do the same Staggie until I realised it was just a waste of money. I only go to about 10 games a season now at most. I refuse to pay £28 for a ticket at Celtic Park as it's a ****ing rip-off.

We used to leave Invergordon at 7:30 am on the Saturday and not get back until nearly midnight. I hated that ****ing dump of a supporters bar on London Road. Then it was into the old supporters bar in Perth for a few. Waste of a ****ing day and a couple of hundred quid if you ask me. The amount of ****s on that bus who were too steaming to even remember who we were playing was ridiculous. Why bother going all that way to the football just to get leathered on drink in ****ey pubs is beyond me.

Personally I go to football to watch the match and for the atmosphere. But the standard of football and ****e atmosphere at Celtic Park in the last 5-6 years has really put me off paying to go to games.