Tekel Towers » The Scottish Leagues have to be suspended

PatReilly · 14/3/2020 3:15 pm

A wee bit shocked to see many sides in the English National League, and National Leagues North and South, are playing today.

Most sides at National league level have average crowds of over 1000, with some teams averaging more than a few Scottish top league sides.

As an example, Notts County are at home today and are averaging 5224, with Stockport on 4341.

Four sides in the North and South leagues get in averages of over 2000.

I imagine they'll all be stopped after this weekend, but still a surprise to see so many games on.

bowers · 14/3/2020 5:14 pm

Tobias Smollett wrote:
I see in Germany they are proposing if the season cannot finish that there will be no relegation from the top flight. They will instead expand the top flight with the teams currently in the top 4 places in the league below.
I think that that is fair and, as a United supporter, I would have no qualms if the same conditions were applied to The Scottish Premier next season, with us, Inverness, Dundee and Ayr all going up and no team relegated.

An expanded league is what most fans want but whether the clubs and TV contracts would allow this is another story.

Thoughts?

I dont think Ayr stadium is upto standard for top league? if that is the case they would need to share or it would go to Dunfermline to come up.

If that was the outcome i would be quite happy with that being honest.

PatReilly · 14/3/2020 5:50 pm

Tobias Smollett wrote:
I see in Germany they are proposing if the season cannot finish that there will be no relegation from the top flight. They will instead expand the top flight with the teams currently in the top 4 places in the league below.
I think that that is fair and, as a United supporter, I would have no qualms if the same conditions were applied to The Scottish Premier next season, with us, Inverness, Dundee and Ayr all going up and no team relegated.

An expanded league is what most fans want but whether the clubs and TV contracts would allow this is another story.

Thoughts?

That would be acceptable to many United fans, but on the question of fairness, if I was a supporter of Dunfermline, Arbroath or Morton, you'd think they'd be unhappy at having their chances of promotion cut short.

bowers wrote:
I dont think Ayr stadium is up to standard for top league? if that is the case they would need to share or it would go to Dunfermline to come up.

There are no minimum seat or cover requirements in the SPFL now, that was simply for the old SPL. Ayr would, however, have to provide two more buckets at each end for folk to pish in.

PatReilly · 14/3/2020 5:54 pm

Tobias Smollett wrote:

The big stumbling block will be Celtic and Rangers. Celtic will want their 9 in a row and Rangers will complain that league reconstruction wasn't available to them when they went under.
.................

The Old Firm have won the title for the last 35 years.

Rangers died, they've no reason to 'complain'. They cannae!
The Old Firm died with them.

But I know what you mean: the two Glasgow teams would continue to spoil it for the rest of us.

PatReilly · 14/3/2020 6:18 pm

Tobias Smollett wrote:
What would your suggestion be Pat?

I think the season has to be completed, if humanly possible, before the end of 2020.

Then run a shortened set of tournaments for 20-21. I'd like more teams in each league, more variety for the supporters, less matches against the same clubs (seven for us v ICT last season). But that won't happen, as Doncaster and accolades want the Glasgow clubs meeting as much as possible for their tv contracts.

If I could be allowed to dream, I'd have all the clubs breakaway from the Glasgow twins and set up their own league.

Can I ask, Tobias, if you are from the west of Scotland, or are you simply a fan of the author (poet, surgeon, fraudster, slavemaster?.....)?

JerryDungle · 14/3/2020 8:10 pm

PatReilly wrote:
Tobias Smollett wrote:
I see in Germany they are proposing if the season cannot finish that there will be no relegation from the top flight. They will instead expand the top flight with the teams currently in the top 4 places in the league below.
I think that that is fair and, as a United supporter, I would have no qualms if the same conditions were applied to The Scottish Premier next season, with us, Inverness, Dundee and Ayr all going up and no team relegated.

An expanded league is what most fans want but whether the clubs and TV contracts would allow this is another story.

Thoughts?
That would be acceptable to many United fans, but on the question of fairness, if I was a supporter of Dunfermline, Arbroath or Morton, you'd think they'd be unhappy at having their chances of promotion cut short.

bowers wrote:
I dont think Ayr stadium is up to standard for top league? if that is the case they would need to share or it would go to Dunfermline to come up.

There are no minimum seat or cover requirements in the SPFL now, that was simply for the old SPL. Ayr would, however, have to provide two more buckets at each end for folk to pish in.

Arbroath wouldn’t be bothered, was speaking to one of their committee members recently and he was saying they have absolutely no ambitions of top flight football. Their situation just now is absolutely perfect for them, big increase in both home and away gates at Gayfield, increase in revenues through league, positions, better sponsorship deals, and plenty of money in the bank.

Promotion would mean they’d have to radically alter the structure of the club and they simply do not want to do it.

Last edited by JerryDungle (14/3/2020 8:11 pm)

Beharder · 14/3/2020 8:26 pm

I reckon every team bar hearts would vote against an expanded top flight as it would dilute the tv money. Cash is king, fans don't count

Tek · 14/3/2020 10:17 pm

This season has to be finished. I don't care if it's put on hold for months. It has to be finished in the interests of fairplay and sporting integrity.

Why should Dundee FC receive, ultimately, the same reward as Utd for finishing 3rd and nearly 20 points behind us. That's not fairness. That's not sporting interity.

Finish this season. The winners have to be the winners and the losers have to be the losers.

TheShed · 14/3/2020 10:31 pm

Tek wrote:
This season has to be finished. I don't care if it's put on hold for months. It has to be finished in the interests of fairplay and sporting integrity.

Why should Dundee FC receive, ultimately, the same reward as Utd for finishing 3rd and nearly 20 points behind us. That's not fairness. That's not sporting interity.

Finish this season. The winners have to be the winners and the losers have to be the losers.

I agree, but I also see problems with this if it does drag on months, players contracts, clubs went bust in the meantime, who knows, it may just not be possible. Really difficult to know what to do right now.

bowers · 15/3/2020 12:33 pm

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hearts-set-crisis-meeting-discuss-21696107.amp?__twitter_impression=true

SlatefordArab · 15/3/2020 2:04 pm

As others have mentioned, this could be the ideal opportunity to reconstruct the leagues and/or bring in summer football. Most other countries in the world would look at it that way, look at what the German league is possibly proposing. But here in wee parochial Scotland we won't. We'll do what Celtic, The Rangers and the London based TV companies who don't give a fuck about Scotland will say we will do.

Last edited by SlatefordArab (15/3/2020 2:05 pm)

JerryDungle · 15/3/2020 2:40 pm

Reconstruction is really the only way the governing bodies are gonna appease everybody and prevent potential action from clubs.

14 team Premier League, no relegation, two up from each division and one each from the Lowland League and Highland League.

Even then, club’s won’t be happy cause their slice of the pie is getting divvied up even further. This self-interest in itself is a massive part of the problem in Scotland anyway.

Arabdownsouth · 15/3/2020 9:19 pm

Even if we do get to claim the title and promotion, I'm still gonna be gutted that once again the cunts next door will claim we only won by default. There won't be any pitch invasion or any real kind of celebration at all.

lifesanocean · 15/3/2020 9:50 pm

Arabdownsouth wrote:
Even if we do get to claim the title and promotion, I'm still gonna be gutted that once again the cunts next door will claim we only won by default. There won't be any pitch invasion or any real kind of celebration at all.

On the plus side, the miserable punters who said they wouldn't clap or cheer when we finally won it will be fucking delighted by this outcome.

SuperMario · 15/3/2020 10:10 pm

DUNDEE UNITED CHAMPIONS 👀

SuperMario · 15/3/2020 10:21 pm

Should have added there’s a lot of rumours circulating on twitter

PatReilly · 15/3/2020 11:48 pm

SuperMario wrote:
Should have added there’s a lot of rumours circulating on twitter

100% pish.

Tek · 16/3/2020 12:53 am

There won't be a quick decision made here Gents.

There will be no football played again in this country until September and this season was not due to end for 2 months yet.

The powers that be need to take their time and come up with an action plan that makes most sense and causes least chaos.

No kneejerk decisions should (or hopefully will) be made.

blackandtangerine · 16/3/2020 9:16 am

Tek wrote:
There won't be a quick decision made here Gents.

There will be no football played again in this country until September and this season was not due to end for 2 months yet.

The powers that be need to take their time and come up with an action plan that makes most sense and causes least chaos.

No kneejerk decisions should (or hopefully will) be made.

Better to finish it asap. That way clubs can get their prize monies which may help them survive.

Arabdownsouth · 16/3/2020 9:20 am

lifesanocean wrote:
Arabdownsouth wrote:
Even if we do get to claim the title and promotion, I'm still gonna be gutted that once again the cunts next door will claim we only won by default. There won't be any pitch invasion or any real kind of celebration at all.
On the plus side, the miserable punters who said they wouldn't clap or cheer when we finally won it will be fucking delighted by this outcome.

No doubt they will mate

16/3/2020 9:25 am

Let's be honest most folk have a vested interest but I don't see how cancelling the season can be deemed a fair outcome. On the other hand, if the powers that be decide that the 19/20 season is finished and prizes handed out based on current standings, then at least there's approx 30 games played to base that on. Obviously for us, Celtic and Liverpool, it's not that controversial but the bottom of our league is pretty tight and that could cause some trouble.

Tek · 16/3/2020 9:31 am

blackandtangerine wrote:
Tek wrote:
There won't be a quick decision made here Gents.

There will be no football played again in this country until September and this season was not due to end for 2 months yet.

The powers that be need to take their time and come up with an action plan that makes most sense and causes least chaos.

No kneejerk decisions should (or hopefully will) be made.

Better to finish it asap. That way clubs can get their prize monies which may help them survive.

It's only been a week.

Another week or two should be taken to make sure the next step they take is full proof.

The prize money should be given to the clubs asap though. Of that i agree.

PatReilly · 16/3/2020 11:09 am

Tek wrote:
blackandtangerine wrote:
Tek wrote:
There won't be a quick decision made here Gents.

There will be no football played again in this country until September and this season was not due to end for 2 months yet.

The powers that be need to take their time and come up with an action plan that makes most sense and causes least chaos.

No kneejerk decisions should (or hopefully will) be made.

Better to finish it asap. That way clubs can get their prize monies which may help them survive.

It's only been a week.

Another week or two should be taken to make sure the next step they take is full proof.

The prize money should be given to the clubs asap though. Of that i agree.

I'm sure the football authorities will issue interim payments in the near future.

PatReilly wrote:
A wee bit shocked to see many sides in the English National League, and National Leagues North and South, are playing today.
......................................
I imagine they'll all be stopped after this weekend, but still a surprise to see so many games on.

Fixtures appear to be going ahead, 3 listed tomorrow. Puzzled.

Arabdownsouth wrote:
lifesanocean wrote:
Arabdownsouth wrote:
Even if we do get to claim the title and promotion, I'm still gonna be gutted that once again the cunts next door will claim we only won by default. There won't be any pitch invasion or any real kind of celebration at all.
On the plus side, the miserable punters who said they wouldn't clap or cheer when we finally won it will be fucking delighted by this outcome.

No doubt they will mate

It's odd to think anyone is overjoyed with what is happening presently.

MockChop · 16/3/2020 11:22 am

I think the ‘let’s just copy England’ approach will be our fearless leaders way.

For me, I’d say we need to finish this season before another starts. However long that may be. The financial implications are just something we will need to tackle

Finn Seemann · 16/3/2020 1:08 pm

I think we should close off the league now award the current 1st place teams the win and shuffle the leagues to 3 leagues of 16 based on current league position taking in 6 new clubs. Play each other home and away then a league split (8 teams) (total 37 league games) to continue to find winners, promotion and relegation. 2 promoted and relegated as of right and a play off between 10th and 3rd in adjacent leagues. No relegation from bottom league for a couple of years.