We Still Need Reorganisation In Scottish Football

THE excellent SCOTTISH LEAGUE website, set-up and run by David Ross is, I believe, THE receptical for considered thought on Scottish football - partly, I feel, because it is well-nigh an Old Firm free zone.

 

This week the topic of the Lowland League and community/grass-roots football in general has been getting an airing on the site, and, the consensus is that we are still some distance from having a system within the game in Scotland which works.

 

As I said at the time, the SPL's power-grab, driven as it was by their greedy members' need to keep some of the Rangers brand's financial muscle open to them, which forced through the integration of the SPL and the SFL, with the sop of the Lowland League being initiated, was a case of an ill-thought-out compromise, driven through too-quickly and with too-little cognisance of the potential drawbacks.

 

The fact is, we still have far-too-many "senior" clubs, taking more than they are giving, from Scottish football. We need a pyramid system which properly allows well-funded, ambitious clubs such as Spartans to rise.

 

We need the junior clubs to join the mainstream, instead of operating within their own parallel universe, and we need a system which will allow Scotland to once again become a nation which produces talented young players who can, in the best Scottish tradition, go out into the world and make a difference, while leaving enough at home to allow Scotland to return to the top table in world football.

 

We will, however, never get this while the game continues to be run by self-serving blazers whose only concern is living off the scraps from the Old Firm table.

 

We "anoraks" on SCOTTISH LEAGUE have seen this, and have put several alternative scenarios up for consideration. I would like to think the "blazers" could have a look at what is being put forward and act accordingly.

 

 

 

TODAY'S final regular season games in the Championship division of the SPFL is being, half-heartedly bigged-up as: "Helicopter Saturday", with a chopper and pilot on stand-by at Cumbernauld, ready to deliver the trophy to whichever one of three clubs, Dundee, Hamilton Academical and Falkirk, comes out on top.

 

Mind you, this season, with the Rangers tribute act coming up and Hearts and probably Hibs coming down, perhaps isn't the season to be promoted - better maybe to stay down and take the money next season.

 

The three teams will, lest we forget, be battling for the right to be considered the 13th best team in Scotland - which, no matter how you dress it up, doesn't amount to Humphrey Bogart's beloved hill of beans.