Hearts Rant
Jul 23, 2017 · 6 min read

Hearts Rant: League Reconstruction — Time to Listen. (Monday, 15 April 2013)

“Social unrest.”

Those were the words of Stewart Regan on the consequences of Rangers’ demise in the summer of 2012. As Scottish football tore itself to shreds amidst persistent clamour for justice, Regan broke ranks and stood side-by-side with Glasgow Rangers. His words were calculated and deliberate. A chance to paint an unrealistic — and probably irresponsible — image of rioting hoards less than a year after the infamous London riots. Regan’s comments were, of course, nothing more than scaremongering to appease bSkyb and an eleventh-hour attempt to defeat the ends of ‘footballing justice’ and propel the new Rangers up the leagues. They pandered to those who claimed that Sky Sports & ESPN would abandon Scottish football and condemn a large proportion of full-time clubs to near oblivion in the light of Rangers plying their trade in the Scottish Football League. With the benefit of hindsight, Regan’s comments were of course wholly inaccurate.

One year down the line and Scottish football finds itself in the tight grip of a new saga. An omnishambles of epic proportions. League reconstruction. Whilst the topic of debate differs slightly, the same undertones remain. The stream of threatening rhetoric is the one constant throughout. With supporters ostracised from the decision making process, we are continually told that there is no alternative to this package of proposals dreamt up by Neil Doncaster of the SPL. It’s time to accept the proposals or face impending doom.

As I pen this piece, I’m told that the vote was rejected by member clubs this afternoon. It remains to be seen where we go from here. Regardless of this, let’s examine the positives of the proposed changes designed to revolutionise Scottish football:

Greater distribution of cash down the leagues: An undoubted positive. The SPL clubs are making concessions on this to ensure SFL clubs see a greater share of Sky television cash. A selfless act designed as a sweetener to merge both bodies for the long-term good of the Scottish game. Who could argue that the positives on this one far outweigh the negatives? Not I.

SPL/SFL Merger: Again, a positive change to simplify the governance of the football leagues within Scotland. The merger of the two bodies means less bureaucracy and a more streamlined approach to decision-making long term. It’s yet to become clear who would lead such an organisation but if it rids the game of the buffoon that is Neil Doncaster then we’ve all hit the jackpot.

Pyramid structure for entry to lower leagues: The fourth tier of football in this country has long gone stale due to the lack of a fear-culture around relegation. Clubs such as East Stirling can continually finish tenth and face no demotion from the league. Meanwhile, clubs such as Spartans are impeded by a glass-ceiling despite having immaculate infrastructure and a burning ambition to better themselves by playing within the Scottish Football League. The same goes for clubs such as Irvine Meadow in the junior leagues, or Cove Rangers in the Highland League. This new pyramid structure would vitalise these clubs and give them a chance at greater things should they wish to take it.

Play off consideration: The proposals clearly acknowledge the need for a play-off system to maximise excitement. Supporters back these proposals and recognise the need to add as much excitement as possible. Allowing two SFL1 teams a shot at the SPL — for example — is a great incentive for increased competition.

Despite these positives, the plans were burdened by a frankly ludicrous split mechanism which kicks in after 22 games. The top 8 of the initial 12 clubs move forward to the ‘Premiership’, whilst a second 8 (The Play off 8) is created to enable a scrap to avoid relegation to the second 12 for the season ahead. Below that, 8 clubs will fight it out to avoid relegation to the SFL landfill site, ahem, National League. Those who compete in the middle league will have their points “zeroed” at the 22 game stage to allow for a competitive environment. Honestly, I’m not making this up. That was a genuine proposal to improve Scotland’s premier division. Don’t even get me started on the plans to dump 18 SFL teams into one league.

Anyone who has watched the SPL this season will tell you that our league is more competitive than it has ever been. Whilst our own club props up the division after a dose of financial reality, clubs such as Ross County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle have been an absolute credit to the league. Previously looked upon by some as a blight on the division, these clubs have come into their own and produced some excellent football. Each team within the division is capable of defeating any other. As finances tighten and clubs cut their cloth accordingly, youth players are allowed to flourish. We have a generation of outstanding talent playing regular top-flight football. It’s refreshing to see. Ironic then — and somewhat typical of Scotland — that we are keen to dismantle this model and begin again with a manufactured set-up designed to create competition.

Supporters are continually bombarding phone-ins to voice their dissatisfaction at the proposals. We’re rebuffed by the powers that be, who rubbish our desire for a larger top-flight in Scotland. It’s a financial model that simply will not work. Tell me, though, where do we go from here if we decide to subsequently ditch the new set-up in the years ahead; just like Switzerland did? The product in this country will be damaged even further when we inevitably scrap this set-up. We will simply be a few years further down the line.

You see, supporters are willing to make concessions on a larger league for now. The one thing supporters are united in is the opposition to the 8–8–8 split. There is no appetite for it from any fan I have spoken to. The common-sense approach would be to listen, to hear our concerns and to exclude the splits from the proposals for now and introduce a simple play-off format for promotion/relegation to and from the Premier Division. Doing so would ensure that we had broad agreement among fans to allow Scottish football reconstruction to move forward in a positive light. I am yet to hear a convincing reason for why we would need to revert to 12–12–18 to move forward. It strikes me as petulant and ignorant of the thoughts of supporters.

Leading the opposition to the proposals is Roy MacGregor of Ross County and Stewart Gilmour of St Mirren. Both have examined the proposals and have a varying degree of scepticism and reservations on different segments of the reconstruction. In liaising with supporters groups and board members, both made public their intention to vote ‘No’. After doing so, they were lambasted by Stewart Gilmour of Aberdeen and branded selfish by Celtic’s Peter Lawwell. The pressure they faced was bordering on intimidation at times. Gilmour in particular was branded selfish by Milne for deciding to vote ‘No’. Does Milne not realise that executive decisions have to be selfish? Does he decide to ignore the fact that St Mirren have to measure the affect that these changes would have on their own club? Both were well within their rights to vote as they seen fit. They have a responsibility to their own club. Ultimately, it appears their votes have scuppered this proposal. I say fair play to both for standing firm.

Where will the SPL go from here? It remains to be seen. Neil Doncaster’s position is becoming increasingly perilous. His credibility has been “zeroed” like a ‘Play off 8’ club after 22 games. He is incapable of leading the change despite an unprecedented appetite to do so within the game in Scotland. His inflexible approach and unwillingness to listen to the games key stakeholder (that’s the fans, by the way. Not Sky) has meant that he has failed to gain sufficient support to push through his proposals. It is time for the man to pack his bags and move on.

Perhaps the inevitable ‘next wave’ of consultation might include the fans. Let’s ensure that clubs set sensible ticket pricing to encourage stay-away supporters back to games, whilst ensuring fans are not made to travel ludicrous distances to see their team at a time which suits the ESPN schedule. I won’t hold my breath.

Hearts Rant

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