ian1964 10,720 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 The Parkhead club would support a move that would see the top six teams in the league play less matches. Celtic are not opposed to reconstruction of the Scottish Premier League and would be open to an expansion to a 14-team top division. SPL clubs failed to reach agreement on league restructure last year after a series of meetings saw a proposal for a 10-team top flight and 12-team â??SPL 2â? rejected. Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has said that the club would favour an increase to 14 teams, which would see the top clubs play two fewer games per season than under the current set-up. â??If we were asked our opinion on whether we want a 10, 12 or 14 [team league], we could see ourselves voting for a 14 as long as itâ??s a six and an eight. If that again helps the clubs that have great concerns about relegation,â? Lawwell said. The chief executive explained that during the extensive talks between clubs last year, the club had been persuaded to change their mind from an initial stance of wanting a cut in the number of clubs. â??We actually started at the strategic group with a ten [team plan].,â? he said. â??We felt it was right. â??It was 36 games and that gave us the appropriate time for Europe and season start possibly a winter break "We were actually then convinced for a 14, Martin [bain] and I, through this group because the top six would play 36 games. We would go with 14 and a top six.â? A league of 14 teams would work with a split midway through the season. Each team would play the others twice in the first half before the top six and bottom eight broke into separate leagues. Having already played 26 games in the first half of the season, the top six would play each other twice in the second half, making 36 games in total. The bottom eight would do the same, giving them a total of 40 games. Lawwell said that Celtic were of the opinion that the plan would serve the interests of clubs at both ends of the table with more scope for rest balanced with extra matches for the clubs at the lower end. â??That gives you preparation time it gives you winter break time and then in the bottom teams would have 44 games and more money,â? he said. â??We support play-offs, we support the pyramid system below that and support the parachute payments. â??We were persuaded to go back to the ten for the greater good because the majority around the table wanted the ten. We said 10, 12 or 14, it doesnâ??t really matter, other than the number of games you play.â? With Celtic regularly playing in European competition, the club also wants consideration of the demands involved in playing in more than one competition. â??We prefer a later start than others,â? he revealed. â??We want a winter break and we like preparation and flexibility for playing in Europe, so youâ??re not playing Rangers at 12pm on a Saturday after coming back from Kazakhstan. â??We were on ten, persuaded to 14, then back to ten. Within that document there were things we liked, things we didnâ??t like. But we said â??donâ??t throw out the best in search of the perfect, letâ??s go for itâ??.â? Lawwell also said that the actions of the 10 non-Glasgow clubs who had met to discuss change without speaking to Celtic and Rangers were â??divisiveâ? and denied that the club was only acting in its own interests. â??We see it as potentially divisive and concerning for every Scottish football supporter at this very difficult time for the game in Scotland,â? he said, referring to reports that other clubs were pushing for wide-reaching reform in the SPL. â??We could all do without it.â? â??We are not against protecting the lower clubs. We were part of the strategic group that committed to transforming the funding of the First Division. â??We were disappointed and we feel it disrespectful that what Celtic and Rangers bring to the game that we were excluded, having spent nearly two years and a lot of time helping to develop a strategy. The Parkhead official said that he feared that without the correct approach to the future of the league, the game as a whole in Scotland would suffer. â??[The worry is] that the quality of Scottish football is further weakened or lessened. The quality of the overall game reduces to the point you donâ??t have any European context at all.â? http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/301332-celtic-would-favour-switch-to-14-team-spl/?febf 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Tell you what Liewell Ya Fud why don't we just give you all the trophies at the start of the season then we will just play for fun. Oh and by the way IT'S TAINTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,720 Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 Tell you what Liewell Ya Fud why don't we just give you all the trophies at the start of the season then we will just play for fun. Oh and by the way IT'S TAINTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have no shame 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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