New SPFL Structures voted through: 12-10-10-10

[stewarty 2,060]

Agreed Andy. Its been said a few times but its the classic re-arranging the deck chairs on the titanic moment.

 

Saying that, I feel that this probably had to go through. I just hope that this is seen as the moment where everyone does start to work together and move forward for the benefit of all clubs, rather than a cash-grab by a few desperate ones. Realistically though, I can't see it happening.

[Darthter 542]

I just hope that this is seen as the moment where everyone does start to work together and move forward for the benefit of all club.

 

If this was a proper merger, then yes the future could be beneficial to all, however, in reality it's nothing more than a takeover & re-branding by the SPL - the SPFL will be trading under the SPL company number while the 130(ish) year old institution that is the SFL is thrown by the wayside.

 

The SPL will very much be the ones in control of the ENTIRE SCOTTISH GAME!!!!

 

As such, the lower leagues can expect to shafted at every opportunity, with the focus being firmly on the top 12 & a selection of others from Div 1. I foresee the Div 1 interest fading after a couple of years & things will be even worse than they are now.

[Super Cooper 0]

I am glad we didn't get any of Charlies moonbeams or nonsense after yesterdays result. I think, yesterday, was a day for dignified silence. It may be a justified stick to beat our club at times but it was not applicable yesterday.

[der Berliner 3,803]

They won't like that at Hampden ...

 

Annan chairman Henry McClelland last night pointed the finger at the SFA amid accusations of collusion with the SPL, who have refused point blank to allow independent auditors to examine their books and give SFL clubs the comfort of full due diligence. A form of due diligence, conducted by the SFA, was finally sent to SFL clubs on Monday night – 36 hours before today’s vote, the most significant in the history of the organisation.

 

McClelland also rounded on First Division clubs and slammed them for selling out on lower league clubs, who are set to be up to 25 per cent worse off under the new system. He also insisted their moral authority, which SFL clubs claimed last summer when they refused to parachute Rangers into the First Division, has now been blown out of the water. McClelland said: “I only hope the conscience of the First Division clubs is clear. They have shafted their peers in the second and third division, who have done nothing wrong whatsoever.

 

“The sporting integrity shown 12 months ago has gone for good, ended by the shameful way they have handled this process. The SFA also have a lot of questions to answer. SFL chief executive David Longmuir asked the SPL twice for an independent organisation such as KPMG to conduct due diligence on their company ahead of a potential merger and was refused. Suddenly, on Monday evening, a document dropped through on email from the SFA, authorised for release by the SPL.

 

It contained partial due diligence on the SPL’s finances conducted by the SFA. The SFA made it clear in the document released they could not be held responsible for errors and omissions and it was not independent. This is one of the biggest decisions facing Scottish football since 10 clubs broke away to form the SPL 15 years ago and yet the SFA, an organisation of which we are members, have not acted fairly.

 

They should have taken a step back and urged the SPL to slow down and not be in such a rush to pressure SFL clubs to accept unrealistic timescales and argued for a phased introduction instead. They are complicit in all of this.”

 

(Source to follow)

[Darthter 542]

Henry McClelland of Annan should be banned from Scottish football for life.....comments like his recently have no place in the current Scottish game!!!

 

That man is talking far too much sense - it'll never do.

The teams in the 2nd & 3rd div are the one who are ultimately going to loose out. This was also shown with the SPL's 12-12-18 format. The SPL had stated that an 18-team format wouldn't work, yet wanted to lump the bottom end team into an 18-team league. Those at the top of the heap simply don't care about lower league football.

[Darthter 542]

Something struck me last night....

 

The new SPFL will operate under the current SPL company number - we were told this was because of commercial contract held by the SPL & financial was the best way forward. Yet reports in the DR today are claiming that Irn-Bru is looking to extend its sponsorship to the new SPFL....that is the same Irn-bru that currently sponsors the SFL.

 

Where exactly is the benefit of maintaining the SPL company when they don't have a major sponsor & appear financially worse off than the SLF - remember at the start of last season, the SPL was unable to pay clubs their dues on time & in full, they had to make part payments.

[der Berliner 3,803]

Arbroath chief admits backing SFL’s demise made him feel ‘sick’

 

Arbroath chairman John Christison felt “sick” during the SFL annual meeting which sounded the death knell of the football organisation.

 

However, as painful as the Hampden decision was, he said it was the correct course of action to take.

 

Christison said: “I can’t say I’m happy. I actually felt quite sick at one stage to think that after all these years that’s the demise of the Scottish Football League.

 

“But we had no option at the end of the day and it probably was the right way to go.”

 

At Wednesday’s meeting at Hampden, 23 out of 29 SFL clubs – one more than required – voted for the reconstruction plans. Rangers did not get a vote as they are associate members having joined last summer.

 

The vote took place with the ever-present threat of a breakaway by the First Division clubs to make an SPL 2 hanging over the Second and Third Division clubs.

 

East Stirling were one of the clubs who voted against the plans which effectively brought an end to the SFL after 123 years.

 

Shire secretary Tadek Kopszywa believes “fear of the unknown” drove clubs to vote through the proposals.

 

He said: “I can’t talk for other clubs but my view is that some clubs perhaps voted out of the fear of the unknown in terms of the two options that were presented to us.

 

“One was that we join the 42-club organisation and effectively become members of the SPL, and the other was that the SFL stays at is with the potential threat that the 10 First Division clubs would then join the SPL, leaving a rump 20.

 

“I feel that some of the Second and Third Division clubs felt that the rump 20 wasn’t worthwhile and viable. I can understand why they said that.

 

“From our perspective, we were quite happy to go with the rump 20 SFL clubs, we could cut our cloth accordingly.

 

“When we looked at the package that was on the offer, we felt that it didn’t merit disbanding the complete organisation.

 

“We are not talking about reforming the leagues, altering the structure of the top division, altering the structures of how many teams are in each league.

 

“We are talking about a rule book which was cut and pasted between two organisations rather than starting with a clean sheet of paper.

 

“So why do we need to go this far and abandon 123 years of history just so the SPL can have play-offs with the First Division?”

 

The Courier

 

... I cannot fathom how these other chairmen all walked down the garden path ...

[aweebluesoandso 290]

This takeover needs to be challenged by the monopolies commission or at least the stock exchange, we need a shareholder to complain, i'm a shareholder through the RST do i have the authority to complain?

[Calgacus 8]

How can anyone complain, it was passed by the requisite majority. I don't really see what all the fuss is about.

[der Berliner 3,803]

All we can do is to challenge the SPL and SFA about their behaviour last year, which could spell serious trouble for the SPL. How no journo asked about the open blackmail to transfer our membership, the transfer embargo et al ... is still beyond me.