Wind of change

[Gaffer 1,665]

I think you sum up the feeling of a lot of bears, and certainly myself. Our place is here as a Scottish club playing other Scottish clubs, however if we have any desire to be a big club on the world stage, and see the big players and big clubs on a regular basis, this could only happen by joining the EPL. The danger of course would be that we would immediately become attractive to big foreign moneymen owners which our Gallant Pioneers would be turning in their graves if we sold out.

 

I think we should be looking to rip up Scottish football and start again with a super league of regional clubs with larger support bases than a professional league of 42 mostly unsustainable clubs. The history and passion of small clubs and their supporters will probably prevent this from ever happening (look how they hated themselves to death in 2012 for example) but Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts, Lanarkshire, Dundee, Perthshire etc. all in one league of 10 decent sized clubs would be a new concept to sponsors & broadcasters. Did rugby not do something similar recently?

 

On your first point TB, I completely agree that it would be a major risk to sell out to the non Rangers supporting money men, and could spell the end of our club.

 

The second point you raise is the really disappointing aspect of Scottish football for me. We have 42 pro clubs, and yet very few of them have grasped the opportunity to develop young talent and sell it on. This would be a great business model and opportunity for many of the bottom 20+ clubs, but they just don't make the effort to change. When kids get to 17-19, the pathway is supposed to take them into these clubs, for those that are talented enough. This however just doesn't happen, and in my opinion most of the talents are going to the amateur and junior leagues instead, or dropping out of football altogether as they see their dreams fade. There's nothing wrong with playing football at amateur level, but they just don't get the quality or quantity of training sessions that would turn them into players suitable for the larger pro clubs. This is why we have so few young talents emerging in the pro game, and yet I see incredible talent every week in the various regional youth leagues.

 

In many respects, youth development is a numbers game. If you train and play enough of them, you will eventually get a proportion that are good enough. Unfortunately there are very few that have the opportunity (due to the limited number of clubs that treat youth development seriously). I had originally been supportive of maintaining the 42 pro clubs, but since they've failed to help develop younger players, I don't see the point. That's tough on supporters of these smaller clubs, but if you have no place in the circle of life, you are dead. The SFA has created an excellent pathway programme, but if the smaller clubs do not support it by playing their part in signing and playing youth players, the SFA should stop helping to fund them.

 

I'd much rather see that money being invested in our top clubs, and in the many excellent youth leagues around the country.

[Walterbear 557]

I think a lot of fans from the big teams would rather be playing Rangers or Celtic than the likes of Burnley and Hull. But its the other 14 sides who could see their place disappearing who wouldn't want this move. Then there Championship and League 1 sides wouldn't go for it as they would request we are taking their potential slots and that we should start at the bottom tier - which I wouldn't have an issue with.

 

I've said this for many years. I'd rather have played against lower league English teams from decent sized cities and towns than the dross in Scotland and work out way up. Blackpool, Sheffield, Hull, Nottingham, Bristol, Millwall all hold more appeal to me than Patrick, Motherwell and Dundee.

[craig 5,199]

Five years ago, when everyone in Scottish football was trying to kill us, we should have applied to join the Northern Premier League, the semi-pro, level 8 and bottom of the ladder, and begin our journey up the English pyramid. Frankly the standard wouldn't have been that different from Division 3 where we found ourselves and we'd be around League 1 or 2 now just a couple of steps away from the top flight down south. That league is as good as the one we're in, our support would have stuck by as, the interest and potential for sponsorship would be at least the same if not more so and, as an added benefit we wouldn't have been spending any money with clubs who literally tried to kill us. Plus we'd have earned our way through the leagues, not been parachuted in, something that will be very unpopular if it ever happens.

Our club playing in England, with all the media exposure that comes with that, would have secured our place in the game and garnered us thousands of fans for years to come.

 

I'd still be in favour of trying it today.

 

That's all well and good John, but it lacks two important ingredients - the need for approval from the English FA and, I believe, the need to be released from the Scottish Leagues - was it not the case that the SFA could prevent us from moving to another association for at least a year ?

[aweebluesoandso 290]

As ever with the move south' date=' I'm torn on this.

 

I'd love to see the SFA, sheep, edinburgh pikeys etc absolutely gutted and left to wallow in their own shit. I'd love to see us having the subsequent funding that EPL would allow, to compete on the big stage in the CL.

 

However, I'm a proud Scot and immensely proud of our heritage as a Scots club, and if I'm honest, the EPL doesn't really do it for me any more. Some clubs who used to have a bit of history, romance and individual identity are now financial playthings for faceless investors, such as Citeh and Chelski. I wouldn't want that for our club.[/quote']

 

I have sympathy with your stance, but i live in England so it wouldn't bother me, Newcastle, Sunderland like a home games for me. Not to mention p[laying Man-U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, remeber those bastards tried to kill our club off, feck them hope they all rot to nothing.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Double post

Edited June 8, 2017 by aweebluesoandso

[MacK1950 2,399]

Problem is that being involved in the south of the border set-up would mean a massive hike in season ticket costs and the added extreme expense of trying to get to away games.This would result in me personally having to give up my ticket and probably no chances of ever getting to games.It's definitely a no-no for me.

[craig 5,199]

Problem is that being involved in the south of the border set-up would mean a massive hike in season ticket costs and the added extreme expense of trying to get to away games.This would result in me personally having to give up my ticket and probably no chances of ever getting to games.It's definitely a no-no for me.

 

I'm not entirely convinced that it would mean a massive increase in ST's. The additional revenues from TV, league position standing, sponsorships and advertising may mean that the ST's remain at a reasonable level.

[JFK-1 1,693]

I'm not entirely convinced that it would mean a massive increase in ST's. The additional revenues from TV, league position standing, sponsorships and advertising may mean that the ST's remain at a reasonable level.

 

Even Championship clubs in England can and do sell cheap season tickets to get bigger crowds. That is in fact what Huddersfield did and hit the jackpot.

[boabie 230]

Five years ago, when everyone in Scottish football was trying to kill us, we should have applied to join the Northern Premier League, the semi-pro, level 8 and bottom of the ladder, and begin our journey up the English pyramid.

 

Football rules did not allow that and we'd have needed SFA approval to play our home games in Scotland whether in a Scottish league or not. I don't think for one second they'd have given us that permission.

[pete 2,499]

That's all well and good John, but it lacks two important ingredients - the need for approval from the English FA and, I believe, the need to be released from the Scottish Leagues - was it not the case that the SFA could prevent us from moving to another association for at least a year ?

 

I can't see that when they or the SPL were refusing us a licence. It was our choice to ask the lower leagues. i am sure we could have just as easy went to another association.