[Official] John Bennett steps down with immediate effect for health reasons

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,327]

2 minutes ago, alexscottislegend said:

We do need to somehow exit the SPL. The other lot are streaking away from us financially and we are unlikely to get investment of the Wrexham type unless we are in a better league.

We need to understand how we can maximise the protentional of our club as a leader in Scotland and a massive share of the market. We need to understand how to play football politics better and leverage influence to create scenarios which benefits us. 

 

We have been absolutely useless at this for years, Murray was a large part of the problem as he seen himself as a giant who was untouchable. The sooner we realise that in the SPFL that 2 idiots can outvote a genius and start to play smart we will always be swimming upstream.

[Bluedell 5,624]

54 minutes ago, alexscottislegend said:

We do need to somehow exit the SPL. The other lot are streaking away from us financially and we are unlikely to get investment of the Wrexham type unless we are in a better league.

It's never going to happen in the near future. It could have happened in the early 90s when Sky had so much power and they could have forced the EPL to accept us, but now the EPL has grown exponentially and they don't need Sky and don't need us.

 

UEFA will prevent things like the Atlantic league from happening with moves similar to the new (dreadful) CL and Europa League format.

 

The only way that it could happen would be for a club to win a EU case on something like restraint of trade, but even then we would presumably still be reliant on the EPL voting to accept us, and why would they?

 

We need to accept that we're here in Scotland and plan to improve our situation here.

[JohnMc 2,750]

I think UEFA might be more open to leagues amalgamating now as long as they remain under UEFA's auspices. If the Scots, Dutch, Belgians, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, Austrians, Portuguese, Serbs, Bosnians and Croats all came together and said we want to change our domestic league set ups it would be difficult for UEFA to ignore a block that size. UEFA got a fright when the Super League thing was launched and they've made concessions to the big clubs and big leagues now to keep them onside. 

 

I can't see why UEFA would object to a Scandinavian League being created, for example, that still had promotion and relegation from the various countries involved. The creation of 'new' domestic leagues that might challenge the dominance of the EPL and La Liga might actually be welcomed by UEFA. The various domestic associations would need to be in full agreement too, that might be an issue. 

[Bluedell 5,624]

2 hours ago, JohnMc said:

I think UEFA might be more open to leagues amalgamating now as long as they remain under UEFA's auspices. If the Scots, Dutch, Belgians, Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, Austrians, Portuguese, Serbs, Bosnians and Croats all came together and said we want to change our domestic league set ups it would be difficult for UEFA to ignore a block that size. UEFA got a fright when the Super League thing was launched and they've made concessions to the big clubs and big leagues now to keep them onside. 

 

I can't see why UEFA would object to a Scandinavian League being created, for example, that still had promotion and relegation from the various countries involved. The creation of 'new' domestic leagues that might challenge the dominance of the EPL and La Liga might actually be welcomed by UEFA. The various domestic associations would need to be in full agreement too, that might be an issue. 

I can't see it myself, John, but let's hope you're correct.

[Uilleam 5,929]

The best thing that could happen would be the implementation of a/the 'Super League', breakaway or not. 

This would enable us lesser mortals, to restructure within each country, and create new cross border league(s), or other competition(s).

 

Once the 'superteams' had buggered off to play in Kuala Lumpur, Quezon City, Singapore, Shanghai, and the like, the also rans would be kicking at an open UEFA door.   

[yuddie 1,693]

2 hours ago, Bluedell said:

It's never going to happen in the near future. It could have happened in the early 90s when Sky had so much power and they could have forced the EPL to accept us, but now the EPL has grown exponentially and they don't need Sky and don't need us.

 

UEFA will prevent things like the Atlantic league from happening with moves similar to the new (dreadful) CL and Europa League format.

 

The only way that it could happen would be for a club to win a EU case on something like restraint of trade, but even then we would presumably still be reliant on the EPL voting to accept us, and why would they?

 

We need to accept that we're here in Scotland and plan to improve our situation here.

Pretty sure Ceferin gave the Atlantic league the nod tbf.

 

It was Celtic pulling out that's kiboshed it.

[Gonzo79 15,292]

6 hours ago, JohnMc said:

Serbs, Bosnians and Croats all came together

Good luck with that (I agree with your point though)!

[JohnMc 2,750]

15 hours ago, Gonzo79 said:

Good luck with that (I agree with your point though)!

Ironically they are furthest along in the planning stage of this. There's already a 'Balkans' basketball league featuring teams from Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and, strangely, Dubai. Basketball is very popular in those countries, it's not the quasi-American happy clapper thing we have. Clubs like Red Star, Partizan and Hadjuk Split have basketball teams and their Ultras attend the matches. Despite the obvious regional tensions it seems to function well and at a high standard. 

The football clubs in those countries have spoken about trying to replicate this type of set up. Basically trying to recreate the league they had when it was all Yugoslavia. What stage it's at just now I don't know, it had some momentum before covid but I've not heard much about it recently. 

[JohnMc 2,750]

19 hours ago, Bluedell said:

I can't see it myself, John, but let's hope you're correct.

I feel it's the inevitable direction of travel and will only be exacerbated by the new Champion's League money creating further unbalance in domestic leagues. Celtic will earn more money this season from the Champion's League than the combined turnover of half the clubs in the SPFL. That's not sustainable and it's happening in leagues across the continent now. 

We've seen it in pretty much every other professional sport, how long it will take to happen in football is the question.  

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,327]

Dave King calling for an EGM to get back in the top seat to drive change.

 

King walked willingly IIRC. Leaving the guys that were then in control in control?

 

Surely this is a mess of his own making. Making comments about Gerrard not leaving if he was still there and so on isn't the Win he thinks it is.