S.P.L - Are you bothered?

[Thadius]

Anyone bothered about the Scottish Premiership. Its the same teams year in and year out, ie Celtic or Rangers.
Least with Premiership it has 4 teams permenately challenging and teams like Everton occasionally springing an upset and finishing higher!

 

[Bugz]

Just the league?

Scotts sux altogether!

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[Dantares]

With no disrespect intended for people from Scotland, but the league is pretty small and seems at times to be quite pointless. Before a ball is kicked you pretty much know who the top two teams will be, either Rangers or Celtic. Hearts have been pulling the gap back a little, but not much. The only interest that I have in Scottish football is to see how East Stirlingshire are doing, the worst team in England and Scotland and been bottom of the Scottish Third for the past three or four seasons, some times not even getting in to double figures for points. This year they are having their best season in ages.

Having said that though, I find that the Premiership is coming just as boring and predictable as the Scottish Premier League, only as stated in the first post it is usually the same 4 teams fighting for the title (three really though as Liverpool haven't really been that close to clinching the title). The Championship, League One and League Two are all much more exciting as they are much more fiercely contested and unpredictable than the Premiership.

 

[Corran]

With no disrespect intended for people from Scotland, but the league is pretty small and seems at times to be quite pointless. Before a ball is kicked you pretty much know who the top two teams will be, either Rangers or Celtic. Hearts have been pulling the gap back a little, but not much. The only interest that I have in Scottish football is to see how East Stirlingshire are doing, the worst team in England and Scotland and been bottom of the Scottish Third for the past three or four seasons, some times not even getting in to double figures for points. This year they are having their best season in ages.

Having said that though, I find that the Premiership is coming just as boring and predictable as the Scottish Premier League, only as stated in the first post it is usually the same 4 teams fighting for the title (three really though as Liverpool haven't really been that close to clinching the title). The Championship, League One and League Two are all much more exciting as they are much more fiercely contested and unpredictable than the Premiership.

In general the SPL is equal to the English Championship, and this will never change because there is no money in it, that all goes to English leagues. I find it rather boring however it all that is in the papers up here which annoys me, get basically no English football news. The football is poor and i rather watch a sunday league team

Hearts could have been contenders and begun to make it interesting but that no happening now, this year they are a shambles due to internal disputes and an owner that is a joke. Something like 8 managers in 1 year they now had. He gets rid of all their better players and brings in crappy lituanians, maybe they his family and need work permits. Who knows! But they play like a mickey mouse team now.

 

[Jeremiah]

The SPL is boring, and thats from a Scottish football fan. See, the reason that Celtic and Rangers are the only contenders, isnt because they are millionaires, but because they get 60,000 fans every home game. Couple that with TV money, and it simply makes them the stongest, financially. What happens is that other teams develop their own players, but they become "too good" for the team, in that they cant afford to renew the players contracts, so they all get sold to the Old firm.

I like the SPL being the underdog in the UK tho, Celtic and Rangers usually perform well against the Premiership teams in Europe, it makes for really fun games The shape of the league will be changing soon I think, so that might shake things up. But you have to remember, Scotland only has a population of 5m, the same as London. We have something like 40+ league teams, for a very small audience, so pretty much every team struggles to break even, hence poor quality football

 

[soze]

I follow Heats as thats where my Family comes from but its now more to see what the nut job of a manager dose next. How i wish it was that twat that got Chel$ki

 

[Vladamir]

I follow Heats as thats where my Family comes from but its now more to see what the nut job of a manager dose next. How i wish it was that twat that got Chel$ki

Any reason to have a pop right?

 

[leviathane]

Any reason to have a pop right?

knew glory boy would be about as soon as chelsea were mentioned

 

[Thadius]

In general the SPL is equal to the English Championship, and this will never change because there is no money in it, that all goes to English leagues. I find it rather boring however it all that is in the papers up here which annoys me, get basically no English football news. The football is poor and i rather watch a sunday league team

Hearts could have been contenders and begun to make it interesting but that no happening now, this year they are a shambles due to internal disputes and an owner that is a joke. Something like 8 managers in 1 year they now had. He gets rid of all their better players and brings in crappy lituanians, maybe they his family and need work permits. Who knows! But they play like a mickey mouse team now.

I love the Championship, even though Leeds are utter shite atm. I mean look at the table, i mean wtf! Derby near the top?!

And last Season Reading, Wigan before that and a few years before it was Portsmouth. All hopeless teams, they get a decent squad together and all 3(well, Wigan may go down) are doing well in the Premiership.

As for the Scots, my team is Partick Thistle, ateam I supported every since i played a management game and they were the only Scots that sounded good!


Took them from division 2 lowbies to rr10, champ leagues as well as SPL winners,then got bored and saved Leeds from relegation

 

[soze]

Any reason to have a pop right?

Well yeah Im just upset you got a mentally stable russian

There has always been alot of talk about folding the scottish leauge into ours but apparently Rangers and Celtic will not start in the championship they want a year where 3 team get relegated but none premoted so that can slip into the premiership but that of course can never happen

 

[Ormorof]

go go gretna

 

[Vladamir]

knew glory boy would be about as soon as chelsea were mentioned

Glory boy?

'ok'

 

[Corran]

I love the Championship, even though Leeds are utter shite atm. I mean look at the table, i mean wtf! Derby near the top?!

And last Season Reading, Wigan before that and a few years before it was Portsmouth. All hopeless teams, they get a decent squad together and all 3(well, Wigan may go down) are doing well in the Premiership.

As for the Scots, my team is Partick Thistle, ateam I supported every since i played a management game and they were the only Scots that sounded good!


Took them from division 2 lowbies to rr10, champ leagues as well as SPL winners,then got bored and saved Leeds from relegation

The championship is good, it is such a close league. Shame the championship side that was my local in my youth are so bad at the moment (southend). It is exciting and within 5 games span of time a team at the bottom could end up in a playoff spot. That is the case up until towards the end of the season and it is exciting. SPL lacks that though as they got 2 teams that will often walk away and the others just fight for that 3rd place.

There has always been alot of talk about folding the scottish leauge into ours but apparently Rangers and Celtic will not start in the championship they want a year where 3 team get relegated but none premoted so that can slip into the premiership but that of course can never happen

Aye this is the Old firms problem. In reality they would have to spend at least 4 season, if not 5/6 seasons to get into the English Prem. There is no way a financial package can be put together to please anyone that should have promotion not receiving (about 40million+ per team? 120million in that season just for the champ sides. Then you got all the other leagues below that in which people cant promote up unless you increase the size of the championship. This knock on affect never gets mentioned though.

So what option does that leave? Well all you have is the option of increasing the size of the premiership. And no manager will go with that because the season is already to packed. Then you look at the top 10 teams, they wont agree as they know that make reaching europe harder etc etc. Never going to happen as the Scottish teams can not afford to make it worthwhile tothe affected clubs

 

[soze]

Aye this is the Old firms problem. In reality they would have to spend at least 4 season, if not 5/6 seasons to get into the English Prem. There is no way a financial package can be put together to please anyone that should have promotion not receiving (about 40million+ per team? 120million in that season just for the champ sides. Then you got all the other leagues below that in which people cant promote up unless you increase the size of the championship. This knock on affect never gets mentioned though.

So what option does that leave? Well all you have is the option of increasing the size of the premiership. And no manager will go with that because the season is already to packed. Then you look at the top 10 teams, they wont agree as they know that make reaching europe harder etc etc. Never going to happen as the Scottish teams can not afford to make it worthwhile tothe affected clubs

Last time i heard something which i think was the SFA option was to expand the Championship with 4 new teams, and 3 new teams in division 1. Then they do the 3 go down none go up and Rangers Celtic and 3rd place go into the premiership. I think its nuts they should not get a buy to the Premiership because they are not good enough imo

 

[Corran]

Last time i heard something which i think was the SFA option was to expand the Championship with 4 new teams, and 3 new teams in division 1. Then they do the 3 go down none go up and Rangers Celtic and 3rd place go into the premiership. I think its nuts they should not get a buy to the Premiership because they are not good enough imo

Thing is I would be a git and play devils advocate with the scottish teams. You want to play in English leagues? In order to take part in the EPL you need to have an English based stadium. You can no longer play in scotland as it isnt the "English and a ickle bit of scotland premier league". The Championship will be expanded by 2 places only. In order to keep financial fairness if you get promoted you have to financially compensate the teams that missed out on automatic promotion and the playoff positions. So if finish 1st and 2nd then compensate 3rd/4th for no automatic promotion and all the way down to 2 teams outside of the playoffs. (Hey they make 30million from prem tv deal when they there so it only fair to compensate.)

Can soon see them deciding against wanting in when you look at the costs involved with that

I wouldnt let more then celtic/rangers into English football as non the rest are of a decent standard. Hearts fell apart now and they are a joke with their owner. So just the old firm (who i wouldnt want anyways). Just dont think they have consistancy to make it far in the prem and i rather give the english based teams a chance above them.

 

[soze]

Thing is I would be a git and play devils advocate with the scottish teams. You want to play in English leagues? In order to take part in the EPL you need to have an English based stadium. You can no longer play in scotland as it isnt the "English and a ickle bit of scotland premier league". The Championship will be expanded by 2 places only. In order to keep financial fairness if you get promoted you have to financially compensate the teams that missed out on automatic promotion and the playoff positions. So if finish 1st and 2nd then compensate 3rd/4th for no automatic promotion and all the way down to 2 teams outside of the playoffs. (Hey they make 30million from prem tv deal when they there so it only fair to compensate.)

Can soon see them deciding against wanting in when you look at the costs involved with that

I wouldnt let more then celtic/rangers into English football as non the rest are of a decent standard. Hearts fell apart now and they are a joke with their owner. So just the old firm (who i wouldnt want anyways). Just dont think they have consistancy to make it far in the prem and i rather give the english based teams a chance above them.

Your right I hope none of them get in away days in Scotland are not my idea of fun But maybe Celtic and Rangers with premiership money and the fact they are not a mickey mouse league will be able to get better players and start to compete who knows.

 

[Tasslehoff]

Thing is I would be a git and play devils advocate with the scottish teams. You want to play in English leagues? In order to take part in the EPL you need to have an English based stadium. You can no longer play in scotland as it isnt the "English and a ickle bit of scotland premier league".

It's not called the English and a little bit of Welsh Championship either, yet Cardiff gets to play there.

 

[Jeremiah]

I think the only way Celtic and Rangers have any chance at all of getting into the Premiership would be to have to start in the lowest possibe league division (div 3?) and work their way up. Even then, its still fair to the non-leaguers who want promotion

 

[soze]

I was thinking that when they made the championship they could have folded scottish prem in
1 -> Championship
SP and top 10 of 2 becone the 1st
bottom 10 of 2 and 10 from 3 become 3 ect

Could have worked Shame Old Firm would not have gone for it anyway Div 2

 

[Thadius]

Dont think Celtic and Rangers would ever be able to join the Premiership as it is too far North to travel for games. Like Berwick is right on the border and is allowed toplay in the scottish leagues as there are no English teams formiles!

 

[Penlid]

I just look forward to listen to Ewen and Roughy battling it out on Real Radio, fucking hilarious.

 

[Jeremiah]

Dont think Celtic and Rangers would ever be able to join the Premiership as it is too far North to travel for games. Like Berwick is right on the border and is allowed toplay in the scottish leagues as there are no English teams formiles!

Did you know, than in the Austrailian League, teams may need to fly for over 3 hours to thier next game, which can result in crossing time zones and suffering jet lag? The UK has it easy hehe