posted Mar 11, 2008

Rangers and Celtic didnt 'buy' their promenince in the SPL as such. Yes they do now kill the competition in the league, everyone else starts the season playing for 3rd and yes, its an absolute farce of a league when only 1 team outside the OF will qualify for Europe (outside of the Scottish Cup). Of course the Old Firm have been doing their bit recently to really help the co-efficient and maybe we will soon be eligible for a couple of extra places.

Point being, the SPL has been a farce since its conception. Radical change is required to draw fans back through the gates again. This topic was entitled 'devaluating the SPL' in reference to Gretna. the SPL has 'devalued' every year since it was created. Its a garbage league, the season is generally over most most teams with 5 - 6 games to spare so how can we expect fans to pay to watch a nothing game?

My advice to Gordon Smith and his band of merry men..? .. take a leaf from the book of the Dutch FA and thoroughly revamp this league like they have the Erdievisie!!

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posted Mar 11, 2008

no arguements there ballbhoy. Our game is in a terrible state full stop! Yes, reducing ticket prices might bring the fans back through the gates again, but a change to the format is also required to keep things fresh and interesting and make the fans WANT to come watch the team. The price of going to watch a match is within what the average family can afford on a fortnightly basis (assuming were only discussing home games here). A few beers is not a vital part of your saturday, though i do agree a pie n bovril is a must along with a match program. so realistically (after travel etc) about £50 for an adult and 2 kids. Costs me the same to take 2 kids to the cinema after popcorn/drinks etc.....

The big issue isn't that the fans wont come and watch cos they can afford it, its because the standard of the game in Scotland has become atrocious. I dont even mean the quality of the football...i'm simply saying that a revamped league format with more to play for for midtable teams until the last couple of games of the season would actually give fans something to come out and watch.

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posted Mar 11, 2008

I'm no fan of the Old Firm but the two scenarios are completely different. The Old Firm are football clubs. Gretna is a fotball team. Mileson bought a first team to rise through the leagues but did nothing to build a proper football club. No ground, no fans, no sustainable business plan. At best this whole farce is based on hearts ruling heads and people in the corridors of power ignoring the warning signs. At worst it has been a cynical ego trip built on false promises. Ask Gretna's creditors how much sympathy they have for the plight of the club.

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posted Mar 11, 2008

they've lied throughout thwy're meteroric rise and now they'll have to pay the price. would be ironic if motherwell were left out of pocket from gretna not being able to pay the rent. and really funny also. they cheated just as much as gretna and got away scotfree

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posted Mar 11, 2008

The whole situation is a complete mess. My team, Airdrieonians went bust. This was due to mismanagment but mostly due to the problems encountered by building a stadium that would comply with the then 10000 seat rule, which was later changed to 6000. Monklands council rejected around 5 site proposals before finally approving, 4 years later, the first site they applied for, by which time most of the funds from the sale of the old ground had depleted. Eventually Airdrie went bust but reformed as Airdrie United and attempted to rejoin the League. Guess who they went up against? Gretna.

Ayr Utd; Alloa; Arbroath; Berwick; Clyde; Clydebank; Cowdenbeath; Dumbarton; East fife; East Stirling; Inverness CT; Morton; QoS; Stirling; Stranraer and St.Johnstone all voted in Gretna over the reincarnation of one of the oldest and famous clubs in Scotland and left Airdrie high and dry (some people think this may been jealosuy of Airdrie's success in the 90's) To survive Airdrie bought over another struggling club, Clydebank, and took their place in the league. I have no sympathy for Gretna nor do i have any sympathy for some of the fans/teams feeling hard done by over the way Gretna steamrollered they way up the leagues. Don't feel too sorry for some of Scotlands clubs, they brought it on themselves.

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posted Mar 11, 2008

Thanks for the info Diamondian... I now understand a little more the bad feeling.

Can't blame Gretna though can you... if they got voted in?

Yes, I am not too up on Scottish football... but have always thought your SPL set up is detrimental to your sport.

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posted Mar 11, 2008

No problem Yorkshirehornet...

No, you can't blame Gretna as such but in eccence the voting in of Gretna lost Scotland TWO of it's clubs. Astonishingly Gretna were voted in long before Mileson came along with his funding. Before that they had little to offer Scottish football..... Look up Airdrieonians on wikipedia, it's an eye opener.

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posted Mar 13, 2008

Well maybe not!. If we want a more competitive competition we have to invest in all the other the clubs outside the old firm.
It is no use going for promotion if all you are going to get is restrictions imposed.
Gretna got there on merit; so what if they only have 22 fans,they sell 22 tickets-full house-no problem- no policing bill and no security issues. Yeh! we know it's a rural area but I still think given a leg up this little club could have surprised a few of it's knockers. Although some sports and media so called personalities predicted this situation a long time ago it does not mean they could not have been proven wrong.
Very sad.

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posted Mar 13, 2008

When a team with few fans to begin with decides to play its 'home' games 75 miles away, it devalues the league immediately. We need to reaffirm the stadium rule - if you don't have a good enough stadium, the team that finishes second in the First Division gets promoted instead of you. No ground sharing, no pleading.

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