12-12-10-10

Sooner or later both the SPL & SFL need to hold a formal vote on this.

And maybe then, when the decision is pretty final, the TRUE feelings of various chairmen will out.

DC, I'd hardly say the first games are meaningless. You've still got to be in the top 8 to avoid relegation completely, you could argue there more important than now. No-one but Dundee is going down this year totally dreadful

Davie, they'll arrange a meeting to discuss a vote then a vote to ascertain when the formal vote will be and then...

You catch my drift.

DC - First 22 games are not meaningless. If a team doesn't get enough points in these games they will be in the bottom 4 and if a team in 2nd 12 gets enough points they will be in top 4.

Take the SPL this season; the only team to have meaningles games would be Dundee. 6 points are currently between the 7 sides above them. The race for top 8 would be exciting and at the same time gutting for the clubs who just miss out. With a 16, 18 or even 20 set up then there will be plenty of meaningless games played between the middle of table sides.

The season ticket point is one of the things wrong with this set up. At the start of the season you expect to know who you're going to play and what calibre of team they are. I dont know what the answer is to this, either an initial ST with an extension or something else. The clubs surely have considered this after agreeing to discuss this set up further.

I don't really see what difference when the transfer closes in relation to the split makes. Clubs would have to watch their money as it may not all come in at start of season but maybe this is a good thing. I think the season would have to start a little earlier with a winter break/period where postponed games could be played. Its 31st January and we are already on 24 and that's with a winter break.

For me this new set up adds a lot more to the league and competition for places than adding a couple of other teams. One of the other problems is we could go years with the same 12 clubs is top division but with the prize money gap being reduced after reconstruction then maybe the quality of side will too.

"ONE of the other problems is we could go years with the same 12 clubs"

ONE?

I would say that it is both the single biggest problems AND the single reason why the idea is so popular with the SPL.

What do the teams in the top half of the middle tier do? Do they spend on players in the vain hope of not only getting 7 home games against top tier teams, but also beating ALL 4 of them to get promotion?

Or do they sit tight, take any extra income if they do end up in top 4, and the top 12 stay the same.

Basically, this whole idea is a license for no promotion / relegation to / from top tier.

And that suits the SPL just fine.

DC, that could happen, but I don't think there is too much between the bottom of the SPL and the top of the 1st division, it should be quite easy to fire your players up for the last run of games

It actually could give us a decent title race, OF teams are not usually that far ahead after 14 games, someone else might even win the league

Are you kidding - look at the last few seasons - Celtic & Rangers streets ahead of the rest.

This season, if Celtic do not win the league by at least 30 points, something will have gone wrong somewhere.

Anything in a league which means that whole season is not a competition between ALL members of that league is basically a joke.

DC - Yeah that is the major problem, but it is one that could only be apparent after trying out the set up. I believe the minimum amount of time we can keep any new set up is 3 years due to sponsors. Although this would be good for your side considering you would play 'SPL' clubs sooner and it makes it easier to get to top league. Anyway, all we've been hearing for months is how SFL 3 isn't that different a standard compared to SPL

Maybe it's because Rangers are no longer in the SPL and the fact I've taken less of an interest in English football these last few years, but I have been taking more interest in other SPL games this year. Watched most of the non-Celtic games on the tele and I actually know a lot more about the teams in the league compared to previous years. As a neutral(hopefully) I would definitely find the 'middle 8' relegation battle interesting to watch.

westcoastarab - the points are only reset for middle 8, everyone else keeps theirs so the title race would be no closer than normal. The Belgians halve the number of points for teams chasing the title, wouldn't like to lose the league by a point after being a good few ahead before that happened though.

If we are to change, we should change to a system which has a minimum number of problems with it, and only after a year's delay.

IMO any system with a split is a major problem. And rushing anything in for next season is just wrong.

Didn't realise the points only get reset for the middle 8 resetting all 3 would be a lot more exciting.