What does everyone want then?

All we get is negativity and no one puts forward a credible solution.

A 16 team-league cannot work, as teams will have only fifteen home games- of which one will be Celtic, and they'll have to wait another two years to get a Rangers home game too.

There would be no competition again, as the four SFL teams would be huddled together at the bottom fighting for relegation and Celtic and Rangers would just fight out the league every season again. So basically you'll have at least ten teams with nothing to play for...AGAIN!

A 16 team league based on the Belgian model or and 18 team league in which you play everybody twice.

Simple

Celtic out of this dump,we are far too big to play in this shathole

A 16 team league means fewer games and a thinner spread of tv money. Won't happen.

ok, just read the points plans - top 8 play on regardless keeping points, second 8 zero as it would be btm 4 from top tier & top 4 from 2nd tier (how's that going to work? Dundee are struggling in top tier now, take say Hearts v Raith Rovers (based on current league positions) - madness!

ONLY solution is less games, but better quality.

Henrik - this season, there is no one apart from Celtic fighting for the SPL title, and it will be the same for the following 2 seasons. Hence fall offs in attendances, which will continue.

Asking punters to pay to see teams play each other 4 times a year, plus 2 cup comps, meaning mid week away league games in mid winter say Celtic V Caley Wed between xmas & New Year is nuts.

Cut back on league games to ensure they are ALL played at weekends.

Result - bigger crowds.

Midweeks become only for cup games.

Rework league cup into geographical sections to cut down on travel - have a "Charity Shield" match to open each season - Scottish Cup Winner v League Cup winner.

But this 8-8-8 idea is complete madness.

The Belgian League seems ludicrous, I think there improvement is down to better quality of player and not the actual format of the league.

The Belgian league, in essence has four splits into sixteen!

Maybe we could be sponsored by 888 Poker!

*their.

I hate when people make that mistake, and I just made it.

The Belgian league does appear ludicrous but its producing different winners every year, their TV revenue far outstrips that of the SPL, more clubs are achieving progress in European competition and their national team is progressing well.

A combination of reform plus youth football reform has helped their football.

Here's what will happen.

SPL need 11-1 vote to make it happen.

They'll get 12-0 in favour. Why? because instantly it protects the bottom 4 from relegation. They would only have to play a 14 game league against lower league opposition to survive (not 5 game play off v same league as currently, and even that does not work).

SFL need 75% in favour, so that's 23-7. And that's where it might fall down. TO go from 30-0 in favour of 16-10-18, to have 23 clubs change their minds - extremely unlikely.

You might have 8 from SFL3 say yes, in the hopes of another season's worth of income from playing Rangers. And you might get 4 from SFL1 saying yes, in the hopes of chances of 7 home games v top tier opposition.

But that is it.

So, when this all falls flat at the end of January, where do we go?

daviecooper1 .. well said

So basically we'll be playing 7 out the 12 SPL teams a guaranteed 4 times then? And playing the rest twice? That doesn't change much, does it?

It's certainly better than the current setup - but I'm disappointed the number of teams hasn't been increased to 14 or 16, would have brought some much-needed freshness.

I can't believe Celtic fans want to stick to 4 games a season.

Its rotten and has been for years. What is the point of going from a 6 team split that is already pointless and boring to an 8 team split that is even more pointless and boring?

DC

This design seems taylor made to pretty much guarantee Rangers are in the top league in 2 years in my opinion.

Next season Rangers would be in the bottom 18. So playing the 9 3rd division teams and the non promoted teams from division 2 rather than at least 1 relegated 1st division side in the 2nd division next season.

So Rangers way through the third tier is made easier as they will be able to have some room for maneuver in that they ought to at least, pick up plenty of points against the 3rd division transplants making the embargo less damaging to Rangers chances of promotion from tier 3.

Assuming Rangers achieve promotion they join up with the second group of 12. Am I right in thinking Rangers need only be in the top 4 after 22 games to gain entry to a second group of 8 where the points reset? If so they have 14 more games and only need to place in the top 4 of this group of 8 to gain promotion to the top group of 12 for the start of 15/16 season.

Is it just me or does that look like a design to ensure Rangers navigate the minefield of the 1st division easily? It has been a league where a relegated team from the SPL could easily spend 5-10 years trying to re-gain promotion (often placing in the top 4 to no avail) and Rangers would dodge the need to actually win its league to gain promotion to tier 1.

I don't think its too far fetched to say this reconstruction allows for Rangers in essence to have been suspended from the top tier for 3 years. I don't think suspended is the wrong word here. I know that it was likely Rangers would work their way back within that timeframe but the actual problematic league to gain promotion from - Divison 1 has been made much much eaier to get promoted from than its current guise.

Is my assumption that top 4 in the second group of 8 after the points reset gains entry to the top 12? There is a points reset isn't there? It'd be a bit unfair if Rangers points against what are in effect Division 1 teams count for the same as say Killie's against SPL. Its also unfair to have Rangers points count for less that Killie's as it makes the separation into groups of 8 pointless in that it largely keeps the status quo but mix up the teams a little.

The cynic in me also wonders what the chances are that once Rangers are in the top tier that this reconstruction is written off as a disaster, the 2 groups of 12 then split into groups of 6 exactly like the SPL is today and SPL2 becomes a reality and Rangers are almost ensured to stick in the top 12 rather than risk any (unlikely perhaps) possibility that they fall out of the top group of 8.

If I've misunderstood anything on how this reconstruction is actually designed please enlighten me folks. Apologies for the length of post also.

Miller - your comments about points reset seem to be correct, but that is about it I am afraid.

The embargo on buying anyone ends effectively next January, ie what would be halfway through Rangers being in the current setup SFL2 (assuming promotion this year).

If this reconstruction comes in this season, then essentially, season 2012/13 ends the day it is implemented, as all remaining games, save those few I outlined earlier, will be meaningless.

Something which has been "conveniently" forgotten in all this seems to be the previous requirement of 2 season''s notice to resign from the SPL - remember that been chirped whenever Rangers or Celtic mentioned anything about moving to England?

Or does that not apply, maybe because this is not anything to the benefit of the game, but merely shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic......

Miller I think you are right about the motivation for reconstruction, I wouldn't be surprised if an invite was extended to Rangers to take up one of the two places in the new revamped SPL.

Once Rangers are back at the top division suddenly the desire to have a 10 team top league will be back.

DC1 my points about the embargo is that by having Rangers in tier 3 of 18 it doesn't particularly matter about when it ends. Rangers would be playing a lesser quality group of teams than expected in the current set up. So there would be less risk of Rangers not being promoted even with the embargo intact.

Its hard to see how this would be rejected by the SFL in my opinion. 9 Div3 teams will vote to be in Rangers league next season and the division 2 teams not stepping up to tier 2 (including those who would miss Rangers run through the leagues by having been relegated) will vote to be in Rangers league next season as its a guaranteed money maker for them. Should be 17 votes in the bag right from the off. Add the 12 from the SPL and its almost a done deal.

I just think it reeks of desperation of a plan to get Rangers back in what would be a renamed SPL in minimal time whilst mainting the stance of sporting integrity.

I just see SPL2 by the back door.

17 votes from 30 in the SFL does not carry it. Any more than 7 in the SFL say no, it is a dead duck.

So, Rangers will say no. That just means that 7 more no votes from 29 teams are required.

The same 29 teams who all said yes to 16-10-16 over a month ago.

I would say extremely unlikely this will go through.

Davie....Rangers dont even get a vote as we're associate members !!!!

Rangers do get a vote - we had a vote when 30-0 was voted for the 16-10-16 idea, and we get a vote this time too.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-fume-over-absence-from-vote-1525171

So this article is wrong then. My understanding is that we were consulted as to proposals but are exluded from the "real thing"

meuandcoop - IF that is true, we should be locking the doors.

Seriously - it was widely reported that the 16-10-16 vote was 30-0.

If it was instead 29-0, and Rangers do not EVER get a vote within the SFL, what are we doing here?

Subsidising other teams with no power to affect anything.

Strange how this was not in the prospectus for the shares.......

Davie...I agree , it's another of the conditions that we had to agree to to get into the 3rd Division. The team with the biggest crowds at home games in Scottish football and who are filling the coffers of all other clubs they play......have no say in the future of the game. Sporting integrity......ma erse !

Davie.....one wee thing, I think we did get a vote on the SFL proposal but on the SPL/SFL one, which is the one that counts....nah!