Scottish Premier League clubs agree to 'explore expansion'

[ian1964 10,475]

Alloa chief Mike Mulraney reckons 10-year-old revamp plan could lead to civil war in Scottish football

20 Nov 2012 00:01

 

THE SPL proposal, which would involve 24 teams splitting into two leagues of 12 and then three leagues of eight, has left the Wasps chairman disappointed.

 

 

 

AS it stands Alloa would be the 24th and final member of the SPL’s new two-tier vision.

 

But Mike Mulraney isn’t expecting a gold-embossed invite through the letterbox at Recreation Park.

 

The Wasps chairman’s suspicions are understandable. He has been stung before by the selfish nature of a top-flight cartel who only seemed to care about themselves.

 

And that’s why he sees their new expansion proposal – which is eerily similar to Gordon Smith’s plan of 10 years ago – as just the latest attempt to get Rangers fast-tracked back into the exclusive club.

SPL is correct to go for my idea to improve game in Scotland

 

After all their posturing about sporting integrity and listening to the fans now it comes to this.

 

An SPL2 in all but name, seeking applications from clubs in the SFL who are willing to abandon their peers.

 

In short, civil war – sparked by a vision as divisive and elitist as the original concept that broke away from the Football League in 1998. Mulraney said: “If this is just another attempt to divide Scottish football I couldn’t be more disappointed.

 

“Theoretically Alloa are Team 24 at the moment so does that mean we will be invited to join or is it a beauty parade?

 

“If it’s not decided on sporting merit then anyone who thinks Scottish football is a laughing stock now better brace themselves because they’ve seen nothing yet. Is that the fruits of a summer’s worth of thinking?

 

“To create another schism and drag our game into civil war? It’s staggering.

 

“If this is just another solution to get Rangers back up quickly it would undermine the credibility of Scottish football to sponsors, investors and supporters.

 

“After the pressure fans put on their clubs to make Rangers start again from Division Three, do they honestly expect that idea to fly?” SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster has yet to clarify whether he sees Rangers playing in the revamped two-tier top flight.

Maths doesn't add up for football fans as SPL league reconstruction plan is ridiculed

 

But Mulraney didn’t hold back in his view of a model that incorporates two leagues of 12 followed by a halfway split into three divisions of eight teams.

 

He added: “Their response seems to be a shaken-down version of Gordon Smith’s plan from 10 years ago. There is no consideration for the recommendations in the Henry McLeish report commissioned by the SFA.

 

“And having already introduced one league split which has been widely considered a massive failure now they want THREE.

 

“What surprises me most is they haven’t offered a solution for all 42 clubs.

 

“I cannot see the Scottish football public accepting a plan that isn’t for the benefit and inclusion

of everyone.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alloa-chief-mike-mulraney-reckons-1445987

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

The funniest thing was the desperation in Jim Spences voice trying to find out if Rangers were to be invited in

 

I'm generally not a negative guy but I genuinely do hate this little creep

[Davie P 4]

Does the SPL not have minimum requirements for stadiums? Are all of the 24 ''invited'' clubs going to meet these requirements? If not, do they waive those, or give those clubs wanting to join a period of time to comply? What happens if that club is relegated and no longer needs to meet those criteria, but has spent hundreds of thousands of Pounds in doing so?

 

I could go on and on, but clearly, there has been no thought expanded upon this, other than ''oh f**k Peter, we had better say something or else the diddy clubs in the SFL are going to be running Scottish football!''

 

The sooner that the SPL collapses under the weight of it's own hypocracy, the sooner Scottish football can begin to improve.

[calscot 0]

These proposals are starting to look like one of the four horsemen - War?

 

We already have Famine from Rangers not being in the SPL and it will increase with the loss of the TV deal.

 

We're just waiting on Death to take Hearts and then the SFL or SPL will have Conquest.

 

What Apocalypse, eh?

[johnnyk 158]

http://scottishfans.org/default.aspx

 

Football League Reconstruction Poll

[GovanAllan 0]

The Poll kind of says it all about the SPL.

[johnnyk 158]

The Poll kind of says it all about the SPL.

 

but they still won't listen

[GovanAllan 0]

but they still won't listen

 

Well they do but only when it suits some false Integrity agenda to hammer us.

[The Real PapaBear 0]

2 leagues one of 20 one of 22 3 up 3 down scottish football was at its stongest under this format so whats wrong with going back to the future .

 

The problem was that from about x-mas the relegation battle was fixed, the title was between two clubs, very rarely 3, and so you had 15 or 16 teams with nothing to play for every week.

The 'Split' has been a good idea since it gives teams something to play for right up until the last month or so.

[Guest brochbear]

I think it is time that the footballing authorities listened to any input the fans groups may have on the way forward for our game. After all, recent events has seen fans being asked to dig into their pockets to help their cash strapped clubs. As a thank you, the member clubs on the whole, should listen to the voices of the people that help pay their wages. In any other business, surveys are taken, which in turn helps sell their product. They can continue to operate a self interest system until it's milked dry, but it is time to sort out the reconstruction, to create stability for the generations of fans to come. They owe that much to the people who turn up to watch ever week.