Stewart Regan Q & A in The Record

[ian1964 10,415]

On Tuesday, former First Minister Henry McLeish gave us his verdict on the controversial 12-12-18 reconstruction plan for Scottish football.

 

Yesterday, retired SFA president George Peat â?? the man who hired McLeish to save our game two years ago â?? told us why he fears the people he left in charge have botched their big chance to deliver.

 

Today, in the third part of an explosive series of big interviews with Record Sport chief football writer Keith Jackson, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan hits back.

 

And hits back hard. Here Regan explains why he believes the proposed new set-up will not only resurrect Scottish football but could also establish our country as one of the world gameâ??s leading innovators.

 

 

SR: Innovation is the key to this. In recent years football down south has been innovative. The play-offs for example have been the most successful thing ever to have happened to the Championship. Itâ??s now the richest game on earth.

 

But no play-offs exist in Scotland between the top two leagues. The proposal delivers that type of excitement. Whenever you put a new proposal in place someone somewhere feels disadvantaged because theyâ??ve missed out.

 

KJ: But itâ??s easier for fans to accept that at the natural end of a football season. To tell Hearts at the halfway stage they are a goal behind Dundee United so they must now play half a season of relegation play-offs â?? while United can go for second place in the top division? Surely that canâ??t be fair?

 

SR: The introduction of something new always carries trepidation. But we have to treat this as an opportunity to completely change Scottish football for the better. I accept numbers are subjective. Some people like 10s, 12s, 14s and 16s. In England itâ??s 20s and 24s. So whatâ??s right and whatâ??s wrong?

 

What we have here is a chance to vote on a plan that can actually move the game forward. Itâ??s the first time since I arrived in Scotland we have reached such a point. This is a chance to strengthen teams, particularly in the First Division, and bring in excitement and play-offs.

 

KJ: What play-offs? There are no inter-league play-offs I can see.

 

SR: Letâ??s stick with the concept of excitement. In the top two leagues your first 22 games decide which of the three groupings you go into. As you move through the 22 games the excitement builds. Are we going to make the top eight and compete for European places? Or are we in the middle group, where every game is going to be exciting because itâ??s four up and four down? If Iâ??m in the bottom eight, am I going to be able to avoid relegation?

 

Itâ??s all about excitement. Weâ??ll have a group of 24 clubs who are going to interact over the course of the next few years.

 

KJ: So the plan is to make those 24 teams Scottish footballâ??s elite?

 

SR: They will be Scotlandâ??s most exciting clubs and ideally develop our future Scotland players.

 

At the moment fans crave freshness. What we need to do is build stronger, more financially stable teams. If we are ever going to end up with bigger leagues in the future, with fans going to different grounds every week, then we need more of those stronger teams.

 

KJ: So this in essence is an incubator for a couple of years. To strengthen the top 24?

 

SR: Things change. Whoâ??s to say this wonâ??t be the best solution? It could be the most exciting league structure weâ??ve had and it will be up to the league bodies to review that over time. It could be the best thing that ever happens to Scottish football.

 

KJ: But in the end isnâ??t it all about fans? Youâ??re not about to have Sky bursting down your door offering millions of pounds. Therefore the only way to increase revenue is to put more bums on seats. If the fans donâ??t like this plan then you have a major problem.

 

SR: Yes. And we all have a role to play in that â?? the leagues, the SFA the media. We have to try to explain why itâ??s beneficial to Scottish football. Right now people believe 16 teams is better. Why is that?

 

KJ: Because fans are tired of going to the same old games at the same old grounds. They want radical change. By not delivering on that is there a danger we alienate them further?

 

SR: The league bodies have tried for two years to deliver change. We havenâ??t managed it because the voting structures prevent progress. If you donâ??t compromise you donâ??t get change. This plan might not make 100 per cent of people happy. But it gives greater financial distribution, a single league body, better governance and opens up a pyramid structure for Scottish football. Most of all, weâ??ll have more exciting matches.

 

KJ: But it didnâ??t excite fans in Austria or Switzerland.

 

SR: Whatâ??s right for Austria and Switzerland might not be right for Scotland. In England they have a 20-team Premier League which is thriving. But if you tried to introduce it to another county it might bomb. Just because itâ??s failed in Austria doesnâ??t mean it will fail here. We need to give it a chance.

 

KJ: One of the problems they encountered was fans stopped buying season tickets because they didnâ??t know what they were getting for their money. Many waited and bought half season tickets instead. Wouldnâ??t that have a disastrous impact on revenue?

 

SR: There are pluses and minuses with every structure. Financial certainty tops everyoneâ??s agenda. That has been addressed and the two leagues will be taking a distribution model to their members which will give financial certainty.

 

KJ: Can you give us details?

 

SR: That wouldnâ??t be appropriate. But there is a financial model that gives certainty and comfort to all clubs, particularly those further down the leagues. The top eight clubs in the SPL have conceded over £1m, particularly to the clubs in the First Division. After that, it will trickle down to other clubs. It frustrates me when I read comments from George Peat from your interview yesterday. He said weâ??re simply using the current £1.3m settlement figure. Weâ??re not. This is additional money. George was factually incorrect. He hasnâ??t got all the facts. Heâ??s not been part of the proposals and there are more important issues to worry about than the views of a former president who clearly misses the limelight.

 

KJ: But now youâ??ve brought him up, what did you feel about his assertion that yourself and Neil Doncaster are out of touch and donâ??t understand Scottish football?

 

SR: With respect, you asked him that question. It was a leading question.

 

KJ: No. I asked him if there was a danger your credibility was damaged by recent episodes or did he feel sympathy towards you? It was a straight question. One or the other. He said what he said.

 

SR: As Iâ??ve said all along, Iâ??ll be judged on what I deliver. The board are my appraisers. And I would say Iâ??ve delivered more in the last two years than the Scottish FA delivered in the previous two decades.

 

Weâ??ve dismantled the old committee structure, revolutionised the disciplinary system, delivered a new performance strategy, opened seven new performance schools and now weâ??ve helped to deliver unity between the SPL and SFL. All that has been achieved in two years so my track record speaks for itself.

 

George has his own view but itâ??s disappointing to hear his comments because he was instrumental in my appointment. Heâ??s seen the benefits, his legacy will be the implementation of the McLeish Report, which I have delivered for him. And it has been done against a backdrop of the most challenging situations Scottish football has seen. So is my credibility at stake? No, my credibilityâ??s not at stake. Iâ??ve delivered and Iâ??m more than happy to put my head above the parapet on that basis.

 

KJ: I understand. But do you understand you couldnâ??t have parachuted yourself into Scottish football at a more traumatic time in its history? Youâ??ve presided over some major and damaging events.

 

SR: I understand football â?? thatâ??s why Iâ??ve been able to deliver all these changes. Every business has challenges and Scottish football has had more than most in recent times but we never shied away from them and I personally have led the organisation through some of the most difficult issues its had to deal with in its history. I think weâ??ve come out the other side much stronger.

 

KJ: I donâ??t want to labour the George Peat issue but there was one other thing he mentioned. He felt your handling of the Rangers crisis showed you didnâ??t properly understand the â??sceneâ?. What do you think he meant?

 

SR: Itâ??s an interesting point. I would be interested to understand what I personally did during that time that was so challenging. I was simply the person who was delivering the views of the three bodies who collectively tried to put a strategic plan together.

 

All I was doing was delivering that message. As for the handling of the situation, George wasnâ??t here, wasnâ??t involved in the discussions and wasnâ??t party to any of the five-way agreement.

 

KJ: You seem genuinely excited about the prospect of change when others are less convinced. What is it you see that they donâ??t?

 

SR: Two years ago Henry McLeish said Scottish football had to address five areas â?? governance, performance, league reconstruction, facilities and regional football. He said if you can do all of those things you can deliver sustainable change.

 

Weâ??ve addressed governance, put a performance strategy in place, got greater emphasis on facilities and investment from the Scottish

government and put in place a new regional structure for development under the Scotland United banner.

 

The one outstanding area is league reconstruction. Weâ??re now closer than ever to achieving it and thatâ??s what excites me. The plan is in place and, over time, when the performance kids come through and play for Scotland â?? that excites me. Iâ??m looking into the future. Thatâ??s why people shouldnâ??t get too hung up on the numbers of any league structure. Give the proposal a chance to succeed.

 

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...reform-1528901

[Guest DietofWorms]

I feel I'm a fairly balanced human being....but I can't bring myself to see Regan as anything other than a sweaty incompetent (possibly corrupt) wee snake.

I cannot give anything he says the time of day.

[blueflag 378]

Blueflag: are you a first class arsehole/prick/enterwordshere

SR: without doubht

[JTP 0]

SR: This is a chance to strengthen teams, particularly in the First Division, and bring in excitement and play-offs.

 

KJ: What play-offs? There are no inter-league play-offs I can see.

 

SR: Let’s stick with the concept of excitement.

 

 

 

 

An absolute muppet.

[Jim1955 12]

I note that he is still talking about the five way agreement. Is this the "agreement" that the SFL refused to accept?

[ian1964 10,415]

SR: As I’ve said all along, I’ll be judged on what I deliver. The board are my appraisers. And I would say I’ve delivered more in the last two years than the Scottish FA delivered in the previous two decades.

 

SR: It’s an interesting point. I would be interested to understand what I personally did during that time that was so challenging. I was simply the person who was delivering the views of the three bodies who collectively tried to put a strategic plan together.

 

So ya prick!,which one is it?

[GovanAllan 0]

If ever the saying "it's who you know and not what you know " was coined for someone it's this muppet. I'm actually staggered by the arrogance of the man.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

he seems to think we should judge him by how much he has changed and not the quality of the change.

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Regan is an incompetent fool, i have thought this for months, now he's proved it "excitement" shitement more like.

[GovanAllan 0]

If he wants excitement then the top 8 can go back to zero after the split as well, that will be exciting I'm sure Celtic will go for that.