The Scottish Professional Football League has claimed that it would be practically impossible to grant Scotland manager Gordon Strachan his wish to have Hearts, Hibs and Rangers “manipulated” back into the top tier of the Scottish game.
Strachan, speaking on Sky Sports' Goals On Sunday programme, welcomed the news that Celtic would play Rangers in the semi-finals of the League Cup and added that he would like the authorities to find a way to promote three of the country’s best-supported clubs into the Premiership, which is lacking both a title sponsor and a meaningful TV deal.
“The top league has missed Hearts, Hibs, Rangers, so to get that fixture back is fantastic, because all we talk about is administration and all the rest of it in Scotland,” Strachan said. “We need Rangers back. They were punished and something had to happen but it left Scottish football short.
“Somehow we have to get these three teams back. Then the game will grow again, with the crowds and a bit of money, and excitement.”
Hearts have a seven-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Championship. However, only the champions will be guaranteed promotion next summer, with at least one of the three clubs mentioned by Strachan missing out and no changes to that process will be considered until 2016.
“When the SPL and the Scottish League merged last year it was agreed that there would be a three-year moratorium on significant changes in order to give the game some stability,” Ian Blair, the SPFL secretary, said.
“It covers our rules and regulations, the structure of competitions and the payment of fees to clubs – all the major issues.
“Theoretically, a major change could still be made within that timeframe but it would require the unanimous backing of all 42 of our senior clubs for that to happen.
“I know from personal experience how difficult it can be just to achieve a majority vote on a proposal, never mind the 100 per cent backing which would be needed. So it’s very unlikely that alterations will be made. Quite apart from anything else, no one apart from Gordon Strachan has requested it.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/scottish-football/11206753/Gordon-Strachan-told-plans-to-manipulate-Hearts-Hibs-and-Rangers-into-Premiership-is-non-starter-by-SPFL.html
Don't see how handing everything on a plate to the big clubs is going to improve football in Scotlan and certainly not the Scottish national team.
Strachan, speaking on Sky Sports' Goals On Sunday programme, welcomed the news that Celtic would play Rangers in the semi-finals of the League Cup and added that he would like the authorities to find a way to promote three of the country’s best-supported clubs into the Premiership, which is lacking both a title sponsor and a meaningful TV deal.
“The top league has missed Hearts, Hibs, Rangers, so to get that fixture back is fantastic, because all we talk about is administration and all the rest of it in Scotland,” Strachan said. “We need Rangers back. They were punished and something had to happen but it left Scottish football short.
“Somehow we have to get these three teams back. Then the game will grow again, with the crowds and a bit of money, and excitement.”
Hearts have a seven-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Championship. However, only the champions will be guaranteed promotion next summer, with at least one of the three clubs mentioned by Strachan missing out and no changes to that process will be considered until 2016.
“When the SPL and the Scottish League merged last year it was agreed that there would be a three-year moratorium on significant changes in order to give the game some stability,” Ian Blair, the SPFL secretary, said.
“It covers our rules and regulations, the structure of competitions and the payment of fees to clubs – all the major issues.
“Theoretically, a major change could still be made within that timeframe but it would require the unanimous backing of all 42 of our senior clubs for that to happen.
“I know from personal experience how difficult it can be just to achieve a majority vote on a proposal, never mind the 100 per cent backing which would be needed. So it’s very unlikely that alterations will be made. Quite apart from anything else, no one apart from Gordon Strachan has requested it.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/scottish-football/11206753/Gordon-Strachan-told-plans-to-manipulate-Hearts-Hibs-and-Rangers-into-Premiership-is-non-starter-by-SPFL.html
Don't see how handing everything on a plate to the big clubs is going to improve football in Scotlan and certainly not the Scottish national team.