Compared to the top leagues in Europe-is SPL football in it's worst ever state with it's worst ever players?

Question

Compared to the top leagues in Europe-is SPL football in it's worst ever state with it's worst ever players?

Answer 1

I'm Scottish and its not the worst state and Scotland is a country.

Answer 2

just the celtic team are the worst the rest is alright

Answer 3

Don't think it's in it's WORST state but the standard is pretty poor compared to many leagues in Europe. As for 'worst-ever' players, ask yourself how many young Scots are being snatched up by foreign clubs.

Answer 4

Absolutely....and has been for almost five years or more. And it will only get a lot worse unless some sort of super deal can be worked out with some naive TV network.  

Answer 5

we're not in any worse nick than other countries of similar size, eg. holland, the scandanavian countries, in fact our clubs european success in the last few years outstrips the likes of france. mibby. i have to think about that last one, but its not far wrong. we're not doing too badly really

Answer 6

skink's points are some of the best ive read on here in ages.

totally agree.

it depends on how you compare leagues.  in terms of domestic talent and youth development, we are becoming one of the best in europe, recently our under 19s reached the euro champs final.

the national side as a result has risen through the ranks, beating a host of good teams.

the two dominating clubs in the league have reached european finals in recent years, and regularly play in the champions league (with the odd failure against ham n egg teams like artmedia and kaunas).  outwith the old firm, teams are no longer fearing the top two and are doing well.  

compare leagues by money alone, is a daft thing to do - the premiership is fast alienating every league in the world with the exception of real madrid and barcelona.  for years scottish teams were outspending their limits and underachieving, in years of financial strain, we have emerged better.  put skink's ideas into place and you could have a league up there with the germanys and the portugese.

Answer 7

As to the impostor at the top, the real Charlie Says, that Scottish football can obviously not compete at the level of offering £92,000 a week and bidding £32.5m for a single player.

That £92,000 is probably the combined wages of the lower three divisions. I mean no disrespect to the lower clubs, they have a miniscule budget, and try to operate within it.

As to the worst ever players, harsh. Presently we are seeing Scottish footy bringing through youth into first teams. NOT the Old Firm to any great extent I grant you.

What we are trying to do is create a system that is self supporting, because this money-go-round of football will stop just as soon as the stranglehold that SKY have on the screeing of matches ends.

Be assured that there will be one judge that says if football players cannot be stopped from plying their trade anywhere in Europe, why should bars, clubs etc, be prevented from finding the cheapest option to keep THEIR profits up.

Back to your Q, as top flight leagues go, Celtic & Rangers have punched well above their weight for the last 6 or 7 seasons. Aberdeen did well in the UEFA last season. Queen of the South were desperately unlucky to lose those last minute goals, and Motherwell can only be positive about their campaign.

Celtic and Rangers have/ had their campaigns as well; four clubs from such a small nation in European football is something to be proud of.

So financially we can never compete until some oligarch provides the funds. Grass roots we have something to be very proud of.

Scottish football in its worst ever state? Quite the reverse the future is bright and painted in a huge Saltire.

Answer 8

no it has been worse

Answer 9

Eddie - That'll be the same Rangers, that got pumped oaf a shite lithuanian outfit, aye Scottish fitbas really oan the way up, fae what you say!!!

You can hardly state it's on the up, when two of its teams have been knocked out of Europe, by not very convincing opponents. It maybe on the up for you personally, after 1 result and 4 games into a season (easily pleased), but in general I'd have to disagree.

I'd say the late 70's and late 90's, were particularly bad periods for Scottish Football in Europe, definitely worse than now, but it's certainly not on the up, more levelled out. It's like we've found our place at the european table, occassionally over performing (UEFA Cup Finals, last 16 of Champions League), occassionally under performing (Artmedia, Kaunas)

  

Answer 10

When the SPL was originally set up ten years ago, it was not the best league back then. However, over recent years, the days of either of the Old Firm winning the league by a massive margin appear to be over.

I remember in 2000 when Martin O' Neill became Celtic manager that he said that "Rangers are the benchmark" as they had won the league by 21 points ahead of Celtic.

2003, 2005, and 2008 were very exciting from a neutral perspective. 2003 Rangers won the league through having scored one goal more than Celtic (both were tied on the same points and goal difference), and 2005 Celtic threw it away on the last day of the season (Martin's last game in charge) when they let in two goals against Motherwell. 2008 cannot really be a fair comparison in some aspects, due to the fixture backlog that was created by Rangers run to the UEFA cup final (and also for some strange crazy reason, their match against Gretna was postponed from November the weekend before the Scotland v Italy Euro 2008 qualifier. Gretna were the whipping boys, it should have been a stroll in the park) and also Celtic's at the beginning of the year due to the passing of Phil O' Donnell.

Over recent years, the days of both the Old Firm dishing out 5-0, 6-0, 7-0 hidings to Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, etc on a regular basis appear to be over.

Back in 2002, the SPL rejected a £45m bid from BSkyB to televise live matches, hoping that they would get a better deal. Sadly, it backfired on them, and BBC Scotland agreed a deal with the SPL for a substantially less amount. This had a knock-on effect on both halves of the OF in that they had to cut their cloth accordingly e.g. no more £12m transfers as in Rangers case when they signed Tore Andre Flo. it should also be noted that Motherwell also went into administration not long after, and that on the last day of the season of the 2001-02 season, the former Airdrieonians went into liquidation, and soon after Livingston won the League Cup in 2004, they went into administration too, as well as Dundee.

Gretna (1946-2008) is a different story altogether, as there was only one person (Brooks Mileson) who was able to sign the cheques, and took ill, leading to them going into liquidation. However, the name Gretna still lives on, as the supporters trust have formed a new club called Gretna 2008, and play in the East of Scotland League (I thought Gretna geographically was in the south-west of Scotland, very bizarre).

The SPL league structure needs to be revised, as the current format of 33 matches, then split to play the remaining five is totally crazy. Last season both Hearts and Hibs fans were swindled of of an Edinburgh derby, as Hearts finished in the bottom six, with Hibs in the top six after 33 matches. The SPL should gradually expand from the current twelve teams, to sixteen (30 matches for each team, once home and once away), to eighteen (34 matches), to twenty team SPL (38 matches, the same number as now, and also the same lines as the Premiership in England).

I have wittered on a bit here, so feel free to respond if necessary, whether you agree or disagree, or think that I'm totally mad!

Answer 11

It's in a pretty bad state right enough.

If you look at all the top... in fact not just the top... most of the leagues in Europe, you won't find any that are only comprised of 12 teams, that have a ridiculous split going into the last few games of the season, or have only one team being relegated at the end.

The whole league format sucks ***.

Come on.

Would you rather see your team play 9 teams four times or 19 teams twice ?

As it stands at the moment, it's boring.

We need a top flight of 18-20 teams, a second tier of 20-24 and a third comprised of the best from Highland, Junior, and Senior leagues.

At the end of the season there should be 3 or 4 teams being promoted and relegated from each division.

This format would spread out the TV revenue, rather than having the top few teams keeping it for themselves.

Attendances around the country would be up, as the supporters of 'smaller' teams make the effort on match day when a 'bigger' team comes to town.

Also it would give more younger players a taste of top flight football, which in the long term, would benefit the national team.

The SPL is a joke.

There needs to be a complete revamp of the Scottish League structure if the domestic and national game is to improve.

Answer 12

sure it is. When you have players who would rather play in the English Championship instead of the SPL, yes, I'd agree. Honestly, if your a footballer, and your offered 10,000 GPB a week from Hearts or Wolves, where are you going to go.  

Answer 13

It is an exciting league, I don't understand why many look at it as a bush league. It draws as many fans and money has most of the other leagues, which is good for a small country such as Scotland

Answer 14

i think in the last 3 seasons things have been going down hill but all has changed now the Rangers have the bit between their teeth and Scottish Football is on the UP again

hi didly dee

Answer 15

Depends how you want the SPL to be. Outside the OF the teams give us a good game, it's not like 10 years ago when we just showed up & won easily. Now we have to actually fight for the points. That's because the OF have got worse & the others have got better.

It's more competitive now in games.

Answer 16

charlie says

jock footys always been sh1te and will continue 2 be sh1te 4 eva

Answer 17

The main problem with Scottish football is the fact that far too many people ignore there 'home' teams to follow the Old Firm based purely on sectarianism. If even half of them stayed home to support the likes of the Dundee clubs, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Killie, Hearts and Hibs, the game in Scotland as a whole would benefit hugely.

Without the crowds and money they generate, clubs outwith Rangers and Celtic will always be on the outside looking in, just like the Glasgow giants are when it comes to the big leagues of Europe.

Answer 18

The up side being the erse will fall out of the EPL sooner or later.  Then we will see some form of normality.  Italy and Spain had similar boom periods and look at the situation there now, especially in Italy.  I also think that the over-inflated market in England for ordinary or sub-standard players enlarges the problem.  And I can see a decent future for the Scottish League and the national team, as young players are no longer being nicked as soon as they show the slightest potential by English teams.  They seem to prefer paying over the odds to each other, or paying a fortune for sub-standard and ordinary foreign players.

Man City outbid AC Milan for Ronaldinho, and signed Robinho from Real for what, £28 million ?  They are a big club in their own right, but not on the same level as AC Milan.  

Lets see where we are in a year or two.

Answer 19

have a look at the size of the countries that are considered the top leagues, look at thier population and then look at how much smaller scotland is.

then look at the window, look out of it and look at how high you are up...then jump out the window

Answer 20

Maybe it's a s**t league but it's our league and the team i love plays in it