EdTheDuck

Yeah, but... In the 34 seasons prior to the 'golden age' celtic and rangers won 33 out of 34 in leagues of 18 and 20 so y'know, swings and roundabouts... The decade from 79/80 to 88/89 also saw 4 occassions when teams other than celtic or sevco won the league in a 10 team league. The size of the league is irrelevent. As Random Guy says the massive change in finances has more to do with it.

I think Hearts would have won the league in 1998 if they had even a passable record v Celtic and Rangers that season? If memory serves they picked up something like 3/24 points v them and didn't finish that far behind at all. I'm certain that Hibs took more points off Celtic and Rangers that season, and we can't have taken many given that we got relegated! Good shout. They picked up two points more v the rest than celtic but as you say a disastrous run of results against celtic & sevco (until the cup final of course). Tragic run-in as well that season - with 6 to play Hearts were 2 off the top and then picked up 6/18 Another example of an exception to the rule was Aberdeen in season 2014/15 - picked up a point more than celtic v The Rest in the regular 33 game season but lost 3 out of 3 against them. Interesting fact, that season McInnes' Aberdeen was the only team that lost 4 out of 4 against Ronnie's Celtic... However, generally speaking...

It makes no difference. Given the facts of the current structure it is more likely Aberdeen will drop points against Dundee or ICT than celtic or sevco. Kilmarnock last season demonstrated that the Ugly Sisters can be matched head-on, but raising your game against the US is pointless if you scatter points to the four winds against The Rest. Having said that, if, for example, Kilmarnock were within 4 points of the leaders in a 16 team league after 22 games the whole dynamic would change for the 8 game run-in. Whereas, last season, with 16 games left the smaller squad meant injuries & suspensions played a bigger role...probably. It needs that consistency against all teams though, not just raising your game against celtic and sevco. I wouldn't mind giving it a go, just to see, but it is never going to happen because the 5 biggest city clubs are money grabbing twonks.

Sorry but you're wrong. The size of the league is irrelevnt to any other club putting in a challenge. The fact is that dropped points against The Rest play as big a part as the myth of dropping 24 points against the Ugly Sisters. Last season Kilmarnock (Best of the Rest) dropped 34 points in 30 games against The Rest (37.78%). Celtic only dropped dropped 21 in 34 games aainst The Rest (20.59%) . Aberdeen in 4th dropped 28 in their 30 games (31.11%) If you're interested, Killie matched the US with a W3 D2 L3 against them. They actually picked up 11 points vs the US, Celtic only picked up 6. Even given Aberdeen's general capitulation against Celtic, they still picked 5pts in those US games, just a point less than Celtic. Apply those percentages to a 16 team league and Killie/Aberdeen would STILL be 12 points off top spot; that isn't a genuine challenge and If a team can get close to matching the OF in games versus The Rest then the games against celtic and sevco would take care of themselves and QED a genuine challenge in a 10, 12, 16 or 18 team league.

As a matter of fact it is not real drama, it is made up drama. Whereas the split nonsense affords actual real drama year after year after year. By the way Poland, Belgium and the Czechs all have splits of one kind of another so wouldn't be able to have this real (sic) drama either. Sweden could of course...

I can understand folks looking for 16 and 18 team leagues for 'variation' but it isn't going to happen for all the myriad (selfish) reasons often cited. TV would turn their nose up at it, lack of Ugly Sisters 4 times a year and Embra derby 4 times a year would see SKY offer even less money than before, never mind the untold fortunes they're offering from next season. Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, at the very least would vote against it because 4 times a season games against each other would disappear, to be replaced with games against teams bringing 150 fans rather than 1,500 - 3,000. Besides which, the old 18 team league was utterly fucking horrible - f**k all to play for for about 6 months, loads of meaningless games against similar dross, fans picked and chose games to go along to which is why gates swung from 5,000 to 15,000 from one week to the next. The prospect of that will guarantee at least 5 clubs will never entertain it. 14 is the best bet, but probably with a rider to go back to 12 and maybe even 10 which is what those 5 really want. That is why it won't happen. Those 5 clubs (maybe a couple more) won't let it. £££$$$ Incidentally, anyone who thinks an 18 would propel other clubs into the Title race are wrong. The suggestion is usually that only playing the ugly sister once home & away will make a huge difference but it won't. The average points difference between league leaders and Best of the Rest after 2 rounds over the last 10 years is 11.1 points. Unless you imagine Hibs will win 4 more games against the 6 new diddies than Celtic...nah... (for those who think the Rogers factor makes that gap as big as it is, in the 5 years prior to his arrival after 2 rounds was 10.6 points so...y'know...). Besides which, Hearts getting in about Celtic (and sevco maybe) will not add a single fan to attendees at Pittodrie, Easter Road, Rugby park etc. Why would it? FYI in those last 10 years there have been 3 times the Best of the Rest have been within 5 points of Celtic after 2 rounds. One of those was last season, Kilmarnock 4 pts behind, the other twice Aberdeen when Ronnie was looking after the shop. Strip them out and the average is almost 15 points.

Beg pardon, I counted development leagues or something. Thanks again

Not so fast, young man.... What's in it for Dundee then? Do they think 14 will fly, requiring a ridiculous 11-1 vote from the Prem (I'm looking at you Stewart Milne) and they're taking the 'long view' that they're shoo-ins for promotion next season? And how will they decide who gets the 2nd promotion place from Divs 1, 2 & 3 without playoffs? Top 2? Such fun coming our way...

My apologies if anyone has suggested this already... In the event of changes to the Prem structure to 14 teams, is it likely to be 1 down, 3 up and based on PPG isn't Dundee FC "third"?

Thanks. So before the East clubs switched to the EoSL there must have been over 200 Junior clubs? Quick quiz: With the West Juniors now moving to the seniors along with the East Juniors, how many of the current League 1 and League 2 clubs will still be in the SPFL in, say, 20 years? Not fucking many IMHO. Also, just my opinion, but if reconstruction happens this year and Brora & Kelty get the call I predict Brora will be the last HFL club to get promotion for a long time (unless other Sugar Daddies come along). Further to this the Lowland League has to be split into East and West Divisions to recognise the population imbalance between the HFL region and the LL region, surely?

Thanks again.

North, Tayside plus a few staunch remainers in West Lothian. Thanks Truly a rump...

Cheers The East currently has 38 - have a few packed it in or moved to the EoSL? Rothie Rovers, eh? Used play against them in the old Newmachar & District Summer League ffs...

So, at the risk of pissing of people who have already explained it,who is left in the Juniors next season? The North & Tayside?

Have they? Equal shares? Mind you, words are cheap, innit

It would make virtually no difference to Celtic but Sevco need every penny so they'd say nay. Would Motherwell be willing to pass on £300K? It would need to be 11-1 to change, wouldn't it? Not that the fucking idiots will do anything along these lines anyway...

f**k sake

Unsubstantiated horse shite. In season 17/18 over 1.25 million more people watched Scottish football than the last season of the old double round robin in 74/75 In fact more people watched Scottish football that season than any time since 1960 ETA 2018/19 was actually even slightly more than 2017/18

WHO'S and f**k up

non sequitur alert. Why would the teams not competing for the title get more people through the gates and more money than they do at the moment? The suggestion seems to be that more people would turn up for a mid-table clash between St. Mirren-v-St Johnstone for example simply because the sisters are no longer around? Also, the idea that we would have a logjam of teams competing for the championship if the ugly sisters disappeared does not stand up to any scrutiny at all.

https://www.afc.co.uk/2020/03/02/the-return-of-the-red-shed/

I reckon he scored in two of them.

Don't underestimate the Lenny factor. He really isn't a great manager. ... However, to temper that we also have to factor in the "standing off against celtic hasn't worked X times in a row...so let's give it one more try" mentality...

inside DM''s head right now

Silly c**t on the telly actually saying 'it looks like 'sevco' will end the season without a domestic trophy, but still the Europa League to go for' ... HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa