A LONG-TERM 14-TEAM PREM
DAVE CORMACK has warned Aberdeen would vote down reconstruction if the plan is to have a 14-team Premiership for the next five years.
The Dons chairman has made it clear he has sympathy for Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer, who will be relegated by the early Covid-19 finish without reconstruction.
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster has sent out a letter to all Premiership and Championship clubs for their views on a 14-team top tier for the next five years.
Cormack’s stance has always been that he would back temporary change but any more than two years and he and his club would be against it.
He said: “The SPFL are still meeting with the different leagues. What we have to do is wait and see what comes out.
“We have been very clear from day one that we have been very sympathetic towards Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer.
“We would have been up for a 14-team league on a temporary basis for two years but certainly not for five years.”
League One clubs were asked to give their views on a 14-10-10-10 set-up by the end of the week and their League Two counterparts will also be asked to do the same.
That is now the most likely option with Ann
BY SCOTT BURNS
Budge’s 14-14-14 proposal binned. Cormack believes that could work and would benefit from allowing Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts into the league.
But he’s alarmed that we are still looking at change just weeks before the new season is due to kick-off.
He said: “With Kelty and Brora, we at Aberdeen would love to see a pyramid all the way down where two teams get relegated from Division Two every season because that would promote competition.
“There are 48 variations of what people want. The reality is we are meant to be playing games in eight weeks and we are still talking about what the league might look like.”
There is unlikely to be too much transfer movement at Pittodrie but Cormack does expect back-up keeper Tomas Cerny to re-sign.
And he hasn’t closed the door on an emotional return for Jonny Hayes after he was freed by Celtic.
Cormack added: “Personally, I love Jonny and he is a wonderful guy.
“We have to wait and see how we get through the next couple of months.
“This year we have no first-team players out of contract except Tomas, who we are looking to bring back.
“There might be some tweaking and tuning but we’ve a full squad as it is.”