Move to a 16-team top league would be for the game’s betterment
SEEING Easter Road bursting at the seams for the midweek William Hill Scottish Cup replay against Hearts made me feel that we need Hibs back in the top flight.
They are a big club with a massive fan base and my view is that the Premiership would be better off having them every week.
The Edinburgh derby is a great occasion and it should be protected as much as possible. It attracts sellout crowds and plenty of media attention around the UK.
I know they are strong favourites to win promotion this season, so problem solved. But we need to look beyond that.
My line of thinking is that we should expand the top league to 16 teams. That would allow Hibs and Dundee United to get back up
Having the Tayside derby back on the table is also appealing. We need to have that local rivalry in the Scottish game, in the different parts of the country.
Now, many will point out that the current set-up of 12 clubs is doing just fine because there are different battles going on within the set, such as the fight for second place and the other seven teams all battling to avoid the bottom two spots.
I can also imagine people shouting at this very column right now that being reduced to 30 league games would mean only two Old Firm games a season.
That may well dilute the attraction to television companies and could result in a less-attractive financial contract.
I absolutely get all of that. But follow me right to very end on this one . . .
I don’t care much for the league splitting into two for the final five games of the season. I think the current set-up in the Premiership can create an imbalance and some teams play more games at home than away.
I also don’t see the point of such a short winter break. The players get one week off maximum. Is that really so beneficial? Also it threatens to add to the fixture pile-up because our weather is so unpredictable. I mean, here we are, heading into March and we’ve had heavy snow.
Having a 16-team league would also allow the likes of Falkirk, Morton, Raith or Ayr United to get a shot in the main league. Imagine the oldfashioned atmosphere inside Cappielow or Somerset Park when Celtic or Rangers come to town.
A change in the structure might also encourage more investment in clubs in the Championship and those trying to come up from League One and then into the Premiership.
If they can see a pathway and, just as importantly, a chance to stay in the big league instead of the odds being that you’ll come straight back down after one season, then that can only appeal.
At the end of every season, I’d have one club going down automatically from the top flight and then the team finishing 15th would go into a play-off against the runner- up in the Championship. I accept that it might be better to open the promotion and relegation a little bit to include more teams.
Bottom line is, whatever is for the betterment of our game, we have to embrace.
Also, having 30 league games would put less pressure on the League to cram in games. The fixture list is crammed for a variety of reasons and this could ease the burden.
In return, that would allow the option of playing from March to November to be really explored. Playing more football in the summer months, with the better weather, will appeal to supporters and encourage families to attend.
We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that with strong competition from other sports, we need to make sure football is engaging with the next generation and offering value for money.
Also, the television companies have plenty of slots in their schedules during June and July and it might encourage a really good contract offer.
The other plus point is that we wouldn’t be out of sync for European football. Indeed, with three of our teams due to start playing qualifiers in the last week of June, it would give them a better chance of progressing.
That said, doing away with the traditional festive fixture list doesn’t sit easy with me because I like football at that time of year.
However, all I’m saying is that maybe league reconstruction and a change in the fixture calendar should be looked at once again.
I know clubs won’t want to vote for something that threatens their income and any safety net they currently have. I’m not looking for any individual – or club – to be hurt, but we need to look at the bigger picture and investigate all options.
There will never be the perfect solution.
But it never does any harm to keep examining what you have and seeing if any improvements can be made.
We need to make sure football is engaging with the next generation and offering value for money