The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Change things for the better – Reynolds’ plea to clubs
Tannadice captain urges clubs to set self-interest aside to benefit the game
Dundee United captain Mark Reynolds has urged clubs to avoid self-interest and debate league reconstruction for the greater good of the game.
An SPFL taskforce is currently locked in talks over a potential reshuffle, with United guaranteed a seat at the top table after winning the Championship.
They, like others, have a lot at stake in both a sporting and a financial sense as league bosses thrash out the details of any proposal amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Terrors defender Reynolds believes Hampden chiefs can’t let politics get in the way of common sense as clubs face a struggle to survive.
“The financial aspect is going to be horrific and teams might even go to the wall,” the 32-year-old said.
“So if we can do something that might help that, by keeping teams up or making a bigger league more attractive, then you’d hope people will act in the greater good.
“I’m a glass half full kind of person, this might be a chance to change things for the better.
“I’m not hiding from the fact there are serious issues and it’s going to be difficult for clubs to survive in the current climate.
“I’d hope that clubs will look at everything seriously and not just vote in their own interests.
“Obviously, people have to look after themselves but we need the clubs to survive, so it might mean giving away a little bit.
“If enough people do that and it’s give and take, then, hopefully, you can get to a place where everyone benefits in the long run.”
Reynolds believes a 14-team top flight would be the way to go for the long term future of Scottish football.
However, he thinks any decision made will be out of his and others players’ hands, despite the PFA’S overwhelming call for permanent reconstruction.
“There is a lot of talk about the shape the league will take next season and we will just have to wait and see if they agree on something,” Reynolds added.
“I don’t see any issue with 14 teams and I think most players would agree with that.
“I always think as Scots we love negativity and we always think the worst is going to happen, but why not turn it into a positive?
“If this is a chance to expand the league or play at different times of the year then let’s embrace it and make it work.
“If we go to 14 teams for a few seasons and then reassess it, we can then make plans to change it.
“I see it as an opportunity to do something that might be good for the game.
“I think 14 would work, bigger than that you end up with too many teams with nothing to play for from February onwards.
“With a 16 or bigger you have too many teams who can’t do anything at the top end but are away from the bottom, so they just sit around the middle of the table for months with nothing really to play for.
“But I think 14 works, you get enough big games and it should mean that everyone is playing for something all season.”
The former Aberdeen and Motherwell centre-half is also sympathetic to the likes of Inverness and Falkirk missing out on promotion after the SPFL vote to call the lower league season.
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If this is a chance to expand the league or play at different times of the year then let’s embrace it. MARK REYNOLDS
However, he reckons there are Championship teams who would hold their own in the top tier and an increased Premiership would keep everyone else happy.
He continued: “Adding two more teams in will make it a bit fresher, a couple of extra grounds to go to, and we know from being in the Championship there would be good enough teams to come up.
“I think moving to 14 teams and letting Falkirk go up to the Championship along with Raith would be a fair solution because they were going nip and tuck for the title.
“It would mean nobody would feel aggrieved because of something which has been out of everyone’s control.
“In the past we have kept teams up because of someone not meeting stadium criteria, so it has been done before for other reasons.”