More questions than answers for McInally as pyramid awaits restart
Jim McInally has urged the Joint Response Group to think through in-depth the implications for the Scottish football pyramid before giving the green light for the lower leagues to restart.
The Peterhead manager insists no one wants another summer of acrimony that blighted the game in 2020.
League football below the Premiership and Championship was suspended by the Scottish FA on January 11 for three weeks, and that suspension was last week extended to February 14 after discussions involving the Joint Response Group and the Scottish Government.
The 20 teams in the SPFL’s two lower divisions joined together to offer a number of changes to their way of working in order to get their season finished.
However, McInally believes that it would be folly to look at Leagues 1 and 2 in isolation.
An update is expected this week, and while confidence is high that a return in March will be agreed, the Balmoor boss wants the full implications to have been looked at.
McInally explained: “It is good that clubs have been proactive with a view to playing again.
“But any decisions over Leagues 1 and 2 should not be made without looking into the pyramid structure.
“Last season everything was cut short, and there were no play-offs.
“This season you could have a scenario where the two senior leagues are played out to 27 games, but there are no play-offs, as the Lowland League and Highland League have not been completed.
“Another scenario could arise, as these leagues are at very different stages, with the Lowland having played 13 rounds of fixtures and the Highland League just three.
“Could that mean that the Lowland League is played to a finish but not the Highland one?
“If that is the case, what would that mean in terms of the play-offs?”
McInally added: “The Joint Response Group need to consider whether it be acceptable to have two seasons with no, or reduced, play-offs and if so, explain why.
“There are also issues in the Scottish Cup to think about for the Highland League teams.
“If the four senior leagues are allowed to continue, and the Scottish Cup is run, how do the seven teams from the Highland League that are still in it compete when they are not playing any other football?
“I would hope that all the possible scenarios are thought through before any major decisions are made.
“Nobody wants another summer of arguing and court action.
“Working through all the possibilities in the pyramid in the here and now would save that.”