exiledjag

Agree with above and suggest following main changes to take the game forward: 1. One governing body for all professional football including Lowland, Highland and any other pro-Leagues. I wold name it the Scottish Professional Football Association (SPFA). Scotland is too small a country to justify the need and expenses for two principal governing bodies. I would start by dispensing with the current SPFL incumbents. (Note: there can still be specific Associations to oversee the day to day running of the lower leagues if needed; they should though operate under the supervision and rules of the principal single body which should be directly responsible for the top 4 tiers as they currently are organised and the pyramid system). 2. As part of the approach to Corporate Governance all votes to be by Secret Ballot. 3. Also there should be no artificial threshold such as needing 75% votes for this or 11 SPL Clubs in favour for that, etc. These are artificial barriers designed to stop change. A straight majority is all that should be needed. After all the Conservatives govern the UK with only 43% of the vote and the SNP govern Scotland with 45% of the vote!

I hope you are correct in this assessment! I suspect though, and being consistent with my jaundiced opinion of the football establishment, this won't happen. Senior SPFL figures and Club Directors will, post-coronavirus, revert to type. For example, had they any desire or inclination to take account of the needs and wants of fans these small leagues would have been abandoned long ago.

I think we are all on the same page, more or less! It's about how best to support the club. I bought a season ticket fully aware we would very likely be playing in League 1. Many others did the same. Because of where I live away games are problematic for me as any location off the main routes adds time and expense! It suits me to travel to Firhill once a fortnight for home games and donate my away gate money to the club which I will do on a monthly basis. I fully appreciate the importance and impact on the team of a good away support so have no problem with that. However I will draw a line (even for the future) at attending an away game to a club which has spoken out or deliberately acted against us for example, Forfar, Ayr, Dundee. I can't really complain about clubs who kept their opinions to themselves but voted/acted in their own interest - just hope we can beat them on the Park!

Love your comment! Captures the tone precisely! Will be surprised if he does anything other than make sure he gets his revenge!

With an open vote I agree 30% looks a good result. With a Secret (Democratic) Ballot the 75% would be under threat if the rumours of bullying, coercion and manipulation are true which the anicdotal evidence suggest they are! The only way to bring more democracy to Scottish Football and make the SPFL accountable is the introduction of the secret ballot! I also think we are aiming at the wrong target. We should be seeking to remove/suspend the Head of the SPFL and that is McLennan. Anyone who is partial to some members and hostile to others is by definition not fit to lead an organisation that is supposed to look after the interests of ALL its members. Doncaster is albeit a senior official, but still only an official. He follows the lead given by the Head and Board of the SPFL! I understand McLennan has a reputation for sharp and unethical practises and management style in his previous organisation and so it appears to continue with the SPFL.

Yes saw that this morning. Encouraging but still a long way to go before the enquiry is approved. Does anyone know if the vote will be run on a secret ballot basis or on similar lines to the now infamous "call the lower leagues" vote - a voting slip, signed and dated by each club and handed/sent in! Very good point! The result that you example will leave Scottish Football in a no win position. The SPFL will claim an 'overwhelming' victory and completely ignore the fact that it has lost the confidence of 50% of its members. The result will be an open and festering wound that will run for years! Also most likely collective legal action which I see we are again now considering! What you depict above is the 2014 independence referendum result 55%-45% which although a defeat for Independence could hardly be described as an endorsement of the Union and as a result hasn't gone and will not go away!

Re the Doolin Goal that never was! I came across a video, think on you tube, of that goal and the camera angle looks through the goal directly toward the linesman. From memory you see what I assume is the ball passing at speed, the net shaking quite aggressively and if you look closely the linesman/assistant raising his flag! I also recall the Morton player booting the bouncing ball out of play. Pity he didn't do so from hand in which case it would have been a penalty!

So we have 6, possibly 7 votes in favour of an Independent Enquiry: Rangers/Hearts/Stranraer/Thistle/ICT/ Falkirk. I think East Fife also said they would vote in favour. Still need 25-26 votes!

I only saw Cardle in a few Home games plus I think at a couple of away games. Possibly he wasn't at his best in these games because at times I didn't even notice he was on the park! Similarly, Zanatti Showing my years but I recall the manager of Nottingham Forrest justify the transfer of Jim Baxter (THE Jim Baxter) by describing him as a luxury they couldn't afford. Watching Cardle and Zanatta reminded me of that statement! Would be happy to see them both go! That would leave a place for Docherty in DP's Team!

Totally agree

What did he say?

I think we now have no option but to stand behind her. The publication of the private letter to McLennan and the content of the Club's Statement, which I think can only be interpreted as a direct criticism of McLennan and his Board, suggests we have chosen sides. I think we need, to qoute Nelms (Dundee), "a big hitter " to join our dissident group. Like it or not that would be Rangers!

Agree! A complete back to basics reorganisation of Scottish Football is needed! We appear to have the beginnings of a dissident group!T he problem is - the silent majority! Information coming out appears to suggest the SPFL governs by intimidation and fear and through control of the purse strings keeps the majority, including Lowland and Highland Leagues, in line. As the current situation just gets worse and worse would they break ranks and join Hearts, Jags etc.! I don't particularly want us to be part of or in the vanguard of a revolution but that's what seems to be developing.

Would not shed any tears for Dundee for obvious reasons. Not over the moon in favour of Accies or Rangers but the former were in favour of reconstruction and Rangers do, with the Celtic association, bring much needed sponsorship to the Scottish game. Whether such sponsorship monies are worth the baggage that comes with the 'old firm' is another matter. From a footballing perspective take Rangers out of the picture and what do we have left - Celtic + others! If this happened, please take Celtic out of the picture as well!

I see that Anne Budge is now actively considering the options for Hearts in the likely event they are 'expelled' from the SPL! She implies Hearts are talking to other affected clubs, presumably with a view to collective action, which I assume means Jags, Stranraer, Falkirk, and possibly Brora and Kelty. Wonder if any Clubs denied a play-off opportunity will feel like joining this group of dissidents? Gary McKay is saying (BBC Sport/Football/Gossip) that Hearts fans will fund legal action. Suspect Budge feels affected clubs will have a stronger case if they act together and of course this will spread cost of legal action. Looks like the Jags fans who wanted legal action might get their wish as the pendulum seems to be swinging in that direction. The more that this situation develops and information revealed (Brechin & Lowland League) the dirtier the SPFL looks. Suspect Rangers real target all along has been McLennan not his Officials!

Meant to add that given the increase in tensions since the SPLs refusal to consider reconstruction and the response from affected clubs including our Board should any Championship Clubs fail don't count on the Jags retaining their Championship place! With regard to the SPFL words like spiteful, malicious and vindictive come to mind.

Please don't add to my conspiracy theory that there are a significant number of officials who have it in for the Jags! I have been watching Thistle for over 50 years and have been giving officials, for the past 6/7 years, the benefit of the doubt that they are just the poorest bunch I have ever seen. Putting the 'big' decisions to one side, for example, the non- goal v Morton, the changed penalty decision v Ross County, I have begun to wonder! In almost every game I have attended I have noticed very clear differences in officials general approach to the game in relation to the number of run of the mill decisions that go against us while similar decisions are not given in our favour. This results in not winning or losing possession of the ball and slowly but surely increases pressure and frustration on the players! You see this in European games with our Glasgow neighbours where they don't receive the usual preferential treatment from foreign referees!

Well done great idea. I think such a table will be very informative. I will especially be interested in seeing the results for Raith Rovers and Dundee Utd. The Chairman of Raith said prior to the now infamous vote that if they didn't get their "prize" money the doors would close by October. Wonder if the liquidity table will support this? In respect of Dundee Utd it could be argued they 'bought' the Championship Title with a wage bill equivalent to 130% of turnover compared to the recommended level of 60/70%. Anyway will be interesting to see the comparisons.

I think the point has been made on another thread that the reason we are talking about all this is because we were bottom of the league (at the wrong time). So yes we accept we are partly responsible for what is happening to our club. However the SPFL are also responsible in terms of the decisions made, actions taken and the manner in which they have been carried out. As far as I am aware Scotland is the only league in Europe to enforce relegation. The question must be asked, why? The answer I suspect is McLennan's enthusiasm to award his pal at Parkhead their 9th successive SPL Title. You can't have a champion and not have relegation! When he retires, soon I hope, I bet he will be gifted a lifetime season ticket at Parkhead!

This I totally agree with. Putting my anger to one side our current predictament gives us the opportunity to overhaul the club from top to bottom, clear out the deadwood and build a squad reminiscent of our last promotion winning squad! A squad that can play agtecking football with pace and purpose throughout the team! Oh where did it all go wrong?

My view expressed a few times in recent weeks has been just that. Win League 1, and get back to winning games in the championship on our way back to the SPL. However McLennan's open targeting of PTFC for comment (see club"s statement) I feel deserves a response and winning but not accepting the title flag seems appropriate to me. I accept your point about nose and face but at least the above action would be a way of saying by demonstration: 1. We should not have been in this League, and 2. The fact that we are is due to your partial, manipulative and shambolic mis-management of Scottish Football. I agree wholeheartedly with you and the PTFC Board statement that the best response is to come back a stronger and bigger football club, and soon before the SPL lock us out completely!

Absolutely!

I would be interested to know what the problem is as well, with examples for purposes of illustration!

The purpose of this thread to provide a platform for discussion and debate about attending or not attending Away Matches. We are all very angry about how things have turned out so far and rightly so! However comments about attending Away Matches have been spread over a number of threads and because of this the debate has become fragmented. Given the number of comments about what individual fans are going to do or think should be done the subject clearly deserved a dedicated thread. Hopefully such a thread will enable those who feel strongly about this subject to develop a well thought out and rational response with all views and issues fully aired! My own position is really quite simple: 1. I will attend as many home games as possible 2. I will not be attending Away Games but will donate the cost of the away gate money to PTFC. I do not consider this to be a boycott more a case of channelling much needed resources to the club I have loved and supported all my life. Cheers all.

Measured and good post. Particularly like 1. Not attending away games. 2. Not accepting championship flag or medal (if we win) - we shouldn't bother attending presentation..