Search the Community

With all the talk of reconstruction which is, in reality, little more than an exercise akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic after somebody got too much ice in their G & T, it does seem as though Scottish Football will undergo some sort of cosmetic surgery in the foreseeable future. The one positive element in an otherwise blatant attempt at preserving as near as they can get to the status quo will be the redistribution of some cash to ensure that the team emerging as Champions of the First Division will earn more than the currently derisory figure of less than £70,000 or approximately one tenth of the sum accrued by the side finishing in the current SPL relegation slot! This disparity has been one of the major causes of the incestuous nature of the SPL – truly a Self Preservation League. As we know to our cost, promoted teams generally reach the SPL already massively handicapped by the financial disparity, a problem exacerbated by the bonuses which will be due to playing and management staff, to necessary ground improvements, additional policing costs and the need to recruit a new team in an attempt to stay in Scotland’s Promised Land. To again take Thistle as an example, if we win the League this season will we be going up to the basement? Regrettably, but viewing the situation realistically, it is difficult to see any other option! Amidst the miles of column inches devoted to the way forward for Scottish Football and the potential for it to be introduced with a haste far from characteristic of the leaders of our game, the matter of when the increased payment for the winners of the First Division will kick-in has not featured. Unfortunately, I have little doubts that it will not be applied retrospectively and that even if the new structure comes into force for season 2013-14 ( a fanciful idea if it is to be a reasoned and fully considered re-organisation ) then this will be the worst possible year to be promoted since the financial boost will not be there for us and we will go to the SPL with a cash-strapped handicap which would make us more of a candidate for a Findus Lasagne than a thoroughbred chase! Ask me as a fan of almost fifty years and I will unhesitatingly crave the success of a title win and the chance to engage with those currently occupying the upper echelons of the game. Ask me as a reasoning individual and I fear that such success in 2012-13 could be a poisoned chalice and that a 13-14 win (historical resonance and all) would be a far better option. Of course , one doesn't get a choice in such matters - or at least one shouldn't - but you have to wonder whether Messrs Rae (Morton), Yorkston (Dunfermline) or our very own Messrs Beattie and Allan are not already pondering on these huge issues and reaching alarming conclusions? We live in interesting times!