SPL Restructuring: Numbers Game

Another day, another meeting.

Another debate on the structure of the Scottish Premier League.

And still no conclusions. It seems now that we’re not going to get any kind of vote on the issue until the end of the year. This being Scottish football we can probably add at least two months to that.

The upshot, in my opinion, is that we’re unlikely to see anything new for a while yet. Even that’s dependent on any proposal carrying 11 of the 12 votes on the SPL – a voting system that might work well if you want to ensure that Kim Jong-un becomes Supreme Leader but ain’t any way to run a league that is collapsing under the weight of its own mediocrity.

The Scotsman reports:

An SPL spokeswoman said today: "It's one in a very long, long line of meetings on this subject.

"There have been many meetings on potential changes over the past year or so.

"In terms of decisions being made, we are still quite a bit off anything being brought in front of the clubs to vote on.

"Neil has said previously that he hopes a decision can be made by the end of the calendar year and that's still the timeframe."

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain issued a stark warning to his SPL colleagues this week that Scottish football is in dire need of change.

He told shareholders at the club's annual general meeting: "I do believe that change will come, but we are probably only at the start of the process.

"For the overall growth of our national game, there really has to be radical change but the complexities of numerous clubs, stakeholders, governing bodies and our footballing structure make this extremely difficult and challenging.

"In saying that, there have been many constructive and balanced discussions of late and I fervently hope these will ultimately produce findings and recommendations for radical solutions rather than a tinkering around the edges."

Bain added: "In the past, the footballing authorities in Scotland have perhaps taken too much of a parochial attitude to such initiatives as domestic league and competition structures, but we cannot afford to do that now.

So is a change gonna come?

I think there will be a restructuring now. Probably some sort of compromise around a 14 team league with a split in place rather than an immediate leap to 16 teams.

I don’t know when it will happen though and I won’t be holding my breath.