Ah, the Skonto Riga/Rosenborg/Tafea FC gambit.

Celtic has also come out saying they don't need Rangers in the league. This will make an already shiat league even more unbearable. The Old Firm and Hearts/Hibs are are the only fixtures worth watching as it is. Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams. I think Celtic, Rangers and Hearts would be fun as hell in the Championship, maybe one of them could even win promotion occasionally. It's not like any of those teams farking deserve a Champions League spot anyway, those two spots have unbalanced the SPL so badly already.

I can't make my mind up if Whyte is the biggest crook going, or if this is a shrewd move to force the hand of HMRC.

It seems odd that this is announced before the results of the tax case are known. Today's signing of Daniel Cousin is also baffling. What's the point if Rangers have effectively conceded this season's SPL title?

drewogatory: Celtic has also come out saying they don't need Rangers in the league. This will make an already shiat league even more unbearable. The Old Firm and Hearts/Hibs are are the only fixtures worth watching as it is. Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams. I think Celtic, Rangers and Hearts would be fun as hell in the Championship, maybe one of them could even win promotion occasionally. It's not like any of those teams farking deserve a Champions League spot anyway, those two spots have unbalanced the SPL so badly already.

You know that's probably going to give FIFA reason to merge your national teams too, plus Wales and Northern Ireland, and make you all play as "Great Britain", right?

Gosling: drewogatory: Celtic has also come out saying they don't need Rangers in the league. This will make an already shiat league even more unbearable. The Old Firm and Hearts/Hibs are are the only fixtures worth watching as it is. Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams. I think Celtic, Rangers and Hearts would be fun as hell in the Championship, maybe one of them could even win promotion occasionally. It's not like any of those teams farking deserve a Champions League spot anyway, those two spots have unbalanced the SPL so badly already.

You know that's probably going to give FIFA reason to merge your national teams too, plus Wales and Northern Ireland, and make you all play as "Great Britain", right?

Why, they didn't do that when Welsh teams (Swansea & Cardiff) crashed the English leagues. Why would they with the Scottish Leagues?

I know it's a bit more slipper with their being a Great Britain team in the 2012 Olympics, but Great Britain is not a FIFA recognized nation, whereas the home countries are.

Also, aside from Gareth Bale which non-England players would even be considered for a Great Britain team? Maybe a 'keeper?

Gosling: drewogatory: Celtic has also come out saying they don't need Rangers in the league. This will make an already shiat league even more unbearable. The Old Firm and Hearts/Hibs are are the only fixtures worth watching as it is. Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams. I think Celtic, Rangers and Hearts would be fun as hell in the Championship, maybe one of them could even win promotion occasionally. It's not like any of those teams farking deserve a Champions League spot anyway, those two spots have unbalanced the SPL so badly already.

You know that's probably going to give FIFA reason to merge your national teams too, plus Wales and Northern Ireland, and make you all play as "Great Britain", right?

Never happen. Precedent is already set with Cardiff and Swansea for league football, but I can't see Wales, Scotland or the Irelands allowing themselves to be merged on the international level. The uproar would be unbelievable.

Fair enough. Though the other thing about putting Celtic and Rangers in the English league is that the English league would have to want them. And you've already got your fans complaining about trips from London up to, say, Sunderland, and the addition of the Old Firm is going to end up shoving two teams per level down a tier and anyone in a relegation fight is going to be worried about their team being the one that gets relegated to make room.

England would have to want them, and England doesn't want them. Scotland should probably think about what they can do to introduce a little thing we here in North America call 'parity'.

Gosling

Scotland should probably think about what they can do to introduce a little thing we here in North America call 'parity'.

The funny thing is, the american league with a financial structure most like soccer is baseball...and it has more parity than the NBA or NFL.

Gosling: Fair enough. Though the other thing about putting Celtic and Rangers in the English league is that the English league would have to want them. And you've already got your fans complaining about trips from London up to, say, Sunderland, and the addition of the Old Firm is going to end up shoving two teams per level down a tier and anyone in a relegation fight is going to be worried about their team being the one that gets relegated to make room.

England would have to want them, and England doesn't want them. Scotland should probably think about what they can do to introduce a little thing we here in North America call 'parity'.

You'd have to eliminate the CL spots to achieve parity. Celtic and Ranger(well, not now) had so much more income to work with than the rest of the league. Celtic makes a shiat ton from kit sales as well, I see more Celtic kit worldwide than anyone that's not Barca,Madrid, AC Milan or Man U,Chelsea,Arsenal or 'pool. Celtic is just too big for that league in all fairness. Whether or not you could force Celtic to play their way up through the English leagues is an issue for sure, I'll agree you can't just slot them in the Championship.

Tjos Weel: Gosling

Scotland should probably think about what they can do to introduce a little thing we here in North America call 'parity'.

The funny thing is, the american league with a financial structure most like soccer is baseball...and it has more parity than the NBA or NFL.


This has a lot more to do with the underlying elements of the game itself and not the payout. Randomness is a much larger factor in baseball (part of the reason it has so many excitements us fans love it). Imagine basketball without a salary cap, it would be a 2-3 team league with filler for the rest.

You're the jerk... jerk

Imagine basketball without a salary cap, it would be a 2-3 team league with filler for the rest.

How exactly is that different from today?

The thing is, the euro leagues (at least the EPL) could be reasonably fixed with a few minor tweaks...Make TV money evenly split. No bonus for being on tv.

Even the FA Cup should do this. They have the payouts for winning each level, then there is the payouts for the teams on TV. If a smaller club gets a tv game, super-duper bonus for them. But most of the tv money goes to the big clubs. It should be split as part of the regular level payout, so you get the same amount whether selected for tv or not.

It's about time UEFA sanctioned the Atlantic League to allow Celtic, Rangers, Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Porto, Benfica, Anderlecht, Bruges and some of the Scandanavians the chance to earn some decent money. They'd then be able to compete better in the Champions League with teams from the big 4 nations and enrich that competition too.

Purple_Jack

UEFA sanctioned the Atlantic League

Yep.

My suggestion would be Scotland, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark. Which is basically what you said.

4 relegations each year. Of the 7 nation top division champs, 1 gets autopromoted (nation with fewest teams in Atlantic League?) and other 6 play home-home playoff for the last 3 promotion spots.

Purple_Jack: It's about time UEFA sanctioned the Atlantic League to allow Celtic, Rangers, Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, Porto, Benfica, Anderlecht, Bruges and some of the Scandanavians the chance to earn some decent money. They'd then be able to compete better in the Champions League with teams from the big 4 nations and enrich that competition too.

That would be an awesome league, but the Euro Super League would inevitably follow, and that would screw every league in Europe. Although, then we'd be spared the horrible, horrible CL group stages and their complement of shiat eastern teams.

drewogatory: Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams

That idea has been floated since, well, at least as long as I've been a football fan (since 1980, thanks Everton) and as the last 32 years have shown, no one is serious about it happening. Why would the FA want teams like [goes to Soccernet > gets the tables for the 4 Scottish leagues > finds "funny" names] Hamilton Academical or Cowdenbeath? There's 42 teams in the four Scottish divisions, the only ones the FA would want are Rangers and Celtic. The teams in the lower FA divisions would howl, and rightly so.

Why would Rangers and Celtic want the move? They're virtually guaranteed Champions League football every season and if they weren't crap most of the time in that competition, they could make money hand over fist. Even if they do get slotted in somewhere in the English hierarchy > make it to the Premiership, they're going to be mid-table mediocrities most of the time, i.e. no Champions League money.

Sometimes the best moves are the ones that aren't made.

/Go Everton
//Mid-table mediocrity is yours for the taking!

drewogatory

their complement of shiat eastern teams.

They can form the "we used to be Russia" league. Or the ex-commie league. Or whatever they want to call it.

Henry Holland: drewogatory: Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams

That idea has been floated since, well, at least as long as I've been a football fan (since 1980, thanks Everton) and as the last 32 years have shown, no one is serious about it happening. Why would the FA want teams like [goes to Soccernet > gets the tables for the 4 Scottish leagues > finds "funny" names] Hamilton Academical or Cowdenbeath? There's 42 teams in the four Scottish divisions, the only ones the FA would want are Rangers and Celtic. The teams in the lower FA divisions would howl, and rightly so.

Why would Rangers and Celtic want the move? They're virtually guaranteed Champions League football every season and if they weren't crap most of the time in that competition, they could make money hand over fist. Even if they do get slotted in somewhere in the English hierarchy > make it to the Premiership, they're going to be mid-table mediocrities most of the time, i.e. no Champions League money.

Sometimes the best moves are the ones that aren't made.

/Go Everton
//Mid-table mediocrity is yours for the taking!

I've never understood how the SPL keeps those CL slots.Aren't you supposed to lose slots based on CL performance? 2 must be the minimum they can be alloted.

drewogatory

I've never understood how the SPL keeps those CL slots.Aren't you supposed to lose slots based on CL performance? 2 must be the minimum they can be alloted.

Scotland is still ranked 15th.

Tjos Weel: drewogatory

I've never understood how the SPL keeps those CL slots.Aren't you supposed to lose slots based on CL performance? 2 must be the minimum they can be alloted.

Scotland is still ranked 15th.

Must be cause of 06-07 (6.75) and 07-08 (10.25 WTF? How the hell did that happen? ). Their co efficient goes to shiat in 08-09 (1.875) and 09-10 (2.66). So they should plummet next year I guess.

Says on the Wikipedia page that next time out, as the coefficients work out right now, Scotland's going to be dropping below Cyprus. Romania loses their second team as well; the two-team slots fall to Switzerland and Austria.

Austria and Cyprus are on opposite sides of the cut line; both have one team left in competition. Cyprus is about one and a half points back. APOEL (Cyprus) faces Lyon (France) in the Champions League round of 16; Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) faces Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine) in the Europa League round of 32.

drewogatory: Henry Holland: drewogatory: Maybe it's time to roll the SPL into the FA and absorb all those teams



I've never understood how the SPL keeps those CL slots.Aren't you supposed to lose slots based on CL performance? 2 must be the minimum they can be alloted.

Scotland didn't have any guaranteed slots this season. The champions, Rangers, went into the qualifying rounds and failed to qualify. Celtic went into the qualifying round of the Europa league and lost the tie, but were later admitted to the group stage as their opponent had fielded ineligible players.

Gosling: Says on the Wikipedia page that next time out, as the coefficients work out right now, Scotland's going to be dropping below Cyprus. Romania loses their second team as well; the two-team slots fall to Switzerland and Austria.

Austria and Cyprus are on opposite sides of the cut line; both have one team left in competition. Cyprus is about one and a half points back. APOEL (Cyprus) faces Lyon (France) in the Champions League round of 16; Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) faces Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine) in the Europa League round of 32.

Once that 10.25 drops off Scotland will drop even further looks like, all the way down to the 12 to 14's. Cheers for that, I'd forgotten about that year and couldn't figure out why their coefficient was so damn high.

Gosling

Says on the Wikipedia page that next time out, as the coefficients work out right now, Scotland's going to be dropping below Cyprus. Romania loses their second team as well; the two-team slots fall to Switzerland and Austria.

Its going to get even uglier for Scotland.

Looks like they are below Israel now too. And with a 10 pointer about to roll off. Romania just rolled off 11 points, which is why they crashed.

Gosling: Scotland should probably think about what they can do to introduce a little thing we here in North America call 'parity'.

American sports can have parity because they are 1) the only professional league of their sport in the world and 2) they pay more than other leagues of the same sports. A single nations soccer league adding a salary cap is a good way to make sure no great player ever plays there.

If the Chinese or Spanish Basketball League paid higher than the NBA with no cap, the NBA would drop their cap tomorrow or the best players would go play in China or Spain.

Huh, the Gers?
i thought the Hearts were next because they are finically screwed, since Romanov can't pay his players.

LucklessWonder:
Also, aside from Gareth Bale which non-England players would even be considered for a Great Britain team? Maybe a 'keeper?

Joe Hart would be Great Britain's keeper. It wouldn't even be close.

Gordon Ramsey's going to be pissed.

Go Hearts. Sigh.

I've been saying for ages that the SPL 10 folded their hand far too early when they threatened the breakaway. I'm a Jambo and would really rather see Hearts bounce around the Championship and League 1 in England rather than submit themselves to the torture that is the current SPL. Mind you, with our owner, I'd imagine we'll more likely apply to enter the Championship of St. Lucia, The Maldives, or Equatorial Guinea.

Now, if only Celtic would bugger off too, then the Scottish game might actually become interesting. The game in Scotland suffered when money took over and Rangers and Celtic brought in some European stars, forcing Scottish internationals onto the bench. Then everyone else followed suit. The only real foreign great players that weren't playing for the Old Firm were Aguiar, Adam, Olofsson, Bruno, Buaben, Flogel, Van de Ven, and Paatelainen. For every one of them, there were ten cloggers.

Get rid of Celtic too, then institute a rule that clubs must operate in the black over a three year period. You'll have some parity, and any one of eight teams with a realistic chance of competing for the league title. That'll make up for losing the ugly sisters.

expobill: Huh, the Gers?
i thought the Hearts were next because they are finically screwed, since Romanov can't pay his players.

Romanov doesn't want to pay his players, there's a difference. He's starting to get the idea that foreign duffers aren't the way forward. I saw once that if Hearts hadn't signed Nade, Kingston, Fuller, or any of the Lithuanians, they'd have 5 million back in the bank. Even now they're paying Taouil 4k a week or so to ride the bench. They can pay players through summer, but expect any foreigner to be shipped out or given mutual termination options.

r1niceboy: then institute a rule that clubs must operate in the black over a three year period.

Oh wow. That's an ask in soccer these days.

Back in Notfaggotsportsland, the 2nd greatest wide receiver of all time is coming out of retirement.

r1niceboy: expobill: Huh, the Gers?
i thought the Hearts were next because they are finically screwed, since Romanov can't pay his players.

Romanov doesn't want to pay his players, there's a difference. He's starting to get the idea that foreign duffers aren't the way forward. I saw once that if Hearts hadn't signed Nade, Kingston, Fuller, or any of the Lithuanians, they'd have 5 million back in the bank. Even now they're paying Taouil 4k a week or so to ride the bench. They can pay players through summer, but expect any foreigner to be shipped out or given mutual termination options.

i stopped following them intently when hartley, pressley and gordon were shipped out in jan 2007
the finished 2nd the season before.

mitchcumstein1: Eh, I'm not so sure about that. You play in the NBA you're going to for sure get your money, there's a union it's not bullshiat, I have known many a player go over to Europe or China and not get paid promptly, or at all. Mark Cuban never has problems making the payroll.

Right. Which is why they play here. If Roman Abramoff bought a team in Spain or Italy and decided he was just going to spend money because, fark it, he already has an invisible boat and offered LeBron James $45M/year for 5 years, he'd go play in Spain or Italy. Then the NBA would have to re-examine their "parity" or see their superduperstars go play for something more than an arbitrarily set "max contract."

expobill: r1niceboy: expobill: Huh, the Gers?
i thought the Hearts were next because they are finically screwed, since Romanov can't pay his players.

Romanov doesn't want to pay his players, there's a difference. He's starting to get the idea that foreign duffers aren't the way forward. I saw once that if Hearts hadn't signed Nade, Kingston, Fuller, or any of the Lithuanians, they'd have 5 million back in the bank. Even now they're paying Taouil 4k a week or so to ride the bench. They can pay players through summer, but expect any foreigner to be shipped out or given mutual termination options.

i stopped following them intently when hartley, pressley and gordon were shipped out in jan 2007
the finished 2nd the season before.

farking won the cup as well, crushing Hibs 4-0 at Hampden in the semis.That was a good farking day.

TonnageVT: Pompey put into administration....again.

Christ, just shut them down already. Who would miss them?

Obviously Scotland isn't the hub of football, let alone the sporting world.

But fark me, Rangers folding would still be the biggest sports story ever. Not sure that I can really even get my head around the idea, tbh. There must have been some serious mismanagement going on. How the fark has it come to this?

paj: [a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net image 224x320]

That is still so unbelievably funny.

mitchcumstein1: Why would LeBron take a pay cut to go play in Spain or Italy?

How is $45M/year a pay cut?