Why is Scottish football so boring?

CHRIS GREER

I mean, every year in August before a ball is kicked, you know it will be Rangers and Celtic in the first 2 places, with the rest of the SPL battling for what's known in horse racing as the minor places. Why is that (OK, I know money must play a part, but there must be other factors)? And can anyone EVER see the situation changing?

mike65

Well its obvious enough...size matters! The Old Firm both have huge
followings because they are in Glasgow and are based on religious
creeds, the top two are tribal totems. The rest are small and weak with few resources. Only occasionally does one of them threaten the status quo like Aberdeen in the 80s. I dont see how this can change,
short of Celtic and Rangers simply leaving the Scottish set up and joining the English game (which they'd love btw). Then the SLP would go bust...

Mike.

Jake303

Originally posted by CHRIS GREER
I mean, every year in August before a ball is kicked, you know it will be Rangers and Celtic in the first 2 places, with the rest of the SPL battling for what's known in horse racing as the minor places. Why is that (OK, I know money must play a part, but there must be other factors)? And can anyone EVER see the situation changing?

Nope!
Thats the simple answer

The Oldfirm are to big for the others to compete with unfortunately, infact if you consider the crowds and sponsorship money most of the clubs outwith the Oldfirm have to work on Im surprised the gulf isnt even bigger!

But Englands no better at the moment either.
After Man U won the premiership recently I read that this is infact the 8th time in 11 years or something mental like that.
Seems to me that the Premiership is becoming a one horse race with Arsenal occassionally spoiling things for Man U.
Plus the gulf (financially between Man U and the rest continues to increase, and will be made worse after next season when tv revenue will be cut in half as least (the three year Sky tv deal will be up for renewal) and the other clubs are forced to make more cut backs while Man U continue to spend

Also Bayern Munich seem to be racing away from the pack in Germany where they dwarf the rest in terms of resources.

Of the big four (Spain, Germany, England and Italy) only Spain and Italy seems to have a league where several teams are capable of winning it at the moment.

TwoShedsJackson

Originally posted by Jake303

But Englands no better at the moment either.
After Man U won the premiership recently I read that this is infact the 8th time in 11 years or something mental like that.
Seems to me that the Premiership is becoming a one horse race with Arsenal occassionally spoiling things for Man U.

It is better, at least the gap between 2nd and 3rd isn't 34 points like it is in the SPL at the moment. There's a bigger gap between those 2 places then there is between 3rd and 12th :rolleyes:

Not to mention the goal differences, Hearts have about +10 while Rangers & Celtic both have about +65 if memory serves...

Manchester United have dominated the Premiership since it started because they have the best team, and got far and away the best youth players coming through between 1993 & 1996. Liverpool dominated in the 80s in a similar way, but eventually the team gets old and/or broken up. The same will happen to Man U in the next three or four years max - players like Beckham, Scholes, the Nevilles etc. will all be the wrong side of 30 by then.

KdjaCL

There is 34 points between 2nd and 3rd in scotland, that is simply a disgrace in any league and thats the norm up there.
Celtic and rangers are big clubs in a small league and people seem to view the scottish league as some sort of decent league whereas the reality is if the old Firm werent playing there is would be a near replica of Eircom League in terms of standards of football.

But if Old Firm did leave the SPL wouoldnt go bust far form it it would become a better league because the Champions league spot for a few years anyway would get the winners close enough to the group stages.

kdjac

tHE vAGGABOND

ah lads relax!

This is the first season the top two have been so far ahead in a long time. Its been ages and ages that both the old firm have had such good seasons, and the rest of the SPL been quite even..

2 years ago Man U walked away with EPL, and Celtic won the SPL with 6 games to go or something..

Scotland is a small country, with 2 big teams, with huge staduims and massive amounts of passionate fans, and therefore money. I think there are too many smaller clubs to be honest, the resources are streched too far. Good scotish players end up in old firm squad systems or premiership squad systems, not at Aberdeen etc like in days of old..

Look at Portugal, Boavista won the league there last year. It was the first time EVER a team outside of Benfica, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, <other famous team I have forgotten>

In Norway Rosenberg own the league, and have done for ages

Holland you have PSV, Ajax and a step back Feyenoord; and no change there for years and years..

lots of countries have a few big teams and lots of **** teams..

KdjaCL

Yes but the EPL has one thing that makes it exciting any team can beat any team on any weekend.
Bolton beat Man Utd at OT this season.

In Scotland there is always a massive gap between 2nd and 3rd and Celtic and Rangers only drop points against each other OR if they play badly to a lower team (3rd and down) the lower teams never beat Old Firm by outplaying them its always because Old Firm played really badly.

One thing that really pisses me off about Scotland is that if a decent player comes into the league to a team outside Old Firm its only a matter of time till they get him, a trend like that cant be good for the other teams who dont make much money in selling.

kdjac

Jake303

Ok, for all those who see the English Premiership as a competitive league what teams do you honestly think can win it next year?

This should be interesting...............

BTW I never disputed that the SPL IS completely lobsided!

KdjaCL

Man Utd ,Arsenal are finidhed unless they get in better players.
Chelsea are lookign for free players and Liverpool dont like winter.

But in keeping with the topic watching EPL is not boring ,watching SPL is extremley boring cos the standard of football is crap.

EPL enterains even the lower teams play decent football ,West Ham ,Bolton ,Blackburn they can all play football.

kdjac

Scottish

I hate this argument.

I support Partick Thistle, a small Glasgow club which is a haven from the bigotry that feeds the Big 2. Thistle have a history of producing the odd great talent - Alan Hansen, Mo Johnston. Bill Shankly actually played for Thistle many many years ago.

The problem in Scotland of a cartel of clubs dominating everything is certainly being replicated in the wider European league context, and on an even grander scale in the Champions league (a format initially devised by Campbell Ogilivy, Secretary of Rangers). Money is at the root of this, as we all know.

The Scottish league and the players it produces have been on a downward spiral ever since Graeme Souness walked in the door at Ibrox. But this is, I think, is somewhat coincedental.

When I was at school at that time, there was a teachers strike which meant that they would not supervise extra-curricular activites - namely football, rugby etc. This has meant that for almost a decade, we have struggled to produce a decent player through the normal route, the route that Dalgleish, Hansen Souness et al came through. The schools practically ran the junior league system. As a result, all the clubs were busy buying in external talent, which made the situation even worse, and has led us to today with Rangers practically insolvent (in any other line of business they would have been closed down long ago), and other clubs not much better off. This means that Dundee Utd, Aberdeen, Hearts etc have been unable to challenge the Big 2 due to lack of local talent, and lack of cash. Its a dual problem which will take Scotland years to recover from.

But we have been punching above our weight for the best part of 30 years. It could be decades before we turn it around. As a small nation, not much bigger than Ireland, to have produced 3 European winners and 2 losing finalists is nothing short of miraculous. We number less than 5 million, and yet people still compare us to the EPL.

Its simplistic to say its uncompetitive and boring. Both Rangers and Celtic have lost games to other clubs this season. For the first time in a long time, the results of the old firm matcher may turn out to be less decisive than usual. And tell me what other league in Europe is going to the final day?

Scotland should be given credit for having a football league and football clubs that can, at times, compete with the best. And as for Glasgow, there are 450,000 people living there, and 4 football clubs. It has an intensity in its thirst for football that other places many times its size cannot match.

Jake303

Originally posted by Scottish
I hate this argument.


Its simplistic to say its uncompetitive and boring. Both Rangers and Celtic have lost games to other clubs this season. For the first time in a long time, the results of the old firm matcher may turn out to be less decisive than usual. And tell me what other league in Europe is going to the final day?

Indeed since chritsmas Hearts record has been VERY close to that of the Oldfirm.

But its all down to money at the end of the day and if the G14 (think thats what its called) get their way this argument may prove to be irrelevent in a few years anyway as they seem to be pushing for the infamous "european super league" to be set up.

Come to think of it maybe those who sing the glorys of the Premiership should be allowed to continue unhindered as in a few years it may well be operating without Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal and well see how much interest there is in it then!

KdjaCL

Good post Scottish, read someones autobiog and remember he mentionad all the underage football was dominated by the schools.
If there is to be any change the SFA would have to do massive changes to the youth structure and make it more like England and Irelands with junior clubs and academies of excellence set up.


kdjac

Scottish

I'm not going to hold my breath for that outcome, but you are absolutely right.

At the moment, we are simple surviving on memories and for a country that has produced some of the best managers that the game has known to be relying on an over rated German is an indication of the state that we are currently in.

And if think the FAI are bad, the SFA deserve the other use for their acronym.

Scottish

Must apologise - my typing is atrocious at the moment. Just looked at the last post, barely made sense!

KdjaCL

I like Vogts and think he is a decent manager but its complete madness that there is not 1 decent scottish striker.
Some possibles coming up but there isnt one decent one playing at the minute.

Sad that hes going to get the bullet because the players he has aint good enough.

kdjac

mike65

It was mentioned during the Celtic-Porto game that O'Niell never had more than two Scottish players on the field at any one time during the
whole UEFA Cup campaign until the final when I think a Scottish sub came on and there were three....Its no better at Ibrox, no wonder the national side is so bloody poor.

Mike.

sleepwalker

Man Utd
Arsenal
Newcastle
Liverpool


will be the teams going for the premiership next season


saying Arsenal are finished is utter bollix they just came 2nd in the league and won the F.A. cup get a bloody grip


SPL is rubbish, I'll take supporting Shels in the eircom league over supporting Celtic in the SPL any day of the week

tHE vAGGABOND

one of the reasons footie is the great game it is..is cos we all can see the same thing and come to totally different conclusions..

I love the SPL and Celtic, but I can see why others dont like it..

Jake303

Originally posted by sleepwalker
Man Utd
Arsenal
Newcastle
Liverpool


will be the teams going for the premiership next season

Have to disagree with ye there!
I honestly think only Man U and Arsenal have a chance of winning the Premiership next year.
And I would only be confident of Arsenal keeping up with Man U if they can hold of Viera and Pires!
(have a feeling this will be the year Real finally get Viera)