People keep telling me that SFL Chief Executive David Longmuir and President Jim Ballantyne are playing the “long game” by signing up to the SPL league reconstruction package.
By this it is meant that Longmuir will be in situ as the new system crumbles around him, ready to lead Scottish football into a bright new dawn. All he will have to do is point to the folly of the SPL in dreaming up such a Frankenstein abomination and say “I have a better idea!”
If this is the plan, we are in more trouble than at first feared.
Firstly, this is not Europe, where such Machiavellian plots are part and parcel of the game. To paraphrase both Bomber Brown and Ally McCoist:- “This is Scotland! And we don’t do Machiavelli!”
David Longmuir has to realise that he will forever now be seen as the man who sold out, the guy who folded his hand with the trump card in it. No-one is going to give him credibility when this new system does, indeed, go down the toilet pan.
If a picture tells a thousand words, the revolting image of Longmuir standing with a grinning Regan and Doncaster the other day will be burned into the minds of football fans for a long time.
For those who say that David Longmuir is only there to carry out the will of SFL member clubs, that is utter nonsense. Chief Executives are picked and paid to lead, not to just be administrators. Longmuir already has form for opposing the will of his member clubs when he believed them to be wrong. It’s his job to do such things.
Besides which, he let the cat out of the bag by revealing that he still had to speak to most of them over the deal he himself has backed.
Our game here in Scotland has been sold out by the greed and cravenness of small-minded, self-serving people – those who run the game along with club officials, the vast majority of whom think 1,000 people is a massive crowd.
These minnow clubs deciding the future of our game with Rangers not even being consulted is like local PC repair shops dictating the future of computing without consulting Microsoft.
Only in Scotland could such stupidity be the norm.
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I am friendly with a lot of people from different ethnic backgrounds. I wouldn’t dream of telling any of them to go back to their own country. That would be extremely rude.
However, I am not sure if it is horrendously racist enough to plaster all over the newspapers.
Leigh Griffiths is being lambasted in the media for telling a guy on Twitter to go back to his own country. Which turns out to be Livingston.
Does it warrant the hysteria it is generating?
Griffiths is a 22 year old laddie, by all accounts not the brightest bulb on the tree. He is a footballer and is abused constantly. He reacted to some eejit goading him on Twitter, something he should not have done.
But is it the hanging offence some are making out?
Again, only in Scotland where such such hysterical outrage is the norm.
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One of my heroes is Barry Hearn, a veritable giant of sports marketing.
Hearn’s comments on the SFA’s decision to totally ignore the wishes of football fans should be carved on the wall outside the SFA office at Hampden Park.
In today’s Record, Hearn says:
“The basics of sound business apply whether you’re talking about fishing, darts, snooker or football. And that means football clubs are servants of the customers who pay to watch them. The customer is king.
“If customers want a 16-team league then give them one.
“I see myself as an ordinary bloke but I probably live in an ivory tower. That’s why I’m always carrying out market research to see what people want. The chairman isn’t king. The fan is.
“Football has become complacent and that’s dangerous when we’re in a recession. The obligation is to keep the existing fans happy and work on bringing in new ones.
“An old boxing promoter Jarvis Astaire told me he and others didn’t have the incentive to put on better boxing shows when I started to get involved in the business in the 80s because they already had BBC Television’s contract money in their pockets.
“But Scottish football can’t afford to be Bertie Big B*****ks today.”
8,000 fans were consulted by the SFA about reconstruction. The vast majority asked for a 16-team league.
These wishes have been totally ignored by the ruling body.
Only in Scotland…
I look at that picture and I can’t get the Muppets theme tune out of my head….
Contradicting yourself Bill.
You’ve said often enough it was a disgrace that supporters basically determined whether Rangers were allowed back into the SPL and shame on those people who allowed this.
Then you’re outraged that supporters weren’t consulted in terms of implementing the new set up.
Unless you believe supporters should be involved in the structuring but not have a say in the overall integrity of the game?
As for “customer is king” that is correct in many walks of life but only to an extent in football for example supporters would want 100m worth of talent on the park – but they’re not going to get it are they?
Supporters don’t know anything about the business side of the game and unfortunately these days it’s all about business.
In an ideal world we would have a twenty team top league but we need to be realistic.
If we went for 16 then you had two or three of these clubs go bust as they can’t sustain what’s required of full time teams in the premier league then the SFA will cop it for allowing it to happen and having a poor business model.
It’s not as if supporters are going to say “Aye, we voted for this coz it sounded good at the time, so just stick another ton oan ma season ticket tae cover it”
16 is better for Rangers in the short term, you refuse to accept associate member status due to your own wrondoings simply because you’re Rangers.
Longmuir and Ballantyne were heralded as the last of the rangers men – now they’re just another couple of suits and by your own words the teams in the SFL are being decribed as minnows.
This isn’t about the overall good of scottish football the sooner you stop trying to dress it up as that the better.
This opposition is about what is or is not good for Rangers.
I didn’t say the fans should be listened to
I merely highlighted the hypocrisy of those who listen to the fans when it suits them
As for listening to the fans, more than 50% of them follow Rangers
Hence why the fans are not listened to
Ask your self one pertinent question?
Did you think up the slap down for the 16 team league yourself or just repeat it verbatium from whichever mhedia source last published the guff about 16 team leagues causing teams to go bust?
It wont cost a team any more or less to compete in a 16 team league than a 12 team league with splits.
The only difference is that the SPhell hopes to remove the need for more blackmailing over Rangers TV rights, while retaining the majority of that cash for the top 8 (instead of the top 12) basically an admission that 4 teams are more than likely not going to complete their new league season.
The opposition to this is based on it having almost destroyed Austrian Football completely. The sooner the Rangers Haters out there accept that we are not the only show in town but we are by far the biggest (ask sky)! Then also accept that we support our club, we DO NOT hate yours, infact we dont care about the SPL unless it affects US! As Reconstruction to secure the cash generated by Rangers does!
Only then shall Scottish Football and society move into the 21st century, instead of being stuck in the 17th!
Had too laugh this night ,,,,,John yorks ton on radio Scotland phone saying he’s not had any info on new set up…….hhhhmmmm jim leishman was on the discussions panel wtf!,,,,!,,!!, a calller relayed this but it was glossed over! Seems we have liars and mega liars guys!!!!! Stewart gilmour also saying he prefers 14team set up wtf….lie well and Lennon Longmuir,Reagan,Doncaster said it was agreed by all spl??????? Seems its not the truth….even NBC can’t gloss over all the callers from the Sheepys etc who don’t want new set up,,,,,,FFA we even had odious creep declaring we were getting shafted………..but,but he also said we don’t lose out coz we still take same time to get back up………my arse…we still lowest tier which means lower revenue regards as to charging for advertising etc….and also playing same teams
Bill what is david leggat referring to in his post if you read it about some guy from Ireland been branded a bigot by the NUJ. I know the guys name but f**k trying to spell it Is this a story that should concern us or is David Leggat of on a rant cause i find he changes his mind too often regards the Gers.In one minute out the next.
The picture in your post reminds me of another 3 comical characters – namely Mo, Curly and Larry (They always f*cked things up as well) which one is which I wonder. lol
Good Post Bill
The Scottish Football Authorities need to come clean and tell us why they are are going against the fans, and why is this getting rushed through.
Most fans with an ounce of common sense could tell you that the reason for the rush is simply down to the fact that the SPL is broke. It has no main sponsor for next season, and it is currently running on empty. The brand is toxic and no one wants contaminated by it.,
They need, and they will, rush anything through for the start of next season, the SPL franchise will not be able to keep it’s head above water for much longer.
it should be a twenty team premier league and 22 championship with 3 up and 3 down with 4th bottom playing 4th top in a playoff they say there would be meaningless games but as the money goes round everyone teams will get better when they are playing better teams each week
Totally agree. When Scotand was at its strongest and we competed in Europe at all levels there was only 2 divisions. And one body run by a Scotsman. Who cared about the game, not his salary or status
hi bill great post again,im going to make a copy of that picture on this post of the three stooges and make it into a dartboard.i fear for scottish football,but as i said the other day we have no input in all of this so lets sit back and watch.we will just keep plugging away and do what we do best by smiling and being nice.have a nice day:)
Longmuir seems to have went missing since this ridiculous announcement. He was onlt too happy to stick his mug in front of the cameras at the beginning of the week, but he’s in hiding, since the shit hit the fan.
He just looks like another wee lackey in that photo, and has lost all credibility in the space of a few days.
Barry Hearn is spot on, they have no regard for the paying customer. If you don’t listen to your customers, then you pay through the till, and that is what is going to happen.
I’ve been banging on about how Rangers supporters wont buy their product, but neither will their own fans. Who wants to watch a competition for half a season, only to see it change half way through?
There will be some very unhappy chairmen and managers after the first season, mark my words, while the fans will turn off. Like you said, Longmuir is now part of the ‘Frankenstein Set’, all bum-buddies together.
But, the biggest contributor to the game – US – will be the deal breaker, at the end of the day. We wanted a 16 team league before we were asked to leave the party, and I know that hasn’t changed either.
“Firstly, this is not Europe, where such Machiavellian plots are part and parcel of the game. To paraphrase both Bomber Brown and Ally McCoist:- “This is Scotland! And we don’t do Machiavelli!”
Herein lies part of the problem, we believed this. Tell me, does anyone think the Liewell subscribes to this theory? Somehow I think not and he has plan A – Z with numerous other options up his sleeve. If we continue to subscribe to this quote we will always be looking over our shoulder!
Good point
What I meant was Longmuir is being way too clever if he thinks that the long game is a strategy that will endear him to punters in this country
Forgive me if I’m wrong but I always thought if you are going to play the long game you take your time in assessing all your options and the angles before committing. On the other hand if you are up the creek without a paddle then you’ll grab the first branch you see.
Longmuir had a chance to play the long game (3 seasons of Rangers money to support the SFL) to effect real change for the betterment of Scottish football, a 16 team top league and pyramid system, but he blew it big style.
It will be interesting to see what his position will be should the SFL clubs reject this nonsense.
Griffiths? He reacted, he shouldn’t have, he apologised, it was accepted. End of story imo.
Hearn? Wouldn’ t he make a good CEO for Scottish Football.
While racism is abhorrent in any form and should be condemned, are we in danger of missing real racists by the need to be constantly offended ? I noticed on the news that we only heard that it was a racist comment (it was a later broadcast that actually said what was tweeted ), why was only one side of the conversation given ? It does not excuse racism – if that’s what this really was – but if one party is free to goad and insult….provoke even, doesn’t that make the other person also culpable ? Should Griffiths have cried racism or verbal assault and sued for his feeling being hurt ?
I remember a situation last season where Griffiths gestured to Rangers fans and the lad was taken to task. I have yet to find a single Rangers fan that was offended or outraged, everyone I have spoken to thought it was funny…yet others still saw fit to censure him (I know some Rangers fans that even contacted the SPL and SFA to get his censure overturned.).
Life is tough enough in these economic climes without idiots jumping on offended band wagons….am I even allowed to say that these days or do I risk a knock on the door because I have offended an idiot with too much time on their hands and an empty meaningless life ?
As regards Longmuir, it will be interesting to see if he returns with a mandate from the SFL for this agreement….perhaps that is his game, push those SFL clubs who are sitting on the fence to say “right here is the blue print for change, accept and its a go-er reject and I (Longmuir) can return with a mandate to say NO WAY, the SPL must die !
Personally I want the SPL coming cap in hand to the SFL begging for help….maybe Walfrid FC will start a league to keep the SPL clubs out of the SFL soup kitchens….OMG can I say that or is that racist too ?
Keep up the great work mate.
You can Eric, on condition that you didn’t mean an oirish soup kitchen.
I really dont know what to think about David Longmuir at the minute Bill, What i do know about him is he is not stupid, But then again neither are the other two clampets regardless of emotion the gang of three are quite shrewd. So I am beginning to think that there is something i am missing. Is there a deal in the offing with some sponsor for the reconstructed leagues that has made this their agenda to make it happen, I dont know. But i do know for sure that, judging by some comments made by all three that there is a piece of this we are not getting told.
Which would never be for a good reason if it is being withheld…
scottish football is becoming a laughing stock with regan,doncaster and now longmuir at the helm with their blinkered views..(reminds me of other organisations).but hey dont bother listening to the views of a successful businessman like barry hearn,what does he know…only in scotland where folk will tell you that black is actually white and yes definately means no.
Barry Hearn does not always listen, I remember when he decided that Leyton Orient was to be all seated and as a season ticket holder I disagreed with him, as did many others. His reply was if we want to get promoted we need an all seated stadium. It does not matter that he was right after all.
Quote Regan of : “I think there’s an educational exercise that we need collectively to go through”.
“Fans have spoken about a 16-team league but one of the underlying points made after that is because they’d like to see more games.
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Where does a cricketer & a seller of beer understand the ‘underlying point’ of why 8,000 football supporters, many of whom with decades spent in Scottish football are wrong & need educating.
His stupidity, arrogance & incompetence is wrapped up in those sentences & decisions.
Two questions I’d like to ask him is; where do you come from, & who brought you here.
stewart regan; as sharp as a marble.
Your correct WATP, his arrogance is mind-boggling.
If the story of how he destroyed Yorkshire Cricket had been reported properly, he would never have been hired for the job he’s got now. Oh wait! Maybe his job is to save Scottish Football the way he did it with Yorkshire Cricket.
Lawwell and Reid brought him here my friend, and he is duly rewarding them big style! As for his ‘educating’ the fans comment, what a patronizing twit! Can scottish football fans not think for themselves? They certainly don’t need a pompous liar pontificating to them. A clown who presides over a governing body with a proven track record in bumblng incompetence. To plagiarize the bearded fella at gettysburg…a government of the duds, by the duds, for the duds! Rest assured though, the corrupt cabal’s media wing at pacific quay will promote this latest diktat big time. Not sure why (other than it stuff Rangers of course) as all season long they’ve been hyping up the spl as if it’s the SuPerbowL!
Gods country invaded by the slime.
Btw BB – Did you no mean SouPabowL.
I am with you on the so called racist remark bill .. This PC rubbish is going to far , as you say he wasn’t being racist , just rude. And this rubbish that kids look up to him , think back to days of durrant & Derek ferguson for ever being banged up in Govan police station , I don’t see loads of young lads following there foot steps.
Bill
Totally agree that Longmuir should never have folded his cards.
In my mind Longmuir’s duty to each and every member club is to take that product of TV rights to the broadcasters and find the true worth if a deal exclusive of the SPL. He seems happy to except the £2m a season to sign away the family silver.
When you look at the asset he so easily discards it proven this season to be by far the most popular with the subscribers (the only currency that Sky & ESPN recognise). Despite this we hear talk of £16m per year being paid however I suspect it will be significantly less for next season.
One thing for certain it will be way in excess of £2m per season. If we assume the SFL clubs have an equal share of the TV rights despite Rangers generating them it can only be assumed that Longmuir’s capitulation has robbed every member of not only income, but probably sums these clubs could only dream of.
Only seven days ago Longmuir spoke on Radio Scotland of SFL TV being a very realistic product yet 48 hours later he has jumped the fence to join with the enemy.
All of this without consulting 66% of his members. The man should be called to task by the clubs now.
I have said it before and I will say it again, get us out of this septic football setup. lets lobby for an English league position …
There are two people in that picture that i wouldnt entrust the care of houseplants with never mind the future of scottish football.
Which two – the one that is knee deep into OpusD or the other whose himself & family are entrenched into rira.
The 3rd one is cheif exec of the sfl.
I’m sure there’s a government somewhere very recently who held a public consultation on a controversial social issue. It produced record feedback. They didn’t get the response they wanted however and guess what, they, like the sfa, completely ignored it. Who were these autocrats? Yeah, you’ve guessed it, the snp. An administration funnily enough who also like to move the goalposts. In fact, there’s so many similarities between these two corrupt bodies, easily enough for an essay but time’s against me. Both will reap what they sow.
Spot on again Bill.
NOW is the time to sort Scottish football, not in 5 years when it is much worse!
Its almost as if all non Rangers fans have decided its time to give Celtic a run at a series of championships, to level up the overall trophy boasting; make no mistake, Scottish football is a 2 horse race; by keeping one horse handicapped as much as possible EVERY person backing this is effectively backing Celtic to win the league and go into the Champions League. Its corrupt. Only in Scotland does the tail wag the dog.
Re Griffiths; of course you are correct its a horrible exaggeration of his comment to put it frontpage; but thats the world of “offended” we live in- it shows how much the mhedia attacks us becuae you know my first thought? Thank god it wasnt one of us……it would be worldwide headlines.in seconds . Remember the Boruc police caution for offensive hand gestures (Masturbating) to us? Around the world in 80 minutes as a caution for blessing himself- Only in corrupt Scotland.
Bill,If we do go to a 12-12-18 then split into groups then this guy is lost to away game football and I dont miss many over the course of a season I am scunnered by all of this.
Bill Im afraid I totally disagree with you on griffiths, racism is racism end of. Telling someone from a different background to go back to their own country is downright racism and for it to come from a person that is in the public eye and who kids look up to is even worse. There are countless YouTube videos of racism on londons tubes go look them up! Personally I don’t think we have a problem with racism in Scotland, certainly not anywhere near what it’s like in England. Griffiths is thick as two planks and did seem remorseful straight away but I’m shocked you have tried to play his racist remark down in this way!
Were you this level-headed when you were 22?
He’s a kid himself
Of course not bill but cmon, just because you are 22 and stupid doesn’t mean you can get away with racism
Canny remember you criticising fillmanynames prior to him being officially classed as a bigot, and not just a bigot, a religious bigot.
If you see yourself as the peoples poet, it must apply to everything, even your own bigotts, and racists.
Was not racist!
OMG ‘Racism is Racism’ you dodged the issue on child abuse is child abuse so stick with the republican blog pal
Bill,
I generally see eye to eye with you on most of your content. But I am at odds with you here. I think we need zero tolerance towards racism. What is perhaps unfair on Griffiths is that his indiscretion is given more focus just because of his profile. There’s plenty of balpottery going on in the social networks that goes unflagged at all.
Bottom line is, even at the tender age of 22 Griffiths is old enough to realise the need for engaging brain before operating mouth (or, in this case, keyboard).
Feel free to direct your anti-racism sentiments to those who sing Flower Of Scotland
It also has sentiments about sending people back to their own country
I am not super (I wish) davie of the mighty gers. Bill what about racist english national anthem.
Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen!
Only refers to rebellious Scots, David
No problem if you are not a rebel
I think David makes a good point Bill, Scots were not all rebels when England came calling way back and surely they had a right to defend their country of birth as do we in battle.
Young people that become involved with professional sports or become famous for other reasons tend to live cocooned inside a bubble and their fans idolise them. The result of that adulation causes a fair few to go off the rails – especially if they’re not the brightest to start with.
Anyway,
Political correctness has caused more problems than it has solved.
Just sayin….
TBH Bill, at 22 you really should know better. The guy is a well-paid footballer where racism is a topical and high-profile issue. Let’s not downplay what this wee ned has done.
“Telling someone from a different background to go back to their own country is downright racism”
Why would you consider this racism yet go on to say ……
“Personally I don’t think we have a problem with racism in Scotland,”
So you dont do you hmm do you sleep walk a lot in this country?
Scots have been berating the English and singing about how they hate them and sending them home with national newspapers stirring up hatred of the English and suffice to say there are many different looking people regards colour of skin that are English!
Racism is just another word or form of discrimination, You are blinded by the pathetic political correctness that has damaged the country and commonsense as a whole! Regardless of colour we are all the same species it is my belief the word racism should be deleted from the written language and seen in the same light as any form of discrimination!
Good point
“Send them homeward to think again”
Sounds like racism to me…
Just an observation….but if Rangers fans can be deemed by society to be racist for singing “the famine song”, then surely it also applies to flower of Scotland. Both use emotive language about sending people back home.
I personally think that what Griffiths said was borne more out of stupidity and anger more than anything else, was he goaded into those comments? I’m not saying he should not have used those remarks but he was remorseful almost immediately.
Many times we have all made daft remarks/comments and regretted it, let’s not sit in the glasshouse and pretend otherwise.
The idea of being “sent back to Livingstone” could be a quite unnerving experience. I definitely wouldn’t like it if it were me.
Lol
I had one guy tell me Livingston isn’t a country
Send them homeward tae think again isn’t racism, it’s sung in the context of battle. I stick by my point in that I don’t think we have as big a problem with racism in Scotland than they do down south. Trying to grey the area with things like “he is just a daft laddie” etc is part of the problem with regards racism. There should be ZERO tolerance, this will educate youth. Saying people are easily offended is part of the problem also
You won’t approve of Anthony Stokes attending RIRA bashes I take it?
Of course not bill, look he can do as he pleases it’s up to him and I think it’s wrong but only because he plays for Celtic. His reasons for doing that only he can say. I’ve not got a problem with him going to a childhood friends funeral regardless of his occupation for all we know stokes might not have wanted anything to do with that side. He shouldn’t have gone IMO because of his profile as a pro footballer
In some instances it is warranted. Such as stewart regan – I wish he’d go home, in fact to prove that it is not a racist issue, & purely based on the betterment of Scotland, I’ll even offer him a lift.
With regards to those many many immigrants of Scotland, I’d gladly accept those that come here, & accept the country & the culture of the indigenous people instead of those that notoriously complain of underhandedness, when it doesn’t exist. As well as manipluate their culture to the detrement of our country. Those that behave as that, can gladly go home, & that’s not racist, that patriotic.
Would it still have been Racist if he had been a White kid from Wales, I am an opponent of Racism but this was just a silly little boy that got annoyed. We have to sort out Racism first then educate the stupid.
Good post Tam.
More good points Bill. The stupidity, hypocrisy and arrogance of the people that ru(i)n our game is beyond belief.