Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster has warned that reconstruction of the competition is unlikely to be completed by the start of next season despite a widespread appetite for change.
The 12 SPL clubs met again to discuss the issue at Hampden on Wednesday with more talks pencilled in for November 1. The signs are that clubs are veering towards a 14-team league which retains the split but removes the fixture anomalies and inequalities, but no vote was taken and the debate over the size of the top flight and the fixture calendar will continue.
Doncaster told BBC Scotland: "I think it (being implemented next season) would be ambitious. I am always hopeful that we can achieve things as soon as possible, but there is an awful lot of work to be done and we are only part way through the process."
The situation is complicated by the fact that former Scottish First Minister Henry McLeish is due to deliver the second part of his report into the game before the end of the year, this time focusing on the professional game after previously exploring the grassroots scene.
Doncaster has been keen to consult with the other governing bodies and added: "There is a general recognition within Scottish football that something needs to change.
"It is vital that what we do is to achieve something that improves the whole of Scottish football going forward and is not just considered piecemeal.
"We are trying to put forward a whole package of measures that we can then put to the clubs and vote on, because ultimately we need 11 hands going in the air to achieve any change, so that consensus package is what we are working on."
Source: PA
