Source: FOOTYMAD
Agree To Disagree
The SFA were at pains to cover their back with 'personal' opinions expressed over the McLeish recommendations The two top dogs at the SFA, president George Peat and chief executive Stewart Regan disagree with each other over the call for the SPL to develop a two-tier structure with 10 teams in each division. Peat commissioned former First Minister Henry McLeish to carry out a review of Scottish football, which was published last week and recommended the change be made to the upper echelons of the game. Some of the 50 proposals in McLeish's document mirrored many ideas formulated by the Scottish Premier League's strategic review group, which are to be discussed by the 12 SPL sides early in the new year when the weather improves enough for them to gather together (have they never heard of video or tele-conferencing?). However, there has already been much criticism of the proposed return to a 10-team top flight. Regan and Peat met the press at Hampden today to offer their response to McLeish's proposals. When asked what his preference was, the SFA chief executive Regan said: "How you put the leagues together is up for debate and whether it is a 10-team, 12-team or 16-team, is going to be down to personal opinion. My personal choice is that I would like the recommendation that is on the table. I like the 10-team proposal. I think it will create pressure which is a good thing. It will create intensity and competition and it will create the opportunity for the best to play against the best and that is a principle that through our performance strategy have started to embrace, right the way throughout the Scottish game. If the best can play against the best, that is a good thing for the future of this game." However, Peat said: "This is where we disagree. I have never, ever been in favour of a 10-team top flight. Personally I have always gone down the route of a 14-team league but the majority seem to think a 16-team league is much better. I think the standard of football would improve considerably if there wasn't the same pressure on managers in a smaller league." Both men, though, made clear that they would stay out of how any restructuring to the SPL or SFL should move forward. Regan said: "Our view is that we need the leagues themselves, having gone through a review, to come up with a joint recommendation and we will get involved in how we take that forward. I think it is an 11-1 vote for the SPL clubs to move this forward. I am aware that a huge amount of consultation has gone on and there will be further meetings planned and there are differences of opinion. It may be that in the first round that proposal does not get the support that it requires but I don't think that means it is a dead duck. There is going to be the opportunity for further talks and we will get involved once a joint recommendation has been put forward." Peat agreed but admitted that the SFA would like to see the SPL and Scottish Football League merge. He said: "You asked me my personal opinion and it is that I have never favoured a 10-team league. But we won't be taking any part in that. We will leave that up to the two leagues. Obviously it would be much better from everyone's point of view if there was only one league to deal with." Despite the contentious issue of the league sizes, Regan is confident that changes will be pushed through. He went on: "The eventual conclusion will be after a lot of discussion, possible compromises and concessions. There will be change, undoubtedly. McLeish has recommended that. The SPL has recommended that and the Scottish Football League recognise there is a need for change and we certainly do and on that basis there will be change. The question is, what it looks like and the details will come out of the next two or three weeks of discussions." Regan, though, claims reported ideas about play-offs at the top of the SPL and which were soundly rebuffed by Celtic and Rangers, was a "red herring". He said: "We haven't even been consulted on that. We were made aware of this by comments in the press. I personally would find it difficult to see how, when you need an 11-1 vote, how two clubs who have won the championship for many years would be prepared to vote for that. Maybe that's a little bit of a red herring." Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is Scottish-Fitba.Net
