Scottish premier league.

[windermereROYAL]

Seriously, what is the actual point? Celtic 4-1 up at HT and heading for their 30th win in 32 games.
How is the competition? they will win the league for the 10th time in 11 seasons very soon and their fans will celebrate wildly, can`t think why when they are one of only two teams that can win it.
Aberdeen were the last outside of Glasgow to win the title under one Alex Ferguson way back in 1985.
I wonder why Hearts and Hibs based in the capital don`t have the same resources to challenge the big two.

[NathStPaul]

[Sutekh]

It’s an utterly pointless waste of time every season, only them or Rangers can ever win it and it usually comes down to who is the the least incompetent of the two rather than one being outstanding. Wouldn’t be so bad if they were some good in European competition to prove they can compete with equally monied outfits but they’re both usually total failures every season.

The utterly stupid league system and same old tired games week in and week out doesn’t exactly help things either. Still what else is there for them? They often talk of trying to get into the PL, which I hope never ever ever happens so until the league starts attracting serious tv money that might help Hearts and Hibs challenge they’ll be left with a tinpot worthless competition.

[Loafer]

Maybe move Celtic to champ?

[Loafer]

:|

[From Despair To Where?]

I quite like watching it. It's like 3 leagues in 1 and a lot more interesting than the EPL. If you can see past the Old Firm, it's quite a competative league.

The Sportscene pundits absolutely piss on their MOTD counterparts as well.

I also think the split after 33 games works really well for the SPL. With 1 round of open fixtures left, there's 3pts separating 4 teams for the final European place and they will basically fight it out in head to heads for that after Game 33 and there's 5 points separating the bottom 4 so likewise, they will fight it out in head to heads for that.

[Green]

Celtic refusing tickets at Ibrox.

Will someone bang those two clubs heads together please.

[Clyde1998]

Celtic refusing tickets at Ibrox.

Will someone bang those two clubs heads together please.

Celtic claiming it's for 'safety concerns'. Likely means there won't be any Rangers fans at Parkhead in December either, due to the 'eye for an eye' nature of the ticket dispute.

[Sutekh]

Celtic refusing tickets at Ibrox.

Will someone bang those two clubs heads together please.

[South Coast Royal]

Seriously, what is the actual point? Celtic 4-1 up at HT and heading for their 30th win in 32 games.
How is the competition? they will win the league for the 10th time in 11 seasons very soon and their fans will celebrate wildly, can`t think why when they are one of only two teams that can win it.
Aberdeen were the last outside of Glasgow to win the title under one Alex Ferguson way back in 1985.
I wonder why Hearts and Hibs based in the capital don`t have the same resources to challenge the big two.

It isn't majorly different to Italy, France, German or Holland where, rather than one of 2 winning their league, it is about 1 from 3 usually and we are becoming City or one other.

I don't know what Scots feel about it all expect that it has nearly always been like this but I do know that the Old Firm games each season are worth watching for the intensity and excitement.

[Sutekh]

Seriously, what is the actual point? Celtic 4-1 up at HT and heading for their 30th win in 32 games.
How is the competition? they will win the league for the 10th time in 11 seasons very soon and their fans will celebrate wildly, can`t think why when they are one of only two teams that can win it.
Aberdeen were the last outside of Glasgow to win the title under one Alex Ferguson way back in 1985.
I wonder why Hearts and Hibs based in the capital don`t have the same resources to challenge the big two.

It isn't majorly different to Italy, France, German or Holland where, rather than one of 2 winning their league, it is about 1 from 3 usually and we are becoming City or one other.

I don't know what Scots feel about it all expect that it has nearly always been like this but I do know that the Old Firm games each season are worth watching for the intensity and excitement.

Football at the top level in each country is so boring and predictable, while it's been like that for decades in many countries, it's sad to see England's top division going the same way now. It seems the best we can get each season now is "which club will lose out to City this time round".

[Clyde1998]

Seriously, what is the actual point? Celtic 4-1 up at HT and heading for their 30th win in 32 games.
How is the competition? they will win the league for the 10th time in 11 seasons very soon and their fans will celebrate wildly, can`t think why when they are one of only two teams that can win it.
Aberdeen were the last outside of Glasgow to win the title under one Alex Ferguson way back in 1985.
I wonder why Hearts and Hibs based in the capital don`t have the same resources to challenge the big two.

It isn't majorly different to Italy, France, German or Holland where, rather than one of 2 winning their league, it is about 1 from 3 usually and we are becoming City or one other.

I don't know what Scots feel about it all expect that it has nearly always been like this but I do know that the Old Firm games each season are worth watching for the intensity and excitement.

Football at the top level in each country is so boring and predictable, while it's been like that for decades in many countries, it's sad to see England's top division going the same way now. It seems the best we can get each season now is "which club will lose out to City this time round".

It was only in the early SPL era (late-90s/early-2000s) when the Scottish league became stupidly unbalanced every season - even if you'd expect one of Rangers or Celtic to win the league each year before that: the season prior to the creation of the SPL, Hearts should've won the league, but collapsed at the end.

The problems really started once clubs started to spend beyond their means on foreign players who weren't worth the money (on both fees and wages), because they believed the newly found wealth via broadcasting revenue would keep increasing. The collapse of the Sky Sports deal early in the SPL era destroyed the smaller SPL clubs financially, whilst Rangers and Celtic benefitted heavily from the rapidly increasing money clubs received from the elite European competitions - especially the Champions League.

Despite all the transfer inflation that's happened since the late-90s, Scottish clubs are spending less now in raw terms than they were at the start of the SPL era. Rangers were spending money like a top Premier League club without the Premier League broadcasting revenue and we all know how that ended.

The Scottish league has become financially unbalanced to a comical level and that's reflected on the pitch - the bigger leagues have reached a similar point in the past decade. Even the gap between the top 10-12 clubs (globally) and the rest has exploded to a point the rest cannot reasonably compete.

[Winston Biscuit]

Gretna, now in the Scottish Lowland League, have already conceded 53 goals and only scored 5, in their opening 11 games, but are not bottom of the league

[From Despair To Where?]

It isn't majorly different to Italy, France, German or Holland where, rather than one of 2 winning their league, it is about 1 from 3 usually and we are becoming City or one other.

I don't know what Scots feel about it all expect that it has nearly always been like this but I do know that the Old Firm games each season are worth watching for the intensity and excitement.

Football at the top level in each country is so boring and predictable, while it's been like that for decades in many countries, it's sad to see England's top division going the same way now. It seems the best we can get each season now is "which club will lose out to City this time round".

It was only in the early SPL era (late-90s/early-2000s) when the Scottish league became stupidly unbalanced every season - even if you'd expect one of Rangers or Celtic to win the league each year before that: the season prior to the creation of the SPL, Hearts should've won the league, but collapsed at the end.

The problems really started once clubs started to spend beyond their means on foreign players who weren't worth the money (on both fees and wages), because they believed the newly found wealth via broadcasting revenue would keep increasing. The collapse of the Sky Sports deal early in the SPL era destroyed the smaller SPL clubs financially, whilst Rangers and Celtic benefitted heavily from the rapidly increasing money clubs received from the elite European competitions - especially the Champions League.

Despite all the transfer inflation that's happened since the late-90s, Scottish clubs are spending less now in raw terms than they were at the start of the SPL era. Rangers were spending money like a top Premier League club without the Premier League broadcasting revenue and we all know how that ended.

The Scottish league has become financially unbalanced to a comical level and that's reflected on the pitch - the bigger leagues have reached a similar point in the past decade. Even the gap between the top 10-12 clubs (globally) and the rest has exploded to a point the rest cannot reasonably compete.

I saw an interview with David Martindale, the Livingston manager last season where he commented that Celtic like to moan about the elite of Europe having a budgets 40 times the size of theirs but are quite happy with the same financial disparity domestically.

Put it this way, Calum McGregor gets paid almost 25% more than the whole Livingston squad put together.

[Sanguine]

Gretna, now in the Scottish Lowland League, have already conceded 53 goals and only scored 5, in their opening 11 games, but are not bottom of the league

Wonder if they had problems fielding a team at the start of the season, as their form seems to have dramatically improved in recent weeks - their only win so far coming against the team in 6th (Civil Service Strollers ftw!).

[Franchise FC]

Gretna, now in the Scottish Lowland League, have already conceded 53 goals and only scored 5, in their opening 11 games, but are not bottom of the league

Wonder if they had problems fielding a team at the start of the season, as their form seems to have dramatically improved in recent weeks - their only win so far coming against the team in 6th (Civil Service Strollers ftw!).

According to Jacob Rees Mogg Strollers is about four gears up for normal civil servants, so that may explain the result

[Winston Biscuit]

Hearts are into the Scottish Cup semi final and its only September. Lolwut?!

[Clyde1998]

Hearts are into the Scottish Cup semi final and its only September. Lolwut?!

That would be the League Cup semi.

The format was changed a few years back where all teams not in Europe would play in a group stage in pre-season, with sides in Europe entering in the first knockout round and the final being held prior to the end of the calendar year. Effectively for top division sides: League Cup in the first half of the season; Scottish Cup in the second half.

[Sutekh]

Hearts are into the Scottish Cup semi final and its only September. Lolwut?!

That would be the League Cup semi.

The format was changed a few years back where all teams not in Europe would play in a group stage in pre-season, with sides in Europe entering in the first knockout round and the final being held prior to the end of the calendar year. Effectively for top division sides: League Cup in the first half of the season; Scottish Cup in the second half.

It's very confusing in Scotland as there's 3 cups I think for the senior Scottish sides and they all seem to be generally referred to as the Scottish Cup:

The Scottish League Cup which is their League Cup equivalent (think it should be being called the Viaplay Cup as that's the current sponsors but it never seems to be). It's the oldest league cup in the world having started in 1946-47.

The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup which is the FA Cup equivalent. This competition has the oldest association football trophy in the world (though the FA Cup is an older competition its original cups have been nicked and long lost to the world) having been first presented to Queens Park in 1874.

The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup which their version of the Football League Trophy for the three divisions below the Scottish Premier League. Think it's meant to be known as The SPFL Trust Trophy.

[From Despair To Where?]

No more confusing than England then; Cup, League Cup and Trophy.