Change coming for the SPL

[SteelmaninOZ]

WHIT?!

https://youtube.com/shorts/-SNh4sfQaGc?si=aeHClXH6NLAWYIB6 

[grizzlyg]

1 hour ago, SteelmaninOZ said:

WHIT?!

https://youtube.com/shorts/-SNh4sfQaGc?si=aeHClXH6NLAWYIB6 

It's from a rangers YouTube channel,  I wouldn't read too much into it

[Spiderpig]

2 hours ago, SteelmaninOZ said:

WHIT?!

https://youtube.com/shorts/-SNh4sfQaGc?si=aeHClXH6NLAWYIB6 

You can smell the shite from a long way off with that one.

[stv]

55 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

You can smell the shite from a long way off with that one.

Was it not a two team league that was proposed with total backing from the media. Where the two big teams play each other every week with each game broadcast live on tv.

On a more serious note I sense a bit of a change in the type of football being played in Scotland top leauge now with the emphasis on passing etc etc which started off with us and has even spread to St Midden. Don't think it will ever spread up north to Aberdeen tho they will always be cloggers kicking teams off the park.

[well_said]

3 hours ago, stv said:

Was it not a two team league that was proposed with total backing from the media. Where the two big teams play each other every week with each game broadcast live on tv.

On a more serious note I sense a bit of a change in the type of football being played in Scotland top leauge now with the emphasis on passing etc etc which started off with us and has even spread to St Midden. Don't think it will ever spread up north to Aberdeen tho they will always be cloggers kicking teams off the park.

I would be delighted and I am sure the vast majority of non arse cheek fans would as well if the two of them left to form a two team league. Unlikely to happen , but a good thought nevertheless. 

[thewelllfan]

I hope if we do go for league reconstruction it's to make it a 18 team league. 34 games each team home & away. 2 up 2 down and a play off for the team in 16th if you want to keep that option. Championship at 18 as well and then split into regions below that. 

[mio]

A 10 team league would be horrendous, playing each other 4 times and added pressure of 6 or 7 teams every year fighting relegation. Imagine the pressures that would bring to bed in young players.

16 or 18 team league playing home and away fixtures is what most fans want and I think would help Scottish clubs bring through youngsters and would also help Scottish sides in Europe 

[texanwellfan]

I hate the split but it’s probably a decent compromise between high pressure 10 team league and 18 team league with too many meaningless games. 

[Jonesy]

This is all at least a year old.

There was a bit of a clamber a year or 2 ago to change to a 14 or 16 team set up, so the league leaked a 10 team suggestion and quickly binned the idea when everyone kicked off about it in the hope everyone would be happy sticking with the 12 team league.

[weeyin]

The old 10 team SPL was bad for football. Too many teams in the bottom half scrapping for survival at the expense of entertainment.

[thewelllfan]

1 hour ago, texanwellfan said:

I hate the split but it’s probably a decent compromise between high pressure 10 team league and 18 team league with too many meaningless games. 

I don't understand how the 12 team league we have now is any better than an 18 team league. We play teams 3/4 times a season we realistically all work each other out by game 2/3. If we go to 18 it realistically encourages teams to try and play better football as their is less risk of relegation it should also in theory make bringing young players into the first team easier as their would be less risk of relegation and the 'meaningless games' would provide an opportunity to those players to have an exposure to first team football. It also should in theory make it easier for someone outside of Rangers and Celtic to win the league as they wouldn't be given 4 opportunities to beat them a season to claw back the gap. 

[weeyin]

When we were in the First Division, there were 14 teams and you played each one 3 times.

There used to be an argument the odd number of games gave some teams home advantage, athough they did try to balance it every season.

Now we have a precedent in the Premiership that teams play an uneven number of games against certain teams there's less reason to argue against a similar 14 team format. 

Of course it will never happen any more than an 18 team league, because the TV companies demand 4 OF derbies per season.

[Spiderpig]

All anybody needs to know is that the premiership is set up and constituted to suit and pander to the needs of the ugly sisters, the other 10 teams dont matter. Change only happens if they both want it, or teams like Aberdeen vote with them.

[weeyin]

5 minutes ago, Spiderpig said:

All anybody needs to know is that the premiership is set up and constituted to suit and pander to the needs of the ugly sisters, the other 10 teams dont matter. Change only happens if they both want it, or teams like Aberdeen vote with them.

That's pretty much it. 

[grumpy]

16 hours ago, thewelllfan said:

I don't understand how the 12 team league we have now is any better than an 18 team league. We play teams 3/4 times a season we realistically all work each other out by game 2/3. If we go to 18 it realistically encourages teams to try and play better football as their is less risk of relegation it should also in theory make bringing young players into the first team easier as their would be less risk of relegation and the 'meaningless games' would provide an opportunity to those players to have an exposure to first team football. It also should in theory make it easier for someone outside of Rangers and Celtic to win the league as they wouldn't be given 4 opportunities to beat them a season to claw back the gap. 

Nail, head, hit.

Nothing to see here.

[dennyc]

I believe most fans would welcome a return to an 18 team league. At least then the visit of the bigger teams to Fir Park becomes more of an occasion and less routine. Similarly for our fans visiting away grounds. Less “Oh, them or there again”. Variety in other words and less repetition. . 

Sadly that’s not how most Boards, including ours, see it. Cash is king. The dream is top six which guarantees 4 home matches a season against Celtic and Rangers and also more than likely  against at least 2 of Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. Financially much more lucrative than replacing that second home fixture against the big four or five with Livi, St J, Raith, Ross C, Arbroath. Thistle and Dunfermline marginally less so. 

I agree the 12 team set up does make it more of a challenge for anyone other than Celtic and Rangers to win the Title. But that is not the main driver for the set up we have and which is unlikely to change. 

[ropy]

I don’t mind the 12 team set up and I specifically like the intensity of the split but an 18, 12 , 12 set up might work.  Straight promotion and relegation or perhaps a play off final between the third bottom and third top of each league.  The issue with this is that if the lower leagues played 38 games the 34 game top league would be finished a month earlier.  Perhaps the lower leagues could play 3 times only for a 33 game season.

[texanwellfan]

19 minutes ago, ropy said:

I don’t mind the 12 team set up and I specifically like the intensity of the split but an 18, 12 , 12 set up might work.  Straight promotion and relegation or perhaps a play off final between the third bottom and third top of each league.  The issue with this is that if the lower leagues played 38 games the 34 game top league would be finished a month earlier.  Perhaps the lower leagues could play 3 times only for a 33 game season.

EPL has 20 teams and championship has 24 teams and it’s not an issue but where does 38 games come from? 

[Spiderpig]

20 minutes ago, ropy said:

I don’t mind the 12 team set up and I specifically like the intensity of the split but an 18, 12 , 12 set up might work.  Straight promotion and relegation or perhaps a play off final between the third bottom and third top of each league.  The issue with this is that if the lower leagues played 38 games the 34 game top league would be finished a month earlier.  Perhaps the lower leagues could play 3 times only for a 33 game season.

The turkeys dont vote for christmas, the clubs inherrent self interests will kick in so any plan that involves less income from games especially against the uglies will never be agreed.

[ropy]

32 minutes ago, texanwellfan said:

EPL has 20 teams and championship has 24 teams and it’s not an issue but where does 38 games come from? 

The top league currently has 12 teams and plays 38 games.

[Throughthelaces]

I honestly dont see the spfl or spl pr sfa ever improving in any meaningful way. Ive hit a point of care about motherwell the rest of scottish football i really cant be arsed with. I dont even talk football at work anymore.

[steelboy]

On 9/3/2026 at 4:25 PM, thewelllfan said:

It also should in theory make it easier for someone outside of Rangers and Celtic to win the league as they wouldn't be given 4 opportunities to beat them a season to claw back the gap. 

It would make it harder. This reminds me of VAR when most people just wanted it through without actually thinking about the inevitable consequences.

Last season Hearts took 7 points vs 4 points against Celtic. That's the way to win the league.

If you expand to 18 teams you will end up with probably 10 teams about the level St Johnstone and Killie are at currently plus clubs like ourselves would have less money to bring in players due to smaller crowds and the TV money being reduced and split an extra 6 ways. The average league game would be far easier for Celtic and Rangers than it currently is.

Personally I think anyone who would rather play Raith Rovers or Morton over the Old Firm, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen is off their nut. Look at our final two home matches last season. Fir Park was jumping for 4th matches versus Hearts and Celtic, absolutely no one was wishing we were playing Arbroath instead.

 

 

[texanwellfan]

3 hours ago, ropy said:

The top league currently has 12 teams and plays 38 games.

Ok so the two lower leagues would play 3 times and then a split for 5 single games, same as the top league does now? 

[grizzlyg]

1 hour ago, steelboy said:

It would make it harder. This reminds me of VAR when most people just wanted it through without actually thinking about the inevitable consequences.

Last season Hearts took 7 points vs 4 points against Celtic. That's the way to win the league.

If you expand to 18 teams you will end up with probably 10 teams about the level St Johnstone and Killie are at currently plus clubs like ourselves would have less money to bring in players due to smaller crowds and the TV money being reduced and split an extra 6 ways. The average league game would be far easier for Celtic and Rangers than it currently is.

Personally I think anyone who would rather play Raith Rovers or Morton over the Old Firm, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen is off their nut. Look at our final two home matches last season. Fir Park was jumping for 4th matches versus Hearts and Celtic, absolutely no one was wishing we were playing Arbroath instead.

 

 

If we were 3pts clear going into final game of season I would gladly love Arbroath at home! 🤣🤣

[weeyin]

52 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

If we were 3pts clear going into final game of season I would gladly love Arbroath at home! 🤣🤣

I've seen Arbroath beat us more than once when we were supposedly the superior side.