The Parallax View ... a studied approach to major issues ... |
Possible SFA bid for EURO 2020 (24 teams) is even more incompetent than 2008 ..
When Jack McConnell et al decided to bid for Euro 2008, `Pyramid News` magazine called it an exercise in political cynicism and utterly `incompetent`... certain to fail, as it easily did at the first hurdle. UEFA had decided that eight stadia would be needed ... Scotland had four, three in Glasgow. Since then, from 2016, 24 teams will participate ... and France has designated NINE stadia and two reserves, the smallest of which (Nice) holds 35,000 and the largest (Stade de France) 87,000. Now, where would Scotland, Ireland and Wales get that kind of a city/stadium position ?
It might be possible if you were able to include some of Eire`s big, wide, Gaelic venues, like Croke park, and Castlebar, with maybe Aberdeen added to Scotland`s repertoire, plus a new ground for Dundee. The costs involved would be ridiculous ... the benefits, purely political in every sad sense of the word. Though UEFA looks mainly to TV revenue, the ticketing aspect is still very important.
Currently, we have three possible venues in Scotland (UEFA wouldn`t allow three in Glasgow), two in Cardiff and one in Dublin ... not even up to Euro 2004 standards. It won`t happen .... and if the clowns try to bid, it will quickly fail again. Our question to the SFA must be ... WHY Scotland never bids to host a manageable minor competition, u-21, u-19, etc ? Is it because there is no political benefit in them ?
RANGERS `newco` must go to Division 3 .. as a new club.
Given that they haven`t paid their taxes, national insurance, etc, for some considerable time, WE ARE ALL `creditors`of Rangers FC. There should be no question therefore that the club must be liquidated in order to obtain the best possible return on the debts owed ... as well as to send a message to all club in the UK that there are no longer easy escape clauses. People are being asked to take lower wages and work longer in their lives, sick people won`t get medicine or hospitalisation, kids won`t get decent schools, because the Government (at least partly) isn`t getting this money in. Instead it has gone to `fat cat` footballers, staff, directors, David Murray and Craig Whyte... plus a huge whack yet to be uncovered to Duff and Duffer. There is also no question that Rangers fans should be buying this club (Division Three) and not more fat cat criminals.
The other criminals who run Scottish football, of course, have little consideration for us, or for legitimacy, or for what others might think of our game (already ridiculed universally) ... so they`ll line up on the side of what is good for themselves. WE must hope ... against all previous behavioural characteristics ... that a few can actually see the wider picture.
OPPORTUNITY MISSED ?
With most Juniors finishing early this season because of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, it would have been a HUGE OPPORTUNITY to change things in the chronic SJFA fixture -season for the longer term good. But it appears that chance has, once again, passed them by.
SJFA is the most ridiculously 19th century-based organisation in Scottish football .... decades past its sell-by date ... 90% of its audience and 60% of its member clubs GONE. Particularly, in the WEST region, you have this idiotic end-of-season dis-organisation called the EVENING TIMES CUP .... no surprise that this `rag` has its name attached to the most pathetic competition in the game ... which, along with the SJFA`s `Junior Cup` incompetence, are the major stumbling blocks to decent reforms in junior football in a Scottish game which urgently needs a major re-think.
The great current opportunity would have been to move the start of NEXT season (12-13) ... and all subsequent seasons ... into the SFA `window` of early July (as well as moving the ETCWC and re-vamping competition) so that junior clubs could have the chance of big friendly games with senior clubs. In these days of cash shortage and SJFA clubs regularly in trouble ... that should be a `no-brainer`. And starting a week to 10-days earlier would, of course, make the tail end of the season much easier to negotiate, with the potential addition of games, or competitions, to further boost a seriously declining portfolio.
Unfortunately, as we say at the beginning, SJFA is `based` in the 19th century, well past the sell-by date and THAT is probably the biggest obstacle to change ... which is unlikely to materialise. The BEST option now ... without doubt ... is for clubs to start the exodus to whatever SFA`s `South League` window has to offer.... a pathway which is certain to become very busy over the next two seasons. One ... possibly, too late ... alternative is clearly outlined below ..
FULL MODERNISATION OF JUNIORS ESSENTIAL ..
Dates : Start mid July, t0 mid-Dec .. winter break .. Restart, Feb. until Cup final, first Sat in June .... 50 dates, inc 6 m/w July/Aug and 4 m/w in May.
Prog: At around 160 clubs, a Junior Cup pre-lim of 64 clubs (16 north, 24 East, 24 West) of the lowest finishing league clubs, played in `local` groups of 4 (six games) instead of sectional League Cups, top two qualify in each group. Round 1 draw in 4 sections of `local` 32; rd 2, in two sections of `local` 32; rd 3, last 32, all in. It would be home and away from round 1. Semi-finals may be single game at a senior venue if plausible. J-Cup final should be the last game of the season and co-incide with AGM. Linking League cups to Junior cup for the weakest clubs improves their profile, improves later rounds of the Cup, and opens the way for `Super` League Cups of the remaining (higher) clubs. These would be approx 40 (8 x 5 clubs) in each of East and West (or combined), 20 (4 x 5 clubs) North ... for max 7 games.
East and West Regions would be merged, re-named `South` and divisions enlarged to 16 in a `pyramid` format. North continues as is. Minor competitions are `integrated` to J-Cup as `drop in`, with the possibility of additional divisional cups to be examined (South). Clubs in the current Tayside area may choose North or South. With 50 fixture slots and additional space which could be used if needed, all junior clubs should move to a much broader 40 games minimum, with most successful playing around 47.
clubs in cups
rd J-C Reg DA DB DC
pre 64 (16 groups of 4 .. 6 games .. 32 qualifiers)
1 128 / / \ /
2 64 96 \ / \
3 32 80 / 48 /
4 16 - \ 64 \
5 8 64 / 32 56
6 4 32 32 16 32
7 2 16 32 5 fin 16
8 8 24 - 4 fin
9 2 fin 6 fin
The cup system is simple and easily managed because of `local 32` draws. From rd 2, losers play in `local`sections of`regional` (equiv to inter-region) cups, single tie, play-to-finish, resulting in 2 finals at round 9. At rds 3 and 4, losers in `regional` play District B cup, from which losers play DC (inc beaten J-Cup q-finalists at rd 6). Losers in rd 5, 6 and 7 of reg cup move into District A competition, leading to 6 finals. Losers in semi-finals of J-Cup get a (most local) final in District B. This total of 20 cups compares to what existed in the Juniors over a decade ago. In simple terms, clubs who need more fixtures get them and the more successful don`t .. and aren`t asked to play ridiculous progs. This brings minimum and maximum fixtures much closer together... and allows room for further development of Junior football. The `quality` of all fixtures is also substantially improved by reasonable streaming. And every junior club will still start with the opportunity to play in four, possibly five, cups and reach at least two finals. Cup rounds can be played within the same `window` for the most part, allowing more full league progs, longer fixture publishing and stronger league tables.
Financially, Junior Cup can gain hugely from home and away ties and a much more competitive format which eliminates weak clubs in rounds 1 and 2. The regionalisation of draws to last 32 means a much reduced cost for clubs and fans and makes the game more locally accessible to bigger crowds. Doing away with `regions` is probably the best idea .. ONE system of 160 clubs easily managed by ONE secretary. Clubs can then go back to better local democracy and discussions in small districts, which have little or no connection to competitive `boundaries`. Instead of ALL CLUBS at agm, these small groups could elect `delegates`.. make stronger proposals ... and achieve better overall management, which Junior football has lacked since its creation.
Without urgent modernisation, prospects for many junior clubs are bleak and will be exacerbated by opportunity in SFA `pyramid`, as well as, by blocked entry to Scottish Cup, alongside clubs constantly dropping out, or severely weakened, by ever-increasing financial problems. Simple changes to `winter` season are easily made. A Summer season, of course, would allow midweek fixtures throughout, totalling at least 50 games. Financially, such moves are imperative ... and it is no surprise that the SFA have decided to have a broad examination of the pro`s and con`s of potentially major season changes ... for ALL grades. They have little real choice ...
Dates : Start mid July, t0 mid-Dec .. winter break .. Restart, Feb. until Cup final, first Sat in June .... 50 dates, inc 6 m/w July/Aug and 4 m/w in May.
Prog: At around 160 clubs, a Junior Cup pre-lim of 64 clubs (16 north, 24 East, 24 West) of the lowest finishing league clubs, played in `local` groups of 4 (six games) instead of sectional League Cups, top two qualify in each group. Round 1 draw in 4 sections of `local` 32; rd 2, in two sections of `local` 32; rd 3, last 32, all in. It would be home and away from round 1. Semi-finals may be single game at a senior venue if plausible. J-Cup final should be the last game of the season and co-incide with AGM. Linking League cups to Junior cup for the weakest clubs improves their profile, improves later rounds of the Cup, and opens the way for `Super` League Cups of the remaining (higher) clubs. These would be approx 40 (8 x 5 clubs) in each of East and West (or combined), 20 (4 x 5 clubs) North ... for max 7 games.
East and West Regions would be merged, re-named `South` and divisions enlarged to 16 in a `pyramid` format. North continues as is. Minor competitions are `integrated` to J-Cup as `drop in`, with the possibility of additional divisional cups to be examined (South). Clubs in the current Tayside area may choose North or South. With 50 fixture slots and additional space which could be used if needed, all junior clubs should move to a much broader 40 games minimum, with most successful playing around 47.
clubs in cups
rd J-C Reg DA DB DC
pre 64 (16 groups of 4 .. 6 games .. 32 qualifiers)
1 128 / / \ /
2 64 96 \ / \
3 32 80 / 48 /
4 16 - \ 64 \
5 8 64 / 32 56
6 4 32 32 16 32
7 2 16 32 5 fin 16
8 8 24 - 4 fin
9 2 fin 6 fin
The cup system is simple and easily managed because of `local 32` draws. From rd 2, losers play in `local`sections of`regional` (equiv to inter-region) cups, single tie, play-to-finish, resulting in 2 finals at round 9. At rds 3 and 4, losers in `regional` play District B cup, from which losers play DC (inc beaten J-Cup q-finalists at rd 6). Losers in rd 5, 6 and 7 of reg cup move into District A competition, leading to 6 finals. Losers in semi-finals of J-Cup get a (most local) final in District B. This total of 20 cups compares to what existed in the Juniors over a decade ago. In simple terms, clubs who need more fixtures get them and the more successful don`t .. and aren`t asked to play ridiculous progs. This brings minimum and maximum fixtures much closer together... and allows room for further development of Junior football. The `quality` of all fixtures is also substantially improved by reasonable streaming. And every junior club will still start with the opportunity to play in four, possibly five, cups and reach at least two finals. Cup rounds can be played within the same `window` for the most part, allowing more full league progs, longer fixture publishing and stronger league tables.
Financially, Junior Cup can gain hugely from home and away ties and a much more competitive format which eliminates weak clubs in rounds 1 and 2. The regionalisation of draws to last 32 means a much reduced cost for clubs and fans and makes the game more locally accessible to bigger crowds. Doing away with `regions` is probably the best idea .. ONE system of 160 clubs easily managed by ONE secretary. Clubs can then go back to better local democracy and discussions in small districts, which have little or no connection to competitive `boundaries`. Instead of ALL CLUBS at agm, these small groups could elect `delegates`.. make stronger proposals ... and achieve better overall management, which Junior football has lacked since its creation.
Without urgent modernisation, prospects for many junior clubs are bleak and will be exacerbated by opportunity in SFA `pyramid`, as well as, by blocked entry to Scottish Cup, alongside clubs constantly dropping out, or severely weakened, by ever-increasing financial problems. Simple changes to `winter` season are easily made. A Summer season, of course, would allow midweek fixtures throughout, totalling at least 50 games. Financially, such moves are imperative ... and it is no surprise that the SFA have decided to have a broad examination of the pro`s and con`s of potentially major season changes ... for ALL grades. They have little real choice ...
