By Chris Mac
November 30 2003

As fans of one of the smaller teams in Scotland and with the pain we have all suffered, we know that Scottish football does not work and is in desperate need of work. Well here is at least one idea.

For years now we have seen the OF running away with every thing in Scotland, well to tell the truth I don’t care to much  about that and can’t ever see it changing unless of course they bugger off to another league (sooner the better).

I do feel that the rule book in Scottish football should be thrown out the window; all four leagues should be scrapped until registered financial advisers and accountants take a look at all the accounts of every team.

Rules dictating the financial viability of all clubs should be introduced very quickly stipulating that any club who cannot show an operating profit of 20% will be relegated from the division they are in at the present time.

Give all clubs one seasons warning that this is going to happen and then the first day of the closed season take over their offices and do an in dept report in to every section of the business.

Each league would then be restructured 16-18 team leagues playing each other twice; the teams who proved them selves to be financially stable taking there place in the top leagues and working their way down. All seated stadium rules, should be scrapped although a 75/25 ratio should be in place. (10,000 capacity = 7500 seats 2500 terracing), no limit on capacity should be enforced to be accepted into any league and a pyramid system allowing promotion from the junior leagues. If the junior teams actually want this, you don’t hear about the juniors being in financial trouble, I have even heard some pay more than teams in the Scottish Football Leagues.

For one season and one season only this would see Scottish football in turmoil, but it may also force teams to look at director’s wages, player wages perks of being a footballer that were taken for granted at one time and are now more of a myth unless you sign for one of the top two. Player contract should also have written into it that if clubs were relegated in such circumstances that all contracts were null and void, maybe then demands by players would become more reasonable.

The leagues have been restructured in the past and teams have been moved from one league to another with out many problems arising, (I think) our older fans would be able to comment on this far more than me.

Fine Scottish football may fall flat on its face but at least we would know that with yearly auditing our clubs would still be in a position to operate in coming seasons.

I don’t expect the big wigs of Scottish football to do any thing about securing their own future, so maybe EUFA should step in and force every club to adhere to the same rules or no longer be a professionally registered team.