The Terrible Journalism & Tom English Thread

[oneteaminglasgow]

2 minutes ago, Ric said:

What you have just described is a "normal" league. Hardly "patently ridiculous".

No, it isn’t.

I’ll try to be clearer. It sounds like you’re suggesting that the teams play 33 games as they currently do, and the 1-6 at that point play another round against each other, and 7-12 do likewise, for 38 games in total. However, the league table is allowed to move as normal with teams able to move into the top/bottom half as normal.

Is that correct?

[Ric]

Just now, oneteaminglasgow said:

No, it isn’t.

I’ll try to be clearer. It sounds like you’re suggesting that the teams play 33 games as they currently do, and the 1-6 at that point play another round against each other, and 7-12 do likewise, for 38 games in total. However, the league table is allowed to move as normal with teams able to move into the top/bottom half as normal.

Is that correct?

I'm going to start another thread. We can discuss it there.

[VincentGuerin]

22 minutes ago, Lester Freamon said:

Those are things we have little or no control over. The fixture list is.

The idea that if 2 teams are battling to avoid relegation that one plays 18 at home, while the other plays 20 including 3 times at home to their rivals is 'fine' because other stuff like weather can be unfair is bizarre.

I did say it's slightly unfair. I just don't think it's a big deal.

People go on about it as if it's a huge deal. It isn't.

[TheScarf]

The winter break and the split are both daft. 

[scottsdad]

17 minutes ago, Ric said:

I'm going to start another thread. We can discuss it there.

Isn't there an existing reconstruction thread?

[topcat(The most tip top)]

34 minutes ago, Lester Freamon said:

Those are things we have little or no control over. The fixture list is.

The idea that if 2 teams are battling to avoid relegation that one plays 18 at home, while the other plays 20 including 3 times at home to their rivals is 'fine' because other stuff like weather can be unfair is bizarre.

Although given that it's only thanks to the split's existence that we don't relegate half the teams in the bottom 6 those teams should probably not to complain too loudly about it

[topcat(The most tip top)]

5 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

Isn't there an existing reconstruction thread?

Basically it was full of people saying "you're just advocating that because it suits the club you support while my position is for the good of Scottish football as a whole".

On closer examination "Scottish football as a whole" usually boiled down to "Not just the club I support but some other fairly similar clubs as well"

 

 

[VincentGuerin]

3 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

Basically it was full of people saying "you're just advocating that because it suits the club you support while my position is for the good of Scottish football as a whole".

On closer examination "Scottish football as a whole" usually boiled down to "Not just the club I support but some other fairly similar clubs as well"

 

 

And that's why the reconstruction talk is all pointless apart from being a fun way to pass the time.

There are so many competing needs and wants that we'll never get meaningful agreement.

In reality, what we have at the moment is probably close to as good as we can get it.

I don't mean it's great, just that we'll never do much better.

[Dons_1988]

6 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

Basically it was full of people saying "you're just advocating that because it suits the club you support while my position is for the good of Scottish football as a whole".

On closer examination "Scottish football as a whole" usually boiled down to "Not just the club I support but some other fairly similar clubs as well"

It’s why the league as a whole requires a clear vision of what it wants to be, commercially and otherwise. 

We don’t have any real identity as a league so we basically have a structure that just about satisfies broadcasters and no meaningful change ever happens due to clubs just pursuing their own needs. 

[Ric]

22 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

Isn't there an existing reconstruction thread?

Yeah, but budge-a-thon'ed I believe. I've kicked off a new one, if the mods wish to merge, I'm happy with that.

 

[Alert Mongoose]

The split creates fixture imbalances and, as a fan of a shite Scottish Premiership team, that gives me a perceived unfairness to complain about.  Keep it I say.

[ropy]

1 hour ago, Ranaldo Bairn said:

No it's not.

They are no longer competing against each other, so it's a mere arithmetical curiosity. This is another of those acid tests that @craigkilliementions.

Correct, the first 33 games is just a qualifier for the two separate leagues of six, the perceived anomaly is just because of the format people choose to display the league placing.

[invergowrie arab]

The split is great.

The "unfairness" of St Johnstone having to go to a footballing fortress like St Mirren 3 times instead of 2 is hardly worth bothering about. 

[Ric]

16 minutes ago, ropy said:

Correct, the first 33 games is just a qualifier for the two separate leagues of six, the perceived anomaly is just because of the format people choose to display the league placing.

It's not two separate leagues though as points and goals carry over, as well as any cards/suspensions, the only thing introduced is a barrier between 6th and 7th in the league.

[resk]

18 minutes ago, ropy said:

Correct, the first 33 games is just a qualifier for the two separate leagues of six, the perceived anomaly is just because of the format people choose to display the league placing.

Wait, what?!  The first 33 games would be "just a qualifier" for the last 5 games if all points were reset to zero after 33 games, which would be fairly daft. 

I reckon we should give it a try.  In a season where the Dons aren't utter shite.  

[Ric]

11 minutes ago, resk said:

Wait, what?!  The first 33 games would be "just a qualifier" for the last 5 games if all points were reset to zero after 33 games, which would be fairly daft. 

I reckon we should give it a try.  In a season where the Dons aren't utter shite.  

I believe that's what the atrocious 8-8-8 reconstruction plan suggested.

I wonder which chairman was stupid enough to support that nonsense..

[topcat(The most tip top)]

It's not two separate leagues though as points and goals carry over, as well as any cards/suspensions, the only thing introduced is a barrier between 6th and 7th in the league.

Given that you’re clearly too smart to still not understand this league format after two decades or so

Your objection seems, at the most basic level, to be an aesthetic one

Which is fine

[Ric]

Just now, topcat(The most tip top) said:

Your objection seems, at the most basic level, to be an aesthetic one

Going by your logic, your current league position is also an aesthetic one?

There is much more discussion, and expansion in this thread.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

11 minutes ago, Ric said:

Going by your logic, your current league position is also an aesthetic one?

There is much more discussion, and expansion in this thread.

My preferred position is ten teams-36 games and yes those being a round number and a square number probably help

 

[DiegoDiego]

We all know how important momentum can be in football,

Analysis shows that "momentum" actually has no effect on the next result.

Rather than a playoff-style end to the season, how about you start anew after the split but the teams who finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th begin on 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 0 points respectively. They can all still win the league, but clubs are rewarded for their performances in the first 33 matches.