thisGRAEME Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 14 minutes ago, Busta Nut said: I've always been a fan of the split anaw. I've actually never understood the disdain for it. Aye. Always been a good way to round off the season, kind of regardless of where you finish. You can have fun beating dumpling teams if you're good but in 7th, you're safe with a challenge if you're 6th, you can hunt Europe, you've got a good way of convincing yourself you'll stay up if you're struggling. I dunno. That you can finish 7th with more points than 6th really seems to upset folk, despite that it's clearly different things. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazylegsjoe_mfc Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) The split, along with the playoffs, ensure that come week 33, most of the league still have something to play for. Hearts will definitely finish 3rd, Livingston will definitely finish bottom and you'd say that Aberdeen have probably got a big enough gap not to get drawn in to a play-off battle. That means that 9 / 12 teams have something tangible to either achieve or avoid. Add in the fact you compete against the teams in the same boat as you, I can't see how anyone would see it as a negative. Edited April 8 by crazylegsjoe_mfc 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 1 minute ago, thisGRAEME said: I dunno. That you can finish 7th with more points than 6th really seems to upset folk, despite that it's clearly different things. This bit always irks me, folk getting so wound up about this. I mean, there is a clarified point of when you need to be where. they don't just surprise use at random points saying "you're now bottom 6" 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Manhattan Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 The pros and cons of the split have been covered many times before, and as recently as last week on this thread: And, as many times before, it generally morphs into a discussion about league reconstruction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Aye I saw that and think I replied at one point too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I would argue that split matters more to mid-table teams like us - it adds a bit of something extra when you're not involved in the good stuff near the top or the bad stuff near the bottom. A top half finish has always been a marker of a good season for us - the split just formalised it a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ropy Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 52 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said: Aye. Always been a good way to round off the season, kind of regardless of where you finish. You can have fun beating dumpling teams if you're good but in 7th, you're safe with a challenge if you're 6th, you can hunt Europe, you've got a good way of convincing yourself you'll stay up if you're struggling. I dunno. That you can finish 7th with more points than 6th really seems to upset folk, despite that it's clearly different things. Folk also complain that you play everybody 4 times when you only play 5 teams four times. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marinello Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Have always been the split bus. Being somewhat advanced in years I remember the pre 1975 years when clubs like Motherwell were often by this time in the season left marooned in mid table ( often out the cup) and with little to play for. This reflected itself in attendance's which barely got above 2,000. I remember a game against Arbroath with a crowd approx 1800. Compare with this Saturday where a crowd of over 6,000 is likely. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eliphas Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) My main dislike for it really is the manufactured nature of it. I get all the teams know what they need to do by this point in the year etc. and it's been signed up to etc. But taking us this season, we are still in the hunt for 5th place really you could argue but because of the split happening that could be whipped away come the weekend. When in a normal league where we have another round of fixtures we could perhaps eat away at the gap and get there. Watched too many meaningless end of season games where we are so far off it from the others in the top 6 or pretty safe so the remaining games v the bottom 6 are pretty meaningless. I'd just rather it was a normal league structure basically The fannies who can't get their head around the points totals at the end of their season...I'm not in their camp...it's fairly straightforward that element. I also get the positives about teams around each other playing each other and the impact of that. Just feels manufactured and not for me really. It's not a deal breaker like - just not a fan Edited April 8 by eliphas 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handsome_Devil Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I was sceptical at first but it's hard to say, given the realities of our situation in Scotland, it's not the best format we can realistically have. There's a reason why, with the exception of adding the playoffs, this hasn't changed in 20+ years. Personally I'd adopt a rip it up and start again approach to our entire pyramid etc but even you liked that theory - and of course plenty wouldn't - the practicalities of doing that are prohibitive. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisGRAEME Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 6 minutes ago, Handsome_Devil said: Personally I'd adopt a rip it up and start again approach to our entire pyramid etc but even you liked that theory - and of course plenty wouldn't - the practicalities of doing that are prohibitive. Honestly at this stage I'm not even sure whether the pyramid adds much. I think it probably will at some point but I'd rather have Cowden and Rovers than Cove and FC Edinburgh City. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handsome_Devil Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 9 minutes ago, thisGRAEME said: Honestly at this stage I'm not even sure whether the pyramid adds much. I think it probably will at some point but I'd rather have Cowden and Rovers than Cove and FC Edinburgh City. Mmm. In my fantasy world I'd be changing lots but on this specific point it's very much 50-50. A shame to lose historic clubs but I find myself generally agreeing with Strachan's comments a while ago that plenty were only playing at being professional clubs (hence why I'd be making big changes)...if Cove or others have the ambition and means to move up, so be it. Yes, question where the cash comes from in some instances but this is literally the point of the meritocracy of a league system. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) Argentina had a league of about 30 teams for a few seasons and have been doing things like relegating 5 promoting 4 and slowly whittled it down to about 26 now. Lets do that for a laugh. (also don't start on Argentina's relegation over a 3 season average thing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016–17_Argentine_Primera_División#League_table Edited April 8 by Busta Nut 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handsome_Devil Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 15 minutes ago, Busta Nut said: Argentina had a league of about 30 teams for a few seasons and have been doing things like relegating 5 promoting 4 and slowly whittled it down to about 26 now. Lets do that for a laugh. (also don't start on Argentina's relegation over a 3 season average thing) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016–17_Argentine_Primera_División#League_table Someone once suggested we have a 42 team league, play each other once and use the standings to define the teams for the regular leagues from then on. You could do this every 10/20 years as a giant reset and while it's obviously unfair as f**k, it sounds totally hilarious and therefore I'm all for it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisGRAEME Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Just now, Handsome_Devil said: Someone once suggested we have a 42 team league, play each other once and use the standings to define the teams for the regular leagues from then on. You could do this every 10/20 years as a giant reset and while it's obviously unfair as f**k, it sounds totally hilarious and therefore I'm all for it. Great way to keep Lawrence Shankland in the league if we're promising a timeline on the great reset. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busta Nut Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I also noticed the Argy league went to down to 24, but is now back up to 28. sounds like some laugh 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 4 minutes ago, Busta Nut said: I also noticed the Argy league went to down to 24, but is now back up to 28. sounds like some laugh They also had this bonkers set up as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apertura_and_Clausura_in_Argentine_football 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 18May1991 Posted April 8 Popular Post Share Posted April 8 Dropped the wee fella off at his Easter football camp in Glasgow. Plenty Haaland tops, Messi tops, Sevco, Celtic and a couple of Scotland tops. Only one #14 Bair 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antiochas III Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 Biggest issue with the split. Our media partners completely undersell it. For the 2nd time in 3 years we go into a match where results could see us start the split, 6th or 7th or 8th. Last time we were involved about 5 different teams could make top 6... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swello Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 1 minute ago, Antiochas III said: Biggest issue with the split. Our media partners completely undersell it. For the 2nd time in 3 years we go into a match where results could see us start the split, 6th or 7th or 8th. Last time we were involved about 5 different teams could make top 6... Agree with this - there has been some brilliant drama around the last day of the split over the years and it's never been very well covered... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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