Why all the hate for the Scottish Championship?

[SandyCromarty]

10 hours ago, Meeniedee said:

the standard of players is shite but not just in the championship the whole of scottish football is filled with players who would have been lucky to get a game for the juniors years ago

Why blame only the players as the standard of managers and coaching staff are just as culpable, how many do we see season after season off to a lower league english team then fail absolutely miserably and get back on the Scottish Managers Merry go Round and then fall comfortably into a Scottish job, then after some time they are run off, take gardening leave till the pay off expires then get back on the MgR and into another job.

[SandyCromarty]

3 minutes ago, Central Belt Caley said:

Totally disagree with this, there’s plenty of players who could comfortably make the step up. Not the individual players fault if they’re surrounded by shite

Nail on the head.

[SandyCromarty]

I see more enthusiasm at the pie stand at half time than I see during a game some days.

[Tattie36]

9 hours ago, Jacky1990 said:

I think there are lots of people, EPL and Old Firm fanboys mostly, that conflate quality with entertainment, when it isnt the case.

Is the quality of players, surfaces, stadiums, coverage, etc great? No. Far from it. Frankly, some full time players in this league should be embarrassed at how shite they are at their jobs.

But football for me as a fan isnt about quality. Its about entertainment, excitement and the escapism that comes with devoting your life to fanatically following a stupid little entity like a football club and being emotionally invested in the ups and downs that come with that clubs fortunes.

The Championship, for me, gives me so much more excitement than when we were in the Premiership because every game can be won or lost, every season can mean promotion or relegation. And with that comes investment and excitement and, yes, sometimes despair. It might sound like bollocks, but I actually kind of prefer being in the Championship for that reason (still delighted if we go up of course).

Give me a 0-0 in any game in this division over any EPL or Champions League game any day. Why? Because I turn on having no idea what the f**k Im about to see. Could be a great goal. Could be a howler. Could be a horrible pitch. Could be a scudding either way. Why wouldbt anyone love the unknown element of this stupid little league.

The people who hate on it, and Scottish football in general (arse cheeks aside), can f**k off.

Spot on.

Once you can accept that fitba is entertainment and ignore this elusive “quality” then it makes it a much more enjoyable experience.

Say what you like about the quality, or the lack of, but I think it’s as exciting and competitive a league as you’ll find anywhere.

A different winner every year (obviously) and generally a different range of teams challenging for promotion or relegation every season. Add in the large turnover in clubs and it keeps the playing each other 4+ times a season thing a bit less monotonous then in the Premiership for example. I used to hate the playoffs and I don’t think the format is perfect, but it certainly adds excitement for pretty much every team, every season, right to the wire.

As you say, it’s the unpredictability that’s great. Anyone can beat anyone and you get a fair few completely random results. Even though this season has been torture for us, who could have predicted our fall from grace after last season? Or QPs achievements this year?

I can’t even fathom how fans of Hearts, Hibs etc and particularly, never relegated, Aberdeen can be arsed with the premiership knowing that they have 0% chance of winning the thing before a ball has been kicked. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Tattie36

[PB1994]

The comment about no player in the Championship would be comfortable in the top flight is complete nonsense. Deas, Allardice and Welsh are three from The Caley straight away who could be starters for about half of the division. There are probably a couple of others you could make a case for too. I’m sure most clubs in the top half of the division would have similar numbers that could make the step up.

[MazzyStar]

It’s hated because Queen of the South aren’t in it. 

[Central Belt Caley]

Seeing some of the howlers the boy Birghitti at Dundee United has chucked in this season, I think just about every keeper in this division would be an improvement on him bar Cove’s keeper. 

[hk blues]

25 minutes ago, Tattie36 said:

I can’t even fathom how fans of Hearts, Hibs etc and particularly, never relegated, Aberdeen can be arsed with the premiership knowing that they have 0% chance of winning the thing before a ball has been kicked. 

But they have a chance of being relegated or, at least, a chance of being involved in a relegation battle.  And, on the positive side, a shot at Europe.  Even the battle for top 6 has some interest value as you can see if you read threads at the moment. And that lingering hope that maybe. just maybe, both of the OF will have an off-day.

I guess plenty of clubs start every season with even less to play for than many teams in the premiership - it's definitely the place to be.  

[1320Lichtie]

Every single player in this league will be a fantastic football player. The game has gotten much quicker over the years in my opinion and that’s why it’s harder for players to show their quality at times. The games are played at a million miles an hour because everyone is so fit.

 

Every year that progresses until the day we die people will say things are getting worse and hamper back to the good old days and nostalgia, not just in football but in loads of different things in life. You hear it all the time, also think there’s that many games on TV now you’re used to watching the absolute top level players playing the game so you don’t appreciate what’s being played infront of your eyes on a Saturday.
 

It’s extremely hard and difficult to play in the Scottish Premiership or Championship or in any of the leagues. Think of just how many people in this country play football at youth levels and then how many actually make it to play for the likes of even Dundee or whoever. Extremely low chance and only the best make it. 
 

Also think there are 7 pretty good teams in the league this season and it’s much of a muchness. 
 

Personally I love the 10 team league everyone always has something to play for right up until the very end. Couldn’t care less who we are playing either I am only interested in watching Arbroath, if it’s Cove for the 4th time on Saturday like it is for me this week or QoTS for the 2nd time this season I could not care less. Would rather have more meaningful games in a smaller division. All that matters to me personally. The competitiveness, which this league absolutely has in abundance, is what makes watching football entertaining for me.

[velo army]

I recall the 2001 First Division being particularly great, with a strong Ayr, a Falkirk featuring Kevin McCallister (who nearly went down) and an Airdrie team who were pretty good (wonder what happened to them ). They were teams filled with guys who had had decent careers at the top level and then dropped down.

What reasons are there for the drop in quality? I was thinking about youth football and how many promising Scottish players end up in the English leagues, but then again the Jags team of that year had the combined age of Ben Nevis, so I'm struggling to join those dots.

 

[jagsfan57]

I think the reason for the drop in quality in Scotland is due to the absurd amount of money in the English game which obviously draws the better Scottish players there. Maybe it has always been that way, but the gap seems so much wider now. 

[TheScarf]

11 minutes ago, jagsfan57 said:

I think the reason for the drop in quality in Scotland is due to the absurd amount of money in the English game which obviously draws the better Scottish players there. Maybe it has always been that way, but the gap seems so much wider now. 

That'll definitely be a factor,

I agree with what someone said earlier, the game is played at 200mph now as the players are more athletes than footballers.  I look at the highlights of some The Caley games from around 2001-2004 and the speed and tempo is much slower, but the passing, shooting, control of the players, in both teams seems better.  There's better passages of play leading up to the goals and its not just fullbacks launching into the channel for the whippet winger/striker to get one on one with the opposition fullback that 90% of goals appear to be in the league these days.

[Heid_The_Baw]

19 hours ago, Walter said:

The people who go on about the quality of this league being shite are the same ones who spend half there lives watching billionaires' teams full of millionaire players on sky, BT etc and then compare Scottish football with it. Why anyone would give a flying f**k whether Arsenal beat Man City or Liverpool beat Chelsea is absolutely beyond me. 

Bang on.  Canny understand the love for teams nowhere near you in another country.....  Why not 'support' CSKA Moscow, or HJ Helsinki or whatever?  Mean about the same to me as ManUre, Liverpool or Arsenal.
Incidentally, I find the English Premiershit boring but the lower leagues in England are always good games, especially League 1 and 2.
The Championship in Scotland is Raiths 'natural' home and while it would be good for a wee jaunt up to play the bigot brothers and the Edinburgh mobs in the Scottish Premiershit, I prefer us in the Championship where WE can be competitive.  

 

[f_c_dundee]

2 hours ago, Tattie36 said:

Spot on.

Once you can accept that fitba is entertainment and ignore this elusive “quality” then it makes it a much more enjoyable experience.

Say what you like about the quality, or the lack of, but I think it’s as exciting and competitive a league as you’ll find anywhere.

A different winner every year (obviously) and generally a different range of teams challenging for promotion or relegation every season. Add in the large turnover in clubs and it keeps the playing each other 4+ times a season thing a bit less monotonous then in the Premiership for example. I used to hate the playoffs and I don’t think the format is perfect, but it certainly adds excitement for pretty much every team, every season, right to the wire.

A chance of a different winner every year does really helps. It's just boring AF finding out if it's Rangers or Celtic this year.

 

Also agree with the earlier post regarding the general nonsense of seeing just how pish your team will be this week, or if you'll get a surprise decent performance.

[Thumper]

4 hours ago, Hampden Diehard said:

Is it any coincidence that magnificently resurgent Queen's Park have recently signed two players from the Juniors who, therefore, are thus good enough to play in self same Juniors.

Probably Ayr's most talismanic player over the last decade was signed from Girvan. He was instrumental in a 5-0 televised scudding of Premiership-bound big boys Dundee United at their own ground.

[spiders4ever]

3 hours ago, SandyCromarty said:

I see more enthusiasm at the pie stand at half time than I see during a game some days.

No wonder as your steak pies are delicious. 

[Pens_Dark]

Ultimately the English pyramid has skewed everyone's opinion on quality. Scotland has particularly suffered from this because people prefer to be armchair fans. Our improvement in the national squad coincides with this quality as most of our players play in that league or a high quality Italian league etc. Having said that, the quality in the lower English leagues and second tier is fucking abysmal at times as well. In reality is as well the premier league suffers from the same problem that the likes of our premiership league has. Man City have won four of the last five ffs. 

The difference for me is the convenience of football being shown on tv. It plays in to peoples hands way too easily. How do we entice more people to spend their weekends going to support their local team? Hard to say. I saw recently per capita we are one of the best supported nations in football. 

I used to think an increase in teams in each league would solve the problem but we are too far down the road for that now. For me it is more about matchday experience and we just don't do that well enough in Scotland.

[TheScarf]

I compare the Scottish Championship, or the First Division as it was then, from the turn of the century, to the Scottish Championship to today and the quality of player is far inferior, due to the aforementioned tempo of the games now.  You get the ball and you don't have time to blink before some cunt is at you.  Hence why to the eye it looks pish and we all, including me, lament that most players at this level look really uncomfortable in possession and can't wait to get rid of the ball. The 'hot potato' remark springs up.

Comparing Scottish football to English football is the mark of a high level moron.

[Sortmeout]

Probably because it’s full of small, insignificant clubs generally speaking.

Of course with the exception of last season and probably next season.

[HoBNob]

20 hours ago, Moorie said:

I remember hearing when Hibs went down to the 1st division in the late 90s their crowds were up over what It was when they were in the top league. 
just goes to show what a difference being in a league that’s competitive to a two horse race and the horses hoovering everything up 

Dunfermline have currently averaged 1,100 more in League One than we did in the Championship last season, not getting scudded every week helps. 

3 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Every single player in this league will be a fantastic football player. The game has gotten much quicker over the years in my opinion and that’s why it’s harder for players to show their quality at times. The games are played at a million miles an hour because everyone is so fit.

 

Every year that progresses until the day we die people will say things are getting worse and hamper back to the good old days and nostalgia, not just in football but in loads of different things in life. You hear it all the time, also think there’s that many games on TV now you’re used to watching the absolute top level players playing the game so you don’t appreciate what’s being played infront of your eyes on a Saturday.
 

It’s extremely hard and difficult to play in the Scottish Premiership or Championship or in any of the leagues. Think of just how many people in this country play football at youth levels and then how many actually make it to play for the likes of even Dundee or whoever. Extremely low chance and only the best make it. 
 

 

Aye, when I was 17/18 I played against a few pro youth sides, most of them never made it pro and they still looked absolutely class when up against jobbers like me. Shaun Byrne could've played the game in his slippers (he's had a good career at least!) 

I'm not quite sure I agree this is the worst the quality has ever been, or that the 2010s were so incredible, people were saying the same thing back then aswell.