A Split Decision

League reconstruction has been on the agenda for around two years now, and the latest proposal being given light of day is the SPL’s “12-12 to 8-8-8” plan, which was used in Austria between 1985 and 1993.  Under this proposal, teams would start off in two divisions of 12, and would play each other home and away for a total of 22 matches.  At this point, the leagues would split into three sections of 8, with the bottom four of the top flight joining the top four of the second tier.  Each of these sections would see teams playing each other home and away for a total of 14 matches, giving an overall seasonal total of 36 games.

This system would certainly provide more opportunity for clubs to be promoted to the top flight, with as many as four teams having the opportunity to gain promotion via the middle league section.  This form of split would also be guaranteed to be “even”, unlike the SPL’s current split which can sometimes lead to a team having 18 home games and 20 aways (or vice versa), and can also see a team playing a particular opponent once at home and thrice away (or vice versa).

But a quick look at the current SPL table exposes some major flaws in the proposal.  There have been 22 matchdays completed in this season’s SPL, the exact point at which the league would split into an 8-8-8.  Matchday 22 took place on Tuesday, but Ross County’s home match against Inverness was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.  Ross County’s match against Hearts last weekend was also postponed for the same reason.  That leaves County with two games in hand, matches which could decide the final members of the “top 8” section – it is still possible for both County and Hearts to be in 8th place (or higher) after 22 matches are completed.  (There are a few other sides with games in hand, but these matches would all have gone ahead by now if the 8-8-8 split was in place.)

That immediately creates a problem for the league.  The second part of the season cannot go ahead until we know which sides are in which sections, so these matches would have to be played as a matter of urgency.  These matches would presumably be rescheduled during the winter break, negating the alleged advantages of having a break in the first place.  And what if the poor weather continued and County’s pitch remained unplayable for a couple of weeks?  The season could be thrown into disarray with the start of the next round of games delayed for a week or more, leading to a potential fixture pile-up.

While it is true that it is relatively rare for SPL matches to be called off, with Ross County’s recent travails being the exception rather than the rule, the same cannot be said for SFL1 clubs.  Remember that under the proposed system, the second tier clubs would also have to complete their first 22 games within the same timescale in order for the top four of the division to join the bottom four of the top flight.  Many second tier clubs do not have undersoil heating, and postponements over winter are fairly common.  Even in what has been a fairly mild winter this year, the likes of Cowdenbeath and Dumbarton have multiple home games off.  A quick glance at the table shows Livingston, Hamilton and Dumbarton having three games in hand over some of their rivals within the league. Last season, Queen of the South were the first team to complete 22 matches in the 1st Division – by that point every other club had games in hand (as many as three).

It is possible that the dates for the season could be tweaked slightly, but regardless of the scheduling, it is a certainty that the last few matches of the first section of the season will take place in the winter.  Even a well-timed winter break will not guarantee that every fixture will be played in time, and it is not practical to demand that second tier sides, some of which are part-time, have undersoil heating or any other expensive form of pitch protection.  Likewise, it is unclear what the SPL intend to do with their current rules relating to minimum capacities and all-seater stadiums – it would be ludicrous to demand these of every club in the second tier, but would be equally ludicrous to have a team involved in the middle section of the division if they could not be promoted.

While the actual scheduling of games provides the main practical difficulty of the new system, there are also a couple of other drawbacks.  A quick glance at the SPL table shows a gap of just nine points between 2nd placed Inverness Caley Thistle and 10th placed St Mirren.  Any of those clubs between 2nd and 10th could be considered to have a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe, and even Ross County, with their games in hand, cannot really be ruled out of the race.  The introduction of a split at this part of the season would condemn three of those clubs to a relegation battle at this relatively early part of the season.

Given that the “middle 8” will contain teams from two different divisions, it seems likely that every team would have to start again from scratch, with points gained in the first part of the season wiped out.  In this season’s SPL, 9th placed Hearts are currently 14 points ahead of bottom side Dundee in the SPL, while SFL1 leaders Dunfermline are already 12 points clear of 4th placed Falkirk after just 18 games.  It would seem incredibly unfair if those advantages were wiped out completely in future seasons, rendering their work in the first half of the season meaningless.

That also raises another issue – it would have been impossible for Dundee to reach the “top 8” since Boxing Day, while Dunfermline, Morton and Partick Thistle could potentially be guaranteed a place in that section with three games to spare.  Would as many supporters turn out for matches which were completely meaningless, and would the players go into the game with the same mindset as they would for a more important match?  These matches could still be important for their opponents, leading to a situation where these opponents have a possible advantage over their competitors.

The 12-12 to 8-8-8 plan has a few advantages over the current system, but it difficult to see how the SPL and SFL could deal with the practical issues I have outlined.  While most fans would like some form of league reconstruction over the next couple of years, it is important that the authorities do not rush into change for change’s sake.