| Scots set to change Welsh model |
| Saturday 06 March 2010 |
 WITH the Welsh Premier set to reduce to 12 teams next season, the oft-quoted league model in Scotland may return to 16 teams. The Scottish Premier League has revealed that it is considering expanding the top flight from 12 to 16 teams and the majority of the current clubs favour the move. SPL managers Jim Jefferies, Craig Brown, Gus MacPherson and John Hughes all indicated a desire for change. And Hibs boss Hughes would like to see the season moved to the summer. Hearts' boss Jefferies says: "We are getting too familiar with each other and I don't think the fans are too happy with the way things are." Rangers' boss Walter Smith is another manager who would prefer a return to the "old days" and favours an 18-club division. He accepts that a staleness has crept into the present model because teams face each other four times, or even more if cup contests are added. Today’s visitors to Ibrox provide perfect evidence of that problem. St Mirren also met Rangers in a replayed Scottish Cup tie and the Co-operative Insurance Cup final on March 21 at Hampden Park will be the last in a sequence of six games in two months between the sides. "Both Gus MacPherson [the St Mirren manager] and I would agree it is too much," Smith said. "I heard Jim Jefferies and Craig Brown both state that playing each other four times is not right and they feel there should be a change. I would agree with that, I would like to see a change. What that change is, I am not quite sure. "A lot of teams quite like playing each other four times because it means they play the Old Firm twice at home and that gets them good revenue. "The ideal set-up is to have an 18-team league. If we could find a way of working towards that, I would be in favour. It comes into line with all the other European leagues." The Welsh Premier has voted for a 44-fixture format next season, but this is likely to be re-examined once the constituent 12 clubs are decided after the FAW's licensing process. |