Scotland going with B Teams?

[BlackHaddock]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52941423

 

[PuB]

What an absolute farce that would be.

 

[Indian Dan]

Fuck me, their first teams are shite enough!

 

[BlackHaddock]

Note how Rangers and Celtic suggest how they would give money, buying tickets for their away games as well as big (ish) lump sums. I bet the FA are looking at it and waiting to see how it pans out.

If this had been released on 1st April it would have been funny, but it wasn't and it isn't.

 

[Kenneth E End]

The only thing I'd say on the flip side to this horrible idea, is that Scotland only has around 30 genuinely professional teams across 4 divisions. Most teams from League 1 downwards are part time and wouldn't even compete in the Conference in England, yet they're designated as "League" clubs. They struggle to get more than a few hundred through the door and their facilities are worse than poor. If you had a pan UK league structure, most of their clubs would be floundering in the regional leagues, not just for performance but for their facilities.

Not that B teams are the way to fix the problem in Scotland, there does need to be intrinsic change across their lower divisions.

 

[#Beebot]

Horrible plan however Scotland has never had a coherent pyramid structure anyway.

There's very little risk for the teams down the bottom of their L2.

 

[#Beebot]

The only thing I'd say on the flip side to this horrible idea, is that Scotland only has around 30 genuinely professional teams across 4 divisions. Most teams from League 1 downwards are part time and wouldn't even compete in the Conference in England, yet they're designated as "League" clubs. They struggle to get more than a few hundred through the door and their facilities are worse than poor. If you had a pan UK league structure, most of their clubs would be floundering in the regional leagues, not just for performance but for their facilities.

Not that B teams are the way to fix the problem in Scotland, there does need to be intrinsic change across their lower divisions.

There are teams in the top-flight who would have a tough time in L2.

Their second tier is no better than NL standard.

 

[Super_horns]

Not sure the police would enjoy having to control another set of Celtic and Rangers fans at grounds ill equipped.

200 would soon turn into 2000!

 

[Indian Dan]

Yeah, but I’d imagine if Rangers/Celtic were playing on the same day their fans would be watching the 1st XI

 

[northstandexile]

Rangers are on the verge of bankruptcy again, even before the covid pandemic.

 

[chipmunx]

3 seasons ago Motherwell 1st team played Gateshead and Barrow pre-season and lost both games... and Barrow just avoided relegation that season.

 

[Chris FGR]

You would end up with Celtic and Rangers miles clear at the top of the SPL every year and their B teams miles clear in the SFL Championship every year. Would make the league look tinpot.

 

[PuB]

You would end up with Celtic and Rangers miles clear at the top of the SPL every year and their B teams miles clear in the SFL Championship every year. Would make the league look tinpot.

As if that doesn’t happen in the SPL already, and yeah their league system is already tinpot.

 

[Camborne Gills]

I think there are quite a few Lowland league sides who get bigger gates than most of L 1 & 2, and have better grounds.

 

[PuB]

I think there are quite a few Lowland league sides who get bigger gates than most of L 1 & 2, and have better grounds.

Quality of football?

 

[valefan16]

Scottish League is weak, we’ve signed players who’ve done well in the SPL or Ex players have done well there. Sam Foley for example king of relegations from L1 won St Mirrens player of the year, Uche was a hit for hearts and McGivern was a regular for hibs but pretty meh for us in L1.

Top 2 would be average PL sides, maybe do well in the Prem due to bigger finances but the level after that is fairly weak, and the bottom sides are L1 at best, the second tier sides would probably mostly be beatable by L2 sides and then the rest probably wouldn’t even touch the National League which has far bigger clubs in it.

B teams wouldn’t work here because of the huge depth, 92 EFL sides and many national league sides are fairly big, what country has clubs capable of 5k plus crowds in their fifth tier? Take Spain for example you have one club that gets less than some L2 clubs in La Liga (Eibar) and plenty in their second tier that don’t, Vale have a higher average attendance than some of their ground capacities in their second tier so B Teams is an option but here you’ve got such depth to the system, must be the envy of world football and that must be protected. We must have about 125-150 clubs pulling over 1k in which shows that.

 

[Camborne Gills]

Quality of football?

About the same as Truro City

 

[Chris FGR]

As if that doesn’t happen in the SPL already, and yeah their league system is already tinpot.

I know it does. The point being that both their top 2 divisions would be dominated by the same 2 clubs, which is tinpot.

 

[Jerry]

We must have about 125-150 clubs pulling over 1k in which shows that.

Indeed we do, 135 by my reckoning (probably more if the season had finished normally as crowds tend to increase for the run in).

https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/global/attendances/

 

[Laker]

If this happens and the two b teams end up at the top of their second tier, I wonder how long it’ll be before the push to move their first teams into the English systems to “free up” the promotion spots in Scotland again? Mentioned on our forum earlier and thought it made sense. Sly bastards.

 

[chipmunx]

If this happens and the two b teams end up at the top of their second tier, I wonder how long it’ll be before the push to move their first teams into the English systems to “free up” the promotion spots in Scotland again? Mentioned on our forum earlier and thought it made sense. Sly bastards.

I suppose that would create some interest when they joined at NL North level - although South Shields might go to court again...