12-12-18, 12-12-10-10, 14-14-14, 8-8-8… Is your head spinning yet? Because mine certainly is.
Only a few months ago it looked like Scottish football, which everyone agrees needs some sort of shake-up, was on the verge of a brave new dawn.
One where the wealth would be shared fairly down the leagues, one where the SPL and SFL would merge to become one governing body, and one where all 42 Scottish senior clubs could be reinvigorated as everyone had something new to get their teeth into.
Personally, the sense of splitting the top two leagues into three eights halfway through and resetting points to zero has been lost on me.
Still though, the prospect of a fresh approach was an exciting one and it’s something that we could at least give a try to.
Yes, timing of the changes is an issue, and I’m very much of the ilk that clubs like East Fife who find themselves struggling in the Second Division might have been tempted to spend bigger in the August and January transfer windows had they known what might be in front of them at the end of the season.
But regardless of when it takes place, the much-heralded revamp looked very much on the cards.
That was a good thing in my book.
Now though, no-one is sure what’s going to happen and that can only be detrimental to a Scottish game that is already on its knees.
No-one seems to be willing to talk about what will happen should either the SPL or the SFL (or both) decide to block the 12-12-18 structure currently on the table.
But let’s lay it on the line: First Division clubs have seen what has happened to Dunfermline and will surely jump at the chance to join a breakaway SPL2 if the current proposal fails to find sufficient support.
And whether or not Neil Doncaster will go on record as saying it, if the 12-12-18 is voted down by SFL clubs I’m sure the hand-picked selection of invites to join SPL2 are already in envelopes lying on a desk somewhere just awaiting stamps.
I can understand the reluctance of Second and Third Division teams when it comes to the timing issue, but there is a real fear many of these clubs will be hung out to dry if the First Division clubs decide to bite the bullet.
Ideally money shouldn’t be at the heart of the issue but unfortunately it is. Just ask Dunfermline.
So while clearly what’s currently on the table won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, surely now is the time to seize the day and embrace whatever change is being proposed?
Many chairmen have suggested it has taken years to get to where we are today, and I don’t think Scottish football can afford to continue with the status quo both financially and from a competitive point of view.
The 12-12-18 isn’t perfect in my eyes and I would far prefer bigger leagues where everyone plays each other twice.
God knows watching Raith v Airdrie play each other five or six times this season no offence intended to either of those clubs by the way – has got distinctly less and less appealing by each passing game.
Expanded play-offs would be far better than splitting the leagues and all that nonsense, and would probably keep the league interesting for most clubs right through until the end of the season.
But I dread to think what might happen if these proposals fall at the first hurdle.
It could spark a civil war.