SPL chiefs may believe they took a significant step towards a 10-team top division on Tuesday, but Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has insisted his club still intend to vote against the controversial proposal.
Representatives from all 12 SPL clubs gathered at Hampden Park for the first time in the ongoing discussions over league reconstruction after a working party proposed two divisions of 10.
No vote was taken at the meeting, which lasted more than three hours, but SPL chairman Ralph Topping believes clubs have been persuaded a 16 or 18-team league is not financially viable.
Asked if the SPL believed they had convinced clubs a league of such size was not workable, Topping replied, “Yes, broadly speaking, yes.
“If you look at Scottish football, a 16-team league wouldn’t work economically and it would have a knock-on effect in terms of the quality of players you can attract.
“It’s two 10s or the status quo in my view.”
Tannadice chairman Thompson was unable to attend the meeting in person because of a prior commitment, but plans to oppose the bid to reduce the size of the SPL when the clubs reconvene on January 17.ReformIt is then that a vote is expected to be taken on the reform package, which also includes an earlier start to the season and a winter break.
He said night, “We will certainly be voting against it if is the same proposal as before, and I’d imagine we won’t be the only ones.
“I wasn’t at the meeting, so it is difficult to gauge the mood and how argumentative it was, but the bottom line for me is that I don’t think a 10-team league is good for Scottish football.
“It will stifle youth development and put almost all eight non-Old Firm clubs in danger of relegation.
“I don’t think it will do much for the entertainment value because it will bring a fear factor into most games.”
St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown was previously sceptical about the chances of reconstruction taking place, and suggested a few weeks ago that it would be like asking “turkeys to vote for Christmas.”
However, he changed his mind after Tuesday’s get-together.
The longest-serving chairman in Scottish football stated, “I would be fairly confident of the two 10-team leagues.
“It has not gone ahead all we have had are discussions, and every club can make their own mind up but I would like to think we have consensus.”
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster also spoke of the economic argument against a 16- or 18-team top division, saying it would “involve the decimation of finances in Scottish football.”
He added, “The cake gets much smaller and is cut into more slices. There would be fewer games and there is no doubt that, from a television point of view, there would be less money coming into the game.”OppositionThe proposals could face supporter opposition though, according to a poll of 5000 Scottish football fans by Supporters Direct.
Nearly 90% were opposed to the concept, with a 16-team league the most favoured option and Thompson is astounded the steering group are prepared to so blatantly ignore the will of the paying public.
He said, “A 10-team SPL is not what the fans want to see.
“Without the fans you don’t have a game, it’s as simple as that. Now I accept that we as the SPL have to make decisions as owners or chief executives based on business, but you can’t disregard your customer base completely.
“In the polls they have done the supporters have been dead against it.
“If a supermarket chain or any other big business is doing a re-branding or expansion the first thing they do is speak to their customers and find out what they want.
“If you don’t listen to what they want they’ll simply go away and do something else.
“The television companies want four games a season for the Old Firm matches.
“They pay the money so have a big say-nobody is disputing that but we can’t just make decisions based on that alone when it’s definitely not what the supporters want to see.”