glasgow sheep Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Great news that the SPL is starting a couple of weeks early, in July, to allow better preparation for early Euro games and less midweek games in winter (should be even earlier though IMHO). Shame then that they have to go inserting a get out clause so that the OF can go off and play in "glamour" friendlies to rake in even more cash. If they can't fulfil the fucking fixtures they should be punished as any other team would be, not given permission to fuck off out the country for a week, thus meaning some other SPL club suffers with a midweek game rather than a weekend match, with all the reduction in crowd numbers and corporate money that entails. The Scottish Premier League has announced that next season will kick off on 23 July. The league says that this, the earliest ever SPL start date, will mean clubs entering European competition will be better prepared than ever before. However, a new "one-off compromise" protocol has been agreed to allow clubs to compete in friendly matches. This paves the way for Celtic to appear in the Dublin Super Cup over the weekend of 30 and 31 July. Celtic will join Manchester City, Inter Milan and an Irish League select in the event in the Irish capital. For the forthcoming campaign, all SPL clubs can request that one early-season fixture be postponed to allow participation in one-off friendlies and pre-season tournaments, which present the opportunity to generate extra revenue. The league's chief executive Neil Doncaster described the protocol on his blog as "a one-off solution". Doncaster continued: "Fixturing is a notoriously emotive area. Trying to shoe-horn so many games into a fixed period is an extremely difficult task - and one where SPL secretary Iain Blair is simply unable to please everyone all of the time. "There is no ideal solution that suits all clubs. What's vital is that any decision is fair, balanced and in the overall interests of all clubs. And I am confident that the decision on our start date for next season is precisely that. "It will help teams in European competition. It will reduce fixture congestion and the number of unpopular winter midweek games later in the season. "It will boost clubs' incomes and increase the value of SPL games to broadcasters. And it's what fans tell us they want." Doncaster went on to suggest that in future, "post-merger with the Scottish Football League", the League Cup could be "reconfigured to create the sort of flexibility that would be required". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc_don Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Read that earlier, it's a disgrace. Celtic should be docked points like any other club should be for failing to fulfil their fixture calendar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_min Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 If anyone in the Scottish game had any balls, the other 11 teams could all call off their first game against Celtic. That'd serve them right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Im looking forward to our glamour friendly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow sheep Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 Doncaster went on to suggest that in future, "post-merger with the Scottish Football League", the League Cup could be "reconfigured to create the sort of flexibility that would be required". Kind of skipped over this bit before but looks like he suggesting that in the future they may engineer a change in the League Cup just so that the OF can fuck of and earn big bucks from their world wide bigoted following. Scandalous stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest leith_red Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Kind of skipped over this bit before but looks like he suggesting that in the future they may engineer a change in the League Cup just so that the OF can fuck of and earn big bucks from their world wide bigoted following. Scandalous stuff Probabaly means they'll start it early, and have bye's for the teams in Europe, which mean the bigots won't be playing. But, what they should be doing is saying to them 'This is when the season starts; you either agree to that and play the fixtures, or fuck off out the league.' If they want to play in 'glamour' freiendlies and play in the league, they can play thier reserves/youth teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harcus Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'd be inclined to agree with jäger here, all the Tim have done is point out they have arranged and budgeted for this friendly. SPL can't do much else really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow sheep Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'd be inclined to agree with jäger here, all the Tim have done is point out they have arranged and budgeted for this friendly. SPL can't do much else really. Well they could have waited till the SPL had announced when the season was going to start and it had been generally agreed that there would be an earlier start to the season next year. On top of that it is farcical that the SPL have created a rule which basically allows a club to place precedent of a friendly over a competitive league match. If the Celtic game is an away game then the home club will also lose out on significant match day revenue by moving it from weekend 2 of the season to a midweek in winter. Is there another league in the World that has taken similar action? And you may well say it is up to Aberdeen to organise a friendly but I'd be furious if they shifted a league match for the sake of a friendly. This rule is a work around for Celtic, to suggest otherwise is idiotic, however the rule itself if utterly ridiculous, whoever it applies to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlg1903 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Totally agree gs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow sheep Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 It totally devalues and belittles the league competition. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, but basically you're wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_min Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 hmmmm should I side with Glasgow Sheep (and snarling Celtic Manager Neil Lennon)... or do I side with Aberdeen FC's Craig Brown... difficult one that http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/default.stm You seem confused. GS is complaining at the SPL allowing Celtic to call off games, not the earlier start to the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_min Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 But the SPL has allowed Aberdeen to call off games too? That shouldn't be allowed either. If you wanna be in the league you play the league games. It's pretty simple. Bet we can't use this rule to call off a game against Celtic if we're carrying a few injuries/suspensions. More Summer Football = good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow sheep Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 hmmmm should I side with Glasgow Sheep (and snarling Celtic Manager Neil Lennon)... or do I side with Aberdeen FC's Craig Brown... difficult one that http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/default.stm Great news that the SPL is starting a couple of weeks early, in July, to allow better preparation for early Euro games and less midweek games in winter (should be even earlier though IMHO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyjoe Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Is there another league in the World that has taken similar action? And you may well say it is up to Aberdeen to organise a friendly but I'd be furious if they shifted a league match for the sake of a friendly. This rule is a work around for Celtic, to suggest otherwise is idiotic, however the rule itself if utterly ridiculous, whoever it applies to. This came up in Korea in 2009 when Manchester United said they were touring Asia that summer and they wanted to play FC Seoul on one of two specific dates to suit their travel schedule, however FC Seoul had league matches on both of those dates. K-League officials initially told them to piss off (suggested playing second or third tier opposition instead if they were that desperate for a game), but the lure of money won out and the league match was shifted to make way for the friendly. Pish. I'm with GS on this one - you fulfill league fixtures as scheduled or you forfeit the points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie03 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 That shouldn't be allowed either. If you wanna be in the league you play the league games. It's pretty simple. Bet we can't use this rule to call off a game against Celtic if we're carrying a few injuries/suspensions. More Summer Football = good. Summer is for bbqs, tennis, athletics and cricket..........................oh and going on holiday in July, not bloody football Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_min Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Summer is for bbqs, tennis, athletics and cricket..........................oh and going on holiday in July, not bloody football Luckily you have 30 days, 22 hours and 30 minutes to enjoy all that this July. Why not have a pre/post-match BBQ this summer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caledonia Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 This will be abused by the bigot brothers David Weir at home waiting for his heating allowance = no problem lets arrange a closed doors friendly with our youth squad till he is ready. x player/players not fit = lets arrange friendly with pipe band select till they are fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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