The Scottish Football thread

[Kaney]

Bih shiels

[Lineker]

Scottish Football League clubs vote in favour of a proposed merger with the Scottish Premier League

The bodies will form a new Scottish Professional Football League in time for next season, averting a threatened breakaway from Division One clubs.

A revised financial distribution model will be introduced, feeding more money into the second tier. The league structure will remain the same, with a top flight of 12 and three lower divisions of 10.

Scottish clubs have voted against implementing stricter regulations to combat racism and sectarianism.

Among the deterrents considered at the Scottish Football Association's general meeting were longer player suspensions, points deductions and stadium bans.

But members decided against the introduction of automatic sanctions.

SFA president Campbell Ogilvie said the result was "disappointing", adding that there will be "consultation on a more robust set of disciplinary measures".

[Lineker]

Hearts have signalled their intention to go into administration.

[Lineker]

Allan Johnston is set to leave Queen of the South to become the new Kilmarnock manager.

[Lineker]

The proposed merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League is in doubt. Representatives of all 42 clubs gathered at Hampden on Thursday but there has been no meeting involving all parties. The delay centres on the SFL board's request for more financial information about the new league set up.

[Lineker]

The Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League have agreed to merge after a marathon meeting.

The league structure will remain a top flight of 12 and three lower divisions of 10. There will be play-offs between the top and second tier league.

In addition, the Scottish Professional Football League will introduce a revised financial distribution model.

Talks at Hampden took around 15 hours, with a number of adjournments as lawyers mulled over financial details.

The formation of a new Scottish Professional Football League had looked in doubt when the SFL board requested more facts about the SPFL's finances.

But the SFL appears to have been satisfied with the response when the meeting reconvened in the evening.

More money will flow into the second tier, enabling clubs to run a full-time operation should they wish to.

The SPFL's board comprises three members from the top-tier clubs, two from the second tier and one person representing the bottom 20 clubs.

They are: Eric Riley (Celtic), Stephen Thompson (Dundee United), Duncan Fraser (Aberdeen); Les Gray (Hamilton), Mike Mulraney (Alloa); and Bill Darroch (Stenhousemuir).

SPL clubs had already unanimously agreed on a package of measures that would deliver a merged league body for the new campaign and play-offs between the top league and the second tier.

There had been dissenting voices from Second and Third Division clubs but 23 of the 29 clubs voting backed the plan for restructuring.

A minimum of 22 votes was required, while Third Division champions Rangers did not get a say as they remain associate members having joined last summer.

Earlier plans for a 12-12-18 divisional set-up were jettisoned in April after the model failed to get the 11-1 majority backing required from the 12 SPL clubs.

Ahead of the meeting, Annan chairman Henry McClelland had said: "Today is one of significant history in the game. Everyone's saying it's for the good of the game that we move forward. We'll judge that in a few years' time, I think.

"We're going to be putting small clubs, like Annan Athletic, into financial difficulty because of this merger."

And after the meeting was adjourned, McClelland explained that he had asked for more financial information.

"We've asked for clarity on the clubs in the Second and Third Division as to what our worst-case scenario is; the best case and probably the most likely," he said before the gathering reconvened.

"That's normal in the due diligence process."

On leaving the meeting at midnight, Hibernian chairman Rod Petrie said: "All the clubs can go forward in a positive vein now.

"From the supporters' point of view, they probably don't see an awful lot of change but from the management of the game it'll streamline the way things are done and hopefully we can all get behind some new initiatives to help things on the pitch."

Stirling Albion operations director Stuart Brown said he was satisfied that there was a solution that suited all 42 clubs.

"There were some due diligence matters that had to be addressed," he said.

"The SFL board is happy that this has now all been successfully concluded and our board was happy to sign up."

Rangers chief executive Craig Mather said the "best bit of the day" was that his club now had full membership and voting rights, following its associate membership status with the SFL.

"I'm very happy," he said. "It's been interesting but we've got there. We've always been active. We continue the road and will be humble."

Dundee chief executive Scot Gardiner, pointing to the benefits of play-offs and one governing body, called it "a momentous day".

"A lot of hard work has gone into it. We are obviously delighted," he said.

[Hobo]

Play offs for what? Promotion/Relegation?

[METALMAN]

Both. I expect it will be the second bottom in the SPL and 2-4 in the league below.

[Lineker]

The Scottish Professional Football League has revealed the names of the divisions within the new organisation. The top flight will be known as the Scottish Premiership, followed by the Scottish Championship, Scottish League 1 and Scottish League 2.

[Adam]

Now they're just copying us.

[Colly]

Lazy.

[Kaney]

Up all of yours.

[Matt]

They were silly names when the English leagues brought them in and they're silly now.

[Berober]

There was actually reason for England to call them that, what with the split between the Football Leauge and the Premier League, but this is just dumb.

[Matt]

It's still dumb that the third division is called league one. It's not even the first football league division. :/

[METALMAN]

It's dumb in England and Scotland

[Noah]

I prefer your naming system to something as lame as "A-league"

[EddieG]

The HYUNDAI A-League.

[Hobo]

They were silly names when the English leagues brought them in and they're silly now.

Well prior to that the first division was the second division, the second division was the third division and the third division was the fourth division. Which is confusing.

[Matt]

Not really. They were football league division 1. Different governing body to the premier league. It'd be more confusing if it started at division 2.