Celtic to be handed post split fixture advantage

uneasydaz

Well-Known Member
THE dreaded Premiership split enlivens the Scottish season - but it doesn't half present fixture schedulers with some difficult decisions.

And this season promises to be no different - as this year's final top six is already certain to be dramatically different to last year's.

And that's a major issue for the guys at SPFL head office, who calculate fixtures on the basis of last year's results recurring again.

For instance, last year's top six - in order - was Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Dundee Utd, Motherwell and Ross County.

But while the top three could well be the top three again this year - perhaps even in the same order - the other three are all but certain to be in the BOTTOM half of the league when the split comes.

Instead, it is Hibs, Aberdeen, Livingston and St Mirren who seem almost certain to be battling it out for the final three spots - with St Mirren at the moment the team missing out in SEVENTH.

And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business.

By the time the split comes around Rangers will have had 16 home matches and 17 away matches.

Celtic will have had 17 home matches and 16 away matches - with SPFL chiefs sure to confirm the final Old Firm match of the season for Ibrox.

League bosses are desperate usually to ensure that all teams have 19 home matches and 19 away matches, even though in practice this is difficult to achieve.

But they will almost certainly ensure that Rangers and Celtic both get the same number of home and aways - as they do every season.

And that all means that should things stay the same in the top six - Rangers will have to face TWO of the top six sides away from home for a THIRD time this season.

In contrast Celtic will get a THIRD home game against TWO of these teams.

It's a significant advantage - considering how difficult away ties at Easter Road, the Tony Macaroni Arena, Pittodrie or Tynecastle can be.

That's despite Celtic's only defeat in the league this season coming at St Mirren, and Rangers going down to St Johnstone earlier in the season.

It remains to be seen of course, if the current gap between the two teams remains at nine points by the time we enter the split, or has grown or been cut, but another huge point of interest will be when Celtic could be able to clinch the league.

It seems likely that the SPFL schedulers will make sure that the final Old Firm game of the season is played on the first post-split fixture date, May 6/7 - even though that would mean a second Old Firm match in a week and a third in the same month.

But if the gap between the teams remains the same, victory for Celtic at Ibrox that day could make the league all but mathematically certain, given their overwhelming advantage in terms of goal difference.
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse
 
The split was brought in to accommodate extra teams in the top league so they got a share of the revenues.
Then you get teams like Kilmarnock and St Mirren shutting paying fans out.
It is also crap for people who go to games as you don’t know what the details for the final league fixtures till close to the end of the season.
Get it back to ten teams and play each other an even amount of times.
Can you imagine if it was neck and neck this season or if it was them that were disadvantaged.
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse
They should get Hearts, Hibs and us away which are the hardest ones. Would you genuinely be surprised if they got Aberdeen and Livi?
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse
And next season it reverses

Never has been a random computer only people that believe it is think that
 
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I don’t get the point of it. Is there a point?
Giving money to the losers. "More Old Firm games brings in more viewers to sell the game".

Given that the losers are shutting paying fans out of stadiums that are barely half full and Celtic's cabal in charge of the SPFL & SFA will sell the rights to the league to the first person that walks past Hampden for pennies, is there a need for it anymore?

Expand the league to 16 teams and make it home/away season.
 
Giving money to the losers. "More Old Firm games brings in more viewers to sell the game".

Given that the losers are shutting paying fans out of stadiums that are barely half full and Celtic's cabal in charge of the SPFL & SFA will sell the rights to the league to the first person that walks past Hampden for pennies, is there a need for it anymore?

Expand the league to 16 teams and make it home/away season.
Nearly 50 years of these 10 or 12 team league which incidentally has saw an unprecedented decline in football quality both in the league and at international level.
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse
How do you think it will work next season?
 
Giving money to the losers. "More Old Firm games brings in more viewers to sell the game".

Given that the losers are shutting paying fans out of stadiums that are barely half full and Celtic's cabal in charge of the SPFL & SFA will sell the rights to the league to the first person that walks past Hampden for pennies, is there a need for it anymore?

Expand the league to 16 teams and make it home/away season.
Too few games. Loss of revenue. Loss of tv money. Better to go for 14 teams playing each other twice, then split 7/7 again playing home and away. That produces the current 38 game League and no anomalies such as the skewed 18/20 stupidity and/or playing 3 away games against the same team.
 
Would have been an issue had there been a genuine title race.

While the split exists there is always scope for this.
 
Nearly 50 years of these 10 or 12 team league which incidentally has saw an unprecedented decline in football quality both in the league and at international level.
Have seen this a few times but really it's a self defeating argument.

In the 20 years before the league went to playing each other 4 times the league was won by 4 other teams and the old firm won 16 times. Giving a 20% share to the others.

In the 10 years after the league was won by other teams 4 times giving a 40% share to the others.

Clearly there are other factors as to why the league is less competitive but it can't be labelled at playing 4 times.
 
Why don't the SFA just let celtic pick their opponents and where its to be held.

Oh wait they do that anyway.
 
It sums up Scottish football - a league where the title rivals have a different fixture list.

Limited tv deals should not be dictating a league format.
It is any different to other counties that have a split system in place granted they don't have the problems we face in Scotland
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse
Last season we had played all them 2 times at home prior to split
 
Corrupt to the core and the SPFL are only interested in helping one club

It’s a disgrace and can you imagine what these mhutants would be saying if it was us who were getting this benefit in fixtures
 
Have seen this a few times but really it's a self defeating argument.

In the 20 years before the league went to playing each other 4 times the league was won by 4 other teams and the old firm won 16 times. Giving a 20% share to the others.

In the 10 years after the league was won by other teams 4 times giving a 40% share to the others.

Clearly there are other factors as to why the league is less competitive but it can't be labelled at playing 4 times.
Souness coming changed everything.

Since then it has only been us or them.

No other Scottish club will win the league again. It is simply impossible financially. Especially with the engineered advantage the filth have had since 2012.

You can talk all the percentages you want but right now we're the ass in a two donkey race.
 
And that could be a major problem because by the time the split comes around Rangers will already have had two visits to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Livingston and Celtic Park on league detail.

By contrast, Celtic have only had to travel to Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs and Livingston ONCE on league business

Random computer my arse

And we will say NOTHING

Imagine it was the other way around ?
 
Livi 1-2 Rangers
Livi 0-3 Rangers
Hearts 0-4 Rangers
Hearts 0-3 Rangers
Hibs 2-2 Rangers
Hibs 1-4 Rangers
Aberdeen 2-3 Rangers
Aberdeen v Rangers tbc
Nothing to worry about anyway
If Aberdeen at Dollywood and then at Hampden in the Cup didn't have you at least annoyed, then you're optimism has me feeling postively pessimistic.

It's pretty worrying, these blinkers of yours, all things considered.
 
The split was brought in to accommodate extra teams in the top league so they got a share of the revenues.
Then you get teams like Kilmarnock and St Mirren shutting paying fans out.
It is also crap for people who go to games as you don’t know what the details for the final league fixtures till close to the end of the season.
Get it back to ten teams and play each other an even amount of times.
Can you imagine if it was neck and neck this season or if it was them that were disadvantaged.

Yes, then add Motherwell, Hibernian, Aberdeen and Dundee United, and that's half the teams in the League driving paying customers away just to appease some of the hate-filled eejits in their poxy home support. It really stinks.
 
Not enough space for a 44 game season so this is the 'next' best thing
It really isn’t though.

As Beale recently pointed out if we must have a split have a 14 team division play every team twice , once home once away, then split top 6 bottom 8, again teams play each other twice once home once away, no problem. Even provides a couple extra games/gates for the bottom 8 teams who miss out on getting top 6.

Its staring us in the face but nobody wants to seem to change anything in our game, it’s like watching a sloth dying in an old fridge.
 
It is any different to other counties that have a split system in place granted they don't have the problems we face in Scotland

We have a two team title race against a media background that manufactures controversy and indulges accusations of bias.

And each season the teams potentially have differing schedules.

I quite enjoy the split. But increase the league to 14 teams and then have a 6/8 split after two rounds.

(My preference would be an 18 team league)
 
Souness coming changed everything.

Since then it has only been us or them.

No other Scottish club will win the league again. It is simply impossible financially. Especially with the engineered advantage the filth have had since 2012.

You can talk all the percentages you want but right now we're the ass in a two donkey race.
Not sure what your point is that I can talk all the percentages I want :D

Clearly it was pertinent to the post I qouted. You are actually agreeing with in that you have highlighted a reason why it was not to do with the amount of games we play each other.
 
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