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 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.