Goodbye, Old Friend

Yesterday saw the long-awaited league reconstruction vote passed through the corridors of Hampden.

SFL clubs voted 23-6 in favour of amalgamating both the SPL and SFL into one single league body, to be called the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) come June 27th.

A sad day for anyone connected or associated with the Scottish Football League though, as they will be wound up after 123 years of glorious history in just a couple of weeks time.

It’s quite upsetting to see that the SFL have been the real victims in this whole league reconstruction debacle.

A proud organisation that stood by it’s clubs through thick and thin.

A league that gave Rangers FC a home when we were down on our knees and had no other place to turn to.

A board of good men who really did have the best interests of Scottish football at heart and didn’t let bigotry or hate cloud their judgement.

An institution that yesterday sacrificed it’s very own existence for the greater good and progression of Scottish football.

David Longmuir said that there were a few reluctant heroes yesterday. Those were the men who voted for change, without thinking about what impact it would have on their club’s bank accounts.

If only the SPL were so thoughtful.

As most of us already know; in 1998, 10 clubs broke away from the SFL and the SPL was created.

Since then, 15 years have passed and Neil Doncaster still has the same dodgy haircut.

The Scotland National Team haven’t qualified for a major tournament finals in that time and the SPL, which was set up to make Scottish football stronger and more attractive, has made us look like a complete laughing stock across Europe.

The SPL has just been a complete disaster since it’s incarnation. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs a doctor. Pronto.

The people that were running it, have only ever been interested in one thing.

Lining their own pockets.

It’s decline is the result of their own selfish views and interests. Bullying of clubs by the corrupt cabal of Lawwell-Doncaster-Riley hasn’t helped matters either.

How can a football league, the best in the country (apparently), be run so corruptly and with such incompetence by the very men who are supposed to be it’s leaders?

The SPL screwed over the SFL by breaking away in 1998. 15 years later, after they make a complete royal arse of everything, turn to the SFL and propose amalgamation to bail them out.

You couldn’t make it up.

I really hope that the future is bright for Scottish football, though. We must try to move forward as a country.

I’d like to think that the shameless people who have almost destroyed our national game will have no place in the new set-up.

Also, I hope that fans will get more of a say in the running of our game too.

I won’t hold my breath on either though.

Things should be better once we’re all talking about the football again, and not the bureaucracy that surrounds it.

At least, I certainly hope they will…