A report in The Sun reveals SPFL plans for re-organisation which would result in a 14 team top division.
The potential relegation of Hearts if the current league positions are declared the final standings has forced the age old topic of reorganisation back onto the menu.
The report includes PowerPoint slides that reveal a 40 game fixture list with the top eight clubs splitting to play each other twice to create a 26-14 fixture split compared to the 33-5 split at the moment.
If the scheme was introduced today Kilmarnock and St Johnstone would join the top flight with the new set up ensuring that every club has the exact same run of fixtures.
The Sun explains:
Using the current situation in the leagues as its starting point, Dundee United and Inverness are promoted into a 14-team top flight for next season, with Hearts retaining their Premiership status.
Rather than split into a top six halfway through the campaign, the league will split up after 26 games, with a top eight going on to battle it out for the title and the European spots.
The 26-game mark is also the point for the top two sides in the Championship to be promoted, to make up a bottom eight or ‘Premier 2’ league which can battle it out for the Premier 2 trophy, while others strive to avoid relegation.
These teams in the bottom half would have to start from scratch again as the two promoted Championship sides would have played a different number of games and their points tallies would not be a fair comparison.
Unlike the current system, of course, where the Championship winners are guaranteed of being promoted for a full season, aspiring teams in Scotland’s second tier may only be promoted for half a season – or 14 – games before finding themselves relegated again.
Getting the first round of 26 fixtures played without any postponements would be one obvious issue with at least one weekend off before the post-split fixtures can begin.
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Two extra rounds of fixtures would also be difficult to schedule if any clubs were involved in European competitions, especially into the knock out stages beyond Christmas.
