I took umbrage this week at a tweet from @ryankeaney, who had suggested that the way to revitalise Scottish football might be through a playoff system, such as that used in the Australian A-League. The poor chap was very polite about the whole thing, especially in light of my whinging that he wanted to use Scotland 'as a testing ground'.
As is sadly the case for a lot of Scots, the natural response to a radical idea proposed by an outsider, particularly an Englishman, is automatically met with antipathy, as if every single person on the other side of the border is potentially the reincarnation of Margaret Thatcher.
For all the talk of reform, it is clear that Scottish football in general, and the Scottish Premier League in particular, have the same attitude to new ideas as American oil tycoons have to renewable energy. So I bet a proposal such as the introduction of end-of-season playoffs would go down like the proverbial lead balloon.
But is it such a bad idea?
My passion for American Football (which is called football despite the fact the ball is rarely touched by feet) makes me maybe a little more open to the idea of playoffs - it is not often that the Super Bowl is contested between the two teams had the best record in the regular season. There's no doubt it adds considerable interest and excitement to proceedings - both towards the end of the regular season as teams battle it out to get a playoff place, and during the playoffs themselves. The reward for a better regular season record is home advantage in the playoff matches, so there is less incentive for the top teams to take their feet off the gas after a playoff place has been earned.
It doesn't always feel right though; for example, in 2007 the New England Patriots were clearly the dominant team, winning all 16 regular season games and two playoff games as well...only to lose the Super Bowl final (and the chance to become the first team to win all 19 games in a season) to the New York Giants, who had only barely managed to make the playoffs in the first place.
The idea that the team who tops the SPL at the end of the league season might not win the league title doesn't sit all that easily with me, though maybe that's just because I'm set in my ways. However, the biggest objection to having a playoff competition is plain to see - this season Rangers could well stride away and win the title by more than 10 points; is it fair they could lose the title, and possibly a Champions League place, as a result of a one off match at the end of the season?
Rangers would say no; perhaps the likes of Hearts and Motherwell, who can't compete with the Old Firm over the course of a full campaign, might be more receptive to this prospect.
As far as I can tell, the most prominent football leagues in the world to use this system to decide their champion are Australia's A-League (as mentioned above), and Major League Soccer in the USA; these countries traditionally use playoffs in other sports too, so there is far less resistance to that sort of set up.
The A-League is the one most comparable to the SPL - whereas MLS has teams split into separate conferences, the A-League has 10 teams who play each other three times in the main season for a total of 27 games; the top six enter the playoffs. Interestingly the best two teams in the league season play each other at the start of the playoffs - the winner qualifies for the final and also gets home advantage. The loser of this tie ends up playing the winner of a knockout tournament between the other four teams for the right to play in the final. So there is certainly motivation to finish in the top two in the league.
It's quite a clever structure, I think, and one that could be introduced quite easily to an SPL with a 'top six' mentality already. It certainly improves the chances of a side outside the Old Firm winning it all...and potentially nicking a Champions League spot as well. But, aside from the rather spurious argument that playoffs are against our football tradition - so is diving, but that doesn't stop Scottish players doing it left right and centre - the main reason why playoffs are a non-starter is that it threatens the Old Firm's duopoly on being the only teams who can contest for the title. The idea of St. Johnstone finishing sixth in the table and stringing together a couple of shock results at Celtic Park and Ibrox to win the league and qualify for Europe would probably dislosge what's left of Craig Whyte's stomach contents.
So in this author's opinion, this plan will never happen. But it's a shame it will never be up for consideration, for it has some good points. So thanks to @ryankeaney, for making me open my mind a teensy bit.
L.
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