'We failed as an organisation' Livingston express disappointment over reconstruction and state case for investigation

The West Lothian club proposed a league reconstruction model of 14-10-10-10

Livingston have expressed their disappointment over the lack of progress for league reconstruction within the SPFL.

The West Lothian club also addressed the resolution for an independent investigation into the league body, explaining why they voted in favour.

When the league reconstruction task force was put together last month, Livingston revealed their proposal which would have seen the creation of a 14-team top flight and three tiers of 10 below it.

Livingston have express their disappointment over league reconstruction. Picture: SNS

They felt no club should be adversely affected by the current climate following the SPFL resolution which saw Partick Thistle and Stranraer relegated, Hearts on the brink of demotion and Kelty Hearts and Brora Rangers prevented from winning a place in League Two.

Livi’s proposal would have seen the Lowland League and Highland League champions make the step up, bringing teams in the four divisions to 44.

In terms of league structure, the Premiership would see a 6/8 split after two rounds of fixtures, while they proposed a two up/two down between each league.

The club have been left to rue what they see is a missed opportunity to create a “proper pyramid structure”.

The statement read: “Following on from the missing Dundee vote, but linked; it was widely believed that serious dialogue would take place concerning league reconstruction. The Joint Response Group put a massive amount of time and energy into this process and we felt it didn’t receive the respect it so deserved. In our opinion it was far too briskly dealt with. We voted for the resolution on the understanding that league reconstruction was a distinct possibility but very early in the process it became apparent this was never going to get off the ground. This disappointed us.

“It is our firm belief that no team in Scotland should be adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis that we find ourselves in. It’s simply unbelievable that, on top of the challenges we face, we see fellow teams finding themselves relegated while others are adversely affected via being unable to compete for promotion. The impact of this could hamper teams for many years to come.

“We had an opportunity collectively to change the landscape of Scottish football by creating a proper pyramid structure with the introduction of the Highland and Lowland league’s while embracing change and bringing a competitive edge that this introduction would have instilled. Instead, we have failed as an organisation in our opinion to grasp the bigger picture and repair the trust breakdown that has been allowed to manifest for weeks if not longer.”

Livingston also believed that an investigation should have taken place to heal the barriers which have emerged between clubs recently.

The club said: “Livingston Football Club would like to inform our fans of the reasons why we felt it appropriate to vote for an independent investigation, primarily into the process and governance issues that came to the forefront over the last 3-4 weeks. We would also like to emphasise that we were not calling for any resignations or suspensions whilst fully supportive of a thorough independent investigation.

“This has mainly stemmed from trust issues that have arisen and grown since the ‘missing’ Dundee vote. Subsequent verbal disagreements that have been played out in the media. This division between clubs has created barriers that we need to try to heal at the earliest opportunity. We feel an investigation would have been the first hurdle in a process that would hopefully bring everyone back on the same page. When finished, and with clarity provided, this would allow us all to get on with the task in hand which is saving our football clubs with collective action. An investigation into the processes and procedures surrounding and emerging from this vote, we felt, was paramount to offer a level of transparency which would hopefully allow us all to move forward in tandem.”