Separate league for full-time clubs says Strachan

Gordon Strachan: Joined debate. Picture: SNS

The Scotland manager believes there should be a clear separation of those clubs who wish to retain full-time status and those who are established as part-time outfits in smaller towns.

Strachan has expressed his sympathy for Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne, who was left incensed last week by the Scottish Premier League’s failure to approve the controversial  12-12-18 reconstruction proposal when it was vetoed by St Mirren and Ross County. According to former Aberdeen midfielder Strachan, the level of investment Milne has put into the Pittodrie club down the years entitles him to be “looked after first” when it comes to formulating a new league set-up in Scotland.

Representatives of First Division clubs, along with relegation-threatened Dundee from the SPL and Second Division champions Queen of the South, met in Hamilton on Monday night as they try to revive the reconstruction process following the collapse of the 12-12-18 bid.

But Strachan is critical of what he sees as full-time clubs being “dictated to” by their part-time counterparts. While the Scottish Football League continue to seek a “42-club solution” to the issue, the Scotland boss is dismissive of suggestions a breakaway of all full-time clubs would sound the death knell for the rest of the senior clubs left behind.

“Too often, just wee things are changed,” said Strachan. “If clubs are full-time, then we should make a league for them. If Stewart Milne or anyone else is prepared to put millions and millions into their club, they deserve to be looked after first.

“Look at the Thompson family, who have put a lot of money into Dundee United. They shouldn’t be dictated to by part-time people telling them how full-time football should be run. If clubs are full-time, then make a league for them. It doesn’t matter how many teams are in it. If there are 24 full-time clubs, make it two divisions of 12 or whatever. If it’s only 16 clubs, then make it one league.

“But make sure that the full-time people are looked after properly. Then they can get on and deal with it as a smaller group. It’s quite simple for me. There is a cut-off line. If you are full-time, brilliant. If you are part-time and you want to go full-time later on, then we will accommodate that.

“It wouldn’t kill off the rest of the clubs. There would still be part-time community clubs and they would still produce players.”

Strachan also feels the ring-fencing of full-time clubs in a new Scottish league system would bring an end to what he regards as the disproportionate influence individuals from smaller clubs can have.

“It saves any of the nonsense of who is voting here, who is doing this, who wants that,” added Strachan. “People look after each other because they want to be involved with the SFA, to be a director of a club and get two or three tickets for an international game or whatever.

“There are places I know where you can be a director of a club for £100. Now, that’s not right. It happened to one of my mates when he had a job in the north-east where ten guys from the terraces each put a tenner in and one of them could come along [as a director] every week.

“Full-time is full-time, get on with it. If players are prepared to go full-time and put their family at risk by committing themselves to that, then they deserve to be looked after. It’s the same for a coach or manager if he goes full-time rather than having another job elsewhere.

“If you are full-time, you need to be looked after. So the people in full-time football should decide how they look after full-time clubs. Clubs can be protected as well. Look at Dunfermline. I don’t know how they got into the mess they are in. I’m not someone who has been behind the scenes there, but I know it would be simpler that way, that means everyone is full-time.”