Hibs: Colin Calderwood calls for change in attitudes

Hibs boss Colin Calderwood today insisted "something has to give" if the hoped-for revamp of Scottish football is to come to fruition.

Calderwood believes topics such as play-offs for the title, for European places and relegation shouldn't be ignored, describing the current debate about the game's future as "a fantastic opportunity".

But he warned every club will have to make sacrifices. Admitting that the time is right for change, he himself is unsure as to what would be the best path.

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The former Scotland defender said: "It's being talked about, debated and everyone is having their input.

"I'm not absolutely certain which way would be best but you have to understand everyone is going to come out losing something they thought they had but you have to look at the bigger picture."

The over-riding concern, Calderwood claimed, was the nurturing of young talent and giving both the national side and clubs the best possible opportunity to succeed on the European stage. He said: "Everyone, more or less, is involved in having a say and we have to make sure all things are discussed, the spread of money, the start of our season, the number of games but everyone has to lose something if we are to move forward.

"Unless people get that, things will just stay the same. We need to give ourselves a better chance by reconstruction, we have to be inventive. When Europe starts should be a major factor on when our season starts, we have to do something to get our coefficient up. The way we are going is downwards and, let's be honest, we have to rectify it."

The idea to introduce play-offs for the title, a plan backed by Hearts manager Jim Jefferies among others, was the sort of "out of the box" thinking he was talking of, said Calderwood as would be the thought of a similar system for European qualification.

He added: "It doesn't seem right that you finish second or third then miss out on Europe, but it might increase excitement, income, perhaps more television coverage."

hIBs fans David Wylie and Ian Smith are the winners of a pair of tickets each for the Capital derby at Tynecastle on Saturday, January 1, 2011, thanks to SPL sponsors Clydesdale Bank. Both gave the correct answer of 2-2 after we asked what the score was the last time Hearts and Hibs met on January 1, a match played at Tynecastle in 1998.