you can now get a 30-day trial to experience the athletic for free visit the link in the description below to try it now the scottish premiership is the top flight of scottish football and comprises of 12 teams and yet each season is 38 games long well 38 into 12 doesn't go obviously so how does that work and more importantly why does it work that way ahead of the 2000-2001 season the spl grew from 10 teams to 12. previously every team had played each other four times creating a 36-game season but to avoid a mammoth 44-game
campaign the league introduced an interesting change after 33 games when all teams had played each other three times the competition would be split into two a top and bottom six after which clubs would complete their seasons with five games against the other teams in their section earning points in the same way but being prevented from moving between groups regardless of final tally that's why for instance even though livingston and saint miron finished level on points at the end of the 20-20-21 season livingston finished sixth and sent mirin seventh despite the latter's superior goal difference in
2019-20 hearts also finished above st johnston despite earning a point less so what's the thinking behind the system well the idea was actually borrowed from swiss football which subsequently abandoned the format with the initial aim of lightening the fixture load another advantage though was that it would theoretically increase the excitement and drama at the end of the season pitting teams against near rivals in the league and allowing for dramatic fluctuations in league position in addition to which in a league where most sides find themselves disenfranchised towards the end of the season the split engenders for
better or worse a purpose to games which might not otherwise be there for rangers and celtics specifically it guarantees a fourth old firm derby each season which is an obvious strength when determining the worth of the league's broadcasting contract but there's often been criticism too despite creating the conditions for more tension outcomes are sometimes determined before the split occurs the sixth and seventh place teams are in many cases are as distanced from a title challenge as they are from the threat of relegation more controversial however are the inequalities which result from the split and a
fixture list which can't be divided evenly now in the past hard done by managers have bemoaned disparities between the number of games their sides have had to play home and away particularly during the last five matches opponents of the split also point to the competitive imbalance of not sharing hosting rights evenly across a series of fixtures citing the sporting and financial advantages or in certain instances the logistical challenges of playing several important games away from home and in succession but beyond growing the league to 16 18 or 20 teams which would dilute the competition significantly
there's no real solution nor is there really a definitive perspective on the merits of such a system which continues to be one of the outliers in european football and it's not easy to alter either any reformatting of the scottish premiership would need to be supported by an 11 to 1 vote among the clubs and as yet there's no sense of serious change on the horizon if you like this video please consider subscribing to the channel the athletic brings you the best sports journalism in the world in a personalized experience connecting you with the stories and
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