HIGH TIME SFA TOOK ACTION TO STOP THE FACTIONS

THERE has been so much sniping and in-fighting since the end of the season you have to wonder where the game's heading in this country.

Last week the threat of another breakaway league reared its ugly head.

Disillusioned First Division clubs are worried about being forced into part-time football through a lack of sponsorship and TV money.

Quite rightly they believe that drop in revenue will have a devastating effect on their future.

Attracting a new sponsor to the SFL following Bell's untimely departure earlier this season was always going to be difficult.

But will the prospect of squabbling First Division sides trying to form some sort of Championship or SPL 2 bring in big business?

The breakaway bid sends out the message that there's still plenty of unrest in the Scottish game.

What company would want to be associated with all that mistrust and uncertainty?

Sadly, administration, liquidation and cutbacks have become the new buzzwords of Scottish football over the last few years.

The threat of clubs going to the wall is real and a constant headache.

Livingston owner Pearse Flynn has not been slow or shy in speaking out about what Scottish football should be doing.

Although he might not be everyone's cup of tea at least he has made people think about the right way forward for the game.

However, I don't buy into the idea that a 12-team league below the SPL is the best way forward.

If the SFL has a contract with the top flight saying promotion and relegation operates solely between them I can't see how that can be broken before next season.

Serving a two-year notice to quit the SFL might be too late for some clubs when they are losing money every week.

Sadly, we have a group of chairmen who are only interested in pulling for themselves.

Scotland needs ONE governing body capable of showing strong leadership if the game is to progress.

I know it won't happen - but until someone in authority speaks out football will always suffer.

Right now we have the SFA, SPL and SFL. If this new Championship gets off the ground there will probably be some sort of committee for that tool.

In anyone's book, that's madness.

If the new set-up is a body with no ties to the SPL or SFL what's the point of breaking away?

There's no sense in a league without promotion or relegation.

Naturally, the remit for this latest proposal will involve yet another elite group looking after themselves.

That gets us nowhere.

The last thing we need is another body trying to show us how the game should be governed.

As things stand it looks like a legal battle is on the cards.

With that type of threat looming over battling clubs it's surely time for the most dominant force to stand up and be counted.

Unless I'm mistaken every team in Scotland comes under the SFA's umbrella.

They should be showing strong, forceful leadership.

Yet their silence is nothing short of deafening.

What does SFA chief executive David Taylor (right) think of this latest mess?

I'd love him to tell us how he thinks our clubs can survive and prosper. Some of the grievances aired by the First Division teams are entirely understandable. It's pathetic to hear of so-called senior clubs paying players just £10 each week and calling themselves professional.

No one in their right mind would say the people owning these outfits are in the same boat as those who want to invest in their team.

So I can understand the need for the league under the SPL to be as attractive, strong and competitive as it possibly can.

That creates healthy rivalry and the strength of a league can sometimes be measured by the quality of clubs in the tier just below.

Equally, a lot of teams should accept they are small-time operations happily serving the local community without the fear of paying wages they can't afford.

Being part of a small club is OK. You can find your niche and then operate within that.

There's always a role to play and every level of football doesn't have to be about the Champions League or competing with the best.

Today, I'll be working at the Junior Cup Final for Scottish Television where Bathgate will play Auchinleck Talbot.

Bathgate have signed a number of former pros and would put a lot of so-called "senior" clubs to shame at the way they're run.

Being part-time the players don't earn fortunes but are looked after in a professional manner that's rare in the senior game.

Clubs like Bathgate would put up a much better fight in the Third Division than serial losers East Stirling. A pyramid system to allow Junior clubs access to the SFL has been talked about for years.

So why can't these well-run teams ascend to senior status - if that's what they want?

You only have to look at Gretna to see how far an ambitious smaller side can come.

A few years ago they were playing in the English Unibond League.

But they were admitted to the SFL in 2002 and haven't looked back since. If Gretna can make enormous strides then why not a Junior club?

But no single body will put forward a plan to introduce Junior teams because that will mean job losses and faceless figures disappearing from disciplinary committees.

The SPL? Can we honestly say it has moved the game on since 1998?

What about all the millions of pounds Sky poured into Scottish football for years?

Where did it all go?

Where are the facilities for future generations of players and the supporters to enjoy and the football academies?

Here's hoping the latest investment from broadcasters Setanta - tens of millions of pounds-won't be squandered in the same way.

But does anyone trust the bodies running the Scottish game to make the right decisions?

Taken from the Sunday Mail