Ross County manager says expanding Scottish Premiership would improve quality of game
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Derek Adams believes that reconstructing the Scottish football pyramid could help raise the quality level.
The Ross County manager made headlines last weekend when he launched a scathing attack on the standard of the Scottish game, saying his former side Morecambe were 100 times better than the Staggies’ display against Dundee.
He also bemoaned the negativity in teams’ styles of play, which he has since elaborated on as believing is a result of fear of ending up in a relegation battle.
Livingston manager David Martindale spoke during the week of an expanded Scottish Premiership potentially leading to a better product, and Adams agrees that it could lead to more fluid football.
“It would help the flow of the game,” he reasoned.
“You would see a more entertaining game and see teams play a different style.
“At this moment, we’re worried the quality between so many teams is similar and it’s small margins to win games.
“If the league was expanded, you would see a bigger space between the bottom teams and the middle teams. That would help us.
“Finances are the biggest problem. Teams don’t want to give up the finances you gain from being in a 12-team league.”
There have been proposals put forward in the past to expand the top flight and restructure the Scottish football pyramid.
The most obvious opportunity to do it was when the 2019/20 campaign was ended early due to the Covid-19 pandemic, when complaints about relegations could have been resolved by expanding the divisions.
However, that opportunity passed without any major development coming to fruition, and teams would be hesitant to share the same pot of prize money among a bigger group.
If reconstruction does happen, though, Adams believes there are teams in the Championship that would not look out of place in the Premiership.
“I do think it would make it more open,” Adams explained.
“Teams that play more expansive are those with more resources and better players.
“The other teams are all of a muchness and we’re trying to get the best out of them.
“I think an expanded league would help us. Financially, it wouldn’t help all teams, but we have got to look to the bigger picture in Scottish football.
“Look at the Scottish Championship, it’s very competitive this year.
“There are a lot of teams that would compete very well in our top league. I think (a bigger Scottish Premiership) would help the product.”
