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http://elevenaside.com/setantacup/ir...p?newsid=27119
I was just wondering what peoples views on this would be?
I think it would benefit the competition massively as well as boosting attendances and popularity.
Would this Cup appeal to SPL sides?
would it be an excellent way to show how our league has progressed
in recent years or would it just act as a shop window for scottish teams to poach our leagues top players?
your views gentlemen(and women)
SPL sides would never bother joining the Setanta Cup especially at a time when they are reaching the climax of a long season.
They would have to fly midweek and I'd say they would end up with a fixture pile up.
Neither would it benefit Scottish sides financially as it does our clubs.
They would get tiny crowds and it wouldn't help the Scottish game at all.
But that said, it would be a big boost to the cup. the eircom league clubs would get a bit bigger attendances, as I presume it would only be teams like Dundee Utd Dunfermline FAlkirk etc. that would be half interested in the competition.
This has been discussed on foot.ie before and I believe the general consensus was that the idea would never float.
SPL clubs would never bother with it.
On financial grounds adding some Scottish teams would possibly increase the amount that setanta would be willing to put up but I doubt it would be a big enough carrot for them, considering the inconvenience it would cause them.
Inviting teams because theres a chance they might be interested would in my view devalue the competition. Having a mid-to lower table team from the SPL would hardly be of any significant benefit.
If u were set on the idea one could invite teams that finished outside the european places possibly.
Does anyone know the views of scottish fans on the matter.
Actually, over time I'd like to see the Setanta expanded similarly to the rugby Celtic (magner's?) league, with Scots & Welsh teams competing, but it would need a revamp & we would all probably need to co-ordinate our leagues - I can't see them all agreeing to change to summer seasons tho'.
Winners should play the winners of the Kings Cup which involves Denmark Sweden Norway, be a glorified freindly but Setanta and DK would show it.
kdjac
There's another thread discussing this broad idea already, and it crops up every year.
Bottom line is that we haven't made the Setanta work in Ireland yet, so no point expanding it until that' cracked.
The lower level SPL clubs would add little to the competition. Seriously - think about. Who would really come out to watch Cork v Motherwell that wouldn't alreday come out to watch them play Linfield or Glentoran ?? It would provide something meaningful for the mid-level Scottish club s like Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen though - but what would be in it for them ? We wouldn't draw them any fans, our stadiums and away crowds are sh!t, and they think they're better than us anyway....!
I do agree with the sentiment though that the increasing disparity between the EL and IL will eventually kill the competition off unless is changed.
Scottish clubs maybe in years to come, but not right now.
I would only think it would work if it involved the top Scottish sides and to do that Setanta would have to come up with some pretty big prize money(in comparison to what it currently gives to the competition .
An idea would be top 4 sides from LOI , Carnegie and SPL with there being a qualifying round that narrows it down from 12 teams to the 8 teams and two groups . Say 1st+2nd in Scottish team automatically through along with 1st in the North and LOI . The other 8 would play-off over two legs(Home&Away) for the remaining 4 spots , with teams being unable to draw a side from their own country in that qualifying round .
So for this year it would be Celtic , Rangers , Derry and Linfield through to the group stage automatically with Hearts , Hibs , St Pats , Drogheda , Cork , Glentoran , Portadown and Dungannon competing for the final 4 spots .
It would cost quite a bit to get the Scottish sides involved however it would raise the profile of the competition immensely and you would probably see bigger crowds at all games , especially Celtic and Rangers which would be sell-outs anywhere . However security would have to be tightened up quite a bit for the visit of Rangers to most of the LOI teams .
If you could get the 3rd-6th finishers in the SPL in and 4 Welsh teams it would be very interesting. Like has been said the trick would be getting the Scottish teams wanting to do it and only money probably can do that. The Old Firm is probably an impossibility, but if you could get Hibernian, Hearts and two others into the tournament regularly that would give the Irish sides that chance to prove their worth and you may see an increase in what League of Ireland players can sell for to English and Scottish clubs, which would again pour more money into the league to give it a higher quality product over the long term. That's pretty much the main difference it would make, in raise the perceived value of the bigger League of Ireland teams and their players as well as Linfield and Glentoran, etc.
It's a great idea if the top Scottish teams who aren't competing in Europe or got bounced early from Europe can be persuaded with cash.
Rangers and Celtic having any vague interest in a tournament with our top sides, lety alone Dungannon and Piortadown ? Fantasy Football stuff here boys, I'm afraid. Sure - why not invite Man U and Barcelona whilst we're at it....Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ears
We were having an adult conversation until you showed upQuote:
Originally Posted by Big Ears
that is a non-starter straight-off. You cannot compare rugby in this part of the world with domestic soccer. Every year we have several teams capable of threatening to win a european trophy in the rugby. Audience figures are massive compared to anything domestic soccer would attract. And besides, the welsh soccer clubs, by welsh peoples own admission, are ****eQuote:
Originally Posted by CuanaD
I mentioned it would take a huge increase in prize money(probably to the point that Setanta just wouldn't do it) but if there was £1.5-2 million in prize money they'd probably enter . Rangers are in debt as far as i'm aware and would jump at the chance to bring in some more cash .Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
Yes they probably wouldn't play anywhere near their strongest line up but it's a better idea to have Celtic/rangers squad players+reserves than Motherwell or Iverness .
What would brining Kilmarnock , Falkirk , Dundee United and Motherwell bring to the competition(Scottish sides ranked 6th-9th currently) , attendances would still be lower than league games for all involved and in a way it would devalue the competition .
Obviously it's not the quality of the competition that would attract the Scottish clubs but prize money .
It could look something like this:
Group 1:
Celtic
Hearts
Linfield
Drogheda
Group 2:
Rangers
Hibs
Derry
St Pats
now obviously enough attendances for the Scottish teams at home(when playing Irish teams) would be quite poor compared to League games but the games against other Scottish teams would probably sell quite well . Games against Celtic/Rangers would sell out(for Irish teams) , games against Hearts/Hibs would sell very well and games between Irish teams would sell better due to the greater importance of the competition .
Prize money(of £2 million) could be divided as such:
£1,000,000-winner
£300,000-runner-up
£120,000-semi final losers
£85,000-teams in group that failed to make the semi's
£30,000-teams that didn't make the group stages
Yes it seems radical and quite possibly unfeasible but it's only a suggestion .
What happened when Shels drew Rangers in Europe a few seasons back?
winning 3-0 at 'home'(Tranmere Rovers ground) but lost the game 3-5 , lost the second leg 2-0 at Ibrox . So 7-3 to Rangers on aggregate .Quote:
Originally Posted by endabob1
Seriously??? I must have been in rehab when that happened, coz I don’t remember itQuote:
Originally Posted by Big Ears
I would be in favour of having celtic and rangers in the mix, even if only it was second string.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ears
I’d imagine as well as the cash managers wouldn’t mind giving their fringe or youth players a lash in a competitive competition.
Somewhere along the lines of what happens in the English league cup with arsenal and pool, for example.
You could say that having a clubs second string being put out would devalue the competition, but I can see a lot of people coming out to see the little rangers *******s and likewise the rising stars of celtic.
It might be looked upon in a good light by celtic. Help consolidate their support in Ireland. Rangers ditto, for the north obviously.
I retract my earlier comments regarding the unfeasibility of such a move.
I still think that it is wishful thinking tho.
Perhaps the humbling givien to gretna not so long ago might help persuade the scots that we wont just roll over.
It's quite some time back , 1998 Uefa Cup .Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
At least it seems the drugs are working now. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by gufcfan
You'd think so, but i seem to have lapses roughly every fortnight,
when I jump into the car drive for an hour,
sit in the cold outside for an hour and a half.
I then sit back into the car even less satisfied than before. I then proceed to drive home (another hour) and pay €15 the privelege of all that... lol
Are you sure you dont need some urself 15,000 odd posts!Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
I know some guys...
We'll have to wait till we draw Limerick in the cup till i can get hold of them tho...