If 2010/11 was handicapped Inverness CT
Kilmarnock Hearts Celtic
Rangers St Mirren
Dundee Utd Aberdeen
For a fairer SPL let’s handicap the Old Firm
St Johnstone Motherwell Hibernian Hamilton
-14
-30 38 17 10 11 55 50 5 31 -8 38 11 5 22 39 59 -20 30 38 11 11 16 23 43 -20 30 -20 38 13 7 18 40 60 -20 26 -21 38 10 7 21 39 61 -22 16 -16 38 5 11 22 24 59 -35 10
IT began as an idea in a message board poster’s head – and in less than a week fans were posting on boards all over the country in support of it.
This season, it could be a competition that overshadows its big brother, the Scottish Premier League. “Let’s set up an Alternative League with its own website...” wrote Westcoastdon on Aberdeen fans forum Aberdeen-mad. The idea was to create a league that was not always weighted in favour of the Old Firm.
And like so many other non-OF fans up and down the country we at The Away End thought it was a great idea. So here is how it will work: We will run a league that includes all the teams from the SPL (including Rangers and Celtic) but run it as a handicap league.
The idea behind this set-up is that the most improved side should win the league. St Mirren ended last season second bottom, so they are our starting point (for the obvious reason that the bottom club Hamilton were relegated).
St Mirren, alongside newly
ANDREW SOUTHWICK explains how The Away End will turn the table on Celtic and Rangers
promoted Dunfermline, begin the league as normal at 0 points. Hibernian finished four points above St Mirren last season, so therefore they begin with a handicap of -4 points. Aberdeen, who were just a touch better than the Hibees (or not quite as bad if we’re being truthful) start the league with -5 points. This goes on until we get to league champions Rangers, who finished a huge 60 points above the Paisley men last year. Good for them, but they have their work cut out catching them this season with a handicap of - 60 points.
The idea is all things being equal every team would end the season with the same number of points. In reality, the most improved team in the season will win the league... and it will be a far more competitive league and far harder for either Celtic or Rangers to ever win it. Had we run it last season, as our table here shows, newly promoted
Inverness Caledonian Thistle would have won the trophy on the basis of their excellent first season back in the top flight, just ahead of Kilmarnock and Hearts, who were much improved on the season before.
Celtic and Rangers would have still made the top five, and were not far from topping the table, but that was due to very high league points – into the 90s.
The likelihood is they won’t manage that again, but then that works in their favour, as next season their handicap will be less.
This will run from the start of the season to the split. After the split, those in the bottom six get the advantage of having the easier run- in, the teams in the top six have the tougher games, and we have our champion at the end of the season. Ridiculous? Probably, but we’re only having a laugh. And the winner gets a nice shiny trophy.
23
H’cap P W D L F A GD P 0 38 14 11 13 52 44 8 53
0 38 13 10 15 53 55 -2 49
-15 38 18 9 11 53 45 8 48 -48 38 29 5 4 85 22 63 44 -54 38 30 3 5 88 29 59 39 -1 38 8 9
21 33 57 -24 32
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