Originally Posted by wolvesdavid:
“Why not with the 12-12 and then 8-8-8 idea, keep the points for the middle tier, from games already played against their fellow clubs in the middle 8.
I do agree btw with the fact that resetting the points for the middle 8 isn't ideal, although obviously if they kept all the points the top 4 from SFL1 would have more points, having gained them from easier opposition!
Just making the point that any league structure can mean there are pointless games, including the one Scotland have at the moment.”
I think that there are merits and demerits re keeping points earned against fellow middle 8 members.
1) OK, you are carrying forward some matches with meaning, but it could have an ironic twist, One team could have done not too bad against the very top teams ( all points scrubbed ) and finished the first 22 matches ahead of a team that had almost all its points from the bottom teams ( points kept ), so their positions would be reversed, possibly just because one team had the "right" on form days.
2) Presumably it is only fair that the middle 8 have equal 14 total home and away matches against each other. But once you carry forward 6 of these, you then only have another 8 to go post split, giving them just a 30 match season.
So, I can actually see that causing more problems again.
And, again, you can't keep all points from the first 22 matches. It's not that it wouldn't be ideal, it would have a quite absurd advantage to the second tier teams joining the middle 8 - no you just can't count points from a different tier.
No, the whole 8/8/8 proposal is pretty awful and as far as I can see trying to tinker with it just brings up other issues.
My own possible tinkering, if anyone wants a laugh, would be to start the middle 8 with bonus points ( eg. 4 for 9th in tier 1, 3 for 10th, 2 for 11th, 12th and 1st and 2nd in tier 2, 1 for 3rd in Tier 2 and 0 for 4th ).
Pro : gives teams more to aim for pre the split and while keeping what would be the potential bottom 2 and top 2 in a normal promotion / relegation set up on level points, would distinguish these above the bottom 2 and below the top 2.
Con : Most of the nation's eyes roll at another complication to the ( arguably ) already complex system !