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SPL

Sutherlandbear said:
Incorrect(again) Rangers would have had direct qualification had that German twat not fucked it it up in the split.
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Not true. Scotland got the following spots last season:
  • 1st: Champions League playoff round
  • 2nd: Champions League second qualifying round
  • 3rd: Europa League third qualifying round; usually the Scottish Cup winners get this spot (but Celtic won it and the title)
  • 4th/5th: Conference League second qualifying round; usually the third and fourth-placed teams get these spots (but again, Celtic won the double and thus pushed the spots down)
Celtic and Hearts got the UCL spots, Rangers got the UEL spot and Motherwell and Hibernian got the UECL spots. However, none will go straight to the league stage. The last time Scotland had a UCL league stage spot was in 2023–24, when Celtic got it.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
Not true. Scotland got the following spots last season:
  • 1st: Champions League playoff round
  • 2nd: Champions League second qualifying round
  • 3rd: Europa League third qualifying round; usually the Scottish Cup winners get this spot (but Celtic won it and the title)
  • 4th/5th: Conference League second qualifying round; usually the third and fourth-placed teams get these spots (but again, Celtic won the double and thus pushed the spots down)
Celtic and Hearts got the UCL spots, Rangers got the UEL spot and Motherwell and Hibernian got the UECL spots. However, none will go straight to the league stage. The last time Scotland had a UCL league stage spot was in 2023–24, when Celtic got it.
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You wouldn't like to put your money where your mouth is, would you?
I don't rely on google like yourself, only on facts that where well known at the time.

Stick to the women's game, you seem to know a wee bit about that.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
Not true. Scotland got the following spots last season:
  • 1st: Champions League playoff round
  • 2nd: Champions League second qualifying round
  • 3rd: Europa League third qualifying round; usually the Scottish Cup winners get this spot (but Celtic won it and the title)
  • 4th/5th: Conference League second qualifying round; usually the third and fourth-placed teams get these spots (but again, Celtic won the double and thus pushed the spots down)
Celtic and Hearts got the UCL spots, Rangers got the UEL spot and Motherwell and Hibernian got the UECL spots. However, none will go straight to the league stage. The last time Scotland had a UCL league stage spot was in 2023–24, when Celtic got it.
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I will help you out.

Rangers will not have direct entry to the UEFA Champions League for the season. Instead, after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership, the club will compete in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. [1, 2]
The club missed out on both automatic and qualifying Champions League spots due to their lower domestic league position. In previous seasons, there was a scenario where Rangers could have bypassed qualifiers if they won the domestic title and capitalized on UEFA's "title-holder rebalancing" rule via their strong club coefficient. However, because they fell to third in the league table, those automatic qualification scenarios are off the table. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Rangers will now begin their continental campaign in Europe's secondary tournament
 
Sutherlandbear said:
I will help you out.

Rangers will not have direct entry to the UEFA Champions League for the season. Instead, after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership, the club will compete in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. [1, 2]
The club missed out on both automatic and qualifying Champions League spots due to their lower domestic league position. In previous seasons, there was a scenario where Rangers could have bypassed qualifiers if they won the domestic title and capitalised on UEFA's "title-holder rebalancing" rule via their strong club coefficient. However, because they fell to third in the league table, those automatic qualification scenarios are off the table. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Rangers will now begin their continental campaign in Europe's secondary tournament
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I see your point, but that’s still a big “what if”. Even if they won the title, they wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot. Scottish teams don’t do well enough in Europe for their coefficient to increase. It’s not a huge surprise since the Premiership is of a lower standard, but Celtic really should be beating Qairat from Kazakhstan.
 
Football us life said:
Hearts are now fully entwined into the Tony Bloom/Brighton ecosystem and that means access to Bloom's proprietary, highly coveted Starlizard analytics software to revolutionise their player and coaching recruitment and their scouting operations.....

The Starlizard recruitment model ignores traditional, narrative-driven scouting. It uses a purely quantitative filter to analyse performance data across hundreds of global leagues, identifying undervalued talent before mainstream clubs notice them.

I wouldn't be surprised if they've already sorted out the replacements.

At their Belgium club Union Saint-Gilloise, the data-driven framework pioneered by Tony Bloom achieved legendary status. USG gained promotion in 2021. By 2025, they had won a Belgian Pro League title, secured a Belgian Cup, and advanced deep into UEFA European competitions.....

Their transformation serves as the ultimate proof-of-concept for how analytics can completely rewrite a club’s fortunes.

The Scottish Premier League and the Belgian Pro League are quite alike in terms of structural size, if not quite the financial situation.

The data algorithm well help no doubt Hearts bypass expensive domestic stars to source undervalued global talent. Predicting tactical fit and future growth, it lowers transfer risks, maximises player resale profits, and provides the strategic edge needed to compete with the Celtic-Rangers duopoly.
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But if hearts bring players in and they leave every time hearts are successful. We're not getting anywhere are we? Hearts had a chance to actually qualify for champions league and it seems to have gone. Frustrating
 
melbcityguy said:
But if hearts bring players in and they leave every time hearts are successful. We're not getting anywhere are we? Hearts had a chance to actually qualify for champions league and it seems to have gone. Frustrating
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Yep....That's a fair frustration and player churn is a real challenge for clubs like Hearts trying to build sustainably. But the Starlizard/Bloom model is specifically designed to tackle exactly that issue long-term, not just create one-off success....

The goal isn't zero sales (that's unrealistic in Scotland's financial reality vs. bigger leagues or vs. Old Firm). It's smarter recruitment that lowers risk, finds players who buy into the project, and turns sales into upgrades.

It's early days for the full Hearts transformation, but the proof-of-concept from Union SG (similar league scale) is strong. Frustrating short-term – yes, but this is how you build something that challenges the Old Firm duopoly over time rather than hoping for another one season miracle run. Let's be honeat, Celtic and Rangers are massively supported internationally recognisable sporting entities, whose profile extends way beyond Glasgow and Scotland. Whereas Hearts are basically a mid-sized city club!

Challenging Celtic and Rangers is the realistic goal here not overtaking them, that would need a Manchester City-esque type of investment!!

So what do you think needs to happen first for player retention to improve?
 
Football us life said:
Yep....That's a fair frustration and player churn is a real challenge for clubs like Hearts trying to build sustainably. But the Starlizard/Bloom model is specifically designed to tackle exactly that issue long-term, not just create one-off success....

The goal isn't zero sales (that's unrealistic in Scotland's financial reality vs. bigger leagues or vs. Old Firm). It's smarter recruitment that lowers risk, finds players who buy into the project, and turns sales into upgrades.

It's early days for the full Hearts transformation, but the proof-of-concept from Union SG (similar league scale) is strong. Frustrating short-term – yes, but this is how you build something that challenges the Old Firm duopoly over time rather than hoping for another one season miracle run. Let's be honeat, Celtic and Rangers are massively supported internationally recognisable sporting entities, whose profile extends way beyond Glasgow and Scotland. Whereas Hearts are basically a mid-sized city club!

Challenging Celtic and Rangers is the realistic goal here not overtaking them, that would need a Manchester City-esque type of investment!!

So what do you think needs to happen first for player retention to improve?
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Yeah it's interesting. All they can do is get players to sign long deals and find players that buy into their project. But let's see how they go I'm hoping they can sneak into champions league as well that will be important
 
Football us life said:
So what do you think needs to happen first for player retention to improve?
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They need to consistently win stuff and accumulate more wealth (or have richer owners/investors) so they can compete financially with Celtic and Rangers. But, if they’ve got players who are too good for the Premiership, you can’t stop them from leaving. The Championship will always be stronger than most Premiership teams (i.e. other than Celtic and Rangers plus Hearts if they keep doing well) unless there’s an investment revolution in Scottish football (which I don’t see happening).
 
melbcityguy said:
Yeah it's interesting. All they can do is get players to sign long deals and find players that buy into their project. But let's see how they go I'm hoping they can sneak into champions league as well that will be important
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They’ve been drawn against Sturm Graz in the league path of the second qualifying round. It’ll be an interesting tie for sure.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
They need to consistently win stuff and accumulate more wealth (or have richer owners/investors) so they can compete financially with Celtic and Rangers. But, if they’ve got players who are too good for the Premiership, you can’t stop them from leaving. The Championship will always be stronger than most Premiership teams (i.e. other than Celtic and Rangers plus Hearts if they keep doing well) unless there’s an investment revolution in Scottish football (which I don’t see happening).
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True, financial disparity is real — but that’s exactly where the Starlizard model shines.

Hearts really don’t need to match Celtic/Rangers spending. They identify undervalued talent (like recent signing Guendouz from Belgium), develop them under their new manager Wouter Vrancken, who is a development specialist, and turn sales into upgrades....

Player exits are inevitable of course, but better scouting creates a stronger pipeline. It’s not gonna be a revolution overnight, but sustainable edge over 3-5 years. No other Scottish club has this data advantage right now. Progress, progress and more progress will be the "Tony Bloom mantra" at Hearts.

Bloom isn’t pumping endless cash like some owners — he and his Starlizard group deliver a massive analytical edge that effectively multiplies the value of every pound spent. Sustainable growth over boom-and-bust. The foundations are being laid now. Again look at Union Saint-Gilloise – promoted, then champions plus decent European runs with smart, not extravagant, spending....
 
melbcityguy said:
Yeah it's interesting. All they can do is get players to sign long deals and find players that buy into their project. But let's see how they go I'm hoping they can sneak into champions league as well that will be important
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Yeah, spot on. Securing longer contracts and attracting players who genuinely buy into the project (development + European football) will be key to better retention....

Sneaking into the Champions League group stage this season would be massive for revenue and attracting the right profiles. Fingers crossed they get the job done against Sturm Graz!

Here's my little 3 year plan for the Jambos from 2026/27 😋

Year 1: Another top-3 finish, Champions League progress, tactical integration.

Year 2: Title contention, squad depth, a SFA or League Cup success perhaps.

Year 3: A serious go at breaking Old Firm dominance with that fully integrated Starlizard edge, sustainable profits, and consistent European football.

I think anyone associated with Hearyts would be more than happy with that scenario but of course thiss being football.....🤣
 
The Scottish football season has startrd in earnest this weekend with the early league based round of the League Cup.....

So I thought I'd catch up with one ofvthe opening games between Stirling Albion and Dundee United... .

And to my surprise I see Sottish League 2 side Stirling Albion have hired Australian football's legendary player and pundit Craig Foster as their new manager!!

Tight black t-shirt, skinny jeans, white runners....the full Fozzie get-up on show in Scottish fitba!!

Img]


I wondered why he wasn't doing the World Cup punditry on SBS....
 
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