Football mogul ready to change Scottish football

Barnsley owner Paul Conway’s claims are bold, but we must say we’re not against the idea in principle at all.

The Pacific Media Group mogul whose organisation is the holding company for The Tykes, also controls Fashion Sakala’s ex-side Oostende in Belgium, Nancy of Ligue 1, Den Bosch in Holland, Thun in Switzerland and Esbjerg in Denmark so we’re talking a group with a lot of experience in a lot of leagues.

But his intentions? To end SPFL rules about single ownership by investing in big shares in an existing SPL team to fund a serious attempt at winning the title. He believes he can end the Old Firm domination of Scottish football, and we say good luck to him.

Being absolutely serious, our league has zero competition, and aside the Celtic matches which number four a season, we don’t get a serious challenge from anyone.

Since the halcyon days of front-running Aberdeen and Dundee Utd in the 80s, there’s not been close to an attempt at usurping Rangers, aside that brief flirt with it from George Burley’s sensational Hearts before the ex-Scotland manager was dramatically fired for no good reason.

And so if some Joe Punter from down south thinks he can come in and split the OF or even surpass them, we welcome that.

We welcome ambition. The SPL is a backwater league with appalling low standards – aside (and often including Rangers and Celtic) our clubs get humiliated in Europe, and something which raises that standard to give our league a three-way tussle is a big improvement.

It has nothing to do with the size of the country – smaller nations and even more modest leagues produce far better quality than Scotland. It’s our culture, and our goldfish bowl.

So if Conway can create more competition in Scotland, we say why the hell not. Anything to improve the game up here.