The McLeish Report: good things come to those who wait?

I'll let you into a secret.

I work as a consultant for a rather large computer company. Part of my work involves me going to troubled customers where I sit around for a while looking at how they do things (which is generally quite badly). I talk to people, I make some graphs, do some presentations and at the end of it all I produce a report outlining some blatantly obvious improvements that anyone with a reasonable education and an inquisitive mind could have made.

Much sage-like stroking of beards follows, at the end of which I drive off into the sunset, my coffers filled with lolly, and my report is taken home by those in charge where it will see out its days underneath a table leg to prevent it from wobbling and spilling some senior manager-type's meat 'n two veg all over his expensive marble floor.

I'm hoping that same fate does not befall the most eagerly anticipated piece of consultancy I can think of.

Yes, the long awaited McLeish Report has finally seen the light of day. A copy has been given to those in charge at the SFA. The details are sketchy, but if the information provided by one source is to be believed, it will send 'shockwaves' through the Scottish game.

If, like people I know, you where prevented from flying these past few days because of events on an insignificant island far, far away, the thought of more shockwaves coming your way may well send a shiver down the spine.

Or if you're more like me, weary of all the images of erupting volcanoes, filled departure lounges, crabbit people at ferry terminals and ashen-looking airline representatives, your first thought might well be one of "seen it all before".

In his report, former Scotland First Minister and East Fife player Henry McLeish has focused on:

» the creating of working committees between government and the game to source funding and sponsorship
» the SFA and the SPL to bury the hatchet and become friends again
» the foundation of an Academy of Football Excellence
» the investment of £500m on facilities and the game's infrastructure because they are decrepit.

Clearly, or hopefully, this is not everything McLeish is proposing, so perhaps this article is a little early. Nevertheless, I'm entitled to an opinion based on what I've read so far.

And here it is:

I'm not a big fan of committees. They're nothing more than an expensive waste of time, only good for delaying decisions (if any are made), pandering only to the inflated egos of those lucky enough to be a part of it. Secondly, getting the government involved is always risky, because every few years or so there's an election in which the participants change, along with the (hidden) agendas. And sponsorship is important, as is marketing, something at which Scottish Football has not been exactly good at.

Getting the SFA and the SPL (and let's not forget the SFL) to work together will be difficult, seeing as the SPL came into being because the SPL didn't want to share what little money there was with the rest of the Scottish game, so in 1997 the 10 richest clubs took their ball and went home. While the SFA and the SFL would love to share in the revenues created by the SPL, it's hard to see Scotland's Premier League softening their stance, preferring instead to keep their distance - and their money.

But sure, if we can get Martin McGuiness and Ian Paisley on a stage together, why not the SFL and the SFA?

I like the Football Academy idea, and the investment in facilities and infrastructure is great (and not before time), but in these economically hard times, where is the money to come from? How would the money be distributed?

It is not mentioned in any article on the topic I've seen so far, but at least McLeish hasn't made mention of Scottish football's Great White Elephant: league restructuring. I've never been convinced that a restructuring will change things particularly. We've had 10, 12, 16, 18 even 22 team leagues, all with pretty much the same result we have now: the same two teams at the top, the rest following on, looking up.

But it's not fair for me to be too critical; I've not seen the report (and neither have you, before you start flaming), and so the above is mostly wild speculation. I look forward to reading it though, but what will be of most interests is the reaction of those it affects: the governing bodies, the clubs, the sponsors (current and prospective) and the supporters.

It was Henry Kissinger who famously said "[the USA] has no friends, only interests". Likewise, the myriad of leagues around Scotland.

Scottish football is a maze of governing bodies, some of whom talk to each other, some of whom don't, some of whom have no real connection with any of the other leagues around them, and getting a team from one league to another is surprisingly difficult, to the point where 'buying' your way into the league is the only avenue open.

Witness Clydebank/Airdrie and the possible 'merger' between Cowdenbeath and Spartans. Promotion and relegation are vital components to any competition, and Scottish football is filled with glass ceilings which need to be shattered to form one cohesive body, with one flowing league.

Most clubs outside of the SPL would be looking to McLeish's findings to see what he has to say about league restructuring and/or a pyramid scheme (which benefits the everyone except the SPL), increased shares in revenue (through gate receipts, sponsorship. TV deals), not to mention what McLeish intends to do to provide a supply of quality players, quality players currently outside of most clubs' reach due to inflated transfer prices and wage demands.

And last, and generally least, the supporters themselves. Margaret Thatcher once wondered why football needs supporters at all; for some lucky clubs, that's certainly very true. Looking at the distribution of money flowing into the coffers of the big teams in Europe recently, I was surprised to read that most of the top-10 clubs in Europe gain more income from sponsorship and commercial sales (shirts, mugs, duvet covers, toasters with the club logo on, etc) than they do from the punters coming through the gate.

Scottish football is far from those lofty realms, and I'm not suggesting for one minute that that is a good setup, but just looking at the ticket prices (£21 at Pittodrie to see a team avoid relegation) and the state of the stadiums (Fir Park's pitch and Cowdenbeath's Central Park to name but two), it's easy to see that getting punters into the ground and then getting them to come back week after week is an issue.

But there lies Scottish football's Catch-22: you need paying punters to fill your grounds, which fills your bank account, which is used to buy better players, who then make the team more successful, which attracts sponsors and which will get you more fans, for which you'll eventually need a bigger stadium, which attracts the best players to come to your team ...

.... and so we keep going. But for 40 out of the 42 clubs in senior Scottish football getting punters through the gate is a real problem that needs to be addressed.

I'm hoping that the McLeish has taken a holistic approach to his solution, because Scottish football needs a shake down from top to bottom. For now, I welcome his report, because it is obvious something needs to happen.

The first challenge lies in the recalcitrant nature of those who are empowered to make the chances, namely the Government, the SFA, the SPL and the SFL. The reaction of these august bodies to McLeish's findings are crucial, because without their support and willing cooperation, despite the best will of the clubs and the fans nothing will happen and the game declines further.

We eagerly await further details.