MANY concerned and knowledgeable people have made suggestions about how to halt the continuing decline of Scottish football and revive the ailing fortunes of the national team in recent years.
But having successfully transformed not one but two major sports during the course of his long and successful career, few if any of them have been as well-qualified to volunteer potential solutions as Ken Schofield.
Schofield was the executive director of European Tour for nearly 30 years, during which time the number of golf tournaments nearly trebled from 17 to 45 and the prize money rose from £600,000 to over £100 million.
Shortly after standing down in 2004, he was asked to chair a review of English cricket following a humiliating whitewash in The Ashes against Australia and a poor performance in the World Cup. The Schofield Report has helped to turn England into the leading test side on the planet.
So, what the Scot, who hails from Perthshire is a keen St. Johnstone supporter, has to say about the game in this country as another bid to reach a major tournament finals unravels is worth listening to and carries considerable clout.
Like so many of his countrymen, the 70-year-old feels passionately that expanding the Ladbrokes Premiership from 12 to 16 teams is vital to the future success of the national team.
The top flight clubs are opposed to the move because it would reduce the number of money-spinning games they play against Celtic and Rangers during the course of a season and have a significant adverse impact on their finances.
Schofield, though, vehemently disagrees. He points to the fact that the likes of Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Motherwell stayed afloat during the four years that Rangers spent in the lower leagues as proof they could survive.
Indeed, he feels that reducing the number of league games that a club has to play opens up the opportunity for them to recoup the lost revenue by being innovative elsewhere.
“I believe strongly that a 12 team Premiership is four teams too light,” he said. “With the problems that Rangers have experienced in the last few years, the league could easily have been expanded to 16 teams.
“Would it have been weakened any if Hibs, Dundee United, Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Queen of the South or even Morton had been added? I don’t believe so. Obviously, I can understand clubs wanting to maximise Old Firm gates. But with the fate of Rangers they lost that.
“A 16 team Premiership, where clubs play each other home and away, would create far more opportunities for far more home-grown players, younger players, Scottish players, to play first team football.
“If you go to a 30 game league you have the opportunity to be more creative with play-offs. You could also go back to playing the League Cup home and away from the quarter-final stages on. That would give the same opportunity for clubs like St. Johnstone, Dundee United, Ross County and to get big gates at their games.
“A lot of people feel if the league was expanded it would give clubs the chance to play more home grown players and I agree. Four more teams in the top flight would, working on the basis they would have 25 man first team squads, adds 100 players and a fair percentage of them would be eligible for the national team.
“Playing each other four times in league the top six teams start to cancel each other out. It becomes too predictable for the supporters. No wonder crowds are falling. Why is there is resistance to adding four teams to the league? I can’t believe that Dundee United, Hibs, Falkirk and Raith Rovers wouldn’t enhance the division.”
Schofield added: “Rangers are back in the Premiership now and that should help everybody. They have a colossal support who have been unwavering in their backing of their team. Their fans have been absolutely sensational.
“But, other than Gretna, none of the clubs have gone under. There was a very unusual set of circumstances at Gretna as well. I think that shows that you don’t need two games against the Old Firm to break even and do well.
"I’m sure one of the reasons for the 12 team SPL was that extra games against the Old Firm helped boost the coffers and helped boost the coffers at a time when there was a demand for all-seated stadiums. I can understand why they would have gone for that.
"But if they are creative and can take a wider view they could get another 100 players into the top flight and another 60 or 70 players who are qualified to play for their country."
Schofield, who is a childhood friend of former Rangers, Scotland and Manchester United assistant manager Archie Knox, reckons that more extensive investment in facilities, particularly indoor pitches, is required.
“I wonder if it could just be cyclical,” he said. “But it has been some time since we produced players who formed the backbone of the best teams in the English top flight, Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds United. Leeds had Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray. We don’t have those names any more.
“I am looking at this from a distance, but I was listening to a show on BBC Five Live recently and Craig Brown, always a voice of reason and in his day a very successful Scotland manager, Terry Butcher and John Collins were on the panel.
“Craig defended the quality of the coaches in Scotland, but felt that there was insufficient indoor facilities for a country with our climate. In many Scandinavian countries they have indoor pitches to deal with that. But we don’t have the same
“There always used to be boys kicking a football about in the street in Scotland. They aren’t there any more. Those days have changed for many reasons. We now live in a digital world. Children now have tablets and consoles to occupy themselves on. There are also safety concerns. If your child goes out to play there is a fear of them being run down.”
Brian McClair stepped down as SFA Performance Director in July after little over a year in the role after growing frustrated at the opposition he encountered among the clubs to his suggested changes to the performance strategy. Schofield knows that the greater good of the game must be put ahead of self-interest to halt a downward spiral.
“That saddens me,” he said. “Brian is well-placed to see what is going on. I don’t think you need to be Einstein to see that change is required in Scottish football.”
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