H E is the quietest of football revolutionaries.

The president of the Scottish Football Association unconsciously plays to this image with his gentle demeanour and his soft voice.

However, the content of his speech belies this caricature. Ogilvie yesterday administered the draw for the first round the William Hill Scottish Cup and then calmly but purposefully placed the SFA at the eye of the storm in relation to how the game is played and organised in this country.

His sentiments were made all the more powerful when articulated in the most reasonable of tones.

The president, though, made it clear there had to be fundamental change, that bickering about the number of teams in the league was akin to rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic and supported regulations that would ensure clubs had to include more home-grown players in their first teams.

He also swatted away suggestions about finance being the final arbiter of quality and indicated that a change in the timing of the season was more than just an option.

Ogilvie, then, is contemplating changes to the league structure, when teams play and who they have in their sides. These are radical words, however quietly spoken.

In what he described as a crucial week for Scottish football with the European championship qualifiers against the Czech Republic on Saturday and Lithuania next Tuesday, the president looked forward with an undeniable sense of purpose.

On the reform of the leagues, he said: “I see a role for the SFA in working with the league bodies in trying to get a more competitive, attractive league structure.”

Ogilvie, who has spent decades in football administration with Rangers and Hearts, added: “In all my years in football the common denominator is that we are never happy with whatever league structure we have got. What worries me about the debate around the league structure is that a lot of it seems to be about the number of teams in a league -- whether it is 10, 12 or 14. I think it is more fundamental than that. I think a lot of hard work has to be done before we can finalise the number of teams.

“What we all agree is that we want a more attractive, more competitive league for supporters. How do we achieve that? There are a lot of factors we have to look at. A lot of it is to do with the talent coming through. Do some of these young players have enough opportunity? Is there too much pressure on the clubs in the SPL and SFL to give these players a chance? That’s the concern I have. There are players there but they maybe only go so far. We need to look at the structure. It is not just about the number of teams in the league.”

This raises the possibility of forcing clubs to play a quota of home-grown players, a move that has already fallen foul of the EU. “With European legislation as it is, you can’t keep out the foreign players,” he said, ‘‘but I do believe it is possible to put a system in place which promotes [Scottish] players, and perhaps between 80% and 90% could be Scottish. We are implementing performance incentives this year, rewarding clubs who have brought players through and who are now playing for the international team. That’s something I believe can be developed.’’

On a possible change to the start and finish times of a season, a move that would embrace the concept of summer football, he said: “We need an in-depth look at how we play the game in this country. Most people would put their hands up against it but changing the season could bring all sorts of benefits which need to be looked at, from improved TV contracts to ensuring teams would be up and running for European competition.

“The Irish have gone up from 42 [in the rankings] to somewhere in the 20s. It is more difficult to enter European competition against teams who are half- way through their season. We are not saying change the season, but I really believe we should be looking at all aspects of the game rather than just examining the league structure.”

He added: “A lot of what we are talking about is anecdotal, what we need are the facts. What are the benefits of starting earlier? It’s something we should be looking at in depth, from the winter break to the medical side, and how players play in the second half of the season after a break.”

Ogilvie was dismissive about blaming a lack of money for all ills, saying: “There are clubs in the Champions League who do not come from the big countries but we have to work harder to ensure we do get qualifications [for the group stages].”

He insisted this toil had already started with Craig Levein, the national manager, pushing it vigorously. “Things evolve in football and sometimes you have to sit back and think ‘where are we going here’?” he said.

It was the mildest of calls for a bout of national reflection from the most unlikely of revolutionaries. It has to be heeded.