Football Leagues/ Association and Governance | Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media
Controversial Leeds United chairman Ken Bates has dismissed the Scottish Premier League and says its top stars often find themselves ill-equipped to cope with the demands of English football when they move south of the border.
Speaking after Gordon Strachan's sacking from his role as Middlesbrough manager, the former Chelsea chief pointed to Scottish football clubs' often underwhelming performances in Europe as evidence of the country's footballing weakness.
"The Scottish Premier League is very second-rate, which is evidenced by the fact that Scottish clubs make little progress in Europe," he said. "I wonder if Middlesbrough have made the mistake of signing too many Scottish players."
Bates added that Scottish players "lack competitive football experience" and implied that many simply rely on thuggish brute tactics to make up for their paucity of ability.
Earlier this week, the Scotland Herald revealed that Hibernian's revenues fell by eight per cent to £7.1 million in the 12 months ending on July 31st 2010.
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Written by Mark Thompson
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21 October 2010
21 October 2010
21 October 2010
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
