Managers united in call to scrap SPL reserves

Scotland's top managers want to scrap their reserve teams at the end of this season – with a loss of jobs for around 100 young players. The proposal to abolish the Scottish Premier League reserve division was mooted at a discussion group of six managers – Gordon Strachan, Walter Smith, Craig Levein, Jimmy Calderwood, John Hughes and Mark McGhee – on Dec 3 and will be on the agenda again at the next meeting of all 12 club bosses early in February, but it is understood to have near-unanimous approval, along with a plan to get rid of the current under-21 quota rule. At present, three under-21 players have to be included in each matchday squad, but managers frequently complain that they have to put youths, who have almost no chance of playing, on the bench while experienced players sit in the stand. At the confidential discussion... [read full story]                    

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