What would be good, maybe... Find private investors for franchising the three pro teams, and put more money for the clubs premiership one.
Don't shout about my comment, I know it is so "simpliste".

Maybe not enough interested investors, or a wee bit late. Tell me if i'm right about that, but i heard a Scottish millionnaire put money in "Sale Sharks". I'm not a specialist, and i don't know enough about structures and finance in rugby.

I'm so sad to see what's happening in scottish rugby, so it was just to say a word. I think the pro scottish players were very loyal, but now...

Good luck for the future.

Bill Nolan admitted: "I'm surprised and disappointed that a motion that would have such a potentially negative impact on the professional game in Scotland has been put forward, but that's the clubs' democratic right."

There's 22 SRU contracted players out of contract in two months time. Surely you can't blame the clubs for out of contract SRU contracted players for suggesting a vote of no confidence in the last week or so!

Come on let's leave all the media "hype and spin" behind here.

Shouldn't the SRU have been holding talks for regotiating contracts as a priority long before now, over the SRU spending their (in the red) wads of notes on the Aussie import and the Stobo Health Spa, albeit as we've heard, at knockdown prices!

As I've said numerous times before it's not the clubs who brought out a business plan proposing cuts to the pro game. That's Anderton's proposal!

Reality check needed! Contract approx 20 players to Scotland- let the rest go to England if they can make it. If not, back to Scottish clubs and get day jobs.

If anyone thinks I am going to support any club after they destroy the team I've supported since it started, they must be joking. Let's hear it for Cartha in the Heineken Cup, eh?

See this is the sort of thing i'm on about.

Any responsibility on the SRU executive matters have been "spun" completely from their own doors and have been laid at the clubs doors.

Correct me if I'm wrong here but I don't think we can blame the clubs for not taking care of 22 contract renewals for players in the pro setup can we?

It was only last week that the desision was taken to give a motion of no confidence in the SRU Chief Executive.

How long had the Chief Executive been in power within Murrayfield? Shouldn't the SRU executive's have been overseeing discussions LONG BEFORE NOW discussing the professional player contracts? The Chief Executive, after all was brought in to "Oversee Scottish Rugby"!

Once again I'll state the few FACTS that the business orientated spreadsheets have failed to proportion blame to the Executive over:

The SRU Executive (not the clubs) are proposing to cut 28% of cash going to the pro setups.

The SRU Executive (not the clubs) have left player contract talks in the air and have failed to oversee negotiations.

The SRU Executive (not the clubs) didn't give sufficient answers to the few investors who have asked about The Borders & Edinburgh Rugby teams. Those potential investors walked away because they didn't get answers to their questions from the top of the tree at the SRU!

I'm not getting at you personally Jinty, but some people have to stop reading too much into the business orientated spreadsheet newspapers and give the SRU Executive the blame for the faults that THEY themselves have contrived to conjour up!

Yes the clubs are to blame for a proportion of this whole debacle, yet the SRU Executive must also shoulder some blame!

It's so much easier to lay the entire blame for the state of Scottish Rugby at the club's door though isn't it?

Highlandbrave75, I don't disagree with some of your observations about the executive and the mistakes they have made - the Scottish game has to be seen as a whole - it's the either/or approach that's served us badly. This will sound daft to some because we are always told that the national team brings in all the money - but I think that its the relationship between the clubs and the proteams that is the priority - not the Scotland Team at the expense of everything else.

We are saddled with debt because of the Murrayfield Stadium and can't support the clubs properly or pay our proteam players proper wages. But the club game is not the only answer to our problems - the open era has widened the games appeal to people who are not attached to clubs because they didn't go to certain schools or know the right people. I resent that as a season ticket holder I am powerless to do anything - having no voice - to do anything to prevent the clubs disbanding MY team.

The club rugby I have watched has been to follow the young apprentices of Glasgow Rugby. Glasgow Rugby encourages interest in the club game and the clubs should not be disadvantaged because their players turn out for Glasgow - its not been worked out properly - Proteams forced to rob clubs because Murrayfield dictates to the proteams who can play when and who must be rested.

The balance sheet does matter, I'm afraid and we can't go on with its aye been - we don't have the resources of England or France but we don't have to be a laughing stock on or off the field. Destroying the professional teams is not the answer.

Did we not experience this very same situation at the end of last season, although slightly worse contracts were offered then withdrawn, days before players were due to sign them!

I don't think there was the threat last year (to pro players wondering about contracts), as there is now, of totally disbanding all the pro sides ..sorry HB75, but that threat seems to come from the clubs?

As I mentioned though Alan, the no confidence motion and the resignations only happened a week ago.

Surely there was plenty of time to do deals on player contracts long before now, when the SRU Executive were still in their seats.

The point I'm making is that shouldn't the contract situation have been taken precedence with the SRU Executive over the jaunts to Stobo and bringing in Aussie imports on expensive contracts?

The SRU Executive could take pro contracted players to Stobo Castle six weeks back yet fail to deliver new contrat deals for these players?

Sorry Jinty, Glasgow Rugby is not a club! That's the problem - it's a contrived situation that has not worked.

With approx £20 million spent on the Pro sides already, no wonder the real clubs have finally said, "enough is enough". Remember the real clubs are the Union- rugby didn't just start in the mid 1990s when the game went open. The real clubs including Glasgow Accies and West that signed the letter to challenge the clubs of England to meet under the "rugby" rules that led to the start of international rugby.

"contrived"

Like Hawks you mean? To be fair Hawks are doing it on the park. Just a pity they can't encourage more than a couple of hundred fans to go along to OA to see them do it.

If the professional teams are 'soul less' and 'lack local support', who are the 3000 people who turn out at Hughenden on Fridays and who filled four buses to follow Glasgow vs Edinburgh recently?

Why, when Hawks have been so successful recently,do they enjoy such small attendances?

Well, Jinty, if you take the best players out a club side year on year for every year since 1998 it is hard going to maintain spectator interest.

If the SRU had allowed clubs to build on what was there in '98 - remember Hawks beat Toulouse (with 7 internationlists) - who knows what level of support would be there. Remember we have to compete with Glasgow for this interest but have not enjoyed the centralise SRU support that allow subsidised offers nor do we have a SRU marketing backup like Glasgow.

It is also worth remembering that prior to the Cup Finals Day at Murrayfield the record attendance at a club match in Scotland belonged to Glasgow. Glasgow Accies v Heriots approx 10,000 with special trains being laid on.

The players you lose are not dragged out of OA kicking and screaming. They've used Hawks as an avenue to become professionals. The same reason that players leave teams like West, Cambuslang, Whitecraigs etc to play for Hawks. It's another rung on the ladder.

Just a word about the culture of rugby. In the other Celtic unions (IRELAND and WALES), rugby seems to be more popular. Attendances are so much bigger, especially in Ireland, it can be 10,000 people for games in Celtic league.

I went to Glasgow v Edinburgh on Boxing day, and it was one of the best attendance in Scotland with around 3,800 people. Look at the Heineken cup, Edinburgh v Perpignan - a wee bit more than 1000 people!

I think, it's not just because the scots don't win at the moment. For example: Wales, even they were very low at a time, millenium stadium was FULL. Last Autumn tests in Murrayfield around 38,000 people.

You'll tell me crowds are for football games in Glasgow.

Just before the end, it's time to built sports/studies schools, and even if Scotland will struggle for a while, to provide good players.

I'm fed up sometimes with imports from overseas, especially because very often they don't have the level required NOW in the northern hemisphere, Scotland has to work with their own skills now, not to be a retirement house for second choice players from abroad.

Sorry if i'm wee bit annoyed...

Hugues from France

When has Glasgow ever had a crowd of 3000 at Hughenden!! I don't think it would even hold that much. I personally don't attend Internationals because of the price of tickets, also haven't been attending much Glasgow games of late, again because of the price of CL/HC tickets, travelling to the games (80 mile trip) but doesn't mean to say that my loyalties dont still lie with the team.

As for the club side.........surely all international/pro players all started at club level and progressed. I still follow Alloa, Falkirk and Stirling County each week. Perhaps if more money was invested in club level then we would bring out the skills of young players and produce the level and stamina we need for International and wouldn't need to go overseas for players who qualify through grandparents!

Sorry to say it but SRU are like the local Council........too many chiefs and not enough Indians!

A couple of weeks ago, Sheena! 3246 came on a foul night to see the Toulouse game. 2281 and 2800 for recent Llanelli's, 4500 for Edinburgh Dec 2003, 4121 Ulster Nov 2003. Easily holds 5000, portaloos don't!

Steady on Sheena was it not these very "cooncils" that the former CEO wanted to get into bed with when seeking local authority support---if Glasgow were to move to Scotsoun who subsidises that.
Any way many a rugby club tour to foreign fields benefited from a "Town Twinning" budget

With current conflict surrounding the game at present I don't think many people will be "getting into bed with each other"!

Sheena has a valid point re the club game though. At present the future pro players and the future national players will be coming from club sides. Perhaps we could keep the cash for our own Scottish bred players instead of shelling out for foreigners with great, great grandpaents who lived in Auchenshoogle in 1865!

Leaving "cooncils" aside though. If the Scottish Executive can't be a***** holding regular meetings on the state of Scottish Rugby until it's too late than I'm afraid the "cooncils" have no chance of doing much!

Highlander- maybe cooncils in your area don't do much for sport but you clearly don't understand the hidden subsidy given by local authorities to sport in general- how many swimming clubs could finance a swimming pool?

Worth pausing to think about "Stade Municipale" the subsidy to French rugby.

I know all about hidden money with "cooncils" when it comes to sports. I work for them and if I'm not right, the authority I work for has a half funded Rugby Development Officer in post, which many authorites cant say they have! They also have Development Officers in Swimming, Football, Women and Girls Football and Gymnastics along with coaches holding classes in athletics, badminton, golf, basketball, cricket, hockey and tennis to name but a few but bear in mind, these activities dont all run on a profit, mostly on a loss. These Development Officers/coaches work their socks off in this authority and are not exactly best of paid but they do it for the love of the sport and the passing on of knowledge to potential Scott Hastings and Ali McCoist of the world......hence why too much chiefs and not enough indians was said.

Unfortunately local authority funding/subsidy for sport is not a simple issue and goes back to the 19th century but old Phil seemed to have just woken up to the possibilities before he went out the door
The main and constant problem has been the non statutory nature of sport over the years so when department budgets were fought you were on the back foot--always on tap but never on top.It was there when Leisure and Recreation Depts opened their doors in 1975 and is still there today

I'm a development officer within the pro set up for now (midlands/glasgow).

I've just been outside my area coaching rugby at no extra cost to me tonight. 3:30am and i'm still following the game, just getting home! Some guys have been talking sense throughout this afternoon and tonight thought!

Tomorrow I'll be back coaching youth rugby. Forget what you reading for now. Let's see what is there at present coaching rugby! Not a lot is there?

I know all about hidden money with "cooncils" when it comes to sports. I work for them and if I'm not right, the authority I work for has a half funded Rugby Development Officer in post, which many authorites cant say they have! They also have Development Officers in Swimming, Football, Women and Girls Football and Gymnastics along with coaches holding classes in athletics, badminton, golf, basketball, cricket, hockey and tennis to name but a few but bear in mind, these activities dont all run on a profit, mostly on a loss.

These Development Officers/coaches work their socks off in this authority and are not exactly best of paid but they do it for the love of the sport and the passing on of knowledge to potential Scott Hastings and Ali McCoist of the world... hence why too much chiefs and not enough indians was said.

One or two people have the balls in their local council to step up to the plate and talk about this. where are the rest? i know a few glasgow pro coaches would like to talk but....well there you go!

Agree. While some fans worry about their team others worry for their families futures. No-one has come to them and asked what they are feeling.