Expand top flight, Old Firm move to England? Managers react to 'shocking standard' criticism

It may have been the frustration of losing to a late goal, or it may have been genuine concern.

Either way, Ross County manager Derek Adams did not mince his words about the standard of the Scottish game in the wake of Dundee's 1-0 win in Dingwall.

Now in his third spell in charge of County, Adams has managed north and south of the border, leaving his second stint at Morecambe to return to the Highlands.

And the 48-year-old Scot, who claimed the side he left in English League Two were "a hundred times better" than the County team he has inherited and who sit ninth in the Scottish Premiership.

The question is, does he have a point?

• 'Standard is shocking' - County boss after defeat

'I would love to see the Old Firm playing in England'

"I've been upset after games and said things I've probably regretted," said St Johnstone manager Craig Levein. "I'm not going to criticise other managers. I've said enough nonsense in my life to make two books.

"How do you gauge if it's in good health? That's what I find difficult. Is the game in good health financially? Probably not. I think the TV deals we have are terrible.

"We are sitting next door to the biggest football nation in the world, probably. The English Premier League get hundreds and hundreds of millions and we get a fraction of that. Maybe if we got a fraction more we would be able to improve things."

Levein is also critical of the way prize money is allocated, saying: "The top two get it all. Well, not all but a massive amount compared to the rest. And that keeps the rest down a bit.

"I would love to see the Old Firm playing in the English Premier League. Then they would be able to afford to pay £50m each per season to the rest of Scottish football. Will it ever happen? I don't think so.

"The game on the pitch is really competitive until you look at the money the Old Firm have compared to everybody else. But the rest are really competitive.

"I've seen a lot of good games this season and St Johnstone have been involved in a lot of good games. It's no worse than it was last year or the year before."

Similarities with Belgium & B-teams broached

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has coached in his Belgian homeland and France.

He said the Premiership is "really comparable with the Belgian league," adding: "They are both leagues with not the most money. Both leagues need to be smart developing players.

"There are a lot of teams fighting to stay in the league so they are focused on results. In Holland a long time ago and in Belgium in recent years, they put the best under-21 teams in the second league and it helps to develop young players.

"Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen and several others, they played in the second league first.

"I don't think enough young Scottish players are given chances because of all the pressure on the story is to stay in the first league.

"If you want to compare, you need to look how teams perform in Europe. There were already interesting things in Europe from Scottish teams. The league until now is what I expected."

'More risk-averse tactics'

"Derek's managed down south quite a bit, he's now managing back up in Scotland, so I think he's entitled to his own opinion," said Livingston boss David Martindale.

"I had a conversation with someone else who has managed down south at that level and in Scotland - and it wasn't Derek Adams. Privately, that was the information, the consensus, I was kind of getting from them."

Martindale pointed out that Livingston are "recruiting from National League, National League North, National League South", in the tiers below League Two in England.

However, he repeated his assertion that: "The league has become a lot more competitive outside the top two. I think the league has become harder this year."

Martindale would like to see more teams in the Premiership to ease pressure on team bosses and thinks the "culture of hiring and firing managers" has led to tactics becoming "more risk-averse".

"It can also get a bit mundane playing each other three or four times a season because you know each other inside out," he said. "I don't think that helps the product but I wouldn't go as far as to say, 'I think the product we have is not great', because I think it's a very competitive league.

"When we get a competitive league, it's easy to knock the product on the park but I'm not on that boat."

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