SPFL club chief sends Hearts and Ann Budge league reconstruction message as he bemoans clubs complaining

Hearts chief Ann Budge is leading a task force for league reconstruction

Hearts’ Ann Budge has been fired a warning shot by the Elgin City chairman regarding league construction.

Graham Tatters believes the Tynecastle chairman’s temporary measure proposal for a revamp would be a “fudge” which would keep “certain clubs happy”.

The League Two chief also noted self-interest could make any change difficult.

Hearts chairman Ann Budge has been warned against temporary league reconstruction. Picture: SNS

Budge is currently co-chairing a 14-member league reconstruction task force which had its first meeting on Monday afternoon.

“Reconstruction doesn’t appeal to us at all,” Tatters told the Daily Record. “There’s so much else going on in football and in the world that to rush it through now would just be a fudge.

“We would rather have proper time to discuss it. It’s just a bad idea right now.

“Ann Budge is already talking about making a temporary change. But you can’t tell me it’s from the point of view of what is best for Scottish football as a whole.

“We all know they’ll bring in 14-14-14 or, more likely 14-10-10-10, by bringing in Kelty and Brora. You could write the script now.

He added: “Everyone will have their own self-interests so the task force have their work cut out. But if you’re talking about a temporary change, how is that going to affect teams down the line. How will that affect sponsorship in the future?

“Then if you add another two teams to the mix it would dilute the money even further. So every club in the country will lose out.

“The lower-league clubs will be hit hardest because you can’t tell me the money won't stay in the Premiership. It will be split 14 ways rather than work its way down, that’s for sure.”

Tatters suggests that due to the Hearts position they may well have to be relegated.

Livingston have suggested a 14-10-10-10 league system but the Elgin chief is wary of people making changes for the right reason.

He said: “I understand the likes of Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer won’t be happy. Of course we have sympathy for them. But in life you have to make a decision and Hearts are bottom of the league.

“The people who are doing all the complaining and the ones who want change are the sides in those positions. Then we go and put the two teams who are bottom of the league in charge of the reconstruction talks.

“I just feel all of this is being done just to find a way to stop teams going down.

“I understand it must be terrible to come out of the Premiership. I get that. We were sitting in the play-off positions and playing really well.

“We’ve lost out on the chance of promotion but when the resolution was put out to end the season it was a no-brainer for us.”