Gordon Strachan: Ex-Scotland boss says too many clubs are not professional enough

Former Scotland boss Gordon Strachan believes too many of the country's senior clubs are not professional enough.

Of the 42 member sides of the SPFL, 22 employ players on a full-time basis, while the remaining 20 are part-time.

Strachan thinks the lack of fully professional sides is holding the game back.

"If you want to be a professional club, show it," he told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"Have full-time employees, have full-time players, have an academy, do the whole lot. Just don't play at being a football team and expect us to look after you.

"When you talk about clubs coming into the league, what are they bringing in? Two hundred people per week to a game, is that really professional football?

"The teams in the bottom two leagues at the moment, in general, how many players have they produced over the last 14 years?"

Strachan, who is technical director at Championship side Dundee, believes "40 or 50%" of SPFL clubs would not survive in the English National League.

The former Celtic and Middlesbrough boss was also critical of the overall "product" of Scottish football, and believes the spectacle must improve to bring in more money.

"If you think giving a good product is watching two teams in the bottom half of the Scottish Premiership playing on a plastic pitch, you're kidding yourself," he said. "Absolutely kidding yourself."

He added: "I just think we get over this period, see where we all are, how we all come out it. Then say, 'right, OK, who really wants to go head over heels in being professional and bringing on the game?'

"I'm sure if we do it properly, our product can be 100% better than it is right now.

"Nobody's going to kill a football club but find your level that you play at. Find the level your finances are putting you.

"Don't tell me you're a professional club when you're paying people part-time 80 quid a week and nobody turns up to your football matches."

You can listen to the Scottish Football Podcast every afternoon from BBC Scotland on BBC Sounds and on the BBC Sport Scotland website here.