Scottish football is still worth buying according to Craig Levein

Setanta no more
"...I think the TV deal we get will be better than our last TV deal"
There does not appear to be any doubt in Dundee United manager Craig Levein's mind that the SPL will survive without the Setanta money and that another deal will come along. The SPL are on the hunt for a broadcaster to offer a deal for their product following the failure of Setanta to honour the final payment of the deal for last season and not being about to continue to operate after they were forced to call in the administrators last week. Levein insists there is no need to panic just yet. He said: "We'll get a TV deal and I think the TV deal we get will be better than our last TV deal. I feel that our product is something that's valuable. I'm fairly certain that we will get a good television deal and I'm hoping that, if the TV deal goes the way that we all want, there will be even more money for myself and other managers to spend on players."

Levein continues to believe that the product on offer from the top flight is saleable and will have nothing to do with the negativity that surrounds the Scottish game. he went on: "Okay, Setanta have gone bust and that's just unfortunate that the business model they put together didn't work but it doesn't mean that the product we've got in the SPL should be devalued in any way. I believe that we've got a great product. I go and watch games all the time, I go down to watch games in England all the time, I watch the Premiership on the television and I've seen some horrendous games. But what they do better down there is that they talk their game up and I think that's the biggest problem in Scotland, that everyone is so negative. There is doom and gloom and facing meltdown and all that sort of stuff - a lot of rubbish."

On the playing football front, Levein has been in the signing market and has already recruited the services of Danny Cadamarteri, Jennison Myrie-Williams and goalkeeper Steven Banks as a player/coach ahead of the new season. Any new signings will depend on revised budgets relying on money that may head Tayside way from any new television deal. Levein said: "There are two different things going on here. There are the budgets at the football club and then there is how that is impacted by the television deal. I'm quite fortunate in that I've already signed three players and I'll have a goalkeeper in by the time the season starts. A lot of people haven't done any business this summer. I'll have to wait and see what happens with regards the TV money but I'm sick and fed up of people being negative about what's happening."

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