Celtic boss Ronny Deila feels Scotland should consider taking a leaf out of Norway’s book, following the country’s failure to qualify for the 2016 European Championship in France.
Although Deila's homeland Norway also failed to qualify for the tournament, the Scandinavian nation at least managed to reach the playoffs, where they were defeated by Hungary; the Norwegians finished only one point behind Croatia in their group and seven ahead of Bulgaria, as they came third.
And Deila feels the top Scottish clubs should be allowed to field their reserve teams in the lower divisions, as it is the case in Norway and several other countries such as Spain and Germany.
The Norwegian believes such a system would help the development of younger players in Scotland, which will in turn benefit the country in the long run.
However Deila, who provided the example of his former club Stromsgodset, was quick to add that there are still many positives to take from the present structure of Scottish football.
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"When I started at Stromsgodset, we were in the first division, like the [Scottish] Championship, and we had a team in the fourth division", he said at a press conference.
"When I left, they had one team in the Premier League, one team in the second division and now also one in the third division, so you can put the players into the right level. It is about getting experience earlier.
"I don't say this is the answer to how we are going to get better, but it is a suggestion and I have seen how good it can be.
"I don't want to come here and think I know everything about football.
"There are a lot of positive things in Scottish football, but I think it is important to get new ideas.”
Deila’s idea was previously raised by former chief executive of the old Scottish Football League, David Longmuir, but it was abandoned when the league system was changed.
