ROY MACGREGOR, the Ross County chairman, believes Scottish football chiefs must shift their focus away from satisfying television companies to meeting the needs of supporters.

The businessman has been the biggest factor behind his local club's rise from the Highland League to the Scottish Premiership and he fears the game in this country has forgotten the paying customer and even "traditional clubs" could be in danger if the game's administrators don't wake up to the reality that they have abandoned supporters in favour of broadcasting companies.

MacGregor, however, does believe clubs from sparsely populated areas could replicate what Ross County have done in terms of in terms of reaching Scottish football's top tier on a tight budget and small fan-base.

But for the game in this country to move forward, he believes that television, while important, should not be the only thing that matters.

"It's a bit like the General Election,"said MacGregor. "The political parties that did well had a strategy which people understood. But while there are signs in Scottish football that we're finding what we're about, in some ways we're not. Anything that doesn't put the supporter at the centre of what we do is going to be fraught with difficulty.

"The game here is still adjusting to market conditions. The traditional way of how the centres of population have dominated football is being challenged at the core. The traditional clubs - the Kilmarnocks and Motherwells and others - those who have long been in the Scottish leagues are being challenged.

"And the teams that have difficulty off the park have been challenged in a different way. Football is adjusting to market conditions.

"The biggest problem is that the game has taken its eye of the ball with regards to the fans and hasn't been able to co-exist with television. It hasn't really discovered its place alongside television.

"If that balance is wrong then you tend to de-value the supporter. The fans don't want to go out at 7.45pm on a Monday night to watch football. We've taken fans for granted and you do that at your peril.

"The sooner we learn to co-exist with television, to get some strong leadership at the centre and at clubs, the better it will be, although I believe we are going in the right direction.

"Some of the younger clubs weren't able to handle money when it came too quickly. They lost themselves at times. You must always live within your means whether as an individual or as a football club and somewhere along this journey of television coming in and putting money into the game, some clubs lost a bit of their souls and forgot the fans. I believe we can get it back."

MacGregor is pleased, however, with the fresh approach Hearts owner Ann Budge and Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster have brought to Scottish football, but voiced concerns about how some clubs have struggled to cope with the money from the television deals.

"This game needs strong leadership," he insisted, "It's nice to see Ann and Leeann giving strong views on the rights and wrongs of Scottish football. It's a new perspective and it is very welcome and people like them have something to add to the game in Scotland."

As for Ross Country, he believes the community spirit generated by the club is a marker for other small outfits who, if they live within their means, can come through the ranks, as they and Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle have done.

"It's encouraging to see clubs like ours do well," he said. "Just look at Inverness qualifying for European football and in the final of the Scottish Cup. My goodness, that's absolutely incredible.

"A club from the Highlands, 20 years in the Scottish leagues and qualifying for Europe and not on a big budget. That's an encouragement to Alloa, Brechin and Queen of the South and others - get your house in order and you can be at the top table."

County, he conceded, had struggled since entering the SPL three years ago and made errors by recruiting too many foreign players at the start of the season, ushering in a disastrous run which hastened the departure of manager Derek Adams and his director of football father George.

Jim McIntyre took over as manager and while he has overseen a major overhaul of playing staff, a win against Hamilton Accies in Dingwall on Saturday will keep them in the Premiership.

"We're in a good position," MacGregor said. "It's in our own hands and we've just to get on and do it. But you can't be over-confident in football because if you are you get a problem."