Hibs chief Ron Gordon has claimed there are too many teams in the SPFL.
And he's called on Jack Ross and his team to keep moving forward to challenge Rangers and Celtic at the top of the Scottish game.
The debate about league restructuring rages on and questions have been raised about the viability of a 42-team senior setup in a country as small as Scotland.
But the idea of cutting it is controversial as it would involve stripping teams of their senior status, effectively hanging those in the lower reaches out to dry.
Nonetheless it's an idea that was backed by Hearts supremo Anne Budge and now Gordon reckons a 24-team SPFL is the way to go.
He said on Business of Sport podcast: “On the structure, in my opinion, we have a lot of teams. We have 42 teams in the SPFL, which is huge for a country of five and a half million people.
“My sense is that somewhere in the middle of that, maybe 24 or something like that…you could still keep the pyramid going, but the focus would be on the full-time, professional clubs that can really grow the game.
“Because ultimately what happens at the top, trickles down to the smaller clubs. So you can still keep all the payments and residuals flowing down.
“But that’s a debate we probably need to have, to see if it makes sense to look at a structure that gives focus to growing the product and the league.”
Hibs are moving in the right direction under Gordon and he eventually wants to see his team challenge Rangers and Celtic.
They finished third last season and delivered strong showings in both domestic cups.
And while Gordon knows it will be difficult to match teams with the financial power of the Old Firm, he sees no reason why Hibs can't get there.
He went on: “Let’s go one step at a time, that might be a bit ambitious but you can’t be involved in sport and have no ambitions.
“We’re improving the team. I came in originally and focused on the business but ultimately the business, the money, shows up on the field.
"Look at any league, the top clubs are the ones with the most money. There are exceptions but, generally speaking, that’s the way it goes.
“Last year we finished third, I think it was the best result the club had for 17 years, and we made two semi-finals and went to one final. It was disappointing to lose the Scottish Cup final but we were there. We were knocking on the door.”
