Prem’s risking all its passion

HALF-SWIGGED whisky bottles thrown towards players, ferocious jeering of the National Anthem, even a little ditty about Jimmy Savile and a casual No Surrender thrown in for good measure.

The atmosphere at Hampden Park last Saturday was absolutely brilliant. Seriously. Few behaved like saints, but the sins were forgiven because of the thunderous occasion created by the passion of home and away fans (left).

And they actually watched the game with the naked eye, not through a smart-phone. As Premier League games get moved to all hours of the day, dedicated, passionate, partisan supporters will find it difficult to get to matches and you will be left with even more tourists, even more halfinterested visitors, who think it is the cool thing to do.

The sadness about that is the Premier League and its clubs don’t give a damn who sits in the seats – just as long as someone does.