THE MONDAY JURY
1 Was Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack overreacting with his comments every club in the country will struggle to survive the coronavirus crisis?
Absolutely not. If there’s no football there is no business. And there’s not going to be any football for some considerable time to come. It’s hard to imagine we’ll get through this without some clubs going to the wall.
It was an honest dose of reality to fans all over the country. Dons are – or at least were – in a comfortable position but are looking down the line at an oncoming train. It’s a reality check for everyone. No side will come through this unscathed.
Apart from the fact you can take Celtic out of the equation then no he wasn’t. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that football shutting down for an indefinite period will leave our clubs struggling.
Absolutely not. Even Celtic, the most financially insulated, will face challenges. In addition, clubs who have regarded players on their pitch as a source of future funding could face a shock as the transfer market resets itself.
Hearts have been pilloried for alerting agents they’ll be looking for players this summer, while asking staff to take a 50 per cent cut. Is the criticism justified?
Yes. While correct to recognise and confront the reality of this situation, there is something seriously crass about the way they have handled it. Asking employees to take a huge pay cut while squirrelling money away for signings is morally objectionable.
It’s not a black and white issue. They’ll need players no matter what but were too quick to jump the gun. They should be exploring the job retention scheme, finding out if contracts due to expire this summer will have to run – if or when season can resume.
When this crisis is finally over they will still have to try to put a team on the park so they are right to plan for the future. Asking for players and staff to take wage cuts is dealing with the situation as it stands but they can’t stop looking ahead.
The criticism was unjust and over the top. Life will eventually return to something approaching normal and they’re only undertaking forward planning. Other clubs will be saying exactly the same. A sense of perspective is required.
Davie Cooper passed away 25 years ago. Who has been the most talented player to grace the Scottish game since then?
It’s hard to call as different players have different talents. Henrik Larsson was a phenomenal goalscorer, Brian Laudrup was poetry in motion while Paul Gascoigne and Paolo Di Canio could do things with a football that defied belief.
Laudrup and Larsson have been the best imports but Andy Robertson is our best talent in last few decades. He’s become one of the best full-backs on the planet. That is not something we’ve been able to say about any Scot for 30 years.
Larsson, Laudrup and Gascoigne are probably the three best but all different in style. In terms of comparisons with Cooper, I’d have to go for Laudrup who was similarly elegant.
Funnily enough, Ian McCall is the man who should have inherited Cooper’s crown at Rangers. He may only have had one foot, like Cooper, but what a wand. Unplayable at Dunfermline, he should have gone on to perform in Italy or Spain.
If a decision to cancel Wimbledon is made this week do you think we’ve seen the last of Andy Murray on a singles court at SW19?
Of course not. He will be using this shutdown to get himself back into peak physical condition. If anything, the coronavirus crisis could prove to be a leveller for all manner of sports. Tennis is likely to be one of then.
No chance. I’m not giving up hope on seeing Andy out there again. Our man is made of granite and he’s already defied the odds to return and win. Let’s hope the break does him some good and he gets to take his bow on Centre Court.
If he can continue to play pain-free there’s no reason why Andy can’t feature at Wimbledon next year in the singles. If not, we will hopefully see him and his brother Jamie have that crack at doubles they’ve always talked about.
Sadly I’d long thought that was the case anyway, coronavirus or not. Murray can eventually retire – and it will be soon – knowing he gave everything to being the very best he could be. No regrets.