Dee boss wants talk finished off

DU N DE E boss Ja mes McPake has called on the SPFL to put reconstruction talks to bed one way or the other so clubs can get on with preparing for next season.

On Monday the governing body is set to discuss Hearts owner Ann Budge’s proposals for a two-year switch to a 14-14-14 league set-up to avoid enforced relegations.

The Dark Blues have played a major role in developments over the past couple of months as Scottish football attempted to find a way through the coronavirus shutdown.

Reconstruction talks were a big part of managing director John Nelms’ decision to change his vote to end the 2019/20 season.

However, the system suggested by Budge would not see any major change for the Dens Park club with their third-placed Championship finish last season meaning anything less than a 16-team top flight would keep them in the second tier.

For Dundee gaffer McPake, what he’d like most is a bit of certainty so he can start planning in earnest by knowing when training can restart, games kick off again, what kind of budget he might have to play with and who their rivals will be.

On the 14-14-14 proposal being looked over next week, McPake said: “I’ve looked over it and I genuinely don’t know whether it will pass or not.

“The voting system makes it hard for anything to go through so it will come down to what the clubs want.

“As manager and players, we will just have to wait and see how it pans out.

“What we want is clarity on a date for starting again because we are all in a state of limbo at the moment.

“Hopefully, the reconstruction thing can be dealt with one way or the other quickly so we know what the leagues will look like and can start planning ahead.”

Yesterday the

Scottish

Government announced a relaxation of some l ockdown measures as coronavirus numbers continue to fall as phase one of the Covid-19 route-map.

However, professional sport comes under phase two and it’s not certain yet when that might be allowed to return i n some form.

The second phase has been pencilled in for June 18 and some clubs are working towards that

James McPake Dundee boss James McPake would like clarity over when he can get his