Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘It is going to be the fans’ admits
ROBBIE Neilson reckons Scott ish footba l l won’t truly come back to life until fans return to stadiums.
The Dundee United boss is preparing to begin pre-season training next week, ahead of a projected August Premiership kick-off.
Matches will take place behind closed doors for the foreseeable future, with the SPFL reaching a landmark agreement with Sky Sports to offer virtual season tickets to locked-out fans.
But while Neilson is looking forward to United’s assault on the top flight, he is not relishing the prospect of mounting it in front of empty stands.
“When will we get fans back in the gates? I don’t know,” said the Tangerines boss.
“When you don’t have fans at the game it just affects everything really.
“For me, football is about the fans. If you don’t have the fans then it purely becomes a business.
“I don’t remember playing in many (closed-door games) off the top of my head.
“There were a few l ow-key friendlies but I don’t think I have played in closed-door games.
“It is difficult because there is no atmosphere in these games. It is a bit false and I am not a fan of it but, if needs must, and some games have to be played like that, then so be it.
“For me, it just becomes a business rather t han proper football where you have the fans there and you have that intensity and enjoyment.
“It is going to be difficult without fans.”
Football has restarted successfully in Germany behind closed doors, where games without fans are known as “geisterspiele” – ghost games.
For Neilson, the Germans’ terminology is typically precise.
He said: “Yes, I have watched (the Bundesliga). The majority of games have been a bit false and you can hear every shout.
“It was a bit better with the
Dortmund game (vs Bayern Munich, when broadcasters layered fake crowd noises over the action) because they had some of the sounds of the fans and it helped improve the intensity on the field.
“But you are never going to be able to replace playing in a full house, that atmosphere and intensity you get.
“The sooner we get back to that better.”