Reasons for resumption don’t apply north of border
GIVEN that the bulk of lockdown has been spent with acrimony and division in Scottish football, there is little suggestion that a sense of calm will come with the prospect of a return to football.
As the Premier League got underway again this week, there were more than a few envious eyes turned south of the border.
It might not quite be football as we know it, but it is football and means there is no need for a truncated conclusion to a league campaign. No asterisks, no compromises, no question marks.
It at least feels like clean lines used to draw an ending.
The obvious accusation now is that Scottish football was too hasty in making the decision to call the league as it stood. Former Scotland internationalist and BBC pundit Steven Thomson aired that very view this week as he suggested that there was unnecessary haste behind the decision to halt the league as it was.
Aside from the fact that a vote was taken to ascertain the mood of clubs behind the decision, the signs still point to difficulties in resuming the league season in Scotland had the decision been made to hang fire.
The leagues that have resumed all have the commonality of significant numbers behind their multimedia deals. There was a pressing need, with millions of pounds at stake, to fulfil broadcasting commitments. The SPFL’s failure to meet their own obligations will result in a fee of around £2.5m being owed to BT Sport but it is small change when contrasted with the eye-watering amounts in the English, German and Spanish top flights.
There is also the small matter that right now in Scotland, teams are yet to introduce contact training. Clubs continue to train in small, staggered groups with drills shying away from anything that would encourage coming into contact with another player.
This will lift in the next few weeks but if training is still far removed from normal life then it’s unlikely that games could get underway with any sense of normality just yet.
The wealth of clubs in the top European leagues has also inoculated them against the financial pressures of widespread and continuous testing of players.
The idea that teams needed up to a six-week pre-season was scoffed at too when discussions about getting back to playing arose. Some of the 5k times posted on social media timelines may suggest some players jumping on a bike to get their way round their chosen route but, for all that there will have been individual conditioning, it is no substitute for playing competitive games. Six weeks may still seem excessive but it would not be remiss to suggest at least three or four weeks.
Fitting in games between then and the beginning of the new term in August in order to keep the commitment to the new campaign kicking off still seems unlikely.
There was never going to be an answer to the problems that the onset of the virus brought. The ramifications of it will be felt keenly going forward with the ripple effect of a devastating few months spreading its tentacles well into next season and beyond.
And any fan keen to lampoon the likes of Hearts and Partick Thistle for the harshness of their fate might do well to remember that there are few clubs who will be immune from the impact of the virus.
Aberdeen and Hibs have started discussions about temporary wage cuts. Dundee have revealed a £500k revenue hit and have warned of “difficult conversations” that lie ahead.
The loss of income and the prospect of continued games behind closed doors doesn’t auger well for the sustainability of clubs. The looming court cases of Hearts and Partick Thistle suggest too that the acrimony felt in Scottish football will linger long after teams are back out on the pitch.
AND ANOTHER THING
The cynics among us who favour the theory that there is no such thing as a free lunch may still be scratching their heads at James Anderson’s generosity.
There was much scepticism when the businessman initially announced a £3m donation to Scottish football – around £50k per club – with no strings attached. There was further back-slapping for Anderson this week when he donated £250k, the largest single donation, to the women’s game, to help cope with the economic impact of the Covid-19.
His actions are to be applauded but it is a shame that his moral compass was not shared by many of those who benefited from his actions.
Monday’s vote to deny a motion to go for the 14-1010-10 league reconstruction system that would have gone a long way to solving some of the ills that a premature end to the season created.
Hearts and Partick Thistle now face the full financial brunt of that call and while it is understandable to an extent that clubs opt not to gamble on decisions that affect the finances of their clubs, there remains a feeling that the reconstruction would have helped to serve as a reminder that clubs can see a bigger picture.
Highland derbies and Edinburgh derbies are always an attractive proposition to broadcasters and would have helped to offset some of the fears of financial losses.
The chance to do the right thing feels like the biggest loss of all.
Ramifications will be felt keenly going forward