Missing these thrillers was such a turn-off

THE next SPFL broadcasting deal has to find a way to give the biggest and best games the billing they deserve. Recent weekends highlighted a farcical state of affairs. One where Rangers have beaten Hearts in a stormer of a game. And Celtic and Hibs have shared six goals in a thrilling advert for the national obsession. Both matches were played before a full house. Yet neither was shown live by either Sky Sports or BT Sport. Elsewhere, the biggest games of the day are routinely shown live. Here, the best attended, most meaningful leagues games are blacked out to show Rangers or Celtic playing Hamilton on an artificial pitch with no stand behind the goal. There’s no secret to why it happens. Under the current broadcasting deal, every club is allowed only four home games live on TV in any given season. Worried that season tickets would stop selling if all of their home games were live on telly, the current arrangement suits Rangers and Celtic fine. In contrast to England, most of the revenue in Scottish football still comes through the turnstiles. The conundrum for club chairmen lies in the fact that, to drive up the value of the current broadcasting deal, they really have to offer something back. And that might mean dropping the four home-games rule. There is no quick or easy answer to this. Something has to give. Scottish football has an image problem. Let’s start showing it in the best possible light.