WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE LOCKOUT?
THE implications for Scottish football, for the whole of sport indeed, are severe. No fans, possibly for the entire season. And, without emergency funding from the Scottish Government, life will be more than difficult from the top of the SPFL to the bottom and beyond. Here,
Sportsmail looks at some of the issues and talks to some of the people who are all too aware of the threat that is now posed to our game from the lockout.
■ SMALL CLUBS ARE BEING PUSHED TO THE BRINK
The fears for lower-league clubs in the SPFL are real. Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy painted a bleak picture in Sportsmail yesterday about the harsh reality of the situation. Money or fans are required. Quickly. St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has experience of life further down the league ladder, having been in charge of Alloa prior to taking up his post in Paisley last year. While recognising his current employers are far from immune from the impact of coronavirus restrictions keeping the gates shut, he feels the effects will be even more acute below the Premiership. ‘Most definitely,’ said Goodwin. ‘I know a lot of the part-time clubs live week to week. ‘A stat was out there saying 43 per cent of income for clubs in Scotland comes from gate receipts. ‘That’s a hell of a lot of money for anyone to go without. It is worrying times, there’s no doubt about it. ‘I saw the Chancellor in England announcing help for businesses and the furlough scheme in a different way. ‘I wonder if there’s something government can do to help sports in general because we are such an important part of the community throughout Scotland and the UK. ‘It’s not a case of going there with the begging bowl but, at the same time, football makes huge contributions to the public purse through tax and other things, national insurance, and there are a lot of people employed in football. ‘If there is assistance there, hopefully that will be the case. The last thing we want to see is clubs going to the wall.’
Goodwin argues that whatever cash is given to help clubs through the crisis, it will be more than repaid in their value to their local populations. ‘Alloa was a huge part of the community,’ he reflected. ‘There’s a fantastic community football club on the back of it and hundreds of kids go to the Indodrill (Stadium) to take part in things. There’s so much more to it than the first team. ‘I know football, in general, most of the time doesn’t get a great deal of sympathy from the public because they think we’re all overpaid and what have you. ‘That’s not the case for 99 per cent of clubs here. The assistance will hopefully be there from the government to help in these desperate times of need, just like there is help going to business and industries, too.’
■ IT COULD HARM THE NEXT GENERATION
Hamilton boss Brian Rice says the damage to Scottish football would be unthinkable if clubs scrapped their academies to cut costs to cope with the coronavirus crisis. With no gate income, teams will have to
make tough decisions to ensure they have a future but Rice is adamant getting rid of academies is not the way forward as they are the lifeblood of any club. ‘It would be unthinkable,’ he said. ‘We keep complaining about Scotland not producing players, but we do. If, however, we cut the academies, we won’t produce players. ‘Go back to a state we were in a few years ago when we were bringing in foreign imports and paying them X, Y and Z. Now we won’t be able to pay them X, Y and Z but we will still need to bring players in and you’re not going to get good quality. ‘For me, it’s completely the wrong road. You’re talking to a person who will never say anything wrong about an academy as long as they are done right. ‘It’s essential. It’s the lifeblood, the lifeline, the heart of your club. ‘My academy players mean as much to me as my first-team players. Those in the first team are already there and might move on. That academy has to produce the next group coming in, then the next group — the conveyor belt. ‘The academy to the club and to the community here means absolutely everything. ‘We need to keep producing players because we can’t go and buy them. We are limited in our budget and can’t sign a £2m player or a £150,000 player. ‘We know the parameters, so we have to produce these kids and keep producing them. ‘The academy is the lifeline for this club. It keeps clubs like ours afloat.’
■ EVEN THE BIG TWO MIGHT HAVE TO SELL THEIR STARS
It’s easy to look at Celtic and Rangers splashing the cash on transfers and think they will be unaffected by the coming storm. Yet both rely on the income from season tickets and there’s little doubt the money men at both clubs will be conscious of their dwindling bank balances. While the battle for the Premiership title is all-consuming, that does not mean star names won’t be sacrificed if tempting offers come in. Former Celtic striker Andy Walker was blunt in his appraisal of the situation, saying: ‘At the start of the season, I highlighted the distinct possibility that no crowds were likely to be allowed back to see their team before Christmas. ‘Sadly, that looks more and more like the new reality and maybe even further into next year if this unpredictable virus gets even more out of control. ‘Given the extremely serious impact it will have on all SPFL clubs financially, no one should be surprised if any of our clubs resort to selling players to stem the tide. ‘And that includes Celtic and Rangers, who can call upon 40,000-50,000 season-ticket holders. ‘There’s not a single fan of either club prepared to contemplate star players like Odsonne Edouard or Ryan Kent leaving, while the opportunity of either being part of a side that clinches ten in a row or denies their bitter rivals that honour is just a few months away. ‘But given the current uncertain and unstable financial world both clubs operate in, who could really be shocked if either or both players are sold to compensate for alarming losses?’