High fives from Scottish teams over Euro boost
After months of banging the drum for our game, the news that we will have five clubs in Europe next season was music to my ears.
UEFA’s announcement was a chink of light at the end of this long tunnel and shows that Scottish football is heading in a positive direction now.
The search for some good news can seem like an impossible task at the moment.
But this has bucked the trend and allows every single club to try to broaden our horizons.
I’m not much of a Star Trek fan but, for the first time ever, some smaller clubs will be able to boldly go where they haven’t gone before.
Let’s be honest – if you aren’t an Aberdeen, Hibs, Motherwell or Kilmarnock fan, a European spot for clubs outside the Old Firm can feel like chasing an impossible dream.
Having a fifth place changes everything.
What an incentive for every Premiership club this season, a carrot that allows all of us to chase what has been something of an impossible dream.
To have five European places on offer is something I’ve never known either as a player or manager.
At a stroke it has given so many of us an opportunity – and one we will relish.
I know from my time at Kilmarnock that there’s nothing better than playing in Europe. Being able to broaden your horizons, by testing yourself against clubs from another country, is the ultimate for every football professional.
Scotland will have five teams in European football competition from 2021 after UEFA confirmed details of their revamped competitions. Here’s the plan. Two Scottish sides will be in the Champions League qualifiers.
The Premiership title winners will enter from the third qualifying round with the runners-up entering a round earlier.
There will be only one Scottish representative in the Europa League with the Scottish Cup winners entering in the third qualifying round of the second-tier tournament.
A newly-created UEFA Europa Conference League will launch in the same season with two Scottish sides taking part. The second qualifying round slots will be awarded to the sides that finish third and fourth in the Premiership.
It all adds up to an exciting challenge and ensures every single game this season is massive.
What a reward it would be for fans of provincial clubs to have European football next season, when a semblance of normality hopefully has returned to sport and life in general.
To give fans a chance to enjoy the adventure of following their team on the continent would be a terrific way to celebrate being back inside stadiums.
I’ve said for a while that Scottish football deserves credit for sustaining itself in recent seasons despite all of the issues.
Rangers being out of the top flight created all sorts of unique hurdles but now we have a strong Old Firm championing our game in Europe – and it’s up to the rest of us to follow on.
Rangers’ win over
Lech Poznan in midweek shows us all what can be done.
For five clubs, it’s raised the stakes and offered a rare bit of excitement during these days when we will take any good news wherever we can find it.