The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Time to get the drinks in at football stadiums, argues Jim Spence
It’s time to treat all football supporters equally
Why can’t the average football fan have a drink in the stadium? New Hibs owner Ron Gordon thinks allowing alcohol to be sold at matches would increase revenue at his club and therefore help strengthen the team.
Some folk think it’s a bad idea but that smacks of blatant hypocrisy.
In hospitality lounges throughout the land, supporters who take the “meal deal” package are already happily wolfing down the pints with their steak and chips.
Why should the other regular fans be denied a beer at the ground?
Other countries manage without any bother, so why is there such a lack of faith in Scottish fans that they can’t have a burger and a beer in a relatively civilised fashion at grounds like Dens Park, Tannadice and McDiarmid Park?
The extra income would be a boon to the clubs and a day at the football would feel the same as going to any other entertainment venue like the theatre or the cinema.
Either ordinary fans should be able to enjoy a drink or no one should. What we have currently is class distinction.
Fans who can afford to lash out on a pricey hospitality package are able to enjoy a drink pre and post-match, and at half-time, while the regular punter is treated like the skivvies in Downton Abbey.
Out of sight and out of mind. It’s time to treat all fans equally and get the drinks in.
Running Saints no picnic
St Johnstone may be flying on the pitch but off the field there’s a distinct sense of uncertainty.
Chairman Steve Brown has upset some supporters with a downbeat interview in which he bemoaned the finances at the club and its burgeoning wage bill.
His father Geoff, the owner, wondered whether there was anyone wanting to buy it.
Brown’s interview may have been poor PR and some fans felt it was unlikely to attract new folk to the games.
But I suspect the answer to Brown Sr’s question, about who’d like to buy Saints, is no one. Running a club like St Johnstone in the top flight isn’t a picnic.
If supporters feel they can do a better job then they should put their money where their mouths are, like Hearts and Motherwell fans.
The Brown family haven’t always got everything right but the club wouldn’t be where it is today without them.
Steve Brown says he doesn’t want his sons to get involved when he gets out.
The problem for him will be getting out at all.
Even for well-run outfits like St Johnstone there’s unlikely to be a line of buyers queuing round the block offering to take it off his hands.
A fine example
Lawrence Shankland looks set to break the 30-goal barrier at Dundee United.
The striker is on good money, and if transferred, will rightly be due a healthy percentage of the fee.
He says he’s happy to stay though and is reaping the rewards of diligent attention to his craft.
His example is a beacon to other young professionals of what is achievable through solid graft, and his level-headed approach to his success is honest and refreshing.