The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
United’s F-word Tannadice talk should have been of flag day - not furlough.
Mark Reynolds should have lifted the Championship trophy at Tannadice tonight... that is, in a parallel universe
In a parallel universe, Dundee United captain Mark Reynolds will tonight be lifting the Championship trophy after the full-time whistle at a packed Tannadice.
Back in this universe, he will be at home kicking his heels like the rest of us.
The home game against Queen of the South, scheduled for this evening in front of the TV cameras, most of us had pencilled in as THE match that would get Robbie Neilson’s men over the line.
It could have happened sooner or maybe later but this game was the prime candidate to have the champagne flowing after the full-time whistle.
And it would’ve marked the end of a four-season absence from the promised land of the Premiership, with all the frustration, financial pain and play-off failure that has entailed.
Instead of the flag, however, the talk is of another word beginning with F – furlough.
On March 20, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak launched the furlough plan or Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to give it its full name.
The UK Government is reimbursing employers for up to 80% of the wages of any employees, up to a cap of £2,500 a month, where there is no work for them because of Covid-19.
Employers may top that up to 100% of salary but are not obliged by law to do so. Workers are not paid off or made redundant. Instead, their contracts continue.
Following in the footsteps of a few other clubs, United announced on Wednesday that they would be placing most, but not all, staff and players on the scheme. The plan is that the employees pick up where they left off when football restarts.
The word furlough means to “give a leave of absence to” and the scheme is open to all UK employers.
It is they who drive the process and it is they who designate affected employees as “furloughed” and notify their workers.
The club controls the process, although the employee may need to agree in some cases. Most will do so, given the probable alternatives.
How long will furlough last for footballers and staff impacted?
It’s initially for three months but an extension is likely if the crisis continues to impact businesses.
The scheme was deemed to have started on March 1 and employers can backdate their participation to that date. Can the Tannadice men still train?
Yes, on an individual basis, following instructions they received from the backroom team before being placed on furlough leave.
We are unlikely to hear from the players during this period as they won’t be able to carry out club-arranged media duties.
Government guidelines state: “To qualify for this scheme, you should not undertake work for (your employer) while you are furloughed.”
This line also raises questions about how often United’s skeleton staff, including boss Neilson and sporting director Tony Asghar, can speak to Tangerines stars about club business.
Wednesday’s decision may concern some supporters but it can be convincingly argued that it is a prudent and wise move to protect United and its employees. It’s inevitable that other teams will follow.
It wasn’t meant to be this way for United, or anyone else for that matter.
The greatest concern for Neilson and his players going into the shutdown was a dip in form that had seen them struggle to get back to the winning ways of earlier in the season.
Thankfully, of course, the excellent work done in the weeks and months previously had bought them a 14-point lead over second-placed Inverness Caley Thistle. United had a mere eight games to play and could still have those eight games to play, who knows?
In today’s Courier, there should have been a scene-setter for tonight’s great occasion under the Tannadice floodlights.
There would have been reflections on the highs and lows of the campaign.
How wonderful Lawrence Shankland’s goals have been and the role played by an ice-cool Robbie Neilson, the manager who kept things upbeat in defeat and calm in victory.
It was going to be about how the club had now jumped over its second Final Hurdle.
Just as they finally won the Scottish Cup in 1994 after so much Hampden heartache, they escaped the Championship without the need of playoffs that had been their downfall three years in a row.
As it is, a virus has intervened. Players aren’t playing and managers aren’t managing. Supporters are still supporting, albeit not in person, and you imagine United’s season tickets will be snapped up when they go on sale.
People keep saying that we will get through this and we will. Hopefully, that second Final Hurdle article will eventually see the light of day.
“It wasn’t meant to be this way for United, or anyone else for that matter . . .