Budge: Let’s use this time for a better way forward
With votes due to be counted this afternoon on the future or, indeed, the lack of one for the Championship, League One and League Two seasons, Hearts owner Ann Budge believes that there are enough clubs concerned by the lack of adequate discourse to quash the SPFL resolution.
Arguing that solutions to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on football are not black and white, she says clubs should not be rushing into a decision before all the grey areas have been explored and everyone involved has had the chance to properly engage in problem-solving,
There is an apparent sense of urgency in respect to freeing up end-of-season cash payouts to league teams but, supporting a Rangers resolution backing the release of those fund immediately and buying themselves more time, Budge says that would remove any desperation from the equation and would allow clubs to mull over more equitable answers to an unprecedented conundrum with clearer heads,
“Time is something we have plenty of at the moment and to waste this time would be madness,” the Hearts owner said. “When the implications are so enormous, I cannot understand why people do not want to take the time we now have to discuss issues and work our way through them to see we can find a way round them.
“I have spoken to Neil Doncaster and made it clear that I believe that we need more engagement and that there are so many other options to explore and discuss.i have said before that I don’t believe that the need to free up money should be the driving factor in this as rules can be amended. I won’t use the word excuse, but I do think that the financial situation of clubs in the lower leagues is a bit of a red herring. If that is really what is driving this, then let’s look at other ways of making those payments now.”
Failure to vote down the resolution to terminate the lower leagues season would be ominous for the Gorgie club.
While there are no immediate plans to call a halt to the Premiership, there is provision to do so at a later date, and that decision would also utilise the points per game metric, consigning Hearts to the second tier unless they can find a consensus for league reconstruction.
They are currently four points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership with eight rounds of fixures remaining.
Budge said: “I know some people say we deserve it. But, no, you can look at results and say we deserve to be where we are but you can’t say we deserve to be relegated, not until all 38 league games have been played and we have been given the chance to save ourselves. If we are still there after 38 games you can say we deserve to be relegated. Not before, Not with eight games of the season remaining.
“We all know what football is like, those awarded titles will never get full credit for them [if the title is awarded before the season has been completed], we have seen that before and that asterisk and the little commentswillnevergoaway.”
The successful Edinburgh businesswoman says she is frustrated by the apparent desire to find the quickest and easiest conclusion and the SPFL’S apparent unwillingness to ensure proper engagement with all clubs to make sure they arrive at the fairest outcome.
“I know face to face meetings are off the table but we can have Zoom calls,” she says. “So far the approach has been to issue information but it hasn’t been a two-way street, there hasn’t been ample opportunity for everyone to discuss alternatives or see if league reconstruction is possible.
“I wrote to the SPFL when we shut down and asked them to please involve all the clubs before making a decision on moving forward. It is far too big an issue not to involve everyone. That hasn’t happened. I said that in the event of rel
“If we have a top league of 14 and three 10-team leagues below that it means we are being fair to the teams who are part of the pyramid system and allows our media partners to still have their four Old Firm games.”
ANN BUDGE