Serbiawinwasa welcome break from Covid-19
I’m sure many of you will be glad to see the back of 2020.
It’s been a challenging and testing time, mentally and physically, for many people.
As we enter 2021, progress is being made on the Covid-19 pandemic, but there is still a long way to go.
Football in Scotland had to close down back in March, and in the SPFL, decisions were made to award Celtic the title and relegate Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer. At times it all became very messy.
We had arguments and disagreements within the game – and even lawyers involved – but there was never going to be a perfect solution for the SPFL.
The main thinking now is that football is back, and the game has managed to navigate its way around the crisis.
The hierarchy and administrators in the game deserve enormous credit for pulling it together.
The management, coaches and players also deserve a pat on the back.
Sure, we’ve had two or three misdemeanours. But, on the whole, the
guidelines have been followed.
What we’d all love to see in the New Year is fans back inside the stadiums. Their presence has been sorely missed.
When you are inside a ground – like me at Anfield – and there is no level of support from the stands, you do feel it. It’s just not the same.
Football is a massive part of what people do week-to-week, and the sooner they are allowed to return, the better.
But that must not be at the risk of the wider community. We need to trust the science, and the advice we are being given.
Yes, it’s frustrating and we all long for every stadium in the land to be full to capacity.
To have Hampden Park with 50,000 Scotland fans inside for the Euro Finals in the summer would be the ultimate.
Remember, Steve Clarke and the players gave the country the crowning glory of the year when they qualified for the tournament.
The image of David Marshall saving that penalty will never leave us.
But fans being at the Finals should not come at a cost. People’s lives are more important than seeing a game or a goal.
So we must all remain patient and responsible.
A happier New Year when it comes to you all.