Worst is yet to come for cash-strapped clubs

EVENTUALLY, of course, this too shall pass. And then we’ll be in real trouble. The kind that can’t be solved with a single transferable vote. If you think the current incendiary row represents the ultimate existential threat to Scottish football, well, sorry to disappoint. The real danger lurks just beyond the horizon. Because, according to some of the most respected experts in the field of pandemic modelling, the very idea of sport — specifically sport with fans present — returning this side of 2021 is faintly ludicrous. Think about that. Whatever next season looks like, whenever it finally kicks off, all games are likely to be behind closed doors until the new year. At least. No gate money. All those furloughed employees back on salary. For the Scottish Premiership, where gate receipts make up a bigger percentage of club income than any other top league in Europe, the numbers simply won’t add up. Naturally, some are still trying to convince us that everything will be back to normal much sooner. These ‘optimists’ should, by rights, be consigned to the basement currently occupied by the Flat Earth brigade, anti-vaxxers and 5G mast burners intent on dismissing reality as media hype. Even if the shutdown is lifted early, until people are convinced that it’s safe to immerse themselves in a crowd, attendances will lag. Far more likely is the scenario where lockdown is lifted in late summer — but massed gatherings are still banned. And, with many clubs reliant on ticket sales for 43 per cent of their revenue, even selling a few thousand season books in advance isn’t going to fill the gap. Flog virtual tickets in exchange for live streaming of games? Great idea. Sky Sports, having just signed off an exclusive five-year rights deal worth £160million, will be fine with clubs selling their own TV packages to supporters... Maybe the oft-mentioned suggestion of a Barcelona-style membership scheme will save our clubs, then. It’s a familiar concept that plays upon our tendency towards exceptionalism, imagining that our elite clubs inspire a sense of community to rival any. But asking folk to pay serious money for a plastic card that gets you 15 per cent discount at the club store? In the middle of a recession bordering on a depression? Get real. And get ready. The worst is yet to come.