ST MIRREN HAVE BEEN TREATED DISGRACEFULLY
THROUGHOUT the years, there have been plenty of enjoyable examples of outfield players having to go in goals.
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick for Tottenham in a 5-1 win against Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League at White Hart Lane in 2014 but ended the game between the sticks after Hugo Lloris was sent off.
At Sheffield United, Neil Warnock usually didn’t put a spare goalkeeper on the bench because he knew Phil Jagielka would always do a good job if called upon. Just like he did in a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Bramall Lane in 2006 after Paddy Kenny pulled up while taking a goal kick.
But when I heard St Mirren were maybe having to play an outfield player in goal against Hibernian due to an outbreak of Covid-19 wiping out three of their keepers, I found it astonishing.
Jim Goodwin didn’t have a Phil Jagielka in his ranks to call upon in his time of need.
And when St Mirren were looking for a little bit of leeway during a time of crisis like no other, they found themselves scrambling around for a goalkeeper and being forced to register their 40-yearold goalkeeping coach, Jamie Langfield, to be on the bench. It was just crazy. I know I always have a dig at the Scottish authorities.
But they always seem to make late decisions, and they always seem to make bad ones.
The talking points about the running of the Scottish game are always negative.
You never see them making sensible decisions for the greater good of the game and the people within it.
Now they have just added another piece to their jigsaw of absolute stupidity.
In the end, it took others from within Scottish football to step in and avert what would have been a really embarrassing moment for the game up here.
Robbie Neilson at Hearts deserves enormous credit for doing St Mirren a turn by loaning them his goalkeeper, Bobby Zlamal.
That was good to see because, as we know, football is a very ruthless business.
But it should never have been required. The fact is that St Mirren are fighting for their lives. They are one of the favourites to be relegated. They want to stay in the league and, in order to do that, they need every point they can get.
Can you imagine if we had an Old Firm game, with the league on the line in one of the last matches of the Premiership season, and the very same situation as happened to St Mirren occurred at Lennoxtown?
Imagine the SPFL said to Celtic: ‘You’ve got no goalkeepers. You’ve just got to get on with it. Deal with it.’
If Celtic had to face Rangers with, say, James Forrest in goals, there would be carnage. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
But it wouldn’t even get to that stage because, 100 per cent, the league would postpone the game. If they didn’t, there would be uproar.
Imagine viewers tuning in from all over the world to see that match live on television with ten in a row, and potentially another Treble, at stake.
History and dreams are on the line this season and, if they were compromised by a ruling that left Celtic or Rangers without a goalkeeper — or scrambling around to find one at the very last minute — it would make the league and those who run it look absolutely idiotic.
If you’re asking me if I think St Mirren are being punished because they are St Mirren, I would have to say: ‘Without a doubt, definitely’.
I think the league look at them and think: ‘Oh, it’s just little St Mirren over in Paisley. There’s not too many supporters who are going to kick up a fuss about this.’
The big hitters in the league would be treated properly if this happened to them, but St Mirren should have been given a bit more respect and a bit of leeway after a situation that was not of their making.
I know the authorities will point to the fact that the fixture schedule is ridiculously tight this season.
But these are unprecedented times amid a global pandemic that has taken its toll on sport harder than ever before.
It’s not a good look when one of the Scottish Premiership’s managers, Jim Goodwin, is describing it as being in danger of becoming the laughing stock of world football.
The authorities have got it badly wrong. Again.