Robertson fears it is too early for return of crowds

INVERNESS Caley Thistle boss John Robertson has urged caution among those who think the return of fans is imminent after the Scottish Government placed the Highlands in tier one of Covid-19 restrictions. While Robertson hopes that means supporters will be back shortly, he urged those excited at the prospect to remember that little has been certain or straightforward in Scottish football since the pandemic struck. Ross County have applied to have at least 750 fans for next Friday night’s visit of Livingston. If the Highlands does get the green light for limited numbers of fans, it could be the only part of the country to enjoy that privilege. Robertson (below) said: ‘It would be fabulous if we could have fans back, but I think it’s a little bit early. What we’ve got to do is wait to see what the overall impact is. ‘It will be strange if ourselves, Ross County and Elgin can have crowds up here, but the big guns in the central belt and elsewhere don’t get any at all. ‘I’m sure this club will have a good look at the implications and see what we can do. ‘We will wait and see. We will digest the information that comes from the Scottish Government. ‘It’s a difficult one. We all know how vital fans are to the game. This pandemic has shown how vital they are in all sorts of ways. ‘It would be foolish for me to speculate. We don’t know if that’s going to happen and, from a football aspect, you can’t get carried away.’

Robertson knows the return of season-ticket holders who have already invested in the club, while welcome, wouldn’t in itself provide another financial boost — with hospitality already wiped out. ‘Whilst the fans returning to stadiums is important to all clubs, it has to be done with safety (in mind),’ he said. ‘We can’t just say we are getting them back in and that’s it. If you looked abroad at Italy and Germany, they allowed fans back in and the virus kicked off again through these events. ‘It would be foolish to start speculating when to expect crowds back depending on the tier they are in. ‘The support that businesses give in terms of advertising, as well as people taking hospitality — it’s vital. ‘A lot of the season-ticket money has come in. Fans want to support their club and they have done that by snapping up season tickets. ‘But the walk-up fans are vital as well, the away fans and the people who take up the hospitality packages. That is a real big hole for all finances. ‘The most important thing is people’s lives — we can’t get away from that. ‘Football is an industry under pressure, as is hospitality and other industries. ‘We are no different. We need help, there is no doubt it’s going to be a tough winter for a lot of clubs. ‘But life is far more important than the economy, in my mind.’