Brown doubts hopes for restart but insists Celtic have earned title
CELTIC captain Scott Brown has expressed doubt the Ladbrokes Premiership will be played to a finish this season due to the coronavirus crisis.
However, he insisted the Parkhead club, who were 13 points clear of Rangers when football was suspended last month, will be deserving winners if the SPFL abandon the top flight and declare them champions for the ninth year running.
The midfielder is keen for the 2019/20 campaign to restart when the shut-down is lifted so that Neil Lennon’s team, undefeated domestically this year, can beat their city rivals to the league on the park.
But the 34-year-old is sceptical the Glasgow club, who are bidding to equal the record number of consecutive Scottish title triumphs this term, will be able to fulfil their remaining fixtures because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
UEFA last week gave the SPFL the go-ahead to curtail the Premiership – which they have already done in the Championship, League One and League Two – if completing the season proves impossible.
Speaking on Sportsound on BBC Scotland this afternoon, Brown admitted that he fears it will prove impossible to play the full 38 games in the coming weeks. He said: “At the time when the season stopped, we’d just scored five against St Mirren at home and we were doing really well. We were looking like a proper threat and wanted it to go on as long as we could.
“So do I think, if at all possible, we should be playing out the season? Yes, definitely because we want to extend our lead at the top.
“We want to show the fans how well we can play and give them something back for supporting us throughout years. We want that nine-in-a-row and we want to play as many games as we possibly can.
“But, on a personal level, do I see us playing all the games with what’s going on just now with social distancing? I can’t see the games being played, but you never know.”
Brown continued: “I want to play on. I want to show how well we’ve done over the whole season.
“We’ve won one cup and have done extremely well after a little blip in December. But we went to Dubai and came back and have won all the games apart from away to Livingston which is a hard place to go on astro and, to be fair, they’re well organised. I’d love to see it get finished to show how strong that we were going to finish.”
The prospect of handing Celtic the Premiership has angered Rangers fans as Steven Gerrard’s team have nine games remaining and can still mathematically catch Neil Lennon’s side.
But Brown said: “We’re 13 points clear, we’ve got a great goal difference and we’ve got eight games to play. Does anyone see us being caught?”
EX-NETHERLANDS and Rangers winger Pieter Huistra last night expressed confidence the surprise decision to cancel the Eredivisie this season won’t have any negative financial repercussions for the Dutch game.
The KNVB, Dutch football’s governing body, stunned European football on Friday when they decided to scrap the 2019/20 campaign after prime minister Mark Rutte banned sporting events until September 1 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Ajax, who led AZ Alkmaar on goal difference with nine games remaining, won’t be crowned champions and Champions League and
Europa League places next term will be awarded on current standings.
There will be no promotion or relegation either and Cambuur and DE Graafschap, who were 11 and seven points clear of third-place Volendam respectively in the second tier Eerste Divisie, have been denied the chance to go up to the top flight.
Alkmaar and Utrecht, who were due to play Feyenoord in the final of the Dutch Cup before it, too, was abandoned, are furious at the shock move and have both threatened to take legal action against the governing body.
The prospect of declaring the Ladbrokes Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2 null and void – as many in the Scottish game had demanded – because of the coronavirus pandemic was dismissed by the SPFL earlier this month.
It was argued that broadcasters, sponsors and supporters would all demand millions of pounds in compensation if the league went down that route – and Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell publicly warned “the consequences of that are so severe”.
However, Huistra, the former Ajax assistant manager, believes the KNVB have made the correct call in the circumstances and is hopeful that clubs in his homeland will now come together along with other major stakeholders and work as one for the good of the Dutch football.
“When the government announced there could be no organised games until September there wasn’t really any other decision they could make,” he said. “UEFA were very clear last week about national federations being able to end leagues if there was an official order prohibiting sporting events.
“The KNVB were in a very difficult position. This is a one-off situation and they couldn’t please everybody. They have decided there will be no champions, no promotion or relegation and the present standings will decide European placings. They have neutralised the league and scrapped the cup.
“There are still too many games to be played in the league. They still have to play nine matches. That is almost a third of the league. That is too much to say one club can be champions. Ajax and Alkmaar also have the same points. I think it is the right decision.”
Huistra, who has worked around the world as a technical director as well as a manager and assistant manager since retiring from playing, is doubtful that cancelling the Eredivisie will lead to costly court battles and expensive pay outs because of the government ban on sporting events in the Netherlands.
“Who is to blame?” he said. “Who do you ask for compensation from? Why go to court to try and get money back? Everybody is losing out at the moment. I think everybody has to accept the situation.
“We are all in this together – the TV companies, the press, football players, sponsors, clubs and supporters. So why sue each other? We have to make sure we work together. Fans have to give up their season tickets, broadcasters have to accept they can’t show games, sponsors have to realise their logo won’t be on display.
“The TV companies need to understand at this moment they are important players and have to work with clubs and fans to save this industry. I hope they know the role they have. I think all parties have accept they have to give up a little bit, take some damage and go on. This is a completely unprecedented crisis.”
Huistra, who played for Eredivsie clubs Groningen, Veendam and Twente and has since coached at Ajax, Vitesse Arnhem, Groningen and De Graafschap, believes the Dutch
MOTHERWELL defender
Jake Carroll has revealed he is taking baby steps back to full fitness.
The 28-year-old is recovering from a devastating ruptured Achilles sustained during a breathless Scottish Cup exit against St Mirren in February.
He underwent surgery to repair the damage and was confined to a protective boot. However, Carroll was back in specially altered training shoes last week and admits he has been forced to learn how to walk all over again.
He said: “As of last Monday, which was eight weeks since the operation, I’ve started walking in trainers again – which is the first time in a long time. I’ve come out of the protective boot and can wear trainers with a small heel raise in them because I can’t fully flatten my foot.
“It’s a slow, gradual process and will take a few more months but it’s a positive to be out of that boot.
“I’m walking a bit weird at the moment – I need to get used to that. I’m like a newborn baby at the moment, practicing walking and taking little steps everywhere!”
Following his injury, Carroll was given the news that his season was over. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, he won;t miss as much action as feared. Speaking in purely footballing terms, Carroll concedes the hiatus could prove a helpful one on his road to recovery. He continued: “It’s been a blessing in disguise in a strange way. I haven’t missed that many games, which is something I thought I would really struggle with.”