Betfred groups leave Lambert simply baffled
Former Celtic and Scotland captain, Paul Lambert, despairs for the future of Scottish football after watching the decision- makers fail to impress him with their handling of the Covid- 19 crisis.
The former midfielder – who won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund – is now manager of English League One side, Ipswich Town.
Watching from a distance, he has been astounded by a series of blunders made by the SPFL – led by chief executive, Neil Doncaster ( right) – in recent weeks and months.
“It’ s unfair to overly-criticise anyone for failing to plan for something that had never happened before,” said Lambert.
“But, in my opinion, there action to the Covid- 19 pandemic has exposed people who aren’t up to the job.”
Lambert believes the farcical nature of the SPFL’S voting process to call last season early left them looking shambolic.
The man who won four league titles, four Scottish Cups and four League Cups with Celtic, was equally shocked when the SPFL then chose to continue with a group stage in the Betfred Cup.
“Who came up with that idea?” he asked. “It’s ludicrous.
“Having a group stage when they couldn’t even finish the leagues or the Scottish Cup last season is absolute nonsense.
“They should have sat round a table and decided to format the competition in a different way – that is by making it a straight knock- out affair again.
“The idea of having a group stage is all played out anyway. It was abandoned before for a reason.
“There’s more chance of an upset when you have one-off games, and that adds excitement and unpredictability of the competition.
“It would also free up dates for re- arranged fixtures because – in case they hadn’t noticed – Scotland doesn’t always have the best of weather during the winter.
“Bu t to choose to have the extra matches a group entails during the middle of this global crisis is just ludicrous.
“I can’t understand that at all.”