Well I don’t know about you but I’m glad it’s over. At least I hope rather than expect it is.
Dundee’s decision to vote yes to the SPFL proposal – eventually – to end the season on current placing for the Championship, League One and League Two is a common sense decision. It’s a bit of a shame that same common sense approach was somewhat absent when Neil Doncaster’s plan went to the vote and the SPFL decided to announce the results before all the votes had been cast. What a cringeworthy shambles that was!
The outcome of the top flight looks like it will be delayed but you’d expect clarity on that matter after UEFA’s executive meeting on 23 April, although judging from what the Hamilton chairman has been saying in the papers today, there can only be one realistic outcome – this season is done. Though it is commendable that the SPFL wishes to protect its position with UEFA – there are after all European places at stake – it also shouldn’t be forgotten that this season is unlikely to be played out and the decision to call time is no business of UEFA, it is a decision for the SPFL. By all means consult but we should not be dictated to in matters of our own leagues. UEFA have no jurisdiction when it comes to how we decided the Scottish Premiership. Belgium have set a precedent and Holland will soon follow. We can show solidarity should we have to.
Since the Proposal and the vote we’ve had many statements – most from one club in particular – calls for the suspension of the chief executive, requests for independent inquiries, allegations of job offers being made and even SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan, being asked to clarify quotes attributed to him from Private Eye from as far back as 2017. It’s certainly got a bit messy and without doubt somewhat personal. The league’s sponsor was was brought into the controversy with one statement announcing that they’d no longer be the betting partner next season. Gallery playing that one.
As such it may be too much to hope we can all move forward rather than look back. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume many club statements may follow, more allegations and counter allegations may ensue or that today’s decision gets held up and bogged down in in legal challenges.
To do so would lose sight of what this plan was all about. To ensure Scottish football’s integrity is protected from the ludicrous possibility of a null and void league and that clubs, who may otherwise have faced financial ruin, have a chance to ride out this Covid-19 shutdown with a fighting chance of making it to the other side.
Forty clubs don’t really give a flying one about which of the two Glasgow sides won the Premiership this season and they cared even less after the coronavirus brought their businesses to a shuddering halt. They cared about their own club’s survival first and foremost and you can’t really blame them for that. That’s why the clubs who were going to be relegated ahead of yesterday’s news, were right to feel hard done by.
Included in the proposal was an assurance that League reconstruction was very much on the table. With leagues decided and some financial security afforded by the acceptance of the SPFL proposal a full and frank debate on a league restructure can now have the time dedicated to it that it deserves. To do so beforehand would have resulted in a rush job.
If this is done properly it can be debated, voted on and implemented before any new league campaign kicks off. Hearts and Partick could avoid relegation by way of expanded leagues, but one thing is for sure bygones have to be bygones and we cannot get bogged down continuing to argue over how we end this season. The choices we make ahead of the next are going to be far more important.
The announcement that Ann Budge from Hearts and Les Gray from Hamilton will lead a panel to address the issue, certainly indicates Hearts threats of litigation may be binned in favour of a unified attempt at genuine consensus over the way ahead.
That would really only leave one stand-alone club with an axe to grind. Yet for this to be successful agendas need to be left for another day. They are going to be an important part of this debate. They can no longer afford to pander to their rank and file who wanted to stop Celtic’s 9-in-a-row even if it meant damaging their own club. The board at that club now need to take a long hard think and realise they are better inside the tent than out. Wishful thinking perhaps, though if Hearts can do it surely so they , after all Hearts had far more to lose than pride. If there are remaining issues unresolved, then there is plenty of time for those to be addressed and mediated.
Just before the Coronavirus shutdown took place The Celtic Star coincidentally had a debate around the restructuring options as alternatives to the imbalance caused by the league split. There were many contributions to that debate that would be worthy of consideration. We know of at least one that was submitted by a contributor directly to Neil Doncaster. I do hope he read that and I do hope supporters ideas are considered rather than the closed shop approach we often see from the SPFL. All Scottish football supporters are stakeholders in the game, let’s see that reflected in the consultation process.
What this is likely to mean is of course is that all football ends in Scotland. There have already been congratulatory messages sent to Dundee United and we’d echo those. When and not if the time comes for Scotland’s provisional Champions to get our hands on a ninth consecutive title, it must be remembered this was won on the field of play over weeks and months of trials and tribulations for Neil Lennon and the players.
This would not be the way any single Celtic fan would have wanted this to end. It is often forgotten Celtic and our support will be unlikely to get the chance to celebrate this monumental achievement together. Yet that’s a price worth paying in exchange for the financial security of the rest of Scottish football.
It will take a sea change in attitudes to put self-serving positions and club allegiances to one side and look to building a better structure for Scottish football, but it can be done. Often from testing times great opportunities arise.
This vote may not have been ideal for anyone, not really. It does however afford us all the opportunity to improve on what we have. We can’t afford to look that gift horse in the mouth.
Niall J
Support Celtic Youth Development
Help raise money for Celtic Youth Development by joining the £1 weekly lottery and you could win up to £25,000 – just click on any one of the photographs below to join. Lots of our readers have already done so and they’re now doing their bit to help fund Celtic Youth Development that can deliver the stars of tomorrow and beyond. And you might even win a few bob too! And a special thank you to all The Celtic Star readers who have already signed up and are now supporting youth development to give us the Celtic Stars of the future…
Take The Celtic Star’s Photo Tour of Celtic Park and enjoy our stunning photos from inside Paradise RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
