WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF RANGERS’ OFFER TO FUND A SECOND INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO SPFL DEALINGS?
KEITH JACKSON: It’s certainly a potential vote winner in terms of tomorrow’s EGM. The trouble is the Rangers ‘dossier’ failed to provide proof to validate their calls for the suspensions of Neil Doncaster and Rod McKenzie. But if they are so convinced of serious wrong doing that they are prepared to foot the bill for a probe then plenty of others may take them up on it.
FRASER WILSON: It’s certainly batted away the SPFL’s warning that a probe would load another heavy cost on clubs. There’s been so much claim and counter-claim that it now seems - should Rangers get the support - that an independent probe is required.
GARY RALSTON: Seems fair. The SPFL told members it would be a cost they would struggle to justify, so the offer takes it out of the equation. Rangers won’t get 75 percent anyway, but if at least 40 percent vote with them, Hearts and Stranraer it becomes a strong mandate for change.
MICHAEL GANNON: It’s a bold - if expensive - move from Ibrox. But Park doesn’t need to chuck a couple of hundred grand at a QC to tell us the SPFL is malfunctioning. The time and energy would be better used to figure out just how our game is going to survive this pandemic.
WOULD IT BE WRONG OF HEARTS TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION IF THE SEASON IS CALLED AND THEY GO DOWN?
KEITH: Hearts have a right to explore whatever mechanism is available to them. But they might be better off examining why they got into this state in the first place and questioning the decisions made by the Ann Budge/Craig Levein axis of power. When Budge sank her own reconstruction task force it summed up the entire shambles.
© SNS Group Hearts owner Ann Budge is leading the talks on league reconstruction
FRASER: Hearts only have themselves to blame for being bottom of the Premiership because of their awful recruitment a year ago. But they still had ample time to rescue the situation so if there’s a legal avenue available they are right to explore it.
GARY: Absolutely not. They have been treated appallingly and entered into reconstruction talks with good faith when they were sold a pup. Remember, Sky’s right to have a final say on reconstruction was kept from the briefing paper handed to clubs before the Bad Friday resolution.
MICHAEL: A legal battle would be expensive and rumble on for ages. It’s tough on Hearts but there’s not a shred of evidence to suggest they were staying up and we need to sort out the leagues somehow without ripping everything up to keep a couple of clubs happy. If Hearts were sitting in the top six they’d be pulling up the ladder.
HOW CAN FOOTBALL SURVIVE IN SCOTLAND IF NO FANS CAN GET INTO STADIUMS UNTIL 2021
KEITH: Among all of the bad blood and ill-will this is really the only question that matters. The lower leagues will almost certainly have to mothballed until punters are paying in at the gate again. The top flight will have to find a way of playing on without any match day revenue. Virtual season tickets and a government bail out would help.
FRASER: The Scottish game will survive but I fear a number of our clubs who are dependent on cash through the gates won’t. There are others with sufficient financial muscle, such as Kelty, waiting in the wings to take their place and keep the SPFL at a full quota though.
GARY: With a great deal of difficulty. Squads will be reduced, younger players promoted and other departments in our bigger clubs will be ravaged. Season ticket purchases will effectively become gifts from fans to keep the lights on at their favourites.
MICHAEL: It can’t. Not in its current form. Clubs will have to find a way of putting themselves into hibernation, perhaps releasing all players etc, and then building again from scratch. The pandemic has shattered the current model.
IS THE SCOTTISH GAME DUE A BAIL-OUT IN THE SAME WAY RUGBY LEAGUE IN ENGLAND WAS HANDED £16 MILLION BY WESTMINSTER?
KEITH: It would certainly be welcome but it’s not an easy argument for football to make at a time when the economy is tanking and the government is attempting to save lives. There’s a lot of talking to be done between Hampden and Holyrood as the game in this country is so important to Scotland’s sense of wellbeing as well as its GDP.
FRASER: Obviously fundamental areas such as health take priority. If there’s a small amount of the pot left over then why not? It’s a huge part of our society and also a key employer in many areas.
GARY: It has been described as an ‘exception’ and is probably Boris Johnson’s way of making good his promise to the north of England for switching to the Tories. Yes, let’s see a bail out, but only if it leads to full transparency of information, process and decision making at the SPFL and SFA.
MICHAEL: Too right. Scottish football gets a bad rap from politicians but it’s a huge cash generator for the economy. It should be treated like every crucial big business and if we can bail out Virgin and BA then we can certainly help out football.
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