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Sort Out SPL Says Stachan
When fiery Celtic manager Gordon Strachan managed Coventry City he lived at Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire and one of my colleagues who also lived there had the pleasure of seeing him working out round the flower beds every morning. Whether he shouted at them was never proven, but now he has made some sensible comments about using the crisis at Gretna to rebrand and revamp the Scottish Premier League product. He noted, 'Aberdeen, Rangers and ourselves have done well in Europe, but some games are shown live to the world with nobody in the stadium - it's not the best. Sometimes we let ourselves down by some of the pitches we play on and by the fact that there is a club struggling to get a team together.' Strachan called for more sponsorship. The problem with the SPL is that it is dominated by two teams, Celtic and Rangers, and while there are other teams in the league that can beat them on a good day, the Glasgow duopoly keeps its holds on the title and the only question is whether Celtic or Rangers will top the table.
The one thing that makes a football league attractive is genuine competition. Even if it has become more limited in England, it is not as limited as in Scotland. In part this reflects the distribution of population in the country and the fact that the appeal of Celtic and Rangers extends well beyond Glasgow (including Ireland). In the past bringing the top two clubs into the Premiership has been discussed, but such a move could interfere with Scotland's international standing, hardly an option now that the country has its own government. The SPL tried to raise the bar by setting minimum stadium standards, but that contributed to the current crisis at Gretna.
Gretna May Fold
We have been following the fate of Scottish borders club Gretna for the past few weeks and it now looks as if they may fold. The benefactor club are now in the hands of an administrator and need £30,000 if they are to fulfil their fixture at Aberdeen on Saturday. The money is needed for wages, an overnight stay and transport and administrator David Elliot admitted, 'At the moment I don't have it.' The SPL is unwilling to release a cash advance unless Gretna can prove themselves a viable proposition and that is going to be very difficult. The SPL have already loaned the club money against end-of-season private money. The players have not been paid this week and the Inland Revenue are pursuing a £350,000 debt. Two former managers are seeking payments amounting to £900,000 and the club are not up to date with their ground sharing-rent at Motherwell. 'Gretna are a loss-making club that has only been able to continue due to the efforts of a benefactor,' said Elliot. 'Even if I were able to find a satisfcatory exit route with regard to the present debt, the club, as things stand, is not viable.' If the club does fold, points gained against it will be deducted but this is unlikely to affect the overall outcome in the SPL.
The SPL has advanced Gretna some of the money the club needs to survive at least until the league undertakes its normal end-of-season split into the top and bottom six which facilitates more revenue generating games between the top clubs. Meanwhile, former Carlisle United boss Roddy Collins is heading an Irish consortium to buy the club. The financial muscle appears to come from property developers the McMullen Group who have also recently made a bid for Irish first division club Longford (see our world page). The match between the Borderers and Aberdeen today is to go ahead, although it is believed that four players have refused to play given that they have not been paid. A number of under-19 players will be fielded in their place. If Gretna do fold, Dundee United would be the main beneficiaries. Celtic would go top on goal difference, but Rangers would have an extra game in hand. Kilmarnock and Paisley club St. Mirren would no longer have the threat of relegation hanging over them.
Gretna Failure Underlines Caley's Success
Inverness Caledonian Thistle supremo Craig Brewster reckons the downfall of Gretna proves just how successful the financial budgeting at Inverness has been. Unlike Livingston and Gretna, Caley Thistle (formed from a merger of two of the three clubs in my ancestral city) took their time rising from the Third Division to the SPL, achieving their dream within a decade. Top flight football was secured in 2004 and the Highlanders have since become an established SPL side while having the lowest expenditure in the division. Brewster noted, 'The board has never gone beyond their means or chased something that is maybe not there. They've been realistic and made sure the club moves forward in a sustainable fashion. We've always been very realistic in salaries and everyone has generally been on a very similar scale with a bonus structure there to help them make up the rest.'
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