Thistle in Trouble

And to be honest, the hypocrisy displayed by the SPL today was shocking.  Maybe there are more facts to come out, in which case I’ll write an apology later, but on the current evidence, this is as blatant a stitch up as there has been since the last time Celtic needed a late penalty at Parkhead.

Briefly reviewing the events of last summer, let us remember Falkirk were denied promotion on a technicality.  Not the fact that they were groundsharing, which is legal – but the fact that they could not guarantee that their SPL fixtures would be given priority over any other games or events at Broomfield. 

So, for the SPL to suddenly approve the applications of Hearts, Dundee, Falkirk and Clyde is surprising.  What prompted the sudden change?  Well, call me cynical but I really doubt that the SPL were keen to bend the rules to benefit Falkirk or Clyde.  Instead, it seems clear that they just happened to be the lucky winners of a shoddy deal done to protect Hearts and Dundee.  The SPL constitution is incredibly flexible and can be changed just about any time by a vote.  But how on earth can the SPL claim to have any self respect left when they have done a 180 turn simply because the clubs involved this time happened to already be in the cartel?

The simple answer is they can’t.  Scottish football looked stupid last year but at least we could claim that the league was simply upholding its (admittedly flawed) rules.  Had the SPL even had the courage to admit that having no relegation last year was mistake and that Clyde were to be given an extension – surely having 10,000 seats by August would be sufficient? – then there might have been some semblance of logic to the decision.

But no, the SPL has broadcast loud and clearly that the top national league of our national game has flushed away any last dignity it had. 

Once again, the writers will scrawl what the fans have known for years – Scottish football is dying, something must be done.  For Motherwell though, at least we are in the clique.  Better that than being Falkirk – on the outside and watching two or three clubs start next season breaking the ‘rule’ that prevented their promotion last June.