Scottish football has been handed an unlikely opportunity this week with the collapse of the proposed SPL TV station following the last minute demands laid down by the Old Firm…
(First published on 08th April 2002, by Barca 87)
The question is will the SPL be brave enough to grab this chance with both hands?
I had mixed views about SPL TV. The success of this channel was not certain by any means. If Nationwide League supporters are not prepared to pay for what was essentially a digital sports channel devoted almost exclusively to their clubs, what evidence is there to suggest that Scottish football fans would make the same sort of financial commitment to a product that would almost certainly be more predictable and less exciting?
This aside, it is not surprising that day by day it has slowly emerged that the Old Firm are looking purely after their own interests, and that means securing a TV deal purely for their benefit and sod the rest of us. The pretence of a TV deal for the good of everyone in the SPL (the concluding SKY deal) has been washed away, and the Old Firm have made it clear – everyman for themselves.
Well, fine. Key players within the SPL appear to have woken up to what us, the supporters have known for many years now, that football with the Old Firm is not exciting, fun or worth watching – which is what football must be about surely?
As an Arab exiled in London, I will not pay the money required to come home for a weekend, watch United get cuffed by Rangers or Celtic and travel back down again, deflated and depressed by the whole experience. I would rather watch us play the wee team, the Sheep, or even Hibs, where it is likely to be a good game and one we may win. My old man doesn’t bother with Old Firm games at all anymore.
As Alex Smith said last week, games against the Old Firm, now rarely result in full house signs being placed outside the ground, but a derby match will do. Our best attendance figures in recent years were for the run in of our season in Division 1, and the same applies to Hibs.
But, the league stands to loose millions in TV revenue if the Old Firm leave I hear the apologists cry! Do we? Right now as far as I can see there is no TV deal offering millions. Thanks to the Old Firm right now there is now money on offer at all and the possibility of the SPL not being shown on any TV channel next season. That is as big a threat to the sponsorship deals of clubs throughout the SPL as any Old Firm inspired TV deal. What will Telewest think when they realise that United will not be on any TV station at all next year?
We must take the opportunity and grant the Old Firm their wish – let them go. Granted there will be no multi-million pound TV deal to cushion the blow but there will be the very real prospect of the SPL becoming a competitive league once more. League matches meaning something, prizes on offer, local rivalries re-invigorated, the run-in to the season assuming the importance and excitement it used to as clubs, perhaps four or five, battle for the title and European places.
The league may only be broadcast on terrestrial television at a greatly reduced fee, but right now clubs do not have the sort of money they were willing to spend 4-5 years ago. Also, as a subscriber to SKY Sports over the last two years I can count on one hand the number of times United have been on. It is an outrage that no Dundee derby has been shown live on Sky in the last two seasons.
Sky’s obsession with the Old Firm has been followed faithfully by the media as well.
Their coverage would certainly change. Sure, papers and broadcasters will salivate at the prospect of Celtic v Fulham, let alone Rangers v Liverpool, but beyond those pages will be our coverage – not just that one paragraph mention of Jamie McCunnie’s suspension at the foot of a lifestyle piece on John Harton’s choice of hair replenisher.
I acknowledge that money from sponsors would drop considerably as well, but it is doing that now anyway. Sponsors are re-assessing the worth of putting money into Scottish clubs that do not win. They do not want to be associated with continual losers. If clubs are on Scottish television winning, and more importantly qualifying for top European competitions they will pay what is reasonable in due course. I am sure Telewest would rather see their name on Danny Griffin’s jersey as he holds aloft the SPL trophy on BBC 1 Scotland than trudging off the field after a 4-0 hammering by Celtic on Sky.
The chronic lack of money across Scotland’s clubs mean we are all putting our faith in youth, just as we did 20-30 years ago.
To think this investment can be rewarded with a trophy for the fans, exciting football and talented Scottish footballers – and for the player they may yet get their move to the Old Firm or England. It is something I could get used to; after all it was like that in the 70s and 80s. I remember that Kevin Gallacher and Badger being amongst my favorite players but you knew they would move to England – in search of greater glories and you couldn’t blame them.
I implore the clubs of the SPL to take this opportunity and reclaim Scottish Football for the rest of us – we can’t carry on like this anymore. We get what we want, the Old Firm gets what they want and Scottish Football could get what it has not had for the last ten years, a competitive and exciting league.
