Scottish Football, Duncan Henderson

Scott ish Football

DUNCAN HENDERSON

Even by the usual standards, the last two months have been particularly tumultuous for Scottish Football. With a new season on the horizon, the SFA and clubs hoped that the public’s attention to the game would be limited to what would happen on the pitch and the questions that this season would ask. The biggest of all, being whether Celtic can take a historic 10 league titles in a row, or if Steven Gerrard’s Rangers could stop them and win the Premiership for themselves?

That hope this season would be remembered for what happened on the pitch rather than off it lasted a grand total of six hours. After losing to Rangers in the opening day of the season, eight Aberdeen players - including senior members of the squad - decided to go to a crowded bar together. A few days later, two of them had tested positive for COVID-19 and Aberdeen’s next fi xture against St. Johnstone was postponed. Football’s trouble was compounded when Celtic leftback Boli Bolingoli decided that a four day break from training would be best spent defying his club’s instructions not to leave Glasgow and instead fl y to Spain and on his return, decide that the mandatory 14 day isolation period was an inconvenience he’d rather not bother with. Combined with Celtic striker Leigh Griffi ths needing to be “reminded of his responsibilities” after hosting a large number of guests at his house, it soon became clear to see that Scottish football had a big problem. Celtic’s next fi xtures were also postponed and the Government took a stance - football was to be

shown a metaphorical yellow card, and any future incidents would see the suspension of the game in Scotland.

If the Aberdeen players were just ordinary members of the public, an argument could be made that that their infraction could be differentiated from Bolingoli’s - pubs are legally open, and their main issue was having a group size larger than guidelines permitted and a lack of physical distancing inside the pub. What Bolingoli did was objectively illegal and he could have received a substantial fi ne for not completing his 14 day quarantine period after returning from a higher risk country. However, it must be acknowledged that footballers are not ordinary members of the public. Ordinary members of the public don’t typically have jobs that bring them into close physical contact with match offi - cials, club coaching staff, their own teammates, and their opponents match day squad. Football’s nature as a contact sport means that its resumption is subject to special conditions - players must test negative each week, and must avoid doing certain things that are permitted for the remainder as us, such as going to pubs. In exchange for players adhering to these additional restrictions, football matches can now be played, letting players earn their livelihood and preventing the liquidation of assets and subsequent collapse of many of Scotland’s football clubs.

All the players involved are now subject to internal club and SPFL disciplinary procedures, and face consequences ranging from being fi ned a percentage of their wages to being suspended for a handful of matches as a result of having breached the restrictions that allowed for the return to play. However, many argue that this isn’t enough, and that a collective penalty needs to be levied against their teams as a stronger

deterrent. After all, it is clear that the current individual punishments aren’t acting as intended, with many viewing the player’s actions as having the joint risks of spreading COVID-19 whilst also risking another shutdown of football in Scotland. If such a shutdown of

football was to happen, many fear that clubs across Scotland, particularly those in the lower leagues, would not survive to see the resumption of play once again, and as a result, hardship would ensue for not only the club’s players and coaching staff, but for everybody associated with the club, even those working in the ticket offi ce or the club shop. The argument for a collective punishment, such as match forfeits and point deductions, reinforces that with such a collective risk to everybody involved in the game, clubs should be forced to take more responsibility over their players actions. Of course, the question of fairness always rears its head when collective punishments are discussed in any context, and now is no exception. Would it be fair for the fans to see their club hit with forfeit loses or

heavy fi nes because one player broke the rules? Would it be fair for an entire squad that stuck to the rules to be punished for the actions of the one player who didn’t? That is a decision the SPFL will have to make

eventually, but for me, should a club be unable to play their fi xtures due to player recklessness, those fi x

ture should have be forfeited, not merely postponed.

Bittersweet Cycling,  at’s Life.

EWAN GALBRAITH

It was a glorious Scottish Summer’s day when, one again, I asked myself the question I’d been debating throughout lockdown; “Is Glasgow really that bad a city to cycle in?” As I pushed a bike with a damaged derailleur rough a day that could only be described as dreich, I realised that currently my answer to Glasgow’s cycling question would be a resounding yes.

That dismal day’s commute home from stacking shelves, began like always; pulling on a well-worn waterproof outside of work, checking the charge on my bike lights, and free-wheeling downhill towards the freedom I had lined up for this evening. My helmet was tighter on account of the bandana I had employed to keep me cozy in the wind and rain, but aside from this, my typical twenty two minute journey was preceding as expected. Until I had to hit the brakes to avoid a car that hadn’t looked before turning. Then I hit the pothole. It wasn’t until I noticed that I no longer had a chain, nor functioning gears that I hit my bike in frustration. Ignoring the pain from my bruised ego and fi ngers, I started pushing uphill, debating with myself as to whether my newest lockdown fi tness fad had become too much hassle to carry forward into the next academic year.

I’ll set the record straight by clarifying that I’m not an expert on cycling, bikes, or Glasgow’s City Council’s policy on cycle paths. What I am is a student who, until recently, had always found themselves cycling further and more frequently on holiday than I ever have in the city that I’ve called home for the past nineteen years. This isn’t merely limited to trips abroad, although a special mention is warranted to the city of Erfurt for raising my standards in regards to cyclists and cycle paths, but extends itself to ‘stay-cations’ to Aviemore and Fort William, towns that not only capitalise on their fantastic surroundings but who have also promoted good cycling practices so that such sights can be enjoyed equally by those on bike as those by foot or road. So where does Glasgow go wrong. Is it really fair to lay all the blame for my cycling doubts on bad drivers, poor roads, and no infrastructure? This lockdown I’ve taken it upon myself to spend a little bit more time on my bike, and share some of my highlights cycling in a city that I had thought previously blocked off to bikers.

When considering Glasgow it’s always worth starting with the Clyde. The city’s most iconic natural landmark is bike accessible on both sides of the embankment and allows cyclists to cross many of it’s bridges at their convenience. The Clyde is also at the centre of many of Glasgow’s best maintained and safest cycle paths and allows users to make their way around. For cyclists new to the city, the Clyde serves as both a reference point and as a route that can be followed from the Southside to the West End should one ever get lost. My favourite route involves tracing the river from one end of the city to the other, providing a safe and easily accessible way to get some exercise and get around the city Another passage from the city centre is the Anderston Footbridge, known colloquially as the Bridge to Nowhere. Started in the 60s with construction finishing in 2013, this cycle accessible footbridge provides easy access between the City Centre, namely Glasgow Central Station, and the WestEnd through Kelvingrove park and the Forth and Clyde Canal. The elevated walkway crosses the M8 and it’s not only practical but offers pedestrians and cyclists alike the opportunity to take in the cityscape in between shopping on Glasgow’s style mile or sightseeing round the Dear Green Place. This route, followed by a jaunt down the currently pedestrianised Kelvin Way, past the Union and up University Avenue is not only a joy to cycle but links together some of my favourite places to visit prior to the start of the semester.

Cycling in Glasgow is always going to be bittersweet. For every glorious cycle in the sunshine there will be double the dreich days punctuated by rain, hail, snow and everything in between, Yet never let this be a barrier to entry when exploring this fantastic city. Cycling may sometimes feel like the dreaded ascent of a hill, unforgiving and insurmountable, made ever worse by weary legs. Yet upon reaching the summit, and in realising that Glasgow has so much to offer me on two wheels, that I understand what cycling is all about. As I lean forwards over the brow of the hill and feel the momentum carry me home I realise that everything is going to be all right.