THE time when supporters started to count the hours until the new season got underway the minute the final whistle blew in the last competitive match of a campaign have long been consigned to the past.
Football is very much a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week, 12-month-a-year corporate behemoth now. Somebody, somewhere in the world is always, or so it seems in this online streaming age, involved in a game of paramount importance for club or country. To paraphrase Ange Postecoglou, it never stops.
This summer has driven this undeniable truth home. The qualifying rounds of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League kicked off days before England took on Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin last month. The group stages of the Premier Sports Cup got up and running in Scotland just nine days later. Close season? What close season?
Yet, this weekend is, with the William Hill Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2 starting up again, technically the start of the 2024/25 campaign. It is traditionally a period of great hope among fans. Optimism that better things lie ahead in the coming 10 months abounds far and wide.
So in that spirit I thought I would outline five things I would like to see happen in Scottish football this season, developments which would be to the benefit of the game on these shores, even if deep down I strongly suspect there is little likelihood of any of them coming to pass.
We learn to love VAR
The VAR Independent Review Panel, a body comprised of former players, coaches and managers who are guided by experts on the Laws of the Game, concluded that referees in Scotland had got 97.8 per cent of on-field decisions right back in May.
But clearly that is nowhere near good enough for those Luddites who abhor the use of the new technology and yearn for a return to the days when blatantly offside goals were allowed to stand, stonewall penalties were not awarded and red card offences went unpunished.
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Yes, all of that still goes on. And, yes, it feels 10 times worse due to the fact that two officials are watching replays of the match over at Clydesdale House in Glasgow and have the chance. But the simple fact is that our men-in-the-middle are now getting far more important calls right than wrong.
Improvements can and should be made. The length of time it takes to arrive at a ruling is far too long. Having 22 players standing around waiting for a ruling is not a great spectacle. But referees would be helped if IFAB amended the rules, particularly when it comes to handball offences, no end.
Scottish teams shine in Europe
The revamped Champions League group stage phase will see champions Celtic, and Rangers if they come through qualifying, play eight games against as many different teams. Many feel the new Swiss format will help Scottish clubs to do better in Europe’s premier club competition. But will it really?
Brendan Rodgers’ men had their moments last term. They were decent in their home games against Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord and Lazio. They still, however, finished bottom of their section. It is now five long years since they made it through to the knockout rounds of a continental tournament. The gulf with the major football nations looks greater every year.
Will our representatives fare any better in the Europa League or the Conference League. Rangers topped their section in the former last year after a memorable win over Real Betis in Spain. But avoiding pain and humiliation appears to be the most we can reasonably expect. Hearts will do well to avoid their foreign travels impacting on them at home.
An exciting generation emerges
It will be hugely beneficial for Scotland after their Euro 2024 disappointment in the summer if a new breed of gifted young prospective internationals break through at the Premiership clubs. But do not hold your breath.
There are always one or two kids who emerge during the course of a campaign and win themselves moves to bigger clubs at a higher level. But the need to get results in a 10 team top flight means that managers are loath to take chances on untried academy products.
Pyro is snuffed out
A campaign warning supporters about the dangers of using pyrotechnics inside and outside football grounds is set to be launched in the coming weeks following talks between the Scottish government, SFA, SPFL, Police Scotland and the Scottish Football Safety Officers’ Association.
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It cannot come too soon. Last term a Celtic fan had his hair set on fire by a discarded device at Easter Road and a young Dundee fan was scarred for life after being hit by a flare at McDiarmid Park. How long will it be before somebody is seriously, possibly even fatally, injured?
The intelligence levels of the individuals who engage in this behaviour, however, is high and it is doubtful the message will get through.
Away allocations are increased
The Old Firm matches at Ibrox and Parkhead this season will see away fans given tickets for five per cent of each ground’s capacity after the infantile stand-off between Rangers and Parkhead was brought to an end.
Sadly, it appears as other clubs will go in the opposite direction. Hibernian have reduced the number of briefs Celtic and Rangers supporters will receive at Easter Road by 1,000 due to persistent crowd disorder.
Can some kind of compromise be reached? Atmospheres are far better when both teams receive vocal backing. Look at the Edinburgh derby.
