NO ONE does self-flagellation, nor embraces self-harm so enthusiastically, as those involved in Scottish football.
Take Derek Adams savaging the standard of the game up here and saying that League Two Morecambe were ‘100 times better’ than his Ross County side.
Or the unedifying sight of Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell batting away an (admittedly hackneyed) accusation at the Scottish Government’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee meeting on Tuesday morning that the selection of the governing body’s president amounted to nothing more than a ‘blazer procession’.
"This is a suit jacket, not a blazer," Maxwell bristled, his voice dripping with weary disdain. Which may be understandable, but when the question had been posed by proxy on behalf of a group of fans, it only served to further the notion that those in charge of the game hold supporters in contempt.
One thing Maxwell absolutely did get right though was when he said the following: “Listen, trying to get Scottish football as a whole to agree on anything is a near-impossible task..."
No sooner had the words been laid down in the record than the country’s two biggest clubs were proving him right, as an SPFL sub-committee hearing over ticketing arrangements for the Old Firm fixture set fur flying and sent mud slinging across Glasgow between Celtic Park and Ibrox once more.
It is somewhat ironic to see Rangers complaining with righteous indignation about their fans being denied access to Celtic Park for the forthcoming clash between the city rivals at the end of the month, when it was they after all who kicked off this whole sorry saga in the midst of a hissy fit a few years back, but at least those now in charge at Ibrox are trying to find a solution.
It will be difficult to do so, given that Rangers supporters have now been sold season tickets in areas of their stadium once reserved for the large visiting contingent when Celtic travelled across town, and Celtic now don’t seem to be in a mood to accommodate a reduced allocation (either for their own fans at Ibrox, or for Rangers fans at their ground), citing safety concerns.
What it all boils down to is that for the second time this season, the Old Firm fixture will now be played out in front of a crowd of home fans only, rather undermining its main selling point, which (I’m sorry to say to the players), is the tribal, febrile atmosphere that traditionally accompanies it.
A penny for Sky’s thoughts. For neutrals tuning in, the appeal of the game lies in a morbid fascination that the chaotic background radiation that permeates the occasion might just tip over and explode at any point.
I am loathe to lend any weight to Adams’ scathing assessment of the Scottish game, but given the often, let’s say, frenetic nature of the fixture, if we are left with just the football then we might be in trouble. El Clasico may be a pull despite the absence of away fans, but the standard on the pitch is what holds the allure. The Glasgow derby (as Celtic now call it)? Not so much.
It is seen as accepted wisdom though that the main selling point of Scottish football for broadcasting companies - that allows the SPFL to secure even the crumbs from Sky’s table that they currently do – is the Old Firm fixture.
We are told that the main thing holding back league expansion, a topic Livingston manager David Martindale put back on the table this week, to improve the overall standard of the ‘product’ is the need to preserve a minimum of four of these fixtures per season.
How long though before the on-field dust ups between Celtic and Rangers lose their lustre for all but those who support either club?
Fans of both Celtic and Rangers may applaud their clubs for putting their own fans first, and that in itself is indeed a laudable enough stance. They too have seen their allocations cut at several away grounds recently as clubs throughout the league seek to look after their own.
But there has to also be an acknowledgment of the bigger picture, and that the current stand-off may actually harm not only the clubs involved, but also potentially the rest of Scottish football as the broadcast rights are devalued still further.
Hearts and Hibs, for example, recognise the value of the Edinburgh derby, and maintain their reciprocal arrangements for an increased away allocation at Easter Road and Tynecastle despite offering a reduced number of tickets to the Glasgow clubs. As a result, it is now the best example of a proper derby atmosphere the country has to offer.
Despite Adams’ diatribe, there is so much that is good about Scottish football and that we should be shouting about. But it seems we are intent on undermining the unique aspects of our game rather than leaning into them.
That goes for attempts at sterilising our fan culture, the implementation of VAR at the expense of raw, spontaneous celebration, and now the rather childish stand-off between Celtic and Rangers over away ticketing allocations that is cutting the throat of the fixture held up as being our crown jewel and our biggest USP.
The clubs and the SPFL must navigate a path back to somewhere near the old ticketing arrangements, and soon.
If not, as incredible as it may sound to those with skin in the game, it is in danger of becoming – to a wider audience, at least - just another run-of-the-mill fixture.
