Mike Mulraney is a big character, in every sense. The Scottish FA president has a bombastic style of communication that mirrors his passion for improving Scottish football.
He is an engaging interviewee alright, and when you speak with him, you come away with the impression that he genuinely wants to leave a lasting legacy by improving facilities in this country – for kids in particular – to access football.
That bombast though can mask some of the detail of what he is actually saying, and particularly on the subject of Hampden, some of his quips don’t come across so well once they are transcribed and printed in the paper. It’s all in the delivery, as they say.
Judging by some of the feedback I’ve received since printing a story detailing his views on the redevelopment of the national stadium last week, it seems that his rather flippant take on the fan experience at Hampden left something of a sour taste in the mouths of those who fork out a fortune to attend games there.
There is nothing wrong with him setting out a realistic vision for what could be achieved with Hampden. There has long been a clamour for the ends behind the goals to be brought in closer to the pitch, for example, but Mulraney – who made his fortune in construction, and knows of what he speaks – says the cost of doing so has now escalated to around £250m. Money the Scottish FA simply doesn’t have. Fair enough.
However, his joke about not caring whether he was sitting on an upturned Irn-Bru crate at Hampden, as long as he was watching Scotland winning, was badly judged. For a start, Scotland often aren’t winning. And a lot of the time, they aren’t even playing.
Secondly, Mulraney is sitting on a nice, plump, comfy armchair up in the posh seats, not on an upturned Irn-Bru crate. Or, more pertinently, in any of the numerous sections of the national stadium where sightlines are a major issue.
Mulraney doesn’t come across as that hoary old cliché of the ‘blazer’, out of touch with the ordinary fan, but such statements leave supporters with that impression. I don’t believe that he is dismissive of supporter’s concerns over Hampden, but what other view are fans supposed to form?
What would be great to hear from the Scottish FA and Mulraney now, or at least once the European Championships are out of the way and the revenue from it has been collected, is just what their plans are to improve the fan experience at Hampden. We know now what can’t be done, realistically, but what is feasible?
For example, the investment in the improvement of the disabled facilities in the North Stand has been hugely welcome, and genuinely impressive. My own son attends Scotland games there, and the difference being on a raised platform at the back of the stand rather than sitting at the front of the South Stand, eye level to the wall and often peering through a line of stewards, is night and day.
Kudos to them for that. However, there are still four or five rows at the front filled with spectators who face similar issues. If you are in the pitch level seating behind each goal, you are often following the crowd reaction higher up in the stand as much as you are the actual action to ascertain what is going on.
There are smaller issues too, which are issues just the same. The toilets are an abomination. As they are at a lot of stadiums, in fairness. The catering is outdated, and overpriced.
I may be in the minority, but despite its obvious issues, I love Hampden. Some of my greatest football memories have taken place there. But the pull of nostalgia that it has on folk of a certain age, like myself, shouldn’t be taken for granted.
The Scottish FA can’t rest on their laurels when it comes to improving the stadium. This is supposed to be the showpiece venue in the country. An arena that Scotland can be proud of. It is however, unquestionably, the third-best stadium in Glasgow. Hampden is not solely the responsibility of the game’s governing body, mind you. Where are the government in all of this?
During a cost-of-living crisis, millions of pounds being funnelled towards the redevelopment of a football stadium might not be politically popular, but just to reiterate, this is the national stadium.
Hampden forms part of the roster for the next European Championships, being hosted in the UK and Ireland. Glasgow City Council have intimated that they will set aside as much as £14m towards tarting the stadium up for the event, which, with the greatest of respect, equates to a new fan zone and a lick of paint.
When the last major redevelopment of Hampden got underway in 1992, the government kicked in a paltry £3.5m towards a £12.5m cost of putting seats on the existing terracing. The National Lottery then footed much of the £59m bill to rebuild the crumbling Main Stand.
By contrast, when Wembley was redeveloped in the mid-2000s, the total cost was £798m. The taxpayer, through public bodies such as Sport England, kicked in around £160m, as well as meeting the costs of the surrounding infrastructure such as new roads. The rest was made up of loans secured by the FA.
Nobody is saying that the Scottish FA gets themselves in hock to the same tune, but there must be more that can be done to help them – and the country – have a national stadium that we can be proud of once again.
The fans creating a great atmosphere on those nights when the stadium is packed, despite the challenges the old bowl presents, shouldn’t be used as evidence that there is nothing wrong with Hampden. Frankly, those fans - and the country - deserve better.
