Game Off Official from SPFL

 

Dear all,

 

 

 

Please see attached amendment to the SPFL fixture list for 2015/16.

 

 

 

Competition	Home Team	Away Team	Scheduled Date/Time	New Date/Time	Reason
Ladbrokes Premiership	Inverness CT	Heart of Midlothian	Tuesday   05/04/16   7.45pm	Tuesday   12/04/16   7.45pm	Decision of  SPFL Board due to illness and injury affecting Hearts squad

 

 

 

 

 

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confirmed: http://spfl.co.uk/news/article/inverness-ct-v-hearts-postponed/

 

How come when we had 9 first team injured we could not get a postponement- ah we live North of Perth  of course , how foolish of me not to understand central belt bias !

Lol, what a joke our governing body is. This will open a can of worms. Idf clubs can simply produce the old "Doctors line" to get fixtures postponed in inauspicious circumstances you're creating a system ripe for potential abuse in future. 

26 minutes ago, AlexJones said:

Lol, what a joke our governing body is. This will open a can of worms. Idf clubs can simply produce the old "Doctors line" to get fixtures postponed in inauspicious circumstances you're creating a system ripe for potential abuse in future. 

And who employs the doctor?

So what if all of your keepers are suspended? 

This is where MLS has a scheme that seems to work well. They have 'pool' keepers who are assigned to a club should they suffer a GK problem. Usually these are players who train with a club and who can step in for any club when the need arises. the contract and salary are picked up by the league.   

Sh1t, I'm not available for next week, not impressed. We regularly can't fill the bench due to injury but we still fulfill out fixtures FFS!!!

2 hours ago, PandB said:

Sh1t, I'm not available for next week, not impressed. We regularly can't fill the bench due to injury but we still fulfill out fixtures FFS!!!

It's John Hughes, who, on occasions, has chosen not to fill the bench - for reasons known only to him! This has been a source of on-going puzzlement this season.

 

5 hours ago, rocky1 said:

How come when we had 9 first team injured we could not get a postponement- ah we live North of Perth  of course , how foolish of me not to understand central belt bias !

I don't recall the SPFL board refusing any of our requests for postponing games this season.

4 hours ago, 12th Man said:

And who employs the doctor?

So what if all of your keepers are suspended? 

The football club employs the doctor. But regardless of employer, doctors in the UK are regulated by their professional body, the General Medical Council. Doctors can be 'struck off' by the GMC. Acts of dishonesty would seriously jeopardise a doctor's fitness to practice.
Although you didn't specifically state any such thing, the underlying implication evident from your comment is that Hearts are up to 'funny business'.

Can we please leave all this unedifying paranoia to clubs like Celtic!

2 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

It's John Hughes, who, on occasions, has chosen not to fill the bench - for reasons known only to him! This has been a source of on-going puzzlement this season.

Not sure if JH has the same philosophy or not, but a few of us had a conversation with Paul Mariner when he was Toronto manager and he was asked the same question because TFC were doing the same thing .... and he said he would not fill the bench with youngsters to make up the numbers as they had not earned it !  His stance was you earned your place in the team or on the bench or you might become entitled and arrogant ! He was sacked less than 6 months later ...... 

6 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

It's John Hughes, who, on occasions, has chosen not to fill the bench - for reasons known only to him! This has been a source of on-going puzzlement this season.

 

I don't recall the SPFL board refusing any of our requests for postponing games this season.

The football club employs the doctor. But regardless of employer, doctors in the UK are regulated by their professional body, the General Medical Council. Doctors can be 'struck off' by the GMC. Acts of dishonesty would seriously jeopardise a doctor's fitness to practice.
Although you didn't specifically state any such thing, the underlying implication evident from your comment is that Hearts are up to 'funny business'.

Can we please leave all this unedifying paranoia to clubs like Celtic!

Of course sneckboy, you are 100% correct, I never implied making things up, just assumed ailments may be exaggerated slightly. Just one of those things and I've heard of many a manager wanting a game called off over the years but it never seems to happen. Hope they're all fit and well for Friday night.

Edited April 5, 20169 yr by 12th Man

As I have alluded to on the other thread this decision is probably health based, especially if it is a novovirus strain which looks likely. Perhaps the SPFL should have asked the Jam Tart party to wear masks, not to shittt within 10 miles of Inverness and not to come in close contact with any ICT players.

Got a piccy of Hearts in training this morning. I am reliably informed that this is all of the remaining squad available.

Hearts players were literally shi**ing themselves At the prospect of playing us.

Edited April 5, 20169 yr by Sir C the 3rd

The way we're playing at the moment they'd have still beaten us 1-0, with a 95th minute winner scored by an unknown 17yo making his debut.

8 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

The football club employs the doctor. But regardless of employer, doctors in the UK are regulated by their professional body, the General Medical Council. Doctors can be 'struck off' by the GMC. Acts of dishonesty would seriously jeopardise a doctor's fitness to practice.

There's no funny business going on here, but it is interesting that a postponement happens on the word of someone paid by, and probably a supporter of, a team wanting the postponement. In bad weather, an independent ref assesses the pitch. Is there a presumption that club doctors are always honest and thorough, and club groundsmen are not?

 Doctors do have an ethical code etc, but they also believe their patients, so when a keeper says he has got the shits really bad and feels terrible, the doc is hardly going to call him a liar! Everybody knows how easy it is to get a sick note from a doctor, even one who is not on your payroll. Just saying that there is scope for a bit of manipulation in these situations, particularly if it is remotely borderline.

agree though that we don't want to risk our squad getting this bug. Plus we might have more players back by next week, so it's not all bad.

Talking about shitt. Doctors can actually take samples of poo and test them for strains of viral infection. If you stuck the results up the nose of the SPFL then they would have to take notice. 

Lets give a couple of examples - you are due to go on a work night out when three of your colleagues have the runs and one of their GP,s does tests and states that the strain is contagious. do you cancel the night out.

Your child is due to go to a Secondary School preview. You are informed that there is a viral infection spreading in the school. Do you cancel or go ?

Got another clip from the Hearts Training ground this morning

Ach well, sh*t happens! Means we now don't play that game until the post sh*t (I mean split) of the Premier.

13 hours ago, Scotty said:

Not sure if JH has the same philosophy or not, but a few of us had a conversation with Paul Mariner when he was Toronto manager and he was asked the same question because TFC were doing the same thing .... and he said he would not fill the bench with youngsters to make up the numbers as they had not earned it !  His stance was you earned your place in the team or on the bench or you might become entitled and arrogant ! He was sacked less than 6 months later ...... 

I would agree with Mariner. After all, his footballing experience is massive,  

41 minutes ago, caleyboy said:

I would agree with Mariner. After all, his footballing experience is massive,  

Mariner is and was a t*** IMHO but on this one I do think he had a point. This review of his tenure at TFC is somewhat humorous but also accurate. I was at a few of the meetings mentioned !!!

Personally, I want to see the bench full every week - assuming we have players who can fill it. However, with the young players, much like giving them game time sparingly as they develop into the next Christie or Polworth, its also behoven on the manager or his coaching staff to keep an eye on how the players react to getting time with the first team squad in general .. too much of a 'billy big time' attitude when they go back to the development squad or whichever team they are in then its counter productive and they'd be better off not on the bench ...

If we only have 5 or 6 fit subs and we are headed to Celtic Park or Pittodrie etc then why not give them an incentive to perform well in training or the development games with the reward of being part of the matchday squad and soaking up the atmosphere and experience ... but they should not be there at the expense of other fit first teamers if we have a full complement to choose from.  

 

On 4/4/2016 at 5:15 PM, Dargo20 said:

Game Off Official from SPFL

 

Dear all,

 

 

 

Please see attached amendment to the SPFL fixture list for 2015/16.

 

 

 

Competition	Home Team	Away Team	Scheduled Date/Time	New Date/Time	Reason
Ladbrokes Premiership	Inverness CT	Heart of Midlothian	Tuesday   05/04/16   7.45pm	Tuesday   12/04/16   7.45pm	Decision of  SPFL Board due to illness and injury affecting Hearts squad

 

 

"... and injury affecting Hearts squad".  Since when have the SFA taken into account a teams injury list.  I bet you if they were forced to play, they would have found more fit players than we have had in some of our injury ravaged games this season.

 

I hope Caley Thistle find the back bone to request a call off the next time we have an injury crisis.  Even as a matter of principle. If the SFA are considering Hearts injury status, and then these players have recovered for our next game then the club should take note.  If, as the Chief happy clapper from the club posted on a similar thread that it was due to the goalkeeping issue, then surely all our club has to say next season when the player need a rest is that Esson and Brill / Fon Williams are injured and can't find two goalkeepers.

 

By the rules of the game, then SPFL would have to cancel.  

4 hours ago, Scotty said:

Mariner is and was a t*** IMHO but on this one I do think he had a point. This review of his tenure at TFC is somewhat humorous but also accurate. I was at a few of the meetings mentioned !!!

Personally, I want to see the bench full every week - assuming we have players who can fill it. However, with the young players, much like giving them game time sparingly as they develop into the next Christie or Polworth, its also behoven on the manager or his coaching staff to keep an eye on how the players react to getting time with the first team squad in general .. too much of a 'billy big time' attitude when they go back to the development squad or whichever team they are in then its counter productive and they'd be better off not on the bench ...

If we only have 5 or 6 fit subs and we are headed to Celtic Park or Pittodrie etc then why not give them an incentive to perform well in training or the development games with the reward of being part of the matchday squad and soaking up the atmosphere and experience ... but they should not be there at the expense of other fit first teamers if we have a full complement to choose from.  

 

I don't  know if Yogi and Mariner have anything in common but I would totally agree with Mariner's opinion on giving young players a place on the bench if they haven't earned it. I would also totally agree with Yogi in that we have as many players on the bench that are fit to play and deserve to be there. If we are short because of not having a big enough squad then so be it. If a youngster doesn't show promise, doesn't work his socks off in training and dev games or has a questionable attitude he shouldn't get anywhere near the first team either in training or matches. At the end of the day Yogi, not the supporters is being paid to make that call.

11 hours ago, Sir C the 3rd said:

Hearts players were literally shi**ing themselves At the prospect of playing us.

Ha ha. I wish that was true!

Are you able to use tickets from last nights game for the replay? Or do you have to get them exchanged. 

BBC Sport Scotland - Up to 12 Hearts players have been suffering from gastroenteritis and an under-20s match was cancelled to provide cover. Head coach Robbie Neilson was concerned about the bug spreading. "Players had been away on Scotland Under-21 duty and a couple of the guys from other teams had had it," he told BBC Scotland. "They came back here, John Souttar had it and it looks like it has spread from there and all five of them that went away last week with the 21s were down with it and a few other guys as well. "The worry is that it then spreads even further through the club and possibly even up to Inverness with the Inverness players.

"So, the doctor's made the decision we're going to have to close this place down for two days, get it cleared out and hopefully by the time we come back in on Thursday be ready to go. "If we finally get up there next Tuesday, that'll be the third attempt to get the game played and we're desperate to get it done. It's three journeys, three hotels paid for, three bus journeys paid for so it's been an expensive trip this time."

The Scottish Professional Football League said in a statement Hearts applied for the postponement as the majority of their first-team squad were affected by injuries or illness and they had only one fit goalkeeper over the age of 16. It added: "The Heart of Midlothian FC doctor has provided written evidence to the SPFL of the injuries and sickness of all those affected and has also advised of the potential for further infection, both of other squad members and of players and staff of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. "In these exceptional circumstances, the SPFL has agreed to the postponement request."

Now that all makes sense to me apart from the closing the place down for two days. Shure they can decontaminate the environment but there is no way that they can give all the players the all clear in that space of time. Plus Aberdire are travelling in to that environment - so why are there not concerns about their health in the same manner as there was concerns for ICT ? Was Liam Polworth on Under 21 duty ?

 

Also note that Neilson says "IF we finally get up there next Tuesday".