Kingsmills

I would rather have John Hughes manage my team than Levein and, for those familiar with my views on Yogi, that really is saying something !

Time now to focus on the truncated season ahead. The action by Hearts and Partick will ultimately fail but may, in the meantime, sufficiently divert those at Tynecastle from preparing for the actual football to give the other teams an early advantage. Hearts may take a while, as teams often do to adjust to relegation which could be all the more significant in the shortened 27 game format and, if they are at least partly diverted by events off the field, that may reduce the financial advantage they have over the rest of the division.

Gayfield for me too. I confess that Victoria Park is also a favourite but that is very largely due to the atmosphere created by a couple of thousand of us there in stark contrast to the lack of atmosphere the few hundred County fans who tend to come to the Longman create.

It won't happen. My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I posted that.

In that case, can we too have some cash to splash to compensate for losing out on potential promotion via the play offs?

Robbie Neilson has quit Dundee United to sign a three year deal to take over at Hearts. Given his recent knowledge of the division, that is going to make the Jambos an even more formidable force in the Championship next season where, notwithstanding their court action, they will almost certainly be joining us.

I agree that Doncaster is dreadful and that a stronger, more progressive and forward looking leader would do far better. However, any replacement, under the current structure, would still be at the mercy of the collective club chairmen, and they are mostly men. A collection of often inarticulate, parochial and self interested dinosaurs. We need a democratic structure where not all of the voting power rests with the clubs but perhaps with 40% or so of the vote being in the hands of an appointed body of appropriate professionals from outside the game. We certainly need a voting structure more democratic than one where just two clubs from the top tier can stymie any significant change. If a mere 52% was enough to tear us out of the EU, then surely a two thirds majority overall with the need for that to include a simple majority in each division would suffice. We are still waiting for the any single one of the 26 clubs who wouldn't even debate a change that benefitted many and disadvantaged none to come out and logically and coherently defend their view

I used to have a grudging respect for Roy McGregor and what he did for his club. However, that has now utterly evaporated. His conduct during this pandemic in his disregard for the welfare of other clubs and the welfare of his the players his club has no more use for by refusing to quite legitimately continue to to furlough them is a disgrace. When the chips are down his hypocrisy has truly exposed.

I would be very surprised, even if it was offered, if any fan would accept but nevertheless, agree that, even in the current difficult circumstances, the offer should have been made. I haven't bought a season ticket for years due to a combination of professional, geographical and domestic circumstances but will purchase a virtual one for the coming season and would urge anyone else in my position who can afford to to consider doing likewise. The club is going to need every penny it can get to get through and be competitive in the season ahead.

Entirely agree. I have thought for a very long time that Scottish football should have one national fully professional league of 20 clubs playing each other twice a season in the 'normal' way. A largely semi professional north and south league below that of either 20 or 22 clubs each comprising the lower league clubs and the more ambitious Highland and Lowland league teams. The bottom 2 in the National league should be relegated automatically and replaced by the winners of each of the North and South divisions with the four teams just above them playing off against the top two in the North and the top 2 in the South for with the 4 winners starting the next season in the national league and the 4 losers being consigned to the most appropriate regional division. That way, there is much to compete for, a freshness every season, scope for ambitious clubs to progress and less ambitious clubs to find their level and the smaller, less wealthy clubs, will have more limited travelling expenses.

The technology is a useful aid but surely the most useful tool the officials have at their disposal remains the evidence of their own eyes.

I can think of many reasons why Scottish football would be the better for not having either The Rangers or Celtic with a more open and competitive league only one of them.

The EFL did indeed do a similar thing with their lower divisions but retained a bit more sporting integrity by preserving the play offs for the clubs who were occupying those play off positions on merit. It would not have saved Hearts, Partick or Stranraer but should have been something we ought to have considered more seriously here. As far as our game's administration is concerned this whole debacle really ought to be the final straw. The current administration is forever tainted by past and current blunders, whether contrived or accidental, and should be dismissed from Neil Doncaster down and replaced by those more competent and less tainted.

Some clubs may indeed feel pressure to cave in and change their minds as a result of the threat. However, given that only 16 clubs out of 42 were in favour this morning and that 75% of clubs need to be in favour including 11 out of 12 Premiership clubs, I don't see enough of them changing their stance to carry the day.

Partick have announced that they will not be joining Hearts in raising legal action.

I fear that the action will fail. The position is different to France in that, in France, the decision was imposed on the clubs whereas here it was something that was decided democratically by a vote in which all member clubs had a say. Yes, there was something distinctly dodgy about one of the votes cast but I fear that that alone will not be enough for a court or tribunal to overturn the decision. However we may still benefit in that the cost of action may cripple Hearts, send them into administration and with it the ensuing points deduction making the next Championship campaign a much more level playing field.

No surprise. Hearts will shout very loudly but are very unlikely to go to court. In many ways. I welcome the clarity and at least we can now plan for a season in the Championship probably curtailed to 27 games. We are in a perilous financial situation but so is every other club in the division. There is no reason why we can't compete and gain promotion on the pitch rather than through the boardroom or courtroom.

For the people critical of extending the manager's contract, just who do they think we could attract in the current circumstances would be better and as experienced? This element of stability is very welcome in such uncertain times.

Sadly, there is a great deal of truth in that too. At least from the perception of it by many.

Yes it is a decent statement on behalf of Partick but, like many others including our own, not without a substantial element of self interest. That said, the 14 10 10 10 proposal benefits many and substantially Prejudices nobody so any club proposing to vote against it really ought to be issuing a statement justifying that stance.

Right at the moment, if we are recruiting at all it is surely encouraging.

For what it's worth, I doubt if Hearts would end up taking legal action and, even if they did, I doubt if they would succeed.If Hearts were convinced that they had a case they would almost certainly have initiated action by now with a view to putting a great deal of extra pressure on the clubs to agree to reconstruction. The real question is not whether the threat is a real one but whether the SPFL a sufficient number of member clubs perceive it to be real.

That is objectively impossible to argue with. Sadly, I bet that some chairmen Graham Tatters included will conjure up some spurious reason or vote against for no reason at all.

I too disagree. If we were in the Premiership we would have a fighting chance of edging out the likes of Hamilton, St Mirren and County at the bottom especially if we were able to use the million pounds extra from being in the top tier to recruit well over the Summer which would not be as difficult as normal given the extraordinary number of players who will be out of contract. Playing in the Championship without fans will be hugely challenging from a financial point of view. Being in the Premiership would at least give us a fighting chance and would give fans an opportunity to participate by buying a virtual season ticket to view online which may only be financially viable for top tier clubs.

Absolutely agree. The Scottish game has long needed radical change but the panic induced by the current crisis is not the environment in which to discuss impliment any change which could affect the game for years, if not decades to come. We need to have a commission, with a majority of sporting, media and commercial experts from outside the usual Scottish football bubble with a view to looking at things more thoroughly and more objectively to report by this time next year.