Annan call-offs set to continue
I'm sure Saturday past was the least exciting Gillette Soccer Special we've all seen for a while. was completely wiped out except for the top division in England.
There was one exception in Scotland - amazingly, went ahead.
I followed that story through the whole of Friday and again on Saturday morning and you have to take your hat off to that club for their efforts in getting the game played.
There were tractors and JCBs involved at various times and Alloa must have spent a fair bit of money on equipment.
That's all very well and good, but I bet the game still wouldn't have happened without the efforts of the numerous volunteers that showed up to help their club.
The groundsman at Alloa clears the snow from the artificial surface at Recreation Park. Photo: SNS
The one thing that I found strange about this one surviving match, however, was why it was felt that it was OK for players and supporters to travel to it?
The SPL called off all their games on Wednesday afternoon because of safety fears and, although I realise it wasn't their decision to call this one, I was very surprised the Scottish Football League didn't step in.
As far as I'm aware, there was no cancellation of fixtures ordered by the SFL and that came as a bit of a surprise in itself.
Players and supporters are all using the same roads to travel to games so what is the difference in safety issues between the SPL and SFL that meant they were happy for all our games to go ahead?
As it happens, things worked out well for our players after the match against Queen's Park at Hampden was cancelled. We had organised our Christmas night out in Glasgow so all it meant was that we were able to get things under way a little earlier than expected.
We were lucky enough to get an indoor training facility just outside the city centre and we managed a really good two-hour session before the majority of us headed to our hotel.
I'd like to have some stories to tell but it was the most sensible Annan Athletic night out I think I've ever been involved in - maybe that was more to do with the company I was keeping, mind you.
After a bite to eat and a quick visit to the casino we headed in to town and all went to the same bar but as the night went on it seemed to split up in to the old and young team. All I'll say is that I ended up in a club in Shawlands with Andy Aitken and Neil MacFarlane, so you don't need me to tell you what team I was in.
I did have Graeme Bell, Kevin Neilson and Bryan Gilfillan with me as well so I could get away with saying that it was a bit of a mix-and-match; definitely no teenagers in amongst us, though!
You won't be surprised to hear that things have been quiet down at Galabank this week.
Our training was cancelled on Monday night because a lot of the boys couldn't get down from the Central Belt.
Hopefully we will get the go-ahead to train on Thursday, but although the weather is to get a bit milder over the next few days I would be very surprised if we were in action this weekend.
I suppose we will have a better idea if we do train on Thursday night and get to see what the pitch is like but to say it will be doubtful is a bit of an understatement.
The freak weather we've been having has brought up the subject of summer football and winter breaks once more.
From a footballer's point of view, I've spoken before about not being a fan of summer football but from a fan's and a club's perspective then I think it is without doubt the way to go.
I would be more in favour of starting the season early with the possibility of a winter break. The only problem we would have is deciding when the best time is to have that break!
Hi there, I'm Chris Jardine, midfielder with Scottish Third Division side Annan Athletic. I hope, throughout the season, I can give you a good insight into life at the newest Scottish League club and maybe even a few laughs along the way.
Comment number 1.
At 10th Dec 2010, C_Waltz wrote:I am not too keen on a summer league schedule. If you look at the example of the US, they are having many problems with their summer schedule, especially from the player point of view. With all of the FIFA summer event schedules like the World Cup, Euros, etc, then the players who are called up to the national teams (regular team and youth teams) do not get a true break between international events, regular league, and qualifiers taking place all year long. So if a player is playing in a summer league, which is when a lot of players get their only true "breaks," then in reality they get no time off to recuperate. That then leads to a lower quality of play which means unhappy fans and sponsors. If the manager does rest them for a month or so, then fans are unhappy that their "star" players are not playing and complain about wasted tickets. Between those issues and a few more (such as pressure from FIFA), this is why the US leagues (MLS and USL) are looking at switching to a "normal" league schedule like the rest of the modern footballing/soccer world.
I believe a winter break is the best way to go. Yes I know clubs are worried about finances, especially those who count on extra ticket sales from families during the school holidays, but the cost of operating during inclement weather (such as Alloa's game, as you mentioned Chris) cancels out a lot of that extra revenue, if not all of it. I think following the Bundesliga model, or making it a bit longer, is the way to go. Granted there are population factors and economic factors, but the Bundesliga is considered by some to be the most successful league when you look at attendance and financial viability, so benchmarking yourself against one of the top leagues in the world can never be a bad exercise!
But then again I am not a player anymore, so my view may be too focused. I remember playing in cold weather during my college days in the US (in Oregon) and how horrible a toll that took on my body. Four leg surgeries later and no more playing soccer might make my view a bit biased against cold weather games on artificial turf! :-) But after my playing days were over I became an Operations Director and then a Director of Finance for lower-level ice hockey teams in the US, so I know exactly the struggles faced by lower-level teams such as Annan Athletic and the "do we or don't we" struggles. Now that I teach Sport Management at the university level I can relax, sit back and offer suggestions and criticisms without having to do the actual hard work (which is absolutely lovely by the way!), so this is another reason why I think a winter break with an earlier start is the best compromise. Just my personal opinion though obviously...
CW
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Comment number 2.
At 10th Dec 2010, Pragmale wrote:We have to accept the fact that recent years show that our unpredictable winter weather will be getting progressively worse due to climate change. A winter break is a no go. When do you have the break, who expected this in November. If you need to have a break from Nov till at least the end of Feb, then in effect you are left with summer football.
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Comment number 3.
At 12th Dec 2010, Chris Jardine wrote:Two very good posts as far as I'm concerned. In Scotland, I don't see summer football happening in the immediate future. I can see an early start to the season with a winter break before it is looked at again, rightly or wrongly. As I said I would be more in favour of a winter break but because of the last couple of years this would have to be a break of 2 months minimum and that can't be afforded. The people running our game have some massive decisions to make.
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Comment number 4.
At 12th Dec 2010, Andrew Preston wrote:Can't really see any problems with summer football..?
40 years ago, one of the last things I did before I left Scotland to find work in England..., was as a student I watched my team , Stranraer, playing away to Stirling Albion.
Partway through the second half, score 0-0, teeth chattering on the grey February afternoon, players kicking lumps out of each other on the rock hard pitch..... "Ggod.., I'm fffff----ing freezing... there's got to be something better than this... ".
And as the grease-laden half-time pie hit my bowels..., "Oh.. no.., now I'm going to s**t myself... ".
Yes, I reckon summer football is an excellent idea. I mean, there aren't too many 30 degree, 98% humidity days in Annan summers , are there, so heatstroke and dehydration would hardly be problems..?
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Comment number 5.
At 13th Dec 2010, Pragmale wrote:As we cannot predict the weather so cannot have a set break. How if we set a temperature say below minus 2 for example on the day prior to the matches, and if anywhere is below that then all matches are automaticaly cancelled.
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Comment number 6.
At 13th Dec 2010, ComeonLichties wrote:We need summer football. Its time we realised we can no longer continue to play during the winter months.
With more football on TV, Games called off due to a patch of ice on the pitch, roads grinding to a halt due to a lack of grit, and the ever dwindling support for lower league teams.
Im an Arbroath fan Chris, and i have been watching them for over 15 years now. I am slowly watching my club die. The fans are no longer willing to go to see them during these cold winter days, at least not with the same excitement, they just watch the football in a warm pub or at home in comfort instead.
And my team is one of the more finacially stable in the league. But even now we are finding it difficult because if our next home game is called off, we will be without a home game for 2 months. If we are struggling, how are other teams going to cope.
Its best we move to summer football (Febuary to November), Expand the SPL to 16 teams, have a 10 team 1st divsion, and have 2 Regional divisions of 10 teams each.
That way we get games played, More fans to games, More tv money as we wont be competing with other top leagues, better quality football on better quality pitches with players able to pass the ball without the ball getting stuck in a foot of mud.
Tradition is Dead, Survival is Everything.
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Comment number 7.
At 13th Dec 2010, Pragmale wrote:I totally agree with "Come on Lichties"
If I have a choice in freezing weather of braving the elements for alive game or watching the tele
Barclays Premier League
Spanish La Liga
Serie A
witha couple of mates and some beers. It is no contest. If we have summer football then we avoid competition from these much superior leagues.
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Comment number 8.
At 13th Dec 2010, mr-cammy wrote:OK; for 90 minutes you may be frozen to your seat, with the wind biting your face and chilling your bones. Your feet seem to have lost all feeling in them and you're desperately rubbing your hands together to generate some, small warmth. You wonder why on earth you spend £18 to come along and freeze your walnuts off on this grey, miserable afternoon. And of course, it's 0-0.
But then your star man pops up with that last-minute winner over your closest rivals and somehow the weather seems to compound the feeling of ecstasy that you always get from that last-gasp winner.
Totally worth it, in my opinion. An experience that will be lost if we go to summer football.
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Comment number 9.
At 14th Dec 2010, ComeonLichties wrote:Mr-Cammy. AS i said before. Tradition is dead. Time we grew up and moved into Summer football.
You may be willing to sit or stand in the freezing cold. But many more are not.
By playing in the summer when the weather is much warmer and brighter, people wont be able to complain about the cold. With no footie on the tv, fans can go to the shops in the morning, head to the game at 3pm to watch their star man play on a good pitch. And still get home to enjoy their tea at 5pm with a glass of wine and enjoy the rest of there day.
More fans at games means more money for clubs. Best way to keep a club going.
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Comment number 10.
At 14th Dec 2010, blogcritic wrote:6. At 10:22am on 13 Dec 2010, ComeonLichties wrote:
Tradition is Dead, Survival is Everything.
____________________________________________________________
Make this guy head of the SFA!!
Most sense I've heard in a blog comment for ages, superb!! Couldn't agree more, big guy!!
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Comment number 11.
At 16th Dec 2010, RidRed wrote:On Sunday night I'll be at the Bernabeu to watch Real Madrid (my local team for the last 15 years) play Sevilla (bear with me, there is a relevance to Scottish football).
Getting to and from the game will probably be a very cold walk (minus 5 last night in Madrid). Once I'm inside the stadium, however, it will be relatively warm, because Real Madrid have a "central heating" system (in crude terms, they microwave you) which means fans will be up to 12 degrees centigrade warmer inside the stadium than they would be outside.
I don't know the running costs, but I do know that it "only" cost Real Madrid one million euros to install a system that heats a 80,000 capacity stadium, so roughly 10 pounds a head.
I realise that for teams like Annan it's not realistic, but seriously, if the SPL can insist on undersoil heating, why not also insist on heating for the fans?
On the subject of a winter break, I'd say 6th Jan - 6th Feb. Traditionally that's when the weather is worst, and when attendances are lowest (everyone short of money post Christmas). (If we have bad weather earlier, you could play postponed fixtures then.)
I really can't see Scottish (or English) football giving up the two fixtures (Boxing Day and Ne'erday, even if they are a day or two late) which are normally the highest attendances of the year.
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