Mixed messages from Hampden chiefs and government about fans’ return don’t stack up, says Kris Boyd (The Sun)

dh1963

Well-Known Member
The show must go on.

Even if more lockdown measures are reintroduced, it would be catastrophic for the game — and for the country — if football was curtailed again.

This season has to be completed and, preferably, with supporters back in stadiums.

I’m just not buying into the claims it is not safe to have fans at matches.

For me, the mixed messages coming out of Hampden and Holyrood don’t stack up.

Of course, I accept we are in the middle of a global pandemic and I’m not for one minute saying everyone associated with football in Scotland is perfect.

The breaches of Covid-19 protocol by the Aberdeen Eight and Celtic’s Boli Bolingoli highlight this.

However, the vast majority involved in our national game are following the rules and procedures put in place to make football as safe as possible.

Surely Premiership clubs should be able to operate at even ten per cent of crowd capacity — and that would be a worst-case scenario.

Take my old club Kilmarnock, for example.

They average around 5,500 per game. What would be wrong with half of them being allowed into home games?

Rugby Park has an 18,000 capacity so there would be more than enough room for the fans to social distance.

It would then be over to the supporters to respect the opportunity afforded them.

Tickets would be delivered remotely to phones and the punters would have a certain amount of time to reach their seat.

They could even have their half-time pie and drink delivered to wherever they are sitting. Just as restaurants are allowed to do.

This might well be the future anyway, so why not take the opportunity to try it out first with vastly-reduced numbers?

What baffles me is that millions of people every day are allowed into supermarkets, restaurants and pubs but not into football grounds.

I’ve never been one to shy away from my food and have been to umpteen shops over the past few months.

And, let me tell you, there is far more risk of catching coronavirus in your local supermarket than there is at Rugby Park in the middle of winter.

Restaurants have also been packed with the “Eat Out To Help Out” campaign.

So why are most cafes and bars, albeit at a reduced capacity, allowed to open indoors while football grounds remain on the banned list?

Yes, we need to be vigilant and, yes, we need to make sure we follow the rules.

But it is time to let fans off the leash and stop treating everyone like children.

If anybody misbehaves or does not follow the protocols throw them out.

Every ground has closed-circuit TV so they would not be difficult to find.

Having 300 fans at the two test events in Aberdeen and Dingwall was great, but the clubs still lost money given all the hoops they had to jump through.

Football is among the biggest businesses in Scotland and I keep hearing we need to do everything in our power to keep business going.

Without the Sky Sports money then who knows how much worse the current situation would be?

The top-flight teams are just about getting by at the moment but I really fear for the lower-league clubs.

Hearts, following their relegation, could be the biggest casualty and unless we find a way to get money into these football clubs they will disappear.

The First Minister and the beaks at the SFA need to raise their heads above the parapet on this.

Holyrood can’t be allowed to let football die a slow, painful death.

I do understand the seriousness of Covid-19 but let us have some perspective.

There were three admissions to one hospital earlier this week yet, on the same day, there were 12 people who walked through the front door with severe mental health problems.

I’m not for one minute arguing we ignore coronavirus but there are other issues that need to be addressed too.

Football is not a miracle cure for people struggling day-to-day.

However, from my own personal experiences through my mental health charity, I do know it helps a lot of people.

For so many people at the moment, the game is the only thing providing passion, enjoyment and bringing some semblance of sanity.

Don’t take that away from us.
 
Well said Kriss, Covid 19 was the 24th in the reasons for death last week.
Cancer 500 people, suicides, heart attacks and even the flu (10 times more than Covid), pubs, restaurants, cafes all having business.
How reduced crowds in football stadium and Horse racing (how much space is needed here), cannot be brought in.
 
He makes a valid point. If you’re going to have folk in pubs and restaurants all day then why can’t you have socially distanced fans in stadiums for 90 minutes?

Either both of them should be permitted or none of them should. But hey, this is a government that have restrictions in place that determine I can’t go and see my mate in his house but I can meet him at a busy pub instead. Morons
 
Hes not wrong
Id imagine with people stuck at home they are more likely to try DIY and from that A&E admissions will be higher than covid admissions
 
Can only add. He is 100% in saying stop treating people like children. However adults must also stop acting like children and stop cow towing to the clown Sturgeon. Telling adults not to visit another household after sitting in the pub all night with them. Ffs I am old enough to take any precautions I need to take and also will decide where I go and who with without some clown ordering me to do it.
 
Hes not wrong
Id imagine with people stuck at home they are more likely to try DIY and from that A&E admissions will be higher than covid admissions
That's a bit of a leap mate.

Still, the original point stands, at least for clubs like Killie.

A stadium with capacity for 18000 people which only regularly gets about 5000 punters through the door is well used to being able to cater for socially distanced attendance.
 
I can only imagine two of the downsides are 2500 people going for a piss at halftime or 2500 trying to leave the stadium out the same time

The same argument re closing the pubs at 10 o’clock at night everybody leaving at the same time
 
Once again I watched a polish game last night, with a decent crowd in, which they have been doing for a while now.

What I would like to know, is what are they doing different to us, as I dont ever hear of Polish numbers with covid going through the roof.

Just seems to me that they are acting in a more mature way with this and treating people like adults instead of naughty children.
 
It’s madness.

We can go to pubs, restaurants, cinemas, shopping centres, hairdressers, etc. All indoors and technically unneccessary. And yet we can’t even have 10% of fans outdoors in stadiums.

They could even do a test run at a smaller club by testing a sample of the fans before and after to see if anyone catches the virus.

There were illegal raves and mass protests with several thousand people, and there were no spikes.

Typical SNP.
 
It’s madness.

We can go to pubs, restaurants, cinemas, shopping centres, hairdressers, etc. All indoors and technically unneccessary. And yet we can’t even have 10% of fans outdoors in stadiums.

They could even do a test run at a smaller club by testing a sample of the fans before and after to see if anyone catches the virus.

There were illegal raves and mass protests with several thousand people, and there were no spikes.

Typical SNP.

Some of the smaller clubs have social distancing anyway because the 'crowds' are so small. Albion Rovers for example.
 
I can only imagine two of the downsides are 2500 people going for a piss at halftime or 2500 trying to leave the stadium out the same time

The same argument re closing the pubs at 10 o’clock at night everybody leaving at the same time
My daughter was out last night, a usually 15 quid uber were quoting 88 quid!!! her sister went and picked them up.
There must have been 100's of people tryting to get one at the same time, usually the pubs and clubs have staggered closing now its all a on the street at the same time.
 
Once again I watched a polish game last night, with a decent crowd in, which they have been doing for a while now.

What I would like to know, is what are they doing different to us, as I dont ever hear of Polish numbers with covid going through the roof.

Just seems to me that they are acting in a more mature way with this and treating people like adults instead of naughty children.

Thats the avenue this country is going down sadly.

Cases going up?

More restrictions. Bring out the big stick.

And that wee cu.nt sturgeon is absolutely desperate to go even further.

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
 
That's a bit of a leap mate.

Still, the original point stands, at least for clubs like Killie.

A stadium with capacity for 18000 people which only regularly gets about 5000 punters through the door is well used to being able to cater for socially distanced attendance.
I’m actually very surprised no club has played this card.
Their Covid max would possibly be more than their current average.
 
At Killie they could seat them in diagonal lines, so no one is sitting in front/behind each other, and 2 seats apart. As above queuing for a piss maybe present a problem, but no more than in the pub, and the old macaroon guy with a mask could deliver the grub/drinks.
 
The breaches of Covid-19 protocol by the Aberdeen Eight and Celtic’s Boli Bolingoli highlight this.

Amazingly they were the first clubs to have fans at their games.
If that’s not a get it right up ya to us then I don’t know what is.
 
That's a bit of a leap mate.

Still, the original point stands, at least for clubs like Killie.

A stadium with capacity for 18000 people which only regularly gets about 5000 punters through the door is well used to being able to cater for socially distanced attendance.
Agree a bit of a leap but point im making is all the focus on covid and the decisions made are having detrimental consequences elsewhere and these are being ignored
 
Well said Kriss, Covid 19 was the 24th in the reasons for death last week.
Cancer 500 people, suicides, heart attacks and even the flu (10 times more than Covid), pubs, restaurants, cafes all having business.
How reduced crowds in football stadium and Horse racing (how much space is needed here), cannot be brought in.
Where can you see those stats?
 
Thats the avenue this country is going down sadly.

Cases going up?

More restrictions. Bring out the big stick.

And that wee cu.nt sturgeon is absolutely desperate to go even further.

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
You know what mate, the problem we have in this country are our politicians are terrified of the media. Not so much up here, mind you. Seems to be the other way around.

Playing politics hasn't helped either, this was without doubt what we seen with sturgeon and the carry on with students this week.

I think Rangers could easily accommodate around 15,000 and I dont want to hear about people going and coming from Ibrox. There's people on pubic transport every day of the week. As for the going for a half time refreshment, you stand in line at a supermarket, or the toilet, that argument is null and void when you can sit in an enclosed space of a pub from 11am to 10pm.

No harm to div 1 & 2, but they would be as well not starting the season, much like they're talking about in the highland league.
 
As a result of the restrictions on fans attending games I am seemingly not allowed to stand in a public park and watch my nine year old.

The rules are a lot of rubbish
 
My daughter was out last night, a usually 15 quid uber were quoting 88 quid!!! her sister went and picked them up.
There must have been 100's of people tryting to get one at the same time, usually the pubs and clubs have staggered closing now its all a on the street at the same time.
She should always phone Hampden lol


When I worked in the bars abroad the pubs were 24 hours which did mean that people staggered when they went home. Not everyone leaving at the same time
 
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It’s madness.

We can go to pubs, restaurants, cinemas, shopping centres, hairdressers, etc. All indoors and technically unneccessary. And yet we can’t even have 10% of fans outdoors in stadiums.

They could even do a test run at a smaller club by testing a sample of the fans before and after to see if anyone catches the virus.

There were illegal raves and mass protests with several thousand people, and there were no spikes.

Typical SNP.

It’s the smaller clubs they need to do the tests at because they have smaller stadiums so have a bigger impact. Easier to social distance 3000 people at Ibrox than say at Hamilton
 
Why don’t they sack Neil Doncaster (400k) and Murdo MacLennan (50k), and get the SPFL board and SFA itself to run things (as corrupt and incompetent as they are).

Would save £450k, which goes to clubs to help pay towards player testing.

No chance of it happening for obvious reasons, but it would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. No wonder the politicians are laughing at Doncaster, pleading poverty after causing £10m of damage and still taking his ridiculous £400k.
 
Why don’t they sack Neil Doncaster (400k) and Murdo MacLennan (50k), and get the SPFL board and SFA itself to run things (as corrupt and incompetent as they are).

Would save £450k, which goes to clubs to help pay towards player testing.

No chance of it happening for obvious reasons, but it would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. No wonder the politicians are laughing at Doncaster, pleading poverty after causing £10m of damage and still taking his ridiculous £400k.

doncaster is a fucking donkey on that salary. There’s no chance that idiot could earn that anywhere else, scandalous.
 
It’s the smaller clubs they need to do the tests at because they have smaller stadiums so have a bigger impact. Easier to social distance 3000 people at Ibrox than say at Hamilton

even if they can just open their hospitality back up, they make a lot of money from that and without it they can’t sustain a staff.
 
" Every ground has closed-circuit TV so they would not be difficult to find "
Or so you would think. Did scumFC ever finds that lighter thrower?
 
Once again I watched a polish game last night, with a decent crowd in, which they have been doing for a while now.

What I would like to know, is what are they doing different to us, as I dont ever hear of Polish numbers with covid going through the roof.

Just seems to me that they are acting in a more mature way with this and treating people like adults instead of naughty children.
It's the same in Czech Rep. A landlocked EU member state.......yet, 1/10 of the deaths of Scotland - even though Scotland 1/2 the size.


People need something to do.

So why not the football?

This 10 o'clock closing is to stop people from forgetting to social distance when drunk - but there is no alcohol i Scottish grounds?


When do we start working with this virus rather than living in fear of it?
 
It's the same in Czech Rep. A landlocked EU member state.......yet, 1/10 of the deaths of Scotland - even though Scotland 1/2 the size.


People need something to do.

So why not the football?

This 10 o'clock closing is to stop people from forgetting to social distance when drunk - but there is no alcohol i Scottish grounds?


When do we start working with this virus rather than living in fear of it?
Great point, work with it. We have to and eventually we'll be forced to.

The eastern European countries seem to be dealing a lot better with this than we are. Maybe after waiting so long to have their freedoms back, they're understandebly not keen on having restrictions placed on them. The figures in these countries are not going through the roof, why is this?
 
Great point, work with it. We have to and eventually we'll be forced to.

The eastern European countries seem to be dealing a lot better with this than we are. Maybe after waiting so long to have their freedoms back, they're understandebly not keen on having restrictions placed on them. The figures in these countries are not going through the roof, why is this?

Are our numbers really going through the roof though?

Yes, the number of daily new positive cases.

But, at the peak of the lockdown, people were told to stay at home. Therefore, they were not included in the stats.

No info on hospital admissions?
Number of deaths?


I am currently in hospital. And, they are cutting back. What were covid wards are now returning to non-covid.


For me, it's no more than a political tool now.
 
My daughter was out last night, a usually 15 quid uber were quoting 88 quid!!! her sister went and picked them up.
There must have been 100's of people tryting to get one at the same time, usually the pubs and clubs have staggered closing now its all a on the street at the same time.
Pics?
 
Take my old club Kilmarnock, for example.

They average around 5,500 per game. What would be wrong with half of them being allowed into home games?


They average 5,500 because of 2 Glasgow clubs providing substantial contributions to that average. Where is Kilmarnock FC going to get 2,750 Killie fans ?
 
What is the point of test events? Is it to ensure that social distancing can be done or is it to make sure that the fans don’t get the virus? Everyone would need follow up tests to ensure it’s safe or is it simply a case of we can make you sit five seats away from someone else and you can only get a pie at a certain time
 
I can only imagine two of the downsides are 2500 people going for a piss at halftime or 2500 trying to leave the stadium out the same time

The same argument re closing the pubs at 10 o’clock at night everybody leaving at the same time
Also, people sitting in the same rows. You'd have to order how to sit them down and order how they leave or accept people will pass each other at close distance.
 
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