It hasn't attracted much attention elsewhere, but BBC Radio Scotland pundit Allan Preston made a comment yesterday, perhaps deliberately provocative, that promotion for Accies rather than Dundee would be "a disaster" for Scottish football.
I'd suggest Alex Neil should pin that up in the dressing room.
Preston's argument seems to be based on the size of Accies' support, and the disaster is the potential loss of revenue to SPL clubs in the difference between that and Dundee's support. It's a specious argument, at best, and it ignores all sorts of contradictory evidence, such as Accies playing more attractive football, and the report on the BBC website yesterday of Dundee seeking to emulate the Accies youth academy - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26893838
Yesterday's 1-1 draw leaves our noses still just in front, in what is turning out to be the tightest Championship title race for some time. I'd have taken a draw before the game, certainly when we went in at half-time 0-1 to what seemed a dubious offside goal (it seems Lee Kilday, injured and off the park, played the scorer on), and a draw was a fair result in the end.
So now we have just four games to decide things between the two contenders. I don't think Falkirk are back in it, despite their 5-0 win yesterday - too little too late for the Bairns, I think. For Falkirk to win it, even if they win all four of their remaining games, which is far from certain, they need both Accies and Dundee to drop four points each. I can't see it. I think we may well drop points, but we won't both drop enough to hand it to Falkirk.
I hope Preston's disrespectful comment helps make a difference. Bring on the "disaster"!
This blog is about Hamilton Academical Football Club - the Accies.
He has a habit of disrespectful comments. When asked recently if he had been interested in the Queens Park vacancy by Richard Gordon on Open all Mikes his response was to sneeringly refer to them as a ‘community club’ whatever that means or words to that effect. While I’m all for different views being expressed its a pity that he gets a platform for such rubbish. Given home gates are kept by the home club its really about what kind of support clubs take to away games and I doubt Dundee would have anything like they brought on saturday for an average away game so the impact on other clubs gates will be minimal whoever goes up.
ReplyDeleteI don't think his comments were disrespectful. I think he was expressing an opinion prevalent in Scottish football and not new - I heard it (personally) from St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour in 2005 when we were trying (IIRC) to get out of the 2nd into the old first. It's a fact. Lots of clubs, most clubs, in fact, and probably most of Scottish football (inc media) would rather see DFC go up. The don't care about DFCs financial indiscretions. Nobody likes us - we haven't really cared about that for decades.
ReplyDeleteJust because it's old and prevalent doesn't make it any more respectful, and Preston isn't representing any club, in any official capacity anyway. It's time Scottish football began to realise that clubs like Accies have the youth development and business model to take the game forward - or perhaps not... if clubs with bigger supports and greater income start to copy Accies, we'll never be able to compete!
ReplyDeleteAgree what you say, Ken, but there's a difference between admiring what we do in certain areas and wanting us in the SPL.
ReplyDeleteAnd so to today. It was generally shambolic. Stephen Hendrie was booked early on for a daft foul in midfield which was always going to be a booking. We knew then the likelihood was that he wouldn't last 90 mins. Canning was booked after about half an hour and it was obvious then that the ref (Finnie - the same one as sent off 2 of ours at Dens) was card happy. After that, Accies barely missed giving him an opportunity to wave a card, and they also managed to piss him off at every opportunity, whether with the usual moaning (Canning) gesturing (Gordon) or Mackinnon's petulance. Livvy played it well in every respect except taking chances. They were quicker, took better first touches, and exploited the conditions with much more intelligence than Accies. Cuthbert kept us in it in the 1st half, as did their penalty misser, and we were delighted to get in level at HT. Things did start better in the 2nd, until Hendrie's terrible season got even worse. We were then lost for 20 mins, conceded a goal but somehow in the last 20 mins made a few chances, actually using the wind for the only time in the game. I even thought that we might then go on to pinch it, but Livvy came back strongly and missed 2 or 3 chances right at the end.
I can't imagine how Accies were briefed prior to the match. They had every reason to be able to predict how the ref would be, and must have known that high balls into the wind were not going to work. They were fired up in all the wrong ways. The indiscipline which I have been going on about all season will haunt us in the run in with Hendrie and Gordon suspended next week and now Mackinnon earning himself a suspension, probably for one of the last 2 matches. MAC was booked for dissent today, too. We are a brainless, ill-disciplined team, with a brainless if brilliant tackling captain. IMO, the jury is still out on the manager. Sorry this is such a rant!
Surely it is not beyond the senior people at the club to find some sports psychologist who would help the players to channel their enthusiasms more fruitfully. With better discipline and a more thoughtful approach we could become a good team.
Preston repeated his comments again yesterday but tried to smooth things over by saying he had nothing against alex neil and the players. I would like him to name the Premiership chairmen who think it would be a ‘disaster'. Are these the same chairmen that bankrupted or almost bankrupted their clubs rebuilding their stadium or built player squads that were finically unsustainable? One thing for sure if we are promoted there is no danger we won’t be able to fulfil our fixtures or need an emergency loan from the league.
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