TWO SIMPLE WORDS STRIKE FEAR

In a bad week for Scottish football, the biggest reason for fans to be concerned — very concerned — is the use of two simple words.

Supporters throughout the land should be extremely worried about the news that Dundee are set to be THE NEXT club to go into administration.

As the Dark Blues fight for survival and follow the path taken by Motherwell last year, everyone must be aware, and suitably alarmed, that, as well as not being the first, they will not be the last to call in the administrators.

Even more worrying is the fact that it is easier to list those clubs not in danger of going under.

Despite huge debts, it is a safe bet that neither Rangers nor Celtic will be forced into a move that is regarded by punters as just one step down the line from closure.

Partick Thistle, having been to the brink, and who now live the most frugal of existences, are also unlikely to succumb.

As for the rest — take your pick, but others will follow. Our top clubs have continued to live beyond their means year after year, alarm bells have started ringing louder and louder.

Now, from Aberdeen in the north-east to Kilmarnock in the south-west, and with few exceptions in between, closure has become a real and present danger for SPL members.

Their situation has not been helped by a bank who are happy to accept public plaudits as league sponsors, but, behind the scenes, are said by some to have been turning the screw.

That, though, does not change the plain fact that ultimate responsibility for the financial mess the game is in, rests with the men who have been in control of the clubs.

However well-intentioned their actions have been, they are the ones who got the sums wrong and now are facing up to paying the price for that.

In Dundee's case, it should be pointed out that over the last week they were not helped by the actions of the SPL in throwing out their claim for compensation for the loss to Rangers of defender Zura Khizanishvili.

How much they should have received for a player who arrived at Dens as a full international and therefore can hardly be described as a product of the youth policy, is debatable.

That, because of an obscure technicality, they got nothing, is absolutely outrageous. The SPL tribunal comes out of this affair badly, and so do the once mighty Rangers.

In offering first £75,000 and then in the region of £100,000, the Ibrox giants were admitting they were due to pay something for Khizanishvili.

For all their faults historically, there was a time when that meant Rangers would have done the honourable thing and paid what they had previously conceded they felt they were due.

To turn to equally painful matters, my predicting disaster Scotland in the Euro play-off against Holland did not please many of you out there.

Were I being churlish, it would be easy to point out to those who contacted this and, somewhat bizarrely, other papers after Saturday's excellent win over the Dutch to say that I and not Berti Vogts should be getting the sack, were being a touch premature.

Instead, though, I will simply point out that being proved wrong at Hampden was immeasurably more pleasurable than being proved right in the Amsterdam ArenA.

PREDICTIONS

Dundee United v. Celtic — AWAY.

Dunfermline v. Dundee — HOME.

Motherwell v. Livingston — HOME.

Partick v. Kilmarnock — AWAY.

Rangers v. Aberdeen — HOME.

Hearts v. Hibs — HOME.