NIGHTMARE STUFF FROM MEN AT SFA

Gretna may be the wedding capital of Britain, but it was another ceremony that was to the forefront of the mind during a quite horrendous journey there this week.

As near hurricane force winds and torrential rain tried to sweep my wee car off the M74, thoughts I might be driving to my funeral popped into the mind.

Once there, the temptation was to head for the nearest chapel — there’s no shortage of choices — and hold a service of thanks.

Even stronger, though, was the urge to jump back into my car and head for Hampden to strangle the SFA officials who had given fools like me a reason to venture out in such awful conditions.

All joking aside, the failure to call off the re-arranged Gretna-Dundee United Tennent’s Scottish Cup third-round tie represented an act of folly on the part the association on a level that was probably worthy of resignations or sackings.

Worse than that, it so easily could have had fatal consequences.

Never mind that the scheduling of a second inspection for 3 pm was giving United fans barely enough time to make it to Raydale Park for a 7.30 kick-off.

Never mind that, despite 95% of an impressive playing surface being perfect, the other 5% was a dangerous quagmire which meant no game could be safely played.

Do, though, mind that, even if the pitch had been playable, the wind would have made the game an absolute farce and was so strong that, even if the tie started, it would almost certainly have had to be abandoned.

Most importantly of all, do mind that those winds were of such ferocious gale force that the Met Office saw fit to issue repeated severe weather warnings and urge that no journey should be undertaken unless it was absolutely necessary.

The Met Office alerts were given for one very good reason — anyone travelling in those conditions was risking their life.

Despite that, the SFA saw fit to delay a decision to a time that meant the United team would have to travel.

Tannadice gaffer Ian McCall’s angry reaction to a second wasted journey to the borders in just four days will have been seen by some as typical moaning from a big club manager who had been nervous about this banana skin of a tie since the draw was made.

Take it from one who made the same hazardous trip as McCall and his men on Tuesday — his words were completely justified.

When he said his players’ lives had been put at risk by the failure to postpone before they started their journey, he was not throwing his toys out of the pram. He was right.

United — and, quite frankly, this reporter — were badly let down by the SFA.

An organisation with strong leadership and anything approaching basic common sense would not have dithered their way until late afternoon before a local referee postponed the proceedings.

Armed with a weather forecast that was readily available from TV’s Ceefax or the internet, an organisation with strong leadership would have acted first thing in the morning to prevent any danger to players, fans and reporters.

Instead of such an organisation, we had the SFA.

PREDICTIONS

DUNDEE v. ICT — HOME.

HEARTS V. UNITED — DRAW.

KILMARNOCK v. MOTHERWELL — HOME.

LIVINGSTON v. HIBS — AWAY.

RANGERS v. DUNFERMLINE — HOME.

ABERDEEN v. CELTIC — AWAY.