SPL BOSSES IN NEED OF SOME PLASTIC ‘SURGERY’

Another crisis, another shambles, and, yet again, it’s all of their own making. Yep, the SPL are at it again.

Events within the corridors of power at our top league appear to have been as ill-thought out as ever as the clubs have ganged up on Dunfermline and their controversial plastic pitch.

Touchline is already on record as being an opponent of this particular surface at East End Park. Plain fact is that it is nowhere near good enough for professional football.

In fact as a bad — very bad — amateur in my time, I would even have had doubts over its suitability for my own, very limited, skills.

Skating yes, football no. That, though, does not mean all synthetic pitches should be outlawed, though that is effectively what the SPL plan to do.

At the last minute, Dundee United — one of the original proposers of the motion to do away with the pitch — tabled an amendment to force member clubs to seek approval from the four-man SPL board if they want to play on anything other than grass.

That was duly passed, so, yet again, the SPL have presented us with a saga that is going to run and run — Dunfermline have to make the required application for permission to use a replacement pitch they are in the process of laying by the end of this month.

Once that’s done, the board will have until July 1 to come up with their answer, though given that it comprises men from four clubs who are in favour of grass only in the top flight, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to guess what their final decision is likely to be.

When they do finally give it the thumbs down, there have been hints from the Pars that they will not let the matter lie. They are keeping their cards close to their chest, but that could mean an appeal to UEFA or FIFA (both of whom are pro-plastic) or even through the civil courts here.

Even if they accepted the board’s final decision it could leave them with a race against time to have a grass pitch in place at East End Park — in suitable condition for the beginning of next season — and cost them a lot of money they don’t really have.

Of course, there remain many ifs and buts about what might happen and only time will tell what actually does.

What we already know for sure, though, is that, yet again, the SPL is embroiled in a mess that is completely of their own doing.

As far back as when Dunfermline announced they wanted to lay the pitch two years ago, there has been a lack of measured thought and proper consideration where this issue is concerned.

That Pars were allowed to lay the pitch after the season had started, when a delay until the start of the next season would have allowed time for a working group to be set up to consider the issue properly.

That was not done and now that this one surface has been found to be unsuitable, the SPL want to make a sweeping decision and effectively ban all synthetic surfaces — again without giving the matter proper consideration.

Not for the first time it leaves you wondering if the people running our game are fit to hold the positions they do.

PREDICTIONS — Aberdeen v. Hibs — DRAW; Celtic v. Dunfermline — HOME; Dundee v. Rangers — AWAY; Hearts v. ICT — HOME; Kilmarnock v. Dundee United — HOME; Livi v. Motherwell — DRAW.