How did we not see this coming?

Nov 24 2012 by Ricky Gillies, Paisley Daily Express

Foresight has never been one of the strong points of those who rule Scottish football.

Right now, our game is in a mess, but you didn’t have to be Mystic Meg to predict that it was all going to go wrong.

Our current situation – flagging attendances, clubs in crisis and a national team who have spent more time in the international wilderness than Bear Grylls – could have been avoided if ruling bodies like the SFA, SPL and SFL had the vision to anticipate the shambles that was headed our way.

I’m fed up with the ongoing battle between the varying bodies based at Hampden.

The convoluted debate about the future of our league set-up is just the latest in a long line of debacles we have been subjected to.

And even this row is not new.

It’s the same old rubbish we are reading in the papers from club chairmen who prefer to look out for their own interests, rather than the good of the overall game.

Every time I open a newspaper, I’m met by a headline screaming at me with the thoughts of some director from some club who is worried about what league reconstruction will mean for their coffers.

Mostly, it’s the guy from Raith Rovers – Turnbull Hutton – but there are also others going on about the ramifications for their teams.

And that’s the problem.

Most of Scotland’s clubs are swimming in debt and struggling to keep their heads above water.

Altering the way our league works has the potential to produce some dramatic long-term benefits but, right now, we can’t get past the short-term pain that some clubs will face.

And that is what is holding us back.

The situation must be deeply frustrating for clubs like St Mirren, who have done their utmost to clear their overdrafts and who desperately want to see change that could make a real impact.

We need people who are qualified to take our game forward.

We need to create a talented team of people who have the experience of working within a successful football model.

You can then bring to the table guys like former St Mirren manager Alex Smith, who are imprinted into the DNA of Scottish football.

Give this group the powers to make the decisions for what is in the best interests of our sport in this country.

On a different note, it’s fair to say that league reconstruction will be far from the minds of the St Mirren players today as they take on Dundee in Paisley.

We may only be in November but today’s game could be crucial to St Mirren’s survival hopes.

The Dens Park side have taken a bit of time to settle into the top league and that is understandable, given that their manager Barry Smith spent his summer focusing on building a team to compete for the First Division, only to then be promoted to the SPL at the last minute.

Let’s just hope the Saints can get that elusive win and start moving away from the wrong end of the table.