Robbie Neilson probably had his mind set on around six new faces to strengthen Dundee United in next season’s Premiership.
However, he and others may struggle to bring in fresh talent with the possibility of reduced income.
Much depends on the uptake of season tickets at clubs and at Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts, so far, fans have rallied tremendously to support their teams.
United supporters will need to do similar unless owner Mark Ogren can keep pouring in the cash.
Supporters make up a far bigger proportion of income in Scotland than in most European countries, and next season, they could literally be the lifeblood of the game.
It’s a tall order in tough and uncertain times, but football transcends almost everything for many people, and brings loyalty and devotion which few other things can match.
To paraphrase the great Bill Shankly: “Football without fans’ money is nothing.”
Winning Hearts and minds isn’t a skill which Ann Budge has mastered.
The Tynecastle CEO’s comments surrounding her proposals for league reconstruction – that the Premiership needed Hearts more than the Championship did – was crass.
It may well be true, but it was a guaranteed slap in the face to clubs who’ve previously decided that the phoenix rising from the liquidation ashes at Ibrox wasn’t a special case either.
Personally, I think the decision to relegate Hearts stinks.
While they and others in their situation had a chance of escaping relegation they should have been given that opportunity, or the leagues reorganised to ensure that no club suffered unjustly.
However, for all Budge’s business acumen and the terrific job she and the Foundation of Hearts have done in renewing the club, her absence of tact and diplomacy might now render all that hard graft wasted as clubs bridle at her arrogance and dismiss her plans in righteous indignation.
I was on a podcast discussion last Sunday with new Aberdeen chairman, Dave Cormack, and Alan Burrows, the Motherwell chief executive
Both men started as fans of the clubs they love and ended up in the boardroom.
Alan, as head of a fan-owned club, has been responsible for innovative, in-house media coverage and real openness at Fir Park.
Dave, who was brought up in a slum in Aberdeen, has brought a ton of fresh thinking back from the U.S., where he made his fortune.
He’s already invested a hefty chunk to buy into Pittodrie and engineered a partnership with MLS club, Atlanta United, who have a seat on the Dons board.
Both men are alive with initiatives to freshen their clubs and the Scottish game, but both are probably already finding that concentrating their energies solely on their own turf will bring the greatest rewards and fewer frustrations.
Scottish football doesn’t do “new” or “experimental” very well.
Vested interests suffocate, stifle and choke the life from energetic and passionate folk in football.
I wish Dave Cormack well in his mission to bring zest to Pittodrie.
His commitment to the Dons will prove more fruitful than trying to change closed minds in the barren wastelands where too many reside in our football landscape.
