SPFL 2016/17 fixtures: Hamilton at home on first day of season

[JFK-1 1,675]

Joseph Barton

‏@Joey7Barton

Love it once the fixtures are out. You know all the battles that your going to face to be successful over the course of the year... #55

 

I like the cut of his jib. That #55 is going to have the sevco crazies frothing at the mouth to inform him that this is a brand new team.

[ian1964 10,429]

Partick Thistle demand Scottish Premiership fixture rethink

 

Partick Thistle have been left so angered by new Scottish Premiership fixtures that they are demanding compensation or an amended schedule.

 

Motherwell are also "hugely disappointed" as they, Thistle and Hamilton Accies have fewer guaranteed home games against Celtic and Rangers.

 

"That means an expected loss in revenues for the club of £120,000," Thistle stated.

 

The Scottish Professional Football League has yet to comment.

 

Since the top flight was expanded to 12 clubs in 2013, the league has split into two sections of six teams for the final five fixtures.

 

"In previous seasons, where both Rangers and Celtic were in the Premiership, pre-split fixtures have been organised to ensure that every club plays three home games against the Old Firm," said Thistle.

 

"Without any notification from the SPFL to the contrary, we had expected that this practice would continue this season and that is the basis on which we and other clubs have budgeted.

 

"Having had no communication from the SPFL explaining these changes prior to this morning's announcement, Partick Thistle intends to seek compensation from the SPFL for all clubs concerned, or that they reconsider the fixture list to ensure a level playing field for all."

 

Thistle point out that Dundee, Hearts and Inverness Caledonian Thistle will have four home games each against the Old Firm before the split.

 

Expressing "anger and frustration", the Glasgow club say this will hand each of those clubs "an unexpected bonus" of around £120,000 each for the coming season.

 

Thistle, who had been looking forward to extra city derbies following Rangers' return to the top flight after a gap of four years, argue that this will also hamper them, Accies and Well in their quest for league points.

 

"Financial implications aside, we believe there is a significant sporting disadvantage created by the fixture list as it stands," they state.

 

"Pre-split, we will make four trips away to the two biggest clubs in the country while some clubs will only make two."

 

Motherwell general manager Alan Burrows said on Twitter that the fixtures, published on Friday morning, had left him "hugely disappointed".

 

"I'm not normally one to be critical, but our fans are being asked to travel to both Inverness and Ross County in a midweek, one being three days after Christmas, which makes little sense to me," he said.

 

"In addition, we only have two home Old Firm games, whereas some of our nearest competitors have four.

 

"From a sporting and financial point of view, that puts Motherwell at a real disadvantage."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36564025

[ian1964 10,429]

The Board of Motherwell FC wishes to express its extreme anger following the publication of the SPFL Premiership fixtures earlier this morning.

 

Motherwell, along with Partick Thistle and Hamilton Academical, have two home ‘Old Firm’ games pre-split, whereas some of our closest rivals have four, something that has never happened in the history of the SPL / SPFL, as far as we know.

 

This has a serious financial impact on our club, and we cannot and will not accept it.

 

It creates a significant financial advantage for some clubs over others and in our view, just as important, compromises the integrity of the competition, both in terms of the potential/need for adjusting respective player budgets up or down and the amount of games teams have to play at what has historically been the most challenging venues.

 

In previous seasons since the split, there has always been parity where clubs had the same amount of home games against both Old Firm sides (almost always three) and were expected to travel to both Celtic Park and Ibrox the same amount as every other team in the division prior to the split.

 

There was no hint of this fundamental change until we received the fixtures at 8.02am today and, therefore, like the other clubs in our position, now find ourselves significantly worse off than we were on Thursday night and with insufficient time to make appropriate adjustments.

 

We expect this unacceptable position to be reversed immediately.

 

In addition, whilst having sympathy around the difficulty of selecting games for certain times of the year, Motherwell FC believes having two midweek matches away at both Inverness CT and Ross County (the Inverness trip being three days after Christmas) sends out the wrong message.

 

Where possible, consideration should be given, particularly around the festive period, to the needs of all supporters given we now have two fixtures that will be largely inaccessible for a significant portion of our fan base.

 

http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2016/06/17/club-statement-premiership-fixtures/

[Scott7 5,215]

What a terrible shame. That's my weekend ruined.

[ian1964 10,429]

What a terrible shame. That's my weekend ruined.

 

I was reading that with a big:D2,what a shame for the poor wee souls!,imagine what would happen to the wee diddy clubs if they had been kicked to the bottom of Scottish football?,what happened to sell out Saturday?

Edited June 17, 2016 by ian1964

[JFK-1 1,675]

I'm puzzled, they all said this league doesn't need Rangers right?

[Whosthedado 1,517]

The fixtures being out has really whetted my appetite. Lets get the mickey mouse cup out the way in July and bring on Hamilton

[MacK1950 2,234]

Get your own bloody fans to get bums on seats and do away with the begging bowls is what I say and stop whinging.

[pete 2,499]

The fixtures being out has really whetted my appetite. Lets get the mickey mouse cup out the way in July and bring on Hamilton

 

What a lot of crap when you can play some teams 4 times and others only twice. Doncaster should chuck it he is an embarrassment.

[Blue Moon 1,116]

Thats is a very surprising but welcome start to the campaign. We should have 12 points out of 12 going into the first OF game, whereas the bheasts have to overcome both Hearts and Dolly in their first four games. Cue a lot of tims crying fix!

 

The home OF game is scheduled for Hogmanay!

 

Nooooooo. We are having a family New Year away!!!!