SPFL - Dereliction of Duty

[GG Riva]

I may be expressing a minority view, but given the severity of the forecast, it was surely incumbent on the SPFL to step in yesterday and cancel today`s football card? While this might not have been popular with teams playing at home (games rescheduled in midweek will invariably attract smaller crowds), the safety of players and fans must be paramount. If one person was to die or be seriously injured as a result of travelling to a game, the SPFL must shoulder at least some responsibility for failing to postpone today`s fixtures.

[Lochalsh Par]

I have to disagree. I do not think the forecast was that bad. It was made to sound bad by some in authority because the authorities are underfunded and ill prepared for even a modest fall of snow or wind. Todays weather should not have caused so much havoc had it been managed better. Edinburgh being brought to a halt because of some slush but there were no gritters out during the night is just an example. All living is a risk and today really should be relatively low risk. My view is a minority view as it is just that - my view. Perhaps I have lived in more challenging times. I am certainly not having a go at you and your points do have merit.

[Grant]

Not for me, Ayr looks like it's got perfect conditions for a game. If we can't travel with the very mild conditions we've got today where do we draw the line? Heavy rain due on the M8 so all games in Glasgow called off? 

If people can't travel the motorways for football then why are any hospitality places open? They'll of course encourage people on the road aswell. 

I'm with the opening point made my LochalshPar. This isn't bad weather, it's absolutely pish preparation though. 

[the saline hill puma]

Should all high street shops and supermarkets have to shut also

[Maltapar]

I agree with GG Riva -  it is not about the conditions at the ground, it is whether away fans can travel safely to and from the match. If the police guidance is not to travel because of concerns for safety and even the club saying not to travel then the game should have been called off yesterday. 

[GG Riva]

17 minutes ago, Maltapar said:

I agree with GG Riva -  it is not about the conditions at the ground, it is whether away fans can travel safely to and from the match. If the police guidance is not to travel because of concerns for safety and even the club saying not to travel then the game should have been called off yesterday. 

Did we not have a game v Raith called off by Police Scotland a few seasons ago? The pitch was playable but the surrounding streets in Dunfermline were deemed dangerous.... 

While I welcome differing points of view, particularly those above which are backed logically and reasonably, do you not agree that it would have been better to call off the games yesterday than have players and fans travelling to games in poor conditions, only to find that these games have been postponed very late in the day? Only 2 games have survived outside the Premiership and both have delayed kick offs.

No one appears to give a toss for the fans? How can that be OK?

[Lochalsh Par]

Just to put a bit of perspective on my view and comment. This weekend and every other weekend people will be mountain climbing, sailing, hillwalking. scuba diving and skiing. They will also be travelling in all sorts to get there. I have never yet heard of the Coastguard or the Mountain rescue team telling people not to do these things. They tell you to do the right things and be properly prepared. I fully expect that next month the authorities will be telling people to WFH because it might be frosty.

[Lochalsh Par]

1 minute ago, GG Riva said:

Did we not have a game v Raith called off by Police Scotland a few seasons ago? The pitch was playable but the surrounding streets in Dunfermline were deemed dangerous.... 

While I welcome differing points of view, particularly those above which are backed logically and reasonably, do you not agree that it would have been better to call off the games yesterday than have players and fans travelling to games in poor conditions, only to find that these games have been postponed very late in the day? Only 2 games have survived outside the Premiership and both have delayed kick offs.

No one appears to give a toss for the fans? How can that be OK?

It is all about the level of risk. If the risk is truly significant then fine. There is low risk this weekend despite what the perception of some is. In my experience a risk of a fatality has to be 10 to the minus 7 to be acceptable. That is a very high bar by the way.

[Digs]

The only reason these warnings are issued so often nowadays is because the police and emergency services have been stripped back so far they don't have enough people to provide cover for any potential small accidents as well as 'normal' police duties. Most would argue there aren't even enough for that. 

The conditions in Ayr were perfect for football, wet, no wind, no rain and mild. In regards to the journey there, there was a slow 20 mins at Cumbernauld and that was it. The only reason the club came into problems was because for whatever reason the bus driver decided to go the M8. Even if the club was picking up players at Eurocentral, they also knew the forecast, and could have said to the players to go elsewhere to meet, or meet them there, and the bus could have gone the route that every other person who travelled took, and got there in plenty of time. The club can whine all they like about not being listened to and it being dangerous but surely they also have an obligation to plan ahead because we all knew the forecast.

Instead, they told fans at 1pm, "Safe travels Pars fans", then deleted it almost immediately, followed by a warning to not travel, when we were already sitting in the pub in Ayr. 

It was a shambles and the club has to put their big boy pants on and take their **** up on the chin instead of trying to blame everyone else.

[Paradox]

16 hours ago, Digs said:

The only reason these warnings are issued so often nowadays is because the police and emergency services have been stripped back so far they don't have enough people to provide cover for any potential small accidents as well as 'normal' police duties. Most would argue there aren't even enough for that. 

The conditions in Ayr were perfect for football, wet, no wind, no rain and mild. In regards to the journey there, there was a slow 20 mins at Cumbernauld and that was it. The only reason the club came into problems was because for whatever reason the bus driver decided to go the M8. Even if the club was picking up players at Eurocentral, they also knew the forecast, and could have said to the players to go elsewhere to meet, or meet them there, and the bus could have gone the route that every other person who travelled took, and got there in plenty of time. The club can whine all they like about not being listened to and it being dangerous but surely they also have an obligation to plan ahead because we all knew the forecast.

Instead, they told fans at 1pm, "Safe travels Pars fans", then deleted it almost immediately, followed by a warning to not travel, when we were already sitting in the pub in Ayr. 

It was a shambles and the club has to put their big boy pants on and take their **** up on the chin instead of trying to blame everyone else.

100% this - snow/bad weather has been forecast for days.  It's November in Scotland after all!  They could have travelled the night before and stayed locally in a hotel to avoid any issues.  This is 100% on the Club.  As the saying goes "...fail to prepare, prepare to fail..."