Appalling and astonished- Aberdeen and Hearts react to semi-final schedule

The SPFL are under fire this morning from all sides- except one- for their handling of the Betfred Cup semi-finals.

After floating the idea of playing one match at Murrayfield on October 28 word leaked out in mid-afternoon yesterday that Hampden could stage both matches on the same day.

That prospect was virtually laughed off by most fans due to the fact that four sets of supporters descending on the one city on the same day was a recipe for carnage.

Early on Thursday evening it was announced that Sevco had been given the schedule that they wanted, less than 24 hours after Steven Gerrard had voiced his concerns about scheduling.

The other three sets of supporters are unhappy about the decision, emphasising the bubble that football administrators work within.

With Celtic’s match due to finish at 9.30pm at the earliest on a Sunday night fans from outwith the central belt of Scotland can add a £50 hotel bill on to their trip and forget about being at work on Monday morning.

Aberdeen were quickly out the blocks with a statement slamming the scheduling as ‘quite frankly appalling’.

Anne Budge of Hearts said that she was astonished by the decision.

The directors of Aberdeen and Hearts are at the heart of the ‘time to move on’ argument over the mid-management of Scottish football over the last 20 years.

As their own fans are directly effected reducing the gate money at both matches with sponsors feeling the negative impact of decisions within Hampden they mat reflect on the value of decisions being made for the convenience of one club.