With Scotland forced into Lockdown it could be said that it is beginning to feel a lot like March 2020.
As the pandemic transferred from China to Italy then across Europe football matches were played behind closed doors with some cancelled entirely.
Champions League and Europa League matches were played in various circumstances, Bayer Leverkusen fans couldn’t attend home matches but they were free to travel to Ibrox for a Europa League tie that they won 3-1.
The following morning, Friday the 13th of March the SFA announced that football at all levels was being suspended, including a Glasgow Derby scheduled for two days later.
As the pandemic spread it became inevitable that the 2019/20 season couldn’t be completed.
The options were stark with 10 of the Premiership teams having played 30 of their 38 fixtures. The season could be declared Null and Void resulting in payback to sponsors and broadcasters or the season decided by average Points Per Game.
The right choice was made despite the resistance of many, now with the 2020/21 season just past the halfway mark the football authorities could be faced with a very similar scenario with a handful of games in the EPL postponed because of test results and more looking likely to go that way.
During the Daily Record’s Celtic podcast, hosted by Craig Swan, Michael Gannon and Chris Sutton the subject came up with the former Celtic striker centre stage.
Asked if the pandemic could impact on this season Sutton said (12 minutes 10 seconds):
C S: Yes, it is a major, major concern. I think down south they have been talking about a circuit breaker but I actually think that would be a bad thing. What I do know is that players down south are getting tested twice a week and I think that is of vital importance.
I will ask you, what is the vital difference between the Scottish Premier League teams and the English teams? Are the Scottish players getting tested twice a week?
M G: About £100m a year in TV money Chris!!
Craig Swan: I think that there was a situation in the Premier League where if you didn’t have a midweek game it would be just once but everyone is playing Saturday, midweek at the moment. It is the same, it’s twice a week (in Scotland)
C S That is the most important thing, that seems the most logical. If the players are getting tested a couple of times a week, and of course, financially, it’s not ideal I think that it is important that the season does carry on.
Once you stop, as we saw last season all things can kick off and it’s a nightmare. Having said that, if the season stops now (pauses) it would be a little bit rich now of Celtic fans to turn round and suggest that they are still in the title race.
MG: What about null and void Chris (Gannon and Swan can be heard laughing) Surely it’s got to be Null and Void?
C S: There would be irony there, really.
Craig Swan: Moving on, moving on (with all three laughing in the background)