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Scottish Sunday: Club Directors Ready to Test the Mettle of the SPL Council

Football: Stewart Fisher finds club directors ready to test the mettle of the SPL council

Excavation work eventually began on the fourth and final stand at Clyde’s Broadwood stadium on Friday, but the club’s directors must privately hope they are not merely digging their own hole. When finished, the £1.5 million North Lanarkshire council development will bring the Cumbernauld stadium’s capacity above the 10,000 mark, but as ever in Scottish football, nothing is quite that simple. As work will not be completed in time for the March 31 deadline, and the club will also have to install undersoil heating by the start of next season, their promotion aspirations could ultimately come down to a decision of the SPL council.

Possible Groundshare and Promotion Challenges

The club have agreed to a groundshare deal with Airdrie United at New Broadwood, but given that the SPL threw out a similar bid by Falkirk last season, such a move may be in vain. This new uncertainty must, of course, be placed alongside the club’s central assumption: that the 11 players put on the park by Alan Kernaghan can continue to win matches at the top of the first division. Even this chance of a team actually gaining promotion into the SPL represents a refreshing change to the moribund state of the Scottish game, but some of the Lanarkshire club’s fans may also have fears that the club will sell something of their soul in the process.

New Investment and Future Contract Negotiations

Clyde – whose top-of-the-table clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle was postponed due to a frozen pitch at Caledonian Stadium this weekend – have confirmed that the next few months will see new investment to the club in the form of Glasgow businessman Lawrence Ihle and former Raith Rovers chairman Danny Smith. One of the two is almost certain to replace William Carmichael as chairman before the club enter the SPL. On the field, meanwhile, the game of risk extends to the futures of player-manager Kernaghan and club captain Jack Ross, both of whom become free agents in the summer. The pair plan to wait until the result of their promotion challenge is known before making any decisions.

Seeking Support for SPL Deadlines

The club are still waiting to hear the outcome of a bid – along with some of their first division rivals – attempting to push the SPL deadline back for installation of undersoil heating until winter. For a team with a relatively paltry support, based in one of Scotland’s New Towns, the parallels with over-ambitious Livingston are obvious. But club director Gerry Dunn insists that the new investment was required precisely in order that the club would enter the SPL on a sound financial footing. “The whole aim of the discussions with the new investors is that if the club do go up they will be going up in good financial shape,” Dunn said. “I am sure that all clubs will be looking at their outgoings very carefully and making sure they cope in the future.”

Role of SPL Clubs and Future Plans

If Clyde can persuade the SPL to consider their case, they can cite the leeway given to the Marr brothers when allowed to complete their stadium rebuilding work in pre-season. The club directors have made initial approaches to the SPL and are currently keeping the league informed. Clyde board member Dunn believes that the importance of relegation and promotion for the supporters' interest in the game should support their request. The clubs in the SPL will also play a crucial role in determining the fate of the closest challenger to Clyde, Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The Caledonian Stadium is also not fully compliant with the SPL stadium regulations, as it does not have 10,000 covered seats in place or undersoil heating. However, the club can provide assurances that both projects will be completed by August.

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