SPFL Chief Operating Officer Calum Beattie has addressed Celtic’s post-split fixtures.
The fixture list has generated plenty of conversation, with the Celts hosting current surprise league leaders Hearts at home on the final day of the season.
This means that they and Rangers have been denied a home fixture on the final day, despite being the current top two.
Many are saying that the fixture list favours Martin O’Neill’s side, but why have the league gone with what they have?
Your first thought when you see the fixtures…
How many points will we pick up?
SPFL CFO Callum Beatie says ‘a number of factors’ behind Celtic final day decision
In a full Q&A statement on the SPFL website, Beattie explained: “There are a number of factors that go into this decision, including:
(i) “The need for all clubs to finish home/away or away/home…
READ MORE: Celtic post-split fixtures present nightmare for Hearts and Rangers after Peter Grant theory
(ii) “The number of home matches each club has post-split…
(iii) “The need to avoid city clashes – for example, if Hibernian are at home, Heart of Midlothian need to be away (and vice versa)…
(iv) “The fact that this season in the top-six we made the decision to have all matches kicking off at the same time on Wednesday May 13 to ensure that all clubs had the same recovery time between rounds 37 and 38.
“This means that Celtic/Rangers and Hearts/Hibernian couldn’t both be away on the final day as one would have to play their home match in Round 37 on Tuesday May 12.
(v) “Feedback from stakeholders including clubs, Police Scotland and broadcast partners with a general consensus that we should not have a city derby on the final day of the season with a potential trophy presentation.”
He continued: “To illustrate, Celtic have been given a home match on the final day of the season, partly because they have three home matches post-split and Hearts and Rangers only have two.
In recent seasons we have been able to have the club at the top of the table entering into the split at home on the final day.
“However, that has not been possible on this occasion due to the number of competing constraints and the most exciting title race in years making each fixture round very unpredictable.
“We have a fantastic final day to look forward to with Celtic and Hearts facing off at Celtic Park, Rangers travelling to a Falkirk side that have been one of the success stories of the season and a potential battle for European spots at Easter Road.”
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Have the SPFL taken a gamble with Celtic, Hearts and Rangers’ post-split fixtures?
A telling comment from Beattie is that the league have decided to have all clubs kicking off at the same time on the penultimate day of the season, when Hearts and Rangers will both be at home.
Given that fact, and that the Hoops will be away at Motherwell, they (and us as Celtic fans) will be hoping that this doesn’t set up a title decider between the pair.
If it does, it means that Celtic will determine who wins the league between Hearts and Rangers. Nightmare stuff.
On the other hand, though, they have ensured that a scenario where the league is won on the final day wouldn’t be any less dramatic,
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