Partick Thistle have expressed their anger after the SPFL ruled out paying any compensation over the fixtures row at a meeting with the club yesterday.
Members of the Thistle board met with SPFL officials to outline their grievances over a fixture calendar that they feel leaves them at a financial and sporting disadvantage to their rivals.
The league body’s position has been that they have formulated the fixture list for next season in the same way that they always do, by replacing the relegated team –in this case Dundee United - with the club that is promoted from the Championship.
Thistle, along with Motherwell, argued that as it was Rangers who were coming into the division, an old agreement that each side would receive three Old Firm fixtures prior to the split should have been honoured.
They are incredulous that not only did the SPFL not share that view, but that they also foresaw no potential impact to the clubs affected, and so failed to communicate their intentions.
Thistle released a statement after the meeting, which read: “While clearly disappointed at this outcome, in a wide ranging discussion, it became apparent to us that the current situation had arisen from a breakdown in communications leading to unintended consequences for us and two other clubs.
“There was agreement that while we, as a club, had not anticipated changes to the fixturing process when compared with historical practice, the SPFL had not considered the impact of making these changes without first informing the clubs affected.
“We still intend to meet with other Premiership clubs to discuss the best way to ensure fairness for all clubs, thus avoiding any financial or sporting disadvantage happening in future seasons. The SPFL has agreed to consider any proposals that we come forward with as a group.
“The Club wishes to reassure fans that, despite this setback, the Board has decided to maintain the increased playing budget for the coming season to support our ambitions for greater success in 2016/17.
“We remain committed to maintaining our debt-free status and, while our focus will be on securing additional revenue to achieve this, cuts will require to be made to non-essential parts of the budget.”
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