IT sounds like the plot from a heist movie.
Which gang of Scots is going to pull off the biggest job of their lives and take home a bounty of £200million? Oh, and they only have two hours to do it.
In fact it’s a football match in which half a dozen Scottish players, and a few more with strong links to the country, will on Saturday take part in the richest single fixture in the history of the game.
In the Hull City corner there is Allan McGregor, Andy Robertson, Robert Snodgrass and Shaun Maloney. Facing them in the colours of Sheffield Wednesday will be Ross Wallace and Barry Bannon.
And you can throw in former Rangers and Aberdeen player Sone Aluko who is now at Hull, while Wednesday boast ex-Celts Gary Hooper and Glenn Loovens who is captain. Former Dunfermline striker Lee Bullen is the club's assistant manager.
This is the Championship play-off final at Wembley. A trophy is there to be won but this is only about promotion to the Premier League which these days is football’s equivalent of the golden ticket decorated with diamonds presented inside the Holy Grail.
The new Premier League broadcast deals are globally worth a staggering £8.3billion over the next three years. That is a 50 per cent increase on the previous three. No other European league comes close. It is believed that next season all 20 Premier League clubs will among the 30 richest in the world.
The club finishing bottom next season is guaranteed almost £100?million, followed by parachute payments spread over the next two years of £75?million. When you consider increased match day revenue, the commercial benefits including sponsorship, Saturday’s victors will make at least £20m on top of everything else. Stay up and you are talking about £300m more coming in.
Is it any wonder both clubs are desperate to be part of sport’s greatest money-making machine?
“I am fortunate that I played 1000 games as a player and almost 800 now as a manger, there were a few big matches in there, and this ranks right up with the biggest for a long time in terms of what is at stake,” said Steve Bruce the Hull City manager.
“If we get into the Premier League we can secure the club what with the money that is washing about right now, which quite incredible. There is so much at stake for both clubs. I have seen the huge difference it has made to Hull when we have benefitted from the payments but now the money we are talking about is staggering."
Scotland player Bannan, who has been a revelation on the wing for Wednesday, is preparing for the biggest match of his life.
“We want to produce the performance of our careers on Saturday," he said. "No matter what the result Saturday, I would say personally this has been my best season.”
No matter who wins, Gordon Strachan will have at least two more players he can select operating in the Premier League next season. This weekend, however, is all be about cash. Country can wait.
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