IT was titled “the new normal”. Life may be returning to the state which we once knew it, but the same may never be said for those who work in Scottish football.
The fears for many of our clubs that were expressed this time last season proved to be unfounded, thankfully. The game may not be thriving, but it continues to survive.
As the coronavirus gripped the nation last March, clubs up and down the divisions, supporters the length and breadth of the country, shared an angst and anxiety. Today, Scotland’s four leagues will begin once again with every club intact and, most importantly, supporters back in the stands.
Those who make a living out of watching, reporting and analysing Scottish football were the ever-presents last season. As fans were locked out, the press corps, albeit reduced in numbers, would take their seats at a social distance as the lucky few who were granted access to what was a historic campaign.
It provided a sense of normality in strange, bewildering times. The opportunity to meet and greet colleagues in person provided a much-needed social interaction, while the chance to watch the game that we all love was a welcome release from the stresses and strains of home life.
It could not be described as normal, though. From press conferences staged via Zoom to post-match interviews conducted at a distance, there were times when the season was endured rather than enjoyed by many.
Time spent in the company of managers and players has been reduced even further as clubs exert greater control and authority on who says what to who and when. That is their prerogative, of course, and perhaps Covid-19 has merely accelerated the inevitable process.
The output from a match day – in terms of the report and the reaction – remains the same but analysis crafted whilst watching a stream often doesn’t do the occasion or the protagonists justice. Quotes taken from club websites rather than gleaned by probing questioners don’t serve the same purpose for the reader, either.
There should be a sense of excitement within every sports writer ahead of the big kick-off this afternoon. History will be written, and a fortunate few will chronicle it over the coming weeks and months as heroes are made and villains are cast.
Once the paperwork has been completed, the Covid tests passed and our names and temperatures taken, laptops will be switched on and the shift will begin.
We will witness the drama as it unfolds, but have arguably never been as far away from the action.
The game and the business has changed. In some ways, that has not been for the better.
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