GROUND-SHARING could be banned by the SPL from next season. When Gretna's match against Dundee United was called off yesterday it was the fifth time in as many weeks that a game at Fir Park has been postponed.
Motherwell have also seen matches against Celtic, Dundee (twice) and Inverness cancelled due to the pitch being unplayable. That has added to fixture congestion and has raised concerns among other SPL clubs.
"It's something that we'll be discussin
g in boardrooms over the next few weeks," admitted SPL secretary Ian Blair.
"I'm sure something will be said about it. Ultimately, the SPL board will decide whether or not ground-sharing will continue but we couldn't ignore the views of our members. However, I understand that Motherwell have identified some improvements that can be made in the summer which will reduce the likelihood of postponements next year."
Crisis club Gretna, who have not yet given up hope of avoiding relegation, have yet to inform the SPL about their intentions for next season. They have not renovated Raydale Park, which does not meet the SPL's stadium criteria, and have yet to persuade the Scottish Government to fund a new eco-friendly ground for them.
Meanwhile, Gordon Strachan, right, has issued a rallying call to Scotland's managers and coaches to get together and demand the introduction of summer football.
The Celtic boss finally snapped this week when he realised it was too cold to speak to his players on the training ground, never mind coach them.
Strachan argues that spectators are being sold short by being asked to watch matches played on terrible surfaces in freezing conditions and claims that players' development is also being harmed.
"We played at Falkirk a few weeks ago and had to contend with wind, rain and a rubbish pitch," he said. "It was a horrendous product for the fans to watch.
"How are we meant to sell the game when that happens? If we played Falkirk on a good surface then you'd have a good match.
"Players would promote themselves better, scouts might watch them more often and you could then sell them to foreign clubs and make more money.
"But playing in the current climate is horrific. Even at training, you can't stop what you're doing and say: 'All right lads, let's have a look at this' because the players are too cold.
"In this weather if you stop for more than 40 seconds there's a danger that they'll pull something: you'd need to go through a warm-up again."
Celtic moved to their new training facility at Lennoxtown only five months ago but even that hasn't solved the problems Strachan is complaining about.
"We're one of the lucky ones in that respect," he said. "But it's still hard work, what with the wind and the rain and the rest of it. It's not as though this is a freak year either: it's been like this ever since I came back to Scotland.
"We have some terrific coaches in this country and they're not being allowed to do their job: I was speaking to Mark McGhee last week and he couldn't find anywhere for his players to train.
"The managers and coaches have got to get together on this one and find a voice to do what we can to play through the summer.
"I feel very strongly about this.
"Other northern European countries like Sweden do it and it doesn't seem to have harmed them at all.
"There will be arguments against this but I'm just telling you how to improve our game."
