Jack Ross questions 'peculiar governance' of SPFL after Hibs and Celtic handed ninth December fixture

Hibs manager Jack Ross has questioned the “peculiar governance” of the Scottish Professional Football League after his side were handed an extra game in December despite already flagging concerns over a fixture pile-up.

Hibs head coach Jack Ross on the touchline during the Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Rangers (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Ross had mentioned after Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Rangers that help from the SPFL for both Hibs and Celtic would be "nice" given their fixture load. Both teams have rearranged cinch Premiership fixtures in the midweek before the final at Hampden on December 19.

Instead, Hibs and Celtic saw their games from the cup-final weekend, against Aberdeen and St Mirren respectively, rearranged for December 22 to leave both with nine fixtures during the month.

Ross, whose team take on Ross County on Wednesday in a rearranged game, said: "When I mentioned it, they just chucked in another game. I don't know what would happen if I asked them again.

"I think it was a fairly common-sense thing to say, not just for me but Celtic as well, because I know they have got an equally busy schedule with their European involvement.

"Allied to that, (Livingston boss) David Martindale has spoken publicly about it and another manager has privately said to me about the number of games they have got. So there is a knock-on effect around the league.

"It's surprising that there seems to be no appetite for taking on board those opinions. And it's not just about complaining and moaning, there is scientific support to say that the number of games some of the clubs are being asked to play in such a short period of time is not great.

"Also added to that, the showcase aspect of it. It's a national cup final which should be given the best possible chance of being a top game."

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Ross stated there were no discussions about the rescheduling of the visit of Aberdeen for December 22 and thinks approaching the league, even as a collective, would be pointless.

"I just don't think it would make any difference," he said. "We have peculiar governance in that respect where there are times they want to flex their muscles and be really strong and yet there are countless things that happen where there is a lack of appetite to get involved in, which puzzles me at times.

"There seems to be no appetite to take on board the opinion of people who work within the game."

Ross also feels the fans' circumstances have been ignored.

"Particularly the time of year for supporters, with the festive period and the expense involved in that," he said. "Allied to the fact it's been a challenging couple of years for a lot of people.

"With the number of games over December, it's a lot to expect crowds to continually keep going to games with the expense. It's something that should be given consideration."

He added: "But it looks like we will have no leeway which means we will use all our energy to focus on being as good as we can in all the games that lie ahead."

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