It Is An Utter Disgrace That Celtic Aren’t Getting The SPFL’s Curtain Raising Fixture.

Mark Wilson, speaking on Radio Clyde the other day, expressed his lack of concern and support for those of us who think that Celtic – as champions – should get the opening game of the league campaign.

It seems to me a perfectly reasonable proposition.

In fact, doing anything other than making the champions the team who raises the curtain on a brand new league season seems, to me anyway, a vaguely insulting decision, one that radiates contempt.

Let the also-rans fight it out over who plays the live Sunday game … we are the best club in the land and that should be reflected by giving us the opening match.

Instead it’s Celtic who plays last. As if we were merely making the numbers up and not the side who everyone wants to beat.

Last season, when the Ibrox club were defending champions, they got the early kick-off to open the fixtures. We got the latest possible kick-off still playing on the Saturday.

No-one complained because this is how most of us understand the tradition.

But here’s the thing; this is the third season in a row that a game involving the Ibrox club has been the curtain raiser, and we’ve been champions on two of those occasions.

If this is Sky doing the decision making – and of course it is – you have to wonder what on earth is going on with their Scottish football scheduling department.

There are psychological elements to this, and we should bear those in mind. The team who kicks off first can lay down a marker and put early pressure on their rivals. Ibrox’s three years of playing first in a row is an oddity, but not one that should shock any of us, as we know full well what Sky Sport’s coverage of our club is like.

The number of times last season that our fans had to buy pay-per-view tickets for away games whilst those of the Ibrox club were shown on Sky … alarming. Our first away game of this campaign, Ross County, will not be available to watch anywhere.

Sky’s contempt for our fans is clear.

That they don’t think the league title holders should raise the curtain is appalling, and will have neutrals scratching their heads in amazement.

It is an embarrassing and indefensible decision, made for the second time in three years … in both cases involving us.