MusaPreparations will be well underway at Celtic ahead of the new Premiership season.
Amazingly enough, for some, the season still hasn’t stopped because you just had Paulo Bernardo competing at the U21 European Championships – Portugal were knocked out by the Netherlands at the quarter-final stage.
Then you have Alistair Johnston playing in the Gold Cup for Canada, as well as the much-criticised Club World Cup taking place in America.
Thankfully, for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, he doesn’t have many of his players still on the pitch, and he will have all his key players ready to go again when pre-season starts on July 1.
And Celtic are fully aware that their title defence starts at home to St Mirren, but it has caused a bit of a stir.
A selection of the Sky Sports microphones
Sky Sports’ call on Celtic’s Flag Day fixture
Celtic’s fixture against St Mirren takes place on Sunday at 4:30 pm, live on Sky Sports, with two games earlier that day – newly-promoted Falkirk at home to Dundee United, and Hibernian travelling to Dundee.
Added to that, for the Saturday games, you have two games taking place, including Kilmarnock vs Livingston, kicking off the 2025/26 campaign at 3 pm.
Yes, Celtic have the chance to celebrate Flag Day at home, but the time and date of it all has left supporters furious and annoyed.
Hugh Keevins was speaking about it on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, and he made it clear, ‘Sky Television writes the cheques’, and Celtic, as well as the SPFL are ‘powerless’ to do anything about it.
Presenter Andrew MacLean stated: “It obviously comes down to broadcasting rights, and Sky Sports pays the money to get the broadcasting rights.
“They have decided, for whatever reason, that they feel that is the best time for the game, whether that’s scheduling clashes with other games. Whether it’s games down south, where they feel that’s the time where you imagine they feel that they would get the most viewers.
“But you can understand the fans’ frustrations. If they feel it doesn’t suit them, then they won’t be too happy about it.”
Keevins responded: “On the one hand, the fans are powerless. It isn’t an SFA matter, it’s an SPFL matter. They are powerless as well because Sky Television writes the cheques. End of story.”
The other side to Celtic playing after Rangers
At the end of the day, with broadcasters putting so much money into the game, they say what happens and when, regardless of who is or isn’t happy.
Scottish football doesn’t get the treatment of the English Premier League, from a financial standpoint, but what it does get from the broadcasters is very crucial, so you aren’t going to hear any key figures moaning about the timing of the St Mirren match.
But Keevins wanted to look at it from the other side, as he turned Celtic playing the penultimate game of the opening weekend fixtures into a positive.
“Look at it this way,” said Keevins. “Rangers go to Motherwell. Russell Martin’s first competitive match of a domestic nature.
“So, right away, the fun begins. The pressure is on Russell Martin to get the win at Motherwell, because if he doesn’t, then Celtic Park is alive 24 hours later.
“If he does get the result at Fir Park, then Celtic Park is a very determined place 24 hours later, because the scrutiny of the team that Celtic begin the season with begins there and then.
“I do understand, it’s easy for me, I will be sitting in a studio, but I do understand that it’s a complicated business, the first weekend. However, it begins the fun.”
Musa
