The Political Economy of Football V2

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have left administration thanks to businessman Alan Savage.  He has lots of novel ideas for boosting revenues, although having a petrol station at the ground is a new on me:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp98y1n8mkko

Supporters Direct Scotland report on clubs in trouble north of the border: With two League One clubs in administration, the season just finished marked a new period of instability for Scottish football clubs after more than a decade without any insolvency events. There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for both Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Dumbarton, but following developments in recent weeks it seems that another may be in even deeper trouble. In Inverness, agreement has been reached for Caley Thistle to exit administration after almost 8 months. Earlier this week, a Creditor’s Voluntary Agreement was reached with 100% support which should see the club begin the new season under the ownership of Alan Savage. Meanwhile, we learned yesterday that an old name has returned to senior football in the north… Inverness Thistle, one of the two clubs who merged in the 1990s to form ICT and who re-formed last year, have been accepted as the 13th club in the North C...

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are in administration and their prospects don't look good:  https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/6719346/paul-third-actions-will-speak-louder-than-words-at-caley-thistle/ Their fate is of some personal interest, as I am directly descended on the male line from local people. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to bail them out, although I would certainly respond to an appeal. One view is that they should move away from their splendid stadium which is too expensive to run:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgr2p4nnl12o Another view is that many fans never accepted the controversial merger in 1994 of two former clubs, Caledonian and Thistle.  Mergers are rare in football and have sometimes been blocked, e.g., Robert Maxwell's plan to merge Oxford United and Reading as Thames Valley Royals.

After a challenging period, Inverness Caedonian Thistle have avoided administration:  https://www.thenational.scot/sport/24548287.inverness-ct-secure-financial-stability-amid-administration-threats/

Quite what is going to happen in Scottish football when it resumes is far from resolved.  As always, particular clubs are pursuing their own narrow interests. Former Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Craig Brewster is surely right when he says that finances will dictate the format adopted:  https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/2222282/brewster-says-finances-will-dictate-proposal-to-expand-premiership/ He reckons calls for a 14-team Premiership will only succeed if the proposal is financially viable for the league’s leading clubs.  Hearts are desperate to push through an expanded top-flight in order to avoid relegation to the Championship, while the proposal would also see Inverness promoted as second-tier runners-up. The Scottish Supporters' Network has commented: 'In the absence of Scottish football action, countless column inches and Zoom call minutes have been taken up with planning for an eventual return, and the leagu...