The decision by Aberdeen to put tickets for the Viaplay Cup final against Rangers on general sale has been dubbed “absolute madness” by the Heart & Hand Podcast.
The official Light Blues partner responded to the finding on Twitter (14 November) by implying that Gers fans will have acquired seats in the Dons end.
The whole thing was ridiculed by Heart & Hand as a “pantomime season trop” aimed to let Aberdeen to “perform a wee dance for their fans about how they’re oppressed by the nasty west coast.”
“If Aberdeen – or Hibs – were to play Celtic in this final, they’d be told to use the west end of the ground,” Murray remarked. There is no operational reason for anyone to refute this simply because it is Rangers.
The entire situation is an embarrassment.”
“Rangers being in the West Stand is a disgrace!” said Heart & Hand. Because…reasons! People who attend every week to support their club not having a chance to get a ticket because people who enjoy a wee excursion to a cup final every four or five years and wouldn’t dream of going to Pittodrie usually is great, yeah?”
Murray: “If anyone going to watch Rangers “every week” doesn’t have a ticket even at 15,000 or 10,000 then Rangers have a serious ticketing issue.”
“If Aberdeen – or Hibs – were to play Celtic in this final, they’d be told to use the west end of the ground,” he said. There is no operational reason for anyone to deny this simply because Rangers are involved.
The whole thing is an embarrassment.”
“Rangers being in the West Stand is a disgrace!” exclaimed Heart and Hand. Because…reasons! folks who go to support their club every week not having a chance to acquire a ticket because folks who love a short trip to a cup final every four or five years and wouldn’t dream of going to Pittodrie regularly is wonderful, yeah?”
“This is all just a pantomime season trope anyway,” H & H said. Aberdeen knows they won’t sell 19k tickets, the West Stand is worthless, and it’s all for a tiny dance for their followers about how they’re persecuted by the nasty West Coast. Simple solution: they can have as many as they like (up to 50%), but they must pay for those unsold. They’d make far more lifelike noises then.”
Another surprise
This is the type of issue that is almost guaranteed to elicit a complaint from someone, and as is so frequently the case, Rangers are accused of gaining an unfair edge.
But, in the end, it is the authorities who have decided to refuse Aberdeen’s pleas based on their own calculations, and the Light Blues fandom has their own reservations about it.
It’s possible that it’s a matter of optics more than practicality, because a cup final at a neutral venue suggests that everything should be equal.
But, if the SPFL believes that Rangers can and will sell more tickets than Aberdeen, it appears that the SPFL has decided not to go to the trouble of giving the Dons more tickets and then potentially having to switch them over, while stadium ends surely make little practical difference other than a vague perception of favoritism.
Thousands of Gers season ticket holders will be unable to attend the game at Hampden in any case, raising questions about the national stadium as much as anything else.
But, if the SPFL believes that Rangers can and will sell more tickets than Aberdeen, it appears that the SPFL has decided not to go to the trouble of giving the Dons more tickets and then potentially having to switch them over, while stadium ends surely make little practical difference other than a vague perception of favoritism.
Thousands of Gers season ticket holders will be unable to attend the game at Hampden in any case, raising questions about the national stadium as much as anything else.
It’s no surprise that Aberdeen have made a fuss, and while it’s understandable from their perspective, it’s also likely that Dave Cormack and Alan Burrows were simply seeking to curry favor with their own crowd and instill a siege mentality ahead of a key game.
The SPFL is not immune to criticism on a variety of problems, and in this circumstance, there is no doubt that there was dissatisfaction from somewhere, so there will undoubtedly be more complaints in the run-up to the game.
Finally, Philippe Clement and the players must ensure that there are no complaints from their own fanbase after the final whistle.
