MUCH wailing and gnashing of teeth has followed Hearts' 0-0 draw at Pittodrie on Saturday, an outcome which meant that the Jam Tarts had missed a chance of, however temporarily, splitting the Old Firm at the top of the SPL table.
The club's failure to take their chance of some sort of glory is disappointing for the Gorgie club's fans, but, given the way "Grandpa Broon" and Archie Knox, or "Jack and Victor" as the still game veteran duo have been dubbed in some quarters have turned things around in the Granite City, emerging unbeaten from a trip to Pittodrie is no bad thing for the visiting side.
But, one thing about the match which has gone largely uncommented-upon was the attendance. When the two clubs which ought to be disputing the right to be considered "The Third Force" in Scotland cannot even half-fill the ground for a meeting, something is awry with the SPL.
OK, after the disastrous McGhee regime, for all the sunshine which Craigie and Erchie have brought to Aberdeen, the club is still languishing in the wrong half of the table. There have been some blips along the Brown/Knox route map back to the top three (or four), even the top six, factors which might have helped keep the attnedance down.
Hearts might not yet be carrying the travelling support they might, which is another factor, but, just over 9000 is a depressingly low turn-out for this fixture.
There is a general acceptance that things in Scottish fitba have to change, but, as yet I have yet to see a proposal for change which is sufficiently radical to avoid the game falling into previous traps.
We need new ideas, we need new energy, we need fresh leadership - from where might it come.
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