Motherwell FC supremo Alan Burrows thinks Scottish football has raw materials in place to recover from lockdown hell

Burrows, whose side punched above their weight in the coronavirus-shortened 2019-20 campaign to finish third in the Scottish Premiership and qualify for Europe, has done a fine job in charge at Fir Park and thinks there could be great times ahead when football in this country resumes after the Covid-19 crisis.

He said: “I’m a glass half full type of person.

“I look at some of the things Scottish football has from a positive point of view.

“I think it’s very well known that Scottish football is the most attended per capita of any nation in Europe.

“We’re looking to appeal way beyond our own borders.

“Particularly Scotland is a nation that is well known for ex pats living around the world and still being very very keen and active on not only their country but their sport.

“We try to generate as much hype around our club as we possibly can. And that requires a bit of money, it requires a bit of effort and a bit of direction from the top and that’s what we try to do.”

With the current crisis threatening the very existence of Scottish clubs, Burrows – speaking to the Are You Not Entertained? podcast – was asked if he felt the current number of 42 clubs in the top four leagues was sustainable.

The supremo said: “I think all clubs work at a level that can work for them.

“Community clubs that exist in the small towns and villages around Scotland still have their place.

“They still have a use, they still have their worth and the people who support those clubs are as loyal as any fan anywhere in the world.

“The problem with Scottish football is at times I think you often try and have a ‘one size fits all’ solution and it doesn’t work and it can’t work.”

Burrows also said he felt Scottish football should be much more of a development league than it is currently.

He cited Virgil Van Dijk, John McGinn and Andy Robertson as players who had played in Scotland before moving to the riches of the English Premier League as examples of folk who’d benefited greatly from a grounding on these shores.

Burrows said Motherwell took inspiration from smaller clubs in other European leagues, like Midtjylland, the small Danish club that went from close to bankruptcy to lifting two Superliga titles in the 2014-15 and 2017-18 campaigns.

Revealing that the average age of ’Well fans was people in their mid-30s, Burrows also said that 33 per cent of the club’s season ticket holders were aged 15 and under.