Saints deserve better than stop-start early-season farce

[BBC] There is a frustrating absurdity to the opening months of the Scottish football calendar and St Johnstone are finding themselves caught in its bizarre, stuttering momentum. ​When the new season kicks off in August, supporters crave the rhythmic pulse of weekend football - the ritual of matchday Saturdays, build-up and regular competitive action. Instead, Perth fans are treated to a schedule so sparse and disjointed it feels less like an elite league campaign and more like an occasional weekend gathering. ​Look at the opening stretch of the Premiership. After unsuccessfully navigating the July group stages of the League Cup, St Johnstone enter August and September facing long, baffling voids between league fixtures. A match played here, a three-week hiatus there, followed by an international break before the engine even has a chance to turn over. By the time autumn fully settles, Saints fans can count the number of league games played on one hand. ​This disjointed scheduling is fundamentally bad for the game. For managers, building tactical rhythm, match sharpness and squad chemistry becomes an uphill battle when competitive games are spaced out like solar eclipses. A win brings no momentum because the team sit idle for two weeks; a defeat festers endlessly in the training ground without a chance for immediate redemption. ​For the supporters, it destroys the habit of attendance. Football clubs rely on routine, but the SPFL's early-season calendar treats league matchdays as an afterthought instead of prioritising consistent weekly top-flight games. ​Scottish football needs a drastic overhaul in how its fixture list is structured. The authorities must find a way to streamline the calendar and ensure that once the league campaign starts, teams play every week. St Johnstone and their supporters deserve a schedule that respects their passion, rather than a stop-start farce that stalls the season before it even gets going. Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints