AS sure as the changing of the seasons, a raft of winter postponements in Scottish football inevitably inspires debate (and newspaper columns from predacious hacks like me) about summer football.
In the depths of December, with the wind blowing a hoolie and the rain bouncing off the windows, it is a tempting notion. Particularly as, at the time of writing, I am just about to pull on the long johns before venturing out to Paisley to cover one of the surviving fixtures.
But as much as another night in front of the box stuffing my face with Christmas leftovers and copious amounts of red wine in the comfort of my home is alluring right now, my own position has usually fallen on the side of the traditionalists.
Festive football is a brilliant thing, particularly for the armchair punter. Had the St Mirren game fallen foul of the appalling conditions yesterday, I would have relished the opportunity to take in the Edinburgh derby from my living room, sans the need for unflatteringly snug undergarments.
As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve softened to the idea that perhaps a rejigging of the schedule is something worth exploring. The arguments for summer football in a country with a climate like ours are, after all, pretty compelling.
As much as I would have selfishly put my own potential enjoyment of the evening last night ahead of the greater good, I do think that the match-going fan should be the priority when making decisions on scheduling.
The importance of broadcast revenue can’t be overstated, and with such limited windows to work with, it is a difficult task to put together a workable fixture list. But it seems that when decisions are made on when matches will take place - and where - the people actually travelling to these matches are way down the list of priorities.
There is an argument in fact that summer games would make Scottish football more appealing to broadcasters, who are looking to fill their barren football schedules at that time of year.
By having such a packed programme at this time of year in Scotland, it is inevitable that a slew of games will be lost to adverse weather conditions. And while decisions to postpone fixtures are usually taken with the safety of the crowd in mind, they are too often taken too late after fans have already set off for matches.
This has happened three times in the past week, with around 3000 Aberdeen supporters having fought their way through the snow and wind to reach Dundee only to have their game postponed in controversial fashion by referee David Munro an hour or so before the scheduled kick-off time.
Then, yesterday, on the advice of police, the games at Ibrox and Pittodrie were also postponed, although at least they were called off a good bit earlier in the day.
Some would argue though, particularly the Rangers supporters travelling over from Northern Ireland for example, or the Motherwell fans who were already on their way to the Granite City, that it wasn’t nearly early enough.
While understanding how difficult it is to put together a fixture list, and that you are never going to please everyone, there does seem to be a decent case for questioning the wisdom of having Ross County travel to Glasgow or having Motherwell travel to Aberdeen for evening fixtures a couple of days after Christmas.
As well as the heightened likelihood of the games having to be postponed due to adverse weather, it is logistically difficult - if not downright unsafe - to be travelling such long distances in such poor conditions.
The fans who had set off for those matches will now not only be inconvenienced and be out of pocket for that trip, but will also face the prospect of shelling out once more for the rearranged fixture.
You can’t blame the authorities for the weather, but you don’t need to be Sean Batty to know that the likelihood of games being off at this time of year is far greater than at others.
Some will say that in Scotland, games could well be off in June, and that is true. I attended the first fixture of the season in August at Dens Park when Motherwell were the visitors, and the torrential rain saw the match come within a whisker of being abandoned due to flooding in one corner of the pitch.
But the point is, while inclement weather is possible in the summer, it is practically guaranteed at this time of the year, and a move to a schedule that mirrors some Scandinavian countries would greatly reduce the odds of games being called off.
Maybe another thing that could be looked at is the winter break. While on paper it seems a good idea, it means that a huge number of fixtures have to be squeezed into this period when conditions are at their worst.
Could we ditch the break and spread those games out? Or, if we are to maintain it, could we cram the games into April and May instead, when there would be less chance of disruption?
While I am not quite yet a fully paid-up convert to summer football, particularly given the complications it throws up for international football, I am warming to the idea. The thought of taking in St Mirren vs Kilmarnock in my shirt sleeves rather than in seven layers is an increasingly tempting one, and there is no doubt it would be better for fans and families who are attending matches.
It seems then that while a move to summer football is a conversation that has been ongoing for many, many years, the events of the last few days show that it is one certainly worth revisiting.
