Scotland Tonight: Is our national game gripped with crisis or opportunity?

As Scotland football prepares for a new season like no other, football fans are still left wondering what state their national game is in.

While SPL bosses attempt to broker a new TV deal without the appeal of the Old Firm, clubs across the country will be tightening their belts to cope with the new harsher reality of Scottish football.

However, some commentators believe that this season could be the year that football returns to the fans.

Grant Stott, broadcaster and Hibs fan agreed that the voices of supporters are beginning to be heard.

He said: "Now we are seeing in the Scottish game, [that] the supporter is actually very important in all of this and I think for too long the supporter has been ignored or the needs of the supporter have been overlooked with how the TV are dominating how the fixtures are run."

Jim Leishman, Dunfermline Athletic's Director of Football, believes that now is the time to be positive about our national game.

He said: "It's going to be very diffficult of course, the last two or three months has been all Rangers and what's happened to Rangers etx there s a lot of negativity being spoken about and we've got to come through that now.

"I think Rangers they're ready just to play football and we've got to get back on track and start promoting the game of football. It's our national sport and lets's start to become positive now and do our best to attract the punter into the park."

But Stephen McGowan, Chief Football Writer at Scottish Daily Mail, explained that fans must show their support by attending games.

He said: "There will be a real need for belts to be tightened but as Jim said the fans have voted. They've made their voices heard and in order for them to say no to newco they have to back their own teams. Their's going to be cash lost and with the power they have got comes responsibility and they have to turn out."

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