WHAT A FORCE

IN a season full of weird and wonderful twists and turns, the SPL may be about to throw up the most bizarre scenario yet.

In the history of Scottish football has any side ever gone into a match wishing to lose?

Wild conspiracy theories aside it is fair to assume it has never happened. Until now that is.

If Hibs beat Aberdeen on Saturday and Kilmarnock lose to Rangers, then the Easter Road side are guaranteed fourth place in the Premier League. But not, of course, a place in Europe.

For that to happen Tony Mowbray's side need Rangers to finish second because if Hearts get the remaining Champions League spot then Gretna will be in Europe.

So for more reasons than city rivalry can offer us Hibs want Rangers to beat Hearts to second place in the league.

Hibs play Rangers a week today and incredibly it is in their best interests to lose the game. What a dilemma for Mowbray and his players.

But Kilmarnock's Billy Brown saw this coming.

A few weeks ago when his team were still right in the hunt for fourth spot, something they haven't given up on yet, he looked ahead to this weekend's fixture list and faced up to the prospect that Killie would welcome Rangers to Rugby Park in the knowledge that a win for his own side would just about kill off their European hopes.

As the Ayrshire men are four points behind Hibs with three games left, it does seem they have almost ran out of time.

However, it's a very real prospect for Mowbray. Would he put out a team to deliberately lose a game?

The immediate reaction might be that to do so would be unprofessional, but surely the same accusation could be levelled at a team who did themselves out of a European place.

Brown said: "I can't remember a situation like this. What a difficult position to be in as a professional football player or a coach.

"You train to win every game but I was talking to one or two of the players about this a while ago and we spoke about what on earth we would do in that situation.

"I don't know how you would approach it. We still could be in the scenario ourselves but it is getting harder for us.

"I have never been in that situation before. I don't know what it would be like.

"As a pro you would want to play in Europe so I think maybe playing the reserve team would be the answer.

"It would be the ideal time to give some young lads a chance in the first team. You talk about being in a no-win position and that's what Hibs could find themselves in.

"And it's Hearts who might suffer for all this."

A club can be fined for fielding a weakened side and that is surely not an area Hibs want to wander into.

They have been close to here before when last season they were quite happy not to cross the halfway line when they trailed Rangers 1-0 on the last day of the campaign as that suited them to, hey, qualify for Europe.

And here's an even better scenario.

A penalty in the last minute for Hibs next Tuesday. If they score, they draw the game. Miss it and Rangers are given a fantastic chance of overtaking Hearts.

Brown said: "It's an incredible position. You couldn't win there. Score and put yourself out of Europe. I'm at a loss about it. I feel sorry for the players.

"You would have to lose. Wouldn't you? I think the solution is to play the reserves. Just make sure the boys aren't ready."

Some solution.

But what should not be forgotten is how big a deal it would be for Hibs to get into the UEFA Cup. They still have an outside chance of catching Rangers, but with the gap at seven points that is unlikely and Europe will have to be reached by fourth place.

Brown said: "Europe is where we all want to be. It's fantastic to play there, especially for the smaller clubs who don't get there every year.

"With Hearts we played Red Star Belgrade, Real Mallorca and Stuttgart. It's a great challenge for the players.

"It would mean so much to us if we got there. The players would gain so much experience in terms of their development because we are a fairly young team.

"The UEFA Cup now has the group stages and a decent draw, a couple of good performances and you have another four games."

It's not Gretna's fault, but they may well be the last team who could win a European place by losing a Scottish Cup Final. Nobody wants to go through this again.

Brown said: "I think the rules might change.

"It would be churlish of me to go on about it because when Jim and I were at Hearts, we lost the Scottish Cup Final to Rangers and got into Europe that way.

"The rules are in place and if anything comes Gretna's way then good luck to them."

This may be a first for Scotland but football has seen plenty of these situations before.

Brown said: "It's happened in the World Cup when two teams have needed a draw to go through, so they never attacked each other."

Indeed it has.

West Germany beat Austria 1-0 at Spain in 1982, a result which put the neighbouring countries through to the next round at the expense of Kuwait who immediately cried foul.

And without wanting to sound jingoistic, if this situation occurred in Spain or Italy, you get the impression that the teams involved would be more brazen about fielding a weakened side.

Brown said: "We are different in Scotland. How can honest pros want to lose a game, when the same honest pros want to play in Europe.

"And that doesn't sit well with us in Scotland."

Oh, but one more thing. This could all be for nothing if Gretna beat Hearts on May 13 at Hampden to become the Scottish Cup holders.

And then there is always the Intertoto Cup, which all of a sudden seems like the most perfect thing in the world.

Taken from the Daily Record