The issue is for me, as it was the first time we re-signed Gallagher, is the way Livingston handle it. When he originally signed in 2014, there's no doubt the club knew that this could be a potential issue regarding his long-term future. I know it's not the greatest barometer of a person's nature, but given what I've seen of him on a football pitch he doesn't strike me as a violent guy who obviously has a very temperamental personality. Ultimately, from what I've read and I may be wrong, only three people know what happened in the incident: Declan, his friend, and the victim. He's maintained his innocence from the get-go and he's served some of his time behind bars. Everyone's entitled to a second chance in society, and as a professional footballer, he shouldn't be treated any differently.
However, the way that Livi have handled it since the day he signed hasn't done them any favours whatsoever, and now it's culminated in the inevitable shitshow that will ensue if (when?) he does re-sign once more. It's genuinely staggering, to me anyway, that it seems not a single person with any sort of control or influence at the club has any sense of public relations, or how to present a situation. If Livi had proposed his original re-signing was part of the rehabilitation process, and not created some sort of siege mentality when they went pretty loopy with statements about Declan being the "victim", it probably would've been easier to bear for most of the concerned fans and the wider Scottish footballing diaspora. Instead, what we now have is the image that Livi are absolutely falling over themselves to sign this guy based on promises made by Mark Burchill, of all people.
Declan Gallagher, when fully fit, is a Premiership-standard defender. If he signs, he'll be a standout in this division, and probably the league above too. In a purely footballing sense, he is an obvious upgrade over Crighton, Halkett and Lithgow, there's no doubt about it. However, for as long as I can remember, Livingston FC has had an image problem as a pitstop for shysters and shadier characters. Is Gallagher a complete fruitcake, like Massone, or a fairly obvious crook, like Martindale? I'd say no, but the facts don't lie: he's been convicted of a very serious crime and he's very lucky to be serving 1/3 of a prison sentence, more or less. It's astonishing that the club really don't have a clue why the fanbase can't expand; there isn't a feel-good feeling around the place, despite the fact we're top of the league. They ask what can be done to bring fans back, to bring new people in, then commit a PR own-goal like this (if it goes through).
If Livingston FC was a normal club, there would be little issue with this by and large and it would be spun in such a way that the club is serving as part of the rehabilitation process. But is the short-term gain offered here worth the additional damage to an already battered PR image? You can't expect to progress a football club if there's no positive engagement anywhere.
However, the way that Livi have handled it since the day he signed hasn't done them any favours whatsoever, and now it's culminated in the inevitable shitshow that will ensue if (when?) he does re-sign once more. It's genuinely staggering, to me anyway, that it seems not a single person with any sort of control or influence at the club has any sense of public relations, or how to present a situation. If Livi had proposed his original re-signing was part of the rehabilitation process, and not created some sort of siege mentality when they went pretty loopy with statements about Declan being the "victim", it probably would've been easier to bear for most of the concerned fans and the wider Scottish footballing diaspora. Instead, what we now have is the image that Livi are absolutely falling over themselves to sign this guy based on promises made by Mark Burchill, of all people.
Declan Gallagher, when fully fit, is a Premiership-standard defender. If he signs, he'll be a standout in this division, and probably the league above too. In a purely footballing sense, he is an obvious upgrade over Crighton, Halkett and Lithgow, there's no doubt about it. However, for as long as I can remember, Livingston FC has had an image problem as a pitstop for shysters and shadier characters. Is Gallagher a complete fruitcake, like Massone, or a fairly obvious crook, like Martindale? I'd say no, but the facts don't lie: he's been convicted of a very serious crime and he's very lucky to be serving 1/3 of a prison sentence, more or less. It's astonishing that the club really don't have a clue why the fanbase can't expand; there isn't a feel-good feeling around the place, despite the fact we're top of the league. They ask what can be done to bring fans back, to bring new people in, then commit a PR own-goal like this (if it goes through).
If Livingston FC was a normal club, there would be little issue with this by and large and it would be spun in such a way that the club is serving as part of the rehabilitation process. But is the short-term gain offered here worth the additional damage to an already battered PR image? You can't expect to progress a football club if there's no positive engagement anywhere.
