Alan Brazil has claimed that psychology will be the key to performing behind closed doors as elite football returns without fans.
The Premiership start date of August 1 is looking more realistic by the day with Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director, suggesting he is more confident than ever that the league's plan is achievable.
While Scottish football will restart, games are almost certain to be played behind closed doors initially, with the Premier League, which starts on Wednesday a good barometer of what's in store.
Neil Lennon yesterday moved to urge the SPFL to hold back fixtures between Celtic and Rangers until fans can be in attendance or risk ruining one of the most passionate derbies in world football.
And Brazil predicts it's not just a lack of fans that will create a "strange" matchday experience with the pundit suggesting that players need to be more psychologically tuned in without the energy of the crowd to fall back on.
He wrote in The Sunday Post : "We’ll see some players toiling to recapture their form, and others might find it very strange playing behind closed doors.
"My only experience of games without fans was when I started out in the Football Combination.
"Those reserve games were a bit strange. You could hear every shout and you didn’t get the energy that comes from a big crowd.
"I always told myself I was playing for a contract and a successful future.
"We were motivated by the chance to win honours and make some decent money.
"The financial element doesn’t matter so much to modern players. Most of them are already millionaires.
"That’s why managers will have to work so hard to get inside their heads.
"Sam Allardyce was one of the first managers to use the sports psychologist.
"He knew everything must be positive.
"And for matches behind closed doors, you can’t have your players thinking games don’t matter or that a lack of atmosphere will somehow have an adverse effect on the team."
