Smith On The Split: All We Want Is A Level Playing Field

[Super_Ally 0]

WALTER SMITH has long suspected Rangers have had a bit of bad luck on the split fixture front since he returned to Ibrox.

 

Now the Gers gaffer knows it for real - and has demanded a break for his side.

 

Smith revealed:

 

In the 10 seasons since the split was introduced Rangers have had NINE examples of an imbalance in their fixtures against their top six rivals - Celtic have had FIVE.

 

On SEVEN of those nine occasions Rangers have been made to play a top six club three times away from home and only once at home.

 

On two occasions Rangers have played three games at home and only one game away.

 

Over exactly the same period of time, Celtic have had five imbalanced fixtures. Yet on all FIVE occasions Celtic were able to play three games at home, with only one away.

 

Celtic have NEVER been made to to play three away fixtures against any of the top clubs in the 10 years the split has existed.

 

In that time Rangers have been faced with that handicap SEVEN times.

 

Smith said: "I was staggered to find out how big that imbalance was when I looked into it. When I first found out about it I couldn't believe it could be true.

 

"I wasn't aware that was the situation at all.

 

"Having only returned to the club three and a half years ago I have to admit I hadn't realised the full history of this.

 

"It felt to me as if there had been an imbalance in my own time here, but I had no idea what the bigger picture was.

 

"Celtic complained bitterly last season and said they felt they weren't being treated properly.

 

"But when you look at it in the context of the 10 years we've had since the SPL split began, you can see they have been treated more fairly than any other team.

 

"The reality is it's been Rangers who have been treated unfairly in terms of where we play the better teams in the league.

 

"From our point of view that's really disappointing, particularly when you consider these post-split fixtures are obviously not compiled by computer.

 

"These fixtures are made by someone making a conscious decision about where each team should go.

 

"Therefore it's very difficult to understand why Rangers have historically had such an imbalance in our split, when compared to our closest rivals. Especially when you consider the fact that in almost every season it's Rangers and Celtic who have been competing against each other to win the championship.

 

"To make the split work people have to take conscious decisions in terms of who goes and plays where.

 

"I would like to know who decided Celtic never have to go away three times to a top six rival. And why?

 

"At the start of the season all our fixtures are done by computer.

 

"But when it comes to all the factors surrounding the split I would expect that's practically impossible - the human element has to come into it.

 

"And when the human element has come into it they have obviously not taken into account how much of an imbalance there is between the two top clubs in the period since the split started 10 years ago. This year we're again looking at playing three away games in a row, after the break.

 

"That's something we were told - even in the season we reached the UEFA Cup Final - would never happen.

 

"We were assured no team would have to play three games at home in a row, or three games away.

 

"That wasn't going to be allowed, yet it's happened to Rangers again this season.

 

"When you look down on a list of fixtures over a 10-year period where people have tried to make them as balanced as possible, you don't expect to find such an obvious imbalance in what's been achieved.

 

"What's even more surprising is Celtic felt the need to complain about it last year.

 

"When you study the facts, it's clear Rangers should have been the club doing the complaining, not Celtic.

 

"Maybe we have been a wee bit slow to complain in the past.

 

"But when I look at every season since this split started anyone can see quite clearly Celtic have come out of it far better, in terms of benefiting from the split."

 

Surprisingly, the one club who has NEVER suffered from the post-split fixtures, insist they had been hard done by because of them.

 

A Celtic spokesman said: "We have been disadvantaged by the split previously and would agree an improvement is required.

 

"However, until somebody is able to come up with a better solution then clearly we have no option but to stick by it."

 

Rangers and gaffer Smith, left will argue that statement from Celtic simply doesn't add up - and hasn't for a decade now as the figures show."

 

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/785587/Gers-boss-Smith-wants-a-level-playing-field.html

 

Stick it to 'em Watty. :box:

 

Best manager for any team in Scotland since... umm.... Walter Smith.

[metlika 0]

Quite fecking true, nice of him to stick to them and their complaining malarkey. I have noticed we do get the short straw playing away 3 times and this has summed it up brilliantly. How have they managed never to get 3 away its unreal and totally unfair.

 

However its probably the diddies that never get a chance of getting into the top 6 where Celtic would get a 3rd away match, joke a system get rid now.

[ian1964 10,416]

It's '' THE ESTABLISHMENT '' Walter, a feckin conspiracy!!!