ian1964 10,409 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Darrell King The SPL today face another fixture nightmare after Rangers made it through to the last 16 of the Europa League. As similarities with 2008 begin to emerge, league chief Iain Blair has massive headaches to address in terms of the championsââ?¬â?¢ outstanding fixtures. The Ibrox side still have FOUR SPL games to be placed ââ?¬â?? a home match against St Mirren and trips to Dundee United, Aberdeen and St Johnstone. The midweeks of March 10 and 17 will now be handed over to Europa League action against PSV Eindhoven. With international commitments gobbling up March 24 and 27, next month is gone completely for Blair to schedule any Gers games. Even if they get knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Celtic at Parkhead next week they would be unable to play any of their games on cup quarter-final weekend ââ?¬â?? March 12 ââ?¬â?? as their four outstanding league opponents all have ties in the cup. It will now be into April before they can get dates for these matches and, if Rangers get past PSV and head into the last eight, it would appear impossible for their fixtures to be played unless they have the dreaded four-games-in-eight-days scenario. Blair conceded last week that the SPL are looking at playing games on the Friday and Monday of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. RANGERS FIXTURES... Feb 27: St Johntone (h) SPL March 2: Celtic (a) Scottish Cup last 16 replay March 6: St Mirren (a) SPL March 10: PSV Eindhoven (a) Europa League last 16 March 13: Inverness (a) Scottish Cup last 8 or free weekend. March 17: PSV Eindhoven (h) Europa League last 16 March 20: Celtic (n) Co-op Cup Final March 24: International March 27: International April 2: Dundee Utd (h) SPL April 7: Possible Europa League last 8 April 9/10: Hamilton (a) SPL April 14: Possible Europa League last 8 April 16: Kilmarnock (h) SPL April 20: Free midweek SPL SPLITS INTO TWO http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/mobile/sport/editor-s-picks/fixtures-fear-now-true-for-the-spl-1.1087313 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gers4Life 0 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We have been screwed by the spl before and they will screw us again, fixture chaos is just around the corner 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have no problem with the Friday Monday scenario at Easter as 2 days of rest must be enough for prof players. In the EPL they hold shorter breaks at xmas. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metlika 0 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Friday afternoon imo isn't viable its would just be a joke. Attendances would be paltry at best. Monday night is pushing it but it is a better scenario but I could see the SPL expecting us to play Friday or Saturday and then Monday like they do at Christmas time iwhat they do in the EPL iirc or similar, think it was like that this season. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It's bank holidays so plenty of people will be off work... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 It's bank holidays so plenty of people will be off work... That's what I was judging by. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangers Football Club 0 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) Sat 26 Feb 2011[/i] Cut Us Some Slack by Lindsay Herron WALTER SMITH has called on the SPL to cut Rangers some slack as fixture congestion is set to kick in after their terrific European progression in Portugal on Thursday night. The Light Blues still have four matches outstanding - Aberdeen, Dundee United and St Johnstone away plus St Mirren at Ibrox. And there is a great feat that these will be crammed in, badly affecting Rangers in their pursuit of all of the honours. Smith said: "We're not doing well in Europe for the good of the SPL - we're doing it for the good of Rangers. "But the fact is that everyone else benefits, except for us at the present moment. "And we're the team that has done as much as anyone over the last few seasons to keep the co-efficient as high as possible. "If they're going to try and help the teams by starting the season a few weeks earlier, what are they going to do for the teams who are still in Europe at the end? "I'd want them to be a little more sympathetic than they were the last time when looking at the fixtures. That's all I'd ask." Rangers play the first leg of their last-16 clash with Dutch league leaders PSV in Holland on March 10, with the return at Ibrox a week later. That is just three days before the Co-op Cup Final with Celtic at Hampden. Smith added: "I stress that I'm not being critical of the league. "As an SPL manager we all met with the league and Iain Blair was at pains to explain to us all how difficult it is to fit in fixtures. "But you have to ask yourself, if you are having a showcase Cup Final - and you put it in the same week as a European game - are you not expecting at least one of your two best teams, Rangers or Celtic, to be involved? "It's obviously not the ideal situation to be involved in but we are and the fixtures have been out there all season. "I've said it before though, if we have a situation where we have a lot of games off, as we had in December and January, it's difficult. "Part of the problem is our own fault in that we don't have a big enough group of players. "When you look at teams who have had success they have had a number of playing staff who can help them achieve that. There are no guarantees but at least it helps them." http://www.rangers.co.uk/articles/20110226/cut-us-some-slack_2254024_2302837 Edited February 26, 2011 by Zappa 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 There were free midweeks at the beginning of the season, particularly in August. To start the season slowly with free midweeks and end up with the usual fixture backlog in the second half of the season due to postponements is shear lack of foresight and piss poor planning from the SPL. There are always games called off in the winter months and there's no excuse for starting the season slowly, allowing postponements 2 or 3 months later to cause calamity. With European games, the domestic cups including replays and all the international breaks it only makes sense for the SPL to have gotten together with the SFA and planned a more sensible and robust schedule, even if it had to involve extending the season. It's high time Scottish football was being run by people with some common sense. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 International week in March when there is no World Cup or European Championships is mental. Remove this when there is no international comps. League Cup Final should be October. If the 2 above are done then there it would have fitted in 2 or 3 games. 1 league game in the long month of March is crazy. Im all for playing on easter Friday or Monday if it eases our schedule. I remember the Premier league down south had easter games once and it worked fine. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 International week in March when there is no World Cup or European Championships is mental. Remove this when there is no international comps.. Personally, I'd do something more radical and set it up so that max 2 players from any one club can be called up to the national squad. That would then allow league games to go ahead as planned during international weeks because every club should be capable of losing 2 players. Schedule those international games with 5 or 6pm kick offs and you're sorted in terms of league continuity. It might well limit the options for the Scotland manager, but lets be honest, it's the SPL that needs sorted out. Sort our top league out and the National team will ultimately be fine. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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