As one season merges into the next the detail of events can easily be lost and confused as Walter Smith demonstrated at today’s Rangers media conference.
The Rangers boss claimed that there couldn’t be an extension to the current SPL campaign because they had denied Rangers an extension to the 2007/08 season despite the season being extended by four days and finishing on a Thursday night.
“They can’t extend the season because they wouldn’t do it for Rangers a couple of seasons ago so they’re not going to do it now, are they?” Smith asked yesterday.
“Surely, if the season is not going to be extended for one team, then they can’t extend it for any of the rest of them.
“If they wouldn’t do it for one team two seasons ago, why would they do it now?”
It seems that the passage of time has clouded the events of  the 2007/2008 season which WAS extended to suit one club to the inconvenience of six other members of the SPL.
Weather, cup replays and European runs are factors that no league can legislate for but there were three incidents during the 2007/08 season that contributed to Rangers fixture congestion and possibly hindered their chances of winning the UEFA Cup.
a) Rangers requested the postponement of their match with Gretna on December 8 to allow them extra time to prepare to face Lyon in their final Champions League group match
b) Rangers and St Mirren not playing their November 17 fixture on the first available free midweek- December 18/19
c) Rangers Scottish Cup tie with East Stirling on January 13 being postponed because of a waterlogged pitch which in turn postponed the re-arranged Celtic-Rangers game scheduled for January 23 which was used for the East Stirling match.
If Rangers had played Gretna on the date allocated they could have used the January 16 date when that match was played for the outstanding Celtic fixture from January 3.
If St Mirren and Rangers had used the free December midweek of the 18th or 19th they wouldn’t have had to wait until May 19 with St Mirren having nothing but pride to play for.
If Ibrox had been playable for the Scottish Cup tie with East Stirling the match with Celtic could have been played as rescheduled on January 23 rather than being delayed until April 16.
The SPL have a difficult job, especially scheduling the post split fixtures, but have to work for all 12 clubs and maintain as level a playing field as possible.
Having agreed to postpone the Gretna match and not rearrange the St Mirren fixture at the first opportunity they had already shown flexibility to accommodate Rangers.
Granting one extension went the extra mile to help a club with unexpected European commitments.
Expecting a further extension which would have left players from other clubs waiting over a fortnight in between their last two fixtures was never an option for the SPL.
The end of season Carling Cup internationals are a major burden for the SPL to work around this season as is the decision to play the Co-Operative Cup semi-finals on at the weekend postponing three more SPL games.
One step that would make sense would be to ask the SFA to play Scottish Cup ties from the fourth round to a conclusion scrapping the need for replays.
If that change was made the SPL and SFL could reschedule their outstanding fixtures for the midweeks set aside for Scottish Cup replays.
Making an early statement on their contingency plans would show that the SPL aren’t crossing their fingers or burying their heads in the sand.
There could be more postponements, there could be Scottish Cup replays and Rangers could reach the final of the Europa League.
If those events happen the SPL have got no chance of completing their fixtures in time.
An announcement within a fortnight would let every club know where they stand, clear the air and ensure that the sporting integrity of the SPL isn’t compromised for the benefit of one club.
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