Rangers boss Walter Smith has questioned why the Co-Operative Cup Final has been scheduled after his side’s Europa Cup tie with PSV Eindhoven.
Smith’s team face PSV at Ibrox on March 17 then meet Celtic in the final of the Co-Operative Cup at Hampden three days later.
Rangers have a backlog of four SPL games still to be scheduled with Smith acknowledging that it is a difficult task to put together those fixtures ahead of the split.
“I stress that I’m not being critical of the league,” he explained. “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.”
Smith’s problem with the timing of the Co-Operative Cup final with Celtic is difficult to work out.
The extra round involved in the Europa League compared to the Champions League, and the scheduling of the Scottish Cup, ensures that the final of the Co-Operative Cup is played either before or after a Europa Cup tie.
In season 2002/03 Celtic found themselves in an even tougher position when they reached the final of the League Cup which took place on the Sunday in-between two UEFA Cup ties with Liverpool.
For good measure Celtic played Rangers in the SPL the weekend before which meant that Martin O’Neill’s side faced Rangers and Liverpool twice each over a period of 12 days.
As Celtic discovered that season the price of chasing success on four fronts can be costly but despite the lack of trophies on show it’s doubtful if anyone at Celtic would wish to sacrifice that season’s European run for domestic success.
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The Loyal Cardigan needs to be told where to go re: fixture scheduling… remember the Seville season when the Bhoys were forced to play a season defining league game at Ibrox having just finished playing Boavista at about 10pm the Thursday before.
The bleating about fixtures from that shower is getting very boring but I suppose we should expect nothing less from Undignified, Bankrupt FC.
Aw boo-hoo. Could Walter Myth be any less dignified in his farewell season? That’s the price of success! I would gladly swap involvement in Europe at this stage of the season for none at all. If you stay in all competitions fixtures are going to come at you thick and fast and Uncle Walter, if you can’t motivate your players for a last 16 European ties followed by a cup final against ‘them’ then shouldn’t you have left your job sooner?
I’m sick to the back teeth listening to this old git and his “problems”……
If he doesn’t like it…GTF…and gie’s peace.
For me, there’s always been a suspicion that Hartson missed that last minute penalty in that cup game on purpose. Diddy Cup extra time V being fresher for the visit to Anfield? I’d back him to the hilt if he had missed it on purpose.
Further to that, I’d put money on him burying that penalty had his “offside” equalising goal rightly stood and not been chalked off instead.