Rangers face potential fixture chaos as SPFL sweat over Europa League dilemma

[ScottXC]

It's already bizarre when we have 4 games over the next 4 Wednesday's , add on both Braga games, and the Hamilton game after that, and we are playing 7 games midweek, in a row into March. Not taking into consideration any other fixture pile up.

 

[a_weir]

There's an easy solution to this:

Just give us the 3 points.

 

[Skippy]

I must admit I saw this coming a while back, always felt we could have gotten ahead of the game ourselves. As soon as we qualified out of our group, we should have requested playing our outstanding game last night, it would have only reduced the break for both clubs by 2 or 3 days and would have nipped this potential problem in the bud.

 

[bluetonic]

Does this not strengthen the case for league restructure where you play each opponent twice and have less league games in a season?

It sure does, but will they listen? Nope

 

[Bearnecessities]

Strong favourites v Braga are we? Really!

Skybet got us at 10/11 at home, braga 3/1. Hardly strong favs.

 

[Cooperfan]

Schedule it for this Saturday. The fringe players and youths can take care of Stranraer, the youths have already beaten them this season.

 

[Portrushbear]

Far too many international breaks now, nearly one every 5 weeks, it breaks up a domestic season so badly its unreal.

 

[Wazza]

Skybet got us at 10/11 at home, braga 3/1. Hardly strong favs.

Since the draw to this day bookies have had to qualify as a coin toss.

 

[Gogso]

This seems to be happening a lot these days.

Time to scrap the winter break?

Shorten it slightly.
Cup games could have been played earlier this week and back to league games this weekend.

 

[GazzaG]

Strong favourites v Braga are we? Really!

Both sides 10/11 to qualify.
The only round of 32 tie that bet365 don't have a favourite.

 

[kclarkhall]

Far too many international breaks now, nearly one every 5 weeks, it breaks up a domestic season so badly its unreal.

I would love for international football to just disappear to be honest.

 

[sw26]

Shorten it slightly.
Cup games could have been played earlier this week and back to league games this weekend.

Agree with this. A fortnight is enough and would have allowed another round of fixtures this midweek (although presumably they’d need to change the Scottish Cup TV deal to prevent a Friday night selection).

Alternatively the SPFL could stop continually assuming its clubs are going to be shite in Europe and actually be positive for a change, was the same issue with the farcical LC Semi scheduling last season where they had essentially hedged their bets that we’d be long gone from Europe by that point.

 

[buffalosoldier]

Replays are a right fuckin pain in the arse anyway. Extra time and penalties in the event of a draw and we wouldn't have this nonsense. We also wouldn't have had it had we not had an unnecessary three week break when it was extremely mild and barely rained.

 

[london_bluenose]

Agree with this. A fortnight is enough and would have allowed another round of fixtures this midweek (although presumably they’d need to change the Scottish Cup TV deal to prevent a Friday night selection).

Alternatively the SPFL could stop continually assuming its clubs are going to be shite in Europe and actually be positive for a change, was the same issue with the farcical LC Semi scheduling last season where they had essentially hedged their bets that we’d be long gone from Europe by that point.

More like they had assumed Celtic would be in the CL so could play the Saturday.

 

[Bearnecessities]

Since the draw to this day bookies have had to qualify as a coin toss.

Top quality journalism as always eh !!

 

[Beer Belly Loyal]

Wish FIFA/UEFA would just scrap these international breaks in September, October and November.
Scrap that bloody UEFA Nations League too.

 

[Kingging]

Wouldn't it make sense to postpone match day 34 after the split to create an extra set of match days to play postponed matches and have the season finish a week later. It's not as if Scotland have a prayer of playing in the euros in June

 

[Laudrup1]

Wouldn't it make sense to postpone match day 34 after the split to create an extra set of match days to play postponed matches and have the season finish a week later. It's not as if Scotland have a prayer of playing in the euros in June

Is part of the issue not that they can only do that if the game is between teams in either half of the stupid split anyway?

They need the games completed for MD33 to determine who is in what half of the league.

I cannot wait to see the end of the split.

 

[Marstonbear]

However it pans out I’m sure all parties will bend over backwards to assist us.

When will Pete announce their tour of Japan?

 

[tazzabear]

See when we go a few points clear before the game is played , we can put out half a team in the hope that we can at least take a draw and play 4 games in a week , which is what they will make us do anyways. All caused by making us play on the Friday night v hibs , which I don’t care what anyone says was a deliberate ploy to potentially cause this scenario down the line and in theory keep the poets ahead of us

Feck me, that’s stretch!
So many variables still to happen.

 

[Kingging]

Is part of the issue not that they can only do that if the game is between teams in either half of the stupid split anyway?

They need the games completed for MD33 to determine who is in what half of the league.

I cannot wait to see the end of the split.

That's why I say postpone matchday 34 so pre split games have another midweek and weekend to be played in. Seems like a straightforward solution

 

[Laudrup1]

That's why I say postpone matchday 34 so pre split games have another midweek and weekend to be played in. Seems like a straightforward solution

Ah, sorry. With you now.

Is there a spare midweek to move the 34 to though? I'm not sure

 

[london_bluenose]

Ah, sorry. With you now.

Is there a spare midweek to move the 34 to though? I'm not sure

You'd need to extend the end of the season by 1 week.

 

[rangeral]

Ah, sorry. With you now.

Is there a spare midweek to move the 34 to though? I'm not sure

Yes April 21st/22nd but that would arranging the fixtures at 3 days notice or the final matchday is played midweek as there is the play-offs to happen after it

 

[rangeral]

Wish FIFA/UEFA would just scrap these international breaks in September, October and November.
Scrap that bloody UEFA Nations League too.

The clubs themselves wanted the International break in set periods so FIFA along the confederations worked a schedule of September, October, November March and June (not tournaments)

Before that it was only December and January that never had games in them well the European nations

Nations League just add extra games but not dates

 

[Laudrup1]

Yes April 21st/22nd but that would arranging the fixtures at 3 days notice or the final matchday is played midweek as there is the play-offs to happen after it

Yes April 21st/22nd but that would arranging the fixtures at 3 days notice or the final matchday is played midweek as there is the play-offs to happen after it

Smack bang in the middle of our EL 1/4 and semi final ties though!

 

[EC54]

Let's hope the real winter doesnt arrive then !!

 

[rangeral]

Smack bang in the middle of our EL 1/4 and semi final ties though!

Yep we might ended playing on that depends how much impact is this St Johnstone game is so long no other games are needed to be played

 

[Starting Anew]

I'm not saying we are going to reach the Europa final again, but what happens if we do, (or at least get past the 1/4 final)?

If there are no midweek dates available, how are the mongos at the SFA planning to accommodate this?

Same way as before. Make us play 5 games in 11 days (or whatever it was) because sporting integrity demands it, as do Celtic’s Japanese mass hallucinations.

If there is a risk of Hearts going bust, in contrast, the league will be stopped 4 days early.

If Celtic are in the UEFA cup position then the league will be held back for up to a month to let them recover (while the rest of us play the other games).

If both Celtic and us are involved in Europe then sporting integrity will apply again and we’ll have to play 5 games in 11 days. Celtic will have the same fixtures but it will be recognised that this is a ludicrous situation and international success should not disadvantage Scotland’s ‘champions’ so Celtic will just be awarded 2-0 victories in all the games without playing them.

Think it’s in one of the SPFL rule book appendices...

 

[BSPECIAL]

I'm sure the sporting integrity experts at the sfa will get together with their boss over at Saville Row to sort any problems out.

 

[Ronniemca]

Need to stop al these international breaks during the season.Disband the national team I say

 

[PortoyMortoy]

The winter break needs scrapped. Madness to make teams play the amount of games in december, then ask them to come back and play 6 matches in under 3 weeks right after the break, and potentially another batch of games in a short space of time if you do well in Europe. No respect for the players at all

 

[rangeral]

The winter break needs scrapped. Madness to make teams play the amount of games in december, then ask them to come back and play 6 matches in under 3 weeks right after the break, and potentially another batch of games in a short space of time if you do well in Europe. No respect for the players at all

The winter break only has the impact after it not in December as you need to place 3 sets of fixtures elsewhere in the season

 

[Ronnietheranger]

"And it could prove hugely problematic for the SPFL if the Rangers and Celtic continue to progress in Europe and the Scottish Cup ahead of the split on April 4."

Do the Record normally refer to us as "the Rangers"?

It should be 'The Rangers'

 

[insanicdrunk]

The one ‘good’ thing is that our home ties are more compared to theirs so if bad weather does impact it has more chance to affect them.

 

[I believe in Eli]

Every bloody season there is some monumental %^*& up with fixtures. The spfl genuinely couldnt run a piss up in a brewery.

 

[Mbear]

Why did they make us play Hibs on a Friday if this is the case
Ie, 1 game in a week we should have played 2

 

[Andrew webb]

Should have let us play st Johnstone on Thursday 2 nd January 2020

 

[rangeral]

Why did they make us play Hibs on a Friday if this is the case
Ie, 1 game in a week we should have played 2

I guess with BT wishing to show on the Friday they craved in, original BT wanted it on the Monday 23rd December but Hibs declined it as they were playing on 26th at 12,30pm

 

[rangeral]

Should have let us play st Johnstone on Thursday 2 nd January 2020

The SPFL ensured that no games were scheduled in the Premiership from 30th December to 17th January

 

[BlueNoseBlueblood]

Glad they managed to fit in this winter break then. And they can get to %^*& if they think they can postpone a weekend of games for Scotland.
Hopefully the poets get a few replays in the cup.

Yeah, squeaky bums and tired legs for the septic with replays

 

[TN8]

Said it before and I'll say it again, a winter break in Scotland is absolute fucking nonsense.

 

[BrooklynBlue]

Perhaps we should have inquired about having a game earlier this week, say on Tuesday. Not sure St.Johnstone would have been agreeable but worth asking given the potential problems.

 

[Mearns Bluenose]

No point in having a 3 week winter break just to come back and be playing twice a week for the next month or so. Cut the winter break down to 7-10 days.

 

[Graemeh89]

Bet356 have us both as even money.

10/11 , the bookies would never have two even money’s to quality , they always have the odds in their favour.

 

[Tom Petty]

This seems to be happening a lot these days.

Time to scrap the winter break?

Get rid of cup replays and take a round out the Scottish Cup for teams in Europe. There's no issues with fixtures after that.

The winter break is necessary for the players when they're only getting two weeks in the summer.