Ibrox Stadium is unlikely to be ready for the first month of the new season as a vital steel component needed for the renovations to the Copland Stand has not arrived in time from China.
Rangers may need to ask the SPFL and UEFA for permission to play reversed fixtures and to either find an alternative home to play at or open Ibrox with only three sides open.
As Hampden is currently undergoing it’s own remedial work just now it looks like Murrayfield may be the only alternative – and Rangers are due to play Manchester United there for a pre-season friendly already in July.
The delay comes despite repeated reassurances that the project was on time – it certainly raises eyebrows concerning the departure of former Chief Executive James Bisgrove and and another member of staff in recent weeks.
This is a hammer-blow for Rangers as it will entail major costs which it is unlikely even Murrayfield’s larger capacity of 67,144 can make up for. Add to that the inconvenience for fans and how it looks in PR terms – it’s a major embarrassment for the club.
In recent years Ibrox has suffered from building projects large and small – the creation of New Edmiston House supposedly to coincide with the club’s 150th anniversary was a year late.
Ibrox being played as a three-sided ground would not be a new experience – most famously against Juventus in 1978-79 season during a rebuild then.
