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SPL have opened the floodgates
3rd December 2007
I am amazed that the SPL have allowed Rangers to postpone their league match with Gretna so that they can focus on their vital Champions League match against Lyon. Fair play to Rangers, if you don?t ask then you won?t get in life. However, after that decision where can the SPL draw the line?
As we all know, the precedent for such cancellations started after the Old Firm were granted a free weekend so that Scotland could prepare for its crunch match against Italy. That was a decision welcomed throughout the country as every patriotic Scotsmen wanted to see the likes of Barry Ferguson and Scott Brown fit for that crucial clash.
However the argument that Rangers should be entitled to an extra weekend of rest before the match against Lyon is not nearly as valid. For a start Rangers should be able to play a weakened team and still mange to get a result against Gretna. Anyway, an easy win against Gretna could have been a real confidence booster for the Gers. I?m sure Kris Boyd would have relished the chance to play the side stranded at the bottom of the table, with five points from fifteen games having only scored ten goals and conceded thirty-five. With Celtic slipping up against St Mirren, Rangers could have gone into their match against Lyon on a high after going top of the table had they won.
What is more concerning, though, is the impact this decision will have. What sort of message does this send out to those down south or around the world who regard the SPL as a Mickey Mouse league? I don?t believe for a second the Premiership or La Liga would be as accommodating as we are in allowing our top teams time-off to prepare for their bigger matches.
Furthermore, how will the likes of Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts ever compete with the Old Firm if the Glasgow giants get to postpone matches when they are at their most vulnerable to drop points? We saw Celtic drop two points on Saturday against St Mirren. The Saints did great to claim a draw at Parkhead but I?m sure the fact that Celtic had already played Hearts and AC Milan earlier in the week benefited Gus MacPherson?s men.
The SPL justified their decision by saying that Lyon had been granted a similar request by the French Football Association to postpone their match against Caen. This simply wasn?t true with Lyon losing by a single-goal in that match on Saturday.
The only good news from this controversial decision is that other clubs in Scotland can now look to gain similar advantages. If I was Jimmy Calderwood I would certainly be looking to get a free weekend before the crunch match against Copenhagen later this month.
RICKY HATTON IS STILL A CHAMPION
The Hitman may have succumbed to his first-ever defeat against Floyd Mayweather in the early hours of Sunday morning but Ricky Hatton can still be proud of his brave effort to be crowned the best in the world.
The Manchester fighter was knocked out in the 10th round but deserves full-points for his bravery. The 29-year-old fought valiantly but his opponent was just too good on the night. He may have failed in his attempt to win the WBC welterweight crown in Las Vegas but The Hitman can certainly return to Britain with his head held high.
TALKING A GOOD GAME
?We are happy with three points but it could have been more.?
Ryan Giggs after Manchester United?s 2-0 win against Fulham.
?He has the physique of a newspaper boy.?
Archie MacPherson?s description of Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley.
?.. the Derby fans are walking home, absolutely silent in their cars.?
Ex-pro turned pundit Alan Brazil.
And finally?
It seems things haven?t got any better for Paul Le Guen since returning to his homeland to coach Paris Saint-Germain. The Ibrox flop needed eight police vans to protect him and his players at their training complex last week after violent demonstrations from the club?s supporters. PSG currently sit a shocking third-bottom in the French league.
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