No complaints from Smith as Rangers avoid second trip to Pittodrie

Despite being on the verge of retaining the SPL title there is a distinct lack of dignity in the public comments from Rangers manager Walter Smith.

Since the end of February the destination of this season's championship has been almost a formality with no real challenge coming from a Celtic team whose caretaker manager described his side as 'having gone out every competition with an absolute whimper' this season.

Smith has made more than a few references to the troubled financial times that Rangers find themselves in, with the end of the season looming the club appear to be no closer to finding a buyer to take over from Sir David Murray.

Securing the future of the club in uncertain financial times would be worrying enough for most managers but bizarrely Smith has chosen to find fault with the SPL who have been more than helpful to his club on a number of occasions.

After beating Hearts today Smith said: "The whole thing about the split is impossible to do. When the human element comes in, there has to be a question as to why Rangers have to do it so many times and Celtic have not.

"Other clubs are having to do it so many times and Celtic haven't and they are the ones who were doing the complaining. That's all I was bringing up."

Rangers will have to play Dundee United away three times this season to make up for only going to Aberdeen once- there is no possible solution to that issue with the split in place.

Since replacing Paul le Guen as Rangers manager Smith has yet to win at Pittodrie in the SPL.

Celtic have been to Aberdeen twice this season but seem content to accept that as inevitable under the current set up.

Smith added: "The thing that annoyed me about the three games away from home this year is, the season we had the UEFA Cup final, we were told that nobody would be asked to play three games at home or away. Now they have given us three when it suits them.

"I can't understand that point of view. Somebody, somewhere, is actually making the conscious decision to do that, forgetting that they had told us the opposite."

The reason that Rangers have three away fixtures on the bounce was to allow the maximum number of Rangers fans to see their side win the title and the trophy presentation.

With the title almost in the bag the SPL anticipated Rangers clinching the title today against Hearts then bringing the curtain down on the season with the trophy presentation on the final day against Motherwell with both fixtures at Ibrox.

Rangers draw with Dundee United prevented that from becoming reality with the title likely to be completed next weekend.

The only reason that Rangers had three consecutive away games after the split in season 2007/08 was because they had been unable to schedule in a trip to Love Street to play bottom-six St Mirren in the previous six months.

The events of season 2007/2008 seem to be causing Smith particular concern despite the season being extended to assist Rangers bid to win an unprecedented quadruple as well as the postponement of a fixture to give Rangers extra time to prepare for a Champions League tie which they lost 3-0 at home to Lyon.

It's convenient to gloss over facts with the passage of time but some issues require being brought to light before they become distorted even further.

While Rangers were picking and choosing their fixtures through December Celtic played SEVEN SPL matches including a game away to Hearts which was played in a seven day spell that included Champions League ties against Shakhtar Donetsk and AC Milan.

Celtic became the only Scottish side to play two Champions League games in a week.

As well as sticking to their schedule of fixtures Celtic used a free midweek date, December 11, to play a postponed game with Falkirk.

That game had been postponed to help Scotland's prepartions for the EURO 2008 match with Italy, Rangers were due to play St Mirren in the same round of fixtures but never got around to playing that match until May 15- after the split when St Mirren had nothing to play for.

That fixture is the only time that a pre-split fixture has been played after the split.

While Celtic got on with their demanding schedule, recognising it as the price of success, Rangers requested the postponement of their game with Gretna on December 8 to give them extra time to prepare for their Champions League qualifier with Lyon.

Having won 3-0 in France Rangers required a draw at home to progress with Celtic into the knock-out stages but lost 3-0 to move into the UEFA Cup.

During December when Celtic played seven SPL matches Rangers played five games dropping just two points against the nine dropped by Celtic.

In hindsight Celtic would probably have been wiser to ask for a postponement of their match at Hearts but there is always a feeling that asking for postponements is flagging up concerns over a particular fixture.

By the turn of the year Rangers were two fixtures behind Celtic something which in normal circumstances could easily be made up but Rangers season took on an incredible turn as they reached the final of three cup competitions requiring replays in two rounds of the Scottish Cup.

In contrast Celtic's European interest ended in the Nou Camp in February with defeat to Barcelona before being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Aberdeen at the quarter final stage.

Game by game the decisions made in December that saw Rangers play two games less began to get problematic for the SPL with any spare dates being used up by Rangers European run and Scottish Cup replay requirements.

Reluctantly, and at the expense of the other clubs in the top six the season SPL season was extended by five days to accommodate Rangers fixture congestion meaning that Celtic and others had to wait 11 days between their final two matches.

Despite this extension there were further soundings made about extending the season even further with suggestions that the Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Queen of the South could be put back into midweek to extend the SPL season by a further two days.

Queen of the South were far from happy with this with four weeks already separating the end of their SFL campaign with their cup final appearance.

With other clubs indicating that they wouldn't accept a further extension the final SPL fixtures got underway.

Rangers had to play three matches away from home as well as the outstanding St Mirren fixture.

Being as diplomatic as possible the SPL gave Rangers a run of away, home, home, away, away fixtures after the split with the St Mirren game played between the two final post-split fixtures.

These decisions clearly still annoy Smith, the problem could have been avoided if Rangers had played a similar schedule to Celtic through December.

By concentrating on European fixtures Rangers fell two matches behind with the SPL deciding to extend the season to ensure that all of the top six clubs finished their campaign on the same day.

Smith is clearly feeling the pressure of events at Ibrox and will no doubt celebrate his side's title success passionately.

Dragging up issues from two seasons ago when the SPL went out of their way to assist Rangers is poor judgement.

Since the split was introduced the SPL has given Celtic and Rangers 19 home and away fixtures with the derby matches evenly split.

The split will always create an imbalance of fixtures but is there any real difference between three away games against Dundee United and one with Aberdeen and two away games at each club?

Every single season there will be some imbalance thrown up by the split but after watching the Motherwell against Dundee United match today the only clubs with grounds for complaints are United and Hibs- any league looking for respect should have moved fixtures away from Fir Park with the 'playing surface' beyond a joke and a disgrace to Scottish football shown worldwide thanks to ESPN.

Youths on the brink of title success despite the lack of sporting integrity

With sporting integrity returning to the footballing agenda it's perhaps appropriate to highlight the obstacles that Celtic's u-19 side have overcome to take them to within touching distance of the championship.

A 22 game season could almost be described as a sprint rather than a marathon making a decent mix of home and away fixtures of extra significance.

While Celtic and ten of the other clubs have managed to achieve that Rangers have found themselves in a very strange run of fixtures.

Of the first sixteen games of the season Rangers played 11 of them at home giving them what would appear to be a significant advantage in the title race.

For whatever reasons a significant number of Rangers away matches during the course of the season were postponed leaving the Murray Park kids with six away games to complete their season.

Despite the advantage of such a favourable run of home fixtures Rangers currently find themselves trailing Celtic by nine points as they approach their final five matches, Celtic have three games remaining.

During the season Celtic had home games against Aberdeen and Hibs postponed due to weather conditions as were the games at Motherwell and Hearts. The first Celtic-Rangers fixture, scheduled for October was cancelled due to international commitments for both clubs.

Assuming that Rangers win all five of their remaining matches, Celtic require to take seven points from their last three matches to take the title with their recent 1-0 win away to Rangers the significant result of the season.

Should Rangers slip up in any of their remaining matches Celtic can clinch the title by winning their next two matches, at home to Hibs and Aberdeen.

It is very ironic to hear Martin Bain use the phrase sporting integrity in regards to fixtures, perhaps he's not aware of how his u-19 side are faring this season?

Every season you can anticipate the arguments and complaints that arise from the post-split fixtures.

The SPL- governed entirely by the member clubs- have a set of criteria to follow with the priority being to give as many clubs as possible 19 home and 19 away games.

Every season this has happened with Celtic and Rangers.

The added complications are caused by the SPL's desire not to have a Celtic-Rangers title decider/clincher and being unwilling to play the derby fixture on the weekend of the May bank holiday.

These requirements create the problems with the SPL arranging their fixtures in order to give Rangers the chance to win the title at home in the first post split fixture and to be formally presented with the trophy in the final match.

To allow for this Rangers will play three back-to-back away games, something that many clubs face during the course of a season.

If the championship 'race' had been tighter Rangers would have been given a better balance between home and away fixtures- this season's schedule is to ensure that the clinching of the title and trophy presentation gets maximum publicity with Rangers slotted in to play those games at Ibrox.

The phrase sporting integrity is one that first came to light two seasons ago when once again the SPL fixture list was being manipulated to suit Rangers needs.

Having taken the unusual step of agreeing to postpone a fixture at Gretna to help Rangers Champions League prospects- the SPL took the unprecedented step of extending the season to accommodate Rangers bid to win four trophies.

Celtic and other club's kept their unhappiness over this situation private but when a request for a further extension became an issue Peter Lawwell made Celtic's opposition public.

Whilst Rangers kept on playing matches when it suited them Celtic had to wait ten days between their final two fixtures before clinching the SPL title away to Dundee United- Rangers finished that season with three consecutive away fixtures- one of those against St Mirren had been held from October of the season with the Saints players counting down the minutes to their end of season sunshine jolly.

As his club prepares to win the SPL title perhaps Bain should think more about the facts and his own club's credibility rather than playing to the gallery as he attempts to sell season tickets against a very uncertain financial backdrop.

Now that sporting integrity is back on the agenda hopefully the SPL will keep a close eye on u-19 postponements to ensure that no club finds itself playing eleven of their first sixteen fixtures at home before ending the season with six consecutive away matches.

Next season's Champions League group stages will consist of six matches, three home and three away for each club, with the officials selected from outwith the nations of the competing clubs.

LATEST NEWS from The Evening Herald 
u-19 league table 
u-19 fixture list 

Fixture decision today: May 5 likely for Celtic-Rangers

The SPL are hoping to announce the post-split fixtures today and finally name the date for the final Celtic-Rangers fixture.

Whoever it was that said that there would never be a Celtic-Rangers title decider/clincher really has dropped the SPL in it with the same scenario played out virtually every season.

With Rangers six points away from clinching the championship, or two matches away, the least problematic date for the match looks like being Wednesday May 5.

Saturday May 1 could be considered but an additional factor to the equation is that the police don't seem to like Celtic playing Rangers on a bank holiday weekend although they haven't had any additional problems with fixtures over the festive season.

A midweek fixture isn't ideal but is probably considered the least problematic but again puts out long distance Celtic fans who have only had four Saturday home matches this season.

All being well for the SPL the top six will be decided today with Hearts requiring a draw or a St Johnstone defeat to secure their place in the top six.

If that comes to pass the fixtures will be published tonight, if not it's back to plan B tomorrow including St Johnstone.

As ever there will be anomolies around with Celtic having played Dundee United, Hibs, Motherwell and Hearts at home twice already this season.

Celtic are due three home matches after the split meaning that two clubs can expect a third trip to Celtic Park- will one of those clubs be Dundee United with both clubs contending for second place?

There is no easy solution to the fixture issue created by the split but perhaps the SPL should issue the full fixtures at the start of the season based on the previous season's standings.

Although there is virtually no chance of the same teams finishing in the top six it would create a framework for the fixtures rather than leave supporters trying to second guess what's going on.

Last season's fixtures provided their share of controversy with the timing of the Rangers-Celtic game allowing Madjid Bougherra to return from suspension and giving Rangers three home games with Hearts and three away to Hibs.

Click here later today for the post-split fixtures- Hearts, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and St Johnstone permitting!

SPL Chief backs calls to change the appeals process

SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has thrown his weight behind calls to change disciplinary matters in Scottish football and specifically the controversial appeals process.

Last week saw some verbal sparring between John Reid and Gordon Smith as the simmering row between Celtic and the SFA rumbled on.

Celtic have gone public twice this season with their concerns about displinary matters. In October they asked for clarity on the criteria used to bring matters to the attention of the Review Panel and then criticised the appeals process that saw their appeal against a red card for Scott Brown being decided by the match referee, Dougie McDonald.

Detecting the widespread desire to alter the disciplinary system, Doncaster has used his SPL blog to state the case for reform.

"We need an open and transparent appeals system – one that is entirely independent of those making the decisions in the first place," the SPL Chief claims.

"I have huge sympathy for any referee who makes an honest and genuine mistake while the eyes of several hundred thousand critical viewers look on. But by insisting that the referee is part of the appeals process, we make his job even tougher than it already is."

Doncaster appears keen to avoid getting bogged down in the past with long standing grievances and presents an impressive enthusiasm to move things forward without point-scoring.

Whether that sort of attitude has a place in Scottish football remains to be seen with most observors despairing at the slow pace of change and unwillingness to take on fresh approaches.

Stressing the need to remove the match referee from any appeal Doncaster highlights FIFA legislation which allows decisions to reviewed without the referees involvement, in summary he adds: "Because FIFA’s own disciplinary committee is able to do these things in relation to a FIFA match, any other football association around the World can do the same for matches under its own jurisdiction. Hence the reason why the English FA do not force referees to review their own mistakes."

Looking for a solution rather than the cause of the current unrest Doncaster says: "Let’s admit that referees have a tough job and sometimes need help to make the best decisions. Let’s not have an appeals system in place that relies on referees admitting their mistakes.

"In this way we will prevent compounding a genuine error on the field of play with another, this time avoidable error, which adds points or suspensions to an innocent player’s disciplinary record."

Neil Doncaster's SPL blog

SPL Chief Doncaster rejects summer football

SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has opened up the annual debate about summer football.

With tonight's match at Kilmarnock a victim of pavement conditions and under 40,000 turning up to watch the home match with Hamilton the merits of summer football are worth discussing.

In itself 'summer football' is a bit of a misnomer, avoiding winter football would probably be a more appropriate term.

The prospect of summer football is as far away as ever according to Doncaster but it is encouraging to see that the SPL are actively looking at ways of improving the game.

In summary the SPL Chief believes that tradition mixed with the demands of European competitions and international commitments make it impossible for anything other than tweaking the current August-May schedule.

Doncaster said: “Football is a game where tradition and custom are extremely powerful influencers. Just try persuading supporters to change their favoured pre-match routine.

“For generations supporters have got used to a diet of winter football, culminating in a season finale in the spring.

“Certainly, if we were to experiment with summer football, we would have a job to change people’s habits. But, if summer football proved not to be a hit with the paying public, we would then undoubtedly lose supporters during the process of changing back.

“Breaking habits is difficult. But trying to reverse the change when those habits have been broken is a risky business.”
The complications and demands of Uefa and Fifa are equally problematic as Doncaster explained.

He added: “UEFA’s rules forbidding top leagues from scheduling domestic fixture cards against Champions League or Europa League matches and FIFA’s rules over call-up periods for international fixtures and tournaments create intense fixture congestion.

“And all this makes the task of fitting all of our domestic football into the current season challenging enough already.”

'Summer football' would inevitably clash with the World Cup and European Championships leaving clubs to fulfill fixtures without international players or shuffling the schedule around to avoid the high profile competition.

A summer season this year could see Celtic without upto half a dozen players with Scott McDonald, Georgios Samaras, Chris Killen, Landry N'Guemo, Ki Sung Yeung and Glenn Loovens all aiming to be involved in South Africa.

Creating a break in the season for the World Cup or European Championships is a complete no-no as Doncaster explained: “ It is unrealistic to schedule a domestic league head-to-head against either tournament – which would mean that every two years summer football would involve starting in say, February, stopping in May, re-starting in August and then finishing in December.

“Such a prospect is totally unattractive, not least of all because it would mean the climax to our domestic season taking place during the depths of winter.”

It looks like a case of better the devil you know with the season running along traditional lines despite the current glut of postponements.

Personally a three or four week break from the Saturday before Christmas would make most sense as recent attendances and the virtual wipe out of the SFL card last weekend highlighted.

It would mean the loss of so-called traditional new year derby matches but resuming with a card including Celtic-Rangers and Hearts-Hibs late in January followed by the Scottish Cup would certainly retain supporter interest.

If that allowed Celtic to jet off to Japan, South Korea or wherever then that is the clubs decision, other clubs are capable of doing as they please.

Football clubs survive a freeze on cash-flow from May to August, if they are viable businesses they should be able to cope with a three or four week break when attendances are traditionally at their lowest.

Neil Doncaster's SPL blog

SPL handouts and cash breakdown

The SPL have today handed out almost £1m to it's member clubs with an £80,000 cheque arriving before Santa calls, or the tax man, Vat man or bank man.

Every penny counts in these difficult times but there are probably 30 or more players in the Premiership picking up that sort of sum on a weekly basis.

Accompanying the announcement there was an interesting breakdown of costs involved with the SPL and how they divide up their income.

The SPL pays out £1.7m a year to the SFL which was agreed when they broke away and includes parachute payments.

No amount is given for parachute payments but it's unlikely to be anywhere near the £1m guaranteed to clubs for playing in the SPL.

Once the costs and deductions are made 48% of the remaining 'profit' is spread evenly across all clubs with the remaining 52% given out based on league positions.

There are no direct payments for televised games with all of the money going in the pot for distribution.

With Celtic and Rangers appearing in 90% of the live televised matches, of which 90% are away from home there is no bonus or benefit paid to either club with the cash pooled.

This could be seen as unfair but an extra £500,000 to either club is hardly going to make much difference whilst £50,000 could cover the salary of a first team player at most clubs or go a long way to maintaining a youth programme.

SPL statement