The Daily Record today repeated its nonsensical lie that Celtic would have to request the postponement of three games if they were seeking to protect themselves in the event that three or more of our players are called up for the 2 February match.
This is an attempt to make it seem that we’re seeking some special favours, so that if this request is granted – and there is no reason whatsoever for it not to be – that the suggestion can be put forward that the SPFL has bent its own rules on our behalf.
Let me repeat; the SPFL regulations are clear on this.
We are fully entitled to request a postponement for one game only; there is nothing in there which says we’d need to postpone all three together and any suggestion to the contrary is a lie.
If the SPFL even attempted to enforce a rule which does not exist Celtic’s lawyers would be all over this.
The SPFL cannot, on the one hand, tell us that there is no room in the fixture list for one more game and at the same time demand that we postpone three of them. Only an idiot would believe that they would do so.
Only a complete moron would write this in a national newspaper column as if it was a fact when even the daftest person should be able to spot the hole in it.
In addition, the paper is still banging on about the 2008 season; this has exactly no relevance to this debate at all.
And in the 2008 season, far from Rangers being hard done by, which is the common refrain, the fact is that the season was extended for them.
The SFA even offered to re-schedule the Scottish Cup Final, which was only scuppered because nobody bothered to ask Rangers’ opponents, who quite obviously weren’t going to entertain the idea.
Their club failed to beat opponents in Scottish Cup ties which had to be replayed that year.
They asked for, and got, several postponements in the course of the campaign, one so they could “prepare” for a European tie.
The league body bent over backwards and on their behalf and still we never hear the end of the bitching over the “injustice” of them not doing more.
Celtic is asking for none of that.
Even if we do request a postponement for one game, nobody is suggesting anything dramatic or crazy here.
Nobody is requested an extension to the season, although that’s not the stupidest option if it turns out we have to.
After all, there’s no doubt both sides will be in the top six; there’s no reason therefore why the game can’t be scheduled for sometime after the split if there’s genuinely no room in the schedule.
Some of the disingenuous nonsense being put forth for why this can’t be done … none of it will stand up.
If our club requests this, it should be granted.
I still don’t think we will.
I doubt we’ll have enough call-ups that it will make that much of a difference. The Japanese Bhoys might be in the squad and they might not be, but I’d think we’d need to have five or more call ups before the club would ask.
We’re not afraid to take on the Ibrox club without Kyogo; why should we be?
If we have a fit striker in Giakoumakis, if Turnbull and Rogic are fit, and – most important – if Jota plays then we’ll beat them and quite convincingly, I think.
But no team should be expected to play a game like that, with so much on the line, if five players or more are out on international duty.
In those circumstances, we’d be well within our rights and nobody could complain or object, whatever obstacles the press might want to fabricate.
Will Rogic not also be away with Australia meaning we wont have him available?
Well said my man. To the daily hun. That’s the standard off the paper these days. Nothing proper to say or right on there column only have to look at English top flight games getting postponed coz they have player playing in Africa Cup and we don’t hear anything said bout though games being cancelled and rescheduled from the paper columnists do we daily hun paper