Another myth that they have rolled out is that during Celtic's run to the UEFA Cup final in 2003, the SPL changed games to help them prepare. The SPL did no such thing, but another team agreed to move a game forward a few days. There was no extension, no other teams were forced to change anything, no one else was effected.
Is there any reason Rangers can't move their game forward instead of back? But then that would only help them in the UEFA cup and not in the League, which is what they really want.
In fact, during that 2003 season, Celtic themselves did protest that the timing of a Celtic-Rangers game, arranged just two days after Celtic returned from an away UEFA Cup semifinal match, was unfair. That game did go ahead as planned, and Rangers manager and players told Celtic that they should be “thankful” they were in the position that they were in, and that they were “moaners”. How things have changed now it is they who are in this position.
SFA president George Peat even claimed yesterday, in regards to offering even more help, that:
"It would be exactly the same if it were Celtic, Aberdeen, Hibs, Motherwell, Dundee United, any of the others.”
Well George, it was Celtic in 2003, and no extension was offered to help them, it was Aberdeen earlier in the year, and you didn't help them either.
Trying to get any fair and unbiased response to this from Rangers is proving difficult, as the BBC found out when they asked the club for a simple statement to the initial refusal of the SPL to postpone the match against Dundee United.
The BBC were told Rangers had “refused to comment, stating that a Scottish national newspaper has exclusive rights to their reaction”. Have they sold these rights to make money, or given them away for certain generous publicity from said newspaper? Who knows.
Anyone reading this who is not familiar with Scottish Football need only ask themselves this: Would the league in your country extended to help one team at the expense of others?
I think the answer would be a resounding 'No'.
It seems to me that Rangers will try by hook or crook to make sure this year's league trophy ends up at Ibrox. Their current problems are of their own making, but they want help from others.
This second extension they have called for was completely unworkable, with Rangers requesting to move the league even later, despite the fact that players have to be released for international duty. Celtics' Georgios Samaras has already had to pull out of a Greece friendly because of the first extension, which could ultimately cost cost him his place at EURO 2008.
It has for now been turned down (Rangers are unbelievably crying foul), but the first one has already compromised the Scottish League. Every team in this year's Scottish Premier League has been competing on equal terms. Except for one.
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