Rangers disadvantage v PSV compounded by Scottish FA, Kris Boyd ‘idiotic’ claim proven wrong
Rangers go into their crucial PSV clash in the Netherlands following days of turmoil that could largely have been avoided with some FA help.
While their opponents were handed a boost by the Dutch FA in rescheduling the league fixture that came between the two European legs, no such assistance was provided by the Scottish body.
Ally McCoist had called the situation a “shambles” on talkSPORT, [via Football Scotland], as well as accusing Scottish football of being “blinkered and narrow-minded” in not wishing to help their teams in Europe.
However, another former Ibrox striker had branded calls to move the trip to Hibernian on Saturday (20 August) “idiotic”.
Kris Boyd used his Scottish Sun column to write: “Seriously, I’ve never heard so much nonsense in my life.”
Yet any of the benefits that may have been gained from another game have surely been roundly negated by the fact that the Hibs match saw the Gers handed two red cards, and drop their first points of an important league campaign when two men down in injury time.
The controversy over Willie Collum’s decision to send off John Lundstram when he hadn’t done the same for a near identical foul on the English midfielder earlier in the game dominated the original fall-out.
That was until news emerged that the second player given their marching orders, Alfredo Morelos, had been dropped from the squad entirely for the trip to the Netherlands due to concerns over fitness and attitude.
While that appears to have been brewing for some time, getting dismissed after just 13 minutes at the weekend appears to have been the catalyst to bring the situation to a head, as his teammates were unhappy and he was then late to the recovery session a day later.
To say that the draw with Hibs and the subsequent controversies have not been smooth preparation for one of the most important games of the club’s recent history would be an understatement.
Ruud van Nistelrooy meanwhile has been sitting back safe in the knowledge that his players are rested and should not be distracted by any new issues.
The Gers may defy expectations and overcome PSV to reach the Champions League group stage anyway, which is an uphill battle but not beyond them.
But what is certainly clear is that the difference that one game made is huge, and what was already an advantage to the Dutch side was compounded by the refereeing at Easter Road, the psychological blow of dropping points, and the follow-on effects of Morelos’ involvement.
In light of how things did go it is surprising that the Rangers didn’t pick up a couple of injuries in the SPFL game for good measure, but virtually all of it could have been avoided at least until after the PSV tie if the Scottish FA had done the same as their Dutch counterparts.
In other Rangers news, one star could soon be on their way for free as a club is lining up a winter pre-contract agreement.