Rangers v Dundee: Fears mount for Dens Park fixture as ‘worst case scenario’ plan emerges
Dundee insist that their rearranged game against Rangers will go ahead on Wednesday night even as contingency plans have emerged, according to the Daily Record.
The paper reported via their website late on 8 April that the club were drawing up plans the same night as fears mounted for the match at Dens Park due to the playing surface.
If the pitch is again unfit to use, after the pre-international trip visit from Philippe Clement’s men was postponed at the last minute due to it being waterlogged, then plan B is for the game to be pushed back by 24 hours and played on Thursday night (11 April).
And with downpours reportedly expected for most of the time between Monday night and Thursday morning the “worst case scenario” plan C is for it to be played behind closed doors at a neutral venue, although Dundee are said to be “adamant” that their pitch will be playable as planned on Wednesday.
Motherwell won 3-2 after their game on Saturday controversially went ahead, with Stuart Kettlewell claiming the sanded pitch was “unplayable” and a endangered his players’ safety.
Rangers face disruption to crucial Dundee clash again
Aside from it being increasingly farcical for an SPFL stadium to be repeatedly unusable at times when games elsewhere round the country are uneffected by the weather more disruption to this game is the last thing Rangers want.
Clement was unimpressed to turn up last time only to find the game wouldn’t go ahead at the last minute, and after the 3-3 draw with Celtic on Sunday left this game the difference between potentially going back to the top of the league its importance is clear.
It is impossible to say what sort of psychological impact it had on the Gers or Brendan Rodgers’ side for the latter to come to Ibrox top thanks to the previous postponement, having sat first over the international break once the Rangers-Dundee clash was rearranged.
But with the split coming after one further set of games and a trip to Parkhead likely to be one of the first scheduled this is developing into a headache at a crucial stage of the title race.
It is vital that the Light Blues get a win and hold an advantage before the final meeting with the Hoops so the uncertainty around this game is proving far less than ideal preparation.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton was stunned by one Gers player who he admitted was “brilliant, brilliant” in the draw vs Celtic.
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