Rangers v Dundee: Don Robertson reveals Dens Park covers failed as BBC Sport footage emerges
The Dens Park pitch covers failed as the issues which saw Rangers vs Dundee again postponed were not the same ones which got the first attempt called off, Don Robertson has revealed.
The official told BBC Sport Scotland on 10 April that despite having deemed the pitch at 11.30am it “deteriorated significantly” before 4.30pm when it had become “unplayable”, as areas of the pitch that were covered were by then “waterlogged”.
BBC Sport had released footage via Twitter of the playing surface at the point the inspection which put a stop to the game, to be to next Wednesday (17 April), with standing water visible on and off the pitch and balls thrown by Robertson failing to bounce.
The referee confirmed that the “area of concern” between one penalty area and the half-way line had been wet in the morning but safe and the ball was “travelling freely”, only for the heavy rain to not be held off by the covers and the situation to change.
He said: “They’ve then had the covers on that area, an area that they were aware there were some concerns. There’s been the rain then this afternoon and when I’ve arrived back this afternoon, when they’ve taken the covers off that part of the pitch has actually become waterlogged.
“So the covers unfortunately have not been able to withstand the rain that’s arrived this afternoon.”
He also confirmed that the Dundee ground staff had done “good work” in improving the areas that had been a problem on 17 March, which were still playable despite the latest downpour.
Dens Park facilities fail Dundee v Rangers fixture twice
If the staff have managed to prevent the same areas from becoming waterlogged as had done previously, despite more bad weather, that would seem to prove that the pitch can be managed.
But if the equipment they have been supplied with is not up the job, as the covers clearly weren’t, then it sounds like a thankless task for them to be unable to maintain the entire surface at once.
Club secretary Eric Drysdale has now admitted that investment is required and that it is on the way, but clearly that is too little too late with regards to the current issue, and will be still for the third attempt next week.
Surely the league and the Dark Blues are going to have to sort out some sort of contingency for 17 April that doesn’t leave both teams at the mercy of how Dens Park responds to the weather a third time, having apparently failed to implement any of the reported options for this go.
It is unclear how a third postponement could even be dealt with given this is already set to be the lone outlying fixture left to play before the split even then.
But with the deficit to Celtic just one point in the SPFL title race and this game remaining unplayed potentially the difference between Philippe Clement taking his side back to the top of the table it has already caused major disruption up to this point.
So further issues are bound to only increase claims of sporting disadvantage from multiple sources, with Hibs already making that claim [Edinburgh News, 10 April].
In other Rangers news, a new contract offer hasn’t gone as planned at Ibrox.
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