Rangers to suffer financial hit after recent SPFL decision at Ibrox
Rangers will have suffered a minor hit after the SPFL decided to reschedule their clash with St Johnstone for 8pm on Sunday 6 October, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley.
The Light Blues were originally set to welcome St Johnstone to Ibrox on Saturday (5 October) but their Europa League clash with Lyon meant that the game had to be delayed by a day [The Courier, 4 September].
But because of the Great Scottish Run, the game couldn’t be played in the afternoon and instead kicked off late in the evening and Plumley believes the Gers would have been left “upset” by the SPFL’s decision.
“It’s one of those where they can complain,” Plumley exclusively told Ibrox News.
“I have no doubt they’ll be upset by it, but if the league makes that decision, it’s really tough to argue.
“It seems like that was a sort of one-off event and while it maybe could happen every year if it falls that way, it’s not a regular thing that’s going to move the calendar too much.
“You tend to find that a lot of games nowadays get moved for TV, that’s the biggest shift in the fixtures and of course, the clubs are benefiting from the TV revenue.
“So you’re always going to get these occurrences where it happens from time to time.
“I completely understand the argument from a financial point of view, but in the bigger picture of Rangers’ revenue and overall finances, I don’t think it hurts them too much.
“It’s just kind of luck of the draw on this one and ultimately, the SPFL has made the decision. All things considered, it will be a bit of a hit, but you have to kind of take it on the chin and move on.
“But overall in the bigger picture of a year’s worth of games and finances going into that club, it won’t shift things too much or be too big a blow.”
Why did Rangers v St Johnstone kick off so late at Ibrox?
While the impact of the SPFL’s decision may have been minor in the bigger picture of Rangers’ season, it is still frustrating that they have seemingly suffered because of circumstances outside of their control.
When Philippe Clement’s side are so desperate to close the gap to Celtic financially, they will be keen to maximise every revenue stream available to them.
But it appears as though, even if for only one game, their matchday income has been impacted.
In other Rangers news, Barry Ferguson has told the Gers to make a move for a teenager who is ready to play at Ibrox
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