sport news STEPHEN MCGOWAN: Dundee pitch fiasco is the last thing Rangers need in the ... trends now
Victory over Celtic last Sunday would have taken Rangers back to the summit of the Premiership. Following that up with a win over Dundee last night would have stretched their lead to five points with six games remaining.
Philippe Clement could have reached out and wrapped a hand around the league trophy.
In football, even the best-laid plans have a habit of going awry. Four days can feel like a lifetime.
While a point against Celtic was an upgrade on defeat, it was no match for all three. The subsequent fiasco surrounding Dundee’s pitch has only added to the frustration within Ibrox.
One wasted trip on March 17 was bad enough. Last night the rearranged game fell foul of persistent rain and industrial negligence by a Dark Blues hierarchy so fixated on pursuing a new stadium they’ve stopped maintaining the one they already have.
Dundee's match with Rangers was postponed for a second time over a waterlogged pitch
The latest postponement is the last thing Philippe Clement's side wanted in the title race
A blistering Rangers statement accused Dundee of ‘negligence’ and ‘unprofessionalism’. While the Ibrox club have stopped short of demanding the three points, they are deeply unimpressed by the league’s handling of the whole business. In hindsight, Rangers might wish they’d simply gone ahead and played the rearranged game last midweek, the first available date.
With a game against Celtic on the horizon, a request was made to the SPFL board — on which Ibrox chief executive James Bisgrove sits — to push the game back by a week. Dundee agreed and the league had no objection. Given four previous postponements at Dens Park due to a waterlogged pitch, it was always a risky strategy.
Rangers’ management and players travelled to Dundee after a training session on Tuesday knowing their latest jaunt would probably finish up the same as the last one.
An 11am pitch inspection by referee Don Robertson ruled that the surface was playable.
With heavy rain predicted for the afternoon, however, travelling fans held off on leaving home until a second inspection at 3.30pm, when Robertson ruled that the surface was unsafe.
The game will now be played — with luck and a fair wind — next Wednesday night.
‘I did an initial inspection at 11am and the pitch was playable at that point,’ said Robertson.
‘The ball was bouncing and travelling through those areas where it was wet and, not ideal, but playable.
Referee Don Robertson deemed the pitch unplayable following a second pitch inspection
Robertson determined areas of the Dens Park pitch would be unsafe for the players to play on
‘Obviously everyone is quite aware of the issues Dundee have had with their
