Butcher raging as Inverness Caley stitched up
Caley inconvenienced to suit Rangers
As soon as St Mirren drew against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup, the fixture list in the SPL was starting to creak under more pressure. The Buddies were supposed to travel to Ibrox in that midweek but their 0-0 draw with Peterhead meant that the league game would not go ahead.
Rangers immediately intimated that they wanted a league game that midweek, partly due to the fact that the postponement of the St Mirren game meant that Madjid Bougherra would be ineligible for the trip to Tynecastle.
The SPL decided that the Rangers v Caley Thistle match, initially scheduled for the weekend when Rangers are involved in the League Cup semi-final but moved to the start of March, will be played next week.
At first it was assumed that both sides were happy with this and you thought fair enough. However, Caley boss Terry Butcher has launched an astonishing attack on the SPL for the announcement of this game. It appears that this game has been brought forward for the benefit of one club and one club only.
As Butcher said;
“I’m really disappointed that we’re being forced to play a game that we didn’t want to.”
“Because of our fans travelling down the A9, which is probably the worst road in Scotland, with the worst record in Scotland. “
“Anyone with any sort of sanity would probably say ‘hang on a minute, we’ve scheduled it for March 2 and that’s a good number of weeks in advance’. Then the fans would be able to travel down in better conditions.”
Butcher should be aware that people with sanity are in short supply at the top of Scottish football.
“We’ve just come through a hectic programme over Christmas and New Year, we’ve played every game and played more games than any other team.
“We have no backlog of fixtures and yet this game has been put back and then brought forward because there’s an available window for it to be played.
“I just think it hasn’t taken into account our fans. It hasn’t taken into account our preparation as well. I’ve not had Rangers watched or been interested in Rangers because we weren’t scheduled to play them for six weeks.”
The next comment made by Butcher is probably the most damning and certainly a situation that many involved in Scottish football see applying to themselves.
“I think this is a season when a lot of clubs in the SPL, ourselves included, see our wishes and our thoughts and best interests are not being heard or taken into account.”
Butcher expressed his feelings to STV and the full interview can be found here: Butcher fumes to STV
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Poor Terry …….
Haha!
He does have a point for his own team and fans…which is why we focussed on the Caley side and not the Rangers issue. The more sensible approach would have been for the SPL to have waited until the outcome of tonight’s Hearts v St Johnstone match was known.
If either side won, St Johnstone would have been free next week and Rangers could have had their McDiarmid Park game slotted in for the Wednesday. This places an outstanding game into the mix and by making the game on the Wednesday, both teams would have the same preparation time as Rangers and Caley have been given.
Rangers do need games and a game for them next week is sensible…it is harsh on Caley though.
Two of Terry’s points are completely redundant.
- “Our fans have to travel down the A9 in bad conditions”. They have to do that for every game they play away from November to February so that is a ridiculous point. And the same can be said of every fan that has to travel up the A9 to a game at the caledonian stadium during this period as well. So what is he saying, we shouldnt be scheduling any game for ICT during this time? I know he is making a comparison to March but that in itself is no guarantee. It snowed in march 2 and 3 year ago. He’s clutching at straws.
- Secondly he says they havent had Rangers watched. It doesnt take a genius to suggest that this will be exactly the same for rangers who wont have had caley watched. So this is the same for both teams, but are we supposed to feel sorry for Caley cos they are the smaller team or is it just another attempt to make rangers look the big bad boys. I’m thinking the latter.
Also can i question the statement “partly due to Bougherra missing the game at tynecastle”. I’m guessing this has not been said by rangers but is an assumption written at that stage in proceedings to make rangers sound calculating. No mention of the fact that rangers may be keen to clear any backlog to:-
- avoid a repeat of 08
- not allow celtic to increase their lead anymore
- they have at least two more european midweeks to play, plus still in both cups. Something other teams in scotland dont have to worry about.
If tynecastle was such a big game that rangers are supposedly wanting to squeeze another game in – does that not fly in the face of the fact another game that week would leave the players more tired for tynecastle and potentially risk injury to key players ahead of this clash deemed important enough to make sure bougherra can play. Such comments only add up if you’re wanting to boot in to rangers and hold them up as some calculating controller of legislation and fixtures.
Rangers fans were up in arms about being sent to Tannadice in the days before Christmas (of course, that game was postponed). Scooter went into a lengthy rant about that trip, I cant recall you picking him up on that point.
As for the second point – yep, both teams are in the same boat.
It was reported in the media on Sunday morning that Rangers were keen to have a game this midweek without any reasons stated for this desperation. This is a site that deals in rumours and speculation – a key point of the keenness to get a game played would be Bougherra’s suspension, alongside some of the other factors you stated. However, the word “partly” accounts for that.
As for Rangers and a desire to “hold them up as some calculating controller of legislation and fixtures” – oh dear…have we ever said that? (Yes is probably the answer!!!)
Again though, hardly think this site is going to take lessons in fairness and even-handedness from your good self!
You can quibble about certain issues but Caley have been harshly treated here in order to provide Rangers with a game, which the media suggested they requested. Anyways, our earlier comment about waiting for the outcome of the Hearts v St Johnstone still stand, that would have made a lot more sense.
There’s a difference with the road thing.
When you have to travel down the A9 in bad conditions when it’s a game that has been scheduled for a while, it’s expected. The fans know when the list goes up what the weather is likely to be like at that time of year and make plans with such in mind.
This is a resheduled game. It was not supposed to take place next week. Surely it isn’t too much to ask that, if given the choice between a date where it’ll likely be safer for the fans travelling and one where there is a greater chance that the journey will be dangerous, the safer date will be chosen/adhered to.
Just think it is Terry bumping his gums cos it is Rangers and will therefore get picked up by the media. Would he have had a problem if it was a game against Killie or Hibs. Probably not. However cos it is against rangers he can make a fuss, pull out some excuse about fans having to travel in bad weather and he looks hard done by……thus potentially courting more favour over a future decision when he really needs it.
Yeah i’ll admit to backing the blue corner in debates. I probably shouldnt listen to the football phone in on the way home as it boils my blood and u have no direct right to reply. Leads me to sounding off more directly than i would like. But hey, it’s a passionate game.
Will, cheers for that, safety should be important – we get the points MYT made earlier, thousands travel the road every day in this weather and they all make adjustments – so in that sense, it shouldnt come into it. However, as you say, it was already scheduled at a time that appeared suitable to everyone.
Its unfortunate that Rangers have this backlog and they should be playing games when they can….and with 77 mins on the clock, the 0-0 score at Tynecastle is preventing the St Johnstone game from played next week. Then again, we’ve cursed that score-line.
As for you MYT – absolutely no problems with you coming on and backing the blue corner, to do anything else would be ridiculous. As we’ve discussed loads of times on here – a lot of times its not the situation itself that annoys people, it is who it affects – but as you say, football is a passionate game, its why get involved so much and waste so much time and money on it!
But seriously – phone ins man….if you are going to torture yourself, at least set yourself up for laughing at the people….don’t be annoyed by them. The pundits are even worse but they’re getting paid to rile people.
And right on cue……goal St Johnstone on 86 minutes.
Peaso McDonald, former team-mate of some of the WeKnowSFA team.
It’s ok. Ben Foster has just cheered me up.
I take your point Will. It is a dangerous road and midweek makes it guaranteed to be travelling back late at night when temperatures drop. But there is nothing in the fixture list to suggest that we shouldnt schedule ICT games midweek during winter and also having one week’s notice or three months notice will not make the travel any more easy or difficult. It may stop some fans getting time off work which would be a pain and i’d have sympathies there.
It would seem the more sensible approach would be to wait to see result of tonights game, but again that may just put the decision off for another day and create more anguish.
Fixture backlog is going to create these potential problems, however on this case i really dont see the big disadvantage for Caley over Rangers.
I know i shouldnt get drawn in by the phone ins and for the most part i do just laugh at the numpties, however there can sometimes be one caller or one point where u feel everyone is missing the point. Must get some funny looks at the traffic lights shouting at the radio. But maybe no more funny than singing along to ‘In the Fade’ by QOTSA in my best rock voice.
It really was a cracker of a fumble wasn’t it?
Green and Foster at either end – two of the best English keepers around – okay Joe Hart is a different class but they’d be in international squads. Gordon and McGregor would be chosen by most over they two I think.
Hope you all remember this later in the season when Smith is bumping his gums about nothing being done to help his team.