David Edgar has been perplexed by the decision to play the Rangers vs Celtic Old Firm game at 3 p.m. on January 2.
Despite the fact that the game takes place in the middle of the week on a Tuesday, Sky Sports will show the afternoon kickoff.
Mid-week games that do not fall during the holiday season are typically scheduled for late evening kickoffs.
Edgar posted on X: “I still can’t quite believe it, but that’s what they’re saying!”
Rangers and Celtic fans will be furious with this news.
The Old Firm derby being scheduled for 3 p.m. on a Tuesday clearly contradicts fans’ typical expectations and practical reasons for attending the event.
Midweek games, particularly those that do not fall on holidays, are traditionally scheduled for evening kickoffs to accommodate supporters’ travel and work schedules.
This afternoon period, however, presents considerable obstacles for supporters, particularly those who travel from afar or must take time off work.
Because of the early timing, many fans may be unable to attend owing to work obligations, especially since this is not a normal holiday season.
This ignores fans’ requirements once more, treating the match as a televised event for viewers’ convenience rather than taking into account the live audience, perpetuating a trend in which supporters’ experiences are frequently pushed aside in favor of broadcast schedules.
Fans, however unlikely, will be hoping for a last-minute modification to accommodate the needs of the matchgoing public.
Rangers supporters will recall Welsh international left-back Declan John from his brief stay at Ibrox in 2017/18.
The former Cardiff City left-back joined Rangers on loan from the Welsh club and was so successful that the club made the signing permanent six months later.
Only a few months after Declan John signed a permanent agreement with Rangers, the arrival of Steven Gerrard to the club’s management marked the beginning of the end for the defender.
But John could be returning to Ibrox this season after signing a short-term contract with one of Rangers’ Scottish Premiership rivals.
Declan John signed with St Mirren.
Declan John has signed a short-term contract with St Mirren until January, following the controversial dismissal of defender Jaden Brown.
The 29-year-old left-back joins St Mirren after being released by Bolton Wanderers in the summer following a loan spell with Salford City.
It is now up to the former Rangers defender to secure a longer-term contract in Paisley, with Saints manager Steven Robinson pressing John to make an impact.
“Declan is here on a short-term contract with the option to extend depending on how things go,” Robinson informed the official St Mirren website.
“Due to the conditions, we are severely lacking in defensive cover. Declan comes in with a wealth of experience.
“He’s played at some of the highest levels and has previously played in Scotland, so we’re quite fortunate to have him.
“We’ve witnessed his abilities in his first few days of training. He’s a talented child with excellent technical skills, but he hasn’t played much football in recent months, so we need to look into that and attempt to get him up to speed.
“To add to the squad with the quality and background Declan has, I believe we are very lucky at this stage of the season.”
Rangers are scheduled to travel to St Mirren on Scottish Premiership duty on December 26th, with St Mirren returning to Rangers on February 22nd.
It means John will have to sign a longer-term contract with St Mirren if he wants to return to Rangers next season.
Ex-Gers star is ‘delighted’ to be back in Scotland
Declan John returns to Scotland for the first time since leaving Rangers in the summer of 2018 to join Swansea City for £800,000.
However, the defender’s situation south of the border has not been favorable.
John was loaned out to Sunderland and then Bolton while at Swansea, before joining the Trotters permanently in 2021.
Declan John, who has returned to Scotland with St Mirren, is determined to make a difference for the Saints and says he is ‘extremely happy’ to be in Paisley.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be here,” John exclaimed. “It has been a hectic few days.
“I came up on Thursday, exercised on Friday, then went to witness the game on Saturday, which was a huge victory for the boys. I’ve enjoyed it and am looking forward to getting back into training.
“Everything has been so happy once we walked in, and you can feel it in the changing room. It feels like a pretty nice place to be.
Derek Ferguson believes Philippe Clement’s departure as Rangers manager is a serious possibility, despite the “strange” revelation that he hasn’t spoken to the club’s board
Following the catastrophic 2-1 defeat at Pittodrie on October 30, which left the Light Blues nine points behind Aberdeen and Celtic, the Ibrox manager stated that there had been no discussions about his future with the Gers hierarchy [Daily Record, 1 November].
Ferguson is perplexed by this circumstance, given that the Belgian is clearly underperforming, and believes that in any field of work, people in authority should express the need for improvement.
Clement has already lost three games in the Scottish Premiership this season and failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage, but his assessments of his team’s development have compounded fan displeasure.
The 50-year-old was strongly lambasted in the aftermath of Celtic’s 3-0 hammering on 1 September, after hyping about Rangers’ 6-0 success over Ross County a week earlier, and Ferguson admits his “bizarre” remark that the Dons defeat was one of their best displays is not what supporters want to hear.
And, despite concerns about the club’s ability to afford another managerial change, the ex-Ibrox midfielder believes it is doable.
Rangers’ defeat at Aberdeen established a nine-point gap to Celtic and Dons.
He exclusively told Ibrox News: “Of course [it is realistic that he will go].” It cannot continue. He has to answer to someone; there are board members present.
“And I believe he stated in the media that he had not spoken with them following the Aberdeen game.
Two or three days after an absolutely awful outcome, he came out and said it was one of his best performances, which is unusual to say when you lose to one of your biggest rivals; I don’t think people want to hear that.
“But it was weird that he hadn’t spoken to anyone, because if you’re not performing in your position, people will sit down with you. In our case, we don’t have a chairman, we don’t have a CEO, and there are board members who should be speaking with him.
“Just to let him know that it’s clearly not good enough and you need to up the stakes, it needs to be better
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