Source: Team_Talk
Smith: Timing is key to winter break
Severe weather conditions have wreaked havoc with the fixture card in recent weeks, with several of this weekend's Scottish Cup ties falling victim to the weather.[LNB]Rangers' own clash at Hamilton looks set to go ahead as planned on Sunday but calls for a winter shutdown continue to grow.[LNB]Smith says he would enjoy a break at this time of year as much as anyone else, but he believes the unpredictability of the elements means deciding exactly when to call a halt to games could prove troublesome.[LNB]"It's something that comes up every year when we get postponement of games," he said.[LNB]"Our problem is when we are going to have our inclement weather - will it be at the start of January? The end of February? When do you have your break?[LNB]"So there are two things - do we have a winter break or do we turn the season on its head and play all during the summer and break for the entire winter?[LNB]"Those are the things we have to take into consideration.[LNB]"I personally wouldn't mind seeing a break but it's a very difficult thing to fit in and put in place. It could lead to quite a long break if you don't get the timing correct."[LNB]Rangers romped to a 5-1 win over Accies in the Scottish Cup last year but Smith was refusing to take victory for granted this weekend.[LNB]"It will be a tough game there," he said.[LNB]"They are a fairly settled SPL side and a cup tie always adds a little bit of an extra edge. No doubt that will be the case on Sunday.[LNB]"I remember in my first spell here when we lost out to Hamilton and, although they were a Premier League side at that time, it was still a hard one to take.[LNB]"Hopefully we can get over this one on Sunday but we know what Hamilton can do.[LNB]"We face them on a fairly regular basis in the Premier League and they always make it difficult for everyone. I'm looking forward to the cup tie and I'm sure it will be a good one."[LNB]Teenage defender Danny Wilson - who is hoping to retain his place in the team in the absence of Madjid Bougherra - added: "It will be a difficult game.[LNB]"They are an SPL side and it's a cup game so you never know what can happen in the cup but we just have to approach it the same way we have done in the last few matches.[LNB]"We have had three or four good results in a row and we scored a lot of goals in December so confidence is high in the camp."[LNB][LNB]
