SPL cannot extend season - Smith

20 December 2010 16:30
Rangers manager Walter Smith does not anticipate an extension to the season to cope with a potential backlog of fixtures after the Ibrox club had a similar request rejected three seasons ago. The Glasgow giants were "bitterly disappointed" when the Scottish Premier League denied them the later finish to the season they were seeking as they faced a crippling schedule en-route to the UEFA Cup final in 2008. That gruelling run saw Smith's men play nine games in 24 days, and they eventually missed out on both the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title and the European silverware. With a number of fixtures already falling victim to the weather conditions, including Rangers` rescheduled trip to Tannadice on Tuesday night, an extension to the campaign could become a possibility - but not as far as Smith is concerned. He said: "They can't extend the season because they wouldn't do it for Rangers a couple of seasons ago so they're not going to do it now, are they? "Surely, if the season is not going to be extended for one team, then they can't extend it for any of the rest of them. If they wouldn't do it for one team two seasons ago, why would they do it now?"

Source: PA