Philippe Clement namechecks young Rangers fan who travelled from Wales to Tayside TWICE only to see Dundee game OFF
THE Tayside rain was relentless. But it was tears pouring down the face of a seven year-old that Philippe Clement wanted to wipe away most of all. Philippe Clement reckons it was a crying shame X/@_TF93Sponsors stepped in to cover the cost – but young Ollie didn’t see a ball kicked[/caption] There may have been frustration and anger in the Rangers team hotel at the latest Dens Park postponement. But the look of disappointment on the young lad’s face that left the Ibrox boss more gutted than anything. Dundee still don’t know whether they will be able to stage their home game next midweek. SunSport understands they were last night frantically phoning around other Premiership clubs looking for a pitch to play on IF their own sodden surface fails to pass an inspective again. It’s believed McDiarmid Park, Easter Road and Tynecastle are looking like the most likely venues. And it’s possible that could see fans locked out should cops insists it’s too short notice to police the fixture. That’s why Clement is thinking about the supporters who are being left in limbo – like the kid he met on Wednesday. He said: “Yesterday, when we were in the hotel, I saw a father with a small boy, it was the second time that they’ve travelled from Wales to St Andrews for the boy to see a Rangers game and it’s the second time the game’s been cancelled. “It was a boy of six, seven years old, who was crying. “There’s a lot of things around that, all the fans coming there from Wales, from England, from Northern Ireland, from all over the place the first time a few weeks ago and now again. “This is really bad for the image of football in Scotland. Everybody needs to realise that and it needs to be avoided. “It’s important to make the right decisions that this cannot happen anymore.” The young lad in question is called Ollie Fish and his dad Thomas took to social media yesterday to say he was delighted to be mentioned by the manager – even if the youngster was adamant he DIDN’T cry. Thomas wrote on X/Twitter: “Mention off the gaffer. “Though Ollie is fuming cos he didn’t cry “Just a side note in the story of winning the treble.” It’s understood Rangers and Dundee both declined the SPFL’s offer to play the game last midweek. Perhaps understandably, the title chasing Ibrox club wanted a clear week ahead of their Old Firm derby with Celtic. But that hasn’t stopped them venting their fury at the never-ending saga. They attacked the Dark Blues negligence and unprofessionalism in allowing this situation to manifest itself. And Clement has told how he would have been happy to play on THURSDAY NIGHT – 24 hours after the latest postponement – but that request was turned down. He added: “We offered that option but it was not accepted. “So it will be next week now. “But we saw yesterday morning, it was possible to play but in a few hours it was impossible. “Who’s going to guarantee that it’s not going to rain next week? The pitch is the problem, it doesn’t take the water anymore. “The last thing that I hear now, the last information that I got, is that we will know Tuesday at 12 o’clock at the latest where we are going to play on Wednesday. “Normally in Dundee but if it is not possible, it will need to be somewhere else. “That we know now Tuesday at 12 o’clock before we travel, we know what is going to happen. “We need to make several plans. I hope we know a few days before where the other venue will be to organise things.” Rangers were critical of the SPFL for their handling of this latest controversy but Clement stopped short of attacking the likes of Chief Executive Neil Doncaster. He added: “I cannot say anything about this because I don’t know anybody from the Federation. “So what can I say about that? Nothing. “Maybe there is strong leadership and whatever reason there is this situation. I don’t have any opinion about that. “I don’t know the people. I only know that it is important now to make a really good decision towards next week. “That it is really clear for everybody, that everybody knows, that everybody can prepare this game in a good way that it can be played for sure, 200 per cent sure. “And that it can be played in a situation that is good for the image of Scottish football, like it was this weekend with the Old Firm. “In a good situation, that there can be football played. “I said it a few months ago. In the Premier League, they raised the standards in all the amounts towards the teams to have a better product of football. PANeil Doncaster is the man in charge of the SPFL[/caption] “That is why they are also the games that most people look at. It is the best way, the best football, the fastest football, because football is played in a good way on good surfaces. It is an important part in football to have a good surface. “Th
THE Tayside rain was relentless.
But it was tears pouring down the face of a seven year-old that Philippe Clement wanted to wipe away most of all.
There may have been frustration and anger in the Rangers team hotel at the latest Dens Park postponement.
But the look of disappointment on the young lad’s face that left the Ibrox boss more gutted than anything.
Dundee still don’t know whether they will be able to stage their home game next midweek.
SunSport understands they were last night frantically phoning around other Premiership clubs looking for a pitch to play on IF their own sodden surface fails to pass an inspective again.
It’s believed McDiarmid Park, Easter Road and Tynecastle are looking like the most likely venues.
And it’s possible that could see fans locked out should cops insists it’s too short notice to police the fixture.
That’s why Clement is thinking about the supporters who are being left in limbo – like the kid he met on Wednesday.
He said: “Yesterday, when we were in the hotel, I saw a father with a small boy, it was the second time that they’ve travelled from Wales to St Andrews for the boy to see a Rangers game and it’s the second time the game’s been cancelled.
“It was a boy of six, seven years old, who was crying.
“There’s a lot of things around that, all the fans coming there from Wales, from England, from Northern Ireland, from all over the place the first time a few weeks ago and now again.
“This is really bad for the image of football in Scotland. Everybody needs to realise that and it needs to be avoided.
“It’s important to make the right decisions that this cannot happen anymore.”
The young lad in question is called Ollie Fish and his dad Thomas took to social media yesterday to say he was delighted to be mentioned by the manager – even if the youngster was adamant he DIDN’T cry.
Thomas wrote on X/Twitter: “Mention off the gaffer.
“Though Ollie is fuming cos he didn’t cry
“Just a side note in the story of winning the treble.”
It’s understood Rangers and Dundee both declined the SPFL’s offer to play the game last midweek.
Perhaps understandably, the title chasing Ibrox club wanted a clear week ahead of their Old Firm derby with Celtic.
But that hasn’t stopped them venting their fury at the never-ending saga.
They attacked the Dark Blues negligence and unprofessionalism in allowing this situation to manifest itself.
And Clement has told how he would have been happy to play on THURSDAY NIGHT – 24 hours after the latest postponement – but that request was turned down.
He added: “We offered that option but it was not accepted.
“So it will be next week now.
“But we saw yesterday morning, it was possible to play but in a few hours it was impossible.
“Who’s going to guarantee that it’s not going to rain next week? The pitch is the problem, it doesn’t take the water anymore.
“The last thing that I hear now, the last information that I got, is that we will know Tuesday at 12 o’clock at the latest where we are going to play on Wednesday.
“Normally in Dundee but if it is not possible, it will need to be somewhere else.
“That we know now Tuesday at 12 o’clock before we travel, we know what is going to happen.
“We need to make several plans. I hope we know a few days before where the other venue will be to organise things.”
Rangers were critical of the SPFL for their handling of this latest controversy but Clement stopped short of attacking the likes of Chief Executive Neil Doncaster.
He added: “I cannot say anything about this because I don’t know anybody from the Federation.
“So what can I say about that? Nothing.
“Maybe there is strong leadership and whatever reason there is this situation. I don’t have any opinion about that.
“I don’t know the people. I only know that it is important now to make a really good decision towards next week.
“That it is really clear for everybody, that everybody knows, that everybody can prepare this game in a good way that it can be played for sure, 200 per cent sure.
“And that it can be played in a situation that is good for the image of Scottish football, like it was this weekend with the Old Firm.
“In a good situation, that there can be football played.
“I said it a few months ago. In the Premier League, they raised the standards in all the amounts towards the teams to have a better product of football.
“That is why they are also the games that most people look at. It is the best way, the best football, the fastest football, because football is played in a good way on good surfaces. It is an important part in football to have a good surface.
“Those are things to think about. I don’t know how it works in Scotland. In Belgium you have the Licence Committee, it is probably the same here, and you need to get one minimum standard, like the lights, like the seating, like how many standing places or whatever.
“A lot of rules. I think the pitch is a really important part in that also. It is an important part to have a good competition and good product.”
Dundee are now facing a fine for FIVE postponements this season with Rangers urging the SPFL to inflict severe punishment.
Clement added: That is not my job. I am not sitting in the board of the federation or the board of the club.
“There are other really smart people in this country to make the decisions around that and to discuss about that, maybe also to discuss with other countries what would happen there or what happened in the past.
“I don’t think it ever happened five times but maybe after two or three games there were things happening in other countries.
“Let the smart people decide about that and let’s me focus on football.”
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