Burley calls for rethink over fixture scheduling

GEORGE Burley has called for a radical restructuring of Scottish domestic football to ensure no club is ever again faced with the controversial logjam of fixtures currently engulfing Rangers as they approach their first European final for 36 years.

The Scotland manager yesterday added his voice to the debate surrounding the Ibrox club who have been left dismayed by the SPL's refusal to postpone their fixture against Dundee United this weekend ahead of their Uefa Cup final meeting with Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester next Wednesday night.

Burley believes Rangers are being treated unfairly, albeit as a consequence of a set of circumstances no-one could have predicted. In a season which will see Walter Smith's team play a record 19 games in European competition, Burley says it is time to explore the possibility of reducing the number of league games played in Scotland and also the scrapping of replays in the Scottish Cup.

"Football is changing and we have to change with it," said Burley. "I think it is ridiculous at this stage of the season for Rangers to have as many games as they do in such a short space of time. It is something that shouldn't be allowed to happen again.

"It is something the SPL and everyone else involved in the game here has to look at. There is more European football than ever before, with teams dropping out of the Champions League into the Uefa Cup, and we have to look at how we can handle that better.

"It is a magnificent achievement for Rangers to reach the Uefa Cup final. To see one of our teams there is tremendous and shows how strong the Scottish game is. So it is totally unfair asking them to play so many games at this stage. They are being punished for being successful.

"The whole structure of the game has to be looked at. There are a number of factors we can think about, whether it is reducing the number of league games we play or just playing more of them in the early part of the season. Getting rid of all cup replays is another possibility."

Burley suffered his own problems as a result of the Scottish football calendar when the squad for his first game in charge of the international team, against Croatia in March, was hit by a raft of withdrawals. Four Rangers players and Barry Robson of Celtic pulled out of the match which was staged just three days before an Old Firm league game at Ibrox.

"That was difficult and it would be better if Old Firm games were not scheduled close to international dates," said Burley. "There has to be communication between the various bodies, the SPL and the SFA, to solve these problems.

"What is happening to Rangers at the moment is not right and it has to be addressed for the future. It is just not realistic to ask a team to play seven games in 18 days at such an important stage of the season. There have been a number of things which have happened this season which no-one could foresee, but we have got to look at the whole set-up closely to prevent any club being put in this kind of position again."

Burley is, however, thrilled to see several Scotland internationals representing the country in a European final and believes the experience will be invaluable.

"It's absolutely tremendous," he said. "A number of these players have played in Europe this season, they have gained experience, and to reach a Uefa Cup final is a magnificent achievement. I'm sure it will help them individually, but for the country to see one of our sides in a European final is tremendous and shows how strong the Scottish game is becoming."

Burley missed out on the 1981 Uefa Cup final with Ipswich after suffering torn ligaments and is well aware that such a gruelling fixture schedule could take its toll on Rangers' players. Christian Dailly, Steven Whittaker, Kevin Thomson and Kris Boyd were named in the Scotland squad but captain Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, Lee McCulloch and David Weir were omitted to allow a period of recovery from injury and fatigue.

Burley said: "You are talking about players who are very valuable commodities for clubs and to ask them to play so much doesn't help their performances, and sometimes it can create injury problems as well.

"If you've got seven games instead of two or three, then it's easier to pick up injuries."

Burley knows that with so much still at stake in the SPL, he could find his 23-man squad depleted between now and the trip to Prague, which he anticipates being a tough encounter in only his second match at the helm.

"I've named the squad fairly early," he said. "The English Championship season is finished and the Premier League finishes next week, so it was important for the English-based players to know who was going to be in the squad.

"There are a lot more games left in Scotland and that's why I've chosen it early, knowing that there could be injuries because there are a few games left between now and the end of May."