If footballers thought the Christmas period was hectic, just look at what the Old Firm have in store for them for the rest of the season!
Celtic may yet see their league cup defeat by Hearts as a blessing; they are now competing on three fronts (compared to four for Rangers) and have no realistic hope of getting past Barcelona in the Champs' League last sixteen. Before the split in early April, the Ibrox side have 14 league games, at least 2 Scottish Cup matches (let's face it, East Stirling at home might be the biggest gimme in the footballing world), at least 2 UEFA Cup matches and a League Cup semi-final - that's a minimum of 19 games in 88 days, starting with St. Mirren away on Tuesday night. In short, Rangers will have at most 3 midweeks free between now and 5th April. If they advance further in the UEFA Cup, and/or reach the League Cup final, that's a heck of a lot of matches over a not terribly long period of time. isn't it?
But it won't be easy for Celtic either; they still have to rearrange a fixture with Motherwell, along with the new year Old Firm game, and a Scottish Cup run will need games rearranged, too. And they all need to be played before the split - just another in a catalogue of reasons why it is a stupid idea.
One interesting note this season, though, has been how both the big two have struggled at times against some of the less, shall we say, cultured sides in the league when they've tried to rest players. It's a long, long, long shot, but a draw in the Old Firm game, a couple of defeats each brought on by tiredness and a Motherwell side inspired by the late Phil O'Donnell? Chaps, it's by no means a two horse race yet. Not for another couple of weeks, anyway...
L.
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