IT'S difficult not to have some sympathy with Rangers' current plight over the fixture build-up as they chase silverware on three fronts (to add to the CIS Cup they have already won), although to some extent the problem is of their own making.
The
re was a good case to be made for postponing an Old Firm game to allow both sides to prepare better for European games, but was there really any need to postpone Rangers' game against Gretna?
South of the Border, teams competing in Europe regularly field "weaker" sides for league matches ahead of European competition, with several first-pick players sitting on the bench, only to be used if deemed absolutely necessary. Liverpool, for example, fielded a weakened side against Reading and then even raised the white flag after falling behind, by substituting some of their potential match-winners, considering, at that point, that it was more important to sacrifice league points and ensure the best possible performance in a Champions League group match.
Had Rangers done something similar, they would have been spared one of the games in the current fixtures pile-up. Naturally, other factors have come into play, but there is a case to be made for cutting your cloth to suit your needs and in seeking, and getting approval, for postponement of the game against Gretna, Rangers made a rod for their own back.
Rose Duncan, GlasgowWrong about Paterson RE: Iain Morrison: Paterson's return to flourishing Edinburgh will only benefit him.
I respect Morrie but on this occasion he's wrong about Chris Paterson – "too slow"?! "Too slight"?!!
He's not too slow, and as for him being too slight, (Gloucester first choice] Ryan Lamb is a featherweight who doesn't like tackling, but he'd still be in the Scotland team...
Paterson's only problem is that it's taken his managers until his 30th year to knuckle down and hand him the keys to No.10. He's still fast for a fly half, but how many seasons has he got at the highest level before his career takes its toll on his body, and is it long enough for us to get some glimpse of what could have been at fly half?
Alain O'Rolland, via e-mailSize doesn't matterPATERSON is slight but so is Regan King of the Scarlets, probably the most elusive and exciting centre playing in the British Isles. What about Shane Williams? You don't have to have muscles on your muscles to succeed in modern rugby.
Big Ron, via e-mailThe full article contains 431 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
