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Advocaat slams SPL's lack of support for Rangers

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Coopermania

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http://www.<No links to this website>/sport/2008/05...86908-20403712/

Advocaat: Scottish football bosses have let Walter down

May 3 2008 By Keith Jackson

DICK ADVOCAAT last night launched an astonishing attack on Scotland's football bosses for jeopardising Rangers' bid to beat him to the UEFA Cup.

The former Ibrox boss was speaking in a sensational exclusive interview with Record Sport less than 24 hours after sealing a place for Zenit St Petersburg at the City of Manchester Stadium on May 14. Advocaat admits a clash with his former club is his idea of a dream final - but believes counterpart Walter Smith has been badly hamstrung by a nightmarish domestic fixture schedule.

The Dutchman blames self-interest and parochialism for the SPL fixture pile-up that will force Smith's side to play four games in 10 days after their trip to Manchester and three games in a week in the build-up to the club's first Euro final in 36 years.

Russia's top-flight bosses have already postponed Zenit's gruelling nine-hour trip to face Luc Energi in Vladivostok the weekend before the Final.

And Advocaat has also asked for Wednesday's scheduled league clash with Lokomotiv Moscow to be shelved. If that happens he will have almost two free weeks to prepare his side for their first crack at a European crown and as part of that he will be at Ibrox on Wednesday night to watch Rangers in SPL action against Motherwell.

Advocaat said: "It is incredible what the Scottish authorities are trying to do to Rangers. I know all about Walter's situation because I read the Daily Record website.

"I read what Walter had to say about it last week and thought he was 100 per cent correct. Any other country in the world would do its best to help one of their clubs playing in a European final.

"But I know from my time in Scotland how things work there".

Everyone is only worried about their own interests and they do not look at the big picture.

"The Russian League are doing all they can to help us. It would be much fairer for Walter if he was allowed the same kind of freedom.

"It's unbelievable that a club can go to a European final in circumstances like this. Walter and Rangers are not just playing for themselves, they are playing for all of Scottish football.

"But everyone in Scotland is only concerned with their own interests when they should be thinking about what is best for the country. Walter has worked a miracle to take Rangers this far and should be given support."

Meanwhile, Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has again expressed his disappointment the SPL have not followed the lead of the Russians by giving his club a week to prepare for the final.

Bain said: "I think the fact the Russian Federation has recognised Zenit need a clear week to prepare for such a big final illustrates exactly Rangers' position on this.

"The SPL should take a long, hard look at what other federations do, given the enormity of the situation and what reaching a European final has done for the co-efficient and the country.

"I expressed last week my complete disappointment at the fixture scheduling and now we are actually in the final that disappointment has been exacerbated."

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BoltonLoyal

BoltonLoyal 2

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We all know Dick Advocaat is spot on, the problem is so do the SFA, they just haven't got the backbone to stand up to Timmy.

Until the authorities are capable of doing so, we will always have situations like this.

Doesn't help when our own club don't stand up to Liewell and his henchmen either, only Walter has even come close to telling them to f*ck right off.

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Danny

Danny 9

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My stance on Dick has softened now.

:craphead:

Being serious, obviously I still want us to trample all over his side in the final, and losing to a Rangers old boy would be no consolation if we don't, but the above comments from him are excellent and extremely fair.

I guess once a Ger always a Ger :)

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Jardy

Jardy 0

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well said dick, he'l get a beltin reception before kick off from us, but itl make no difference to them nuggets at the SPL.

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JR

JR 1,480

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Perhaps if enough people say it from outwith the goldfish bowl of Glasgow the SFA will get the message.......(ahem - yeah right!)

but nothing will change unless the Mhanks find themselves in a similar position sometime in the future and the SFA will suddenly "learn from their mistakes in the past"

Call me cynical.

But thank you Dick, dignified an fair - refreshing but not entirely unexpected from the little General.

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Danny

Danny 9

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My stance on Dick has softened now.

:craphead:

Surely you can come up with a better inuendo than that :D

It will be hard to do so.

get off the stage!

:(

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Guest Andypendek

Guest Andypendek

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can't believe the bit about 'i keep up with scotland thru the daily record website' aye right!!

mrs advocaat comes home unexpectedly and catches dick on the laptop...'oh my god, what are you looking at?'

'it's quite shimple, it's jusht the daily reord webshite from shcotland....they ushe naked girlsh...'

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