Smith believes the SPL should not extend the league after its decision in 2008

By Alasdair Lamont

Walter Smith says the Scottish Premier League cannot extend the season to accommodate the number of fixtures that will have to be rescheduled.

The Rangers boss says the SPL refused to further extend the season when his side faced a backlog in 2007/08.

Rangers had to play nine games in 24 days, including the finals of the Uefa Cup and the Scottish Cup.

"Surely if the season's not going to be extended for one team, they can't extend it for any," said Smith.

As the league split approached in the closing weeks of season 2007/08, the SPL released two scenarios of fixtures, one which detailed fixture dates in the event of Rangers reaching the Uefa Cup final and another that listed games if the Ibrox side did not progress to the European showpiece.

The former came into play when Rangers won their Uefa Cup semi-final against Fiorentina on penalties, meaning the SPL season finished on Thursday 22 May, rather than Sunday 18.

There was only one team going to benefit from the season not being extended then and that was Celtic Rangers manager Walter Smith

Smith's men played two league games in the five days running up to Thursday 22 May, when both Rangers and Celtic completed their league season with games against Aberdeen and Dundee United respectively.

And it was Celtic who finished top of the league with the Parkhead club's chief executive Peter Lawwell having previously said that any further extension to the season would threaten the league's integrity.

Smith, still irked by that scenario, said on Monday: "There was only one team going to benefit from the season not being extended then and that was Celtic.

"So they refused to do it then, so they can't do it now. Is that not fairly straight-forward?"

Smith admitted Rangers would be powerless to stop the SPL taking such a step this time, but said the club would be annoyed if it did happen.

"I think that's probably all we can be isn't it, if they make the decision? But surely they can't make the decision after saying to us before that they can't extend the season," he added.

Smith's squad has already been stretched this season as a result of injuries, and he has admitted it could become further stretched if they were to go on an extended Europa League run.

606: DEBATE Should the SPL extend the season to accommodate the fixture backlog?

But while he acknowledged that an extension to this season could then help his side, he was adamant the SPL would not be able to justify it.

"Of course it would be of benefit to us, and that would have been a benefit we would have accepted two years ago and we tried to get it, but they said no," he continued.

"Much as we would like them to extend the season, we would have liked them to extend the season a couple of years ago, we would like them to extend the season if it's necessary. But they can't."

Smith stressed that he does not feel the stage has yet been reached with regard to fixture backlog that an extension to the season is necessary in any case.

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