Raging Rangers boss Philippe Clement has accused SPFL chiefs of selling Scotland football’s product short after forcing his Euro travellers out of their bed for the noon kick-off.
The Ibrox side continued their post-Parkhead resurgence as they made it four wins on the bounce since their Old Firm defeat with a narrow 1-0 win against Hibs. But it was a far from convincing display as Gers were made to cling on for victory. Jack Butland proved to be the Light Blues’ penalty saviour when he denied Leith frontman Mykola Kuharevych’s spot-kick after Tom Lawrence had broken the deadlock with a sensational winner.
Clement, though, pins his side’s sluggish showing down to the fact they were forced into action just 57 hours after arriving back in Glasgow following Thursday’s impressive Europa League triumph over Malmo. The Belgian boss said: “You want a performance of course and I think we did in the first half in some moments – but not enough.
“But in a lot of countries now, teams don’t have to play when they have European games. But we play today at 12pm after a European trip where you come home around 2am at Auchenhowie.
“So then you need to drive back home and players sleep if they are lucky around 4am. You have the next day training, but have lost one night of sleep. You have one night of sleep and this one is also a short one because you need to wake up really early to be ready for the game.
“So yes I saw almost everybody who played on Thursday were less fresh than in the last couple of weeks. It’s normal. So it’s important to take the three points and to keep the clean sheet. Do I want better football? Yes for sure. But it’s important also in these moments when you are less fresh, when you are tired to dig in, to get the results.”
Asked if he’d raised any concerns with the SPFL over the early start so soon after a European trip, Clement – echoing similar complaints from Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers – said: “No it’s too late for that. But we spoke about that already last season. At the end it’s the television who decides apparently.
“But it’s something to think about if you want to have good quality product that you think about those things also. Because it’s a massive difference to sleep longer today and have a 3pm or 5pm kick-off.
“I understand people who never played, who never travelled. They don’t understand because it’s like ‘you need to be there every game because you’re well paid’ and that’s true also. But there’s a difference for every athlete in every sport.”
Hibs were thrown a lifeline on the stroke of half-time as John Souttar was penalised by VAR after the defender’s stray elbow blocked a Kuharevych shot. Gers got away with it when Butland smothered Kuharevych’s spot-kick.
But Clement still wasn’t happy, saying: “I totally don’t agree about that [decision]. We had these discussions before the season and it was really constructive with the referee department. You’ve seen a clear change in the first week of the season. There were several moments that there were no penalties given in situations where last year there was a penalty.
“This one is for me in that line. So the ball comes and John wants to block the ball so he puts his leg up. You cannot put your leg up with your arms [by your side], that’s impossible.
“So he puts his leg up to find balance. So his arms are [up] when he puts his leg up. His natural reflex is to make himself smaller, to put his arm in front of him. But from one metre, the ball hits him and his arm goes up like that.
“I want to ask them, what can a player can do different in that situation? It’s impossible. It’s biology, it’s biodynamics. And he makes himself smaller instead of bigger. I don’t think that John could have done something different in that situation.”