Kris Boyd reckons that Rangers may not be back in Ibrox until October and is concerned that Celtic will continue to pull away from their city rivals as a result.
Philippe Clement’s side face a spell playing away from their home stadium after a delay in construction work on the Copland Road stand.
The club have confirmed the venue won’t be ready in time for the start of the new season and speculation is mounting they could be playing outside of Glasgow for months with Murrayfield in Edinburgh mooted as a potential temporary ‘home’ ground.
Boyd is worried about all of the consequences of the situation. In the context of Rangers’ rivalry with Celtic, that involves the reigning champions opening up an even bigger gap after last season’s successes.
Is all of this stadium chaos set to railroad their 2024/25 campaign before it has even begun?
Kris Boyd already sounds concerned about title race
The former Ibrox striker said [Scottish Sun]: “Surely, Rangers should only have started work on the Copland Road stand with a guarantee it would be finished in time for August?
“Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s touching October before Ibrox is available. My old club have dropped the ball big-time on this and you wonder just how damaging it might be for them. In terms of the title race, Rangers are already behind the eight ball before a game has even been played.
“Murrayfield is the only other viable option in terms of capacity, but the SRU will know how desperate Rangers are. I’m pretty sure the home of Scottish rugby could accommodate them but, again, at what cost? Rangers have shown their hand and those running Murrayfield could charge whatever price they want.
“If it’s one or two games elsewhere, then the support will galvanise themselves and get on with it. But the novelty would quickly wear off, especially if Rangers do end up making regular trips to Edinburgh. This is a massive season for the club, domestically and in Europe. Celtic have a financial advantage and the last thing Rangers need is for them to pull further away.”
Celtic will retain focus on what they can control
Celtic won’t be paying much attention to what’s happening across the city. There’s plenty of work to be getting on with internally that could have a much bigger say in how next season pans out.
Signings are needed and unwanted fringe players need to be moved on. That is the big priority at Lennoxtown right now.
However, for Bhoys supporters, it is amusing to see Celtic’s rivals lurch from crisis to crisis before a summer friendly has even been played.
If they truly do have more significant delays on their stadium works then the first couple of months of the season could be a massive opportunity for Brendan Rodgers to push home advantages.