'Deal with it' - Mark Guidi slams Clement for what he said about Rangers schedule

Mark Guidi has told Rangers and Philippe Clement to “deal with” the quick turnaround between Europa League and Premiership fixtures.

The Light Blues got their European campaign underway with a 2-0 win over Malmo on Thursday (26 September), before claiming all three points with a 1-0 win over Hibernian in the league on Sunday (29 September).

Go Radio pundit Guidi was quick to tear into Clement for his complaints about the tight fixture schedule [] suggesting the Gers manager should be “bigger than” those sorts of remarks.

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (30 September, 35:58) he said: “There are two ways to look at it, you’re a big club so deal with it.

“What would you rather have, not be in Europe? You’ve got a big squad, you’ve got a massive wage bill to operate with and make that squad work so I get that.

“On the other hand, a lot of teams struggle going Thursday to Sunday so there is evidence. I just don’t quite buy into the ‘we got home at 2am and never got to bed until 4am’.

“Why not give them the day off or make them start later? Getting up for a 12pm kick-off on a Sunday is not that big a deal, to be honest with you.

“When I hear a Rangers manager speaking that way, I’m thinking no you should be bigger than that. They’re a big club, they’ve been doing it for decade after decade.

“Of course, it’s not ideal, but the Europa League is Thursday, Sunday.”

Who do Rangers play next in the Europa League at Ibrox?

While it was never going to be easy for the Gers to perform to the best of their ability with a game every three days at points this season, it does seem as though Clement’s complaints will do very little to help the situation.

Yes, the fixture schedule is packed and it is going to make life more difficult for the Light Blues this season, but that is part and parcel of being in the Europa League and the Gers will simply have to accept that.

The Light Blues may have lost several first-team stars during the summer transfer window, however, they also spent heavily to recruit and add some genuine depth to Clement’s ranks to offer greater options this season.

There is more than enough depth in the Belgian’s squad to cope with two matches a week and if there isn’t, it is Rangers’ own fault for not preparing well enough during the off-season.

Guidi’s criticism is more than a little harsh, but there is a lot of truth in what he is saying.

In other Rangers news, question marks have emerged around Hamza Igamane’s position under Clement at Ibrox

For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post 'Deal with it' - Mark Guidi slams Clement for what he said about Rangers schedule appeared first on Ibrox News.