RANGERS branding was being put up around Hampden by workmen yesterday in preparation for the Ibrox club’s enforced move to their temporary Mount Florida residence.
Whether Philippe Clement’s charges are ready to play their home matches at the national stadium will be revealed in the coming days when they play important domestic and European fixtures there.
They take on Motherwell in the William Hill Premiership tomorrow afternoon and then host Dynamo Kyiv in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round three days later.
If they drop points in the former fixture they will hand their city rivals Celtic, who take on Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday, the chance to forge further ahead of them at the head of the top flight table.
And if they lose in the latter outing they will miss out on the chance to join the continent’s elite in the new league phase of UEFA’s premier club competition as well as an invaluable eight figure pay day.
Former Rangers right-back Alan Hutton, who was at The City Stadium in the shadow of the ground he graced on so many occasions for club and country during his playing days at a Premier Sports media event, acknowledged the change of venue was far from ideal for his old employers.
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Yet, Hutton warned that James Tavernier and his team mates will not be able to use the bizarre situation as an excuse for failing to perform to the high standard expected of them by their supporters.
Hampden has many detractors. A lot of punters feel the pitch is too far from spectators. Others bemoan the poor view of the action they get from its gently-sloping stands. But the ex-Spurs and Aston Villa defender, who won 50 caps for his country during the 2000s and 2010s, disagrees.
"Of course you'd rather be at Ibrox,” he said. “Bottom line, we've seen enough games there to know what the atmosphere can be like. It's not to be. I even felt strange doing co-commentary the other night, having to say the second leg was now coming back to Hampden!
“But I don't think the players will now be focusing on that. They know they're coming to Hampden. They've been there before enough and had highs and lows there. The fans will come in their tens of thousands and that is their home now for the moment. They'll have to deal with it.
“The pitch is really good. And I've been there enough times and played there enough times to know it can be a great atmosphere. Personally, I like stadiums when the stands are really close to the pitch. I think that heightens everything. But, as I say, it is still decent at Hampden.
"I certainly understand the criticism it gets. But I loved every moment of playing there and some of the atmospheres were tremendous. Some were not quite so good, depending on how the teams were going. From a fan's perspective, behind the goal the view isn't as good.
"But if the crowd turn up, you can make a lot of noise in that stadium and I'm sure that's what Philippe Clement and his team will be hoping for. The players know where they stand now and the players cannot use this as an excuse. They've got to get on with it.”
"As soon as the decision was made, just get on with it. If the season doesn't quite go to plan, don't use it as an excuse."
Rangers directors considered moving through to Murrayfield in Edinburgh when they discovered the development work on the Broomloan Stand was not going to be completed in time for the start of the 2024/25 campaign due to “a delay in a materials shipment from Asia”.
Hutton thinks that remaining in Glasgow is a better option than travelling to the capital and is certain that Clement’s men, who drew 1-1 with Kyiv over in Lublin in midweek, will not let the widespread unhappiness over the situation affect their form.
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“When the news first broke, everyone was talking about it,” he said. “Was it going to be at Murrayfield? Was it going to be at Hampden? There was a lot of negativity surrounding it.
“As a player, when you know where your home venue is, it is now Hampden, you put it to one side, you get on with it, you can’t change the fact. Nothing is going to change it. You can’t really look at it as a negative.
“I see when people say ‘if you don’t get off to the best start, it is at Hampden’. I understand all those queries. But as a player the main focus is on the pitch. You can’t help your surroundings.
“Anyway, they are used to playing there. And the fans have been there multiple times over the years so I am sure they will make it just as noisy as Ibrox. But of course it is not ideal.”
Hutton knows that reaching the Champions League proper for the second time in three years is of paramount importance for a club which has only spent £3m on new players during the close season.
“It is a huge part of Rangers moving forward,” he said. “I know it is going to be really difficult getting into the Champions League, they have some big games ahead, first and foremost next week.
“But you have to keep pace with the likes of Celtic who are in the Champions League year after year. They are talking £40million (for qualifying), I think you need that to reinvest.
“Rangers have had a turnover of players and managers in previous years. Philippe Clement signing a new contract (until 2028) and Rangers putting their faith in him hopefully allows him to build what he needs and move forward. He will need funds, it is as simple as that. Rangers can’t stand still.”
Alan Hutton was promoting Premier Sports coverage of the Scottish Premiership, Premier Sports Cup and the Scottish Cup. Premier Sports is available to stream from premiersports.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.
