ALLY McCOIST says that football rather than finance will influence whether Rangers choose to postpone a match for the third time this season.
McCoist revealed he is considering asking for the SPFL Championship game against Alloa Athletic on November 15 to be re-arranged should the club have three or more players away on international duty.
Rangers had two SPFL League 1 games last year and a Petrofac Training Cup tie against East Fife and a league game against Cowdenbeath this season postponed for the same reason. The Central Park game has been re-arranged for this evening.
McCoist will make the call on the Alloa game once the squads for the forthcoming international fixtures are named this week but, with Lewis Macleod, Bilel Mohsni, Dean Shiels, and Arnold Peralta all in line to be called up for their respective countries, he is likely to enforce the postponement. A re-arranged midweek match with Alloa would probably mean a much-reduced crowd at Ibrox but McCoist revealed that, despite Rangers' financial difficulties, he is under no pressure to play the game at the weekend when a greater attendance could be expected.
"I've not heard anything from any members of the board [about playing the game on the Saturday]," he said. "I spoke to the chairman this morning but just a chat about the game on Saturday. That was all.
"A lot of people would maybe think it would unfair if we played one game and didn't play the other game. I would understand, for example, perhaps Dumbarton being upset if we went ahead with the game. But the overriding thing that people must remember is I have to do what is right for our football club.
"Anything could happen before that date [of the Alloa game]. We could get injuries. There is the financial side of things to consider too: crowd sizes, that kind of thing. But you could also argue we would get a lot more money if we were to get promoted. So it's about finding a balance. I would be delighted if the game went ahead on the Saturday. I like kick-offs on a Saturday at 3pm; I'm old-fashioned that way. But I have to genuinely do what I think is right - whether that's in the short, medium, or long-term - for this football club. And promotion is the priority."
Postponing the Alloa game could leave Rangers having to play catch-up with the Championship leaders Hearts, whom Rangers trail by seven points going in to tonight's game. McCoist admitted it is a factor to be considered but revealed it was effectively out of his hands.
"It's a fact which I will take into account when doing the best for our football club," he added. "I would rather not have the decision to make to call the game off at all. I'll make a decision once all the international squads have been named. But it will need to be sooner rather than later."
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