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SPFL Bows To Pressure, Switches Hearts Vs. Rangers Match To May 2

Scottish Professional Football League chiefs "have been forced into making a U-turn" -- putting Scottish Championship side Rangers’ clash with Heart of Midlothian back to the Saturday, according to the Scotland DAILY RECORD. League chiefs caused outcry Wednesday when they brought the fixture back by 24 hours -- "thereby placing play-off rivals Hibs at a disadvantage." But "they have been pushed into performing an embarrassing climbdown" and a statement read, "Following consultation between the SPFL, member clubs and broadcast partners regarding the final round of Championship fixtures over the weekend of 2 & 3 May 2015, Sky Sports has now suggested an alternative schedule for its televised Championship match that weekend. As a result, we are pleased to confirm all five Championship matches that weekend will now kick-off simultaneously at 12.15pm on Saturday 2 May. The Hearts v Rangers match will be televised live on Sky Sports" (DAILY RECORD, 4/16). STV reported Hearts Owner Ann Budge "issued a stark warning" to Scottish league chiefs, telling them "a blatant disregard of fans is a recipe for disaster." The SPFL was "forced into a U-turn over the scheduling of Hearts’ final day fixture against Rangers." Budge said that "lessons must be learned from the fiasco and claims those running the game must stop ignoring the needs of the game’s supporters, who have been inconvenienced by the row." Budge: "We all know and everybody says it but our customers are our supporters. A blatant disregard of what matters to supporters is a recipe for disaster and could arguably be one of the reasons Scottish football is not doing as well as it should" (STV, 4/16).

CRUNCH TALKS
: In Glasgow, Keith Jackson wrote Motherwell CEO Alan Burrows "will wait until Monday morning before deciding if he has to open emergency contract talks with 12 players who could be KO’d from a potential relegation play-off." SPFL chiefs "have drafted up a controversial plan to shift the end of season showpiece to the first week of June." The proposal -- which will be triggered if Hibs beat Falkirk in Saturday’s Scottish Cup semifinal -- would leave "more than 50 players from four potential play-off finalists out of contract and unable to play any part in the decisive second leg." Motherwell have 12 players whose current deals expire on May 31 and Burrows "is now preparing to hold crunch talks with them in a bid to make sure Ian Baraclough’s squad is not wiped out should they slip into the last day shoot-out." Queen of the South’s entire top team squad "is covered for this eventuality." Hibs "have already opened talks about temporary contract extensions with at least five players in Alan Stubbs’ squad." Ross County has a "massive 19 players out of contract in the summer although it is not clear how many of them will be free agents as of May 31" (DAILY RECORD, 4/16).

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