Scottish Premiership fixtures: Spicy opener, controversial new rule, Rangers bid to buck trend, Oasis impact

As someone pointed out on X, Hamilton Accies based at Broadwood, formerly Clyde’s home, and Clyde playing at New Douglas Park, previously Hamilton’s HQ. And only one Saturday 3pm kick off in the top flight on the opening weekend of new season, the thirteenth since the Scottish Professional Football League was established.

Welcome back to the crazy world of Scottish football. A new season fixture list that is more of a suggestion than a schedule given the number of games that will likely need to be moved due to European football activities still managed to deliver a variety of talking points, including the new rule which allows all teams involved in European play-off round clashes to request a postponement of their matchday three clash on the weekend of 23/24 August without consulting the opposition. In short, an invitation for some early controversy and quarreling. Delicious!

Some things though are set in stone. Russell Martin’s Rangers revolution will kick off in the league at Motherwell at 5.30pm on Saturday 3 August. At least the pressure won’t already be on the Ibrox side – Celtic do not begin their defence of the title until the following afternoon when hosting St Mirren, which – fitness permitting – is when Kieran Tierney is due to make a return to competitive Scottish football.

The William Hill Premiership trophy, Championship trophy, League 1 trophy and League 2 trophy on display during a launch event for the fixture release at Four Winds Pavilion, Pacific Quay in Glasgow. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Still, Martin could do with securing an immediate three points, something Rangers haven’t done on the opening weekend since defeating Livingston under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2022. In each of the last two seasons they have been in catch-up mode following the opening weekend. In both cases they were looking for a new manager before the season was out.

Clearly Martin is hoping to buck this trend. Much might depend on what happens between now and the league kick-off when it comes to signings, although whatever happens on that front Rangers’ Champions League fate will also be a lot clearer by then. They will either be already out and preparing for a Europa League qualifier or they will have given the Martin era a boost by having overcome Panathinaikos in their Champions League second qualifying round tie. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, physically, tactically….the players haven’t even been in the building yet, they come back on Monday,” Martin told Sky Sports as he reflected on Rangers’ league programme schedule, which one can imagine some fans already taking issue with. ‘Monday?! Celtic were back this week!! Idlers. Sack the board!’

Note to Rangers supporters: Calm down, Celtic are not back in training and aren’t expected to return to Lennoxtown until the start of July.

Delaying bleep tests and the like for a little longer feels very sensible given the sweltering conditions. Still, if it’s not an inappropriate image to evoke as Scotland bakes under a pitiless sun, the publication of a new season’s set of fixtures is like waking up to find newly fallen snow outside – it will never not enthral.

Rangers head coach Russell Martin will hope to improve fortunes at Ibrox following a tough domestic campaign last season. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

Away from Rangers and Celtic, who I am contractually obliged to note meet for the first time in the new season on 31 August at Ibrox, Dundee will entertain Hibs at Dens Park - and yes, it’s officially back to being called Dens Park – on Sunday 4 August. Steven Pressley’s return to top flight Scottish football as manager of the hosts is sure to be a fascinating affair, as much for the reaction of the fans – both sets – as anything.

But perhaps the first real box office clash of the new league season is on Monday 4 August at Tynecastle, where Hearts host Aberdeen.

This fixture is always one to look out for but new Hearts manager Derek McInnes against his last-but-one team adds some added spice, even if it is a bloody Monday night. Still coming down from the high of a Scottish Cup win, Aberdeen fans might not be bothered about that inconvenience.

It does underline the difficulties when it comes to producing a balanced set of fixtures and one that satisfies everyone in all four divisions, which of course is never possible.

The SPFL have worked in conjunction with GotSport, a sports management platform based in the United States. A ‘fixture recipe’, based on information and restrictions provided by the SPFL, is fed into an obligatory ‘supercomputer’ and out of it emerges things like East Kilbride v The Spartans, with the two newest SPFL teams meeting on the first Saturday at K-Park.

Hearts will begin their league campaign against new manager Derek McInnes’ former club Aberdeen. | SNS Group

The supercomputer has its work cut out. Even the fact Oasis have reformed ends up having an impact, which is not something the Gallagher brothers probably considered when ending their feud. Due to the band’s concert at Murrayfield on the weekend of the second round of fixtures, Hearts have been scheduled to play away – against Dundee United.

It is not the only match between Hearts and Dundee United that has been impacted by events at the neighbouring rugby arena. The first meeting of the two clubs at Tynecastle next season will be played on Sunday, November 9 due to the Autumn Test between Scotland and New Zealand taking place at Murrayfield on the Saturday.

All well and good, of course, but there was surely the risk of some blown fuses when this nerve centre in the States was expected to deal with additional instructions such as the need for Raith Rovers to be assigned an away fixture on 18 April, when they travel to face Arbroath at Gayfield. The reason? The Kirkcaldy Links Market of course, which, to be fair, has been in the diary every year since 1304.