Sir Kenny Dalglish: Rangers have shown already that they don’t need a break

Much has been made of PSV Eindhoven getting their league fixture next weekend postponed ahead of their Champions League return tie against Rangers.

Many people in Scotland – fans and pundits alike – feel the same courtesy should be afforded to the Ibrox club by the SPFL.

That would mean rescheduling the game away to Hibs on Saturday for later in the season.

In an ideal world, that sounds perfect.

But I’m not so sure having their Premiership game called off is what Rangers would want.

They played Thursday-Sunday many times last season, and coped really well with the intensity and hectic schedule, both in Europe and domestically.

Indeed, James Tavernier and Co seemed to thrive on it.

Remember when they played Braga at Ibrox in the Europa League quarter-final second leg, and it went to extra-time? Rangers won after 120 minutes.

They then faced Celtic at Hampden on the Sunday, and defeated the Hoops – again after extra-time – in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Despite the extra games and the midweek exertions, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side finished the Cup tie the stronger of the two teams.

So, I’m not sure the Light Blues would want that “rest period” next weekend.

Indeed, addressing the matter yesterday, Giovanni appeared quite relaxed about having an important game just four days before facing PSV.

If there is a way of helping all of our clubs do better in Europe, then the authorities must do their best to find it.

This Champions League tie prestigious for Rangers, and it could also benefit Scottish football’s coefficient.

But we also need to be careful about where we draw the line.

If the SPFL were to cancel a game for a Champions League play-off tie, what happens if Celtic want something similar in the group stages later in the season?

Let’s say it’s the final game of the section, and Ange Postecoglou’s men need to win game No. 6 to reach the last 16.

Do we allow them to postpone a league fixture to give them the best possible chance of reaching the knock-out stages?

Is it more important to qualify – or more important just to be there?

There is no easy answer. Somewhere along the line, this will always lead to criticism.

Having meaningful discussions is always helpful, and having them face-to-face is best. Don’t go behind people’s backs.

Let’s just hope Rangers get a good result at Ibrox on Tuesday to take over to Holland for the return leg.

It was a remarkable 90 minutes from them to overturn Union St Gilloise last midweek.

It wasn’t really happening for Giovanni’s men until they got the penalty just before half-time. They never looked back after scoring that.

I would imagine they’d need to go up a level to beat PSV. The Dutch side will be respectful of Rangers, but they will not be scared of going to Ibrox.

We can only hope that in the next battle between Scotland and Holland, we get a more favourable result after Dundee United’s heavy defeat to AZ Alkmaar.

Jack Ross, the players and the supporters arrived in Holland feeling good after the 1-0 first leg victory.

To lose 7-0 was a real sore one. That just wasn’t what I expected.

It could have been different had the AZ goalkeeper, Hobie Verhukst, not saved an overhead kick from Ian Harkes.

But there was then a capitulation, with United conceding five goals in less than 25 minutes before the interval.

I felt for United, and especially their travelling fans, who made the journey in good numbers and in good voice.

They now need to pick themselves up for Tynecastle today. Having lost at home to Livingston, they will want to avoid back-to-back league defeats.

It’s no consolation for United just now, but European football is always a bonus.

For managers and players, domestic football is the most-important thing.