- Hearts POTY event has been impacted with the scheduling of Rangers trip to Tynecastle on May Day.
- Hearts have opted to keep the same date, but players will only stay for an hour.
- Tynecastle bosses have explained situation but pressure on club to change plans.
Rangers have the opportunity to spoil Hearts party for the second time in 24 hours after the club’s Player of the Year function was thrown into disarray.
Due to the timing of the Hearts vs Rangers fixture on May 4, Hearts have been landed with a headache on what to with their awards night.
The £170-a-ticket function was all set to go ahead the day before on Sunday, May 3, and despite the upheaval and a supporter backlash, it will go ahead.
That is the plan as things stand, but pressure is being put on the Tynecastle club to abort the Sunday date.
Clearly, this could be pivotal
As detailed by the Hearts Standard, the club has communicated to fans and sponsors why they are sticking to the initial plan, and what changes have been enforced.
The club said: “We are writing to inform you of some changes to the schedule at this year’s Player of the Year Awards, sponsored by hummel.
“With the announcement of our SPFL Premiership post-split fixtures, it immediately became apparent that the match against Rangers on 4 May would have an impact on proceedings at POTY.
“Clearly, this could be a pivotal game in the first-team’s already incredible season and as such, preparations for this match will not allow for the players to fully attend an event the night before.
“However, we are fully committed to delivering the best night possible at POTY. Several alternative arrangements were discussed but, ultimately, we do not want to inconvenience fans who have paid for tickets and set aside time in their diaries.”
Hearts POTY…without the players
Basically, the event has been brought forward by an hour and the players will only stay for the first hour, before departing to prepare for the Rangers game.
A Player of the Year do without players…
This issue has been pointed out by a section of the Jam Tarts’s support with a petition launched, urging the club to reconsider.
Their statement included, “The players should not have to attend the night before a crucial, possibly season defining match, even for an hour.
“Without the players there is no POTY.
“The players and fans deserve a proper opportunity to celebrate such an incredible season together.
“Fixture scheduling is not the club’s fault but the club have the opportunity to fix this.
Read Rangers analysis
The Hearts vs Rangers fixture after the split has created chaos for the Gorgie club’s event, one of the biggest dates in the club’s commercial calendar.
That’s a massive headache for them to sort out.
Oh well, Rangers must exploit the situation to inflict full damage.
While the Hearts POTY event is entirely unrelated to the outcome of the game, it’s not ideal for Derek McInnes to have to bring his squad to the gathering before an early departure.
Will it have an impact? We’ll see.
Rangers need to take care of business before the capital clash on May Day, but the opportunity should be there to ruin the party for a second consecutive day.
