Rangers boss Walter Smith has defended long-distance pre-season tours for European teams, insisting he would recommend a trip to Australia to any of his fellow managers.
With the Scottish champions down under for the Sydney Festival of Football tournament, along with Premier League outfit Blackburn and Greek side AEK Athens, some in the UK have been critical of the trip so close to the start of their domestic seasons.
Blackburn legend Simon Garner said this week he feared the club was jeopardising its Premier League campaign and that Australia was simply “too far” for players to travel ahead of the August 14 season kick-off.
“Blackburn need to start the season well, any team does, and will they be able to after a long trip to Sydney?” Garner told the Lancashire Telegraph.
Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has been impressed with the quality of opposition the festival has offered his side, while Smith insists he and his players also saw the benefits of the tour.
“It’s very worthwhile, we get three games and we don’t travel while we’re here,” said Smith, whose side beat Blackburn 2-1 at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.
“The facilities are great and the people have made us very welcome and I don’t think the distance is a great problem.
“When we go back we’ve still got two weeks until our first game, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t come out here and play.
“There’s a bit of jet-lag when you come over, but I would definitely recommend it. I don’t see anything wrong with it so far.”
Rangers captain David Weir echoed Smith’s sentiment, believing such tours gave players the opportunity to give back to the public.
“I think you’ve got to be open minded about it … you’re giving the Australian kids a chance to see British players and teams that maybe they’ve only seen on TV,” Weir said.
Both Weir and Smith were humbled by the strong presence of Rangers fans among the 14,000 spectators at the SFS for Sunday’s opening day.
Another strong showing is expected on Wednesday night when Rangers face hosts Sydney FC following Blackburn’s clash with Athens.
“Scotland’s that type of country, they all leave you see,” Smith joked.
“But it’s great, we get that kind of support wherever we go.”
Weir admitted Rangers knew little about Sydney but were expecting another competitive match.
Sydney are expected to make several changes from their 5-3 loss to Athens, with marquee player Nick Carle and recently-signed young gun Terry Antonis hoping to play some part in the match.
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