Philippe Clement breaks Rangers silence on Dundee pitch farce as he tells rivals 'you CAN'T blame the weather'

Frustrated Philippe Clement told Dundee they can't blame the weather for the Dens Park call-off on Tuesday - and says the game MUST be played next week no matter what.

The Rangers boss was addressing the media for the first time since Wednesday's call-off after the Dens Park pitch failed a second inspection at 3.30pm. They will have to try for a third time to get the game played on Wednesday, April 17 – the last possible window in which to get the game on before the split games begin.

Clement had asked for a decision on Tuesday night but it didn't arrive and his team travelled to Tayside the night before the game, only to find out four hours before kick-off it had been postponed again. It means Rangers will have to play midweek before their Scottish Cup semi-final with Hearts while Hibs have expressed concerns over the sporting integrity of Dundee playing their final pre-split fixture later than their rivals in the hunt for the top six.

Dundee secretary Eric Drysdale suggested climate change was a factor in the game being called off. But Clement wasn't having that as the boss said on Sky Sports: "It was a crazy situation because it was not a surprise. It could have been avoided with a faster decision to play at another venue. That should have been organised before to have a plan B and plan C. It's now postponed and I understand the frustrations of other teams (in the hunt for top six). A very strange situation.

"We cannot put the blame on the weather. In the same evening, a local team played in Dundee and the pitch of Dundee United is perfect. They play every week. So we cannot say it's because of the weather. We have no guarantee it will not rain next week. The last thing I hear is that we will hear on Tuesday at 12pm