The administrators' blueprint for unravelling the fixtures guddle in the closing stages of the season touched nerves at Celtic and Rangers that prompted whimsical reactions from both clubs, a certain indicator that Gold and Blair had been as reasonable as circumstances would allow.

Martin Bain's baseless, petulant rant on behalf of Rangers was a monument to demagoguery, fulfilling the primary criterion of that black art by telling his constituents exactly what they wanted to hear, his argument loaded with self-interest but seemingly devoid of the breadth of thought befitting a chief executive.

The response of his counterpart at Celtic, Peter Lawwell, was conspicuously less hostile, but was misleading in its apparent unfamiliarity with the procedures of an organisation of whose board the Parkhead director, Eric Riley, is a member.

Bain began his attack on Gold and Blair by claiming that, in the event of his club reaching the Uefa Cup final, "it is hardly the best preparation" to have to play Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday in the week preceding the big European event on 14 May.

It may or may not be the best preparation, but it is certainly not unique, or even particularly unusual. In the week that ends today, for example, Manchester United will have faced Blackburn Rovers, Barcelona and Chelsea – all away from home – in advance of meeting Barcelona again on Tuesday in the decisive leg of their Champions League semi-final. In knockout tournaments, there is no difference in importance between a semi-final and a final in that defeat, on either occasion, means elimination. And even fans of Hibernian, Motherwell and Dundee United are unlikely to argue with the proposal that the opponents faced by the Old Trafford side – even including Blackburn at their own Ewood Park – tend to play to an immeasurably higher standard than those who would confront Rangers.

Bain then questioned the SPL's insistence on preserving "the integrity" of their competition by producing a schedule that requires the Ibrox side – if failing to make the European final – to play four league matches in the last eight days. "Rangers are the only club being asked to play four games in eight days, so there is no sporting integrity".

He seems to have taken no notice of the fact that his club is the only one of the top six with seven outstanding fixtures to the others' four. At least one date would have been freed up had not Rangers themselves secured the postponement of a match against Gretna in December to assist them in their Champions League campaign.

Nor can the SPL reasonably be held culpable for the Ibrox side's failure to beat Hibs and Partick Thistle at the first attempt in the Scottish Cup, taking up two more days for replays.

The Ibrox chief executive's bafflement over the administrators' refusal to extend the season beyond the 18 May deadline should Rangers not qualify for the European final – "why can not the season simply be extended to 27 May regardless?" – was actually answered some hours before Bain posted his criticism on the club website.

It would mean, said Gold, the other five clubs waiting 17 days between their penultimate and final matches and "that goes against the integrity of the competition."

Lawwell's principal complaint seemed to be directed at the procedure through which the League compiled the two "models" for the remaining fixtures. "We are," said the Celtic chief executive, "extremely disappointed and concerned at the manner of the decision-making process, which was done without consulting the clubs or the SPL board, and the effects on the integrity of the competition."

But Gold had apprised media representatives on Tuesday afternoon – hours before Lawwell's response – of the procedure. It is that the SPL board empowers Blair to handle "fixturing matters" and that, when difficulties and complications arise, the secretary confers with the chief executive and, between them, they draw up revised schedules.

As for "the integrity of the competition", a phrase which featured prominently in the vocabulary of all three parties, this was surely a collective tribute to irony. The Scottish Premier League was born without integrity.

Burley timing is impeccable

WHATEVER other assets George Burley may possess – and there is no reason to doubt they are plentiful – he appears to have a highly-prized sense of timing in the matter of escaping clubs for whom financial trouble looms.

The Scotland manager's getaway from Hearts seemed to coincide with the start of a decline in the Tynecastle club's fortunes, both on and off the field, that has seen the team slide into the bottom six of the Scottish Premier League and the board of directors accrue debt of around £36 million.

Now Southampton, from whom Burley defected to take over the national team in January, are reported to be close to bankruptcy, the club's own accounts saying that whether it remains a going concern is "uncertain".

This is a chilling echo of the warning from Hearts' auditors over the unsustainability of the present trading operation.

It would seem that if George unexpectedly quits his present post, Gordon Smith may feel the need to inspection of the Scottish Football Association's books.