s the Philippe Clement building a 'siege mentality' at Rangers? Rangers' manager Philippe Clement has shared insights into the emotional celebrations that followed their 2-0 victory over St Johnstone at Hampden Park. The match, which secured Rangers' place in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup, was marked by Clement leading his players to salute Rangers fans after the final whistle. Clement revealed that their celebrations were not spontaneous but carefully planned as a gesture of appreciation for the fans who had turned up to Hampden to support the team despite recent setbacks.
Also on The Football Show LIVE:
Why Hampden was notably sparse, with less than 25,000 Rangers fans in attendance;
How important Connor Barron is to Rangers FC;
Kyogo shoulder injury update from Brendan Rodgers;
The latest Scottish football news and transfer news;
Brighton make a formal transfer bid for Celtic's Matt O'Riley;
Reaction to all Scottish League Cup fixtures and quarter-final draw;
And much more!
00:01:15 Scottish League Cup results
00:03:36 Rangers 2-0 St Johnstone
00:10:55 Rangers fans don't like Hampden Park
00:12:44 Philippe Clement on Rangers celebration v St Johnstone
00:20:21 Connor Barron is a great signing for Rangers
00:21:35 Falkirk 2-0 Hearts
00:26:56 Celtic 3-1 Hibernian
00:33:16 Kyogo shoulder injury update
00:35:19 Brighton transfer bid for Matt O'Riley
00:40:45 Scottish football headlines
00:42:19 Motherwell 1-0 Kilmarnock
00:44:56 Copenhagen v Kilmarnock
00:47:29 Spartans 1-0 Ross County
00:48:07 Aberdeen 1-0 Queen's Park
00:50:52 Dundee 6-1 Airdrie
00:52:17 Scottish League Cup quarter-final draw
00:56:52 Man United 1-0 Fulham
00:58:25 Everton 0-3 Brighton
Love Scottish football as much as we do? i highly recommend you like, share and subscribe to Scottish Football Radio Show Matchday On Youtube
Also on The Football Show LIVE:
Why Hampden was notably sparse, with less than 25,000 Rangers fans in attendance;
How important Connor Barron is to Rangers FC;
Kyogo shoulder injury update from Brendan Rodgers;
The latest Scottish football news and transfer news;
Brighton make a formal transfer bid for Celtic's Matt O'Riley;
Reaction to all Scottish League Cup fixtures and quarter-final draw;
And much more!
00:01:15 Scottish League Cup results
00:03:36 Rangers 2-0 St Johnstone
00:10:55 Rangers fans don't like Hampden Park
00:12:44 Philippe Clement on Rangers celebration v St Johnstone
00:20:21 Connor Barron is a great signing for Rangers
00:21:35 Falkirk 2-0 Hearts
00:26:56 Celtic 3-1 Hibernian
00:33:16 Kyogo shoulder injury update
00:35:19 Brighton transfer bid for Matt O'Riley
00:40:45 Scottish football headlines
00:42:19 Motherwell 1-0 Kilmarnock
00:44:56 Copenhagen v Kilmarnock
00:47:29 Spartans 1-0 Ross County
00:48:07 Aberdeen 1-0 Queen's Park
00:50:52 Dundee 6-1 Airdrie
00:52:17 Scottish League Cup quarter-final draw
00:56:52 Man United 1-0 Fulham
00:58:25 Everton 0-3 Brighton
Love Scottish football as much as we do? i highly recommend you like, share and subscribe to Scottish Football Radio Show Matchday On Youtube
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00Welcome to the Football Show on PLZ Soccer's YouTube channel. I'm Peter Martin, Alan Ruff,
00:00:13Alison McConnell and Tam McManus here with me in the studio. Don't forget to hit that
00:00:17subscribe button on PLZ Soccer's YouTube channel. We really value your support over last season
00:00:23and going into this new season where there's lots of content. We'll look back over the
00:00:27Premier Sports Cup and the results that take eight teams into the quarter-final stage of
00:00:32the tournament. We'll discuss those results and of course all the major talking points
00:00:37as well. Some cup shocks that we predicted on Friday. You can give us your thoughts as
00:00:42well and if you download the PLZ Soccer app you'll get all the breaking news at your fingertips
00:00:47and that news includes of course the referee Matthew McDermott in the firing line for his
00:00:54performance at Hampden. Certainly caused a fair bit of consternation. We'll hear from
00:00:58Craig Levine and Philippe Clameau after Rangers knocked St Johnston out of the cup. Brighton
00:01:03have made an official approach for Matt O'Reilly of Celtic. Talks ongoing at the moment and
00:01:10we'll also be discussing what happened in the English Premier League. So, lots to get
00:01:16our teeth into. I think when you look at all the ties that we were predicting there was
00:01:21a few shocks in there and let's be honest about it. I think it's fair to say Spartans
00:01:27definitely a shock. Falkirk maybe not as much but still we called it. Yeah we did, fair
00:01:33play to you. You did say Spartans to beat Ross County and I looked at you as if you
00:01:36had three heads but you got it right and I fancy Falkirk to beat Hearts. I think Falkirk
00:01:4140, 42 games I think unbeaten in league games. You know won the first two championship games.
00:01:46I think they've got a really talented squad of players. Hearts at the start of the season
00:01:49really poorly. Stephen Naismith's getting to the neck already from the Hearts supporters.
00:01:54It just shows you how short the grace period was. He was in for a running for player of
00:01:58year and now you've got people on social media thinking he's not the person to take Hearts
00:02:01forward. It's mental. I think the Ross County one is a huge shock. Fair play to Spartans.
00:02:07You've had a great start to the season as well. Dougie Samuel's done a fantastic job
00:02:10there and Falkirk Manhattan got a great tie at Parkhead. Yeah absolutely. Here's the results
00:02:15from the weekend. Did you predict any of them correctly? Spartans won Ross County
00:02:19nil. Dundee thumped Airdrie 6-1. Falkirk 2, Hearts nil. Aberdeen 1, Queen's Park nil.
00:02:25They left it late, the Dons. Rangers 2, St Johnstone nil. Motherwell 1, Kilmarnock nil.
00:02:31And Dundee United 1, St Mirren nil. And they're Celtic comfortably again defeating Hibernian
00:02:35by three goals to one. So lots to get our teeth into. I mentioned that Alison and Ruffy
00:02:41are here with me. Tam obviously wants to be known as Elsie during the programme because
00:02:45he's just come out of the Witness Protection Scheme. Yet again, puts a post out on Twitter
00:02:51and then runs away because he's scared of the implications after it Ruffy. Yes, he's
00:02:56up there, he's throwing it out there for a bit of response. Not the response he probably
00:03:02wants. Absolutely fantastic. That's what you've got to do if you want to go on that platform
00:03:09and start putting your head above the parapet, Alison. We have all been there. Yeah, absolutely.
00:03:14You and Karen Ramsey, we will remember that. Although to be fair, to be fair, the strongest
00:03:20you got, what was the strongest one you got? They were fairly strong. I'm about questioning
00:03:27my very existence. Yes, there was a few belters in there, but not as bad as the madman here.
00:03:32But nevertheless, lots to talk about and I think, you know, the one that certainly caused
00:03:37a fair bit of consternation because quite simply, Rangers 2, St Johnstone. Now what
00:03:41did you make of it? What did you make of the performance of Matthew McDermott, the match
00:03:45official on this one? Because quite simply, Ruffy, there is a debate going on. St Johnstone
00:03:53have asked the SFA if they can hear the audio from the referees recording because they want
00:04:00to know if the whistle, as their players have claimed, was blown, that stopped their players
00:04:07playing on for a foul that Dessers, they believe, committed. But Dessers continued, put the
00:04:15ball in the back of the net. Greg Etkins says you'll need to go to review it with VAR because
00:04:21we think eventually when you're holding back and you've called it a no goal, we think you've
00:04:25made a mistake. And he goes to the VAR, changes his mind, gives the goal and all hell lets loose.
00:04:31Yeah, I can see why all hell would break loose with St Johnstone. I've watched it three or four
00:04:37times. Whether he's blown the whistle or he's not blown the whistle, VAR have overruled whatever
00:04:42decision he was. No, the referee has overruled on the basis that he's got. Yeah, but I don't
00:04:46think the St Johnstone players stopped. I think they did. Did you? I disagree, I think they did.
00:04:50They might have threw up their hands, but they didn't stop them from getting a tackle in and
00:04:54shooting at the goal. I think he was through. It wasn't a foul, correct? Yeah, I don't think
00:05:00it was a foul. Did you think it was a foul? No, I thought the boy slid in and probably
00:05:04stood on his foot. If the referee blows a whistle for a foul, it's going to get overruled
00:05:09with VAR anyway once they have a look at it. It's a goal. I don't think there was any question
00:05:13about whether or not it was a foul. I think people were fairly unanimous that there hadn't
00:05:17been a foul. The issue comes with the fact that he appears to gesticulate to award a
00:05:22foul. Whether or not he's blown, you're not going to know, because even if he's got the
00:05:26whistle in his mouth, he might not have blown. I'm not too sure, Ali, that everybody agrees
00:05:31with you on that. I think there's some people thinking it was a foul. I think there was
00:05:34a general consensus that there wasn't a foul. I think the question is, did the referee go
00:05:39to stop the game? I'm not sure, Peter. I think that it wasn't a foul. I'm not so sure. I
00:05:47don't think they stopped. I don't think they stopped either, if I'm being honest. The boy
00:05:53on the left-hand side was nowhere near desperate. Even if he thought he'd stopped, he wasn't
00:05:58getting him anyway. I think even if you just play, I don't know what they heard, Peter,
00:06:02but you just keep playing. They play out. For me, I'm not so sure. I thought it was
00:06:07a goal, to be honest. I don't see anything wrong with it. Obviously, St Johnstone will
00:06:12be disappointed if some of their players are saying they heard a whistle, then they're
00:06:15right to ask for the audio. Here's what Craig Levine made of it all. I thought it was a
00:06:21foul for us. I thought that Jack had been tripped by Dessars and that's why Jack was
00:06:25on the ground. That's why Dessars still had the ball. So I thought, there's no danger
00:06:31here. They're going to rule this out because Jack's been fouled. That was what I thought.
00:06:38Everybody stopped because of one or two things. Either they've stopped because they heard
00:06:43the whistle or they've seen the referee giving us a free kick. Then, of course, what makes
00:06:51it worse, because the players are then really frustrated and say stuff to the referee, they
00:06:56end up getting booed. First of all, he's wrong there because it wasn't a foul. It was a foul
00:07:04on Dessars. It wasn't a foul. If I could dissent what he's saying is, first of all,
00:07:13if there's no whistle, once we get that cleared up, the SFA are adamant in their statement
00:07:19released that there was no whistle. They say the whistle was blown after the goal was scored.
00:07:26The other aspect of it is, did the referee make a move to point that it was going to
00:07:33be a foul? Did he make that move? I thought he did. Right, so there's one aspect of it,
00:07:38secondary to that, the attitude of everyone should be, you play to the whistle. You play
00:07:44to the whistle. Then at that point, we're all dissecting, is it a foul? Everybody's
00:07:50got their opinion on that. Then, eventually, Dessars, rightly so, continues and thinks,
00:07:56well I'll put the ball in the back of the net and let that passage of play take its
00:07:59course. Then you make your call. There's too many things in there to dissect. Even after
00:08:05the fact, Craig Levine might get what they call him saying, by the way, there's the audio,
00:08:09I've heard it, there's no whistle. But we have seen him gesticulate and we think our
00:08:14players stopped. It doesn't matter. The whole thing has been, the referee has been prompted
00:08:18then to go to VAR and he's changed his mind. So that whole process has got too many fault
00:08:23lines for me. Yeah, it has Peter and fair play to Dessars for just playing on and putting
00:08:28it in the net. I think the strikers always do that. Even if you think you're offside,
00:08:30you just put the ball in the net anyway and you never know. Defenders don't. They want
00:08:35a foul. They're looking for a foul, they're looking for a whistle to try and stop the
00:08:38play. So fair play to Dessars. I think it's a rumble on and on. I don't think there was
00:08:45any doubt that Rangers deserved to win the game. I'm not taking away anything from the
00:08:49decision but Rangers totally dominated the game and should have had it won by half-time.
00:08:52They missed umpteen chances to go and win the game comfortably. St John's Small pointed
00:08:58that as a big call in the game. But for me, the best team went through.
00:09:02Now the other thing about this, it was a nice little finish from McCausland just to
00:09:07end it and send Rangers through comfortably in the end. So they deserved their win. That
00:09:13other part of it, whether we get a definitive out of it that pleases St John's is neither
00:09:18here nor there because they're out of the cup.
00:09:20Yeah, they're out. I'm right that Rangers dominated the game. I thought St John's had
00:09:26a wee chance in the last minute at the back post where the boy could have made it a wee
00:09:31bit more anxious, maybe into extra time. But they got the goal obviously at the right time,
00:09:37eight minutes into the end of the game. So on a whole, yes they deserve to win. You can
00:09:43see where St John's is coming from but it's not going to change anything. They're gone.
00:09:46Yeah, the big area here which will change is quite simply that Willie Collin will have
00:09:52to assess the overall performance of Matthew McDermott based on those faultlines that we're
00:09:58talking about. Whether the process was followed properly, whether he did gesticulate to the
00:10:04players and they picked it up. He should still play to the whistle in my view. But all of
00:10:09these things, and again St John's will have to hear that there was no whistle.
00:10:14Yeah, I think they'll be nursing a sense of grievance today. They'll be sore. I think
00:10:19I would agree on the whole, I think it's inarguable that Rangers were the better team
00:10:24across the entirety of the 90 minutes. But I think that moment will leave them feeling
00:10:29frustrated, just the manner in which it came about. Certainly, I was at the game, I did
00:10:34think he gesticulated, I did think he had blown. I can't hear of it. I definitely think
00:10:40he stopped. He made a sign with his hand, I don't know whether he's pointing to that
00:10:44point or the goal or whatever. The ultimate out will be play to the whistle.
00:10:50Yeah, absolutely. Lots and lots of people talking about it, Rangers got the 2-0 win
00:10:54in the end. There's a fair bit of fallout, and I'll come to you in a minute Tam on this,
00:10:59but there's a fair bit of fallout, Ruffy, on the size of the crowd. Now, people can,
00:11:07you know in memes and fans alike, they like a noise up with each other. Quite simply,
00:11:13I think there is, I'm just going to offer this to you, you can agree or disagree, I
00:11:18think there's an apathy among Rangers fans. Disappointment with what's been happening
00:11:22with the way the Ibrox-Copeland road end is being fixed. I think there is an overall feeling
00:11:28that they don't like Hamden. And let's put it in perspective as well, a lot of people
00:11:36are skint, and a lot of these things are not on the season ticket. So, they're looking
00:11:42and they're saying to themselves, what do you think Ali, 20,000 there? I would have
00:11:45guessed there or thereabouts around 20,000. There wasn't an official attendance given
00:11:50on Saturday, but I think it was probably less than half full. I would have estimated around
00:11:5620,000. I have to say, it's hard, we're in the main stand, so you're not seeing the view
00:12:00that you're in, but my guess would be around 20,000. Yeah, and Paul has said, what about
00:12:07from the Rangers players and management after the game? He thinks it was a joke. A lot of
00:12:13people were, well, I know somebody said to hear 50,000 at Celtic Park, skint. The demand
00:12:20at Celtic Park is quite simply because they're winning league titles. There's a waiting list
00:12:25at Celtic Park, which is, there's so many people that know they're never going to get
00:12:29a season ticket, they've been waiting on it for five or six years, so the demand there
00:12:32is incredible. Equally so, the demand after Steven Gerrard won the league from Rangers
00:12:38fans was incredible, and as you know in Glasgow, Tam Second is nowhere. It was a strange thing.
00:12:44This is what Philippe Clameau said about the celebration after the game.
00:12:49It's something that was planned, because that group of supporters was there Tuesday also,
00:12:58and they stayed after the game also to stay positive, to support the players, to support
00:13:06the club. So I think it's a normal thing from our side to show that respect towards them also.
00:13:13Tam? Yeah, listen, I can get both arguments, Peter. I think that he's trying to create
00:13:19some sort of siege mentality with the squad. Everyone's against us, we need to prove people
00:13:24wrong. We're not as bad as people are making out. Let's go and thank the fans, let's try
00:13:28and bring everyone together. A lot happening off the pitch at Rangers that the supporters
00:13:33are not happy with. Let's make sure we do the job on the pitch, keep the fans behind us. The
00:13:37guys that are coming, paying their money, we go and give them a clap at the end of the game.
00:13:42I get all that, Peter, but at St Johnstone in the second round of the League Cups, Glasgow
00:13:47Rangers Football Club, for me, you go and say thanks and then you get off. It's a game you
00:13:51should be winning anyway and you get up the tunnel. So for me, I didn't agree with it,
00:13:56but I can understand Rangers supporters think, well, he's trying to create a bond between the
00:14:01fans and the players. So I get that side of it as well, Peter, but my opinion, I thought it was a
00:14:05bit cringe. That's just my opinion. What did you make of it, Ali? You were there. I would probably
00:14:10concur. I think it was manufactured. I think it's an attempt to show unity, to bring people together.
00:14:16I think you get moments like that when clubs are disaffected, when there's been a break between
00:14:23the club support and the team. I think it was just deliberate to try and engineer
00:14:29this show of solidarity, but I thought it felt a bit over the top. It felt quite twee,
00:14:35given the fact that the stadium was half empty and you were going over to a small section of support.
00:14:42I think this is a competition that Rangers won last season. It's a competition they should be
00:14:47expected to go deep into. That's the first round that they've participated in. I thought it felt
00:14:53engineered and over the top. Does it matter, Ruffy? Or is it just a case of... I mean,
00:14:59there were some Rangers fans and some Rangers pundits and former players who've been looking
00:15:05at that and thinking, really? No, I think Alisson hit it in the head. It's a bit of unity.
00:15:12Tam says all the things that are going on behind the scenes. I think the manager knows that they've
00:15:17won massive, big, bad result away from the whole thing exploding. So you have to try and keep
00:15:22everybody on board. Some of the supporters aren't happy with the board. They're not happy with the
00:15:27stand. They're not happy with Hamden. So when something like that happens, you've got to do
00:15:32something to show... I think it was embarrassing. If I was a player there, I'd have felt awkward.
00:15:37I'd have felt a bit awkward jumping over a thing with a small group of fans. But they've got to do
00:15:44it. They've got to do it because there's so much happening away from what's happening on the park
00:15:49that you've got to do something to make the supporters believe that, OK, just hang on in
00:15:54there. We'll get it right. And doing something like that, he thinks is going to solve that.
00:15:58It's on the park. It's results. As Tam said, beating St Johnson isn't a great result. If they
00:16:04were to beat Celtic in the next game, they can all jump out of the hordes and go to the supporters
00:16:09and be quite rightly so. It's interesting, isn't it? I think when Celtic were experiencing similar
00:16:15turmoil, they came up with the huddle. Players came up with the idea of the huddle. I think
00:16:20Andy Walker had said at one point one of the ideas he had was them all walking out
00:16:24hand-in-hand as a show of unity. And then that was kiboshed when Tony Mowbray came up with the
00:16:28idea of the huddle. But it came around in similar circumstances. It came around as a show of
00:16:33solidarity, of unity, of let's be one and in it together. And obviously that has prevailed now
00:16:41till modern day. It's very much a part of the fabric of the club.
00:16:47You can see the thinking behind it and you can see why you get to that point. It's just whether
00:16:52or not the uptakes around it were suitable for what it was you were trying to create.
00:16:56Yeah, absolutely. Ruffey, none of that for you, son.
00:17:01After the game against Brazil, it was just get Zico's top and get off the park as quick as you
00:17:05can. That's another thing I don't understand. I understand in the modern day when they go into
00:17:12Europe or something and they get beat 3 or 4-0 and they walk around the park clapping. I just
00:17:17don't get that. I really don't. You've just been beaten, handsomely beaten, knocked out a cup. Why
00:17:23are you going around clapping? Clapping the supporters because I've made the effort to go
00:17:26there but I would be down the tunnel. It's damned if you do, it's damned if you don't. But Peter,
00:17:30if you don't do that, the supporters will go, we've paid our money to come up here and they've
00:17:34not even acknowledged us. And if you do it, you get slagged. That's both sides of it.
00:17:39I have to say, at that point alone, last season there was a game, well last season I think there
00:17:47was a big game, Rangers Celtic, and the Rangers players went up to some of the Rangers fans
00:17:53and all you could see in memes for about four days was Rangers fans going, no you.
00:17:58And you're thinking to yourself. Was that in the aftermath of the speech?
00:18:02It could have been. I don't know. I'm with you, Raffy. You've won the game, great.
00:18:10I do wonder how much of it's a modern thing.
00:18:12It is a modern thing, Ali.
00:18:14With social media and TikTok and Instagram and Twitter and everyone's on these platforms
00:18:22continuously and your life is almost broken down into these 10 second clips that you're posting
00:18:30an idea of something that's maybe not reflected in reality. But I don't know if it's just about,
00:18:37for a certain generation, that you celebrate your dinner on the table.
00:18:44I can just imagine, Ali, your family at the stage they're at now going,
00:18:49oh well done, Ali. What about this? Tatty's in Minsk for the third night in a row. Brilliant,
00:18:54well done, Ali. Because I know you can tell you right now, my daughter certainly wouldn't be
00:19:00applauding any dinner that hits the table. It's just get it done.
00:19:03Don't mind if they're putting in the right good effort and you've been beat with the odd goal
00:19:07and the players can see that you've put in. But I mean, go back to the Scotland-Germany
00:19:11game. Did the Scottish supporters go over to the supporters after that game
00:19:15in the Euros there? I can't remember.
00:19:17I think they probably did.
00:19:19Listen, you're right, Ali. You've nailed it. It's a modern day thing. And to be perfectly honest
00:19:23with you, realistically, I think you hit the nail on the head, Tam. Rangers deserve to win.
00:19:29That part, I can understand where Craig Levine is absolutely furious with the whole thing. He used
00:19:35some classic Craig Levine industrial language before the real pressure started and the questions
00:19:40were asked. But I can understand why he's peeved with it. At the end of the day, success,
00:19:48supply and demand, when you're successful, when you win things, the demand is there from
00:19:53supporters. Right now, there's been a lot of negativity around certain parts of Rangers.
00:19:59A lot of people are thinking, I'm not going to Hamden, you know, end of story. And there's a
00:20:04lot of people getting wrapped up in whether they're all in a line celebrating St Johnson.
00:20:09If it was me, as a supporter, I'd be more wrapped up with who's playing well, who looks the real
00:20:16deal, who's just not cutting it. Are we going to get signings in? For me, the only one that every
00:20:23time I see him since he joined Rangers, I wondered whether he was going to be a good signing.
00:20:27Certainly not as instrumental as I think he is. I like him as Barron. I like Connor Barron because
00:20:34he's picking the ball up, he's driving forward, he's looking. He's a midfielder that plays forward
00:20:40passes, Tam. Yeah, and it just shows you that there is players out there at other Scottish
00:20:45clubs. Rangers have neglected that for a long time, in my opinion. They used to do it a lot.
00:20:50They'd go and sign the best players for Dundee, Dundee United, Hibs, Hearts, whatever.
00:20:53They don't seem to be doing that now. Out of all the signings, they got him for nothing,
00:20:57free. I don't know if it was a tribunal or whatever it was, but they got him for next to
00:21:02nothing and he's been their best signing. The money they've spent over the last two seasons,
00:21:06your Danilos, your Dessers, the Lammers, guys like that. A guy comes in for another Scottish
00:21:11club and he's been really, really good. The Rangers supporters have taken to him straight
00:21:14away because he's hungry. He looks as if he's wanting to get on the ball and create and make
00:21:18things happen. I think he's been a really, really good signing for Rangers. Yeah, absolutely, 100%.
00:21:24Okay, that's Rangers and their win. It was top of the bill because it was a fair bit of,
00:21:31well, anger and certainly talking points in that match that we discussed. Elsewhere,
00:21:37Falkirk, two, Hearts, nil. I was there, Ruffey. It was, I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed the game.
00:21:45Hearts should have been out of sight within 20 minutes. Yeah, first 15 minutes, hit the bar,
00:21:49a couple of good saves. I just thought Stevie's team selection was a wee bit naive.
00:21:56Going to a place like Falkirk, who were on a bad run, leaving Shankland on the bench,
00:22:01changing and giving a couple of new guys a game who weren't really up to speed. But
00:22:06saying that, you obviously thought they were good enough to go along there. But all credit
00:22:10to Falkirk. They weathered the storm, got the goal at the right time and thoroughly deserved
00:22:15the win. Yeah, absolutely. And John McGlynn, you just, at the end of the game, you just couldn't
00:22:22hide his delight at the way his team had gone about their business.
00:22:26The boys were magnificent. Cannae praise the players enough. They just turned out performance
00:22:31after performance after performance. So, yeah, absolutely delighted with them. They've got to
00:22:35take all the praise. They're out there doing the business. Hearts, early doors, probably had two
00:22:40or three good opportunities, hit the bar with one goal. He's made a couple of saves with his leg.
00:22:44Nicky did really, really well. Delighted. Delighted with our defenders. They got a clean sheet against
00:22:48a team like Hearts who got a lot of attacking options. The whole defence did really well.
00:22:54I thought Brad and Dylan were excellent in midfield. Dylan gets up to get the second goal
00:22:58after Alphys put some pressure on the goalkeeper. So, yeah, I'm absolutely delighted. Delighted to
00:23:03be in the draw. Yeah, and at the end of it all, Ali, I thought they deserved it. Yeah, I thought
00:23:09so too. I've only seen highlights of it, but I thought so too. I thought Craig Gordon had a
00:23:14couple of really good saves too. I think, judging from what I did see back, I think if Hearts had
00:23:20taken the chances they had in the opening minutes, I think they would have gone on and won the game
00:23:24comfortably. As it is, you're always at risk if you don't take the chances. And against a team like
00:23:29Falkirk, confidence is high. There's a belief about them. It's a game where essentially you've
00:23:34got nothing to lose. You can go and have a go. I thought they were worthy of their place and
00:23:39worthy of the win. It invites a bit of pressure now on Steven Naismith. It's not been the best
00:23:44of starts for Hearts. I think it just puts them under a wee bit of pressure when it's seen in
00:23:49the context of the opening couple of weeks of the season. Yeah, and let's take nothing away because
00:23:53sometimes you do get a situation where you start to look and think, well, Kevin's going to be about
00:24:00Hearts and how they didn't play. But once that 20 minutes had passed, Tam, I'm watching this
00:24:05slowly but surely, they started to move the ball about. There was a confidence about them.
00:24:09And of course, Ross McIver could have had two goals in the bag, but for Craig Gordon,
00:24:15made two great saves. Yeah, Craig was outstanding on the day. I think, as the guy said, the first 20
00:24:20minutes, if Hearts go 1-0, it's a different game. But I thought Steven made eight changes.
00:24:27Not for me. I think Hearts can win two things this season. League Cup, Scottish Cup. I think
00:24:30you play your strongest team. You don't chop and change. And I think if he had that back,
00:24:35looking at the result, I think he would play a stronger team. Well, on that point,
00:24:38when he put up the board and was taking off Yandanda, they booed. This was his reaction to that.
00:24:47Fans are going to be disappointed, you know, winning a cup tie and a cup tie that your
00:24:50favourite's to go through in. So they're going to be. I didn't think, as the game went on, we then
00:24:55started making wrong decisions. Too many balls into the goalie's hands, giving up too many fouls,
00:24:59which then kills the momentum and ultimately that second goal. Yeah, they were booing. If I could
00:25:07offer a defence of Steven Naismith, is some Hearts fans who clearly are not Steven Naismith fans,
00:25:16boo him. Everybody's entitled to their opinion. You know, I've seen some people, you know,
00:25:23with ludicrous statements saying, get him out. This is a guy who, you know,
00:25:30got this team to third in the table, slowly but surely building a team. And we are, as a nation,
00:25:38now getting to the point where people are saying after three and four and five games,
00:25:43is a manager under pressure? It is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, I am of the opinion that
00:25:51and Budge and the rest of that board, you know, are a sensible lot. Just let the manager get on
00:25:57with his job. Yeah, but I don't think he's under any pressure. You know, I know he's got a big
00:26:01European game coming up this week. I think in hindsight, he'll probably look and say, as Tam
00:26:05said, I should have made eight changes. This is a tough place to go. He's through guys in there who
00:26:11haven't been in this kind of cup experience. All of a sudden, they've won nothing down.
00:26:16And you're looking for possibly some experienced players to react to that. I think the new guys
00:26:21who come in, get shocked that they were behind and just couldn't dig themselves out of it. So
00:26:26I think in hindsight, I think the only thing you could maybe have a wee go at was his team selection.
00:26:31Yeah, absolutely. You live or die. In some games, they'll probably look at it,
00:26:36maybe assess it, maybe think not the right thing to do. In the end, when they were trying to chase
00:26:41the game, they just didn't look as if they were going to get that goal back. And then Falkirk just
00:26:47raced up the park with about nine minutes to go. The icing on the cake with Dylan Tate, so great
00:26:52for Falkirk to get into the next round. We'll talk about that quarterfinal draw shortly. Your
00:26:57Hibbies again, off the back of last week's defeat in the league, suddenly in the League Cup. Celtic
00:27:04again, just early on, dismantling Hibs. Yeah, it was similar to Easter Road. You've got to keep it
00:27:12tight against Celtic. You've got to keep it tight for 20-25 minutes and then try and get into the
00:27:17game, losing the early goal again. And you're thinking, this could be a doon. 2-0, they get
00:27:23the goal back with Kukerevic, great header. And then I thought they played okay in spells. Once
00:27:29the third goal goes in from Kuhn, which is a nightmare for Hibs at the back, the big centre
00:27:33half, Marvin and the goalkeeper. I thought he'd just put his foot through it. He's left foot,
00:27:37he tried to open his body to go out the other side. It was a dreadful goal to lose when Hibs
00:27:41were still in the game at 2-1. That was the game finished. But I saw little bits of,
00:27:47shoots of recovery from Hibs. I thought they played well in spells. Celtic back-to-back is a
00:27:52nightmare start for any team out with the Old Firm. They've got Dundee on Saturday, they've got
00:27:56Camarnock and then they've got St Johnson. So, two of those games at home. Camarnock's straight
00:28:00off the back of playing Copenhagen at home. So, they've got three games where they should be
00:28:04taking, in my opinion, seven, nine points. If they do that, they're back in the pack.
00:28:09If they don't, then David will be under increasing pressure.
00:28:16Not from me, but from the supporters. You spoke about hearts. There's Hibs fans who didn't fancy
00:28:23David Green. They're thinking, I'm right, I was right, we've had a poor start to the season.
00:28:30Hearts are the same. Stephen Naismith, a lot of people, not Stephen Naismith fans,
00:28:33jumping on him right now because they're in a bad run. That's what happens with supporters.
00:28:38I think you can look at it logically and say, from our perspective, it's preposterous to be
00:28:43under pressure so early. But the reality is, it's supporters that apply that pressure. It's the noise
00:28:48that builds up around managers and around clubs. I think the other thing about it, Rafi, is it's
00:28:53weak-minded board members who listen to supporters. You have to stick by. Can you imagine when we got
00:29:01together all those years ago? I'd say to you, Rafi, you've got seven weeks to make a valid
00:29:09point. I stuck with you until year nine. It was eight weeks before I had an opinion.
00:29:16Eight seasons, eight weeks. Stephen Naismith isn't under any pressure. He's our best team in Scotland
00:29:26and playing the most attractive football. Okay, he's at a bad start. I just unfortunately, at
00:29:32Hibs, think with this owner, Faye Boremouth, hanging about, I don't think he's going to suffer.
00:29:37You're saying seven out of nine. Say it's only two out of nine. This guy will have something to
00:29:43say about it. I'm not saying he'll sack him, but he'll certainly have something to say about it.
00:29:48Well, I'd like to see a number of board members. Hibs have backed David Gray.
00:29:55They've brought players in. I still think they need time to gel. George Robertson's having
00:30:01none of it. Tam McManus, open your eyes. David Gray will get one month, if you're lucky.
00:30:07P.S. Hibs are still paying you. George has been angry since the programme opened.
00:30:12It's all capitals as well. If George had put five exclamation marks in there,
00:30:20you were in trouble. Nevertheless, I would say, yes, they've backed him.
00:30:27Surely, to God, you've got to let teams gel. He's signed about nine or ten players as well.
00:30:33I don't think he's under any pressure. I know what Hibs supporters are like,
00:30:36I know what Hart supporters are like. You go three or four games without a win,
00:30:40you look on social media, get them out. It's mental.
00:30:44As I said, they've got a run of games now before they play Rangers at Hampden.
00:30:48They've got Dundee at home on Saturday, which is a big game for both clubs. Dundee have started
00:30:51really, really well. If Hibs want to get in the top six this season, I think they'll have to finish
00:30:55above Dundee. I think Dundee will be thereabouts as well. Then they've got Camarnet on the following
00:31:01Sunday after playing in Europe, and then St Johnstone at home. So they've got three good…
00:31:05Seven or nine points to still look good.
00:31:08By the way, remember this as well, and I'm going to point this out to you, Ali,
00:31:14because we are guilty of it and we'll take it on the chin. Yo-Yo Heed here was writing a column
00:31:21and coming on this programme last year, sack the manager, back the manager, sack him.
00:31:26No, I'm nowhere near the sack at the minute.
00:31:30No, I mean, I hope not.
00:31:31Give him a couple of weeks.
00:31:32Yeah. The other aspect of it which I'm looking at is, Ali, Celtic… This is the strangest thing ever.
00:31:39Celtic domestically just look like a well-oiled machine that I cannot see anybody laying a glove
00:31:46on them. But we're on the 19th of August, Ali, and we're getting mightily close to a lot of Celtic
00:31:54fans losing their head.
00:31:56Yeah, it's been the story of the summer that Celtic haven't yet recruited heavily. Obviously,
00:32:02they've brought a couple in, Ida, over the line last week. I think there'll probably be
00:32:10a couple more before the end of the window. I think you could look at Celtic just now and say,
00:32:15even if Matt O'Reilly goes next week or before the window shuts, I think Celtic just look head
00:32:23and shoulders above anything else in the league. They've picked up domestically where they left
00:32:28off at the end of last season. I think there's no one that you would look at, I think, that will
00:32:34lay a glove on them. I think domestically they have enough to go and win the title without
00:32:39barely breaking sweat. There's a big question mark over what that means when it comes to
00:32:44Champions League when they kick off this new format, guaranteed eight games in the tournament
00:32:49that will take them to the end of January. It'll be interesting to see if there are players who
00:32:53come in who add a bit of quality to what's already there. Players that might elevate
00:32:58performances in a Champions League level, but as we have spoken of repeatedly, how difficult
00:33:03that is to do. Well, of course, you and I disagree vehemently on this. Many things.
00:33:14So there's no point in me wasting 10 minutes of the programme on something that I think
00:33:19we're going to deal with the manager's words on it, Ruffey. He's got a dilemma on Kyogo because
00:33:24Kyogo, if he takes the operation on his shoulder, will be out for four months and that's a dilemma.
00:33:30This is what Brendan Rodgers had to say about Kyogo
00:33:40after the game. Surgery takes him out for probably about four months. It's only he who can decide
00:33:46that because a lot of time he gets through the games fine. He's a 29-year-old man now and he
00:33:51understands what he wants to do. He has managed it for a long time. So losing him for four months
00:33:58would be a huge blow with Champions League group stage coming up, Ruffey. That's a big dilemma.
00:34:04I don't think Kyogo wants to make that call. I don't think he is, but the most obvious question
00:34:10is why didn't you shove him in when the season finished? You know, if he's got a shoulder injury
00:34:15as soon as that last game of the season, you put him in for surgery. I don't think he wants the
00:34:19operation. I think that's the problem. I mean, I've never had a shoulder injury. I don't know
00:34:23how sore it is when you get it pushed back in. I don't know how often it's liable to pop out and
00:34:28what kind of danger you're under. It's not like ligaments or cartilage or anything like that. So
00:34:34you're right, at the age he is, maybe he says, I can put up with it. Well, he's had it even when
00:34:39he was playing in Japan. I think it's a very personal decision that he's opted not to have
00:34:43the surgery. I think Celtic would have been delighted to have it addressed prior to now,
00:34:48to have it properly dealt with. It's obviously been a long-standing issue that he's managed
00:34:53for the entirety of the time that he's been in Glasgow, but I think he himself doesn't want
00:34:57the operation. I wonder how sore it is, Tam. The only person I can ever remember with a bad
00:35:01shoulder injury was Officer Riggs in Lethal Weapon 2 when he used to scalp it back in.
00:35:11OK. But other than that, if it's no problem to him then get on with it. The biggest problem
00:35:19I think everybody is looking at here, and Brendan Rodgers is saying there's a lot that they need to
00:35:24do. I am convinced nobody will tell me otherwise unless suddenly the window shuts. Matt O'Reilly
00:35:31will be sold shortly, Brighton are in talks, they've made a formal bid, so they want him.
00:35:38Atalanta have apparently pulled out now, so Brighton are in there. Celtic will sell Matt
00:35:43O'Reilly. Brendan Rodgers says there's a lot of work they need to do. He would like two new
00:35:47midfielders if Matt O'Reilly is sold. We've already talked about Celtic, I think, are a
00:35:54striker short and are they a left-back and a centre-half short. Brendan Rodgers, after the
00:36:00game, says I'll need to speak to the board. There's a lot of work going on and there's lots that we
00:36:05need to do, but for now it's about the players that are here. He keeps putting messages out every
00:36:12week, Peter. He needs players, he needs quality players. They're going to go into September,
00:36:17into that Champions League and they need a squad to go and play on both fronts. He keeps putting
00:36:24the message out. I'm sure there's hard work going on behind the scenes in terms of getting players
00:36:28in. I agree with you, I think Matt O'Reilly will go. I think with Brighton coming in now,
00:36:35a club like that with a lot of money, I think they will probably sign him if they come up with
00:36:40the money. I think it would go to Brighton, I think it would go to the Premier League
00:36:44and then you're needing two in and then you're needing a striker. I think you're needing a
00:36:47centre-half, a left-back and there's no sign of anybody at the minute, Peter. So Brendan's
00:36:51probably getting more texture the closer we're getting to this window because he knows he needs
00:36:55players in. Listen, the only other thing I would say on the matter right now and I'm going to
00:37:01hold off and I'll weigh up and I'm quite happy to let Ali have her say on the whole situation
00:37:09with transfer windows and European Championships and the difficulties of signing a player,
00:37:14Ruffey, and all of that claptrap. Because quite simply, that's the same squad that wasn't good
00:37:21enough in last season's Champions League and right now, listen, you talk about people being skint,
00:37:28talk about people who are shelling out lots of money to see Celtic domestically untouchable.
00:37:36European-wise, not so. No, I think if O'Reilly goes and there is no evidence that the players
00:37:44that use are talking are coming in, I think Brendan Rodgers knows that although they are
00:37:48playing particularly well and they're winning games, he's near enough going to suffer the wrath
00:37:53if O'Reilly goes and Rangers get a draw. Oh hell, they'll break loose if no players come in.
00:37:59He'll know what's around the corner if nothing happens so he has to put pressure on that board.
00:38:04We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. They might be negotiating with three or four
00:38:08players as we speak but if none of them materialise, I don't think the supporters will accept it.
00:38:16Big pressure on you, Ruffey, September 1st on the show. You're going to have to be
00:38:20opinionated. I can't be the only one getting barred. You've got to go too,
00:38:24haven't you Ali? No chance of Ruffey doing that. Too nice.
00:38:32Listen, you can give us your view. What do you make of it all? As a footballing side against
00:38:38Hibs, Tam, they really are a well-oiled machine. I can't see anybody touching them domestically.
00:38:45Their quality, Peter, I think you've seen in flashes. They've got competition in wide areas
00:38:49now. Mahida's back as well. Kuhn looks transformed from last season, pre-season under his belt.
00:38:54I don't think he wasn't fit last season. He looked miles off it last season. He's come in and he's
00:38:58had a great start to the season. Started really well in pre-season, into the league, looks good.
00:39:02James Forrester as well. Mahida coming in to put pressure on Kyogo. There's competition
00:39:08in that front area and I agree. I don't see anyone stopping Celtic from possibly doing another travel.
00:39:14Yeah, Ruffey? Middle of the front, bang on. Defensively, Hibs still had a wee sneaky. When
00:39:20they come up against a really good side and put them under pressure, that's when unfortunately
00:39:25the trouble starts. You're not going to be scoring goals all the time. You've got to defend
00:39:30properly against proper big sides. Absolutely. Just one little footnote, Ruffey. Kuhn scored a
00:39:36goal, obviously the Hibs goalkeeper made a complete back end of it. Foul for two goals,
00:39:41yeah. Craig Gordon did the same against Falkirk. Can a goalkeeper not use their head now and say,
00:39:48listen, I know you want us to play this out at the back all the time. How about I just launch it
00:39:53and stop us losing a goal? Yeah, it's drummed into them now. They want to keep possession of the
00:39:58ball. If you watch them before the game, the goalkeepers getting warmed up. They warm up with
00:40:04their feet, they're not warming up with their hands. They're practising their touch. Watch it
00:40:09when they're warming up. They're passing to each other. I think you have to give credit to the two
00:40:14forwards for chasing them down. Kuhn ran into the boy, didn't he? Tam said he tried to get it on
00:40:21his left foot, but forwards are too sharp for some of the goalkeepers. Yeah, Kuhn ran into him as
00:40:26well. Let's leave it at that. If it's near it, a big hi to Alfredo Morales. Anyway, more to come
00:40:44from us after the headlines. Welcome to your daily news update brought to you by Arnold Clark. I'm
00:40:49Patrick and here's your top stories on the 19th of August. St Mirren are out of the Premier Sports
00:40:54Cup after a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Dundee United. Speaking after the game,
00:40:59Stephen Robertson says his key players from last season have to step up. Some boys that had,
00:41:04so to speak, chips in the bank from last season need to step up. We need performances to improve.
00:41:08Motherwell also booked their place into the last eight with an extra-time victory
00:41:12over Kilmarnock. In attendance at Fir Park was free agent Ryan Jack,
00:41:16but Stuart Kettlewell has pushed down any speculation joining him at the club.
00:41:21No, I think Ryan should maybe take him in a game. I'm not too sure about that.
00:41:24The Premier Sports Cup quarterfinal draw took place last night, which has drawn Celtic
00:41:28against Falkirk Dundee. They'll travel to Hamden to take on Rangers. Aberdeen will host Spartans
00:41:34and Motherwell will face off against Dundee United. Those fixtures will take place
00:41:38across the weekend of September 21st and 22nd. That's all of your headlines brought to you by
00:41:44Arnold Clark. Yeah, thanks to Patrick Mullan. If I was
00:41:49Ryan Jack, I'd get a ticket for Real Madrid and go and watch them as well and just send
00:41:53the whole thing into another stratosphere because he can't move without being linked with a team.
00:41:58I think he's maybe just happy to go out the house and watch a game of football.
00:42:01He's maybe demented in the house. No, I think he's just going to watch games. I think that there's
00:42:06no doubt for me Ryan Jack's good enough to go and play for any of these clubs that he's
00:42:11Motherwell. I think he'd be looking for maybe a bigger club than them, no disrespect, and
00:42:16possibly going abroad. I think he's just going to look at games to watch.
00:42:19Here's an interesting point that was made by Derek McInnes. Motherwell 1, Kilmarnock 0,
00:42:24Ebbie Moses scoring the goal for Motherwell. The Killie boss reckons that with their European
00:42:31campaign, when they come back domestically, a lot of managers and teams will fancy taking
00:42:37something off them. Tiredness, so it's a good time to play us. I see Simona out of the cup as well.
00:42:43We're having to deal with a schedule at the minute that we're not used to as players and
00:42:47as a club. We're not complaining about it because we'd rather have the schedule, but it does make
00:42:53us a bit more vulnerable. Sunday to Thursday is a bit easier, clearly, because you've got those
00:42:58extra days, but Thursday to Sunday after travelling, two away games, back-to-back,
00:43:02it's always a wee bit more of a stretch. It's a predominant feature, Ruffey, that clubs,
00:43:10especially on the evidence of what we've witnessed over the last 15-20 years, Thursday to
00:43:15Sunday is proving to be difficult. I think it's difficult for the likes of Simona and Kilmarnock
00:43:20because they don't have the same pool of players. They don't have 30 players to call on, no first
00:43:25team players, whereas you should think the Rangers and Celtic, when they're playing in Europe,
00:43:29should have enough pool players to take over. I think that's where they're struggling. I can't
00:43:36give any experience of playing in Europe and travelling home and the first team playing on
00:43:40the Sundays. As a goalkeeper, it wouldn't have bothered me. Maybe Tam, being an outfield player,
00:43:44would know the travelling kind of thing, but at any time, I travelled abroad and came back and
00:43:48played on a Saturday. I never had any problem with that. It's difficult. I've done it a few
00:43:53times, Pete, at different clubs. Hibs and Dunfermline and playing in Ireland. I think
00:43:57it's difficult. I think it's a lot to do with the travelling. I think away from home. At home,
00:44:02you're fine. You can get back to your own bed. I don't think it's a big issue. Away from home,
00:44:06you're travelling. You're in Norway or wherever you are. You get on the flight after the game.
00:44:09You're maybe not training the next day. Then you're back in for a light session.
00:44:13There's not a lot of training going on, Pete. It's just rest and recovery. Derek's right,
00:44:16it is a good time to play. Kilmarnock is a good time to play. St Marnes, both those results bear
00:44:20out. There are probably a few tired legs in there. They've maybe got 12, 13 guys they can really rely
00:44:27on. The rest, he's maybe not sure about putting in, but he has to. Kilmarnock are one tie away for
00:44:35mega money. £5m, £6m. They're playing Copenhagen. They're massive underdogs.
00:44:40You never know. I think once Kilmarnock and St Marnes get through, I think you'll start to see
00:44:48them come out the table, Pete. I think it's difficult at the minute. I will be cheering
00:44:54for Ruffey. In fact, I'm almost certain, let's have a wee bit of a... If Kilmarnock get into the
00:45:02Europa League... £5m, £6m, massive. I'm wearing a Kilmarnock top on the programme. I mean,
00:45:07you've got to. It would be magnificent. Not that it's any slight on anybody. Would that be the
00:45:15same if Rangers got into the Europa? Alison said she'd be a Rangers fan.
00:45:25I wasn't volunteering anything. They're in it, they're in it, Ruffey. So that's Bond.
00:45:34That was lucky. You talked yourself into a mess there. I don't know why I did that. I was just
00:45:42trying to show a bit of solidarity for Derek Mackinnis because I want them to get in. By the
00:45:47way, realistically, that sort of money is changing. That's how I wanted Hearts to get in
00:45:54and they lost to Zurich. The money would have been phenomenal. I think that's what you need.
00:45:59You bring those kind of resources in and all of a sudden it just gives you a platform to go and
00:46:04build on, to attract better players. That kind of money can be transformative for clubs. I have to
00:46:11say, I think Copenhagen will be a really tough ask. Realistically, when you look at it, I think
00:46:17it's probably a step beyond them. I hope I'm wrong, but I think so. If they can stay in the tie,
00:46:25Alison, away from home, they can get them back to Camargo. If they even get a draw or a narrow
00:46:29defeat over there, they can come back. I think Copenhagen are also a really seasoned European
00:46:32team too. You look at the recent seasons that they've been in, I think well into their season
00:46:40two, up and running. I think it's a very, very difficult ask to see Colmar not coming through.
00:46:46I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see them go on and progress too, but I just don't know that
00:46:51realistically you would give them a fighting chance. On the evidence of it, all that feel-good
00:46:55factor that was around St Mirren that hasn't completely and utterly disappeared, but certainly
00:47:00brought back down to earth with a bump, with a Dundee United win again. I think the fans have
00:47:05enjoyed so much of what's been happening in Europe. I don't think it will hinder,
00:47:09nor the manager, nor the players. I think they'll just get back into league cup mode.
00:47:13They've been very, very good there. Good stadiums, been full at home. I think you'll be a wee bit
00:47:18more relaxed. You'll be disappointed because this cup always opens up an avenue for one of the
00:47:23smaller clubs to get quite far in it. If you go quite far in it, you can raise a lot of money.
00:47:28Yeah, absolutely. Spartans, I did mention to you, Tam, I just had a wee feeling that at that ground
00:47:34they could do something a wee bit special.
00:47:36That's an incredible result for them, the League Two club beating a Premiership team in the cup.
00:47:40It's a huge result. Dougie Samuel's been there for years. He's really been there, a pillar of
00:47:46community as well. They're a community club, Spartans. Delighted for them to get through.
00:47:51They've obviously got a tough tie in the next round, but just getting through and beating
00:47:55Norse County is great for them. Great header for Blair Henderson in the seeding of the game out.
00:48:01A real shock for a club like that, but fantastic for everyone at Spartans.
00:48:07Aberdeen left it late, Topi Keskinen with the goal,
00:48:10and Jimmy Tolleen well happy with his goalscorer's contribution.
00:48:15I don't think about the transfer fee, I think about the players.
00:48:20It's always nice when a new player arrives and they can make some impact, but
00:48:24it's the first game and you should not put any pressure on him, step by step. I'm really happy
00:48:29he can win a goal and get us through to the next round. That was good.
00:48:37He's such a feel-good factor around Aberdeen. He's been transformed, hasn't he? They'll be
00:48:43buying merchandise non-stop, he's pulling in players and suddenly if they all come in and
00:48:47make contributions like that, Aberdeen will not be bottom six like they were last season.
00:48:54I think he can feel the sense of expectancy around the club. I think it's been a really
00:49:00good sequence of results to open his campaign this season and to open his chapter at Aberdeen.
00:49:08But you can sense the optimism, you can sense the belief amongst the Aberdeen fans who are
00:49:15buying into what he wants to do, and the players. You can see that the players
00:49:18are also buying into what he wants to do. I'll tell you where else they're buying
00:49:21into what the manager's doing. Tory, Docherty, Dundee, they've thumped Aberdeen.
00:49:25Yeah, they've carried on from last year. We made a couple of good signings, obviously,
00:49:29Simon Murray. I don't think he's taken as many loan players on board this year as he did last
00:49:35year. I think he's stated that, that's the way ahead last year was to bring in loan players,
00:49:41but this year he wants to bring in people who are going to be there for two or three years.
00:49:46Again, we're hanging on there. Is there any truth in the wee midfield boy? I got his name
00:49:53wrong the last time. Luke McCown, yeah. I think there's a couple of teams sniffing about him.
00:49:59Is the money at the right time? Does the player want to move? It'd be interesting to see if
00:50:03somebody just throws something in there. A mullion pounder, by the way. Yeah, I think
00:50:08he's a Celtic player, because that was a wee sniff. I'm really impressed. I just don't know
00:50:15if he's the kind of player that can move on to another level. There's a lot of players who've
00:50:19came through Aberdeen, Dundee, Hibs and that, went into Rangers and Celtic, and it's not happened.
00:50:25Particularly at Celtic, I would wonder where he would step in there. He's not another Matt O'Reilly.
00:50:32He's playing at that level against those kind of players. In the Scottish league,
00:50:38he's been one of the players that's impressed me more over the last two years.
00:50:42It'll be interesting to see where on the 19th of August, players coming in and out. You can give us
00:50:47your view on that, but certainly when you look at what Tony Docherty is doing with Dundee,
00:50:56it's absolutely fantastic the way they've gone about their business. As you can imagine,
00:51:03the manager's well happy. If you'd told me we'd run out six 1-1ers, I'd have bitten the hand off
00:51:09you. I just think it shows the quality of the team. That side's now scored 29 goals in seven
00:51:13games. I think if you're a Dundee fan coming to watch, you're really enjoying watching the team.
00:51:17I'm enjoying watching the team. Even at that, when I see them in the dressing room, they're angry.
00:51:22They're actually angry that they lost a goal there and didn't get a clean sheet.
00:51:2528 goals in seven games?
00:51:26I know, but not only that, but from record.
00:51:28You're talking about a partnership that Aberdeen, Derek Mackinnis and Tony Docherty, great,
00:51:33then suddenly he decides he wants to go on his own. Really, they're getting the best of both
00:51:39worlds. What Derek achieved at Kelly's Magic, but Dundee now have been rewarded with that
00:51:44match against Rangers. Now we're really going to see, we're going to get a wee taster of
00:51:49what they're all about.
00:51:50Yeah, that's a tough tie for Rangers. I think Dundee are playing really well at the minute.
00:51:54I think a lot of people were surprised that Tony Docherty got the job. I think he came out of left
00:51:58field. I think there was a lot of names and the bookies were putting their usual suspects up and
00:52:03he wasn't one of them, but he's come in and he's done a fantastic job there. They've got goals in
00:52:09the team and they play Hibs next as well, which is great.
00:52:12Yeah, absolutely. You need that like a hole in the head. You won't know who to jump up for when
00:52:16the ball hits the back of the net. Rangers, Dundee, Celtic, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Spartans
00:52:21and Motherwell Dundee United. If you were picking a game there, Ali?
00:52:26I think Motherwell Dundee United will be fairly competitive and Rangers Dundee too. I think the
00:52:30fact that, I was going to say it's at Ibrox, but it's a home tie, a Hamden tie for Rangers.
00:52:37But I think Dundee will go and try and give a decent account of themselves. Falkirk get their
00:52:42payday, the trip to Celtic. But yeah, I think Motherwell Dundee United should be fairly
00:52:49competitive. Tony Watt against his former? I don't know if we're allowed to play.
00:52:54Yeah, no we won't. Oh yeah, as a loan. Yeah, there might be a stipulation of a loan. He can
00:53:00certainly play a League Cup. And when he come on, you know, I think the majority of people
00:53:06were very complimentary about Tony Watt coming back. I mean, I like him as a player and I like
00:53:12him as a person as well, but you know, much misunderstood I think. But I think roughy
00:53:18players nowadays, they move on, they go for money.
00:53:21He's not a troubled soul, no. Well, I do think, you know, at times you look at him and you think
00:53:26to yourself, he never settles anywhere, but I've got no qualms with people moving on because
00:53:31roughy, you would have moved on three or four times if you had the opportunity. Yeah, I don't
00:53:35have a problem with what happens to him off the park, as long as when he walks onto the park on
00:53:39a Saturday or whenever and he scores goals. As a supporter, as a Motherwell supporter,
00:53:44that's what I'd be worried about. I wouldn't be worrying about if he doesn't settle here,
00:53:48doesn't settle there. As soon as he puts on that Motherwell jersey, walks on the park,
00:53:52he scores goals, that's good enough for me. Yeah, absolutely. As you know, roughy, I always
00:53:56try and read out as many messages as possible because we always like a bit of banter, a bit
00:54:01of decency and of course if we get pelters, we take it on the chin, Tam, to be perfectly honest
00:54:08with you. I'm not sure about this one though, this Travelling Scotsman says Rangers have booked
00:54:13an open top bus if they beat Dundee in the next round of the cup.
00:54:19You know, seriously roughy, there's some people who just, they're taking chances. If Tam put that
00:54:27out on the Twitter, he would never see him for about three months. I'd be the boat with the
00:54:32Clyde. I'd be the wife of the Rangers fan, she'd do it. You've come back off the ropes this weekend,
00:54:42haven't you? Aye, my wife says I have to stop slagging Rangers, so I have to put a sock on it,
00:54:46so I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Well, if there's any chance, one of the biggest problems that we do
00:54:51have is people who don't have an opinion. If for the next couple of weeks you could send your wife
00:54:55in, at least we might get some decent opinion out of her instead of what you're offering us at the
00:55:00moment. I know you mentioned that at the start of the programme, Ali, I was worried and I think
00:55:05you're right. Anyway, thanks to so many people who are putting their messages, it's only a game.
00:55:11We love the beautiful game, we love a noise up, but let's see how the quarter-finals go.
00:55:16Where's the shock coming, Ruffy, for you in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup?
00:55:21It's not going to be Aberdeen, it's not going to be Celtic, it's going to be Rangers. I think
00:55:26Rangers will be too strong. The Motherwell, Dundee, United one can go either way, so that's
00:55:31not really a big shock, so I don't think it'll be a shock. So your four are Celtic, Rangers,
00:55:35Aberdeen and? Motherwell. Tony Watt, Drebbel. I don't think he'll be allowed to play. There's
00:55:45no chance he'll be allowed to play, there'd be nothing better. Tony Watt would be running like
00:55:49a madman. There's no chance he's going to play. I agree with Ruffy, I think Motherwell home
00:55:53advantage will be United. Interesting. Ali, are you going against the Green? No. Same four? Celtic,
00:56:00Rangers, Aberdeen and Motherwell. Give us your thoughts on that, give us your opinion on it.
00:56:08A couple of things we want to talk about before we say farewell to you. I hope you're enjoying the
00:56:13chat, the opinion, the humour and of course the interaction with you as well. Don't forget to hit
00:56:18the subscribe button on our YouTube channel. We've got lots of things coming up, a few competitions
00:56:23for you to get involved in as well. We'll be giving away some prizes and a chance for you to
00:56:27share our stories and share our content to your friends and hopefully they'll join the football
00:56:34family here at PLZ Soccer. Certainly if you download the app you'll get all the breaking
00:56:38news at your fingertips and all that video content as well. Give us your last four in the
00:56:46semi-final stage of the Premier Sports Cup. Do you think it's going to be the four that we've
00:56:51all mentioned? As far as down south is concerned, it was interesting, it all starts, it all kicked
00:56:57off with a hype on Friday night. I watched the Man United-Fulham game and I missed the goal
00:57:03at the end, Ruffey, because I fell asleep, it was dull. It is, they've gone through a transitional period
00:57:09but the fans will be happy with a win and hope they can build on that. It remains to be seen
00:57:15can they build on it with the likes that's going on at all the other clubs. Take the win and then
00:57:21move on to the next game and just keep behind your team. Absolutely, we've got a few,
00:57:26we've got one Man United fan among us in our team, Tam, who certainly thinks they're going
00:57:32in the right direction. I'm not so sure, I can't see United finishing top four. Nah, not for me.
00:57:36You'll have your usual suspects, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and then
00:57:40I think Spurs will be in the top four because Big Ang's the man, the GOAT. Yes? Yes, I can't wait,
00:57:46I'm looking forward to the game tonight. Spurs have signed Sir Lanky as well, £50 million.
00:57:50Good signing for Spurs. For £50 million? Yes. Ruffey? I was disappointed in Chelsea,
00:57:58you know, at the weekend there. Man City just rolled out and did Man City, you know,
00:58:03Haaland, Ragdoll and a couple of defenders in the box to try and get the ball off and he showed a
00:58:09wee bit of skill at the end to put the ball in the back of the net. I think everybody was hoping
00:58:14Chelsea would be up top four, top five and be back to where they were but on that evidence
00:58:19at the weekend it didn't look as if they were. Yeah, absolutely. I'm just looking here,
00:58:25out of all the teams, if I'm thinking, God, I don't want Everton to get relegated but boy,
00:58:32they were well spanked at the weekend, Alison. Right, yeah, a hard start to the season for them
00:58:37on the back of a fairly tough time. Yeah, I think sometimes it can be hard if you don't get off to
00:58:44a good start. I just wonder sometimes if it sets an early tone for the campaign that you find it
00:58:49hard to get out the bit. I would say, I think the transfer window has been very slow across the
00:58:54board. There's still a couple of days, a couple of weeks left to go. I think you'll still see a
00:58:58bit of movement coming in between now and the end of the campaign but I do think if you start off
00:59:02poorly you can leave a hangover. Yeah, is it wrong for me to want West Ham to get relegated,
00:59:07Ruffey? Is that petty? I mean, is it petty? I ask you. Yeah, in a word. Because you make
00:59:11Moisey, Moisey. In a word, aye. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, Aston Villa, top four this season again?
00:59:18Nah, I think a bit of a bouncer in the Champions League bit which is, I think with Spurs not being
00:59:24in Europe, I think they'll finish in the top four. Okay, thank you so much to Alison, Ruffey
00:59:32and Tam. It's always good to get your comments as well. Listen, you don't necessarily need to
00:59:37watch it live but we like to read out a few messages. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Scott
00:59:41Allan with us on a Wednesday, Ryan McGowan on a Friday and let's not forget The Journos
00:59:47is on this week, the women's football show. Straight Talk will return. I'll be interviewing
00:59:53lots of interesting people along the way. I must just mention, Tam, I know you are out and about
01:00:00and you've got lots of fingers in a few pies with your work in football and Ruffey was on
01:00:05Maka's show, ghosting away with Frank McAbee last week. A bit of treachery from Ruffey.
01:00:12I ran it through the management before I did it.
01:00:18Well done, well done Ruffey, well done. We love Maka, Maka was great wasn't he? Do you remember
01:00:23the time when we thought Maka was going to die on the show? Yes, yes, yes, most definitely,
01:00:28I thought he was. I'll never forget the look on his face, Ruffey, as the painkillers for his sore
01:00:37ankle kicked in. And I looked at Ali and I thought, wow, I wonder how many clicks we'll get if Maka
01:00:45drops dead on the show. But thankfully your man survived, we love Maka. Anyway, did you enjoy
01:00:52being away in a different style with your old Maka? Are you leaving him? It was different,
01:01:02I'll tell you how different it was after. Okay, listen, thanks to Ali as ever, to Ruffey and
01:01:09thanks to Tam for coming up. I thought you were going to wear your camouflage gear so nobody could
01:01:16get you. Thanks to Tam as well. Don't forget, hit the subscribe button on PLZ Soccer's YouTube
01:01:22channel and of course, download the app because you'll get all that breaking news and all the
01:01:26content at your fingertips. Thank you to so many of you for downloading the podcast as well.
01:01:33Lots of people mentioned to us they're out walking the dog and then of course,
01:01:36just out for a wee jaunt with the earphones in, listening to our podcast as well. We really
01:01:42appreciate your support. So from everybody here, thank you for listening and watching.