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Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic: Should Brendan Rodgers Change Celtic’s Champions League Tactics?  Subscribe Now: ‪@PLZSoccer‬   In this episode of The Football Show, we dive deep into Celtic's crushing 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Is it time for Brendan Rodgers to rethink his tactical approach in Europe? We break down the key moments of the match, highlight Celtic's tactical shortcomings, and explore how Rodgers can adapt to compete at the highest level.  Also on The Football Show:  We cover the latest Scottish football news, including Simo Valakari's appointment as St. Johnstone’s new manager and a preview of the big Europa League clash between Rangers and Lyon. Get insights into how these changes will impact Scottish football, Rangers’ chances in Europe, and other key headlines from around the league.  The Football Show Highlights:  00:00:00 Intro - The Football Show LIVE podcast 00:00:35 Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic highlights and analysis 00:09:50 Brendan Rodgers media conference - Dortmund 7-1 Celtic 00:11:22 Celtic need 9 points in the Champions League 00:14:09 Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic wages, revenue and squad cost 00:15:40 Brendan Rodgers Celtic tactics in the Champions League 00:22:47 Atalanta vs Celtic - If Celtic will play differently away from home  00:24:57 Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic stats 00:31:09 Celtic's Champions League group 00:33:01 Celtic's Champions League tactics 00:37:25 Scottish Football Headlines  00:38:48 Rangers v Lyon preview 00:49:59 Simo Valakari new St Johnstone manager 00:53:19 Hearts FC need to appoint a new manager 00:56:35 Steve Clarke on Scotland squad selection  From Rangers' Europa League hopes to St. Johnstone’s new leadership under Valakari, we break down everything you need to know in Scottish football right now.   Don't forget to subscribe for the latest Scottish football news, match previews, and expert analysis!

Transcript

00:00:00Welcome to the football show on PLZ Soccer's YouTube channel, I'm Peter Martin, Scott Allen,

00:00:08Ryan McGowan and Tam McManus here with us in the studio with lots to talk about. Celtic

00:00:14Hammers in Dortmund, Rangers prepare for Lyon, Falakari checks in at Johnstone and we'll

00:00:20also discuss the Scotland squad. Niki Devlin, Aberdeen right back, it's a well-earned call

00:00:25up to the squad as well and I don't think you can wipe the smile off his dad's face

00:00:30at this moment, super proud. So, lots to discuss in the international scene but more importantly

00:00:37we're going to start with what happened in the Westfalenstadion, Borussia Dortmund 7

00:00:43Celtic 1. Before we get into the meat and bones of it, am I being overly critical in

00:00:48suggesting that there are, in the last five years, punditry and journalism, not all but

00:00:54quite a lot, it's just beggars belief. Some of the pundits I've been listening to suggest

00:01:01that Celtic could go to Borussia Dortmund and win, beggars belief, because we've already

00:01:07stated in this show, we thought they would lose against Dortmund, we thought they would

00:01:11lose against Atalanta because of levels and if you look at the stats of Borussia Dortmund,

00:01:19Champions League finalists last year, they've only lost two games in 22 at home in the Champions

00:01:26League. This is a side that were facing Celtic who hadn't won in 15 attempts of going to

00:01:31Germany. Yes, you mentioned a word there and it was levels Peter and I think Celtic got

00:01:37a taste of their own medicine, they dish that out here on a regular basis. I'm sure there

00:01:41was fans of St Mern and Hibs and Hearts and Aberdeen just having their eye smile last

00:01:45night watching that game, thinking that's what you do domestically, you run over the

00:01:50top of teams. Celtic went and had a go, people can argue either way, you want to go and see

00:01:56an open game but I think for Celtic, you've seen over the last four or five seasons, you

00:02:02need to go away from home and be more defensive minded. I get it at home when the crowd's

00:02:07behind you and you're getting rolled on and stuff like that but away from home to open

00:02:11up and go and try and press Dortmund was suicidal last night and I think they were

00:02:15fortunate to get away with 7-1. It was 5-1 at half-time Peter and I'm thinking this could

00:02:19be Celtic's worst ever defeat. Second half they were better but first half, they didn't

00:02:26keep the ball, they were wide open as soon as they lost the ball. To be fair to Dortmund,

00:02:30everything they seemed to hit went in the net. I think every time Celtic gave the ball

00:02:33away it was a goal. They were severely punished but that's what happens Peter, Dortmund are

00:02:37an elite team, they're one of the favourites, they got to the final last season, they spent

00:02:41a lot of money this and in the summer they'll be favourites to get to the semi-finals and

00:02:44stuff again so if you're Celtic, you go to Atlanta in a couple of weeks, I don't think

00:02:50you can go and play that way again. If you play that way again, Celtic against top teams

00:02:53you're going to get murdered, it's simple. I don't mind Scott, I don't mind fans being

00:02:58unbelievably enthusiastic. I mean yesterday I was out playing tennis with a few guys who

00:03:03are Celtic fans and they were saying, oh we think we can do it, it could be just a

00:03:08wee bit of luck here, a wee sneak here. You're always going to get the anomaly, something

00:03:13that can happen in a football game but to look at everything and see it in the cold

00:03:18light of day and the differences between the two sides, Celtic would need to have played

00:03:25a different way. The manager has to, in my mind, he still has an overall picture of what

00:03:31this group is all about but if you're playing top teams, you don't go in, I mean I wouldn't

00:03:35go in, if you were a boxer, in a boxing analogy, I wouldn't go in with Mike Tyson and think

00:03:41I'm going to slug it with him. I think purely based on how Celtic have started the season

00:03:48and the confidence, they grew up in what Brendan Rozzers instilled and we spoke on it about

00:03:52the counter-press, how some of the goals they've scored have been fantastic. I think if you're

00:03:56a coaching staff like Brendan Rozzers, John Kennedy and you've watched Dortmund's last

00:04:00two league games, taking away the Champions League for a moment and you see them conceding

00:04:06seven goals over two games and then you look at what you've got on attack and the amount

00:04:10of chances you've been creating, you would have sat there saying if we do A, B, C, we

00:04:16could create chances and get these players into certain areas where they could hurt Dortmund

00:04:20and cause problems. I think me looking at the game before it kicked off, I wasn't so

00:04:24sure Celtic would win but I felt Celtic would create a lot of chances against them purely

00:04:28based on how Dortmund's last two games in the league had went. To get back to your original

00:04:35question, playing differently, Carlo Ancelotti, they go away to Man City last season, Real

00:04:41Madrid basically spent the whole game defending their box and end up getting the prize at

00:04:46the end of it and that's winning the Champions League again. If these sort of teams can go

00:04:51to certain arenas around Europe and adapt our game, then you would like to see that

00:04:55but I think Brendan Hodges will look at last night, there will be lots of lessons learned

00:04:59in terms of what the players felt on the pitch and what he's seen and they'll see even more

00:05:04watching back because it's okay in the late of the day when you're doing an interview

00:05:07after a game, he's not went back and analysed it and come Atalanta I would imagine you would

00:05:12see a different sort of Celtic. I think as well, sorry on top of that, Kiyoko was pressing

00:05:19the goalkeeper 35 minutes into the game which had no effect and wasn't stopping him playing

00:05:24a pass, all he was doing was taking a man out of Celtic's press as such and it made

00:05:28it so easy for Dortmund to play around. I'm glad you mentioned Carlo Ancelotti because

00:05:33Carlo Ancelotti changed the way Real Madrid played because of what happened the previous

00:05:38season, you have to learn your lessons right. I mean at times, and I think Celtic deserve

00:05:45all the praise for the way they've started the season, some of the football they've been

00:05:48playing in our league which is a poor league, let's be honest about it, some of the football

00:05:53they've been playing in has been a joy to watch but when we're talking about the levels,

00:05:57you can't go in against a Borussia Dortmund side and think you're going to play tic-a-tac

00:06:01of football with them because at 10 minutes I was thinking to myself, more than a few

00:06:07Celtic fans will be behind the couch watching this, this was like watching Spurs in the

00:06:10Premier League, you know when Ange just says gung-ho, let's leave the two at the back.

00:06:15When it works they get a 3-0. Not when you've got 9 players and you're playing Chelsea,

00:06:20do you know what I mean? It's one of those bad ones you're thinking, stop.

00:06:24Yeah, it's just difficult and I mentioned it about Rangers a couple of weeks ago, the

00:06:29problem that Celtic have is that they don't get tested at that level week in, week out.

00:06:33They go from playing against the likes of Motherwell and St Johnson and Hibbs and then

00:06:38they go up 20 classes to play Dortmund away and those little mistakes, I think Maeda gave

00:06:46the ball away at the edge of the box, goal. I think every time they gave the ball away

00:06:50it seemed to be a goal, whereas at the weekend they don't get punished and if they were playing

00:06:54like that week in, week out at a higher level, the players would eventually get used to it

00:06:58but I think they just go from such a standard week in, week out where they're winning 5-6-0

00:07:06every week to that golf and it's too quick of a change for them to get up to pace.

00:07:11But to be fair and this is the point that I think we all try and analyse games, we all

00:07:15try and analyse players and teams and levels. When you're in a situation where for example,

00:07:21I mean I was at Wembley and watched Borussia Dortmund play Real Madrid in the final and

00:07:28they had chances that they couldn't take. If they'd taken them that might have been

00:07:31a different game but Real Madrid reverted to tight, wait, buy their time, pick them

00:07:36off, game's over. They had five of that Champions League final team still retained, different

00:07:44manager but obviously I think they're fifth in the Bundesliga, three points off the top

00:07:50spot and he's building a team. But boy did they play that ball quickly through. If in

00:07:57Scotland when you would consider half decent at playing football, if any midfielder stood

00:08:04off you and gave you time you would kill them and that for me was the key to it all. The

00:08:09Celtics midfield had no time to lift their head because there was a yellow and black

00:08:15vision coming towards them, stopping them, closing them, pressing them and then when

00:08:18they get the ball, bang, one touch, quick, quick, quick.

00:08:21I think that's where Ryan makes the point in terms of what Celtic face week in week

00:08:25out compared to Dortmund is they don't have that. Even when Celtic play Rangers, Rangers

00:08:30can't press with the intensity that Dortmund have. Dortmund can go away to Leipzig, Leverkusen,

00:08:37Bayern Munich, they have a lot of their games throughout the season, they play them in the

00:08:39cup so they're at that level. The experience obviously in European competition over the

00:08:44last four or five years, obviously they've done really well but I think it was more the

00:08:49areas where they gave the ball away and it's something that Celtic and Brendan Oslof kind

00:08:54of prided themselves on recently and that's playing through the best press quickly but

00:08:59you're now playing against a team with ability, speed and the football IQ so when it doesn't

00:09:04go exactly how you think it's going to go in terms of the analysis that you've done

00:09:08during the week, you then need to have answers. When that ball comes to Maida, Maida's just

00:09:12set the ball back but because he's so word composure, because of the arena, the atmosphere,

00:09:18he takes that heavy touch. That's one of the touches Ryan tells you as a player when you

00:09:22feel like your back's to the wall, should I go there, should I go there, he takes a

00:09:26heavy touch that then leads to a goal. See if you're sitting at 1-0 up, you put your

00:09:31foot in the ball, you lay it back to Karl McGregor, Karl McGregor gets you up the pitch

00:09:35or you take the ball, you feel the contact and you buy your team a fill. That was a nervous

00:09:39touch from a player who's, even last night, was probably one of Celtic's better players

00:09:44in terms of the situation but over the PCC he's been excellent. He looked nervous last

00:09:48night and that's what that touch showed. Yeah, we did talk about levels and so did

00:09:52Brendan Rodgers after the game. Yeah, listen it's very, very difficult for us to get to

00:09:56that level. It's a different level with the greatest respect but what we'd want to be

00:10:05is more competitive than we were tonight. I think that was what was disappointing from

00:10:09our perspective. But the level is, it's always a learning process and like you say, for us

00:10:19we're seeing tonight the very highest level of the European game and for us we get punished

00:10:25but we will learn from it for sure. Yeah, because I'll tell you one area where I really

00:10:31do have sympathy for him is quite simply, nobody expected Celtic to go in and beat Borussia

00:10:38Dortmund. His role... All her fans did. Well, of course, but that's after 15 beers and then

00:10:44you all head to the game. I think some pundits must have been with them as well. But when

00:10:49you get to a situation where Brendan Rodgers... Do you want to name them? I mean honestly,

00:10:55come on. If there's one thing I can't stand is flag wavers who just basically bleat out

00:11:00I think Celtic can do it. I mean honestly, I hate to say this but for fuck's sake, honestly

00:11:07Celtic were going to get pumped. I told everybody in here they were going to get pumped. I genuinely

00:11:12didn't think they would get pumped. I thought they had great chances and I thought the way

00:11:16they played might have allowed it to be competitive to an extent and then their clash would kind

00:11:22of show through. I mean somebody suggested last night, oh well Atalanta will play differently

00:11:26and I'm thinking please, please don't go down that route. They've won the Europa League

00:11:29last year. Maybe that Leverkusen side. Do you know what I mean? This is why I have sympathy

00:11:35for Brendan Rodgers on this point, which is quite simply Tam, his role is to try and come

00:11:41back, in my mind he was brought back for European football, to see a progression and

00:11:47we're talking about levels. Opta reckon that if you can get nine points, now give or take

00:11:53an absolute Rodgering again, the situation is nine points gets you qualification. That's

00:12:05what he must be looking at. He's looking and saying to himself, well let's see what's on

00:12:10the horizon and then if we've learnt our lesson from it, you can go and start to say Atalanta

00:12:16away. Leipzig at home, I'm not too sure they could, I think they could still get battered

00:12:22with them as well. Bruges at home, possibility. Zagreb away? You would like to fancy that one.

00:12:28Yes. Young boys at home? Young boys and Bruges are where I think Celtic will be looking. Brendan

00:12:34will be saying, there's your six points to go with the three, there's your nine right.

00:12:39Is that fair? That for me would be him looking and saying, that's your remit this season. Season

00:12:45one, really good, they've now responded after that last year where they weren't playing great

00:12:49football. Playing really good football now, there's your remit, get nine points, get a

00:12:54qualification game, bag more money and then people go, Brendan you've done your job.

00:12:59Yes and I think that's probably internally what they've been looking at, is that they knew that

00:13:04these types of games are going to be difficult and I think from what he's been saying in the

00:13:09press, he wants to just continually play that way because he believes that way he's going to beat

00:13:13young boys, the Bruges, when they do come to Celtic Park and that's where he is putting all his eggs,

00:13:19is to win those two games, get your nine points, sneak a couple of points away and then that should

00:13:25see him through. What you would say is that I don't think the players performed as well,

00:13:32everyone's allowed an off night, but I think a lot of those players were well below par last night

00:13:37in terms of how they have been playing, but that comes down to the environment they've been put

00:13:42under pressure, that they've never been put under pressure in the last six months. I think a lot of

00:13:48players would have got a big wake-up call from the types of, like you said, levels that they have to

00:13:53go up to compete at that level. And this is where the manager will realise and I don't think anybody

00:13:59in the back end of Celtic's board will be looking at Brendan Rodgers and saying, hey wait a minute,

00:14:04you know you're bang out of order here, is because I'm going to show you something which was on

00:14:09one of the Twitter accounts, The Price of Football, I think it's a guy called Kieran who does it,

00:14:14and he basically put this graph together, three graphs, based on the fact that Celtic had

00:14:20thumped St Johnson 6-0 and now we're into a game where they were absolutely battered.

00:14:24So wages first of all, per million this is, there's Borussia Dortmund, 207.2 million in wages,

00:14:3360.8 million Celtic's budget, 4.8 is St Johnson, so Dortmund's wage bill is 3.4 that of Celtic,

00:14:41who spend 12.8 times the wage bill of St Johnston. There's your first graph, there's your second one

00:14:48which is revenue, Dortmund have 2.9 times the revenue of Celtic, who in turn have 24.4 times

00:14:56the revenue of St Johnston. And the last one that I think we should look at is squad, Dortmund's

00:15:04squad cost 6.1 times that of Celtic, whose squad cost 185.7 times that of St Johnston.

00:15:12I was higher when I was at St Johnston, it's dropped a little bit.

00:15:15Because of point three?

00:15:18I mean that sums it up for me, my point with Brendan, and this is where I want to get,

00:15:24you guys played the game at a good level in Scotland, so I want your thoughts on this.

00:15:28With Brendan, that can happen, that type of result can happen, and it's happened to him before.

00:15:35My point with Brendan is, it's already saying you want to play that way, and we had an argument

00:15:41about it before we came on here. I'm sorry, you've got to stop, you've got to change the way

00:15:47you play, and I'll give you three Celtic managers who absolutely got it. Martin O'Neill, Gordon

00:15:52Strachan, and Neil Lennon, looked and thought to themselves, how can we even lay a glove on

00:15:58some teams? Celtic did it because they'd spent a lot of money with Martin O'Neill's side,

00:16:05and they also had a different way of attacking. They had a world-class player, they had Sutton

00:16:11in there alongside him, more often than not, Hartson. They had two holding, one of them who

00:16:16was a Champions League winner, and then of course Lennon, and then you had the two boys who could

00:16:20bomb up the flank. But what they did have was they had three central defenders who were all six foot

00:16:25one, two and three. So suddenly you say, if we can't play through them, we can go and attack

00:16:30them for height, set pieces, the lot. Lennon did it with Barcelona, I asked him about Barcelona,

00:16:36how the hell do you beat Barcelona when they've got Messi? And if you looked at the Celtics...

00:16:41Certainly not going to impress them. Well no, what he decided to do was, he just said,

00:16:46it wasn't a great Celtic side, he just basically said, let them come infield into traffic.

00:16:53Salah Magruder played left mid that night, didn't he? And the boy, remember the boy Adam Matthews,

00:16:57he was left back. So what they did is they let them play into traffic, they had a set piece which

00:17:03Wanyama scores, and then they go direct and get a lucky break where Tony Watt scores the winner.

00:17:08Same again with Gordon Strachan, manages to get them to a knockout stage, and they punched above

00:17:13their weight. But what they did was, they didn't go gung-ho tippy-tappy, and this is where I'm

00:17:17hoping Brendan Rodgers will turn around and say, we just need a bit of... I don't think he will.

00:17:23I don't think he will Peter. What do you mean by tippy-tappy? I just think he needs to mix it up

00:17:30better. I think he should have been more defensive. Neil Lennon said at one point in the commentary,

00:17:35just got to shut up, shop here, 3-1, get it to half-time, regroup. But I would go more defensive.

00:17:44Do you think they would have been on a 7-1 hiding if they parked the bus?

00:17:48You would have got beaten nonetheless, but you're then changing a complete ethos of your team and

00:17:53everything you've built during the summer. I know Lenny had said after the game about

00:17:57putting in the channels for Maida, but the way Celtic were turning over the ball, even if they'd

00:18:04turned that down the channel for Maida, the way Dortmund had set up was the same way Celtic set up

00:18:10domestically here, where they just eat it up and they're back at you again, they're back at you

00:18:14again, they're back at you again. But you're suggesting it as if a manager can't change the

00:18:18way they play. Hugh Scott, who's on our message board here says, Peter, I couldn't believe what

00:18:22I was watching last night, it's like they've learned nothing. I'm all for having a go,

00:18:25but sometimes it's about being practical at times. That's a great comment from somebody who watches

00:18:30the game. Scott actually made a great point about Ancelotti and you're saying about people changing

00:18:36and you touched on it as well. They went toe-to-toe with Man City the season before and

00:18:40got battered. They went there again and they just sat in and they got a result.

00:18:44That's what Brendan needs to do. I don't think he will, Peter. I think Brendan's set in his ways.

00:18:48You can talk about ego and all that stuff. He's a top manager, but he's got principle. He won't

00:18:53change, Peter. I think the best opportunity for Celtic to get results away from home against

00:18:59good sides is to play three at the back and flood the midfield, 3-5-2 maybe, 3-5-1-1.

00:19:05Last night you could have put someone in next to Kyle McGregor and played a two instead of just

00:19:08Kyle McGregor in the two in front at times. I know they did get pinned back, but it allowed

00:19:13Brandt to get off the side of Kyle on so many occasions and it just played into their hands.

00:19:17Do you not think Celtic could be a counter-attacking team?

00:19:19Absolutely. They've got the pace, obviously, to do that.

00:19:24But he likes to be controlling. That's how his teams have always played.

00:19:29It would be interesting to see if he did that if it was a knockout home and away.

00:19:33If he goes with that same ethos. I feel like he's doing this because there's more

00:19:37Champions League games. He can see where he's going to get his points that will hopefully get

00:19:42him progressed. In a knockout game, if that was the first leg, the tie's done. I don't think you

00:19:48can do that if you're in it. But I think he knows he's got more games this year.

00:19:54Alright, they will learn a lot more lessons last night than they have done all throughout the

00:19:58season for what they've played. I think he'll be trying to show the players, listen, we have to

00:20:03cut out these silly mistakes that we're doing because at this level we get punished and he'll

00:20:07be having one eye on the home games. Peter, you spoke about other teams as well.

00:20:12I'm a big man for three at the back away from home in European games. I think if you look at

00:20:16the last 15-20 years, two of our teams have got to the finals. Wattlesmith's Rangers team and

00:20:22Martin O'Neill's Celtic team. They both played three at the back, both defensively 3-5-2.

00:20:28He's anti-Rangers, isn't he? I was going to say that.

00:20:30I forgot about them, aye.

00:20:32What I will say about the Rangers team coming to the Europa League final.

00:20:37Well, you know what I love about you? You did it with such a soft voice.

00:20:41You were well just walking up and punching him in the nose, weren't you?

00:20:44Oh, I wanted to do that a few times.

00:20:47The thing with the Rangers Europa League team that got to the final is they

00:20:51chose their moments to play and they did play through pressure at times. It wasn't just

00:20:56total play, they'd done a bit of everything and that's what got them and a bit of luck along

00:20:59the way as well. They mixed it up.

00:21:01Rangers beat Dortmund.

00:21:02Do you want to tell you something? You see it on social media and I'd written it down

00:21:08just on the basis of that some Rangers fans, and rightly so, should wallow in what was

00:21:14a really great victory. It absolutely bamboozled, caught everybody on the hook. Nobody expected

00:21:19the Rangers to go and beat Borussia Dortmund. That Borussia Dortmund side, I took some of

00:21:22the names out of it, that they defeated in the Europa League. Hummels, Akanji, Royce,

00:21:28Brandt, Bellingham and Witzel. They're in that Borussia Dortmund team that Rangers defeated.

00:21:33Now in that particular year, remember I was talking about the fact that Borussia Dortmund

00:21:38have only lost two home games in the Champions League in the last 22. Borussia Dortmund dropped

00:21:44down into the Europa League because they were knocked out of the Champions League that year,

00:21:48but the one game that they lost that year in the Champions League at home was Ajax defeated

00:21:52them 3-1. So they lost at home in the rare occasion that they have done in the last 22 home games

00:22:00and they dropped into the Europa League, but still had a quality side. Rangers were able to,

00:22:06at times, soak it up, mix it, go long. That team that Van Bronckhorst had together

00:22:13did not have a situation where they were, you wouldn't associate them the way Brendan's side

00:22:18is playing. No, that's completely different. It's completely different. Listen, I think if you're

00:22:21Brendan Rodgers, you take last night in isolation and you take the harsh lessons from it, you watch

00:22:27it back as a team and you watch it back as a team, you go, this is the reasons why we cost these

00:22:35goals. We're trying to do the things we've been doing every week, you get punished for it. Guys

00:22:40found it hard in terms of the environment, which Ryan speaks about, but it's still, in a way,

00:22:44defeat. It's not the end of the world, there's plenty of games to come. You look at it in isolation,

00:22:48they'll go over it and I think we will see, maybe something different come. I think they do

00:22:55play differently from Dortmund. Hold on a minute, hold on a minute, we're only 22 minutes into the

00:22:59show and you've changed your tune. You've changed your opinion. Are they going to play differently

00:23:04or are they not? I still think they'll try and play through the press because that's,

00:23:13he thinks of the reward at the end of playing through that. So they're not going to change

00:23:16your mind? They might change personnel or maybe swing the midfield a wee bit to give them a bit

00:23:22more protection if they do turn over the ball, in my opinion. But you think they'll go after

00:23:26Atalanta again like last night? You can still go after them but maybe not that high. You can

00:23:32let them come into you for 10 yards from you. It's what we're saying. All I'm saying to you is,

00:23:38we know he's a great coach. We know he's a good coach domestically. We know Celtic can

00:23:43outspend everybody and they could win this league by 15, 20 points this season. We also know that

00:23:50this is a poor league. It's a poor league but Brendan Brotbach has got some really good players.

00:23:58Prior to this game, prior to Slovan Bratislava, Brendan said, I'm happy with what I've got.

00:24:05In my mind, he would probably have wanted one or two more players in his mind. He wanted probably

00:24:11two more players. But he's got a squad and he said he's happy. They produced a brilliant

00:24:16performance against Slovan Bratislava. Absolutely brilliant. This time, all I'm suggesting is,

00:24:24change. Be more cautious. Try and play as a counter-attacking team. Pick your side according

00:24:31to that. Because if you're going to go and think you can do the same thing against a team that won

00:24:36the Europa League, and by the way, won the Europa League and they had some really good players.

00:24:41They were impressive. They shocked everybody in Europe. Ancelotti adapted and he's one of the

00:24:45best coaches in the world. He adapted from the season before Man City and he got the right result.

00:24:51He sat in. He didn't go toe-to-toe to them. If he can do it, then any other manager can do it. I

00:24:56think Brendan can but I don't think he will. Just out of curiosity, Ryan, on this place,

00:24:59the Stockman had 14 shots on target, Celtic had three. They had 53% possession. I honestly,

00:25:06at one point. What was the final number on possession there? 53%. To Dortmund.

00:25:15Schmeichel was picking the ball out the net every two minutes, wasn't he?

00:25:17Yeah. I sent a text to one of my mates and I went, this could be nine. This could be nine.

00:25:24Schmeichel made seven saves. Seven and quite a few of them were good saves. Even then I thought he

00:25:30was at fault for one of the goals. What about the penalty? What's the problem with the penalty?

00:25:34Soft, isn't it? It's a kick. It's a kick on his leg. I've seen them in the last two months,

00:25:40time of year. You remember the kick on the leg as soon as you kick the boy's leg,

00:25:44even if you missed it? It's a penalty. You look at it and you say to yourself, okay,

00:25:51what will he learn? Can you imagine a Brendan Rodgers team away though, sitting at the edge of

00:25:55that? It's very hard to see that, don't you think so? He's not going to do it. He's not going to do

00:25:59it. If Brendan Rodgers picked a side that was there to park the bus,

00:26:06I would say, well done to you. You've learned. Change the way they play. Keep it tight. Pick

00:26:11them on there. You've got one of the fastest, fittest players in Europe who he's just complimented

00:26:17as being one of these superb... But these teams, they play against these players all the time.

00:26:22Absolutely, but if you are going to go and say he's not going to change,

00:26:29then I'm basically just going to read this out to you. Of Brendan Rodgers,

00:26:34two 7-1 defeats, PSG and Dortmund, a 5-0 at home to PSG, a 6-0 against Atletico and a 7-0 away

00:26:42to Barcelona. They are pretty good teams. They are, so don't get into the ring and think you

00:26:50can slug it with them. Change the way you go about your business. I think what Scott's trying to say

00:26:56is that he's going into this game not as a one-off. It's not a two-legger. He's just going

00:27:01in it as being like, we're going to continue playing the way that we want to play because

00:27:06this way is going to get us results at this level, albeit Champions League level. Even within the

00:27:12Champions League, there's different levels. I think he's just thinking, let's just keep it the

00:27:17same. Don't confuse the players. Continue the same process and we'll get enough victories that will

00:27:22get us into the knockout stages. If they do, everyone will forget about last night. I quite

00:27:27like Kenny Merchant, he's a big Aberdeen fan. I like his take on it. Peter, they better play

00:27:32defensive at Batodrie or we'll hit them for eight. I suppose they could easily go this weekend and

00:27:39score seven themselves. That is where the levels are at. They should according to that graph,

00:27:46shouldn't they? What? The graph of the different... They won't though because the Scottish teams will

00:27:50sit up and park the bus and it will still be five-nil. I'll tell you, I agree. Thankfully they

00:27:56do. Twelve-nil. I'm not at this moment saying to you that you're wrong. Twelve-nil. I think the

00:28:08point that you're making is a very valid point. I'm just saying to you, if it was me, I'd say

00:28:14Brendan, come on. If you are sitting down with your guys and you're going through a learning curve,

00:28:19you have to change. You have to change Ryan. You cannot keep going in and getting spanked by them.

00:28:25You've got to pull off what the three previously good managers were able to do.

00:28:32Martin O'Neill said it continually and he'd spent a fortune. We punch above our weight. That was him

00:28:37saying that in the year 2000 onwards. Celtic have to punch above their weight. So by punching above

00:28:43their weight, I can remember commentating in Spain against Celtic Eagle. They were getting

00:28:48absolutely battered. They had one moment when John Hartson absolutely turned the defender,

00:28:53felt him on his back, turned him and put the ball in the back of the net. They got a crucial away go

00:28:58and you're off and running. Keep it tight. Play very cautious and wait until you can pick your

00:29:07moment. Stay in the game, Pierre. Stay in the game. Build yourself into the game. Game was

00:29:12done after 22 minutes last night. Same with other games you mentioned there, the fives and sixes and

00:29:16sevens. The game was done after 20-30 minutes. Try and frustrate and hit the counter attack.

00:29:22Try and score the first goal. I'm not saying stick 11 men behind the ball. Just be more

00:29:26pragmatic in your approach and a wee bit more defensive. Even what Scott says in terms of

00:29:35pressing, start with a wee bit lower block and then just let them come onto you, maybe 40-50 yards

00:29:40and then go and press them. But don't be going with a mad high line at the back and just going

00:29:44straight after them up to the goalkeeper like last night. It was mad. Here's another little

00:29:48problem that I think Brendan has and this is where I think it was exposed last night,

00:29:53brutally exposed, is three out of the back four are well off it. Well off it. I mean, honestly,

00:30:02they're well off it. But it's the same things you're talking about. High, high level. Absolutely.

00:30:09This is where I think, listen, this is not a criticism, it's an observation. I'm just saying

00:30:15Taylor got hooked at half time, he didn't pick up his runner, his runner went.

00:30:19That was absolutely rapido. I know, but it was one of those, after you Claude, here you get them.

00:30:27And then you've got, no harm to scales. Trusty's played for Sheffield United.

00:30:33The game came too early for Trusty. Definitely, I agree with you. No question about it.

00:30:37So, the next one against Atalanta, I think,

00:30:42it'll be really interesting. I can't wait to see. I'm afraid I think it'll be interesting.

00:30:46That's when we're going to find out. We can all hypothetically say, should do this, should do this.

00:30:51You'll really see what him and his team have learned from last night, come that fixture.

00:30:56I think it'll play the same way. Peter and I, Scott spoke about it earlier, they'll watch the

00:31:00footage and the video and he'll look at different situations where they could have been better and

00:31:05he'll say, if we're better in these situations, we can play through their press. The last point

00:31:10on this before we move on, because obviously I want to talk Rangers, talk Scotland, talk

00:31:15Simo Vallacari as well, is quite simply, I think, it's a battering. They take it on the chin,

00:31:22they go away and learn. We're waiting to see what way they'll line up. But the bigger picture here

00:31:28is the remit that I think Brendan Rodgers will be looking at. Can we get a knockout game from

00:31:35this new format? And that's by beating Bruges and beating young boys at home. And I think that's the

00:31:41key that he's got to keep in his mind. These are the winnable battles. The other ones, we'll all

00:31:46sit back and watch how he lines up. If it was me against Atalanta, Ryan, 5-4-1.

00:31:53Yeah, but like I said, I think he views the way that they've played last night.

00:31:56Look at Bonjo's face.

00:31:57He's angry, isn't he?

00:31:59No, he's raging. He's not having it.

00:32:02Yeah, I just think he believes that the way that they're going to get results in those games is by

00:32:06playing the way that they played last night. And these will be harsh, almost lessons on them to

00:32:11make them better in those games that he'll be wanting to do. Because if you start going 5-4-1

00:32:16against Dortmund away and you somehow get a result, then everyone will be like, at home against young

00:32:23boys, why don't we set up like that? He believes that the way that he's playing just now will get

00:32:28those results in those games. So just continue on, get to the knockout phase and everyone will

00:32:32forget about it.

00:32:33There's no plan B. Do plan A better. That'll be Brendan.

00:32:38That was the catchphrase from Brendan's first time. There's no plan A. Try plan A better.

00:32:53That's who he is. That's how he's been successful, Peter.

00:32:56He's better than us, isn't he?

00:32:58Yeah, of course he is. He's a top manager.

00:33:00He is, but at the end of the day, you've got to look and you've got to deal with when you're getting

00:33:06into a ring with an opponent, you have got to work out a way as a manager, as a boxer, as anyone in

00:33:13any sport, if they are too strong for me in certain areas, how can I nullify that and somehow pull off

00:33:20a shock? That's what a manager's paid to do. You're paid to work out ways to get the end result

00:33:27and that must mean, the really, really good managers must mean you have to change. You cannot

00:33:33go in, as Neil Lennon said last night, and keep doing the same thing all the time. It just doesn't cut.

00:33:40Peter, if you as a coaching staff had watched their previous two games and you see that they're

00:33:45conceding goals, to then go, and your biggest threat as a team is your attacking prowess, to then go

00:33:52away they are and go, right, we'll sit in deep and look to catch them on the counter-attack.

00:33:57There's no way he's doing that.

00:33:58Are you summing up Borussia Dortmund in their last two games?

00:34:01Well, that's how a coach would look at, they wouldn't look at the games three months ago,

00:34:06they would look at their recent games and where you can hurt them, that's what you do when you're

00:34:11analysing the team you're going to play. You won't look at the game in January, you won't look at the

00:34:15game in the first game of the season, you look at the most recent games.

00:34:17Yeah, but you put it in perspective and you go, I don't want to prolong this agony or the debate,

00:34:22you look at St. John's and you think, St. John's hasn't been in the fourth tier of the Bundesligas,

00:34:27they've been in the fourth tier, they're rank rotten.

00:34:31Like I said, they've gone downhill since I left.

00:34:33Yeah, absolutely, I mean, he'd have sat in, but anyway.

00:34:37We've got all the troopers back, we've got everyone back.

00:34:41Let's park it, because at the end of the day, you're here now and you're here to get a kick

00:34:45and I'm not letting him lift his head by the way, we're just going to have to keep going at him, Tam.

00:34:49Listen, there's arguments for both ways.

00:34:52No, there's not.

00:34:53There is, Peter, there is.

00:34:55There's not, they've just been pumped 7-1, there's no argument.

00:34:57Listen, I'm putting myself in Brendan Rodgers' shoes and I've been a very successful manager

00:35:06and I am saying to the players, this is the areas that we need to be better against Atlanta,

00:35:11we're not changing for anyone, this is how we're going to play again,

00:35:14we need to be better in certain areas, if we do, if we're better in certain areas,

00:35:16I believe in you, it's to go and get a result, that's what a Brendan will do.

00:35:20I agree with that point that yous are making, I'm just saying it's not the right way to go about it.

00:35:25I think he's got to change the way they play, that's all I'm saying, to get a result.

00:35:29You're on the knockout, ain't that lovely?

00:35:31On the ropes, you're just waiting.

00:35:32I think in the knockout stages, for sure, but in this group stage, I think he's just going to keep the same.

00:35:37Salzburg 0-0, Brest 4-0, Stuttgart 1-0, Sparta Prague 1-0, Inter 4-0, Red Star 0-0,

00:35:42Barcelona 5-0, Young Boys 0-0, Leverkusen 1-0, AC Milan 0-0, Arsenal 2-0, Paris Saint-Germain 0-0,

00:35:49PSV 1-0, Sporting 1-0, Slovan Bratislava 0-0, Man City 4-0.

00:35:55So, that was the games.

00:35:56We'll undoubtedly on Friday digest the Wednesday Champions League matches, Europa League,

00:36:02Rangers against Lyon, Blair Malloy, we'll hear from him shortly, but you give us your comments

00:36:09on how you think Rangers are going to do, we're going to read out a few of them.

00:36:12Thank you to so many people who've put across their point of view on Celtic last night.

00:36:18Obviously, listen, another great thing about it, social media right across it.

00:36:22Is everybody going with the defensive kind of way, setting up with the five at the back,

00:36:27as you've said?

00:36:29No, no, some people are arguing over my comment that the league is poor.

00:36:35I'm sorry, but the league is poor.

00:36:37I mean, there's nothing you can do about it.

00:36:38Last year, the league was poor.

00:36:40It's not a great league.

00:36:42But it's ours.

00:36:43I know, it's ours.

00:36:43We love it.

00:36:44Listen, I can still go and enjoy a fantastic game.

00:36:48I love watching Scottish football.

00:36:50So do I.

00:36:51He loves it, we love it.

00:36:52But the point is, I can still love English.

00:36:56I love English football and I can see the level they're playing at.

00:36:58I love watching Scottish football and I'll defend it.

00:37:01But you can't fudge the issue.

00:37:04It's not great.

00:37:05You know, it's just not great.

00:37:07The standard we're watching of other teams, it's poor.

00:37:11It's not the level of what they play and we can look at.

00:37:14We can't even get teams into group stages.

00:37:17Hearts are in the Conference League by default.

00:37:20I'm there in the Conference League.

00:37:23So, I don't know what point you're going for there.

00:37:27Let's have a look at the headlines first of all.

00:37:29Hello, I'm Cara and here are your Daily News headlines

00:37:32on Wednesday 2nd October, sponsored by Arnolf Clark.

00:37:35Brendan Rodgers said he had never been involved in a game quite like

00:37:39last night's 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

00:37:43I've just said to the players afterwards,

00:37:45I don't think I've been involved in a game where

00:37:47I felt that every single mistake that we made got punished.

00:37:52And that's the level.

00:37:53It's, you know, any misplaced pass or moment that they had,

00:37:57it just seemed to end up in the back of the net.

00:37:59Yanis Hadji was back training with the Rangers' first team yesterday

00:38:02as both parties seem to have come to a resolution

00:38:05that can see Hadji play for Rangers again.

00:38:07Arsenal beat PSG 2-0 in the Champions League last night

00:38:11and boss Mika Arteta was delighted with his side's performance.

00:38:15It's a night to be really happy

00:38:17because we play one of the best teams in the world, for sure.

00:38:21And to be able to perform and win in the way that we did,

00:38:25I think it's a really good sign for the team.

00:38:28St Johnstone will be unveiling their new manager,

00:38:30Simo Valarcari, today in Perth,

00:38:32so please make sure that you stay tuned to PLZ Soccer Channels

00:38:35as we speak to the new man at his unveiling.

00:38:37Those were your Daily News headlines on Wednesday 2nd October,

00:38:41sponsored by Arnolf Clark.

00:38:42For more exclusive content,

00:38:44please be sure to download the app and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

00:38:48Brilliant stuff from Cara, Europa League, Rangers,

00:38:51Leon, Blair Malloy was out there at the Rangers training centre.

00:38:55Rangers are looking to make it two wins out of two in the Europa League this week

00:38:58as they take on Lyon at Ibrox tomorrow night.

00:39:01Manager Philippe Clement believes this is a competition

00:39:03that brings the best out of his players and the fans,

00:39:06but is wary of the threat that the French side pose.

00:39:09It gets the best out of the players,

00:39:11it gets the best out of our crowd also.

00:39:13I think the European nights were the most special nights also,

00:39:17so I hope to see that tomorrow.

00:39:19But of course, we are also realistic about Lyon.

00:39:25It's a very good team.

00:39:26It's better for me than the teams we met in our group stage.

00:39:32I think it's the level of Benfica.

00:39:35One player that won't feature tomorrow night is Yanis Hadji,

00:39:37as he's not selected in Rangers' European squad.

00:39:40However, he will soon be back in contention for Philippe Clement's men,

00:39:43having resolved a contract dispute

00:39:45that has seen him train with the B team thus far this season.

00:39:48And the manager says he's glad to have the issue resolved.

00:39:52Yes, it's not an option yet, so there's a way to go, of course.

00:39:55But the more players you can have that can make a difference for your team,

00:40:00the better as a gaffer.

00:40:01So clearly, I'm happy then that this situation that I didn't like to have

00:40:08is resolved now.

00:40:10Facing Lyon could prove to be a lucky omen for the Ibrox side

00:40:13as the last two times they've played them,

00:40:15they have went on to a final of European competition.

00:40:18Can they take one more positive step tomorrow night?

00:40:20They take on Lyon at Ibrox and kick off is at 8pm.

00:40:25Thanks to Blair for that one.

00:40:26Rangers against Lyon.

00:40:29Hadji is back in the squad,

00:40:31but certainly not going to feature in this match.

00:40:33It's against the Lyon side that defeated Olympiacos on match day one.

00:40:39Rangers with that good win against Malmo.

00:40:42So let's analyse this one then,

00:40:45because Lyon have got Ben Rama from West Ham,

00:40:49Lacazette, former Arsenal player,

00:40:51Nemanja Matic, former Chelsea Man United.

00:40:54Wilfred Zaha is another player that they've got in there.

00:40:56They've got two or three others actually

00:40:58that we could go through who are all useful.

00:41:02So how do they approach this one?

00:41:03Is this a chance at home to build on the Malmo?

00:41:07Can they take the scalp of Lyon?

00:41:09Do you get that feeling from them?

00:41:11Yeah, well I think in terms of obviously

00:41:15how successful Rangers have been at Ibrox

00:41:17in terms of Europa League competition

00:41:19and if we're going off how well European teams have done in Europe

00:41:22then Rangers have played more difficult teams at Ibrox

00:41:26than won over the years.

00:41:27So don't get me wrong, I watched them on Sunday.

00:41:30It wasn't a great performance

00:41:32but the Malmo, where they gave them a lot of confidence,

00:41:36I just feel if he gets it right in midfield

00:41:39they could cause problems

00:41:41because we know that this is going to be an all-out attack.

00:41:43Lyon team, especially with the players you see there,

00:41:45but that battle between Zaha maybe on the left-hand side

00:41:50against TAV could be crucial.

00:41:52Yeah, I feel a wee bit of nervousness now.

00:41:54We've unnerved him, haven't we?

00:41:56Because he could see the trap coming

00:41:58as we're waiting to see his opinion on it.

00:42:00But Rangers at home, I think Scott makes a great point on this.

00:42:07They're 11th in the French League at the moment.

00:42:10They're only six games into the season

00:42:13and I look at the way they set up.

00:42:15It's a 4-3-3 they played against Olympiacos.

00:42:20They've got some tasty players

00:42:22but is this the level where Celtic and Rangers

00:42:28feel as if they're in with similar teams that they can take?

00:42:33Yeah, I think so.

00:42:34I think Rangers will fancy their chances.

00:42:37I obviously got it massively wrong last week,

00:42:39so apologies for that.

00:42:40I didn't think they'd get a result.

00:42:42A way which they did,

00:42:43that will give them so much confidence going to Ibrox.

00:42:46I think Rangers are very, very good in Europe.

00:42:50They have more of a counter-attack.

00:42:53They've got the players to fit that.

00:42:55They can sort of have the backs against the wall.

00:42:57They don't mind the dirty stuff away in Europe

00:43:00and at home as well, sorry.

00:43:02So yeah, I think they've got a good chance of getting something.

00:43:07But nonetheless, it's Lyon.

00:43:09They have some very, very good players

00:43:10who can cause massive issues if they don't get tight enough to them.

00:43:14Yeah, after you gave Tama a bloody nose earlier,

00:43:18you know, you got it woefully wrong last week.

00:43:20Yeah, I did, I apologise.

00:43:21Will you resign?

00:43:25I mean, at the Europa League level, Tama,

00:43:29I think there's a greater chance of seeing the results

00:43:34where you get a home game and you can defeat Lyon.

00:43:38Well, I've seen obviously Rangers getting to two

00:43:40Canoe Uefa Cup finals and Celtic as well.

00:43:42That's a level where Celtic and Rangers probably should be at.

00:43:46I think you're right.

00:43:47Similar level teams.

00:43:48I think the Champions League is a bigger level,

00:43:51is a higher level altogether.

00:43:52But I think Rangers, the players,

00:43:55seem to be free lungs in these games.

00:43:57I don't know the run, you know,

00:43:59it's just like they grow an extra leg for somewhere.

00:44:01And it's, you know, it's kind of like anywhere.

00:44:05No, but I was just about to say,

00:44:08the Rangers fans that I've been speaking to this week

00:44:11are saying, please don't make it the Rangers that play Thames.

00:44:14We just want the right bubble.

00:44:16They'll take that in isolation.

00:44:18I think they looked leggy against Hibs.

00:44:20I think they were, listen,

00:44:21I think they were coming back from a tough away game.

00:44:23But the fans are always up for the big European games.

00:44:26Ibrox will be bouncing.

00:44:28We've seen that in the run to the final a couple of seasons ago.

00:44:31They're raising levels.

00:44:32And the big thing for me is,

00:44:34Lyon will come and think they're better than Rangers

00:44:36and they'll just attack.

00:44:37And that suits Rangers down to a T

00:44:38because 90% of the teams that come to Ibrox sit in.

00:44:43And that will suit Rangers.

00:44:44There's an open game and they'll go and try and win the game.

00:44:47I think there'll be goals in it, Peter.

00:44:49I think that, you know, look at...

00:44:50Can the Rangers take their chances though?

00:44:52Yeah, in the final third.

00:44:53I think if it's a kind of basketball game,

00:44:55then it's just,

00:44:57I think Lyon have got better players than Rangers personally.

00:44:59They also have a big,

00:45:00just before somebody jumps all over it,

00:45:01and I know they will,

00:45:03you know, Lyon have a bigger budget than Rangers.

00:45:05Yeah, they spent a fortune this summer.

00:45:06You know, they've got a big budget.

00:45:08They've signed a lot of players

00:45:09that people will know from English Premier League.

00:45:12But as Scott said earlier,

00:45:14they've beat better teams than that at Ibrox

00:45:15over the last few seasons.

00:45:16So I'm going to go for two each.

00:45:18I think that there'll be goals in the game.

00:45:21And if Rangers can take their chances,

00:45:24I think they can get a draw at the game.

00:45:25But I think they've got to give Lyon respect

00:45:27to beat Olympiacos.

00:45:28They won the Conference League in the first game.

00:45:31So they're a good side.

00:45:32Yeah, I think,

00:45:35I'm going to go draw.

00:45:37Draw.

00:45:39Sitting on the fence.

00:45:39What type of draw gives us the goals?

00:45:42I'm going to go 1-1.

00:45:44There you are.

00:45:45And by the way, that's me being optimistic.

00:45:48I think Rangers really need to get at it.

00:45:50I don't think we can,

00:45:51I don't think we can get to a situation

00:45:52where we're all watching Rangers produce

00:45:55the type of lacklustre against Tibbs.

00:45:57I think it's got to be the European style

00:46:00that they play.

00:46:02What are you going for?

00:46:03I think they'll get beat.

00:46:04I think they'll get beat.

00:46:05Yeah.

00:46:06I think Lyon just have that too much.

00:46:13I can see it.

00:46:13Is this going to see Rangers getting beat

00:46:14up in a European game?

00:46:15Beat, beat, beat, beat.

00:46:17If there's a,

00:46:17by the way, Hugh Macdonald did it for about two years.

00:46:20But if there's a,

00:46:21if there was a tenseness in you,

00:46:23there was a wee bit of nervousness.

00:46:25And his shoulders were in there.

00:46:26By the way, at least he's sticking to his opinions.

00:46:27That's fine.

00:46:28You know?

00:46:29What opinion did I not stick to?

00:46:30You haven't even given it yet.

00:46:31We're waiting for your prediction.

00:46:32What is it?

00:46:34I'm going to go,

00:46:36I'm going to go 2-1 Rangers.

00:46:382-1 Rangers.

00:46:39Okay, I'm going to draw.

00:46:40You've got Lyon to win.

00:46:42Two each.

00:46:44I think it'll be goals then again, Peter.

00:46:45Yeah.

00:46:46Give us your thoughts.

00:46:47It's always good to hear

00:46:49what everybody's got to say

00:46:51on the performance of Rangers.

00:46:53You're right.

00:46:53They do seem to be a different team

00:46:56when they come up against other teams

00:46:59in European football.

00:47:00And over the last four or five years,

00:47:01I think when you look at the coefficient,

00:47:04the stats are there.

00:47:05And I always try and tell everyone,

00:47:09you try to the best of your ability.

00:47:11When you're researching things,

00:47:13you know,

00:47:14you look at the forum,

00:47:15you look at the level of player,

00:47:17you look at the level of league.

00:47:18And I mentioned to every one of the journalists

00:47:21who works at PLZ,

00:47:22don't let your eyes deceive you.

00:47:24You know, when you're watching teams

00:47:26and when you're watching the level

00:47:27and when you're watching the type of players they are,

00:47:29and then when you take into consideration

00:47:31all the stats and the context,

00:47:33you just got to look at it and not,

00:47:36don't allow yourself to become a fan

00:47:39when you're actually watching games.

00:47:43And especially with us and Punditry,

00:47:45I could get it wrong,

00:47:46you can get it wrong.

00:47:47Got it wrong last week.

00:47:48Well, he got it wrong last week.

00:47:49Stirling Petrov say 4-1 to Celtic last night?

00:47:52Stirling Petrov thought it was going to be 4-1 to Celtic,

00:47:54which, you know,

00:47:56I just don't know where he got that.

00:47:57I don't know where he got that point from.

00:47:59It just,

00:48:00you cannot make that assumption

00:48:01with a team like Borussia Dortmund.

00:48:03And I don't think,

00:48:05I think Celtic have got to,

00:48:08Celtic have got to change.

00:48:09I think he's got to do something differently for me

00:48:13in that game.

00:48:14Rangers, on the other hand,

00:48:16they're at home.

00:48:17Nobody thought they were going to get something

00:48:19as good as they got against Malmo.

00:48:21This is a great chance for them.

00:48:22This league set up could be good for Scotland

00:48:26to get quite a few coefficient points going, Scott.

00:48:30Yeah, I think obviously,

00:48:32I don't think any has kind of seen

00:48:34how the Malmo game would go

00:48:35and the fact that it could have been

00:48:37could have been a lot more damning for Malmo

00:48:39that should have been 4-5 to Rangers.

00:48:41And that's, I think,

00:48:42I look at Thursday night

00:48:43and the moments that they do get against Lyon

00:48:46and I'm imagining it won't be as many clear-cut

00:48:49as they did get against Malmo,

00:48:50but your Deceurs, your Cherneys,

00:48:52and that, they've got to take their chances

00:48:54and give Rangers a real chance to go and win the game.

00:48:56Okay.

00:48:57Well, given your opinion,

00:48:58give us your opinion on it as well.

00:48:59Don't forget also in the feed,

00:49:00we try and read out more than a few of your comments.

00:49:04If you can, try and keep it decent and clean.

00:49:07We always like it.

00:49:08Tam, we haven't actually got the t-shirt printed this year,

00:49:10but we will do it.

00:49:11This is not the show for you

00:49:12if you just want to be abusive.

00:49:15They've blocked her then, Peter.

00:49:16I know, eh?

00:49:16I've actually blocked more than a few on it

00:49:18because we're making a stance against anybody

00:49:21who obviously says things that are a little untoward.

00:49:24It's the 21st century.

00:49:26We want people to be decent.

00:49:27If you love your football, give us an opinion.

00:49:29Absolutely batter us.

00:49:31We all get battered from time to time.

00:49:34Some of us know how to handle that criticism

00:49:36better than others.

00:49:38Tam throws it out there

00:49:40and then goes away into a darkened room

00:49:41and asks his wife if it's all right to come out.

00:49:44Have you been standing by it these days?

00:49:46Yes, I always stand by my opinion, Peter.

00:49:47You know that.

00:49:48Good or bad.

00:49:49Yeah? On Twitter?

00:49:50Yes.

00:49:50Yeah?

00:49:51Okay, you must have changed your stance.

00:49:53No.

00:49:55He was really positive on Hibs at the weekend.

00:49:56Yeah? Oh, absolutely.

00:49:59Okay, we've given our opinion on that.

00:50:01What about St Johnson?

00:50:02Simo Valakari.

00:50:04Cara Henderson, our reporter,

00:50:05was up there at MacDermid Park for the unveiling.

00:50:08It's a new era here in Perth

00:50:10as Simo Valakari was today unveiled

00:50:12as the newest St Johnson manager here at MacDermid Park.

00:50:15He knows Scottish football.

00:50:17He played with Motherwell in the past.

00:50:18And he says that he always had in the back of his head

00:50:20that he might make a return to Scotland.

00:50:23I never, ever take it granted that I would come back here.

00:50:28But when I started my coaching career,

00:50:31one of these things was,

00:50:33yes, one day, one day, I would like to coach in Scotland.

00:50:37But I know how many good coaches we have here,

00:50:42how many clubs are working,

00:50:47how difficult it is to get here.

00:50:49And that's why I'm very excited.

00:50:50I got this opportunity,

00:50:54thanking the owners for the trust,

00:50:56to give this opportunity.

00:50:57That's why I'm excited.

00:50:59It doesn't get much harder for Simo Valakari

00:51:01and his first stint as manager of St Johnson

00:51:03as they head to Ibrox this Sunday to take on Rangers.

00:51:06He says he knows the demand,

00:51:07he knows the culture of Scottish football,

00:51:09but insists the future is now.

00:51:11And that starts this week.

00:51:13What the owners are doing,

00:51:14and we have people here every day working,

00:51:17I see a good future.

00:51:19But it's easy to talk here,

00:51:21easy to say this,

00:51:22we need to start doing it.

00:51:24We need to.

00:51:24And the future is now.

00:51:26We can't think about,

00:51:27next year when we get more this and this.

00:51:29No, no, no, no, it's now.

00:51:31In football, you can't waste any days.

00:51:32It's now.

00:51:33That's why it's so important,

00:51:35get all these papers right,

00:51:37and we get to work.

00:51:39So Simo Valakari and his St Johnson team

00:51:41travel to Glasgow on Sunday to take on Rangers.

00:51:43He won't be in the dugout,

00:51:44he'll be in the director's box watching his team on,

00:51:47and he'll hope for a positive result.

00:51:49And POZ Soccer will have you covered.

00:51:50So make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel

00:51:52and follow us all over our socials.

00:51:55Brilliant from Cara,

00:51:56following Simo Valakari,

00:51:58we wish him well,

00:51:58he's got four games to save his job.

00:52:01Yeah, listen,

00:52:03I think it's an exciting appointment

00:52:04for the St Johnson fans.

00:52:05I think that supporters like to see somebody fresh,

00:52:08somebody that's not on the merry-go-round,

00:52:10you know, get sacked, get another job.

00:52:12Although he wasn't their top pick, was he?

00:52:14I think he was maybe their third or fourth.

00:52:17Ooh, controversial.

00:52:18Oh, right.

00:52:18You're putting people first.

00:52:19Welcome, welcome.

00:52:20Yeah, well done.

00:52:21And a big hello to the Valakari family.

00:52:24House hunting at the moment, third choice.

00:52:28Listen, he'd been linked,

00:52:29he'd been in the running, I think,

00:52:32with his old club, Mullow.

00:52:33He's always been mentioned there,

00:52:34he was a legend there.

00:52:35Yeah, so,

00:52:38listen, the remit's simple for him,

00:52:39keep them in the division.

00:52:42Yeah, but I think,

00:52:43I think looking at St Johnson's squad,

00:52:46that's going to be a real difficult task for me.

00:52:48I think especially,

00:52:51like I said,

00:52:51I think there's a lot of players there

00:52:53that probably don't fit how he would,

00:52:55he would like to play either.

00:52:56So his job's to go in and get a tune out of them.

00:52:58Obviously, we're judging them against what we've seen at Celtic,

00:53:01against Celtic last week,

00:53:03which was,

00:53:04it was probably his best as Celtic have played this season.

00:53:06And you flip back the following week,

00:53:08you've got Rangers at eight o'clock on Sunday night.

00:53:10So it's still an easy start,

00:53:11I know he won't be in the dugout,

00:53:12but they need to start picking up points somewhere down the line

00:53:16because it could be a long season for St Johnson.

00:53:18Yeah, now with that in mind,

00:53:20we're still waiting to see

00:53:21who Hearts are going to plump for,

00:53:23and they've got Dynamo Minsk.

00:53:26So it's one of those things where,

00:53:29Liam Fox,

00:53:30I mean, I was at Tyne Castle on Saturday,

00:53:33they were rotten.

00:53:35I mean, they were honestly poor.

00:53:36I mean, I didn't see anything.

00:53:38I mean, Liam Fox must have been just absolutely bewildered.

00:53:40They didn't deserve a draw.

00:53:43Just did not deserve a draw in my mind.

00:53:46I thought they were poor.

00:53:48And I think the manager, whoever he is,

00:53:50has got a big job on his hands.

00:53:51To try and somehow get them organised quickly at the bottom.

00:53:56I mean, the points at Aberdeen are so far away from them now.

00:53:59And they'll be looking,

00:54:00and the immediate thing is to get a manager in

00:54:02and get it changed to try and get them into the top six.

00:54:05I think probably the biggest worry for Hearts fans

00:54:08is that there's not been anyone linked.

00:54:10There's not been anything from the club about

00:54:11the direction that they want to go in,

00:54:14what kind of manager that they're even looking for.

00:54:18Touched on St Johnson,

00:54:19they obviously went for Scott Brown first.

00:54:22And then it was the...

00:54:23Daniel Lange.

00:54:24Yeah.

00:54:25At least the fans have had some kind of direction

00:54:28in what they're going in.

00:54:29I've not seen one person that's been linked

00:54:31with the Hearts job or Hearts coming out

00:54:33to say they want to speak to someone.

00:54:35So I think that's the biggest worry.

00:54:38It just feels like they've completely dropped the ball

00:54:41on this season in terms of,

00:54:44one, obviously the run that they're on just now.

00:54:47But two, having that sort of plan B,

00:54:49if you're going to get rid of Naismith,

00:54:50you would think that they have a main candidate

00:54:53that they wanted to go afterwards

00:54:55and they don't seem to have that.

00:54:56And I just think it's the longer it drags on,

00:54:59you've been in change rooms before

00:55:01where it's just that result doesn't come

00:55:03and just snowballs.

00:55:04And before you know it, you can be,

00:55:06I think third's almost completely gone.

00:55:09It will be because they're obviously,

00:55:10I think they're 16 points behind in the club already.

00:55:12And I think they're going to lose to Minsk.

00:55:14Honestly, I mean, you looked at me

00:55:15with an element of surprise.

00:55:17That only tells me that somebody

00:55:18must have reported on them

00:55:19as if they were good at the weekend.

00:55:20They must've been watching a different game

00:55:22from the one I was watching

00:55:23because the Hearts fans were all on their case.

00:55:25There was nothing about them that suggested anything.

00:55:28I mean, how they got the equaliser was just fortuitous.

00:55:33Do you know what?

00:55:33They've got nothing in the middle of the park.

00:55:35There's nothing on the wings to suggest.

00:55:37They took Ian Danda,

00:55:40Ross County's best player last year.

00:55:41Spittle, when a mother was best player last year.

00:55:44They were all on the bench.

00:55:45Ben Rice.

00:55:46That was a big indication,

00:55:47was the starting 11 had none of the nine

00:55:49new signings in the summer.

00:55:51So that shows you,

00:55:52if you're just completely on the outside,

00:55:55that the recruitment in the summer is not good enough.

00:55:58As much as we think they're good players

00:56:00that they've brought in,

00:56:01Liam Fox and Lee Wallace and that,

00:56:03that have been there throughout that,

00:56:05albeit behind the scenes.

00:56:07They obviously don't think that those players

00:56:08are good enough to get into a team

00:56:10that's the bottom of the league.

00:56:11So that's where questions need to be asked of

00:56:13who brought these players in.

00:56:16What you will see is a new manager will come in

00:56:18and pick some of these players.

00:56:19I think so, yeah.

00:56:20Something has to change,

00:56:21because they just keep doing the same thing

00:56:22and not getting the results.

00:56:24Yeah, absolutely.

00:56:25Where have we heard that before?

00:56:26No, we're back at the top of the programme again.

00:56:29The Scotland squad, Steve Clarke.

00:56:37Croatia, Scotland, Scotland, Portugal

00:56:39on the way, he picked a squad.

00:56:42Obviously injuries and people dropping out,

00:56:44but it's a tough time.

00:56:46And I think even the Scotland manager

00:56:47acknowledges that.

00:56:49So it's a chance for both Nicky and Liam,

00:56:51both experienced, dependable defenders

00:56:56who've had good club careers

00:56:57without getting the international recognition

00:57:00that hopefully they can get in the upcoming games.

00:57:04It's a testing time.

00:57:05It's a testing time for me.

00:57:07It's a testing time for the squad.

00:57:09But I've always been one that

00:57:12the injuries are there for everyone to see.

00:57:14You can talk about them all day.

00:57:16For me, it's better to talk about the ones

00:57:18who are going to play,

00:57:18who are going to have a chance to play,

00:57:20who are going to have a chance

00:57:21to maybe, for some of them,

00:57:22to kickstart an international career.

00:57:25Yeah, here's that Scotland squad in its entirety.

00:57:28Craig Gordon back in there, he wants to play.

00:57:30Angus Gunn, John McCracken, Nicky Devlin.

00:57:35Great for Nicky, I'm so delighted for him.

00:57:36Grant Hanley, Liam Lindsay, Ryan Porteous,

00:57:39Anthony Ralston, Andy Robertson,

00:57:41John Souter, Greg Taylor, Ryan Christie,

00:57:43Ben Doak, James Forrest, Ryan Gauld,

00:57:46Billy Gilmore, Andy Irving, Kenny McLean,

00:57:49Scott McTominay, Lewis Morgan,

00:57:51Shea Adams, Lyndon Dykes

00:57:53and Laurence Shankmontan.

00:57:55Yeah, it's good to see a few fresh faces, Peter.

00:57:57I think Liam Lindsay has been doing

00:57:59particularly well down south.

00:58:00I didn't mean to say Craig Gordon.

00:58:01No, certainly not.

00:58:03Liam Lindsay has been doing really well down there.

00:58:05Nicky Devlin, I think he's deserved.

00:58:06I think he's been very consistent

00:58:08over the last couple of seasons.

00:58:09It's an Aberdeen team that are flying.

00:58:11We've got a few injuries at right back,

00:58:12so I'm not surprised that he's coming.

00:58:14Andy Irving's an interesting one, obviously.

00:58:16He was at Hearts as a young kid.

00:58:17He didn't really particularly do great at Hearts.

00:58:20Moved on and bounced about,

00:58:21but went and played in Austria.

00:58:24Went and played in Austria

00:58:26and then got a phenomenal move to West Ham

00:58:29from, I think, Austria.

00:58:31It'll be interesting to see how he gets on as well.

00:58:33Ben Doak, I think the reports are

00:58:34he was outstanding last night.

00:58:36He did a really good game.

00:58:37So it's good to see some fresh faces in there, Peter.

00:58:41Maybe the injuries will force him

00:58:42into playing some of them,

00:58:44but I still think he'll revert to the tried and trusted.

00:58:48Okay, interesting enough.

00:58:49I think Greg Gordon might come back in.

00:58:51I think he will, yeah.

00:58:52I think he's probably the best capable.

00:58:53Do you not think Angus Gunn's firing?

00:58:56There you are.

00:58:56It took right to the end there.

00:58:58I don't know why.

00:58:58We should just persist with it.

00:59:00That was the last hope for him,

00:59:02to get something in,

00:59:03and he's managed to do it.

00:59:05Thanks to Paul Brady, who says,

00:59:07Peter, 12-5 Minsk,

00:59:09Hearts are 19-20.

00:59:11Minsk are outsiders.

00:59:14So, there you are.

00:59:15Put them in with Leon for a double.

00:59:17It's a joke, by the way.

00:59:18It's a joke.

00:59:19It's a joke.

00:59:20That's today's clip.

00:59:24Thanks very much to Scott for his opinion.

00:59:27Thoroughly enjoyed his crack today,

00:59:29and of course Ryan, as well as Tam McManus.

00:59:32Hopefully you did too.

00:59:32Don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

00:59:34There's competition coming up.

00:59:35We're going to be giving away an Aberdeen top,

00:59:38the third strip, the away one,

00:59:39yellow and black.

00:59:40Look out for that.

00:59:41We're going to be giving away lots of goodies

00:59:44coming up all the way through to Christmas.

00:59:46So, some really good competitions for you

00:59:48to enjoy on PLZ Soccer.

00:59:50Hopefully you'll hit the subscribe button.

00:59:52Thank you for your support.

00:59:53It's been absolutely magnificent,

00:59:55and thank you for enjoying all of the content

00:59:58we are producing for you.

00:59:59From the guys here,

01:00:00thank you for watching and listening.

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