JohnMc

Just me that thinks this is nuts then? Do we need two shops in the city centre in normal times far less in the current climate? I assume someone somewhere has done the maths on this but I think I'd have held off for a few months, I suspect there will be a glut of retail property in the near future and I'm increasingly inclined to think the pandemic will create systemic changes in our behaviour even when it's a distant memory.

It's a deep, deep cover TB, you've no idea how high this goes!

Managers are taught various things while sitting their licences. One thing that gets a lot of focus is media management. Neil Lennon demonstrated this superbly last week when he took a public swipe at Maurice Ross. The media loved that story, it dominated the back pages and the football news cycle for a few days after. It's clever management from Lennon because it took the focus away from him, his players and their run of results (2 losses and a draw is apparently grounds for dismissal in some quarters now). He was at it again yesterday when post match he had a go at the referee accusing him of having a poor match although he was unable to provide specifics when pushed on it. While not drawing the fire away as much as the Mo Ross outburst it has helped muddy the waters slightly and given the media something to write about other than Celtic shipping 3 goals two matches in a row. I mention this because the next logical step in this deflection is falling out, publicly, with a journalist or media channel. This often helps galvanise support behind the manager seeing as so many are distrustful of the media these days, and again it fills airwaves, blogs and columns as opposed to perhaps more pressing on-field matters. Of course if Lennon really was angry with Ross he could have called him up and told him so, but that's not what this is about. Celtic are feeling some pressure for arguably the first time in 10 years. Rangers haven't yet stuttered (although there's still a long way to go), Celtic's form is poor, their summer buys haven't yet gelled and they're feeling a draft financially for the first time in a decade or so. Should things continue in this manner expect a circling of the wagons down Parkhead way. BBC Scotland though can't afford to alienate Celtic, losing access to one half of the big two is careless but losing access to both would be problematic and difficult for senior management to ignore. So I expect a softening in criticism towards Lennon, perhaps fire aimed at specific players instead, referees certainly and perhaps the SPFL and SFA should events offer them up. Many of us have wondered how Celtic would react to some sustained pressure. When Deila's Celtic side were played off the park by Warburton's in the cup semi Celtic responded by replacing the Norwegian with Brendan Rodgers. That seems unlikely this time for various reason. Money for one, plus this Rangers side isn't just out of the Championship and filled with free transfers from the English lower leagues, we're significantly better than then. It's a dilemma for BBC Scotland, well you reap what you sow, eventually.

I seem to have caused some confusion and debate. Let me try and clarify. I think there's a high likelihood the Championship, Leagues 1 and 2 and the steps in the pyramid below that won't finish the season and so the SPFL need to speak with clubs to try and agree what happens should that take place. I class part-time sides playing in the professional leagues as professional. I also think there's a chance the top league in Scotland will be disrupted and also might struggle to finish. As such again the SPFL need to consult with clubs on what to do in that event too. My reading of things is everything will be done to keep the top league going and the other leagues might be sacrificed to ensure that happens. But if we've learned anything this year its stuff doesn't always go to plan and as full, country wide lockdown can't be ruled out. Craig is correct, I think the SPFL's focus is currently the 'lower' leagues and what to do if half the sides can't play matches due to quarantine and testing issues. And of course it should go without saying that this is my opinion based on fuck all inside knowledge simply a spare 20 minutes to while away on Gersnet. That'll teach me.

Because politicians make decisions usually for political reasons. Because public opinion might turn on highly remunerated footballers if examples of poor behaviour are reported while large parts of the country are locked down. Because already several clubs in Scotland have been unable to keep their players and staff in a secure bubble while infection rates are quite low and the weather was ok. Because part time teams in particular will find secure bubbles almost impossible to maintain as players have other jobs. Because clubs might find it hard to fulfil fixtures. Because it seems likely that infection rates, hospital admissions and deaths will rise in the coming weeks and a full lockdown might be imposed at some point. Because it might suit some clubs.

There is a chance that professional football in Scotland could be stopped before Christmas and a very real chance that the league won't finish before next summer, so while I understand the suspicion the SPFL need to at least begin communicating with clubs on what might happen if that turns out to be the case. If we were to get a bad winter weather wise leading to weather related postponements, on top of Covid postponements we could have some farcical looking league tables in a few months, that's assuming the government doesn't implement a full lockdown before that. I suspect everything will be done to keep the top league going, but I could see the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 shutting down, so they need to have something agreed that prevents member clubs suing each other again. Ireland has just gone into lockdown again but have agreed to allow professional and top level sport to continue as long as bubbles and isolation continues. I expect other countries will implement similar in the coming weeks, ours included. For me the big question is at what point can a league be 'called'. Clearly with 9 games to go is the current benchmark, but what if there were 12 to go, or half the fixtures still to play? What do they do if suddenly Motherwell find they've played 5 games less than most other sides through no fault of their own, do they get relegated if they're bottom? Motherwell and Aberdeen have already played 2 less than us and the weather has been good so far. So I think the SPFL do need to try and agree some sort of framework for all eventualities. Do I trust them though? Not much is probably my answer. I can't see Mulraney, Doncaster, Lawwell and co doing anything but helping Celtic, it's whether they can still garner enough support from other clubs. Surely Dundee won't be duped by the lure of glamour friendlies again, or anyone else for that matter. So it's more important than ever that we keep winning, that whatever happens we're at the top of the league. I'd be willing to sacrifice the League and Scottish Cups to our reserve side to make sure the first team are fit, healthy and available for the league, because this season we'll see skullduggery like none before it.

Maurice Ross speaks surprisingly well. He's a coach at Motherwell now I learned, which didn't prevent him stating he wants Rangers to win the league, live on BBC Scotland radio, that's got to be off the roster of guests now surely... I was interested to hear him and Stewart describe us as a counter attacking side. I suppose against sides that attack us we are, but we so rarely play against teams like that I don't think of us as that type of side. I think the truth is we can play in many ways. We can keep possession for long periods and control matches and we can also sit deeper and attack at pace when the opportunity offers itself. The comment about our midfielders never needing to run, simply always jogging as their positional play is so good was also interesting. We didn't dominate possession on Saturday, Celtic had more of it albeit in areas they couldn't hurt us. I wonder if that was tactical or just how the game panned out. Who cares, we won!!

We learned a few things yesterday. Firstly the players Celtic had missing. I think it's true, they certainly weren't able to play their first choice starting 11 and in Christie, Eduarde and Julien that's 3 important players for them who'd almost certainly have started. But here's the thing many pundits seem to be missing; football is a squad game and Celtic's squad is not as deep as Rangers now. I'm not sure how that happened, or when it happened, but somehow what felt like a chasmic gap in squad quality has not only been bridged but been overtaken. Someone at our club deserves enormous praise for that and someone at Celtic's needs laughed at. How they've blown the serious financial advantage they still have over us is bewildering. But yesterday laid bare the reality of our squad. Had Rangers lost our first choice striker and leading creative force and second striker how would we have reacted. Well, we of course were missing our first choice striker in Roofe, so Morelos steps in. Had Morelos been injured Itten or Defoe would have played instead. That's decent depth in anyone's book. The guy Celtic had upfront looked poor yesterday. Apparently he's new and it would be foolish of me to write him off based on one match, he might still come good, but he looked a long way short of the quality Eduarde has. For me Kent is probably more valuable to our team as Christie is to theirs. Let's be blunt, losing Kent would hurt us. He's been in great form this season, his running with the ball, his speed on the break, his work rate and his quality would be missed. How would we replace him? Jones, Hagi and Barker are the obvious replacements. None are as good as Kent and all have their weaknesses, but all know our system and have played in it, successfully, this season already. As for the centre-half if we lost say Goldson then Balogun would have played. He's looked pretty handy when he's played and while I'm not sure he's as good as Goldson he's not some kid from the reserves getting thrown in. And of course Katic, arguably our second choice centre-half, is already out injured. The other player they've spoken about is Forrest. Again a regular starter when fit. Fair enough, but we went into that match without Aribo a highly creative player and an almost certain starter had he not picked up an injury. So yes, Celtic missing key players undoubtedly gave us an advantage, but their inability to replace those players adequately is the real story here. I was fortunate enough to read the book 50 Greatest Rangers Games recently (buy it, it's excellent) and one of the things that struck me was how often a Walter Smith side, shorn of the big important players through injury or suspension, was able to get a result in an important match. Had Celtic, reigning Champions with home advantage, been able to get even a draw yesterday it would have been a big psychological victory for them. As it was they were made to look average and they know it. They've shown in previous seasons they can regroup and bounce back from defeats, but for some reason this felt different. We didn't celebrate like we'd won something tangible, in reality it was only 3 points, albeit an important 3, trooped off with big smiles but there was none of the over exuberance of previous victories over Celtic, nothing for Celtic's management team to pin on their noticeboard to motivate their squad. Celtic fans have turned on their manager, this result didn't seem to be a big surprise to them. Apparently their form has been poor this season, their new players haven't gelled and they've struggled anytime they've played someone good. Maybe. Their late goals in a match a few weeks ago felt to me like they still knew how to win when playing badly, something we're still to master, so the next few weeks will be interesting. Whatever happens yesterday felt different, like beating them wasn't the pinnacle of our ambition anymore. Lastly the lack of a home support. The referee was put under a lot of pressure before the match by Celtic leaning people. Apparently he's a big bluenose, not something anyone who has watched him referee us in the past would have realised. However, less than subtle pressure was applied pre-match and any dubious call by the ref would be getting the Sportscene treatment for sure. In the end the ref had a decent match and I think this is partly down to the absence of 60,000 people screaming every time Morelos challenges for a ball. Whatever anyone says I think the home support do influence, however involuntary, the ref and linesmen. I think the home side get most of the 50/50 calls and clashes between players seem worse when there's a baying mob screaming for justice. But without the baying mob the refereeing seems better I think. There are still mistakes of course, but by and large the players seem to accept the decisions more too. Without the loud backing of myopic hordes calling for everything, Celtic in particular looked a lot less aggressive than usual. This suits us because we're not a physical team, we aim to play football on the ground, and a stop start niggly match doesn't help us. Anyway, let's enjoy the victory and the manner of it. Had we put 4 past them, and that's certainly what I was screaming for midway through the 2nd half, that might have forced Celtic to do something. As it is a 2-0 win can be excused, explained away by injuries and Covid isolation and so hopefully nothing will change down Parkhead way. It's good to be a bluenose this weekend.

I see the guy who founded the club played for Crusaders in Belfast, I did wonder when I saw their badge which is identical to the Belfast club's but for the colour of the cross. I assume from that he's a Northern Irish bluenose enjoying life in Surfer's Paradise instead of the Shore Road. If both clubs get something from it all the better. I've a soft spot for Crusaders, I used to go and watch them when I lived in Belfast, 'mon the hatchet men!

All that being said they gerrymandered the fixture list to get this date to play us, so they're getting what they wanted after all...

As amusing as this is I think if we'd lost 4 players during the international break we'd be a bit hacked off too. International football always runs the risk of players picking up injuries or losing form after traveling long distances, I can remember when McCoist broke his leg playing for Scotland. It would a pleasant surprise if all of our players returned without any of them picking up a niggle far less anything more serious. Personally I think it's very contentious playing international football in the current climate. Players at clubs can exist in some sort of bubble, and so European club football can continue within those parameters. But pulling players together from all over the world for a few weeks is a recipe for disaster. Playing a depleted Celtic side has obvious attractions, but I'm uneasy about this. I also think it's a tremendous incentive for them, they're gradually building a siege mentality and convincing themselves the organisation they control is out to get them. I'd love it if Gerrard said that if Celtic don't want to play us this weekend we don't mind waiting until they've got all their players back. It would kill any claims of unfairness in an instant and would move the psychological edge back in our direction. If Lennon doesn't think he can beat us, at home, with the size of squad they have, he's got big problems.

If we're really looking at out of contract free agent players then I'd prefer we signed Mandžukić. He's a type of striker we don't have and his physical style would suit Scottish football, with a couple of Croats here already and our previous success with strong Croatian forwards I think he's be a good fit. He's 34 so I doubt he could play 2 games a week and has probably lost a bit of pace and energy, but as an option for us even from the bench he offers something different that might complement the more technical forwards we currently have. I've not heard him mentioned by anyone and I've no inside knowledge, this is simply a Sunday morning daydream. By the way I don't believe there's a 'no-compete' clause in Wilshire's contract, that's an agent trying to explain away why no club in the EPL has snapped him up.

West Ham signed him over 2 years ago but have literally just paid him to leave, they couldn't even find a club to loan him too. He's been available for months, him being released by West Ham didn't come as a surprise to him or his agent, clubs have known he's been available for a while. I accept at one time he was a very talented player, but it's difficult to judge if he still is as he's played so little football. Clearly West Ham don't think he is. Gerrard strikes me as being something of a taskmaster, demanding in terms of application and attitude as well as ability. We'll just have to wait and see if whether Wilshire has any of those attributes these days.

"I don't think it affected the result, if my memory is right." ?? Many, many moons ago I was gainfully employed in what was then the Clydeway Industrial Centre, these days, post gentrification it's The Skypark. It had a very different look and feel in the 80s, it was owned by Glasgow Council then and housed mainly light industrial companies by day and ladies of the night by, err, night. On the ground floor was a business who I think were called Heatwise. At a time of mass unemployment they employed a lot of guys who were long term unemployed. The idea was they got used to working again and perhaps learned some new skills. It was quite worthy and a decent idea on paper. In reality it had a load of guys who had to go there for a few months are they'd lose their broo, so motivation and application wasn't always what it might have been. Anderson Primary School was alongside and it had a red blaes pitch, on those rare warm Glasgow days the lads from Heatwise would head down to the pitch for a kickabout of a lunchtime. Around this time the Provisional IRA were fairly active with bombings, and one sunny lunchtime the building's alarm went off and the building was cleared as fire engines and Strathclyde's finest descended on the building and a full search was carried out. We were outside for well over an hour before it was deemed a false alarm. A few days later the same thing happened, again, strangely it was a warm day and again squad cars and firemen rushed to the scene. This happened another 3 times over the next month and even the most work shy of us was starting to get a bit hacked off. On the final occasion this happened a large polis and senior fireman asked the crowd gathering outside in the muster area who among us worked for Heatwise. A couple raised their hands and further fingers were pointed towards the football pitch where the main body of the workforce were furiously engaged in what looked like a full scale 11 a side match. The copper marched onto the pitch, picked up the ball and told them they had to go into the building to help with the search for the 'bomb'. He marched them all into the building, came back out and told us we could all go back in too now. Strangely, there were no more bomb scares after that. I wonder if James Joseph Doherty's dad worked at Heatwise...

I've was told a while ago that Wiltshire's lifestyle issues are fairly acute and injuries were used to cover up for lengthy absences caused by other reasons. The fact no one in England signed him tells its own story.

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” James Baldwin.

Celtic's clamour for supporter's to be allowed back is eye-catching. I'm not sure allowing say 10,000 back into a 60,000 seat stadium would enhance the atmosphere much, so this can only be about the money. Celtic promised their season ticket holders exclusive access to Celtic matches being shown on their in-house TV. Unlike Rangers, where anyone can purchase on a match to match basis, currently the casual Celtic supporter, or supporter of whoever they're playing, can't. People who claim to know about these things tell me this has been quite successful for Rangers from a revenue perspective. Perhaps Celtic need to allow some fans in so they can break their agreement with their own season ticket holders. Surely getting those in power to allow supporters to return is beyond even their lobbying skills??

It's going to be be increasingly difficult to hang onto our better kids. The money and facilities on offer down south plus the lack of young players establishing themselves in our first team will only lead to more of our 'in-demand' players leaving. Us attracting young players from Ross County and Glentoran is exactly the same, just on a lower level. All that said there still seems to be little correlation between being a fantastic prospect at 16 or 17 and becoming a top level professional, no matter what Scottish side you're at. Believe it or not, at one time the most sought after young player in Scotland was Michael Stewart, an outstanding youth player he was eventually wooed by Man Utd, at that time one of the best club sides in the world with a great record of developing talent, but he had his choice of clubs to sign for. 6 years later he's playing trial matches unsuccessfully trying to get a contract with us. I wish the lad Mebude well, but I don't blame him for leaving and I'm not sure it matters much anymore.

This is rather nice, hopefully it will remain vandalism free by those incensed by seeing our name. Walter Tull honoured on Glasgow post box

It sums up Scottish football. The guy who carried out the challenge suffers no repercussions, Gerrard goes up in front of the beaks. They're not even trying to hide it.

I'd prefer Split but either will be a big step up and easily our hardest game of the season to date. I was speaking to a Dutch pal last night about Willem II and he was pretty dismissive of them. He said they usually fight relegation and no one could understand why they did okay last season. He said they're a good team without any stars, stronger than the some of their parts but if both teams play to their best we'd beat them. He's a season ticket holder at NEC Nijmegen but travels around Europe a couple of times a year going to see different matches. He's desperate to see a Rangers/Celtic match and has 3 times asked me if I could get tickets for him and 6 of his mates! He doesn't believe me when I tell him Steven Gerrard probably couldn't get him 7 tickets, far less me.

Can't we be drawn against Standard or APOEL's opponents if they lose their ties DMAA? Playing Spurs in a one-off match would be fun. They'd, rightly, be favourites, but they're not in great form and the Scotland/England thing levels the field a bit. How are Aberdeen seeded and we're not? There was talk on the radio last night that Sporting Lisbon have a Covid outbreak in their squad and might struggle to put out a team against Aberdeen. That might just have been wishful thinking from the heavily Aberdeen influenced presenters and pundits of course.

Great work guys, bravo.

How the mighty have fallen. I'm sure they'll find their niche...

As well as being a fantastic player he comes across as a pretty decent human being too. What an acheivement that is for any player, but somehow it seems more admirable when it's playing for a country for who simply qualifying for a tournament represents a major success. They've had some fantastic results during his time playing, and he's been integral to many of them. I think Davis might be the Rangers manager one day.