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Never in doubt. It's just the subject of your expertise that remains unclear.

He suffers horribly from the common (amongst UK commentators) 'doesn't know when to shut up' affliction.

"and if it goes to VAR"? Saturday evening's Sportscene had Steven Thompson presenting, guests were Michael Stewart and Kenny Miller. The show's Producer remains Eamonn Donohoe. The titled words in inverted commas arrived at the dog end of conversation on the Edited highlights of the Livi' - Rangers game. We had just been shown a repeat then, a slow-mo repeat of Livi's long throw into the Rangers box in the final minute of the ninety. The blowing of the Referee's whistle occurred during the ball's mid flight; however, a pin balling of three touches ensued before the ball was turned into the net. Michael Stewart deliberately ignored the inconvenient whistle to end the discussion with, "and if it goes to VAR"? The edited highlights showed Colak's headed goal but it was not repeated and no studio conversation mentioned it. Livi's Australian left back, Philip Cancar being cautioned followed by another yellow card swipe at a Rangers player was not in the highlights either. Cancar being substituted with several minutes of the first half remaining was missed too. Livi' boss, David Martindale had given two post match interviews to both Sky and BBC Radio Scotland where he admitted good fortune with Cancar's actions, but Sportscene edited it out. Did BBC Scotland's Sportscene provide a true picture of the match in it's edited highlights? Michael Stewart was in the PQ studio during the game, he was the designated VAR man for the live radio broadcast. We were told VAR was being trialed on Saturday at Livingston but Michael made no attempt to find out what VAR made of Colak's headed offside goal. No, Michael had a narrative of plucky Livi' deservedly frustrating cumbersome Rangers. Post match on radio, Michael laid into Livi' Keeper, Shamal George in conceding Tav's free kick . He criticised his failure to move his feet, his lining up of the wall and, his lack of strong wrist. Clearly, Michael was frustrated and angry at Rangers going ahead in the game. Neil McCann at the game interrupted to say, "from my position directly behind the ball, I knew from the sweet strike the Keeper was not getting to it". Michael lamely replied, "it was not placed into the corner of the net". Saturday evening's Sportscene was broadcast just after seven O'Clock and Michael in the PQ studio all day had ensured his narrative prevailed. Now, we know BBC Scotland apologised, specifically because normal Editorial standards had NOT been maintained in numerous items concerning Rangers and Rangers supporters. In this light, the club contacted PQ and asked if a more objective view could be broadcast? Sunday evening's Sportscene was due for broadcast, highlights of ra Sellik's opening fixture and St Mirren against Motherwell being the main content. One of PQ's many Dandies, Jonathon Sutherland presented, with Leeann Crighton and Marvin Bartley as guests. We were shown Philip Cancar's two scything attempts at tackles We were shown a replay of Colak's headed goal, two graphic lines were imposed on the screen and Bartley felt that proved the Linesman's decision was correct? Thirdly, the Livi' long throw into our box was again shown but, this time Leeann Crighton mentioned the Ref's whistle mid flight and stated, "the game has been stopped, what occurs in the couple of seconds after would not be up for discussion. VAR would not be used". Again, Michael has made a complete Cnut of himself and the public broadcaster because he prefers to sit extremely comfortably in his preferred prejudice.

Well it must have had an impact. I watched the Sunday edition tonight online and all those points listed were covered by Jonathan Sutherland with Marvin Bartley.

Good interview from Connor there. Pleased to hear him defending Souttar. The guy needs time to settle and get up to speed with playing for Rangers.

I've got quite good at just ignoring a lot of commentary. Occasionally I do notice it and wish I hadn't.

Absolutely. I often wonder (I was merely a lowly amateur level! So have no idea) if any players have ever actually started playing better because fans in the stands were howling at them. I very much doubt it.

Sutherland played it straight and asked the panel. Bartley and Lianne Crighton? 1)They concluded the linesman could not see the Livi player on the far side who may be playing Colak on. Very tight decision. 2) Bartley stated the bench decided to pull Cancar as he is a CB rather than FB , and was struggling in LB role, to negate a further yellow. ( No mention of revelation at today's PC that Walsh "advised" his removal!) 3) Panel agreed whistle had blown before ball crossed line so no case to answer on VAR. I like Bartley too. He was asked about our CL hopes as well, and seemed very genuine and positive around the need for us to be performing at that level.

They are so bad in the states I put the Hogs games on mute. I can't listen to that BS. Yammerin on like a buncha school girls about nothin.

Aye, quite a tough time for him. Last thing he needs is us getting on his back. It's okay to criticise a player, if done in a reasonable manner. Unfortunately, we have a fair percentage who just can't help but take it to extremes.

Makes Tav's numbers look even more extraordinary. I believe we were one Goldson error in Seville away from Tav getting a statue and greatest ever consideration. As long as Tav doesnt become manager and fail to win the league every season of course!

Just found out the game tomorrow is on Premier Sports, ugghh. Will we play Premier Sports bingo guys? Pictures/sound loss during the game Some Rangers hater on comms Continual mentioning of celtic being straight into the group stage Feel free to add your own! It almost makes me want to have paid the £700 the travel club were wanting to go to the game just to avoid it.

Yeah getting through this round alone sees us make 20 million from Europe most likely. Getting to the CL though takes 10 off celtc and adds 10 to us. We should be in a good place either way and indeed fine no matter what but CL should be our Level.

A true servant is beneficial to both himself, and his team. Through hard work (training, and match), perseverance (learning from mistakes both on and off the pitch), match contribution (Man of the match, making those around him better), and increased value (monetarily, as well as raising the levels of those surrounding him), Calvin ticked all of the boxes in a very limited timeframe. Davies has yet to hit any marks...thus my critique. Final word on the topic to you sir.

Has to be Tav but credit to Kent for performing much better after half-time. Impressed by Tillman and felt the other subs (Sands and Arfield) also both looked sharp.

Yilmaz and Matondo both travel....

A friend of mine pointed out, if he hadn't got them into European competition, he would still be in a job. It's a funny old game, Saint. One might have thought that he had some credit in the bank, but M'well is owned and controlled by its supporters, the previous owner having gifted all his shares to 'The 'Well Nation' or somesuch group, maybe 4 years ago, and this may explain the precipitate action. Could care more.

What was Sutherland and Bartleys take in them? FWIW I like Bartley and think he usually good with his assessments

HENRY WINTER | GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST INTERVIEW Giovanni van Bronckhorst: You have to be an obsessive as a manager, it is a sacrifice you need to make Giovanni van Bronckhorst learned from the likes of Cruyff and Advocaat but he also brings a modern approach to life at Rangers as he prepares to start a new campaign Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer Saturday July 30 2022, 12.01am, The Times Van Bronckhorst enjoys Scottish Cup success with Rangers in May IAN MACNICOL/GETTY IMAGES The long, distinguished list of managerial talent emanating from the Netherlands is remarkable, ranging from Rinus Michels to Johan Cruyff, from Leo Beenhakker, Dick Advocaat, Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal, from to Bert van Marwijk, Erik ten Hag and Gio van Bronckhorst. It’s particularly remarkable for a country of only 17 million people. “18m! 18m!” Van Bronckhorst immediately interrupts. “Close to 18m now! I saw it in the papers this week!” It’s a very Dutch intervention, very direct and delivered with a smile as we talk on Friday afternoon. Van Bronckhorst has just finished preparing Rangers for the start of the Premiership season, away to Livingston at noon on Saturday. Earlier in the week, Van Bronckhorst held an open training session at Ibrox and 6,000 fans braved the squalls of rain. They want proximity to the players, to the club they love, but also a glimpse of Van Bronckhorst at work. Against all odds, he guided Rangers to the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt in May and, although they lost, 100,000 fans travelled. They believe in Van Bronckhorst, who played for them with distinction, and hit a few piledrivers from 1998 to 2001 having left Feyenoord, before heading on to Arsenal, where he won the title under Arsène Wenger, and then Barcelona, where he won the Champions League under Rijkaard (against Arsenal). Van Bronckhorst celebrates scoring the opening goal during the 2010 FIFA World Cup semi-final match between Uruguay and Holland LARS BARON/GETTY IMAGES After a final hurrah at his beloved Feyenoord, and retiring following his 106th appearance for the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final, Van Bronckhorst launched himself into coaching, first with Feyenoord, then with Guangzhou in China and last mid-season back at Ibrox when Steven Gerrard moved to Aston Villa. His team faded against Celtic in the league, but won the Scottish Cup and took over Seville. So why do the Dutch make good coaches? Is it the country’s culture of studying and questioning? “We have our thoughts on football,” Van Bronckhorst replies, “and we have a rich history with not only the Dutch national side but also club wise. We are quite successful for such a small country. For myself, it’s the development from when I was young, first in the academy at Feyenoord, working with great coaches from the Netherlands. One of my coaches was Wim Jansen, a great coach and also a very important player in the 74 squad [of Michels] when Total Football began. “From the age of eight, I was taught in that way of playing by Jansen. He was talking about [passing] triangles and making the pitch big when you have the ball and making it small when you’re chasing the ball.” It shaped his thinking. “When you develop in a certain way of playing that will always stay with you.” As a player, Van Bronckhorst moved seamlessly through a range of positions in keeping with Total football. “Cruyff started it and also Feyenoord taught me,” he continues. “I started as a left midfielder in the academy and towards the end of my time in the academy I played also as a central defender, building from the back, and as a left winger.” Van Bronckhorst, right, challenges Michael Owen during his playing days DENIS DOYLE/GETTY IMAGES That accelerated his understanding of the game. “I was exposed to all the different positions to ‘sense’ the position but also to learn about each position,” he reflects. “And now, it’s a very big part of our coaching: our set-up with and without the ball. That’s the influence I had as a boy and with all the coaches I had: Beenhakker, my coach at Feyenoord, Van Gaal, Van Marwijk, Rijkaard. I’ve had the privilege to work with great managers.” Wenger looms large in his thinking and influences. “Well, he was the first coach I had who was not only specific about football but also the way you live, your rest and your food,” Van Bronckhorst explains. “Wenger was the first one I encountered with low fat food in the training ground at Colney. We couldn’t have fizzy drinks. We did yoga. He was the one with the total mindset to be football player. “He was also the first talking about data, how many metres you’ve run, how many sprints you had. That opened my mind as a football player. Apart from, of course, Wenger’s technical and tactical knowledge what always stuck with me in the time I was at Arsenal was to invest in the hours when you’re not on the training ground.” Wenger was, still is, obsessive about football. Van Bronckhorst understands. “Managers have to be ‘obsessive’ because it takes a lot of hours of the day being a manager. That’s a sacrifice you have to make. You can only do that when you have the passion for it and the support from home.’’ Van Bronckhorst says managers have to be obsessive due to the long hours IAN MACNICOL/GETTY IMAGES His background, reflecting his parents’ Indonesian roots, helps him move even more easily in the modern multi-cultural, multi-lingual dressing-rooms. “Yes, it’s important. The first time I had it was at Rangers where we had so many different players from different countries.” He thinks of the era of Lorenzo Amoruso, Claudio Reyna and Jorg Albertz, among others. “We had Italians, Americans, Dutch, German players. You always have differences in culture and habits but a big part of being successful as a team is you gel together really well and perform.” That also occurred with Carles Puyol (Spain), Ronaldinho (Brazil), Deco (Portugal) and Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), among others, in that 2006 Champions League glory. “The coach I had at Barcelona with Rijkaard really understood the way of managing a [diverse] group like that.” Dressing-rooms are even more polyglot now, demanding more from a manager. “With all the different cultures you have to have a different approach,” Van Bronckhorst says. “With players from Holland you can be quite direct. With players from South America you have to be careful in the way you approach them personally or in a group. Man-to-man management is getting more important now. I’m direct but I make sure the best way to approach a character. “It’s also about changing generations [in society]. My eldest kid is 20 and 16 the youngest and there’s a difference in bringing up the kids now and what they have, with social media, with everything around them. It’s the same with young players in your team. Concentration levels are less than the older players. I make sure when I talk to them it’s quite short and quite direct. And if you see my squad now I have a 40-year-old [Allan McGregor] and I have an 18-year-old [centre-back Leon King], one or two generations between them so I also have to take that into account when I address those players.” Van Bronckhorst was attracted to the values and culture at Rangers IAN MACNICOL/GETTY IMAGES As a manager, Van Bronckhorst draws on lessons absorbed from his parents. “I was brought up with these important values: the respect you show to other people and treat people the way you want to be treated. These are values I take into account bringing up my own children together with my wife. It’s also the way I act in the club. I’m very strict. I was brought up a very strict way. Also the Dutch way is very strict but you have to adjust to the culture you’re in. I learned that in China. “But because I was at Rangers before, I knew the values and the culture, so I had a good feeling from the start. Rangers’ values are the same as I have. You see it everywhere from the players, the directors and the board — we want to keep our standards high and always respect other players, other teams with the same dignity as we treat ourselves.” Living up to the standards of the past is vital. Van Bronckhorst’s players emerge from their Ibrox dressing room and funnel down a corridor full of pictures of club legends like Jim Baxter, John Greig, those who shaped Rangers. They then gather in a tunnel etched with images of the countless trophies won. “History is a very big part of this club,” Van Bronckhorst says. “We are celebrating 150 years of Rangers this year. “I find the history inspirational because I like being around the old players of the club, the legends. John Greig is one of the legends — the legend — of the club. I love being with him because he tells so many stories of the past and that’s one of the things I love about this club, all the history, all the memories. “The more I hear those memories, the more involved I feel. We had the 150 year anniversary on Wednesday in the Civic Hall and I met Walter Smith’s wife and the son of [Willie] Waddell, the coach who won the European Cup-Winners’ Cup [in 1972]. I love being and talking with those people because it’s part of the club, it’s why the club is so successful and so known. We are all here to write history for the next generations.” He almost did in Seville. “To actually have 100,000 people supporting us there is crazy,” Van Bronckhorst says. “I’m very aware of the support we have throughout the years, the fans are amazing, they come in numbers wherever we go. That’s an important part of this club. In the end, it wasn’t the game when we won the second European trophy but if you talk with all the people who went there and the memories they made with their families, with their dads, with their sons it’s amazing to give them the experience and memories that will last forever. I’m privileged to be part of this club again now as a manager. “I’m only the 17th [full-time] coach in Rangers history! 150 years! It’s amazing. It’s an honour. I continuously want to improve as a coach. That never stops. I want to keep the standards high, keep working hard and keep bringing silverware to Rangers.” Livingston v Rangers Today, Tony Macaroni Arena Kick-off 12 noon. TV: Sky Sports Main Event from 11am https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/giovanni-van-bronckhorst-you-have-to-be-an-obsessive-as-a-manager-it-is-a-sacrifice-you-need-to-make-39m3n5n0r

He pulled up late on on Saturday. Looked like he went over on his ankle. Hopefully nothing too serious.

These last eleven years, the Ghost aka Ian Bankier has been the Chair of ra Sellik. He announced today that he intends to leave his designation on the 1st January'23. A Lawyer who worked mostly in the whisky industry, was plucked by Dermot Desmond to provide a buffer between himself and the rabid Yahoos. Ian took the job as Chairman in 2012 and stood up at the AGM to inform those attending that he attended a denominational school. Ian was cheered to the echo. Ian has not been overly taxed by his workload, ra Sellik Trust revealed his salary last year. He attended seven Board meetings and trousered in excess of £70,000. After winning 12 domestic trophies in a row, Bankier told the AGM two years past that the club intended to target Referees because, the Board felt they had not been treated as other SPFL clubs. Last year, Bankier criticised the Scottish Government; again, because ra Sellik had not received fair treatment during the Lockdowns. The shortlist of possible replacements include : Martin Compston - knows all the lyrics to all the hate filled songs. (Pray for)Neil Lennon - a real Sellik man. Tom Boyd - a Daftie but a green, white and, gold Daftie. Tommy Sheridan - a Sellik Swinger. Phil McFournames - a Yahoo who put the bile in Baillieston.

Stephen Craigan

I saw last week they've been bought out so hopefully in the future, they may be able to show 90mins worth of football

Yes and no. I lost a sister at a similar age, to a long illness, whilst it's good in a way to no longer see your loved one suffer, the loss is still the same. Relief didn't really enter my head tbh.

To think that some on here have been decrying media 'experts'.....

He did play for 18 seasons! 120 goals in 755 games is still an excellent achievement for a full back.

Their league form hasn't been especially convincing either. Drew their opening game 1-1 then a 1-0 victory - neither against Belgian title contenders. They might be one season wonders. 🤞

It has to be Tavernier for the goal in addition to general play. Have to say I didn’t think we were dragged back into the game by individuals though, the whole team came out and lifted their levels as a unit. This gave far more opportunities to forward players to create, especially Kent, and I think Barisic deserves a bit of credit for that too. But I was pleased to see Kent getting the ball in the box a bit more than usual. The actual goal was more about the header than the cross, but the wrongly disallowed goal was an excellent cross. Wee mention for Lundstram too who did his job very well.

I still take the first Rangers goalscorer.

I haven't watched, or listened to, more than a few minutes of BBC Sport Scotland in years. From what I can gather, from reading on-line observations, and from comments of friends/acquaintances, its output is far from "drivel". What is described is, for the most part, too studied, and too infused with malice, to qualify for this accolade. It seems , almost, to approach the sinister. There is an agenda, which is nothing new, and I expect little or no change for the foreseeable future.

Sportscene was at it's usual nonsense last night with their bias analysis, omitting most of the controversial moments in the match such as Livi LB 1st booking & 2nd foul which should have seen him sent off and the fact the Livi manager subbed him! no mention of the Colak goal that was wrongly chopped off. Just a continuation of their drivel.

He's bigger than I thought...🤣🤣🤣

Yep made some good signings this summer but have an unproven coach.

The European result was absolutely terrible.

I'm giving the credit to Gio mate, his changes won the match 👍

Craig Whyte was and it seems still is a distraction. I find it very difficult to believe a chiseller like Whyte, with no significant track record in business to his name, can suddenly sidle up to Rangers and convince a man like David Murray that he's a credible buyer. That simply doesn't happen in the real world and certainly not to someone like Murray, who surrounds himself with such high-calibre corporate advisors that being 'duped" isn't even a possibility. I've been round those tables, albeit on a smaller scale, and I know the extent of the diligence that's conducted on people like Whyte - Murray would have known when Whyte took a piss, let alone how much money he had and where it came from. The only conclusion I draw about Craig Whyte is that, for whatever reason, he was willing to be a pawn in someone else's game, someone far beyond Whyte's pay grade. I imagine Whyte serves his purpose every time the spotlight is shone on him rather than the real culprits and it's worth considering that had he been convicted and jailed, the price of his ongoing silence would have soared. It's likely we'll never get near the truth of what went on but I think Whyte was the least of it.

A familiar name on the BBC website today discussing Rangers.... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62286486

I suppose I could cavil with splitting an infinitive and using a noun as a verb, notwithstanding its Latin origin but this a forum for football fans so I suppress my inner pedant. That pedant forbids the use of symbol to qualify a remark so for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing should be read as a lighthearted response and not didactic. You know what? The inner pedant can take a running jump. One of the wee picture thingies would have saved about fifty words.