JohnMc

Nah, it was discussed by the media because he'd spent enough time here and hadn't been capped by Spain, but he was never called up. 

Funnily enough I'm more relaxed about residency rules coming in than the grandparent rule. If someone came to Scotland as an 18 year old and made their life here I'm comfortable with them becoming 'Scottish' in every sense. 

We're just as bad as the Irish now when it comes to capping players. We actively scout English youth sides looking for any links. There's a lad at Watford of whom great things are expected, with one Scottish Granny, he's now in the 'Scottish international system' despite never having set foot here and both his parents being English. There's a boy at Feyonord too, who we've similarly 'scouted'. 

Why are our side called 'Colts'? Surely Rangers sides are 'Swifts', that was traditionally what we called the sides below the first team. 

Oh, and I'm with Compo, the Glasgow Cup is the finest looking trophy in football. 

It's been amusing watching Tom English receive heat from irate Celtic supporters for his criticism of Tom Boyd's tin foil hat moment at the weekend. They've been truly angered that English doesn't agree with Boyd's ludicrous nonsense. 

There are five Rangers players in the Scotland under 21 squad named earlier today. 

I've subscribed for tonight's match. I feel a tenner is actually good value, my two sons and I can watch it together (they'll be getting put off Fortnite and Minecraft so they don't mess with my connection). Certainly a few thousand others doing the same doesn't seem far fetched, like anything is making sure people know about it. 

2 minutes ago, onevision said:

Was he not suspended having been red carded the previous week?

He was an unused sub. 

2 hours ago, Gonzo79 said:

I feel sorry for the young lads.  Barjonas and McCrorie both did reasonably well when they played.

I notice McCrorie didn't play for Portsmouth at weekend. He really needs to have a good season at that level to have any chance of making our first team. 

Barjonas didn't take his chances on loan last season, I don't know if he was injured or just not picked but he struggled first at Bury (a team in chaos to be fair) and then at Raith Rovers. Why he's been unable to push on from his early promise is the eternal question for so many young Rangers players. Barjonas is 20 now and he's only played about 20 first team matches. He needs regular first team football at some level to develop. That's why I'm relaxed about Middleton going to Hibs. If he can break into their first team and stay in it he comes back to us a much more rounded and experienced player. If he doesn't then we know he's not going to make it. Either way let him make his mistakes in Hibs first team. 

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that we should scrap our youth system and simply concentrate on our first team squad. Indeed I'd actually ban all professional football teams from having youth academies. 

There's a great gift in our trophy room from, I think, Katowice. It's a statue carved from a solid block of coal, they must have had deep seams in Poland. 

Is there a central midfielder coming through the ranks currently that could challenge for a place? Barjonas looked like he might be good enough but it seems clear Gerrard doesn't agree and he'll be away if someone comes in for him and McCrorie is already out on loan. 

The one I'm waiting to hear about is Zak Rudden. We're short upfront, I don't think we can rely on Defoe and Morelos alone all season, and I wonder if our management team view Rudden as a third choice striker. If we qualify for the Europa League and do well in the cups we'll play a lot of games, whoever our 3rd choice forward is they'll get game time, then it's up to them to hold the position. 

47 minutes ago, 26th of foot said:

You are the very man to make the trip.

 

Ensure you carry spare copies of Western Isles Tractor Quarterly, blow their minds.

There are no 'spare' copies of that esteemed publication, every single one is coveted. 

I knew a guy from Ballymoney, just a wee bit up the road, who attended revivals in Stornoway back in the day. 

This is the best Ballymena side in a long time, they should be too strong for our youngsters. I'd love to go, but it won't happen. I did see Rangers play Crusaders and Ballyclare back in the 90s.

Ah, c'mon, it was a lovely pass and a decent finish. At 6-1 even I can be magnanimous!

It's comedic just how much focus it's got though, I mean had it won them the match or even earned them a point I could just about understand but when it was a consolation during a trouncing you'd think they might have found something else to highlight. But as 26th so ably demonstrates every week, they don't think like we do.  

He's the manager of Rangers, that means constant scrutiny and analysis followed by over the top levels of criticism or praise. Thats the gig, that's always been the gig. 

Gerrard's reaction to the Kilmarnock goal didn't concern me, that's been his reaction to most goals we've conceded. He's a much more thoughtful character than I thought. I'd assumed (wrongly) he was a heart-on-the-sleeve bubbly Scouser, but he's not, he's far more composed and steady. That doesn't mean he's not passionate, he just shows it differently. 

One concern I have with Gerrard is how he manages people who don't work as hard as he did. Gerrard was a perfectionist as a player, he was the boss in the Liverpool dressing room, and someone who decided if you made it or didn't make it at Liverpool. He'd very high standards and not everyone was able to meet them.

I read the Lafferty article this morning and wondered why Gerrard was unable to manage him correctly. Now, let me be clear, I think Lafferty is a clown, he's a brainless waste of talent and someone who constantly displays poor judgement. But he can play football, and when managed correctly can be a highly effective member of a team. Micheal O'Neill has shown that, Craig Levein has shown that, Walter Smith showed that. We knew what we were getting with Lafferty when we signed him. There are still people at the club who remember him first time around, someone must have pointed out that he's not a good trainer, he'll have some sort of domestic implosion during the season and he'll skive off every chance he gets. But, he could win you a match when you need it.

My concern for Gerrard isn't that he doesn't display enough emotion on the touchline, it's that he can't relate to journeymen SPFL footballers standard. That he doesn't understand how to motivate and manage a Lafferty, a Grezda or a Barasic. Gerrard, I believe, has very high standards, he expects high intensity training, 100% focus, total concentration. I expect most supporters are agree and think 'about bloody time too'. However, he's not coaching elite EFL, Champion's League quality players. Sometimes, at our level, you need to be able to do something with the shirkers, the lazy and the troubled too. 

For the record, Gerrard has shown himself to be a much better manager than I thought he'd be, and I remain confident for the season ahead. But if we're doing assessing, that's my observation. 

1 hour ago, DMAA said:

Hope you enjoyed your Guga @JohnMc, you must have good family connections getting hold of one of those!

Hah! I wondered if anyone would pick up on that. I know people, who know people, who know people...

I can't see anything other than convincing win tonight. Progres need to attack us and we'll sit deep, keep possession and wait for them to make mistakes, which they will. We're a very different side to the last one that made this journey. I don't expect a classic tonight, but it'll be fairly comfortable. 

20 hours ago, Gaffer said:

Thanks for that insight!!!

 

Its useful to read the facts rather than rely on my own experience of it.  A lot of that really surprised me.  I've just asked the kids who are now in their twenties and they said that neither they nor their friends would ever listen to radio at all, but it just shows a lot of young people still are.  You are right that the younger ones get everything they need through YouTube channels and similar.

 

On your last point about a Rangers radio station for commentary, I wonder how possible/difficult that would be.  I have RTV and it's transformed my enjoyment of watching our away games.  If the commentary was available somehow free of charge via a radio station I am certain it would be successful.

 

There is however one stage next year when I would want to tune in to the BBC football radio station whatever that is, and that's when we win 55.  I just want to hear the pain in their voices.

You need a licence to broadcast radio in the UK, Ofcom manages the process and they're not expensive (a few hundred pounds) if you want to broadcast using DAB. However, you do need to know what you're doing technically, you'll need kit and an engineer at least to set up broadcasts from the ground(s). You also need to buy access to a satellite so the broadcast reaches the radios of those listening, I've no idea what that costs. The big thing needed is the agreement of the SPFL and the SFA, without their agreement nothing can happen. I don't know if the BBC have exclusive radio rights, certainly the fact no other radio station broadcasts commentary suggests they do. If that was the case the whole thing is moot anyway. 

I'd be very surprised is the club haven't explored this. A Rangers specific radio station, broadcasting interviews, previews, match commentary and the like would do pretty well I suspect and could use the existing content being created for Rangers TV already. As I said I'd be surprised if they've not explored this. Maybe someone like 4 Lads would know. 

9 hours ago, Gaffer said:

Thanks for that @JohnMc and I know you've made this same point previously.  I wonder though who these people are though and if they are significant.  I understand the point by @Rick Roberts that if they manage to sway one potential customer or sponsor then it's too much, but how likely is that?  In other words, what is the demographic of those that access the BBC these days?  I thought I'd just ask to see if you knew.

 

I don't know of any in the younger generation that would list the BBC as something they would ever consider accessing for information on anything, never mind football.  They just don't go there and even my generation (70s child) I find are unlikely to go there either.  There are just too many better sources and it leaves the BBC completely redundant for those in the digital age.  That's obviously a very skewed view based on my own experience but I just wonder how many of Rangers' target audience really are impacted or influenced by the BBC.

 

I am sure I will see the death of the BBC in my lifetime and it's the younger generation that will kill it off completely.  It may happen sooner rather than later when inevitably the fee is scrapped.

The BBC is a difficult beast to pigeon hole, its size and resources give it enormous influence. Radio 1 for example has a huge younger audience, the biggest of any radio station and Radio Five Live remains hugely influential across all sports. The BBC website attracts a huge and diverse audience, they've segmented and cross channeled very well, and are industry leading in many ways. Their serious move into podcasts over the last 12 months is harder to measure. BBC1 remains a broad channel, creating programming aimed at a wide audience, BBC2 and BBC4 more niche. Cbeebies and CBBC have their own clear audiences as does the BBC News channel. Their charter goal is to produce programming for everyone in the UK across all their platforms.   

The challenge is when you look at it on a Scotland only basis because the UK wide channels can skew audiences. What we know is both Radio 1 and 2 have more listeners than any other radio stations in Scotland. Then Radio Scotland is next. However, this is complicated by Radio Scotland (and Radio 1 and 2) broadcasting across the whole country, no other Scotland based station does that. When you look at a station like Clyde, although it has a smaller audience than Radio Scotland in total its share is bigger in the area it broadcasts too. So it and the other 'regional' commercial stations out perform Radio Scotland in a number of areas.

Now, I suspect you're seeing teenagers who watch You Tube channels, Instagram videos and other assorted web content as well Netflix and Amazon Prime and with sport Sky, BT and whoever has Scottish football this year. In the end if you want to watch Scottish football you are limited to the channels that are actually showing it. Teenagers and younger people have always looked for media channels different from their parents. Whether that was NME, Kerrang, Radio Luxemburg, The Word or today You Tube prankers and make-up artists. What is also inevitable is they drift back in their 20s to the mainstream and within a few years they've turned into their parents, mirroring, it happens to all of us without us noticing. 

The unfortunate reality is Scottish football remains niche, it's of massive importance and attraction here, but outside of Scotland there's little appetite for it. That's the market we're in for now. As such Radio Scotland, with exclusive radio coverage, has the biggest market share for Scottish football and until a realistic competitor takes some or all of that coverage they'll continue to exert significant influence.  

Ironically, the BBC Scotland issue with Rangers might have unintended consequences. Rangers specific podcasts are appearing and some are flourishing as fans look for coverage and insight elsewhere. If, and it's a big if, one of them or indeed the club, could get the ability to provide radio commentary of Rangers matches, home and away, then BBC Scotland might well have a problem. There are many hurdles in the way of that though. However, the longer this dispute goes on the more chance there is of someone finding a way of filling the void. 

Yes, ignoring the BBC is not a strategy that will be in anyway effective. Put simply they have the 3rd most popular website in the UK (after Google and Amazon), the most watched TV station and top 2 most listened to radio stations. On a Scotland only basis Radio Scotland has the most listeners of any station broadcasting from north of the border. I understand very well the changes in media in recent times however the BBC remains the single most influential broadcaster in the UK and in Scotland. That may change in the coming years but I wouldn't put my mortgage on it. 

On 12/07/2019 at 15:49, cooponthewing said:

I was alluding to what I perceive as UEFA turning a blind eye to certain clubs when it suits them. I have heard them called many things but “even handed” is a new one?

 

IIRC in the context of the POD, it was discussing potential songs being sung and stand closures etc. Indicating UEFA are even handed in dealing with clubs/supporters. FFP wasn’t being mentioned which is why I didn’t state finances. They are far from even handed in my opinion, and there are clubs with support who get preferential treatment. The prime example is shame fc.

Apologies for the late reply I've been on holiday. 

Again, Celtic are the most censured and fined club in Scotland. UEFA are far harder on them than the SFA are and I'm not aware of UEFA favouring them over us (or anyone else) but I'm happy to be corrected if you are. We've had fines too, we were fined last season for supporters going onto the pitch for example. The 'big' clubs get fined too, Liverpool were fined for missiles being thrown at the Man City bus and Spurs were fiend for a fan going on the pitch same as we were. 

UEFA are corrupt, I've no doubt about that, but they seem fairly evenhanded when it comes to fines and censures to clubs in UEFA competitions. 

25 minutes ago, cooponthewing said:

Totally disagree with the guests Stuart on the pod suggesting UEFA are even handed in their distribution of punishments? Is he having a laugh? I’m not even suggesting the obvious lenient treatment of shame fc but higher profile clubs with wrists slapped, and others who get hammered. Mind boggling comments tbh??

Who have you got in mind Coop? Some of the biggest fines have been to large powerful clubs, AC Milan were fined €12 million last season for example, Chelsea have a current transfer ban, Man City are facing something similar and were fined €40 million a few years ago, although it was downgraded to a still fairly eye-watering €17 million. UEFA do a lot wrong but they're fairly consistent in their treatment of clubs for stuff like that. The Tims have been charged something like 9 times in recent seasons. The fines they've got have been in keeping with fines other clubs got for similar offences. 

There's a ruthless streak in Gerrard that I think will show itself in his handling of our squad and players fairly soon. Leaving Candeias out of the first Europa League squad, a player who made 33 appearances for us last season, was a glimpse of that. I think signing Edmundson and this pursuit of Helander is a sign that Gerrard wants every player to worry about his place. My player of the season last year was Goldson, he's our first pick centre-half, but perhaps not if Helander signs. That's a message to every player in that squad. 

Souness did this when he arrived. Signing Gough when we already had Butcher, Roberts and McPherson was a statement to the whole squad that no one's place was safe. 

I wouldn't be surprised if we sign another left back, particularly if we get some money in, and clearly a forward or two is essential. 

1 hour ago, buster. said:

Enjoyed the podcast,..thank's to all who played a part in it, especially Colin.

Thought it good to have a semi-independent voice involved, it lends more credibility to that type of conversation IMO.

 

The Maurice Johnston signing passed me by as I was in the Australian Outback at the time and there was no internet cafe's to catch up on things when reaching Darwin 

 

 

 

 

To be fair to Darwin there weren't any internet cafes anywhere in 1989!