- 24/07/2023
All the latest news and updates about Scottish football.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:06 Hello and welcome to National World's Fitba Talk, your nan's favourite podcast, Ken.
00:12 It's a show where we break down the latest football news and
00:15 results from across the Scottish Premiership and the SPFL.
00:19 I'm your host for today, Lewis Anderson, joined by Glasgow World's Declan McConville,
00:23 and Ben Kearney of the Falkirk Herald.
00:26 This week, we're going to take a look back at the latest round of
00:29 the VIA Play Cup results, surprising defeats for Dundee and Livingston on penalties.
00:34 We're also going to sift through the latest transfer activity from across the SPFL.
00:39 And in this final segment of the show, we're going to look at how Celtic and
00:43 Rangers are shaping up ahead of the new season on the day that Michael Bealside
00:47 learn who they will face in Champions League qualifying.
00:51 So gents, another busy weekend of action in the VIA Play Cup,
00:56 a couple of shock defeats for again, the Premiership clubs.
01:00 Ben, we'll start with you.
01:01 I know you were at the Partick Thistle Falkirk game.
01:05 Falkirk coming out on top on that one in penalties.
01:08 Yeah, it was a cracking match, actually.
01:09 You know, it's probably one of the best matches I've covered in a wee while.
01:13 I had a bit of everything.
01:15 It was one of the aim, a lot of folk, every once in a while, you'll get the comments about
01:19 sometimes the games are a bit like pre-season games, but that certainly wasn't like that.
01:23 It was just a cracking game of football, some wonderful goals as well.
01:27 Falkirk did really well actually against Partick Thistle.
01:30 I think many folk would have probably thought it would have been a home win.
01:34 But it was another impressive performance from John McGlinside.
01:36 You can see they've kind of got a knack for getting results in this kind of early season
01:41 kind of tournament almost for them.
01:43 It feels like they seem to kind of know how to set up for these games and how to get points.
01:48 I mean, obviously, Tuesday night and tomorrow as well, Falkirk have now got Dundee United,
01:52 which will be a massive game.
01:53 And if Falkirk can go and win that, then they've got a real chance of topping the group,
01:58 which would be a massive achievement to do it two years in a row.
02:01 It's got very similar vibes actually to last year when they played Hibs at home.
02:04 Once again, a kind of live television match in their kind of home games.
02:09 Obviously, they've got Pierhead as well the weekend.
02:10 So you'd imagine that they'd fancy that.
02:12 So they've certainly put themselves in a really good position, Falkirk.
02:16 Declan, obviously, Airdrie beating Dundee 1-0.
02:20 Hamilton-Akies beating Livingstone on penalties.
02:22 We spoke previously about the top flight sides at this stage of the season
02:26 very much using this competition as a pre-season.
02:29 You know, fans shouldn't be getting overly concerned by these results.
02:33 But a quick mention on a couple of those results there over the weekend.
02:38 What did you make of them?
02:40 Yeah, it was probably for Dundee United fans, a sigh of relief to bounce back and get that win against Pierhead.
02:46 Obviously, we'd spoken on here last week, Lewis, about the difficulties that Jim Goodwin had been facing after that defeat against Spartans.
02:53 It didn't get much better for them during the week there against Partick Fissel, but they've bounced back.
02:58 They'll be hoping that they can properly tick on from then.
03:00 But, you know, I think as Ben was highlighting there, this is a really good chance to get your season off to a fly rate.
03:05 Your fans believe in you and get right behind you.
03:08 And Falkirk did that certainly last season, probably the both cup competitions.
03:13 And then, you know, if you can do it this season, it's a real good way to start your season off.
03:17 But, you know, St Marnes another one getting a good victory against Arbroath at the weekend.
03:22 And again, for Dundee and Livingston, they're certainly not out of the group, so they'll still fancy their chances in getting through.
03:29 But it is interesting how different both Premiership sides and the sides in the lower divisions do approach this tournament.
03:35 But, yes, it's kind of set up to be quite an interesting end to the group stages over the next two games.
03:43 Yeah, and as you said, a lot of the league side, Albion Rovers, of course, a big win for them at the weekend against Anand Ben.
03:51 Good to see a lot of these clubs' legs are spartan, showing that they can more than hold their own against some of the top opposition in Scotland.
03:58 No, I think you've seen that so far, especially this year.
04:01 It feels this has probably been one of the most open years of this tournament so far.
04:05 I mean, certainly you mentioned Albion Rovers.
04:09 That was a cracking result for them when you consider, I mentioned the last time I was on here, I think they only had six signed players.
04:16 So to go from that to being a league one side, to one away from home in last season, I think it was something like Albion Rovers against Anand.
04:24 And under four league two games, I think Anand had scored 13 goals, Albion Rovers had scored two, and they hadn't actually won any of the matches at all.
04:31 Which just shows you that the VfL Cup really is a chance to kind of go and show that you can do something different.
04:39 And we're moving on to some of the latest transfer activity over the past week or so.
04:43 Hearts gents have finally made their first signing.
04:46 They brought in Australian midfielder Caelum Neuenhof.
04:50 I'm guessing a lot of supporters will be feeling quite relieved at this stage that they finally managed to get a player in the door, given that all the other clubs have been strengthening.
05:01 Declan?
05:02 Yeah, they probably are.
05:03 Obviously, it was a wee bit of a blow, I think, to lose a big Greek boy that they had in midfield last season.
05:08 Orestis, I won't even attempt to ease his surname, but he played a number of games for Hearts this season.
05:15 They kind of look a wee bit like a team, I don't know what to say, in limbo, Lewis, but they're not in that kind of settled position that we'd seen from Hearts' sides in previous seasons.
05:24 Even coming up from the Championship into the Premiership under Robbie Nielsen, I think he always kind of thought there was a good collective side there.
05:32 They've obviously lost experience and the guy like Michael Smith leaving the club, they're entering what you could say is a new era here.
05:40 And again, they'll be hoping to bring, I think, a lot more players in the door to try and boost their chances, especially with Aberdeen now being a competitor in there.
05:48 Hibbs will look to be one of those sides in and about it again this season.
05:52 So I think Jambos fans will be happy that they've eventually made their first signing.
05:57 Obviously, the profile of the player looks quite good coming over from Australia.
06:00 That's been something that's worked for Hearts in recent seasons, obviously other Premiership clubs, but they'll be hoping that there's more to follow, I think, Lewis.
06:08 And well, looking at Derek McInnes' revival at Kilmarnock, obviously, a surviving relegation last season,
06:17 they'll be hoping for a much improved campaign this time around.
06:21 They've also added two new players this week, Marley Watkins from Aberdeen and Lewis Mayo on a permanent deal from Rangers.
06:29 Ben, what would you make of those two signings?
06:31 Do you feel Kilmarnock are certainly in a stronger position heading into the start of the new season than they were this time last year?
06:39 Yeah, I think you can see all the signings so far have been very Derek McInnes of Tennant McInnes, actually.
06:46 You can see he's going to try to mould his own squad this time around, whereas last year it seemed maybe like it was a case of just picking up the players you can.
06:54 Certainly, I think they'll try and have aspirations of going for that top six.
07:00 Whether they get there or not, I'm not quite sure, but I think it's one of them.
07:03 You can always tell how a club's doing off the park rather than on it.
07:07 And you see the things coming out of Killow right now are all very positive.
07:11 Obviously, they brought out that review of football and business, which went through everything that the club had done over the past year or so.
07:19 And you could see that there's a real direction there at Kilmarnock now.
07:22 Some of the figures were quite astounding in terms of monetary value, in terms of what they've managed to do with revenue off the pitch.
07:29 And obviously, on it, that's made a massive impact because they've certainly made some signings that I don't think many people could imagine they could have.
07:37 So, no, I think Kilmarnock sees itself as a club in an upward trajectory, which is a thing that probably a lot of top-flight clubs can't see at the moment.
07:45 So, I think they'll go into the season thinking they can maybe cause an upset or two.
07:51 And in terms of Rangers, Declan, obviously, we know that Scott Wright has pretty much left the club.
07:57 He's in Turkey at the moment looking to finalise a move to appendix Spore, the new Superliga side.
08:04 It leaves kind of Rangers relatively light in both wing positions, if you like.
08:11 They've only really got Rabih Matondo, Fashion Sikala.
08:14 I know these guys are versatile.
08:16 Mianis Hadji cannot play there.
08:17 But do you think, obviously, that Michael Beale has been busy revamping his squad, but do you feel that's an area that Rangers could look at strengthening a bit further going forward?
08:28 It's certainly an area where Michael Beale, I think, while he was assistant, sorry, first-team coach to Steven Gerrard, was an area of the park that they used to like to exploit, certainly in derby games.
08:39 Ryan Kent, whatever else, that kind of, with the wingers just to come inside him, almost acted as tens rather than wingers.
08:46 It was certainly something he used first time around at Rangers.
08:49 But as you say, Lewis, you know, he's got the right department in the club.
08:54 Ryan Kent, another one this summer who's left.
08:57 They've been very focused on bringing in strikers to the club.
08:59 But again, I don't think Michael Beale is probably anywhere near done in this window.
09:03 He's acted really fast. He's brought in players that he's obviously been keen on.
09:08 But I would imagine that Rangers will be looking to bring in some more wide players, because as you say, you know, especially in terms of track record derby injuries,
09:16 Yanis Hadji being the prime example, that they will want a wee bit more squad depth.
09:21 There's a lot of versatility in their squad at this point in time.
09:25 But again, would it maybe indicate that Michael Beale might be trying something a bit different this season and won't have as much emphasis on wingers?
09:31 We're yet to see. But yeah, I would imagine if he's wanting to go with his usual kind of 4-3-3 set up,
09:38 he will be looking to strengthen probably both wings.
09:41 Yeah, that's been a big talking point, isn't it, of late among the Rangers supporters, whether or not they will see a change in formation this year,
09:48 whether he could possibly revert to a back three as well.
09:51 We had the news that Jose Cifuentes, of course, the Ecuadorian international midfielder, has signed a pre-contract agreement.
09:58 Of course, Rangers working hard to try and finalise that one to get him in the door rather than having to wait until January.
10:05 And Feyenoord striker Danilo also a big target at this moment in time.
10:10 But one other transfer taking place earlier this week that really caught the eye was a former Celtic player who recently left Hebs,
10:19 Aidan McGeady, who has joined Air United on a two-year role as a player.
10:24 He's also taking up the role as technical manager. An interesting one, Ben.
10:29 What did you make of this signing?
10:32 I think it was certainly a surprise.
10:34 Obviously, it was one of the days before Aidan had spoke to the press and said that he'd like to stay in the premiership.
10:41 I think many people probably saw maybe a St Johnson or something like that as a destination, I would imagine.
10:46 Certainly didn't expect to see him pop up at Air.
10:48 I think you can see that Graeme Maffay link coming in there, obviously, heading up all of the things behind the scenes at Air in terms of the direction of the football club.
10:57 It seems like something he would have very much been involved in.
10:59 I'd imagine the conversation with him would have probably been the selling factor for Aidan McGeady to come.
11:05 It'd be interesting to see what the role entails, I suppose, wouldn't it?
11:08 I mean, technical director, that type of role, it could be very varied in terms of what he gets up to, I suppose, off the pitch.
11:15 But certainly exciting times for him, I would imagine.
11:17 I would imagine that he wouldn't have went there unless he had a concrete idea of what he was going to be involved in.
11:23 Probably an indication as well of how much playing time he would get.
11:27 I certainly think it will be a good signing.
11:29 It's one of them. The Championship is a very hard league, mind you.
11:32 It's certainly not easy, especially for a technically gifted player like Aidan McGeady.
11:37 I'd imagine he's not going to get much time in the ball when he goes up against a Championship full-back.
11:42 But you could certainly see it being a move that could benefit Air.
11:46 I think they're very much a team that's probably in a bit of a transition as well when you consider the likes of Depauw, Akinyemi, obviously, heading down south to the National League.
11:54 So I'd imagine he'd be able to take a figure in there that might be able to help some boys through tough times and things like that.
12:00 So it would certainly be interesting to see how United get on.
12:03 But I think on the face of it, you'd have to say it was a really, really short signing.
12:08 Yeah, just touching on Akinyemi, Declan, obviously, his goals return was pretty outstanding.
12:13 It was clear that he was going to move on sooner rather than later.
12:17 Were you a bit surprised to see that it was York City that he's moved to?
12:23 It's very difficult still for Scottish clubs.
12:25 I think you see it, I think Motherwell has been one of the teams who's spoken about this in recent years.
12:30 Just able to compete, you're taking the English Championship completely out of it apart from Celtic.
12:36 I mean, you're able to compete with those wages and then you're really going down the leagues and even League One, League Two and English football, the wages that they can offer players compared to Scottish clubs.
12:45 And it's Premiership clubs I'm talking about competing with those, never mind the National League.
12:49 So and moving on finally to kind of how Celtic and Rangers are shaping up ahead of the new season.
12:56 We'll start with Rangers.
12:57 I've just had the breaking news here that they've drawn Servette of Switzerland or Genk of Belgium in the Champions League third qualifying round, which will take place in mid-August.
13:11 And Rangers so far have faced Newcastle United in pre-season.
13:15 They've also played Hamburg at the weekend.
13:17 They're one victory and one defeat, obviously going down fighting against Newcastle, conceding that late headed goal from Harrison Ashby.
13:27 And Ben, how do you feel Rangers are shaping up ahead of the new campaign?
13:32 Yeah, I think there's a wee bit more positivity about Ibrox.
13:35 You could certainly say that.
13:37 I think that probably just comes from fans being happy that they're signing players and there seems to be a clear direction.
13:42 But I think you'll definitely see improvement from Michael Beale's team this season.
13:47 It's one of them you kind of hear players all the time say that Michael Beale is one of the best coaches they've worked under.
13:52 And then you'll have fans maybe get a wee bit frustrated at last season.
13:56 But I certainly think now that he's got a chance to get about his own team, implement his own philosophy, I think you'll see a vast improvement.
14:04 Obviously, the signings so far have certainly suggested that the Rangers are putting the boat out a wee bit in terms of trying to catch up with Celtic.
14:10 I think they probably realised it just gets to a point where you kind of need to try and match what Celtic are doing.
14:16 Otherwise, you're not going to keep up.
14:18 Even mentioning the boy Danilo from Fiannau, I think you can see that they're kind of going for a different calibre of signing now, perhaps, than what they did recently.
14:27 And you can hear the kind of ideas of transfer fees and wages and things like that.
14:31 And obviously, he's a player that's very highly rated over there.
14:34 It was one that they didn't want to let go of him, even though he maybe doesn't start every single game.
14:39 So no, certainly, I think in terms of shaping up, you can see the kind of direction that the Rangers are going in.
14:45 I think Michael Beale's probably keeping his cards maybe close to his chest in terms of exactly how they're going to line up.
14:50 I think that's probably only a good thing in terms of you get that first game of the season and you maybe spring a bit of a surprise in terms of how you set up.
14:58 It certainly seems to be with the kind of striking situation that there might be a case for going with two strikers on the pitch, which would obviously be a bit of a change.
15:06 I know Declan mentioned that kind of 4-3-3.
15:09 I think the kind of consensus is that it may not be a 4-3-3 this season for Rangers, which would be interesting.
15:15 But when you consider the firepower that the Old Firm have, unless they're playing each other, you can probably get away with two strikers and the Scottish Premiership against both sides.
15:24 Just on the draw as well, I think we've seen that with Rangers over the years.
15:29 It doesn't really seem to matter who they get in.
15:31 European ties, they always put up a good fight and they'll fancy themselves against anyone.
15:36 Even last year, I think, when everyone seen that it was going to be PSV, most people probably thought Rangers had no chance of getting to the Champions League group stages, me included.
15:44 And they managed to just somehow find out a result.
15:47 It wouldn't surprise me if they did similar again, even if they don't play particularly well.
15:51 They'll somehow manage to find a way to get to these group stages.
15:56 What do you make of that draw, Declan?
16:00 Quite a tough one.
16:01 Servette or Genk, I mean, you looked at their possible opponents.
16:04 There's Dunipro, Panathinaikos, who we know kind of aren't the force that they used to be.
16:09 And that's quite a tough one for them.
16:12 Yeah, it wouldn't be easy.
16:14 You know, as Ben says, they've had that great track record in both Europa League and last season Champions League qualification.
16:22 So they'll be hoping that they can come through that game.
16:26 But the game that I think any Rangers fan will be looking at if they get past that round is obviously that playoff game, which has a lot tougher opposition.
16:35 And again, it's going to be interesting to see.
16:38 Obviously, Michael Beale didn't come in until Rangers were knocked out of the European competition last season.
16:45 So again, it'll be interesting to see how he stands up himself.
16:49 It's going to be his first experience as manager in whatever European competition Rangers have been in.
16:55 So it'll be interesting to see how he approaches that.
16:57 Again, you know, Ben mentioned possible change of formation there.
17:01 Will he alter to go into the Champions League?
17:02 That was something a lot of Celtic fans was talking about last season with Ange Postacoglu, whether he would alter.
17:08 Has Syed gone into those games?
17:09 It's going to be tough for Rangers, but I think they probably will fancy their chances.
17:15 But again, there's no easy games in European competition.
17:20 A hell of a lot of it's about luck.
17:22 That's something that's always stood out to me.
17:24 What players you've got available, what shape of opposition you're coming up against.
17:28 So they'll just be focused on that game and try to get through that tie.
17:32 Yeah, and moving on to Celtic, they of course have been in Japan over the past week.
17:38 They've played two matches against tough J League opposition.
17:42 They faced Yokohama going down 6-4 to the reigning J League champions and then a 1-0 victory over Gamba Osaka on Saturday there.
17:54 Declan, you've watched both matches.
17:57 Brendan Rodgers, two signings, of course, in the door so far.
18:00 It looks like there'll be more new arrivals to come over the coming days.
18:04 And based on the two matches you've witnessed so far, how do you feel they're shaping up?
18:10 Yeah, I think the trip at St Louis was mainly about brand rather than probably football, although it's been a good test.
18:17 Celtics obviously went up against two sides who are halfway through their season, one of them being the reigning J League champions.
18:24 Kevin Muscat's done a terrific job at Yokohama since Hans left there.
18:28 So that was always going to be a tough test, never mind the temperatures.
18:32 If you see any photos of Burnaby after his goal on Saturday, the sweat is absolutely dripping off him.
18:39 And I think that's the same for every Celtic player, even the boys who used to play in the J League.
18:43 So it was a tough test.
18:45 They obviously head back to Scotland, I think today or tomorrow, they're going to go over to Dublin to play that game against Wolves,
18:52 which again will be another tough test.
18:54 And they've got an athletic club at Celtic Park for James Forrest's testimonial, so they get that home game under their belt.
19:00 But they've looked pretty decent.
19:01 He's obviously had to alter his side a bit.
19:04 Tamul Keowata has been playing it right back.
19:06 He's Cameron Carter-Vickers, he's returned to field training as far as we're made aware.
19:13 So that's going to be another big player to get back into the side.
19:17 And he's given game time to some players who have been needing it.
19:20 Obviously, that Yokohama game, I think it was 4-3 and then he made all those changes, which again in pre-season games can kind of dilute your side.
19:28 But certainly on Saturday when he did that, it didn't look to make too many, it didn't have too much of an impact on the way Celtic played.
19:36 Obviously, it's one of those goals from Burnaby, which he'd probably be quite happy if he did that up the sevenths pitch.
19:42 So a bit of persistence against the goalie to make a fumble, he sticks it to the back of the net.
19:46 So I think for Celtic, though, looking at it from just a marketing perspective, it's been a great trip to go over there.
19:53 It's something I think Celtic fans would like to see the club do more often.
19:56 Now it's basically your European football guaranteed to go out to markets such as Japan, America, Ireland and see that global fan base.
20:04 But it's been two tough games.
20:06 But again, it'll be interesting to see the line-up against Wolves, an athletic club.
20:11 And I'll be hoping that some players are back available for selection.
20:15 Obviously, there's been a bit about Kiyoko with a shoulder injury.
20:18 Brendan Rodgers has said that it is an issue.
20:20 It's not one I don't think that Celtic is probably going to address too quickly because he'll have his eyes on that first group stage game of the Champions League in a derby game at Ibrox before that.
20:29 But yeah, one interesting thing just to add in, Lewis, is being Diza Maida playing for the middle.
20:35 I think that could possibly be something that Rodgers uses going forward this season.
20:40 It's obviously something that the Pan-National side use, they play very differently from the way that Anandji Postakoglu's Celtic outfit lined up.
20:49 But it's going to be interesting to see those differences as well between Rodgers and Postakoglu's side in days and weeks to come.
20:56 But another two tough tests against Wolves, an athletic club, but two that I think Brendan Rodgers will be happy that the players will get under their belt.
21:05 Touch of God, that Wolves match, I've been reliably informed that there's been over 20,000 tickets sold for that game over in Dublin.
21:12 Looks like Celtic could have two new signings in the door this week, Ben Yang Hyun-Jun from Gangwon and Hyuk Kyu Kwon, if I'm pronouncing that correct, from Busan, Ipark.
21:24 I was practising that by the way, Lewis, I think.
21:28 Two young Korean players, Ben, we know obviously previously Anandji Postakoglu was sourcing the Japanese market, an area he knew really well.
21:40 Celtic now exploring the Korean market.
21:42 Is this another kind of avenue that you could see boding well for the club going forward?
21:48 Yeah, I think the kind of records for Celtic over the past few years speaks for itself really, doesn't it?
21:53 You can see that the recruitment is spot on in terms of the markets they're dipping into, the clothing, all they're going to get value for money.
22:00 And there hasn't really been many duds.
22:03 I mean, you can maybe think of one or two over the past couple of years, guys that haven't quite worked out.
22:08 But in the main, it tends to be if Celtic go out and sign a player for a fee, it tends to be a guy that comes into the first team and does a job straight away.
22:17 So it wouldn't surprise me if both of these guys do the same thing, obviously, as you mentioned, on the younger side.
22:23 So it could be a case of betting these guys in before they play.
22:27 But certainly Brendan Rodgers strikes me as the type of guy that wouldn't bring in a player just to make up the numbers or to appease one person or another.
22:35 He'd be bringing in a player because he sees quality and he sees something that they don't already have.
22:42 So no, certainly I think the two guys, if they do come in, which seems likely, in fact, I think going by Twitter, I think Celtic have actually announced one of the guys.
22:51 It's a five year deal.
22:55 Which shows you that obviously they're certainly backing these guys.
22:59 But you can see the model that Celtic are going for.
23:01 I think it's clear clubs up here have realised that you may as well own the fact that really what you're looking to do is to bring in players for cheap value,
23:11 play them for one to two years and then maximise your profit afterwards by selling them on down south.
23:19 It's interesting. You hear these guys now.
23:21 I can say even before coming to the club, they're admitting almost that they're using Celtic as a stepping stone to go to the Premier League,
23:28 which is just to be football's going there.
23:30 I suppose all Celtic can do is just accept that and build their model around that fact, which is certainly what they seem to be doing.
23:39 I think that's all we've got time for on this week's show.
23:41 Thanks again to our guests, Declan and Ben, for joining us today.
23:45 Join us again next week for more Scottish football talk.
23:48 And this show was produced by Christopher Etchells.
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