- 2 months ago
The panel discuss Wilfried Nancy and whether he can survive another defeat as Celtic manager.
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00:00welcome to the football show on plz soccer's youtube channel i'm peter martin alan ruff
00:11gordon parts and tammy manis here with me in the studio delighted you could join us and thank you
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01:01with cancer uh whether it's your family or your friends you can get some great support there
01:06so uh delighted you could all join us lots to talk about and let's uh deal with the elephant in the
01:12room which is of course um the future of the celtic manager which is wilfrid nancy uh caused a fair bit
01:19of a stir yesterday tam didn't it yeah you certainly did with your tweet yeah peter yeah i took a leaf out
01:25of your book by the way and it's a great thing that uh we've had you here in the studio because
01:31i don't read i don't read social medias positive or negative i don't look for it for pats in the back
01:38and i certainly don't read it when everybody jumps on my head you just threw a grenade in yesterday and
01:42then ran for cover i just threw a grenade 911 replies why wouldn't you read them all yes
01:47you beat my record with 100 899 of them ruffy was clearly giving me uh what for um but i might as
01:55well say um listen uh he's had four consecutive defeats i stand by what i said the conversation is
02:01basically to him he's hanging on by a thread game by game basis he's lost four consecutive games
02:07roma is a get out of jail card the other three managers worked him out uh hearts understandable
02:14uh st miran with a fraction and i mean a fraction of the budget of celtic uh defeated them in a cup
02:20final and then dundee united who had one win in 11 games going into that match against celtic
02:26but managed to defeat them so you bet your bottom dollar there was a conversation had
02:30as to what the future holds for wilfrid nancy um and at the end of the day if someone says to me no
02:38that discussion did not take place then that's a further indictment on the celtic board who remain
02:45clueless and rudderless um the non-executive chairman is leaving at the end of the year and
02:50if there's no conversation then why wasn't there a conversation with the celtic manager who clearly
02:55can't get a trick out of those players incidentally martin anil managed to do it wilfrid nancy can't
03:01now the one thing i would say about this whole thing is that i don't think he should have been sacked
03:06in any capacity i think he needs a transfer window i think he even needs maybe two transfer windows
03:11but as tam's rightly pointed out he caned me last week for it let's get it in context
03:17if you don't win a celtic manager and you lose your first four games you're under pressure if you lose
03:22five or slip up on sunday ruffy what happens do they just say as michael nicholson said 24 hours
03:29prior to the dundee united game no we're backing them all away when this league's gone well we've already
03:34seen the fans have got their their way with peter lovel you know you saw the anger uh the end of
03:41the dundee united game you know and it was hard for him to miss it he was right right on top of him
03:46you know that'll get worse obviously as the games go on if he doesn't win anything so it's win win
03:52win you know that's what that's what he needs to do to get these supporters because they're just going
03:55to latch on to everything that's happened this year and the other thing obviously i want to point out
04:01which is something that i can take on the chin any day of the week is apparently i mean i did get a
04:06call from celtic to say it didn't happen which is fine and he said rather sarcastically to me i know
04:11how you like to get your facts right um i will say that the last time i had a conversation with that
04:15certain pr person it was that i got my facts right with brendan rogers and that's why i was barred
04:21our company was barred because of our uh column on brendan rogers which again when you consider what's
04:28happened we were completely vindicated by it and again yesterday apparently one of the pr people
04:33again uh had a go at me i don't mind can i just put some context to the whole thing i talked about
04:38the social media i was on my way to celtic park yesterday and there was an irish taxi driver taking
04:44me and he's telling me that winful noncy's on his way out and he got it through your tweet
04:50and i asked him about his rationale behind that does he think it's the right thing
04:55he believed it was already too late get him out now right and when the fans start calling for
05:00your head you're gone at some point it's only a matter of time but when i got to celtic yesterday
05:05uh the pr were at pains to point out if you follow peter martin's twitter account
05:10just to declare that it's nonsense and more colorful language in that can i just add
05:14um again i know the relationship i know your contacts and all your strengths
05:19uh and i was adamant to the collection of media people that were there that you would never put
05:25out a tweet like that without solid basis for it so you will be vindicated or not but
05:32uh good on you no i think i i'm not i'm not out for vindication tam and i'm and i genuinely and i
05:40think if anybody who watches the program on a regular basis who looks back over the last week
05:44i have been a strong advocate that celtic stick by him i don't like to see a manager lose his job
05:51i've been a strong advocate that he needs a transfer window a strong advocate that quite simply he's got
05:58a group of players that are not good enough to play for celtic and quite simply they're not at this
06:04point buying into his plan and the way he wants them to play i was up at tanadice i didn't suddenly
06:10stand up at tanadice in the middle of the the press box open the door where all the celtic fans were
06:15standing and say get the manager out it was all the celtic fans who were there who were giving him
06:21absolute pelters walking down they wanted them out there and then you know i'm an advocate in giving
06:28him the time but as you rightly pointed out to me and rightly uh i think from everybody's perspective
06:34you can't lose games you can't you can't lose them like this in a situation where martin o'neill was
06:41able to get a trick out of them get them back closer to hearts and now they could be further away
06:46if wilford noncee came in straight after brendan left he'd probably get a little bit more leeway
06:50because celtic were poor at that point really poor losing to hearts he's martin o'neill's came in and
06:55actually got a trick out these players as you mentioned they're the seven wins out of eight
06:58so it's possible to win games under this under with this team this squad wulford noncee's come
07:04in he's got nothing out the team nothing out the players i think if you're a celtic supporter you're
07:08looking at him and going can he turn this around and i would suggest that 99 percent of celtic fans
07:13right now think he can't turn it around and that's why they want to change so it's all right again saying
07:17you want to give people time but if this this is allowed to fester and he's allowed to stay in the
07:21job and celtic drop more points the league could be gone by january he had an opportunity to
07:26change it a bit because let's be honest in the first half of that game celtic were very good
07:31very good the chances they had they could have been three nothing up but when they went one each
07:36the wobble started and i've said it all along there's certain players in there can't handle
07:40when there's a wobble and that was his opportunity to show everybody that he could change it and he
07:47couldn't he didn't change the second half he didn't put in on or anything off to change that game
07:53and i thought that was more than that though there was a physical switch that changed dundee united
07:59went very direct and very why would you not bring liam scales on to combat that that's not a wobble
08:03right that's an inability to go and compete against that and that was the problem and i agree with you
08:08celtic should have been out of sight what tactical switch could he have made dundee united went robust
08:14and strong and direct and they couldn't cope i mean for that second half i would have put liam scales
08:20on right away because liam scales has i think he's been poor the last couple of games rightfully
08:24dropped but i think when they started to launch throws throw ins celtic are not a big side they're
08:28lacking height they're lacking people to go and attack the ball liam scales is probably the best
08:31at the club in doing that i'd have hit him on right away i'd have went right we'll go to a back four
08:35we'll try and change it to combat what dundee they're doing but he just left it he left it all the
08:39way to the very end of the game so that's another reason why the celtic supporters are thinking he's
08:45not the man for the job he can't change in game i thought he was going to bring his wee tactics board out at one
08:49point it looked as if on the tv he was going to get that out and i thought don't bring that out at
08:53this point he didn't but he just looks lost what he discovered on wednesday night was scottish
08:59football at its most purest most brutal right he's never experienced i would guess that kind of
09:04environment and that kind of approach this isn't plastic pitches time and play the ball and
09:09circulate in turn this was absolute in your face brutality if you have physical approach from a
09:14dundee united team with a bit between their teeth but it's the dundee united team that i watched on the
09:18saturday against motherwell who were completely and utterly toothless yeah i mean it was the worst
09:22game i've ever seen they had one win in 11 he was their manager was under pressure as well because
09:27the united fans are watching them slip down they could have been sunk underwater in the first 45
09:32five minutes so they were destroyed but that switch was flicked and they'd completely changed their
09:39approach and celtic had nothing against them that's what changed and i'm talking about the manager
09:44adapting and putting more i don't see how they just have the personnel to do that and the other
09:51aspect of it which again you've got to take in the chin because we have a job to do and try and find
09:57out exactly what's happening with a club that their pr department never call anybody believe me um and any
10:04of the newspapers who suddenly say oh they've got a direct link to michael nicholson or dermit desmond are
10:11absolutely kidding themselves on the one thing i would say is if nobody made had a conversation with
10:16them then that puts michael nicholson and this board in an even more perilous state because they're
10:22bumbling along from one game to the next uh at four four defeats on the trot and they're now coming up
10:29against an aberdeen side that have won once in 16 games at celtic park and of that one victory was
10:36andrew considine scoring a goal in a meaningless match at the end of 2018 so aberdeen i mean i
10:45firmly believe that celtic should win the game on sunday because aberdeen don't travel well to celtic
10:54park i mean this is a perfect chance for them to just get a kind of a a foot in there to say right
11:00okay i've got a win yeah well obviously aberdeen have went through the the european travel as well
11:05that's going to go against them they've probably picked up some niggling injuries you know they've
11:10got to recover for another dismal performance in europe uh and their manager obviously he keeps
11:17being in and out in and out but he keeps seems to get a result again he's going to go there you
11:21know and both managers again are under pressure to win the game particularly the celtic manager but
11:27uh i don't know what he says to his team he can't just say look remember the first 45 minutes at
11:33dundee united i want that again you know there there is a reason why that's that can't go for 90
11:40minutes and i just think it's the personnel i know we all want to have you know question the manager
11:45but you've got to question the players as well there's a there's a story that you can tell gary
11:49meggson was a champion not in forest and the first team experienced players were not having him
11:54and his approach and the way he spoke to the players and all that anyway they held a meeting
11:57and decided we don't win again until he goes so you do have toxic situations where we hear things
12:05from within the club i'm sad that there's i'm sad that there's a taboo thing to say right but you can
12:11talk to it also these things certainly do happen and we hear that there's certain things happening at
12:17the moment within the club when those is getting put out a joint problems with the communication with
12:22the manager of the players instructions from the manager of the players that aren't sitting well
12:26with players you do get a situation where even subconsciously you switch off and have the
12:32dressing room switched off in the space of two weeks it's possible well the one thing i would say
12:37is never let your eyes deceive you with regards to the team and johnny kenny had two glorious
12:45opportunities against dundee united and he missed them and again there was no real options on the bench
12:50they've already been found out with you know um ianacho uh you know trying to get him fit
12:56pulls his hamstring for the second time out uh no real options as far as striking other than maida
13:02and he's not finding the net with any great regularity of course he scored against dundee united but my
13:08god he could have how he missed the one from two yards out against the post but the one thing that
13:13you did say there which is where wilfrid nonce is gonna have to change plan a plan b plan c
13:19is quite simply when the three at the back rough eight is not working now you touched on something
13:24some of the players are not happy with him you know i i know a lot of people in the background at
13:29celtic you know and they're looking in dismay at what's going on now i still am adamant that there
13:35is a conversation that took place but i'm adamant that i think the manager you know over a period of
13:42time you i don't think you can sack a manager and i've said it last week and i've said it the week
13:47before i don't think you can sack him so early into his tenure but if he loses on sunday what
13:54do you do do they you know what do they do they put out another do they start phoning around all
13:58the papers and saying listen his job's safe michael nicholson's backing there's a transfer window what
14:02do they do do they phone them all and then have their little lackey journalists who agree to write
14:07whatever they want to write oh he's still in there well i think there's so much pressure on that board
14:13than now you know it's a bigger decision for them you know they're going to be saying self
14:18looking after their self you know if we sack this guy you know we're going to get it again we're
14:23getting it already you know we're the guys who picked him people are going to start asking questions
14:28how did you pick him what was the credentials who was it identified him why did you go with him so if
14:33they sack him then they're going to get more more pressure on them so it's it's a it's for me it's a
14:39it's a one game thing you know we've had this with manners before is it okay he's okay he wins
14:45against aberdeen oh it's okay he loses the next game no it's no okay he wins the next one it's all
14:51about winning games and what kind of run he can go on do you think he's on a game-by-game basis
14:54no not no that's i mean if he loses at the weekend yeah he's he he's questions i don't think he'll get
15:04sacked i don't think you'll get sacked i know you've got don't worry about it ruffy i know you've
15:08got a twitter account but you never use it oh no so not so the 900 comments you're going to get
15:13don't worry about it i wouldn't i i would say five games not one of
15:19i would think if it goes to seven seven or eight you need you need to say i think you've got issues
15:26anyway just now paul disagree paul tisdale has to carry the cam for a lot of this his recruitment has
15:31his focus and his impact on the thing has not clearly been good you're going to get another
15:37departure in the backroom staff over the weekend certainly on monday and it's going to shine a
15:41light on paul tisdale there's a lot of things to come out and i don't agree with you i think the
15:47club now stick by their man they're defiant and they're in a situation where it's healthy it will
15:52beat aberdeen and sunday it's healthy it will get a degree of stability but the longer term you're going
15:58you see a lot of things come to pass that we're speaking about just now so the manager's safe yes
16:04i don't long term what is long term right i think i think he has to get through certainly the festive
16:09period and stretch their legs in january and show they will start winning games again they will does
16:15he get a transfer window unless tam unless your hip scenario and they're not in the forest things
16:19come to pass the dressing room decides no right but you know that that's i said that i said that two or
16:24three weeks ago on the show i said that as soon as as soon as players a new manager comes in with a new
16:29tactical outlook he needs to win games straight away because if you don't the players are not having the
16:34manager i had it obviously the hibbs one is the most famous one they all went to see rod peter i had
16:39at dundee jim duffy was the manager we all love jim duffy he gets sacked early in the season alan
16:43kernahan come in and after two or three games we're looking in the dressing room going he's not got a
16:48clue what he's doing and he lasted three months four months he gets sacked as well yeah because
16:53we just weren't having him instinctively and if it smells it smells right it's just we weren't
17:01having him and i just feel i think it's this situation right now peter i don't think it's
17:04in this situation and i totally disagree with both of you i think if they don't win on sunday
17:09he'll get sacked who sacks him michael nicholson how does that reflect how does that reflect on it
17:15you have to i'll tell you what it'll be worse for the board if they get beat and they don't sack
17:19him it'll be being for blood we're being for noncee's blood the board's blood i think that'll
17:24appease the board sacking them rather than letting it fester on well they've got a gift in sunday
17:28because against an aberdeen team that are incapable of going to glasgow and winning against celtic right
17:31so if you can't i think they beat they'll win that game hypothetically if they don't
17:37still persevere with them the draw
17:38regardless regardless i mean the draw because quite simply on sunday you've got two fantastic
17:46matches you've got celtic against aberdeen and you've got harps against rangers i think he's
17:50got to win the game peter what about what about a draw he's at the door for a draw for a draw
17:55it depends how strong the rest of that board are left because the supporters i think he talks
18:00wait a minute wait a minute they're not strong the strongest person on the board has just
18:05denounced that he's stepping down i'm saying you know but why is he stepping down because
18:09he's fed up with all the abuse but i thought it's going to be moral i thought the fans let
18:12themselves down on wednesday night i think two weeks into it and you're chanting what you're
18:16chanting against a manager who's trying to get his own so that it didn't it didn't reflect well
18:20on them right yeah i think the board's got a bulletproof kind of approach to this at the
18:24moment right they're entrenched and they stick again and i think it would reflect so badly
18:30in them to pull the trigger as quick as that can i just say something to you it's a bit hysterical
18:35i'll i'll say something to you and and this is the chain of command it is not the board it if
18:43der mcdesmond decides that if there's a slip up at the weekend on sunday that he'll decide he'll say
18:50you're gone not not not not michael nicholson by the way especially not michael nicholson not
18:57chris mckay not anybody else peter lawell rightly i think has highlighted that nobody should be
19:04subjected to the abuse that he's taken um and again we have on yesterday's show and today i think it's
19:10only right and proper to mention this over a 20-year period with celtics fans money can i just add
19:17peter lawell has been a a super efficient uh accountant chief executive who's who's who steered
19:26celtic over 20 years to a position where they are one of the best run financial clubs in the uk and
19:32envied across europe however the negative aspect of that for people who are analyzing them in context
19:40and not just deciding to go one way or the other is the criticism of them was timing of certain
19:45transfers the way he went about his business the ambition of the club that didn't match the
19:51supporters ambition based on the fact that they'd some somewhere in the region of 70 million pounds
19:56in the bank and over a sustained period of time that ambition wasn't matched while rangers reached
20:02two european finals so so you can have it any way you want but i don't think peter who is a
20:08and can i just say who is a diehard celtic man and his family are i don't think he deserved um abuse
20:15uh that some of some celtic fans if they can even call themselves that have fired his way but
20:21he was the strong voice he was the if you want dermot desmond's wingman so he would run the shop
20:31the way he did he's got a tremendous amount of power not only at celtic throughout scottish football
20:37but dermot will decide now if this guy stays or not if there's a draw at the weekend
20:42my job yesterday was only to say that a conversation had taken place to say win games or you're out
20:49that's my job not i don't give a flying hoot about pr people who say and and voice their you know what
20:57they think and who they what they think it means that doesn't matter my job is to tell you a story
21:01and if it happens it happens if it doesn't it doesn't but do i want to see wulfred nonce
21:06continue to a job where he can get success do you think he's capable of turning it around right now
21:12peter i look at the team and i i genuinely look at the team and i think that at times they're at a
21:17loss the amount of times i've seen a player looking up at tanadice and before in the cup final
21:22looking up as if to say where am i going with this they're not happy with the
21:27system but he's got to persevere and and i personally think a manager of a big club like
21:33celtic should be given the time to get a transfer window in will celtic win the league with wulfred
21:38nonce no i don't think celtic will win the league with wulfred nonce but i i think your point is very
21:44valid and i'm willing to actually accept it because i cannot comprehend it in my mind
21:48from celtic football club but i'm willing to accept your point quite simply because hearts are strong
21:55because rangers are closing in on them and they're rank rotten i think if he if he starts to drop
22:02points anywhere along the way here that gives hearts more ground he'll get bulleted not by michael
22:07nicholson but by dermot desmond he calls the shots he is a ruthless successful businessman and he will
22:13not tolerate failure so that's what's coming and the one thing that i would say is the celtic fans are
22:20are deciding they've had enough of him not me i'm just telling you a story of what happened
22:24whether they've rubbished me or not is irrelevant you know at the end of the day i think he should
22:30be given time i don't think he will because the fans have had enough of him when i watch the games
22:35ruffy i don't see plan b and i and and with this terrible squad that was assembled by paul teasdale
22:42and the lack of movement on the board to back brendan rogers they can't win games they can't win
22:47games they did win games with martin o'neill well absolutely but this guy's he's asking me will they
22:53win the league if he's still the manager i think no i think that's one of the reasons we won't sack
22:57him because dermot desmond won't be told by anybody what he do but we've already seen him
23:02we've already seen him at an agm getting his son up and saying look go away well you're not telling me
23:07what to do if the celtic fans start going mental the the segment that we're talking about going
23:12mental he's going to dig his heels i'm not i'm not going to be told ruffy you're missing the point
23:17it's not about it's not about you only saw it above the ruffy you're missing the point it's not
23:22about dermot desmond being told by the celtic fans it's about dermot desmond being a businessman who
23:27looks and says wait a minute he's lost four has he slipped up against aberdeen i'm sorry this club is
23:33going to be out of the league race that's when he'll sack him hearts are going to have an impact
23:39and a deciding factor here if they win the game on sunday they're going nine points clear to celtic
23:44i've got a four game block fixture points clear winnable games right really winnable games so then
23:49the pressure starts to increase listen celtic in my mind's eye mark moneal's performances he might
23:57have brought a bit of spirit and calm to the place but they weren't great the chances that celtic have
24:02missed in the last four games they should have won the games the roma game aside and this is a
24:08perfect storm for a manager when your strikers are misfiring they keep doing a job or they get you
24:13the sack now we could be having a different conversation had johnny kenny taking one of
24:18those four chances he had that's that these are the small margins and i think there's hysteria and
24:24an over overreaction i understand the celtic fans want him out but again i think that's the culture
24:28within the game now everything's instant and if it's not instant they're not happy i agree with
24:33you i and a logical thinking uh person i look at it and i'm i've been shot down by tam i think he
24:41deserves to get a transfer window and build a side but right now they're all clamoring to to to get
24:47him out the door but i don't think dermot desmond will be dictated to by fans i think dermot desmond
24:52will what will work in the way he does with everything if you're not performing you're out
24:56and that's the he'll make that call imagine the full-time whistle at parkhead on sunday
25:01so i'll take nine points behind hearts and they don't beat aberdeen yeah listen the other thing
25:06i'll tell you never mind roffrey noncey you know peter lawwell has decided to go um rather sadly
25:13for the reasons that he's highlighted but there's other members of that board including the recruitment
25:19team who will be seriously in question um for the way they've gone about their business the players
25:25on the park are not good enough and right now they're in danger of uh giving up their title to
25:31a heart side by the way that are only in stage one this is not about jamestown analytics this is about
25:39your plan this is about celtic cat catastrophics do you know what i mean that is what we're on here
25:44that's what we're looking at i was at hearts and wednesday and i spoke to derrick mckinnis and i
25:48said to him listen he's talking about hearts are favorites to win in sunday against rangers
25:53rangers are quite a long shot and i said to him it must be great now because not only has the
25:58dynamic changed the glass ceiling has been shattered because when you get the team lines now coming in
26:02before games derrick you must it's not it's not the past when you come in and go god help us
26:08because we're playing you see vulnerabilities across both felty and rangers and he didn't bite
26:14on that question right but he knows it's true and that's what's changed okay um that brings us
26:21nicely to our quiz ruffy which i actually think it's it's quite good this year that all this is
26:28happening because before other years with one team away 15 points ahead 18 points ahead and we're
26:34sitting just waiting to the end of the season i think all this that's going on just now just makes
26:39more exciting see if i told you at the start of the season that we potentially celtic could be
26:44getting the third manager and we're not even in january basket case material right but it's great
26:51yeah see when i go to the quiz ruffy is there any chance you could stop making a further point
26:55this is the quiz so so thank you it's sponsored by elite uh who are providing expert advice and fire
27:02door inspection installation maintenance and fire prevention as well and they are another one of
27:07our sponsors alongside uh cameron uh commercial vehicles so the question is how many full-time
27:13managers of celtic had in their history now i'm not talking about caretaker managers um how many have
27:19they had in their history you've got an option that you can see at the back there 21 22 23 or 24
27:25and remember uh there are three managers that had two stints as a manager as well we'll give you the
27:32answer at the end but a big thank you to elite and damien and all the crew who are on board
27:37and if you are as i mentioned what are you saying just a guess don't bother about it anyway um give
27:53us your thoughts on that uh and thanks to elite for being one of our main sponsors for the rest of the
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28:17support don't forget to hit the subscribe button uh on our youtube channel and right across all of our
28:24social media as well if you like share and follow as well contrary to what the celtic pr department said
28:31uh you'll get a lot of news some you like some you don't um the program itself you get opinion
28:36and the opinion now is hearts against rangers rangers are brought in stig inge bjornaby a name that i
28:43know well from his liverpool days as a football consultant um good move yeah i think they need
28:50someone in peter um obviously kevin fell well leaving and patrick stewart there's there's vacancies
28:56there's gaps in that area i think he's only on to an interim basis to end of the season so
29:01in january wind will be a big window for him we'll be looking for players if he brings some good
29:05players in and rangers improve then he'll maybe get a longer gig so yeah i think they need someone
29:09who's specialized in that subject rather than just relying on the manager he go and go and look at
29:13players and go and bring players in i think he'd a different set of eyes so they'll be hoping that he
29:17that he does better than the previous incubant well um listen they've got to try and target a few
29:25players for danny roll in january he'll undoubtedly i think gordon have his own type of player that
29:31he's maybe spotted or worked with in the past that all managers bring in i think most of the
29:37recruitment he'll have already identified what he wants regardless of what bjornaby's uh getting
29:42brought in for and i'm surprised he's only been in the short term because it's a long-term project
29:46thing that right but i think danny will well no i know that he compelled a list of the green the red
29:52in the amber um of what he believed he was staying maybe stay exit he'll already have
30:00identified i know he's put his list forward um and it's clear what selton the rangers need
30:04two defenders a striker let the score two two set and a half at least yeah well i think you need a
30:11back four a complete back four yeah absolutely that's not going to happen is it yeah but they
30:17do need a back four okay they need a complete revamp right but i'm talking about how do they sustain
30:20the challenge and improve their team find somebody that puts the ball in the back of the net there's
30:25a priority that just shows you how much the game can change because two months ago we were saying
30:31like rangers can forget about the league just rebuild next year let's see and look where they
30:36are now just because they're winning games six wins and two draws roughly he steadied the ship
30:41that's what i'm saying but everybody was saying oh forget about them they're no they're no runners
30:45to win the league if they go to hearts and win that one it's amazing how things can change
30:50i watched them under danny roll when they played livingston live braga live
30:54dear oh dear oh dear they're still ranked run but you're right they're still in the mix and by the
30:59way more so if they win on sunday right in it's another damn indictment on wilford noncey because
31:05you've got danny roll who's come in who's obviously got a clear way of playing in his mind
31:09he probably want he's got a system maybe 4-3-3 or whatever it is he's came in he's assessed the
31:15squad and he's went right we need to go five at the back we need to be hard to beat we need to be
31:19good defensively and the winning games i watched them against hibbs they were poor yeah they nicked
31:23a goal off a set play defended well they've done it most of the season pragmatism yeah he's getting
31:29the best out of the players he's playing a system that suits the players peter and when you're at
31:33selty rangers it's all about winning if he'd have come in and played 4-3-3 and they beat 4-2 and
31:38throwing games and lost games but under pressure he's came in he's been pragmatic he's got a
31:43system that suits the players and they're winning games and they've got themselves back in the
31:46titles see when you russell martin's high risk possession based ploy right with players that
31:51couldn't actually perform because they've got the bottle of the character the ability to age it
31:55danny roll so i start out quickly got them doing the basics well and if you're solid you've got a
32:01platform for something better and by the way confidence in starts to lift and the whole thing
32:06shuffles around well you look at it now and ruffy's highlighted a point there if they win
32:09against hearts they're certainly six points behind and they've got a game in hand and and you you write
32:16them off at your peril because i think apart from anything else and again this is not made up by any
32:21pundits or former play you know former players or journalists the facts are there for all to see
32:29this is this is a side that the rangers fans are looking at and they're groaning in the stands
32:35but at the end of the 90 minutes when they get a win they think okay it wasn't great to watch but
32:39we're in there absolutely i think uh listen he's won six games he's unbeaten domestically
32:45that's what you do as a new manager go in and you say to stall it quickly and the players start to buy
32:49into it polar opposite departments the celtic but if they win in sunday which they could i don't think
32:55they will oh my god they are they are right and right right right now hearts have got an opportunity
33:01to put a knife in rangers but it also emphasizes how poor the quality is a team of that obvious
33:06lacking in quality and confidence and shambles for long passes of the season are going to be three
33:12points behind yeah but by the way on that point there are a you know a number of issues and a number
33:18of things that i've that i think deserve a bit of credit from him he has made them you know far
33:23more difficult to beat and he's managed to just grind out results he still hasn't got a trick out of
33:28chermity yet but uh you know the news today is miyoski's not going to be there lyle cameron's
33:33still uh not ready to play but i think conor barnes come in and and battled away you know when he's
33:41maybe not the fashionable scottish player that everybody wants to compliment yeah i think he he epitomizes
33:46rangers's recent run i think he's he's went in there he's ratted about he's got any tackles he's
33:52working hard you know he's he's been better on the ball but he's given 100 that's what rangers
33:56supporters want to see they want to see players out there giving 100 running tackling and that's
34:01what he's been great at and that's what danny roll's obviously put him in the team for and i think
34:04he's got that grit and determination that has like shown through the rangers team in the last seven or
34:09eight games domestically they've been very very good in terms of results haven't been great
34:12performances but rangers fans just want to see them winning games right and you've played in
34:18games where i'm sure they've been calling for the manager's head right or the opposite that they've
34:22been singing the danny roll song there's a there's a buoyancy there if you're playing with a buoyant
34:27crowd even if they're playing badly they go a goal ahead it lifts the whole thing the complete opposite
34:33effect if they're calling for the manager's head and rangers have managed to shift that now
34:37and that shift is the momentum i think because they get rid of the manager clearly and i think
34:44that's what celtic need to do if they want to try and get some more you've got you've got to take
34:49the the that pressure that park is talking about you know oh parkie now what was it like interviewing
34:57mohammed ali when the anger's not there you go onto the park with a bit of confidence
35:05if the anger's there you're going oh is it me it's going to get pelt us here is it him or is it
35:11i'll just look after myself you've played in massive games right how important is that
35:15that can be defined important listen let's cut to the chase here we've been you know analyzing
35:22celtic and rangers let's start start uh you know with the league leaders who are at home
35:29this will be a sellout against rangers clearly favorites um and i i look at them and i'm thinking
35:37to myself can i tell you how much favorites they're they're just under evens and rangers are 12 to 5
35:42so i think as far as rangers are concerned they're winning games but as you said there they're not like
35:51swashbuck when they're no running or the top of people if they were to go to timecastle and win
35:56that game yeah they're back in it because that is tam says if hearts win it that's a nail for rangers
36:0312 points ahead the rangers rangers are out of the title race if hearts win if hearts win and
36:07rangers are out of the title race they'll knock they'll knock that team is not clawing back 12 points
36:11on hearts no chance uh and with that the other thing about it which we will obviously debate when we get
36:17to the end of the transfer window is the players that each team brings in but hearts have got a great
36:23chance and also let's not be about the bush here they've gone to ibrox back in september and won 2-0
36:30they've beaten celtic um twice and you're now in a situation where he's got options i mean braga
36:37can cause all sorts of problems shanklin can score goals devlin's playing out of his skin in that new
36:43role in the midfield area uh you know kizaridius can cross that ball and get past players you know
36:48what the great acid test is and it's an old old one to do it but you used to see how many rangers
36:54players would get in that hearts team well how many do you think how many celtic players would get in
36:57that hearts team now as a as a team callum mcgregor right of course right callum mcgregor's a shoe in
37:03but i then struggle i struggle if i look at the rangers team i'm really struggling and that's and by
37:10the way hearts strength and depth they have an abundance of options they've got a team that
37:16knows the system and they play it to the letter for me hearts's only problem is it's where they
37:22are at the moment can the players handle it can the players are now going into a game a situation
37:27they've never ever been in before they've got a chance as tam says to bury rangers and the pressure
37:32that goes along with that means they've got to win that game how many of that hearts team have been
37:37in this kind of situation i spoke to claudio braga on wednesday and asked that very question and i
37:42actually said to him please be honest you might say as you don't look at the league table why did
37:46you think he was going to be disordered clearly they're going to lie right no they're not be
37:53honest the dressing room how much does that pressure because you realize the consequences
37:58of where you are he says trust me we do not talk about it we try and push the other way
38:03and just focus from game to game well i think the manager deserves credit tam because he is
38:08the man who's basically tried to keep a lid on things while tactically working out how to beat
38:13glasgow's big two yeah listen i think he's a terrific manager i think he's he knows scottish
38:18football inside out he's got a really really deep squad of players now um the confidence that
38:24hearts would have gained from going to ibrox and winning going to parkhead and winning beating
38:27celtic at home i've got an opportunity to to beat rangers and celtic twice in the same season
38:32there's no many no many teams outside of the old firm i've done that in one season and the confidence
38:37and the lefty would get from that again could go and catapult them to go and win the league so
38:40it's an enormous game it really is it's a massive massive game of football what do you think
38:45derrick mckinnis is thinking i'm i'm thinking derrick mckinnis thinks we're better than rangers
38:50i think we're better than rangers and let's go and win this and you can effectively bury rangers
38:55how often have you got a situation where any team goes into any of the old firm and believes that
38:59genuinely some probably believed it on sunday by the way but hearts set themselves up differently
39:03because they've got that belief they don't set themselves up to try and contain the player
39:09strengths they've got after rangers that's it and see if you do that proof's in the pudding it works
39:14ruffy how many are you talking about whether they've got the bottle um hearts how many games have
39:20they lost in the last 15 no that's what i mean they've not had a wobble every other team has
39:25had a two or three games no one in four we wrote them off yeah but what i'm saying is if they go
39:30into that game i wonder if rangers win it if hibbs beat them how do they react how do they react from
39:37having a wonderful season to now oh wait a minute we've lost a couple of games here and there you know
39:43and then there's going to be a reaction because if that is the case then the other teams are going to
39:47close the gap they've got a run of games i think there's four of them you highlighted them
39:51um livingston dundee st mirran that is that's a festive yeah because if you're going to win
40:00titles you're going to win those games the next two games will decide it peter i think if they've
40:04got four points out of six they're in the box seat for the transfer window hibbs away yeah if they
40:09get four points out of six ruffy for me again tam you think they've got the rangers at home hibbs
40:15away four points out of that i think they're what champions yeah on the road to becoming champions
40:20i think so i think the next two games the next two games are how's it too early who's going to stop
40:25them well you're talking about a massive turnaround at celtic and rangers just picking up let's see
40:31you're allowed about a wriggle room mentally to decide who's the strongest because i think celtic
40:35it will go and add rangers will add that that's going to be defining hearts will add january will
40:40define who wins the title not what happens over the festive period okay we're about to find that
40:45out so tencastle give us your prediction i think hearts are just for me um they've got the bit
40:50between their teeth they can see see when you come over the halfway period and you start to see the top
40:54of the hill i think derek will believe they're the better team and they'll go out and they'll have a
40:58go and that rangers defense will get dragged all over the place with a team that knows how to do it so
41:03that they'll win not that they'll be hearts to win hearts to win so 12 points clear of rangers yeah
41:10so rangers are still in the title race for me i think january for me is everything it's all about
41:14no no i'm asking you yeah if they go 12 points behind are rangers in the title race the precedent's
41:17been set those teams come back from further away than that yes 12 points yeah were there no
41:22two were there no two points behind later on four rangers okay hang on a minute
41:27name one of the teams i'll tell you one right hang on they were 13 points behind when
41:32uh russell martin went right so if they win in sunday they go six points behind yeah game in hand
41:40we're game game in hand even if they lose on sunday that it's by by facts that in that short period
41:48of time they close that gap they can do it again well do you think they'll do it again no i don't right
41:52okay bloody hell i don't even know why i started the argument he's worse than ruffy um uh ruffy
41:57prediction each oh two each oh draw all right okay and uh i'll get i'll get to the hibs game with you
42:04then tam 20 hearts yeah i think 2-1 hearts i think hearts i think hearts are going to beat rangers
42:09and i think celtic will beat aberdeen 2-1 as well painfully painfully they'll beat them um but
42:16uh i think you'll still be i think you'll still be in a job steamroller aberdeen on sunday a lot of
42:22that stress will be released aberdeen can't come here and win the froven at time after time and
42:28that's a christmas gift they will win by three or four they'll win by three or four i think i think
42:34they won't i think you have you have one or the other right you have one or listen if johnny kenny
42:40you've got a four five nothing at feet of dundee united on wednesday night yeah i don't see
42:45celtic beating anyone three or four they know they could have done it at tanadice but they didn't but
42:48they didn't i think sometimes things have to click in quality because they would have also can i just
42:53say something he ran in and goal all he had to do was hit it first time he took two touches and the
42:59ball was away from yeah i saw it but i think you've got uh you've also got i think the maida one was
43:03worse it was i don't know how you missed it tam it also works two ways as a former player right
43:08self-preservation heading into january the pressure is at the door the players have to take responsibility
43:14because the consequences are there four nil three four now three four now i think you you'll see you'll
43:19see on sunday if the players are truly truly behind the manager what a weekend time you've got you'll see
43:24you'll see it on sunday if they go out and put a shoe on and win three or four they've still got belief
43:28in the manager if they don't they'll pull the cup is getting pulled on everything yeah just out of
43:33curiosity on aberdeen dismal dismal in europe um i mean just not not a shot on target yeah i
43:41watched the game last night they started really really well for the first two and a half three
43:44minutes uh and then it was an absolute thinking remember that night hold on ruffy's about to tell
43:52you a story right this is the god's honest truth i kid you not right that they haven't they haven't
43:56finished the stadium yet right but we've gone to madrid right we've gone to madrid right and
44:01the stadium's nearly finished but it looks spectacular so we go to our seat in the press
44:06box and then ruffy obviously you know cool you know co-analyst in this it's to die for modrich is
44:12in there at the madrid midfield they're looking fantastic benzy man's playing as well so ruffy tell
44:19the story they took the center and uh celtic pressed them into their 18 yard box and they couldn't get
44:27out after a minute and i went this could be the night
44:32a minute later real madrid up the park scored two minutes gone he said you know celtic were looking
44:38really solid for that two minutes who's the final score five one i think you ought to have scored a
44:44free kick and that was about the only ally who's the only player to score a scottish cup goal winning
44:48goal before three o'clock oh was it derrick johnson it was against hearts yeah uh there you are okay
44:55um so yeah yeah um and i and i think you know somebody absolutely again mentioned to me i don't
45:04know if it was an email or uh coming through our app um but somebody said to you know peer you've been
45:10really really negative about scottish football over the last couple of weeks and and again i think the
45:16great thing about having guys like yourself on lots of people who come on the program is uh you know
45:21players present past we've had managers in here you we try and offer our opinion on what we watch
45:31and and quite simply it's not negativity it's the reality gordon is quite simply our performances
45:36as scottish clubs in europe is abysmal and it's not abysmal over a short period of time
45:42we are now in danger of having to play two and three qualifiers it's every year it's perennial what
45:48saddens me really and i think it's missed these are a lot a lot of these teams like aberdeen
45:54heart saving hibbs in europe whenever st johnston a lot of these teams are why can't we get the
46:01foreign players that can go and do better in europe we've got mediocre foreign players here who when
46:06they step into the continental environment struggle and embarrasses season after season after season you
46:12just you know is it unfair i think it's unfair to narrow it to foreign players partially i think that
46:16we're not getting enough scottish players who are getting regular games did aberdeen barely get a
46:19kick of the ball after the two and a half minutes of greatness right and it's uh it's it's a technical
46:26thing it's technical why don't we it is technical right but why can't we get the decent technical
46:31players in because we're getting the garbage and you and you look at peter in that conference
46:35league in that conference league there's there's teams from malta gibraltar ireland all winning games
46:42yeah all above aberdeen yeah you know when you're just looking at it and going is that really how
46:46far we've sank as a nation that teams from malta and gibraltar are winning games and we can't in that
46:51in that bottom european tier damn you've you've played in islands right you've played in america as
46:57well but i don't know if you've known snobbery the technical ability some of those eyes
47:01players put us to shame that's why they do well the irish the irish teams always do well in europe
47:07why is that why i'll tell you i think there's there's two things one that they're mid-season
47:14so they play march to november so in june july august they're they're they're much fit you've seen
47:20that when sligo pumped mother yeah and secondly i think they're underrated i think the irish league
47:25game players are underrated okay see them see the sligo game i was both games home and away
47:31and they bloom all apart remember derry city hammer and get it now when's when's the veil going to
47:37come down and people realize exactly where we are and why we are where we are in europe it's an
47:40embarrassment yeah the coefficient is going to get worse and worse okay i'll give you um gordon's
47:46email at the end of the show and you can batter him instead of me the other point i was going to
47:52say is uh we've given you the predictions on the two big games on the sunday but on the saturday
47:57we've got some tasty games to look forward to as well done united against hebs united now eight
48:02six points ahead of st mirran i have to say roughy um the united fans were worrying about this slump all
48:08the way down it was a dreadful game last week that i watched uh certainly in the second half against
48:13celtic they came out all guns blazing the boys sapsford scored a goal fit to win any game um and
48:20they're up against the high bees who are fifth in the table level on points with aberdeen yeah well
48:26i usually don't comment on hybster i read tam's article you know and uh i don't know if it was that
48:33positive this week yeah it's out tomorrow yeah i know i'm just waiting you telling me yeah it's not
48:41going to be particularly positive is it not no no okay um why because i watched them against rangers
48:49during the week and they were atrocious yeah okay um it's a right good laugh this show today um so
48:56so with that in mind i'm looking at dundee united i i i think they're i think united i like i like
49:03sibyl i've always liked him as a player young boy as well but i like the boy uh kamara when he's in
49:10the middle of the park he's he gives them something a wee bit different the high bees i think we had
49:15great hopes for them um you know at one point they were third in the third in the third in the
49:19table but it's not looking can i just tell a quick time story about his column i used to ghost it
49:24for him i used to help him write it and i phoned him one morning and the deadline was looming and he
49:29wasn't well he says it was on monday probably just for curiosity please please don't go down a road
49:38that i think you're about to go down what have you done this road this is dangerous he croaked
49:44i'll say i'm really struggling i says what am i going to do to him he says just write it
49:52i nearly get banned from hibbs because i wrote it no bother tom yeah sean maloney had eight
49:59mass calls for sean maloney the next day yeah and i went what is he effing wrote in that paper yeah
50:05yeah yeah never again thanks for that yeah absolutely that's uh that's us uh obviously
50:10giving secrets of the trade away but nevertheless dunya right against hibbs how do you see it going
50:14roughy a draw one each okay draw yeah tam tipping hibbs every week and they're getting beat
50:23hibbs to win 2-1 hibbs to win 2-1 i think they've done united resort to the
50:28strong arm tactics i think that suits hibbs i've got three big set of halves in there yeah i'm with you
50:32rough yeah and partially i think it's going to be a draw come on against falkirk chris doolan in
50:36temporary charge the bairns uh actually are nine points clear off kelly this is a huge game by the
50:42way um the only thing i think no no discredit to john mcglynn needs two defeats against both edinburgh
50:48sides john mcglynn's got his target he's got his set way of playing he knows he's got the points behind
50:53them already they'll they'll keep taking points before they get a draw again at the weekend and interestingly
51:00chris doolan's in charge but watch this space quite a high profile uh former scotland striker
51:07and put yourself in the mix and i think you'll get shortlisted for that yeah okay um big derek
51:14what are you going to management again big dj would do all right he's he's fine in my book
51:22he's not far for the market is he not far x ranger striker big d let's leave it at that yeah
51:27no wins in 10 for kelly um i'm going to go falkirk to win it by the odd goal ruffy yeah i'm sticking
51:32with falkirk i'll eat them two one yeah draw draw draw draw one each yeah okay um motherwell against
51:40dundee um it's an interesting one next game is the rangers celtic and st mirren hey i look at
51:47motherwell and i'm thinking to myself you know i've been really impressed with them i just i just can't
51:50believe the game that i watched last week they were they just weren't at the races i i'm curious to see
51:55what they do in the transfer window if they can if they've got any sort of movement because he's
51:59been a breath of fresh air yeah i've been great i mean you keep telling every time you go to see
52:03them they're the best football inside in the league and most of the results have justified that so i'm
52:09going to stick with your uh experience here and stick with motherwell to win that one yeah uh you should
52:14actually he's on the motherwell bandwagon now get him on it yeah i doubted the pre-mark pep yeah uh i must
52:20admit i don't know about you partially i like watching them there's a striker and it can put
52:24regularly goal tally pile it on uh they can become in the conversation yeah do you know who would do
52:30really well there um johnny kenny johnny kenny should be pulling me airdrie right if you want to find a
52:36lancer team for him right dearie me um i think i think you know no disrespect that's harsh how many of those
52:44chances it's harsh it's harsh i don't need a celtics quality striker but i think you could
52:50play for hibbs or motherwell yeah i don't know okay okay um listen it's all about opinions um but
52:59nevertheless um against the dundee side that you know i think elvis is totally and utterly pragmatic
53:08about this just get play off or higher and i think kelly are going to save dundee
53:15i think kelly are going to be in the playoff place livingston will be gone it depends isn't it and who
53:19they bring in and the contacts he's got to bring in and that kind of thing yeah um dundee are going
53:24to get passed to death at the weekend and i fear that uh having watched motherwell train this morning
53:31actually uh they'll realize that last weekend wasn't good enough and i just think they've got guys
53:37there that will go and do what they do well 2-0 yeah yeah roughy 2-1 3-0 him alone okay uh right
53:46and st mirran against livingston it'll be a great day at the st mirran stadium roughy how sober are
53:51the st mirran players ah listen this is a great this is like this is a day where they not only cap it
53:57off they have the league cup they parade it because i know they're going to be brian kerr coach he was
54:03partying and i think he just came in last night were they away no they were just out and about
54:07in paisley i think for a couple of days are you sure about that yeah don't say anything that's
54:11going to get you into trouble listen can i just say something to you i think they'll win
54:15and i i fear i mean i i am you know i'm his biggest fan i love davy martindale but
54:21i think it's gone i think this next couple of weeks i think they're going to be
54:24slightly cut off from it all i think st mirran will win roughy yeah i think in the evidence of
54:30last week i think they were very fortunate dundee uh obviously the goalkeeper mistake and the other
54:35goal as well was was in the conditions but i think i agree with you i think mother will be too good for
54:41them yeah what about st mirran st mirran yes i won he's a game behind no yes why is he here
54:47yes st mirran 2-0 2-0 i'm actually going about st mirran tomorrow don't underestimate livingston's
54:55every game for them now every game for them now is everything and i think it'll be everything
55:00at the weekend and i think tam's right i think there's been a few bevies yeah it's fair tell for
55:07livingston to get massive three three points i think they will have you ever played when you're
55:11bevied i played against him i get told i played against doing firmland who were leading the
55:17championship at the time uh jeffries was the manager i think uh told the game was off and i
55:24went to a stag stag do again four or five in the morning ten pints down and get told that the game
55:30was on went through to east end park and alex smith went down before the game and said
55:35you're playing against big neil cooper today yeah he says get the boy your feet and race him
55:39you'll have to get a taxi to catch you i was holding my breath and i went on the
55:44patch and two minutes into the game big tattie says to me wee man were you last night i said
55:50how he went because you're reading the booze yeah the game get abandoned at half time because of the fog
55:56i learned my lesson don't go and drink 10 pints before a game in the championship yeah ruffy never
56:01you were a consummate professional i've never i was very very did you ever tell you
56:05you look bevied against iran never no no no not really tell the truth tam no i haven't
56:12honestly no i wasn't about drinking i was playing that's part of his catchphrase for this weekend
56:16claudio tell the truth any chance to be honest
56:18ruffy all right i feel better about that big game steven let ruffy
56:21lager shandy yeah lager shandy i was only about 19 or something like that
56:25those guys have won fa cup finals haven't been out in the last before the game so can i just say
56:28something do you i mean honestly i had a fantastic afternoon with paul merson and uh honestly i mean
56:35what the stories he was telling me and his ability was off the charts um so listen uh some players
56:40i'll see zero it happens um so listen uh the quest question we posed the question and as ever we're
56:50going to do this on a regular basis and a big thank you to elite uh who are providing expert advice and
56:56fire door inspection installation maintenance and fire prevention they've also uh great joinery work
57:01as well and the question was quite simply how many full-time managers of celtic had in their history
57:06and the answer roughly was 23 and the reason it's 23 i mean sean fallon came in uh over a period when
57:14jockstein was in a a crash for you still caretaker manager um and you've had various caretaker managers
57:20down through the years kind of leash coming in for john barnes as well um but billy mcneill
57:26was in the 20s and 30s roughly you were playing oh jimmy mcgrory mcgrory yeah but billy mcneill
57:31neil lennon and brendan rogers both had two stints does martin o'neill count as two stints no
57:36he was a caretaker right he's a caretaker so he doesn't you need to play 10 games don't you or more
57:41to get your money out permanent aye if you're a better no more yeah yeah
57:45uh anyway um the answer was 23 so thanks to elite for helping us with the quiz uh and don't
57:54forget over the course of 2026 lots of big news happening on plz soccer hopefully you'll hit that
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58:27watching and listening