Are Rangers ready for MAJOR culture change? I The Journos

Are Rangers ready for MAJOR culture change? I The Journos

Welcome to The Journos on PLZ Soccer’s YouTube 
channel. I’m Peter Martin. Hugh MacDonald,   Gordon Parks, and Alison McConnell 
are here with me. Thank you to you for your support over the course of the 
season. There’s lots more to come as far   as programming is concerned on our YouTube 
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of unique stuff, we’re offering it on   PLZ Premium. You can follow the link on our 
YouTube channel and subscribe to that too. But there’s lots of stuff coming up in the new 
season to look forward to. Lots to talk about. Of course, we love our football. We certainly love it 
when you sit down. Somebody sent me a text saying,   “I’ve got friends over, we’ve got the 
television on, and we’re going to sit down and we’re going to have a right good night 
watching Ayr United against Partick Thistle.” To which I then replied, “Are you off your head? 
Get the friends out and get Inter–Barcelona on.” I shouldn’t probably say that because somebody 
will jump on my head and say, “I thought you   were supporting Scottish football.” But there 
are some times when you have to draw a line. Could be worse. You could have been at Partick. Not a terrific game. Terrific game. I think we talked, 
we kind of briefly touched on it   last week. What this has been, 
a vintage Champions League. Yeah, I mean, they’re just great knockout 
games. People interested in the whole process etc. etc. But last night was—I mean, you just 
see what I thought when I was just watching it, you know. And the cake, by the 
way, is for my 70th birthday. Yes, I was going to say, in case people—I was 
going to leave it there and then get people really stimulated by the thought, “Why is 
there a cake sitting there?” We’ll get to   that. I just thought I’d mention 
it before I pass away, you know. And I was just sitting, at 70 years of age, 
watching that game and I went to myself, “I just love football.” You know that way you 
just see—is there anything better than just sitting down, watching a great football match? 
And the whole thing compounded I think by,   at one point, being sure that Atalanta were going, 
and then 20 minutes, 30 minutes later saying, “No, I’m sure that Spurs are going to stroll this 
at one point.” So absolutely terrific stuff. Yeah, great to watch. One of those 
ones where you are jumping—again,   if you’re jumping up and down and 
shouting in the room on your own when you’re on the couch, it means you’ve 
got an absolute belter, doesn’t it? Ali, I was going to say, the other aspect of it 
is—you looked at last week’s game and you thought, “There’s no way, there’s no way they can 
replicate that.” Eighteen minutes in,   I’m thinking, “I really enjoy watching it, but there’s no goals. This is rubbish.” And then 
boom—the whole place. Thought it was brilliant. Thirteen goals in a Champions League 
semi-final. How many semi-finals have you watched that are cagey, tense, boring, 
you know, neither team wanting to lose it? I thought it was the antithesis of that—the 
whole tie. I thought it was brilliant.   Just great entertainment. Just when you 
watch it, both teams wanted to win it, committed to attack, going for it, 
really exciting individual players too. The other thing I was going to 
say, Gordon—I wonder if, you know,   as well as giving great credit to the 
players, I wonder if we should give great credit to coaches and coaches in 
general in the Champions League format,   the new format. Because the format itself 
has delivered some really good matches. Does Hansi Flick and Inzaghi deserve credit 
because of the way they approach the game?   Because as Alison mentioned there, I’ve seen 
some semi-finals and they’ve been absolute dirge. I think the game’s evolved recently, and I 
think the approach from top elite managers is now about entertainment. And it is about 
playing with wing-backs forward—certainly wingers—and the emphasis is to go and attack 
now, and attack with—you’re talking about top, top-level players with great abilities 
and creative sparks and real top-notch strikers. And I think that’s why you’re getting 
these kind of absolute extravaganza games. You’re right, I think there has been a recent… I think so. I mean, look at the top end now, you’re looking at attacking sides. Look at 
Flick as well—Flick just wanted to play the   game. And that’s a 30-yard sort of kind 
of bit in the middle of the field where he’s pushing his players right up. People 
say, “Oh, you know the ball’s changing…”   But it is if you play—you’re like—it was like 
playing an 11-a-side game in a five-a-side court, because the game was so compressed. And 
that gives obviously room at the back. That’s a template that was laid down by Manchester 
City when they were supreme. And I think clubs, top clubs, realised quickly they’re 
going to have to try and replicate   that. And it’s about pressing 
quickly, getting the ball back, and playing in the final third rather than 
laboured passing, strategic defensive. I think Man City, when they were at 
their best, flew the flag for that. Yeah. You say Man City, I say Barcelona. I will—I think the game’s evolved 
from that tiki-taka kind of Barcelona style. I think it’s more dynamic, and I 
think the ball goes forward faster now. Yeah. Mhm. Uh, the one thing that I did enjoy 
about it—it always helps with these situations, uh, Alison—is to be able to play that game, 
you have to have good players. And you have   to have good players that have got a 
licence to say, “Listen, on you go.” I was just about to say, it’s not 
just about having good players,   it’s about trusting your players. And 
I think that’s what was evident last night—is two coaches that trust the players, 
trust the system, and gave them a freedom to   play. It wasn’t constrained or strangled by a 
tactical approach. There was a tactical setup, but there was a freedom given to both 
sets of players that made for that. Don’t you think the difference—so we’re 
talking about Barcelona—it was possession,   and it was changing angles of attack. It 
was about strangling teams with the ball, making them work. The difference is now,   the teams that are doing well are the ones 
that go and have wide players that go commit. Mhm. Yeah. And it’s a more dynamic kind of fluid forward 
motion, rather than turning the game around, switching the ball. It’s more—as well—it’s more,   um, the more you see it now as well is, 
like, uh, if you look at it, everybody’s an athlete now. Every player is an athlete, 
and every player is also technically good. And people say, “Oh, they were always…” 
Yeah, but sometimes you used to have big   centre-halves that just had to pass the ball to 
the pivot in front of them, you know, one ahead, or pass the ball to somebody who could do. 
And sometimes you had guys that weren’t   fit—you had your Huddles and your Latapys, 
you know, people—sublime footballers that people could run over. But you don’t have 
that. Everybody’s just like—everybody is. But what has changed PSG from that kind of 
perennial kind of knockout quarter-finals to actually a potential winner? It’s 
the fact of guys that will go wide and   eliminate players. That’s the difference for 
me. It’s more authentic attacking football, rather than just technical players that keep 
the ball—actually going for the jugular more. Yeah. Well, I was going to buy into that part, 
because quite simply last night you’ve got a guy—I think he was 37 years of age—in 
Navas scoring, and he was in an unusual position because quite simply the manager 
had said, “Listen, we’re going out here, let’s get into the box, let’s go.” It’s a 
great finish for a centre-half, wasn’t it? It was fantastic. Um, but overall I think 
the—you know, is the winner in that section, or is the winner in the other 
section? I think the winner’s   in our section. I hope the winner’s 
in our section, fixtures as well. But from a PSG point of view— I’d like PSG to win it. It’s ironic that they— I’d like PSG to win it. Would you? Yeah. It’s ironic that they could win it without three 
of the world’s greatest players in the side. Isn’t that an interesting point? Mmm. Uh, yeah. 
You wonder sometimes when there’s too many big players within one team, if you’re maybe trying 
too hard to keep certain players happy and fit them into your system, rather than have a 
system that fits into the strength of the   three players. Now you could say they are much 
more effective than Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. Isn’t that a shocking statement? I’m talking about being effective. But we’ve been there before, because in 2002, a really good Real Madrid side, beat 
by Bayer Leverkusen. And then in 2003,   they added the Galacticos and it 
just became a circus for Real Madrid. Yep. But it shows again, it’s all 
about—it’s all about building a   blend. The reason I want PSG to win is 
because they made that dramatic pivot, and that must have been—it must have 
taken a lot of, like, cojones to say, “No,   see this thing that we built on over the years, 
having their Galacticos? We’re ripping that up.” But the other thing is their coach. I 
would like to—I like the coach. I’ve interviewed him in a mass—I’m not talking 
about in a mass setting—and I like the work ethic. There’s a collective work ethic that 
they’ve got now that they didn’t have before. And again, back to your real point, it’s 
probably the same—that self-indulgent footballer doesn’t fit into that 
collective. You need now to have,   allied with the technical brilliance, 
that desire to go and work for the team. I remember watching PSG and you had Messi 
wandering about waiting for the ball, Neymar the same, Mbappé the same. So when you take 
that kind of work ethic out of the team, you fail. Yeah. Well, I hope that is not the same 
for every team because obviously there’s   not a great work ethic in Dougie Lumperson, the 
team I’m playing for. It’s quite a leisurely— That can only be for the shirts, because 
it’s certainly not for the way we play. There’s water carriers, right, and there’s 
guys that will go and deliver for you. Yeah, if the cap fits. Absolutely. This is great selling 
jerseys, for one. At that time I could absolutely sit down and write a book 
on the times I’ve looked at him and thought,   “Bloody hell, man.” I mean, honestly, 
such talent just wasted. Squandered. He could write a great book, couldn’t he? I was full-time for 10 years and spent 
my entire career chasing fullbacks, right? Shutting down fullbacks. Busting a gut, 
right? I’m entitled now, in my later years, to go and play without having to 
run about and all that carry on. Thank you. Thank the Lord there’s a reason for it. I 
was searching my, you know, my head thinking,   “How can this guy continually throw us 
under a bus?” But nevertheless, absolutely— Thanks for coming. By the way, I usually 
keep the top 10 to the last of our program, but obviously, bearing in mind the fact that 
we watch—and I watched Lamine Yamal—and boy,   did they stick two or three players 
on him to try and double up on him all the time. Sometimes triple 
up. I thought he was outrageous. Yes. I mean, he played one with his toe, just toe over 
to the far side for Lewandowski and I thought to myself, “He’s just—just magical to watch.” But 
of that top 10, I’m going to give you 10 that I think are the new emerging players. Now, I might 
be slightly controversial here. While I love him at 17—and no, I’m not—please, I’m not dismissing 
all his qualities. I’m enjoying all his qualities. But he’s not a Messi and he’s certainly not a 
Ronaldo. They were a once-in-a-generation joy   to watch. And they were battering in stats that 
were just freakish week, season in, season out. The stats are better at 17 than Messi. I was—yeah, I know that. And I say to myself, 
listen, if that—if that boy goes on every season to suddenly go by, “Wait a minute, 
I’ve scored 40 this season, I’ve scored 50,   I’ve won five Ballon d’Ors, and I’ve won numerous 
Champions Leagues,” I get your point. You know, then roll on. We are in for a brilliant 10 
or 15 years. But I’ve got them in there and I’m looking at the new generation and I’m saying 
to myself, “We’ve watched some great football.” So let’s look at the players that excite 
us now. And I’ve picked 10 that I think, “Oh yeah, I like watching them. 
They’re really good.” Somebody   will come up with somebody who’s a 
better player, undoubtedly younger, and maybe in the South American game—because I 
think sometimes in Europe, we’re very insular. Yamal, Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinicius 
Jr., Raphinha, Ousmane Dembélé at PSG, Musiala at Bayern Munich, Cole 
Palmer, Saka—Saka, sorry—and Pedri. Who’s the young Hungarian midfielder 
that plays for Real Madrid? You know the one? No. No, I’m gone. But I will look it up. Yeah, I would add—I would add 
Kvaratskhelia of PSG to that. Yeah, he’s 24. I would say if I had a couple 
of PSG players, I think Hakimi—I was watching Dumfries last night and thought 
maybe—but I thought Hakimi was the best   fullback in the world until I saw how Dumfries 
played last night. Maybe joint number one. And I love Vitinha. Vitinha is not 
a guy that gets you off your seat,   but I just think in that midfield role—just 
picking, going—like I just, you know, that water—that water carrier but at a different 
level. I love watching these kind of players. That’s a decent list, Peter. It’s not a bad list. I mean, there’s 
some people that will come up with   others. I just quickly thought to 
myself, “I’ll come up with 10.” I’m looking for your Hungarian party from the 
Real Madrid, and for the life of me, I can’t see— Is this—is this somebody that maybe 
you had thought of from many years ago in a video you’ve watched, and you 
don’t realize he’s moved on or retired? I can’t see a Hungarian— Listen, I’m not— You haven’t just turned 70? Yeah, absolutely. Throw me under the bus. Yeah. I don’t see a Hungarian in that. Who’s the boy that plays in the middle 
of the park? Is it Hungary he plays with? Yeah, this is—do you know what this reminds me 
of, by the way? This reminds me of Ruffy. He   fires out a line, and then it’s the complete 
polar opposite of where we’re going with it. So I don’t know who the guy 
he’s on about, but if you— That’s our competition this week 
on The Journos. Who’s the Hungarian that Parksy’s talking about that could 
end up being a German international? You win a chocolate cake. Yes, exactly. And a seat and a cake. Yeah. So by the way, any others that 
I’ve missed that you might want to— No, I think you’ve got a fairly comprehensive list 
here. By the way, as far as Real Madrid concerned, has he got the name Güler? I’ve got 
the nationality wrong but that’s just— Yeah, just a detail. Just a minor technicality on him. Turkey. Yes. Yeah. Which is really close to— Really. All part of the Ottoman Empire at one time. Same political, political structure. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has collapsed in the 
wake of the First World War, as Gordon well knows. That Güler was part of—sorry, 
Hungary soon to be Turkey. Yes, absolutely. So anyway, you rate him? I think he’s fantastic again, but just that 
old head on young shoulders, keeps the ball. Okay, listen, there’s always fallout. We’re 
going to talk about Hearts shortly as well.   We’ll talk about some of the awards from the PFA 
Scotland. Old Firm fallout—it always usually, you know, Monday and Tuesday’s conspiracy 
and slaughtering everybody. Wednesday you start to take a more balanced view of some of 
the questions that will come out of it. And I think as far as players are concerned, there 
was a—there are so many things that emerged from Celtic and Rangers games. I thought it was 
fairly flat, but of the questions that emerged, I listened to the interview with Cyriel 
Dessers and he said, “Listen, you know, if somebody said at the start of the whole 
campaign, I’m going to be here for two seasons,   I’m going to score 47 goals, I’d be pretty happy.” 
And I thought it was a good point by the lad. You know, I like him in an interview basis. 
I have no insight to him. I have no pals with   him. I just think at the end of the day, 
maybe he doesn’t score enough big goals, maybe he’s missed too many—that 47 should be 
67 goals. But he’s certainly divisive. And I don’t know, maybe—is there another manager who 
comes in and suddenly gets the best out of him? No, no. No. He can flatter himself all he wants 
but again, your eyes don’t betray you. You need to be the guy. If you’re the guy at Celtic or Rangers 
and charged with that responsibility—there’s been moments during Rangers’ seasons, the past 
two seasons, that he’s been so wasteful that it’s hurting—hurting the team to a degree that 
you can’t go again with him. Enough’s enough. I was at the Millwall-Rangers 
game two weeks ago and again,   he missed two absolute sitters 
before he finally scored. Your ratio has to be better than that. You could 
say enough’s enough—it’s time to sell him. Again, who’s coming in to buy him for 
the money that Rangers are wanting? You don’t go to games with blindfolds on. You look 
at what you see. His link-up play has improved, he does score goals, but he doesn’t score them—and 
the chances he’s getting. Some of the ones he   misses—it’s too critical for Rangers at this 
point in time to go with failed projects. And Cyriel Dessers might compliment himself on his 
strike rate, which is impressive to a degree,   but it’s camouflaged with the fact that 
he’s been part of a massive failure. Yeah. The only drawback, 
Alison—there’s—as said, there is—yes,   there’s always a buyer for people 
who’ve scored 47 goals in two seasons, but it’s whether that fee matches 
the evaluation in Rangers’ mind,   which at the moment I think might be slightly 
higher than what some people are willing to pay. Yeah, I think there were a number of clubs 
in January, according to the player himself. I think—yeah, I take your point about 
where they are in commanding a fee and what they want for it. But I think 
Gordon’s right. I think if it’s a clean   slate and new owners coming in, I just 
don’t think he’s been clinical enough. And I think the big problem at 
Rangers has not been selling   players at the right time. I think 
if the stats are good and impressive, you go and you get the highest fee you 
can probably get and then move on from it. Big problem is his wages. Moving on? Yeah. You know, because the money is 
on—the kind of clubs that will come in   for him might—will not want to pay in excess 
of a million pound a year in wages for him. The big problem—the big—the figure 
that matters is not 47 goals in   two years. The figure that matters is one 
trophy. One domestic trophy in two years. If he’d scored 47 goals and Rangers were 
on course for a—you know, Rangers had won the league last year and on course for a 
treble this year, everything would be fine. The fact of the matter is— We’d be fighting over him. The fact of the matter is, they’ve 
won one trophy out of six, and everybody’s looking at the reasons why that is. I have to say, though, if you’re talking about 
evaluation, he sold himself in Europe. I thought he was excellent. He’s an instinctive—if 
you give him time to think about it,   it’s a problem. I thought in Europe the way that 
he led the line—Old Trafford as well—fantastic. So I compliment him for that. I think there’ll 
be suitors this summer, I think they will,   just whether or not their body of work has 
to be more impressive. Right now it’s not. I’ve seen—I’ve seen players command a fee who 
you wonder how the hell they managed to sign them or anybody was willing to buy the person, 
because, you know, you couldn’t see anything. And then they take a chance. And the best example is 
that Manchester United have a track record which, you know, is unparalleled and certainly nobody 
can compete with them in buying flops. So there’s always clubs that will buy somebody you 
think is not top drawer—lesser than top drawer. Take the Kökçü argument. He’s now struggling 
to get a game at Rennes. And you transfer that form that he’s got in Scotland over to the 
French league. He joined the wrong—sometimes the   environment saps you. Two games later, you know, 
there’s a lot of the circumstantial things that allow players to click, ignite, or go the opposite 
way. Yeah. Nineteen goals. I’m not going to get down the road of, well, is he a nine million pound 
player or not. They overpaid for him. Absolutely. But again, if we’re arguing over—the Dessers point 
comes into that category—young boy like Idah, you know, there’s room for improvement in lots 
of areas. I’m not seeing it at the moment. I’ll tell you another thing about 
it. You can always tell this,   whether it’s a Celtic or Rangers signing, as 
Gordon mentioned, your eyes don’t deceive you. The general consensus is, OK, he’s 
scored 19 goals, but he’s not impressed. I know. But the two things he’s got going 
for him is that this is a manager’s player. So he’s going to get a lot more leeway—leeway 
than the manager’s put. This is not quite the record signing. It was a record signing before 
Idah’s come in. And Brendan, not even a year ago, Brendan Rodgers sat down post Scottish 
Cup Final and said, “This is my man. This is the man I want, etc., etc. This 
is the man I’m going to play regularly.” Off the bench. Yeah. You know, his touch 
to manipulate the ball in an area to go and finish on Sunday was fantastic. Well, he scores, and I didn’t 
think he had that in his locker. Well, the thing—that’s the set point. One, 
the manager. Second thing is, about Idah,   is Idah, unlike others, has got a habit of 
scoring big goals in big games. See if—if you actually put his highlight reel up—I mean, 
we all know how deceptive highlight reels could be—if you just in memory go back, the goal, you 
know—scores a winner in the Scottish Cup Final,   scores two in the Champions League, down at Aston 
Villa, he scored a couple of times at Ibrox, you know, last year as well. He was instrumental 
in coming off the bench and getting Celtic over the line, I think at Motherwell once. 
You know, he’s—he’s scored big goals. I think he’s—I think it’ll be interesting what 
happens in the summer, because Celtic have to, for a variety of reasons, have to bolster 
the front three. And I’m just wondering where the money will go on that. Will 
they get another top centre-forward? They certainly do. They desperately need another winger. Yeah. You’re— Yeah, I get that point. You only have to—if 
you don’t listen to what a manager has to say, you certainly have to look at the decisions he 
makes. And this is a man that they’ve paid nine million pounds for. He’s young, can get better. 
I’ll give him that. But he’s not playing him. Yeah, I think that tells you everything. I 
think the fact that even when Kyogo went, I think everyone anticipated then that he 
would be the guy that took the jersey. Instead, obviously, he moved Maeda through the middle. 
I think that does tell you everything. I think you can’t ignore the 
valuation. The repertoire that he’s got in his locker isn’t enough. The 
value that they’ve paid for him, clearly— Right. Yeah, I think that’s a club failing. I think like 
when you brought him in on loan last January, the first thing you should be doing is saying, 
“Here’s the clause. You know, here’s what we’re   willing to pay if we want to go ahead and 
sign him.” We put a clause in for—everybody can see he’s one-dimensional. He has to grow 
in that Celtic jersey, but he has to add more. Yeah. Just on that point—and this is the big 
dilemma for every club when it gets to the   summer and how much they’re going to spend—you 
know, I tend to dismiss at the moment a lot of the articles written about, “Here comes the 
impending takeover at Rangers,” because I think a lot of it is just being fed to people who 
gleefully write whatever comes out of Ibrox. But as far as any takeover that 
does materialise, you know, suddenly you’re looking, you’re saying, 
“Will they be able to spend millions upon millions that everybody thinks is going to 
happen?” And the answer is emphatically no. Hugh? Well, there’s certain constraints on it. We 
know about—there’s legal constraints with UEFA, with the financial fair play. I think though 
if you were sitting in a Celtic boardroom, you’d be looking across the river and 
you’d be saying to yourself—and these   are intelligent people, you know—they’ve 
dominated Scottish football for all of this century while making tens of millions 
of pounds. I’d be looking across the road   and saying, “I think they might 
be getting their act together.” Yeah. Because the people are coming in—I don’t—can you   be sure? No. But I’m pretty certain 
they’ll not be splashing huge cash. Yeah. But they’ll be splashing cash. And they’ll be 
splashing cash on a strategy, not on—you know, “Well, the manager likes these three guys, 
give him them.” No. “This is the figures.   This is what we can give. This is the analytics. 
This is what we need.” They’ll be sitting down. There’ll also be an infrastructure put in place 
that starts to build for a long-term vision,   not just an immediate stop-gaps of “Let’s bring 
in X, Y and Z.” They’ve got a massive problem, as Hugh said. Who’s moving on when they’re getting 
money they’re never going to get elsewhere? So unless they’re coming in to compensate and clear 
out fortune, I think that due diligence is where, you know—as well as the due diligence in looking 
at the infrastructure that Allison’s talking about   and saying, “OK, we’re going to have to spend 
this on the stadium, we’re going to have to try and take out some of the players that are 
not good enough, then we’re going to have to   recruit. Obviously got to get the right manager 
as well,” and then understand what it’s going to take to try and flip this quickly to get the 
rewards of maybe a Champions League group stage. So all of that is in the equation 
that they’re going to have to assess,   as well as we say that whether 
it’s Rangers or Celtic, you can’t spend willy-nilly because of what 
you mentioned, which is financial fair play. Graeme has quoted a figure of 50 million 
pounds for Rangers’ injection to compete, and that’s purely on the budget for players. It’s fantasy island. There’s absolutely no way that they’re going 
to get anywhere close to that kind of injection for recruitment. Everybody knows that. But 
Rangers fans should maybe temper the fact that,   as you say, structures and building long-term 
is where the money should be invested, because there’s not enough money to 
change things quickly at Rangers. And with that, the flip side for Celtic is, 
is this potentially his final year where Brendan Rodgers turns around and says, 
“Listen, I need the four or five players   that I was talking about for that final 
push to where my remit on this contract is fulfilled,” which is “Give me three or 
four or five players of genuine quality so that we could go beyond a Bayern 
Munich.” Or is that pie in the sky? I think it’d be very, very difficult, given—you 
know, to—I mean, remember, what was it, 26 million they spent? You know, I know they got 
a lot of money in, but, you know, they bought back Jota for eight, they bought Tilio for six, they 
bought Idah for nine, Lagerbielke for eleven. Yeah. How difficult will it be to sell that point you’re 
making, Hugh, on the basis that probably in the summer, if they don’t announce they’ve got 
100 million in the bank, I’ll be gobsmacked? Yeah, I know. But I just think 
like that strategically. I think, will they go again like 
that? I very much doubt it. Yeah. And I think— Smaller amounts? Yeah, I think so. And I also think that 
this’ll be Brendan Rodgers’ last year,   because I think he’ll look at—he will—I 
think as well, there’s a tenure for managers at Celtic and Rangers. And I think 
it’s a very difficult job. I know we throw   Brendan Rodgers’ wife into the mix because she 
apparently loves living in Glasgow, so that is, you know, always—you know, somebody 
said at the PFA the other day there, “Happy wife, happy life,” you know, if 
your family’s happy in a place, etc., etc. But I think another year would probably be enough. Do you not think his comments last 
week were quite telling? The fact that he didn’t entertain any notion that he 
was anything other than completely focused? But for Brendan Rodgers, lock yourself in 
for one more year and you’ve done your time. Yeah. And then you can walk away— Yeah. Without drama. People say, “Well, where will he 
go? Where will he go?” There’ll be   a job in the league for him and 
there’s a job in Saudi for him. Mhm. Yeah. OK. Brendan, if you’re listening, there’s 
a strategy. This is what you have to do. But just one little downside to it all—and 
there’s always, there’s always a downside to a Celtic Rangers game, a Rangers Celtic 
game—and that is basically the conduct   of people that you never really want 
to spend any time with in your life. Even if you walked down the middle of 
Buchanan Street, you would be walking   in a different world from what I call people 
who have no morals, no values, no principles, and basically will do anything to tarnish the 
name of a club because of their own conduct, because of the way they conduct their life—whether 
it be through sectarianism, bigotry, you name it. I think Rangers let themselves down with 
the banner thing. I think they should have had a tighter grip on the banner because 
there’s a group of fans who just basically will put anything up that, you know, is poor 
taste. And by the way, it’s poor taste. And I’m watching—and right across a lot of social 
media where they’re now selling T-shirts   and mugs with the banner on it—to appeal to a 
percentage of fans who like that sort of thing. Yeah, the fallout for me and the really most 
interesting part of the fallout for me—because usually it’s all tedious, you know. For me, the 
banner is tedious. Throwing bottles on the park is tedious. Guys celebrating the death of 
fans in a tragic accident is just tedious. I was about to get to that. It’s just awful stuff, and it 
happens. And there’s not that   much we can say about it because 
we just see what’s happening. I think the really interesting thing politically 
for me was Rangers putting out a statement about   the banner, and the way they put the 
statement out. And this follows with a very strong statement about Rangers Football 
Club is for everybody. If you don’t fancy it, on your bike. Now, that’s gained a lot 
of traction, and I know the fans board   were talking about that last night. And 
I’ll be interested to look at the minutes from that meeting because they talked about the 
last—we’ve had a robust discussion about this. My take on this—and I haven’t got it from 
anybody else—but my instinctive take on   this is that this new board is coming 
in. And Patrick Stewart, of course, has released a statement, but I think 
it would be naive to suggest he’s not   had a word with the potential owners over 
this, or they’ve not had a word with us. And I think this might be the biggest cultural sea 
change. I think this might be the story—that the board are coming in and just saying, “We are not 
putting up with this.” It’s a really heavy-handed, unambiguous, heavy statement. I’ve never 
seen a Rangers statement like that before. And this board—and it wouldn’t be a surprise 
because you remember Fenway Group at Liverpool, remember the Evra controversy with Suarez? Yes. Kenny and his players came out in warm-up 
with a “We Back Suarez” or whatever it was. And the very next day, Fenway said, “No, we 
don’t. No, we don’t, Kenny. No, we don’t, players. If you ever wear anything like that 
again, it’s disciplinary. We don’t support that.” I share your view on the group and 
where they might be strong-willed, resolute on the way they want to 
conduct themselves. I think it would   take a heck of a long time to cull a group 
of people who think all that is acceptable. I think if you start cutting them out—if 
you start cutting that bad apple out of a   support—then suddenly you say to yourself, wait 
a minute, that’s a large chunk of people who are buying merchandise, who are coming to games, 
and they’ll say, “This is our tradition. We   want to be singing our songs. We want to be doing 
things that annoy the life out of our opposition.” Yeah. And I think you’re going to have that resistance. I thought the interesting thing yesterday 
after all the hullabaloo about the banner, the statement, the police inquiry, and then, 
of course, there are no charges brought, was the reaction then. People saying, “Well 
there you go, that’s a lesson for you,   Patrick Stewart.” That was the prevailing 
feeling amongst the Rangers support—that they weren’t happy about the statement 
and they weren’t happy at the inherent   criticism that came in the back of it 
towards that element of the support. But for me, I think over the last month, you’ve 
had two very, very strong statements that have been utterly condemning that kind of 
mentality, that kind of core belief. But they’ve not just condemned it. What they’ve 
said is: we don’t want to be a club for you. This is not—and it is—listen, you’re going to 
have to try and steer a ship that stood for certain values and certain cultural aspects for 
over a century. It’s not an easy fix. But this is the very first time you’ve had a club come 
in, and you’ve had the board come in and say,   “We’re not standing for it. We’re disassociating 
ourselves. We wish to move away. We do not want this club to be representative of the values that 
you’re projecting.” But that cultural change is a generational one. There’s an underbelly at a lot 
of football clubs, certainly Rangers to a certain degree, and it typifies a kind of—they trade 
on certain unacceptable values. And that’s a generational thing and that’s not going to shift 
quickly. And we’re kidding ourselves if we think   it’s a minority, because it’s not. We all 
listen to the songs that were sung at the weekend—not acceptable, but are acceptable 
because they’re obviously still getting sung. But what’s interesting is it’s the first 
time you’ve had the club come out and say, “We don’t understand, we don’t 
want it.” But there is a trading   value. You’re actually coming out and saying no. Right. When can you ever recall any of that? I can’t in my time. It’s an unspoken word though about 
the values of certain Rangers fans, and it’s a very controversial kind of 
hot topic. I don’t know if I’m prepared   to get into it to that kind of depth. But 
it is cultural, generational, and it is an underbelly. And to shift that underbelly 
is going to take a generation to do that. I think your point of view—and whether people 
might say there’s an innocence to this,   or there’s like—your point of view would be, we 
do not want to change the fans. We just don’t want them in the ground. If you are like that, we 
are not wanting to change your opinions. We don’t   want to change what you do in your private 
life. What we do want is—we don’t want you. They’ve said this. Don’t want you. But you—bigotry drives an economic aspect 
of the Old Firm rivalry. And it’s sold on that to a degree. And to deny that 
is not to confront it truthfully. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, listen, I understand where you’re coming from 
with statements. But with all due respect,   whether it’s governments, whether it’s 
dealing with sport, whether it’s football, whether it’s integrity—I’ve heard lots of 
really strong statements before in my life. I’ve not. No, I thought—you know what I thought 
it was kind of reminiscent of? The Fergus McCann thing. The boys against bigotry. And he got a 
lot of flack and a lot of it. Reminiscent of a new broom coming in and saying, “Wait a minute, 
we’re part of a much wider commercial world. We don’t want to be tainted by any associations 
that impact us negatively as a business.” No, nobody’s debating the integrity of 
the statement. What Gordon’s pointed out, which I believe is difficult, 
is they’re trying to cure the   ills of a society in this country which 
is acceptable for that type of behaviour. But I don’t think they’re trying to cure 
the society. What they’re trying to say is,   you can have that, but not here. Not in here. Yeah, I agree. No, reputational damage is 
real, right? Reputational damage is real. If the investment is sizable, they’re taking 
a big gamble. Because I don’t think that you can address the classroom and say, “This 
is how we have to behave if you want to be here,” and all that—it just doesn’t 
work at a club like Glasgow Rangers. Well, I think if you’ve played second 
fiddle to Celtic for the best part of a quarter of a century, and somebody’s 
coming in and saying, “Hang on a minute,   we’re bringing in money, investment, we can 
change the landscape of what happens on the pitch,” which is ultimately the most 
important thing that you want to see,   then there’s a certain way that you have to go. 
You have to come with us, or you have to leave. Yeah, I listen—I embrace the integrity 
of the statement. I think the jury’s   out on do we see whether the actual 
practical part of this—to cut out that rotten apple—and how much of that 
rotten apple needs to be cut out. And on the other side—I’m not going to miss 
this—to see someone mock the death of 66 fans, I think he’s lost his job as well, is just—I mean,   it just—everything you need to know about 
certain individuals. That whole picture of that gentleman mocking the death of 
66 Rangers fans, it just fills you— The lowest form of—the lowest 
common denominator is allowed   access to a football ground, as you saw at 
the Aberdeen–St Mirren game at the weekend. Yes. A disgusting, repulsive 
incident with a handicapped fan. So you’re going to get absolutely 
scourges of society doing these things. Yeah. Rangers don’t want to be tainted with their 
element—every football club has an element of it. But the problem they have to address, 
if they’re the new broom—do they banish, or do they have to tolerate? They 
have to make a big decision in this. I think it will become a culture 
of condemnation. Every time you have something that raises its head, it will be,   “We do not want this to be part of our club. We 
don’t want it. We’re asking you to leave it.” The Rangers one at the weekend was a collective,   which we’re all addressing at the moment. The 
individual who came in with the 66—beggars belief. Where in your life can you be 
brought up to think that’s acceptable? But football never fails to astonish 
you for that. I mean, you can have chants now about people dying, and you have 
it—never. I mean, no matter how low it goes, there always seems another—and you see it. 
And it’s not just a Glasgow problem, although it was most obvious in Glasgow. But I mean 
Manchester United and Liverpool trade awful stuff. It’s like—I think in many ways, it’s like a wee 
boy thing. It’s like how—and it is a masculine thing—about how bad can I be? How low can I 
go? How low can I go and show how hardcore I am in this? About people dying in stairways, 
about people dying inside football grounds, football players dying in crashes, about 
football players dying of natural causes. And it’s this kind of thing. It’s a very, very 
weird thing. And it’s almost like a showing off, ego thing—this is how hard I am, I can go, I can 
graphically go really low. And the only way out of that is quite simple. On football grounds 
now as well, with CCTV, is identifying people. So that gets back to the—that’s the 
question. What do you do? You tolerate,   put out statements, or you banish? You’ve got to banish. Because the only way to 
actually have a real ground shift and set in   place the journey towards a culture shift is 
to tell them they’re not wanted and actually act on it. I actually thought—if you go 
back and you look at that Boys Against   Bigotry thing from Fergus McCann—I think it did 
change elements within the Celtic support. Now, it’s never eradicated. If you go to an away 
game, it’s a very different experience and a very different song sheet from what you would 
get at Celtic Park. But I think at Celtic Park, it definitely became much more sanitised than what 
it ever had been before. There was a shift there. There—and there were conversations about 
it. There were conversations about it. Just before we talk about Hugh’s cake, which is 
sitting there resplendent to celebrate the 70th, Hearts forefront—Tony Bloom has 
looked to possibly just—£10 million investment. Although if you read Barry 
Anderson, he said it’s £9.86 million. Well done. Well done Barry for being so specific on 
these things. Fourteen’s quite a lot of money. Yeah absolutely. It’s a centre and a half. But the good thing about Barry is he’s in there.   He’s a journalist who will be at the 
heart of it—if you’ll excuse the pun. The minority shareholding would be 29%. 
8,000 Foundation of Hearts members will now vote—aye or nay—on May or by May 26th. So 
he’s got an involvement in Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise and now he’s serious about 
Hearts. So—sorry Al, I keep kicking you. Metaphorically, as much as anything else. Yes, absolutely. If this is a podcast, people are wondering 
what is happening in that studio. But he’s serious about it. He’s 
putting his money where his mouth   is. And this looks as if it could 
be something good for Hearts. Is it good for Hearts? And is there a trend in 
Scottish football that could be positive? Well, it is a trend. I mean, Scottish football is 
obviously attracting interest. And it’s attracting interest because—particularly American—but 
overseas buyers are seeing it as undervalued.   Particularly undervalued in the sense that 
if there is a shake-up in Europe—you know, the Scottish brands will go. I mean, 
if there’s a shake-up in Europe,   for example for a European league, 
can you imagine how much more attractive Scottish clubs from Celtic, 
Rangers, and then Hearts would be? So there’s a slight gamble in that. But they 
also think that—genuinely—undervalued anyway. I mean because if you say about Hearts—if you 
buy Brighton for example and you’re paying an awful lot of money for that, you’d 
probably say to yourself things like:   European football isn’t guaranteed. But if you 
buy Hearts, you can actually say to yourself—and I know this season they’re not—but you 
could say to yourself, “Right, European,   we’ll go.” If you buy Hearts, you say we have a 
season ticket book which is basically a sell-out and we have guaranteed European football every 
year. Or should have guaranteed European football. So it’s already an attractive buy. I think the 
problem is—and I think it’ll be interesting—is that some Hearts supporters, whom I 
know, are not sold on this at all. Wow. They are within the members. Because the Foundation of Hearts quotes 
that I’ve read is very supportive. Very supportive. They’re sort of influential voices of businessmen 
that I know and I talked to last night about this—because I was kind of surprised that 
I’d heard there was some dissent. So this is welcome to my life at 70 years old—making 
check calls on Hearts at half six. But anyway—I talked to them and they had genuine concerns 
because they wanted to remain a fan-owned club. But you will under this circuit. But they wanted to be increased as a fan-owned 
club. You know, they see this process of being completely fan-owned. They’ve got some 
suspicions—as everybody has—of people coming in. So it’s—I think it’ll pass because I think 
most people look at this and say, “Oh my goodness, we’re getting £9.86 million and we’re getting 
a guy who knows what football is about, who’s got obvious interest in other clubs.” I 
think it’ll go through—but there are dissenting   voices. The only thing about that—and I 
know you’re usually controversial when you come on the show, Parksie—but from 
my point of view, I don’t buy into this. I think there’s a ceiling point with, you 
know, a high percentage of fan-owned clubs. That’s true. You know, because James Anderson and Ann Budge 
and a number of wealthy people have all had to dip their hand in their pocket, where fans would 
have been going, “Oh wait a minute, you’re asking   us—we’re already paying our subscription per 
month, but we want good players on the park, but we want to beat Hibs.” Do you know what I 
mean? I think there’s a ceiling point for it. Well, ceiling point seems to be the comment 
that’s made about Hearts and Hibs consistently. How many times have you interviewed 
a manager and asked the question,   when do you go through that ceiling? If 
you’re speculating across the Scottish game, Hearts are a prime club. The stadium’s 
fantastic, they’re going to get the hotel   there, it’s in the capital, it’s got real 
proper football big-time club potential. The only way through the ceiling is financial. 
So Hearts fans need to just accept it. Will this make enough of an impact? 
It could. But how many times, Alison, have you interviewed Hearts and Hibs 
players—Hugh—and the question about the   glass ceiling and separating the Old Firm 
always was one that causes them to shriek? If Hearts want to take that extra 
step—and it is the club I think that, Hibs as well clearly, they’ve got the 
money coming as well—but Hearts are   a prime football club to be that 
project club to try and do that. Yeah, and it will require money 
that the fans can’t accrue. It   needs to come in from an independent 
body. And I think it’s a win-win. Yeah. And we talked about the 49ers and 
Rangers, the Black Knights, Hibernian, Tony Bloom suddenly at Hearts—could this 
be a trend that suddenly maybe stimulates   our game? Outside money and a different 
approach and a different viewpoint to marketing—to just to trying to take a club 
to a level that they haven’t reached before? I think it’s just a new unexplored avenue. 
I think you see the success that they’ve had with it with the stats-based background and 
the impact that it can have when it comes to your recruitment, when it comes to bringing 
in players that fit the mould of how the— I was going to say it’s not even how the 
manager wants to play, it will be how the club wishes to play. The identity of the 
club, and which players fit into that system. I think it’s interesting. I think—I certainly 
think it’s something that clubs would do well, I think, to explore. Just as a 
footnote—they’re still looking for   a manager, you know. Ryan Stevenson 
and a number of people are saying, you know, Derek McInnes, go and give him 
the job. And I look and I say to myself,   how can a man that wins Manager of the Year 
three times and plays attractive football with Falkirk—albeit Falkirk—and albeit it was 
nervy at the end, but I wonder why he’s not   really at the forefront. And John McGlynn is 
63 and doesn’t have a tan and a side parting. No, no. I—I heard one of the—one of 
the—um—talking about somebody that   doesn’t have a tan or a side parting. That’s 
why I thought you were better placed than most. The thing that baffles me a wee bit about 
Hearts is, I know they’re going to talk to—well,   I’ve heard they’re going to actually talk to 
him. How seriously they’re going to talk to him, I don’t know. But I heard that they’re 
going to talk to him by the end of the week.   The thing about Hearts is that, if you have a 
strategy—and at the beginning of the season when Steven Naismith went, they had to get—Steven 
Naismith went—they had to get a manager,   and they said, “This is our strategy. This 
is our strategy for hiring a manager.” Then six months later, they’re saying, 
“Well, this isn’t our strategy for   hiring a manager anymore.” That’s alarm bells 
going off in my head, because Derek McInnes, Stephen Robinson, and John McGlynn were 
all there, you know, six months ago. Yes. And there wasn’t a peep about them. So 
why is there a peep about them now? And   if I was a strategic thinker in the 
boardroom—if I was, for instance, a James Anderson—I would say, 
“Wait a minute here. You know,   what is the strategy? Because if the strategy 
is that, why didn’t we do it six months ago?” Well—well sometimes, and football is a strange old 
game where sometimes the blind can lead the blind. You walk into a room with somebody who 
said, “Listen, I have these tablets of   stone and this is the light, the way and 
the truth,” and they all jump in and go, “Well, we’re going to embrace it.” Kneel in head. One hundred percent. The problem at Hearts 
is just as you actually said. Forget John, forget Graham—this computer is 
going to give you the next manager,   because you’ve got Graeme Jones and Andrew 
McKinlay who are not only bought into it, they’re contained within that whole project. 
Now Graeme Jones is a sport scientist—not, to my knowledge, a great football mind or a 
contact-based guy more than squash. Andrew McKinlay’s just come in from the golf world. 
The great well in the world at Hearts lacks professional football acumen, I believe, 
in the boardroom. And that’s a concern. I think—I think the computer’s going 
to give you another—another manager, because they have—they’re 
hook, line and sinker with it. Yeah. Um, listen—we’ve almost reached the end 
of the programme. Great as ever. Forthright in our opinions. But I’ve got to say, little cake 
there—70 years of age. That’s why we go like that. You might, uh, you might not know this, Allison, 
but, uh, you know, with PLZ Soccer over the years, right at the very start I realised I needed a 
sane voice in the room, um, alongside Roughy, and—and we got the legend. The problem I had even 
by bringing on the legend—and that’s, you know, that experience of a 70-year-old—is in the first 
couple of years, even a programme like The Journos would not have survived without him taking it 
down the road and giving us a Bobby Murdoch story. Um, and then eventually I had to intervene and 
say, “Listen, Hugh, we’re talking about fans and their conduct inside a stadium. What the 
hell has that got to do with Bobby Murdoch?” So—it’s been a joy over the years, but 
70, Hugh—magnificent. And by the way, I know you didn’t get into the football journalism 
aspect of it until maybe the last decade, but prior to that, huge football fan. You’ve seen 
some right good players and some right good games. Eight different decades I’ve watched football 
in. Eight different decades. Oh—from the 1950s, uh, right through to the—what 
do we call this?—the 2020s? Yeah. Would Bobby Murdoch have survived in today’s game? Yeah, good players would always—always be good 
players. I think, uh, I think one of the great things about it is, like, there’s a 
lot of things when I was growing up,   and then I was in the Herald and it was, 
like, very much the middle class paper that—that football was kind of looked 
down upon, you know, at the Herald. Yeah. Like, I was—I was in—I was in what they 
call the back bench. So I was the chief   sub-editor. So you—you talked about—you 
talked about, uh, education policies, economic stuff, and—and if you 
mentioned the word football… It was— I was okay. But last night—last night, for 
the—for the millionth time—last night I was sitting on my own with my cup of tea watching 
a game of football and just—my God, I love it. Do you know—can I—can I 
tell a wee story about you? Yes. Before we came on air, he sat there and he gave 
a narration to the young staff that are in here, and you spoke about life lessons, 
right? And it was really touching   to hear you impart your knowledge. And what 
he actually said was quite poignant, right? But do you know what? You are proof 
you don’t have to be cynical or be   infected by the cynical elements 
of football. You just enjoy it. Yeah. This, uh, reminds me of that—it 
was a lovely—I won’t give you a lift. Thank you. It was—it was a lovely—it was a lovely 
line, Hugh, but it reminded me of the movie that Robert De Niro was in when he 
was infected and he didn’t have the same optimistic outlook. And that was—what 
was that one where he played Lucifer? It’s such a good movie. Was it not Angel Heart? With what’s—Mickey— Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke. And I—I was listening to you and 
I thought, my God, there’s somebody in the dark side who actually is looking, thinking, “It’s 
too late for me.” But you are an array of light. You’d be amazed what I would 
do if I left home. Absolutely. Uh, happy birthday to you, Hugh. I know 
it’s—it’s passed, and you spent it with the most important people in life, which is your 
family. Um, but, uh, we certainly view you as our   family here at PLZ Soccer, and it’s been a joy 
having you about. Seventy years of age, Ally. I—I hope I’m here. I hope 
you’re still here talking to me. It’s not this new slick presenter who says to you, “Well Ally, you’re 70 now. It would 
be great. You can reflect on it.” I hope I’m not working at 70. I hope I—I 
hope I’m—I’m sitting on a beach somewhere. Well, there’s a lot of people who have 
obviously expressed that wish now for you   on our social media, but that’s—that’s 
the nature of life nowadays. Listen, it’s been a joy. I hope we’re going to get a 
slice of the cake because obviously he likes   to slice it up with the people that mean most 
to him, um, and he also gives it to people that he thinks are beyond redemption, which 
gives me a nice chance to thank Gordon Parks   for coming into the studio alongside Hugh 
MacDonald and of course Alison McConnell. Don’t forget we’ve got PLZ Premium. 
Uh, if you want additional content,   there’s lots of really good stuff coming up 
on it. You get discounts on our merchandise. You’ll also get a chance to go to our 
events. We’ve got an evening with Gordon   Strachan and Martin O’Neill coming up. If 
you want to check out our YouTube channel, you can get yourself some tickets and get along 
to that, which should be brilliant—Clough,   Ferguson, Aberdeen, Nottingham Forest, and 
Celtic. What a night that’s going to be. Anyway, from all of us here on The Journos,   thank you to everyone who listens on 
the podcast. We really do appreciate your support and across all our social 
media. Thanks for listening and watching.

Are Rangers FC fans ready for a major culture change at the club? We discuss Rangers fans’ banner controversy at Ibrox, Old Firm fan conduct, and a potential seachange in club values.

Martin O’Neill vs Gordon Strachan LIVE – Get Tickets Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1345290603409?aff=oddtdtcreator
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The Journos Highlights:

00:00 Intro – PLZ Soccer’s The Journos
Peter Martin welcomes viewers

01:00 Ayr United vs Partick Thistle and Inter Milan vs Barcelona
A humorous take on the differing appeal of Scottish Championship games compared to European football.

01:26 Champions League Semi-Finals Reaction
The panel discuss how this season has delivered a vintage Champions League with thrilling knockout games, standout ties, and incredible drama.

03:05 Praise for Attacking Football & Coaching Evolution
Conversation on modern tactical evolution, especially among elite coaches like Hans-Dieter Flick and Simone Inzaghi, focusing on entertainment and attack-minded setups.

04:54 Influence of Pep Guardiola & Manchester City
Gordon highlights Guardiola’s compressed, high-pressing game as a blueprint elite clubs have followed.

05:26 Football Player Athleticism & Technical Growth
Hugh notes how modern players are more athletic and technically balanced across the pitch, eliminating past archetypes like the “lump it” centre-half.

06:59 PSG’s Transformation Without Messi, Neymar and Mbappe
Praise for PSG’s transformation without Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé. Credit given to their coach and team ethic over Galáctico culture.

13:28 Dessers Rangers Stats – Should Rangers Sell Him?
In-depth talk on Cyril Dessers’ mixed time at Rangers. Stats vs performances, and debate on whether he’s worth a new chance or should be moved on.

18:33 Celtic’s Transfer Failures & Oh Hyeon-gyu
Panel criticise Celtic’s big spend on Oh and the decision-making process that led to it. Debate around whether he has a future or not.

23:00 Rangers Takeover Bid 49ers & Financial Strategy
Scepticism over supposed new investment at Rangers. Discussion of financial constraints and the reality of modern football budgets.

25:21 Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic Future
Is this Rodgers’ final season? The panel discusses whether the Celtic board will back him with high-quality signings and what happens if they don’t.

29:13 Old Firm Fan Conduct, Sectarianism & Rangers’ Statement
Strong views on banners, chants, and sectarian behaviour. Rangers’ statement is examined as a potential cultural shift from the incoming board.

34:04 Rangers FC Culture & Club Identity Change Under New Owners
Gordon argues this is the most direct stance Rangers have taken in decades. Hugh and Alison agree it may mark a pivotal shift, but the challenge lies in generational change.

39:04 Banishing vs Tolerating Football Fans Who Cross the Line
Debate over whether clubs should condemn or actively ban fans engaging in unacceptable behaviour.

41:00 Hearts FC £9.8M Investment by Tony Bloom
Analysis of Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s potential £10m investment in Hearts. Questions about fan ownership, long-term strategy, and whether it signals a trend.

44:51 Hearts FC Fans Divided on Investment
Some within the Foundation of Hearts remain sceptical of external control. Hugh reveals behind-the-scenes insight on dissenting views.

46:41 Wider Trend of Overseas Investment in Scottish Football Clubs
The panel explores how foreign owners see Scottish football as undervalued, with strategic buys (like Hearts, Hibs, and Rangers) offering big potential.

47:39 Derek McInnes Hearts Manager Rumours
Discussion on why McInnes, Robinson, or McGlynn weren’t considered earlier. Questions raised about Hearts’ recruitment strategy and football expertise on the board.

50:15 Hugh’s 70th Birthday Celebration
Tribute to Hugh MacDonald’s long career, wisdom, and enduring love of football. Cake presented in studio.

52:02 Football’s Enduring Joy
Hugh reflects on eight decades of football fandom and journalism, reaffirming his passion for the game.

More to Watch:

Ian Durrant on his bust-up with Graeme Souness: https://youtu.be/XI7dE1ooR5c
Martin O’Neill “I’ve never forgiven Jose Mourinho”: https://youtu.be/HIRkTHwD6Gc
Martin O’Neill on his time at Celtic: https://youtu.be/in25WpJJnI0
Neil Lennon one-to-one interview: https://youtu.be/RMtX1MpB-70
David Martindale behind the scenes at Livingston: https://youtu.be/6yI6psxcfGE
Lisbon Lion Berti Auld interview: https://youtu.be/7x1ONLU8Z0s
Gordon Strachan’s Dream Team: https://youtu.be/Zs3Qt3oi1nM

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