BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
The Ibrox legend isn't convinced by claims Celtic should be declared champions.
Let's get one thing straight from the off. The decision to suspend Scottish football in the midst of the coronavirus crisis is 100 per cent the right thing to do.
Family and health before football. And that’s from someone who lives and breathes the game.
The inevitable questions now arise over what happens next?
I saw Scott Brown and Neil Lennon saying Celtic should be awarded the title if the Premiership was to end.
The majority of Rangers supporters obviously won’t stand for that.
I’ve been asked my opinion on it numerous times in the last 24 hours. I’m uncomfortable with the suggestion and I’ll tell you why.
This has nothing to do with it being Celtic. Everyone knows I’m a Rangers supporter but I’m also a football fan.
I’m in an important title race myself with Kelty Hearts in the Lowland League. We are six points ahead of Bonnyrigg Rose with five games to go and the carrot of a play-off into League Two for the winners. But I’m not expecting the title to be handed to us. Not when we can still be caught.
Mathematically, Celtic are catchable – that’s the bottom line. It might not happen and with the form Rangers are in it looks unlikely.
But at what point do you say, ‘OK, the league will end and all those at the top are crowned champions’?
What if after this break the momentum shifts back in Rangers’ favour like it swung towards Celtic after the winter break?
If, say, in two or three weeks this could go away then we can get back on the pitch and fight for three points and that’s fine.
What happens with relegation? That could be a far more financially important decision. What about Dundee United who are 14 clear in the Championship and finally look like the could go back up to the Premiership.
I’m really not sure about titles being awarded but, looking for a positive, this could now be a good time to consider expanding the leagues.
Teams are fighting at the top and bottom of every division. So, if the season was to end, perhaps the best thing would be to expand the leagues with promotion but no relegation.
I have always said that a 16-club Premiership would be better.
Overall it would benefit Scottish football because you would not be playing teams so many times.
So it’s a really good time to sit down and discuss expanding the leagues and making things far more interesting.
You have Dundee United and Dundee among four that could come up. Caley Thistle too.
This is the time to get round the table because the coronavirus is going to turn Scottish football upside down.
A bigger top flight could only help encourage managers to play more youngsters too.
I’m a big believer that if a player is good enough then he’s old enough. Look at Billy Gilmour at Chelsea. I just love to see a boy play with his head up and that is him down to a tee.
He always wants the ball, he swivels, he just looks like a lad who loves football and he is a breath of fresh air.
I would like to see him called up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad – not that the Euro 2020 play-off is going to happen now of course.
Going back to Thursday and I was surprised Rangers never got in Bayer Leverkusen’s faces in the first half. They gave them too much respect.
The second half was better because they pressed further up the park and you could see Leverkusen didn’t enjoy it.
No matter who we came up against when I was playing, we just had to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the top teams that came. I’m talking about Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Valencia … I could go through the list.
If you give a top player time on the ball then he is going to kill you, it’s as simple as that.
But when we got in their faces the fans began to roar and you could feel them the other night at that stage too.
At the end of the day though you see how much Bayer Leverkusen have spent on their team and there’s no doubt they are a good side.
Of course the Europa League return is suspended now and nobody knows what is going to happen.
This wee break – if that’s what it is to be – might do Rangers the world of good.
I was desperate for the winter break to finish and see if they could make a right fist of the title fight.
I’ve no idea what happened. Confidence is shot, you can see that in the players but they are the only ones who can put it right. It takes tough characters.
Alfredo Morelos is not the same player as before the winter break and I have no idea why.
The Colombian is not as sharp and his body language is not great. It’s very disappointing because there’s a real player in there.
I went through stages where I didn’t play well but he just seems to have no confidence and I don’t know if something has gone on behind the scenes.
He was a massive player the first six months of the season, the best I have seen him, and he seemed to have sorted his discipline problems too.
Teams will still be interested in him but the worry is also that his value will have dipped.
I thought Flo Kamberi made a big difference when he came on against Leverkusen.
And Steven Gerrard might have been tempted to drop Morelos for Kamberi if the Old Firm game was going ahead tomorrow.
It won’t and now we all wonder what happens next.
I have cancelled all Kelty training sessions for the next few weeks and am devising schedules for all my players to implement on their own.
I guess that will be similar up and down the country.
We really are in uncharted waters.
Let's get one thing straight from the off. The decision to suspend Scottish football in the midst of the coronavirus crisis is 100 per cent the right thing to do.
Family and health before football. And that’s from someone who lives and breathes the game.
The inevitable questions now arise over what happens next?
I saw Scott Brown and Neil Lennon saying Celtic should be awarded the title if the Premiership was to end.
The majority of Rangers supporters obviously won’t stand for that.
I’ve been asked my opinion on it numerous times in the last 24 hours. I’m uncomfortable with the suggestion and I’ll tell you why.
This has nothing to do with it being Celtic. Everyone knows I’m a Rangers supporter but I’m also a football fan.
I’m in an important title race myself with Kelty Hearts in the Lowland League. We are six points ahead of Bonnyrigg Rose with five games to go and the carrot of a play-off into League Two for the winners. But I’m not expecting the title to be handed to us. Not when we can still be caught.
Mathematically, Celtic are catchable – that’s the bottom line. It might not happen and with the form Rangers are in it looks unlikely.
But at what point do you say, ‘OK, the league will end and all those at the top are crowned champions’?
What if after this break the momentum shifts back in Rangers’ favour like it swung towards Celtic after the winter break?
If, say, in two or three weeks this could go away then we can get back on the pitch and fight for three points and that’s fine.
What happens with relegation? That could be a far more financially important decision. What about Dundee United who are 14 clear in the Championship and finally look like the could go back up to the Premiership.
I’m really not sure about titles being awarded but, looking for a positive, this could now be a good time to consider expanding the leagues.
Teams are fighting at the top and bottom of every division. So, if the season was to end, perhaps the best thing would be to expand the leagues with promotion but no relegation.
I have always said that a 16-club Premiership would be better.
Overall it would benefit Scottish football because you would not be playing teams so many times.
So it’s a really good time to sit down and discuss expanding the leagues and making things far more interesting.
You have Dundee United and Dundee among four that could come up. Caley Thistle too.
This is the time to get round the table because the coronavirus is going to turn Scottish football upside down.
A bigger top flight could only help encourage managers to play more youngsters too.
I’m a big believer that if a player is good enough then he’s old enough. Look at Billy Gilmour at Chelsea. I just love to see a boy play with his head up and that is him down to a tee.
He always wants the ball, he swivels, he just looks like a lad who loves football and he is a breath of fresh air.
I would like to see him called up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad – not that the Euro 2020 play-off is going to happen now of course.
Going back to Thursday and I was surprised Rangers never got in Bayer Leverkusen’s faces in the first half. They gave them too much respect.
The second half was better because they pressed further up the park and you could see Leverkusen didn’t enjoy it.
No matter who we came up against when I was playing, we just had to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the top teams that came. I’m talking about Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Valencia … I could go through the list.
If you give a top player time on the ball then he is going to kill you, it’s as simple as that.
But when we got in their faces the fans began to roar and you could feel them the other night at that stage too.
At the end of the day though you see how much Bayer Leverkusen have spent on their team and there’s no doubt they are a good side.
Of course the Europa League return is suspended now and nobody knows what is going to happen.
This wee break – if that’s what it is to be – might do Rangers the world of good.
I was desperate for the winter break to finish and see if they could make a right fist of the title fight.
I’ve no idea what happened. Confidence is shot, you can see that in the players but they are the only ones who can put it right. It takes tough characters.
Alfredo Morelos is not the same player as before the winter break and I have no idea why.
The Colombian is not as sharp and his body language is not great. It’s very disappointing because there’s a real player in there.
I went through stages where I didn’t play well but he just seems to have no confidence and I don’t know if something has gone on behind the scenes.
He was a massive player the first six months of the season, the best I have seen him, and he seemed to have sorted his discipline problems too.
Teams will still be interested in him but the worry is also that his value will have dipped.
I thought Flo Kamberi made a big difference when he came on against Leverkusen.
And Steven Gerrard might have been tempted to drop Morelos for Kamberi if the Old Firm game was going ahead tomorrow.
It won’t and now we all wonder what happens next.
I have cancelled all Kelty training sessions for the next few weeks and am devising schedules for all my players to implement on their own.
I guess that will be similar up and down the country.
We really are in uncharted waters.
