- The Rangers Victory and all the key moments, before, during and afterwards
- The POTY Awards and The Ghod that is Henrik Fucking Larsson
- Big Joe Hart and the Departure Celebrations
- The Impact of Maeda and other key players when it mattered
- Some Alternative Awards that you wont get at The Hydro
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TRANSCRIPT for non Audio users.
INTRO: Little hand said it’s time to rock and roll. Bring the noise.
INTRO: 54321, go.
DESI: Good evening folks. And welcome to the Eons podcast only a few days since our last one. But things have really cranked up in the old SPFL after the weekend. My name is Desmond. I am glad to say tonight, I have a full house. We have the resident tactician, the man in the suburbs, Hector Bandido. Good evening, Hector.
HECTOR: Good evening guys.
DESI: Thank you for joining us. What beverage are we tippling tonight?
HECTOR: Just Water, its a Tuesday night.
DESI: It’s a school night. It’s a fair enough, fair enough working in the morning and the man across the water, we have a Monte C Burns. I think we can guess what the C stands for this week after the weekend. Good evening, Monty.
MONTY: Good evening, Desi.
DESI: Thank you for joining. And I am very glad to say back by popular demand and Amazon’s flexible hours arrangements out of prison. Welcome back to Ralph Malph. The sentence was curtailed. He has been allowed to come back on as broadband has been reinstated after paying the bill. Welcome back to Ralph M good evening, Ralph.
RALPH: Hello again. It’s good to see you all again.
DESI: I just like to say Ralph as actually the listeners can’t see it. We are, we are sitting on video here, so Hector’s sitting in his lovely lounge. Monty’s sitting in a lovely couch and Ralph is looking like one of those old, remember I used to get like on the news where it would be., we have darkened the appearance and changed the voice for, for Gerry Adams. That’s, that’s the way he looks like an informer who’s who’s no, we’re not allowed to do his identity. So, oh, Ralph does have a Carling looks like that of Carling.
DESI: So fair enough, he has taken the TIMS Podcast T Award tonight and we will come to other awards later. But tonight, Hector, we are here. Sorry Ralph on you go. It’s Bud Light. But oh, well, you, you, you, you’ve changed that jail and debt prison has changed you or working with Amazon has changed. You used to be Carling as I remember.
DESI: So, welcome back. Anyway, Ralph, we’ll get your thoughts in a second because I know you have been back up recently. But Hector, we’ll start with the last pod we had was literally on the eve of the Celtic V Rangers game on Saturday as we jumped on and had a quick chat, some predictions, et cetera.
DESI: And then we all woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning, Hector how were, how were you on Saturday morning? Because quite a few people I know were very nervous all of a sudden on Saturday morning, were you feeling any butterflies in the stomach?
HECTOR: I think there was a, there was a wee bit but life is, there wasn’t. Because although we all felt we all feel confident, understandably confident based upon results against them and also based upon our recent form and their recent form.
HECTOR: So yeah, that, that there was, it was interesting, we both tend to fall from all your roots going into the game and I tend to park not far from the old to, to cross Bus Depot and kind of walk down that way and get towards the stadium. There was thousands of party, pretty much.
HECTOR: It was beautiful, but there really was that people and just this fantastic atmosphere outside the ground. And so the time again and it was just, it was just absolutely jumping and it was interesting because we’ve all, we’ve all hopefully all seen the game we were looking to attend, but the first half he played really good, really, really well.
HECTOR: I thought we controlled the game was up about and the only time we really, we probably switched off twice in the first half, Johnson. Get away with one at the head of.
DESI: Your favorite player. What’s his name again?
HECTOR: He had the big Portuguese guy.
DESI: Long Silver with the missing leg.
HECTOR: That was the one, we, the first half and see that. I mean, I’m not, we went from us because you got a great chance and Ma really has got a hat trick, but I thought, went to, we only switched off, I think, I think euphoria kicked in and one or two switched off. And I think if we’ve seen it through the half time to nothing, I think in a four or five nothing days, your product might have been right.
HECTOR: Actually, if we have just seen that out to half time, but I thought the first half was excellent. Second half against 10, they were camped at the penalty box, which I scored two or three in the second half because we didn’t.
HECTOR: And the nerves built a bit in the last 10 minutes, but I watched it, I watched it again and Sunday, sad fuck of the arm. And you know, when you watch after the event, it was actually theyre nothing, nothing at all. So nerves were nerves were high in the stadium, like be blunt about it. They were, but on reflection that that was a 51, maybe, a 62 difference should have been scoring maybe.
DESI: Yeah. Yeah, it was again, as you mentioned that I had predicted five now and quite a few eyebrows were raised and then even on the pod and then talking to my daughter and my husband after before the morning before the game, I said fine now and they can laugh and then my son-in-law put on 41.
DESI: This is a kind of to gesture as a wee backup. So as soon as we went two nil, it was two nil going on five. I mean, it really could have been, but we just fell asleep. Forrest is nowhere. Forest is nowhere. Johnson’s left with two on one and it’s back to that old.
DESI: The danger area is the bottom left corner, But my complaint has always been, the boss shouldn’t be allowed to get there. Johnson can defend two guys. They’re able to check the ball at the back post. It goes back and it goes in, we just fell asleep. But then I’m, I’m at that point, I’m still thinking, well, Michael’s four wins, highly likely here.
DESI: I mean, it still looks though we would still run away from him. So, but just back to pregame Monty, we, we, we discussed, I’m just laughing there because all I can see is the top of Monty’s head there where he’s got his own position. We discussed beforehand the lineups.
DESI: And do we go all in at the start or do we go Cagey the Maeda Forest? So it turns out it was if Brendan had been listening, I don’t want to assume that, but he kind of went halfway house. He went Maeda and Forest. Were you concerned or were you kind of happy with that? Wanted to?
MONTY: No. And I think when we were talking I kind of, I know you had asked me the question about coon and I kind of, I got myself in a wee bit of a fangle, as you say, I got it.
MONTY: So you were sober in the, that’s what I was arguing with the same point you were making and not doing it. Well.
MONTY: I was delighted that both of them started because I actually felt that both of them were the most effective wingers and have been, you know, in our pack, starting my a a versus bringing him on was kind of the point I was trying to make but really making it badly the previous one.
MONTY: And then having coon as a backup to bring on, you know, it’s a better ploy, I guess. And given that meme that Hector shared on our WhatsApp of TVER being consulted, he’s behind me, isn’t he?
MONTY: The guy is, you know, someone talked about him. He’s not a legend, he’s a cult hero just simply because I can’t recall in my lifetime, someone who works that hard and that effectively in closing players down. And we just have never had it.
MONTY: It’s a joy to watch actually. And in Foras, I started that game on fire and she just knew he was in the mood, does he so wasn’t concerned and was actually surprised with how effective both of them were from the start. It was great to watch.
HECTOR: Lesson learned, lesson learned is never ever underestimate me. I’m talking about Aida as an athlete and power recovery and what I mean, but that he was obviously out for a few weeks he made for the season. But the fact that you get, what, 20 minutes the week before against that then a week later he doesn’t just start. There’s no play 97 minutes.
DESI: He actually cleaned up Celtic Park afterwards. He went in with a brush. You saw him jumping into the crowd with a rush, they help to clean up. But, but Marty, this made me think of something Ralph, have you? And I asked Ralph this, Ralph, can you recall any other individual player? And I, I, the only example I can think of off the top of my head is Bobby Petter versus Rickson who is terrified.
DESI: A direct opponent for Celtic versus Rangers. I know we Larson’s and all that who’d done it game after game? But actually like face to face like Tavernier must, must be fucking terrified. Well, you can even see bar was terrified of forest, but it’s another level when you’re talking Maeda and Tavernier, it’s just is, it just does not know what to do for the most celebrated defender in British football. Ralph. It’s unbelievable.
RALPH: I think that was a part of the reason that Lundstrom got the own goal because Tavernier is afraid of Maeda that they can come over to try and cover for him going by him. And if if you watch the, the on gold, it just hits him. He, he doesn’t seem to be trying to do anything.
RALPH: He doesn’t seem to be doing anything except just getting in the way and you can a few from the other side of thinking it was deliberate because he doesn’t seem to be doing anything else and steering the ball in the net. But to go back to my either, I still go back to the beginning of the season. I think there’s a reason that I wanted to go.
RALPH: Madrid targeted him because he, he really is a key player for us. A talisman is maybe a wee bit too much to say, but without him with a completely different team and when he did get hurt, I was more worried than I should have been given the level of opposition, but it’s something else, something else.
HECTOR: There’s a part. So there, there was a moment really early in the game, maybe the first five minutes, 10 minutes to get the ball wide in the touch line and he was right on, touch tight on him, really touch tight. What my dad, that was his first touch. He just took it inside and drove inside 10 m and he left for dead.
HECTOR: So I think that Tavs went fuck my game plan is to go touch Tight to him the very first time I’ve done it, he’s basically just took it inside and drove away from me, what do I do next? So then he probably did what a lot of other players would do. He thought. Right. I’m going to do that again.
HECTOR: I’m going to step off on just about three or 4 m and, and that was really the start of it and the second part. So it was just about five minutes after that and to get forward, one of these rare occasions getting forward in the first half and out of nowhere, I just sprints about 4050 takes the ball in the second half in the second half.
HECTOR: The first introduction to the game was number one, I’m gonna go touch t fucking let him know the game shit. He just took it past me then two, I’ll get forward shit. He just sprinted past me and took off me. So he’s completely put the fear, we force the fear on him within 15 minutes of the game start.
MONTY: Yeah.
DESI: Yeah, it was really, it’s, I guess it’s just, and I don’t know what you do to compensate as Ralph mentioned there that whole covering covering up in your defenders. I saw quite a few analysis afterwards like the ex pros and not saying you’re relying on your central midfielders.
DESI: Of course, Ralph, that’s where your, your LMS come in and he’s Paul man in a match. Let’s be honest. But just, just to highlight again for the people who were there, for the people in the Stadium Hector, like beautiful sunny day heading to Celtic Park, as you say, there was like a part of the atmosphere, maybe a wee bit of nervous energy, let’s say, but nervous, positive energy.
DESI: And then again, a brilliant walk on none of that. There was a wee like Liam did a wee bit of singing, but it wasn’t the usual, not his, not his fault to sell, it cannot try to orchestrate and try to keep things going.
DESI: As soon as we started, then the walk on started, the whole crowd were like standing up, remind me that time we were in, I was in the Kpp for the Celtic Liverpool game and maybe that down even as soon as the game started, maybe to start down and then that to were you left anything to your business?
HECTOR: We were, we were at it. Yeah, it’s just above us. It goes from the green up to the top, but you’re right. It was just a, it was, it was jumping, there was lots of, you should expect lots of energy because the importance was it well knew the importance of it.
HECTOR: But it carried on from the previous week against hearts, in fact, went up, went up a year.
DESI: I felt so like we, we’re talking to New and Rangers are this equalized for 22 at home against Dundee. And you can see how nervous Rangers were in that first half. One of the great things, Monty is Celtic did not look nervous at all on Saturday.
DESI: I mean, I know we had a, we kind of start, start at points with Silver finding space. But the overall team, you know what I mean? Like, people were looking for the ball, people were trying to make space, trying to make moves. I mean, you could see they were up for it from the very start of the game.
MONTY: Yeah, I think we talked about it in the, in the podcast that we did on on the podcast we did before the game. The I don’t think Rogers is we were never going to drop from a professionalism point of view.
MONTY: And I think a lot of the talk subsequent to the game, you know, around mentality and the team, I know Hector talked about it now for a few podcasts over over a number of weeks, if not months, but the players, we’ve had missing bringing those big players back in, add so much more, not just ability but mentality. And I think because we’ve gone the course so many times Desi even with that nucleus.
MONTY: And, you know, I’m one for kind of reading between the lines and I read a lot of Roger’s post match comments as well and he alluded to a lot of things around, you know, the third, the third season syndrome and trust in the process and eventually they’ve all come around is effectively what he said, so when you look back on it, there’s a tipping point somewhere and it could be the one that Hector pointed out.
MONTY: It could be him going fucking Tonto at Tynecastle. That could be it. That could be the one that got them all on side. No siege mentality, whatever it was.
MONTY: But our mentality right from the start. Does he, the way that we went after it, the approach that we took the aggression but it was all controlled. It wasn’t fucking gung ho in your face madness. It was all controlled. It was brilliant and they just don’t have that. They just don’t have it.
DESI: Yeah. So Ralph, I’m sure you listened to the podcast last week where I did ask the question, will it be the usual eight Rangers fouls? And then the first player to be booked will be a Celtic player? And sure enough, I believe it was at least eight Rangers F was maybe eight.
DESI: Diamon F was on his own. I mean, the same old, same old, same old, but Willie Colum, Ralph, did you have any qualms about Willie Colum taking the game and even postgame? Did you have any complaints or were you happily satisfied with Willie’s performance? There’s a phrase for you.
RALPH: A bad bunch, isn’t it? It’s equally hopeless is probably a good word for both teams. What I did notice earlier on in the game was every time we went past the center circle, we get fouled and it was pretty much more or less in the same place that sooner or later the referee needs to have a word with the team that’s doing the foul.
RALPH: And obviously, column, didn’t we get a free kick for the Monday incident? Which should have been a booking. We got originally a booking for the Lundstrom incident which turned out to be ascending off. Maybe it’s just that he wanted to let the game flow, maybe he wanted to turn it into some sort of spectacle, whatever.
RALPH: But realistically, their plan was always going to be to stop us playing football. And later on in the game probably led to the nervousness in the crowd at the end where we kind of sat back with what we’ve got instead of trying to add to it.
DESI: That’s interesting you say that there because it reminded me I was out, was it Sunday? I think it was out on Sunday. No, it was, it was Saturday afternoon later on Saturday afternoon.
DESI: And I was in the car and I was listening to the Sports Sound and, and Hector’s old friend Kenny Miller who will come to, he went from the Sky studios straight to BBC Sport Sound with your friend Kenny mcintyre Ralph. And they were talking about the game with Tom English and at one point I think they were talking about the kind of tactics and it was something along the lines of Well, our Rangers go, go to kind of stop, Celtic.
DESI: They don’t actually have players that get to win the game. You know what I mean? So, Hector, it was, again, it was like you were there at the game and all, like you could see Tom Laws trying to bring calm down. Somebody else tries to bring, to try that whole kind. Get in their face, get in their ankles and Mcgregor just get up and laughs.
HECTOR: He goes and then I can understand if you’re in, if you’re in their shoes, you stop Mcgregor and in many, many ways you stop us and, and the systematic. So the thing with the constant failing is if you take the guys doing the failing, it’s hard referee to book a player. If it’s one guy doing persistent failing, then it’s kind of easier.
HECTOR: But that was the game plan, but it also demonstrated the total golf in terms of playing style and how we played and, and let’s just reference the first half because that was 11 V 11. We, we are playing the football. We’re trying to about our second goal was a fantastic team goal. Sorry, not the second goal. The first goal was a bit better but the first goal was a fantastic team goal.
HECTOR: But, and how they play, they do was it four passes, six passes across the back? It’s a long ball.
HECTOR: It’s to win the second ball and it’s actually horrendous to watch. There’s no attempt. And you think he’s came from the Belgian League, he was quite successful and then it’s the Monaco job. But still no m to get to get that job. So clearly he’s came from a background of playing football and then reverts to what you’d see is a sort of ranger style.
HECTOR: And you wonder when they cross the line. I, is there something where they must adopt a certain strategy or tactic? Because him be Gerard to a degree, but they’re all quite similar, aren’t they? And yet you wouldn’t see Gerard didn’t come from a football playing team as they play good football. So it’s a hard one, isn’t it just, it must be the DNA to play that style of football.
DESI: It’s so strange again, I’ve been saying it for a long, long time. How bad the football quality is and then if anyone’s managed to watch that Dundee first half, it’s night and day, Dundee play, we triangles. Every man wants the ball to his feet. He’s happy to take it with opposition on him. He lays it off to you guy and his in and all that.
DESI: Like the first goal, Monty. So, aye, the first goal classically starts with Rangers losing the ball halfway up the park. You know what I mean? Our old friend Tav, I think, and then O’Reilly starts it, he collects it and then for, I think it was 43 seconds. Later the ball, the ball is in the net.
MONTY: Yeah, that, that, that, that state of football that, that Hector just talked about. I’ve been listening while also trying to remember there’s a word.
MONTY: And when you put Kenny Miller, Kenny mcintyre and Tom English together in a room, what’s, what’s the word for? Three wanks? Is it a or I can’t remember what it was.
MONTY: I think it’s a coming of wanks a, a conclave of or if anyone’s listening and they know for wanks, please let us know at times dot Contact at gmail.com, you win a prize but no, I think I was only half joking when I put it up on our WhatsApp that we played that style of football and it was more appealing on the eye in 1988 under Jack Jordan with Ireland.
MONTY: And you gotta, you gotta wonder is, is, and it’s not our problem. It’s theirs is. Clement is trying to make the best of a bad hand in the hope that they’re going to give him players that will suit him and we’re going to find out whether they can or will.
MONTY: But our playing style since and again, reiterating the point that Hector had been making for a while since we’ve got our core back, our core players had to Mcgregor Carter Vickers. Since Kos come back on this song, we just are playing a much better brand of football. We’re still far from, I would say where Brent and Rogers wants to get us.
MONTY: I don’t think we’re playing at a pace or at a, at a, at a, at a temple plus efficiency in the way that he would want us to be, which is again, his comments today are brilliant. But that first goal was a thing of beauty and not to take away anything from it. I thought Mcgregor actually made it dezzy and I know your point that, you know O’Reilly picks it up and 45 seconds later he puts it away.
MONTY: Mcgregor made a dart into space, but we’ve been making that space from the start of the game. If you watch Forrest Trump and you watch o’s movement, we’ve been making that bit of space repeatedly and Mcgregor gambled on the space and got the ball and it just pulled any shape that they had, it just pulled it completely apart.
DESI: Well, well, sorry to interrupt you there because that’s, that’s one of my, I like that gambled word you used there because have you seen the clip of the Stuart Armstrong go against Rangers a few years ago. It’s the exact same goal.
DESI: It’s obviously this is a move. Maybe I don’t, maybe it’s a Gavin Stra move. Who knows? But it’s the exact same goal. It’s unbelievable when you watch the two of them in tandem on the screen. So it’s a, it’s a coach goal.
MONTY: And once that space is made you gamble and it’s, it’s a time and then as, as the later part of J would always call about, you know, it’s flow, you hit it and, you know, it’s, it’s all, it’s synchronized and it’s right. But Hector’s correct too, by that stage already, he could have had two. And, just that, that efficiency of past the speed of execution, all of the things.
MONTY: Ball on the deck, movement, movement off the shoulder, people on the blind side taking up positions versus who fit second ball. That’s the reality of where we are with our nearest rivals. And I think Sutton said it too. He said had we had our players fully fit through the season, there probably wouldn’t have been a title race, you know, we had a blip for a month.
MONTY: So no, and one last point to round it out because I know someone commented for me to try and do responses and less than 2000 words, it was that I was going to make. But now in my own self, ey, I’ve just ruined myself. So no, sorry, go ahead.
DESI: A quick update on the score over I over to Bob cramps in the top corner of the screen. Bob, what’s the score at the moment?
HECTOR: It’s 322 Rangers. They’re just taking a late Todd Cantwell, the line with the cross and his cross is when we over the keeper head into the far corner, he’s turning to the crowd as if you mean it and when you see it, he looks even bigger than normal.
DESI: I did, I did see Ralph, I did prophesize when people were saying there was a chance for Dundee tonight and I said this was Todd. Can’t we have a worldly a world? They couldn’t even go to Ben on Saturday. I see, I seen Ralph that the manager trying to excuse him because of Lindstrom’s, disastrous tackle. So let’s, let’s go into that.
DESI: So Ma really wonder wonderful goal that set us up before. Here we go. I don’t think any of us realized what was going to happen in that next few minutes. When suddenly Carter Vickers, we’re talking about Rangers long ball, Ralph Carter Vickers, he’s not really known for the Gary Caldwell passing, but with a pass to Maa in space and then Ma just did what Maa does.
RALPH: Well, that was a pass. It wasn’t just a kind of long ball that was a player that could take the ball down, control it and turn it into an, that’s the difference. If they do. If we can vary the way we play, which we did do it quite a few times on Saturday, then we’ll get the result we’re looking for.
RALPH: Whereas with them, you mentioned it earlier on Hector, they were passing it back and forward across the goal and then just hoofing it. That’s not a plan. Let’s just wait until a forward comes to you and then moving it forward. But as we kind of tried different things, some of them watched, some of them didn’t.
RALPH: I was kind of getting a wee bit worried in the second half when I saw Kogo and my making runs that weren’t noticed. But realistically when you’re in front, you don’t need as many chances. The games one, you’ve got the result you’ve got. So if we’d have needed to score goals, we’d have scored them. If we’d have had to put pressure on, we’d have put pressure on.
DESI: Yeah. Yeah, there was, there was a bit of that in the second half, there was a bit of, there was a lot of nervous energy, let’s say, especially on the ground, but let’s go back, Hector to the actual red card instant. So we’re not own goal was a laugh for a start, right? So that was really funny and then we’ll get the red card, they have scored.
DESI: So we’ll skip over that forest is fell asleep. That’s fine. 21. And then, so it’s a case of, well, you never know this. And we, we were, I think we were actually talking kind of because a lot of the times this season a half, half time has not been your friend as if they’ve maybe sat down and got a wee bit lose their concentration and stuff.
DESI: So I was hoping that wasn’t going to happen. But then lest to thankfully woke us all up with a lovely attempt of a slight tackle and I believe Chris Sutton summed it up, Hector, as it would be a red card in the 19 seventies talking to your friend Ken.
HECTOR: It was until I watched it the next, the next day and I heard them say that at the end, but in real time, obviously, it’s, it’s closer to where you, I’m obviously diagonally across just above the Green Brigade. So all you know, if I was sitting in real time, right? Ok. It looks like a yellow from like 70 yards away.
HECTOR: But then because you don’t know what the contact is. Has he got a wee bit of the ball? I don’t know if you’re that far away, but then you just knew when it went too far. I mean, for that to go to, it’s going to be something seriously wrong. And so it proved and it was, it was actually dreadful, so many ways for them as it was great.
HECTOR: But for them, you think about it, you just back in the game very quickly to one half team is just upon you. You want to regroup and give yourself a platform to really push in the second half and an experienced player does that? It was crazy. Every aspect of it was crazy.
HECTOR: But did you see that with arms? He’s got away with so many nice time at Ibrox, hasn’t he was I won the Scottish Cup semi final, we played them at Hampden two or three years by Van Brons. Team must have systematically did about four or five like that. And Bobby Madden, god bless him, didn’t at all.
HECTOR: Yeah, he’ll be back. So I think he got his just as it was. You know what, in many ways, I think if you didn’t get that they helped us, I think 1111 in the second half of the helped us because all they did was camp everybody 25 m for their goal for the last 10 minutes.
DESI: Yeah, I actually I actually apologies. I forgot to mention Monte at the one goal. I don’t know if you notice when he turns around and points, I just assumed he was pointing at Tavernier to say used to be Martin the guy, but apparently he was pointing at Wally Colum.
DESI: He ran into Wally Colum. He blamed Willie Collin for blocking him. But Wally Colum actually ran past him. Will he Colum? Wally Colum is more up with the players than John Lund until Wally Colum ran past him that he actually realized he should, he should be chasing back.
DESI: But see if you watch Matt ras go, he does the exact same in the other corner. He just literally walks across the screen like there’s no energy with Silver in that midfield. It was hilarious. So yes, so, so that, so we’ll quickly skip through half time because I want to concentrate on the whole bar thing.
DESI: So then it came to the penalty, Monty and that was so, I don’t know what the TV coverage showed, but in the Stadium Hector, you can correct me if you like when the penalty and you’re like, yeah, penalty. Here we go. And then suddenly it was bar and then Wally Colum goes away to see it.
DESI: And you think, oh, well, bang goes the penalty just naturally assume. No, if I’m going to highlight something. But then when he blows to the actual penalty, that was, that was one of the weirdest things for a long, long time. You see that, what was that like on the telly? Did they try to explain it, Monty at all? They did.
MONTY: They tried to say that O’Reilly ran into him and that was the attempt at justification as to why it went to VAR because I think Sutton was going like this. Is that a clear and obvious error? The answer is no. Why is it going to Var with Sutton’s point? Because it’s not a clear and obvious error.
MONTY: And when you looked at the footage, one of the angles, it almost looked like there was minimal, like barely a touch. And it was only when they showed the angle where the guy’s foot is literally planted where o’s about to run to o’s literally either getting a shot away or a pass away and the guy’s foot’s there and he’s ran across already’s path So it’s a, it’s a foul anywhere in the pitch, but the delay seemed to be puzzling.
MONTY: There was no real logic to it when you seen that last angle that showed it clearly. So Sutton was up to all sorts of Mysie and commentary at the game, which was funny, but the va sort of intervention for the penalty was just bizarre. Des he, it was clearly a penalty.
MONTY: The boy clipped him and if you look at some of the ones that have been given this year, it’s just fucking blatant, just give it, get on with it. And I wasn’t surprised by the way, Colum stuck his ground. I know we talked before on Saturday or Friday. Were we concerned about column? And I think I said no more concerned about Var calling to be fair and stuck to his guns on both. So, no.
DESI: Yeah.
DESI: So the Ralph, the kind of some of the grumblings round about me was that mclean was basically just trying to upset Matt O’Reilly from taking the penalty just to try and get in his head by making it, delaying it for five or six minutes. And sure enough, it was a P penalty. But Matt O think there’s anything in that or with this clutching it draws there.
RALPH: At the time given that the Lindstrom thing had happened just before and it was right in front of me, it looked like O’Reilly went down very quickly.
RALPH: You know, it was a harder tackle than it proved to be. But that was because he banged his foot in the ground. What I thought was happening was they were seeing if it was a sending off for a clear goal scoring opportunity because it looked to me like the goal was open in front of him.
RALPH: I I’ve not the TV player or anything like that, but I thought they were actually looking to see if it was ascending off as well as a penalty, which is why it would take him so long.
MONTY: There was no mention of that. There was no mention of all in the, it was, did he die?
RALPH: No, I never died. It was definitely a penal. That’s just what I thought.
MONTY: I was wondering too Ralph just as he on that point, given the penalty incident at Ibrox with Silver and Johnson. I was wondering if they were, they didn’t want to leave themselves exposed. You know, that way again, I got a sense maybe that that’s what was going on. Be 100% sure here because they fucked it up so badly at I and got it wrong.
DESI: You highlight two minutes ago. The whole point is, it’s not a or we said, and that’s the only point where they’re meant to intervene. They’re not meant to be with the game or interpret the game to say, well, maybe you want to have a double check, you know, that way just in case.
DESI: It’s not just in case, but it’s a definitive, you know what I mean? It’s meant to be definitive. So, yeah, so regardless. So again, the, the bar we’ve not really talked, we’ve not heard anybody complain, Hector about the refereeing, et cetera. But post game, there’s been a quite a few videos going a bit of like the handball instant ie we could have had an hour penalty, various of we aspects.
DESI: So again, you’re kind of thinking was there room for bar could have been better? But do we care? Do we really want to talk about that? Let’s let’s concentrate on what was your favorite point in the game, Hector? There’s a, there’s a question for you.
DESI: Did you have a favorite point? I can tell you mine. If you want me to go first, you go first, right, right in front of me, right in the second half and I can alluded to earlier. Greg Taylor is in the bottom left hand corner. I think it might be one of those shay short corners that we take.
DESI: I can understand why we don’t throw a ball into the box and we’ll not get very big players, but the short corners are terrible, but Taylor loses the ball and mccain gets it and he’s heading towards the halfway line and here comes Billy with my Ada and my AA catches him, takes the ball off him and lays it inside to say cut or Vickers or whatever.
DESI: And my, as my ear, like I actually stood up in the crowd like I gave my standing ovation for that as I’m clapping, my, er, starts coming back to his position as Taylor’s going back to his position.
DESI: The two of them pass each other and they had a lovely wee low five hands wee hand slap as if well done, mate, I’ve got you covered kind of pal. It was a lovely, lovely wee bit of team camaraderie and I went, oh that’s that, that, that’s just made my day. So that’s, that was my personal highlight of the day. What were you Hector? Anything on your mind?
HECTOR: Yeah. Mines was the second goal.
HECTOR: And well, I mean, obviously the goal, but it was you mentioned the past with car Vickers. You might need this touch at pace, keep that ball. He doesn’t get a lot of recognition for his quality across, but to go at the pace and keep that ball in play, but I’m coming to it obviously to take it outside having your, the cross the OG but then made just runs and sprints and dives into the crowd.
DESI: I had fuck it written all over it. And I thought that just that just look, it’s when he’s going to take that big step because he’s going to jump up on the hoarding and then he takes a big step where it says like, fuck I’m getting in there is the one and the thing to add to it is is he’s one of the few players that’s on Twitter and I think it was on Sunday.
HECTOR: He said a big smile. He always has a big smile and basically said, hey, I didn’t know you get booked in Scotland for jumping into the.
DESI: Says I have never seen him do anything as emotional. I mean, obviously, it might be like he really loves Celtic. He has embraced Celtic. It clearly means a lot to him. And as you say, even they have the energy to make that jump, let alone in 90 minutes. Kind of unbelievable.
HECTOR: I, I actually think that the, the Penny dropped to each spoke this recent podcast, but it’s really dropped. Now with Celtic fans we made and we, we, we, we’ve been especially you and I, we, we share the account on Twitter, but we’re seen to many folk just focus on what he brings to the team. Not nobody can do.
HECTOR: I think the Penny is dropping me most fans now, we know he’ll know his pace a consistently good cross because if he could, he’d be playing in a top team in English premier League at the span. We know that that’s why he’s with Celtic.
HECTOR: But what he brings to the team, honest to God, like you said earlier on, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player like him who the PC, the PC consistently goes at the sprints. He does are elite globally elite. I read an article just last two or three days ago and he’s one of the global elite players at sprinting, which might mean nothing but in terms of how we play.
HECTOR: And the other thing is when he’s doing that, it feeds up space for Kyogo yoga, can let him just go and do what he’s got to do and he brings his game in life. So we touched upon the midfield three cara vas then Rio with Callum and with Ma really, how, how that for it hasn’t been the same because I’ve been injured and missing.
HECTOR: I think Kogo misses my head as much as anybody because the sprints, the space he covers the complete p he has create space for ko to exploit. So anyway, it’s beyond the cult. You know, I think the Penny dropped for most fans and, and long overdue because I think he’s brilliant.
DESI: I think, I think, I think that was a perfect, a perfect line that you, you, you said the other day regards of who appreciate what you can do, don’t, don’t mourn about what you can.
DESI: And again, I think even for a few players, people are starting to see that, but that’s a, it’s a great perspective in the game even better that everybody’s got that approach watching the game. Monte, was there anything for you that made you smile even if it was like the halftime analysis or something or whatever? Just a wee personal highlight.
MONTY: Miller’s meltdown at the end was really lo and behold, it was fucking hilarious and they were all taking turns at him and even mcfadden was getting wired in and you know, to be fair, he never backed down, but he was making such a tit of himself and something was standing beside him, you know, that sarcastic grin that pulls you in the eye and it was like a comedy sketch and Lenny was Lennon in the studio was trying to be Mr diplomatic and, and then he just went, oh fuck it.
MONTY: I’m going into it. So it was just that bit because I think I needed the second half to end a lot earlier than it did. The second half for me was you never want a negative out of that. As Bren said after the game, it’s about winning. It doesn’t matter, that’s second half fucking torture.
MONTY: So to have a bit of comedy at the end and a bit of a lighthearted was actually a joy Desi that for me was the highlight I would concur with Hector in terms of in play other than Mcgregor saying to Tom Lawrence, are you the new hard man and laughing at him?
MONTY: And all Tom Lawrence could do was laugh. He’s just funny. Fuck all he could do. I fed him. He got me. I think my of jumping into the crowd that outpour of emotion was fucking brilliant. But Yeah, sudden at the wind up and Miller’s meltdown for me.
DESI: Always good, Ralph. What about you? So you were at the game then Ralph, you managed to go over the border.
RALPH: Did indeed for the first time in many months and enjoyed, of course, being back up just being a, especially Hector, you must have come from the same. And as me, I come through to cross and it was people singing, people dancing, you know, a couple of ty the bottles of refreshment lying around and it was a part of it felt like it was after the game.
RALPH: But as you go in, you get back and you listen to the walk on again, you just take it all and you know, you get these people that film it. I was going to do that and put it on what group chat to, to show them. But I could, I couldn’t be bothered and I just wanted to feel it again.
HECTOR: What you do, what you do is see your scarf with one hand, you give the other end of your scarf to whoever is next to you, right? And you both hold up the scarf and then get your phone out and record that. It is great.
DESI: Yeah, but did, did the Ralph No tell us that he fell out with the person next to him on Saturday, Mr Diplomacy. You know what I mean? That, that Amazon customer service is really kicking in these days. No, I mean, please.
RALPH: Similar as that.
RALPH: It happens, you know, it happens. People think people, I’m going to turn up that so it doesn’t matter. And after the game, that was kind of weird because there was a lot of nervous energy what you say in the crowd and if you look back and you watch it, there was, there was nothing really to worry about and it was maybe just a, the game management coming into it.
RALPH: We’ve won the game. That’s what we’re going to be doing. We’re going to try and stop teams coming back at us after to the score of next season when we’re a little bit more settled, even the players look kind of tired when they walk on the ground after.
DESI: It must have been. But II I asked him, I asked on Twitter an annual chat, I think we did one see a pit, a pit side thermometer which they used to bring out in the World Cup. It must have been a good 90 degrees down there. It was roasting like forest coming off at half time right in front of me. He was literally like staggering off the park.
DESI: I mean, to be exposed to that sunshine and actually having to run about, it must have been, must have been draining my aid, obviously didn’t break a sweat, but everyone else was totally knackered going for going for liquids at every possible opportunity. I mean, it was, it was really, really warm surprise.
DESI: So, so, so it was the longest seven minutes of my life. I think Hector at the end when they added the seven, I was actually physically counting them down. I’m going 65 and eventually the whistles went happy days. We saw it out where the party started and there was no one Hector happier in that stadium than Big Joe Hart. I mean, he was, he was great. He loved it, didn’t he? He absolutely loved it.
HECTOR: We see that we see that the previous week against hearts. But you can see with the Celtics always done for those who don’t know, it’s been many years now where the team ended the match. They just walk around the defense. It’s not a lap of honor. It’s just a thank you the players and traditionally the managers maybe 10 m behind whatever, whatever the manager is.
HECTOR: But, the hearts in the previous week was noticeable when and they come around and as I said, the Green Brigade set below, as you can imagine, they tend to, the players tend to, you know, spend a little bit more time there. As a thank you and Joe Hart last week was just standing still and just taking it one.
HECTOR: You seen, you seen the emotion of last week and I continued against Rangers on, on Saturday. So it’s a, I think for him, I think you made a good, a good point. I think it’d be f all being, well, when we tie the league up tomorrow night, if not tonight, you get a late goal.
HECTOR: But hopefully if it’s tomorrow, then if we can just tie it up tomorrow night, that I think your point about if there’s maybe five minutes to go or something, Joe Hart, I think that a great thing to do that from him because he’s only been there three years, but he’s been absolutely vital in terms of not just as these qualities are keeping that he’s made mistakes, law keepers.
HECTOR: I think he leadership and his presence he brings to that group. I think this is professional.
DESI: I mean, the, the sheer professionalism that guy is showing. He thought, he thought me like we never personally, but people may have thought he just coming here to bump up the pension just to see at the time. I 4242, hold on. Let’s get gold flash over to Bob Ramsey.
HECTOR: Looks like it’s not number four, number four there. A bit of a stramash in the box. And the, the boy, right, I think is just put one in. This is like a game of five a side for those who this is on the background. A game of five a side in this game.
HECTOR: Yes, he hits in the ground.
DESI: So there’s still a chance to get catches and goal difference. Is that what you’re telling us?
HECTOR: There’s still a chance but you know, well, with the laugh tonight, we would have laughed a lot tonight if he hadn’t have won. Right. I, I prefer to win it. If that makes, I prefer us to win it.
DESI: We’ll come to that in a second. But let’s just, let’s just get the post post match Monty. I know you always liked a bit of a Brenda. Brenda. A Brendan is, Brendan. I have been treated like a novice since I returned here. Did you, did you get to hear that post, post match conference?
MONTY: No, I’ve seen it. I didn’t see it in real time when he did the so I picked up or somebody sent me the clip.
MONTY: It’s an interesting choice of words and I couldn’t help but think I don’t, I don’t think he was talking just about maybe the press or something. I think he was planting a few blows internally.
MONTY: You know, I’m, I’m the manager. This is what I want now. You can’t get that. This is our policy. I’m telling you the type of player we want now, this is our policy. I, I think all the noises he’s made in the last sort of 48 hours or of someone who’s kind of won an internal political battle, even talking about the squad and the quality for next year and talking in terms of not hoping we will, this is well underway.
MONTY: I think whatever he faced internally and even his comments and I know, we alluded to it as well Desi that it’s probably the most difficult season for him in terms of just not being given the tools to do his job.
MONTY: And he as much as said that not about the club, not backing him, but just with all the injuries with losing, he was talking about Star Feld and Joda and people going and he’s had the role with an awful lot of stuff, but he just trusted the process. So I don’t think it was purely externally calibrated. I think he’d earn the right to have a pup with anybody he wanted, but it’s good to hear him say to it’s not done yet.
HECTOR: And it is interesting. I watched, he did a media conference today and I watched it, but just for the podcast maybe and on, on YouTube for a good 20 minutes, recommend recommend folk to give it a view. But, you know, it just obviously tell the games, tell fish over the line. He’s not one to overcommit. He was asked about next season, Martin’s Point. He was asked about next season.
HECTOR: We started planning goes, he was absolutely started planning and he actually a bit of detail, you know, wasn’t going to name names, but he said, look, he says for us, when I was here the first time around, we, we went to Dubai in January break and we basically had to, what would be the, probably the 1st 11 played against probably, I would probably mainly the 2nd 11 in Dubai and he goes with a full scale practice match and he goes the team that was the second one in Dubai won five nil because they were so competitive, fighting for places, fighting for each other.
HECTOR: And so he goes, so I want that quality where I know that if I’m making several changes, the quality doesn’t, doesn’t dip. So, so next season is not about volume. He goes, there will be quality, it’s got to be quality and, and actually your point is, is there will be quality in the summer. His words, you know, didn’t mess about.
HECTOR: So I think you’re right. That’s, I never thought about that until you said that, but I think that was part of his target. I’ve more than delivered here with a shit hand compared to players who left last summer injuries. We’ve had the shit scouting that was done over the summer I’ve delivered. Plus you’ve all this money now, it’s matter.
HECTOR: He sent a big message, but he didn’t do it in a nasty way. If that makes sense, he was just, he was pretty clear and reinforced, he’s going to be here and he’s going to be pushing to make a far better team next season. So it was just, it was reassuring, I’d recommend recommend watching it and listening to it folks.
MONTY: And the thing too, he just on that point, he talked about first time here he could bring from the bench, he could bring on Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Christie who’ve gone on to have really good careers in the premier league. He says that’s what he’s talking about when he talks about quality.
MONTY: So it’s not no more projects, you know, there’s, there’s not projects there now and they all look like they’ve got great talent and he can coach them and make them better. But now it’s, I want four or five players who I can put straight in the first team and you know, I don’t need any more, as you say, I don’t need any more.
MONTY: This guy’s got great potential. We’ve loads of great potential on the books already. Got Yang, we’ve got o we’ve got coon, we’ve got, you know, even some of the ones who completely drifted out of the picture, who came with really, really good reputations at the right age.
MONTY: Brad and boys that we’ve sent out, don’t know, there’s enough potential there to let him coach away at that, but four or five straight in now, 5 million plus players. Thank you very much and they fucking need to back him. They need to manage, delivered above and beyond with.
HECTOR: The way he was talking today, sorry, just, just the way he was talking today. And as I say, he couldn’t be any clearer and it was an air of confidence without being arrogant, you know, he can cross that thin line as far as he’s concerned, which worked to a favor interesting of the last four weeks.
HECTOR: But he really gave it big time to Clement, but he was really confident and clear in what he was saying was happening this summer. Really good. So it was really, really good to hear. Actually, I think he has won the battle on to your point.
MONTY: Yeah. Yeah, without a doubt.
DESI: It will be interesting. But on the other side of that, Ralph, we had Phillips, we had the big Fos Press Conference where Phil exclaimed that he sees no gap because in fact, Rangers are actually one point ahead of Celtic in the six month cup. I mean, the six month trophy. So Ralph, is it the hope that kills him?
RALPH: I think it’s whoever writes the script for, whichever is the manager Ibrox that kills them because that’s five or six in a row now that have come in and said, well, we’re pretty much as good as a and we’re just having a bit of bad luck.
RALPH: And next summer we’re going to rebuild and they have the we tantrums and it all falls apart and then every 12 months they change the manager and the whole thing just keeps going round and round and round.
RALPH: But to come back to what Monty said, I listened to what Brandon was saying after the game on the way back and I thought it was kind of odd that he started talking about, I’m in the office in the morning doing this and then I’m on the laptop when I get home and I’m still doing that. And that doesn’t sound like somebody trying to tell the reporter that he’s doing his job.
RALPH: It sounds more like there’s been an argument about what he’s doing when he’s actually at work with somebody that’s maybe trying to call him out, not putting the effort in that he’s being paid for it. We’ve all seen that film in places means that he’s had to justify it internally.
RALPH: But now he’s coming out publicly and saying to those that have maybe been watching it that know it’s been going on. Look, I’ve won that battle and if that does tie in with some kind of major investment in the summer, then he said a lot more in his mind than just picking a team that’s going to win games. And you have to respect.
HECTOR: I think the removal, the removal of Matt law was the first key part of him winning that battle really.
DESI: But we did say I had had to roll somewhere. We did, we did say that because it’s just, it’s the, it’s the godfather way. Somebody has to pay the price and to be fair. I still think we were quite shocked that he was ejected.
DESI: I mean, rather than the classic move sideways or whatever, it was just a straight. Thanks very much away. You go, you’re out the door and Peter Peter’s been fucking absent lately. I’ll come to that later. But I mean, I’m surprised I’ve not seen his smiling face kicking.
MONTY: Its mug came on the TV, standing beside Desmond, but the two of them for the first time, they looked isolated. All the rest of the goons weren’t hanging around them. Or at least the camera didn’t pan in on Nicholson and all the board hangers on and your good mate, Brian Wilson, none of those boys looked to be in the picture.
MONTY: It looked like just the two of them, which was an interesting one. Now, no doubt they’ll all be there at Hampden in a couple of weeks. But, yeah, it, it, it feels like a change into the guard is necessary. We’ve talked about it at board level. The board is too stale.
MONTY: It’s been there too long and if Desmond has genuinely got intent to drive the club forward, he would reject the board. The fact that it’s all still his cronies and his mates. There goes back to a point from an earlier podcast in the season. I think the right offer and he’ll walk and let someone else tidy it all up. So it would be interesting.
DESI: Welcome back, Ralph.
DESI: No, no one on the, no one on the pod can see Hector’s face here, but we’ve not seen that, that look of the game.
DESI: Yeah, you just reminded me. Thanks, Mo, you’ve just reminded me of one of my other highlights at the game and that the coverage so to speak. And I hope you saw it. And it’s when Henry walks into the stand to take his seat and he’s going to walk by Rod Stewart and Rod Stewart tries to give him a wee play for. All right.
DESI: And Henry, this, this, I don’t even know if you knew who he was. He just blanks him right. He walks right past Rod Stewart because in a couple of seats, but then he’s got to sit right next to Murder mcleod and he just embraces Murder mcleod after like Murdo not being well in that for so long. And it was just, it was just lovely to see them together. It was really, really nice.
MONTY: I was going to ask maybe it’s, it’s one for off. But I seen Murder mcleod. I look, look, well.
DESI: Major heart surgery. I had major surgery last year and apologies to those family from wrong, but I think it was like grave. It was really very, very serious, you know what I mean? And they managed to pull through. So it may have been like in a triple bypass, whatever, something like that along those lines. But I know it was really, really serious. So it was great to see the two invest in the game.
DESI: And that brings me so that brings me on postgame, player of the year award. So we discussed the various player of the year awards. So handsome Matt O’Reilly Hector. That was my, my, I gave him for being handsome. I don’t know if you’ve saw a video with Matt O’Reilly. He is handsome. That was a good enough reason. So I think you Hector, you got Matt Riley. Did you get Matt last weekend?
HECTOR: You tried to lock Liam Scales on me and I said no. Right.
HECTOR: No. Right. Should we, we step back to season last year when we were still in short with Rogers going back? I think you may have asked the question who we thought would be the most improved player. And, and, and three of us, I think the obvious one was was really and, and I think improved, right?
HECTOR: You can just see it. It’s just these games went up, not just one level, a couple of levels this season. And the only we de it was just after maybe coincidence, maybe it wasn’t, it was just after Madrid tried to see them in January, but since the turn of calm and again, Rio Rio wasn’t his best that weekend.
HECTOR: But as we mentioned before, it’s the space he offers others to then exploit just being part of that group has been back to his best again. And I think by some margins being our best player this season. So Phil, I was still quite surprised he was still the young player. I thought it was 2020.
DESI: That we don’t have any young players to get to forest.
DESI: Yeah. Yeah. So, and, and Monte, I don’t know if you saw any coverage, but apparently they went off script to get by Joe Hart on the stage and he got a standing ovation. So again, this is the start of the Thank you Joe process. You know what I mean?
DESI: That as we work through the stages of grief, so that would be good. But the star of the show, the star of the show, I don’t know if I don’t know what you’re like. But to be honest, if I tear my eye when you see Henry Larson standing on the stage and you start singing, you are my Larson.
DESI: And as he said, he’s like this is I left here 20 years ago and it still get, I just want, he said I want to, I feel as though I’m going to burst out crying again and just watch it on a video 24 years later, I’m pure filling up and you watch all the, all the tweets to people are just cry my eyes, a grown man, cry my eyes out in the Hydro.
DESI: It’s just amazing. That kind of Messianic presence of Henri Larson. I mean, how lucky we all were.
MONTY: Yeah, like have we had anything even remotely close since in terms of ability? I don’t mean just goal scoring ability. We’ve had some cracking goalscorers since he left some with goal scoring rates that weren’t a million miles off his. But have we had any just for all round?
DESI: But if any player had his order is the main, like I remember like my best pal was a Rangers fan and his words, Henry fucking Larson. I mean, you know, b Henry fucking Larson, he couldn’t, he couldn’t help but appreciate, like, respect him. I mean, he hated the fact that he had to respect them because it was this undeniable Henry fucking last.
MONTY: Yeah.
RALPH: The only one that’s kind of similar and not at the same level, Dubai a long way would be the contribution Joe has made to the club through his personality.
RALPH: He hasn’t had the same effect on the pitch and he won’t be looked at as the same level of player, but he’s kind of got the club in the same way and he loves the club in the same way and he did make a big difference when he first came into post Colo set. He, he become a leader as such. It’s players that are, that arrive at the club and get the club.
DESI: Right. Right. Well, I’m glad you’re here. Right, because let’s, let’s take a wee moment also to appreciate the India and the Indian summer that’s been James Forrest in the last few months, the impact that guy’s had on the club and especially even this season, I mean, coming in and he’s done a lot just to get us over that line. I mean, I know you’ve always been a big fan.
RALPH: He said offers to go to other places. He fell out with low over contract offers that have been taken off the table for him and he, he stayed, we stayed through thick and thin, although not much to be fair because we’ve not really had lean years as such.
DESI: Thanks to people like James for.
RALPH: You now and it’s going to be, you know, when you do the stats and who’s won what? He’s going to be up there with the rest of them.
DESI: He’s currently, he’s currently three trophies behind Bobby Lennox. So I think so. If you win the league tomorrow night, then the Scottish Cup and then the League Cup, he’ll tie with Bobby Lennox by the end of the year, depending on when the League Cup is.
DESI: If they’ll push that back next year, it’ll be kind of equal, wouldn’t he? That’s what I’m saying. So if next three trophies they could be equal, that’s something going into. It must be something in that Ayrshire water, he’s the best into forest.
RALPH: So which I’m led to believe is kind of a, it annoys him a wee bit is that he hasn’t got the full set of four Trebles because he missed out on a cup final or something.
RALPH: And I think, I think the club refused to give him one and if there is a campaign to be started anywhere or any kind of, why is he not got that. Surely they can just print one off and give it to him. I think he played in the game to the final, but never made it. But he doesn’t have the full set of four.
DESI: There’s still a chance of me winning s award of the year award when we get to our December Award. So you never know there might be a lot there. But let, let’s look forward. We’ve done Now, looking back, let’s look forward before we come. A wee bit of fun at the end. I’ve got H Fundy but now that they are getting beat because it was 21 to Dundee when we started this pod.
DESI: But now it’s 42 says Bob tramps in the corner. So we’ll get Kelly tomorrow, Hector. I’m predicting a very happy handshake. 11, everyone’s happy. Kelly have qualified for four players in the league. They’re safe or do you think mcinnes will send them out all guns blazing. Let’s do this mob. I’ve got a Kilmarnock job to win. I’ve got a Ben job to win.
HECTOR: No, I think, I think it’d be Rogers should be sending the team out all guns blazing. Both him and to, to a larger degree, Calmac mentioned it and K said we owe them 12 games down there this year. We’ve lost both of them.
HECTOR: One was right at the start of the season. Obviously, it was a League Cup, wasn’t it? And then the second one was the league where the first half with three goals up the second half because I lost three goals and beats 21.
HECTOR: Calma says no, we know we we owe a big performance against them. So I think we’ll go guns blazing tomorrow night down there and I think, I think we’ll go and try and win the game convincingly for the first bustle.
DESI: That’s it. Go ahead and get a couple of goals, get it done. Take a draw at the very worst. But I think my aider also wanted my aid also tweeted today we will be champions tomorrow. So clear. That’s that kind of mindset of let’s get the job done. So, so that would be nice.
MONTY: Yeah, I’m, I’m kind of I’m with Hector on this.
MONTY: I think that then it comes back to the professionalism and, and approach and mentality, you know, that, that we talked about, I think that I had a good day on Sunday, maybe had a few beers down the Hydro straight in the, in the and I can, there would have been anything other than full prep and focus for this, you know, and Roger’s team talk, it gives itself really, you know, go out and be champions and I’m with you, I’ll take a draw out happy, but I do think we’ll come out and really go for it and they, you know, they can play with a bit of freedom.
MONTY: Should be a good game.
DESI: That’s why, that’s why I was happy. I mean, I had Kilmarnock had won on Saturday because there was still a possibility that mum could maybe have caught them because the guy, I worked with a guy who was a Kilmarnock fan so he was eager that they won.
DESI: So I went, oh, that’s good. So, again, and I think they’ve got a few players out of contract. So I’m hoping that they don’t want to get injured because I’ve got to go and find a new job, these sort of things. So everyone’s happy. Take the, take the N hour or sell it score, then they score in the last two minutes.
DESI: Everybody just miles at each other and walks off celebrating one. They can take a lap of honor, we can take a lap of honor. Everybody’s happy, fingers crossed. Ralph, are you back up for Saturday’s game against ST Mirren?
RALPH: I’m just, you’re just saying that hopefully the Kilmarnock will be relaxed and all that. It’s a possibility to win the league to get revenge on a team that maybe cost us a trouble, you know, at the end of the season, we might be sitting back and saying, come on as that cost us another trouble and you’re hoping they have a day off.
DESI: Because I’m thinking I don’t want to see anybody sliding in rugby park or whatever. I’m just happy for a gentleman’s agreement. Germany versus Austria pass the ball between ourselves and we’ll take a point and everyone’s happy.
HECTOR: I think we’re gonna pump, I think we’re gonna pump them. I really do think.
DESI: Big Jan Bene girl is gonna come on as a sub and put one in the top corner. That would be nice. But obviously I would like a comfortable victory, but I’m happy with a 11, a dull 11 and get over the line on Saturday and then everyone’s ready to go for the cup final and that, that’s, I want to hammer them.
DESI: I want to hammer name in the cup final. You know what I mean? Right. So now we come to the alternative after the player of the year awards, I was thinking of alternative awards. So I’m gonna give you the choice Ralph as the returning guest. Do you want number 12 or three?
DESI: Three? Ok, Hector one or 21. Ok. You’re, you’re number two then, Monte. So Hector, who would you give the winder upper of the year? Are we going for Car Mack on Saturday? There you, are you the latest hard man? Are we going for Sutton just in general for being Sutton? Are we going for Brendan with a classic? I’ll see you here back here in May.
HECTOR: I, I think normally you go for Sutton, right?
HECTOR: But I think the way Rogers has just had Clement in a string over the last maybe 4 to 6 weeks.
DESI: For anyone listening. I’m doing the dead man’s shoes. I’ve got you right there with my hand.
HECTOR: To God and it gets back, doesn’t it? We can, we can, we can even the exact moment when Rogers really just turned the pressure down.
DESI: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry Hector. Do you for anyone listening to anyone here? Do you ever remember? And the Simpson Simpsons were Ralph and the Simpsons, Ralph Malvin when Lisa breaks his heart and they, they, they, they make it in slow motion when Lisa emotionally breaks his heart and put in his slow motion.
DESI: I was his p on Clemont there like Brendan doing that at Clemont. I’ll try and find the clip on. But yeah, they physically show him collapsing with his broken heart when Lisa lets him down. Sorry on you go.
HECTOR: No, I was just saying and we can all remember it because I think we beat was it? We may have beat three nil Johnston. It was just before, just before the split. That’s right. And it was, that was a Saturday. They were going to count on the Sunday and obviously they had this whole dense part the back weeks which was a start Clement, losing his rag but right.
HECTOR: But then Rogers remember it was his final comment. This is when Celtic come alive and he left it and he got all the paper headlines, the online headlines. That was it. That was the script written. They folded like a pack of cards at Ross County.
HECTOR: They were pumped at Ross County and then obviously they go to Dundee when they put the pressure on themselves and they with a bad mouth and d but the pitch and everything and they drew and then Rogers just kept doing it and then the comment about having fun and fucking idiot, he just turned the be be, be be and I think it’s got to be the award this year has got to go to Brendan Rogers. Got to go, ok.
DESI: Con con to Brendan, you have won the winder upper of the year, the winder up of the year right on to you, Monte number two, you may, you may have already let this one slip.
DESI: Obviously, you didn’t know this was coming, but I’ve got an idea who you may plump for pundit of the year, Monty and we have got Grant Peter invest in Grant Celtic TV, Kenny Miller, Kenny mcintyre for actually having Ralph on air on BBC Sports Sound for this year or Ali I’ll repeat everything.
DESI: I really, really, really do mccoist for these European nights. Who are you giving pundit of the year to, I mean, it, it, it’s like, it’s like looking into literature and picking your favorite, but it has been, it has been who’s the less shit of the season basically? And it so.
MONTY: But I think for, for entertainment value, Miller takes some feeding.
MONTY: He seemingly is a very, very decent fella and you know he is what he is but fuck that meltdown on Saturday was something else. Mcintyre probably deserves a medal for having Ralph on several times.
MONTY: The other boy, no, I have to give.
DESI: Miller you have won the pundit of the year, right? Ok. Ralph similar, similar. In fact, we go, we go to this one for you. Ralph did James Mccarthy Hide and Seek award of the year. Is it going to Peter Lowell, Benjamin Siew are all or anyone else you can, you can imagine. And we we will include James Mccarthy. And that also now you see him now you don’t know or does that go to Ma Lowell? Perhaps?
RALPH: I think after his performance, Kenny Miller will win it next year because he surely won’t want to me an ar so two years in a row, it’s Peter Law. He has disappeared from the, from the face of the earth. If you want, he would normally have a wee interview here or we release on Celtic quick news but nothing since his son the the elbow.
RALPH: And I did hear something about high level resignation and maybe that’s.
DESI: What it is. We never even, I meant to mention that there are the Hector, the old Barter is getting its roof on very soon. The the structures coming on at Barfield. So that will be interesting in the whole training academy is up and.
HECTOR: Running Yeah, it’s going ahead at pace in it. They’re really, they’re really cracking on with it.
HECTOR: And this is where the women’s team and the B team are going to be. Basically, they’re going to locate themselves there for the, the training, but obviously having the full size, full size indoor pitch. No doubt, Lenox Town being where it is come the, come the winter months, I’m pretty sure that the Celtic first team will find themselves down there quite a lot.
DESI: Yeah. And best of luck. Best of luck to the girls team. We have done very well and hopefully they can win the league. That would be a nice double right back to you, Hector. Best performance against Celtic. I’ve got Anton Wan Derek mcinnes, John Lindstrom or anyone else you can think of and was a joy to watch.
HECTOR: You beat me to it. Right. Because when you, when you get the Champions League and it’s, that was a brilliant match, wasn’t it? The game was at, the game was to each, to each and Griezmann. It’s funny how you’ll see a player. Obviously, the first time I ever seen him in the flesh at Celtic Park.
HECTOR: But you see a player and you think he’s all right, you know, he’s all right. Very good player, but he’s all right when you see them in real time and under the lights, it was far, far better than I ever thought he was. He was like poetry in motion.
DESI: On, he’s a better player than I first thought.
HECTOR: Maybe it was because obviously he was, he was playing in the Spanish League and, you know, two or three years at Barcelona, but he was really ale to Madrid and he went to Barcelona, he met Barcelona and it was messing and all that there.
HECTOR: So maybe, you know, if you’re playing with these guys, you’re more under the radar, aren’t you? You’re not the main man watching him. I couldn’t believe how he was just effortlessly, effortlessly kind of fall into deep midfield. Go left, go right, play the 10, go to nine and then the ball just stuck to him.
DESI: You know, this lifted it when it was like that. It wasn’t even like it was, there was no effort whatsoever. It was, it was cigars and slippers and strolling about enjoying, enjoying a lovely evening. You know what I mean? It was unbelievable.
HECTOR: It was a fortune motion really, really, really. It was, and it was a joy, a joy to watch a player just for some of the, the, the oldest or older listener. Our first real experience of that just just came to mind talking about that was when we played a, a way back in the day and it was two each at Celtic Park.
HECTOR: We beat them 21 over there. I think Chavin Nicholas, a late, late winner over there to beat them 21. But my point is so you and Rey was back with a, a at that point, this was his second stunt. There was up against Danny mcgrain and there as well, but my point was is magic.
HECTOR: But watching Rey as a young guy, just watching Johan Rey just cruise around the pitch guy past his, just cruise around the pitch. I thought what a fucking player. And I was a young boy at the time with yourself. You appreciate Brilliance when you could see it. So yeah, a bit like that.
DESI: Yeah, excellent. So you’re getting, and that’s fine.
DESI: 1 to 1 to you the Ramus. And if anyone saw any video quotes today, they’ll know what that means. I Ramis snub of the year. Does it go to Celtic to any Matt Oley transfer inquiries? Does it go to Simone for fucking off down the tunnel or does it go to Big f for fucking off down the tunnel? Who gets the snub of the year award or anyone else you can think of?
MONTY: Yeah, it has to go, I think Big Bill to go play in with all of them. His demeanor, all the things weird and you know, at the end of the day, these are just fellas trying to do a job.
MONTY: But you hear about him being this alpha male character and you know, Mr fucking too big for his boots and it starts, the crack starts here or the real sort of personality starts to come out dizzy and doing that and then trying to excuse it afterwards is kind of just so washy, you know. So I think of all places, I mean, come on the fuck like, yeah, Ross County.
MONTY: So yeah, I think that was probably the biggest reveal, Simeone walking down the tunnel street. I love Simeone for his dark arts and doesn’t give a fuck. I love him for that. You want more villains. There’s not enough pantomime villains.
MONTY: So yeah, I think big va bit of a country man.
DESI: Oh, so big fellow wins this number of the year. Ok, Ralph, what about you? Where are we agent of the year, Ralph? Are we getting it to Liam Scales for getting a new four year deal? Kenny Miller’s agent for somehow getting him in all these media outlets or Rocco vs agent for the for this year comedy value or drama value or anyone else you can think of Ralph agent of the year. What are you thinking?
RALPH: It has to be agent for getting them a job talking about football. Fair enough.
RALPH: He gets a bit of sympathy because he got a nasty bang on the head from a tackle played Simon Novic a few years back and it’s great to see he’s recovered but how anybody can possibly approach a media outlet and say, listen, I’m just the guy you’re looking for, this is a guy that can give a balanced opinion that can give thoughtful a sorry, thought provoking debate on an incident.
RALPH: That guy should be out there selling whatever comes along to whoever wants to buy.
RALPH: The guy is a legend. Whoever he is genius, it must be. And to think that Miller will probably go on to host a major tune somewhere on one of the, the big channels. Yeah, we’ve got to give it to that guy.
DESI: Whoever he is, Kenny Miller’s agent wins. He’s not here right here. Here’s a question for everybody, right? And again, I’ve not run any of these past due, so I appreciate he’s on the spot. But someone, someone phoned in Clyde the other day and said, as dies in my a the most crucial player at Celtic when it comes to Rangers games and who he’s missed the whole point of the guy’s questioning Gordon Duncan tried to put him right?
DESI: But he wasn’t really listening. He went on about the things he can do rather than how crucial is in that point. So I’ve written here crucial player of the year. So for examples, I’ve got Ida at Motherwell Dyson versus Tav Forest in the running. Any thought he on the possible crucial player gonna find that idea of the year.
HECTOR: But you can actually make a clear case for all of them at different times coming in because we know how important he is without him. Let’s be honest about it, but the defense is about right. He holds everything together.
HECTOR: Real coming back, just gave the whole team a love because suddenly there’s space that we can play and there’s a quick release of the ball as we know he’s a risky player. So it won’t always come off from him, but that’s, that’s his game helps us forest for the last four weeks. Five weeks is, is absolutely been brilliant.
DESI: So for that 20 minutes against hearts.
HECTOR: But I would say if you put in the spot, I would say, well, let’s, let’s, let’s think about how we won the league. We took 10 points out of 12 against Rangers. It, it’s been how we’ve won the league this year, right? And look at my aa second goal, which was the winning goal, the crucial goal at the weekend, the first goal Ibrox after 26 seconds.
HECTOR: What was the, the other one is that we beat them 21 at Celtic Park and they get the guy sent off half, I forget his name.
HECTOR: He pressed them and he got last man sent off. So he’s been these league games that’s ultimately won his league. He’s been massive in them. As you say, one of their biggest attacking options, not just through, through penalties is crossing the Balls Tavern and he’s nullified completely. So give me the spot. I see my head. Yeah.
DESI: And as I say, I’ve got a, I was thinking about you and I was writing, I at Motherwell because again, we were in a bit of a slump at that point and he came on and helped drag his back up.
MONTY: No, I, I think you, I mean, you, you don’t like to admit it, but ultimately, it is the results against them that, that dictates by and large where the, where the title goes and you know, to do that consistently the way that Maya does. He just fucking terrifies Taverner. I think it’s hilarious. I love it.
MONTY: But it’s his effectiveness in those games. And yeah, you’re right. Like Adam Ida, if we sign him, he could be one of those 5 million players if Roger wants because he believes he’s got a ready made second striker.
DESI: Yes.
MONTY: Yeah. More effective domestic.
MONTY: Yeah. So no de I think it’s hard to look past me in the context of just how important the things were that he’s done in those games and repeatedly did it as well.
DESI: Ok, Ralph. And I’ll come to the last question for Ralph in a minute.
RALPH: Right. Well, I no, I watched him for 10 minutes off the ball on Saturday and he, he can’t, he’s, he’s not coordinating enough to be a footballer. He can’t run and look where he’s gone at the same time when there’s a ball at his.
DESI: Folks have been waiting over an hour and 15 minutes for a player in there somewhere.
RALPH: Right. With my, we’ve seen what he does when he’s there and we’ve seen the difference when he’s not there and we’ve also seen right back at the beginning of the season, but Atletico Madrid did to him because they realized how important it was to us even if we didn’t realize it at the time. Yeah, maid certainly the most crucial player we’ve had for a long time, right?
DESI: So final, final, final question for everyone.
DESI: Are you fucking kidding? Award? Right? Who, who wins the, are you fucking kidding award? Does it go to Philip Clement for this free, free back up? Does it go to the Celtic fans for booing Santa?
DESI: It’s even read the words that makes me laugh at Celtic for Boo Santa or does it go to the Celtic Board for those fucking two transfer windows? Who wins Hector that are you fucking kidding award?
DESI: Let’s end in a t you know, and just give you a big f but it’s anything else you can think of.
HECTOR: Thinking back on a, on a happy note, right? And maybe, maybe we didn’t think that we actually did because the three each game, I remember we’re going into that and they were, they were, they, they went five points clear potentially. So, so although we were two ahead and they got the penalty, blah, blah, blah, but you’re right.
HECTOR: The fact that they got a three straw and they were doing a celebration going on the ground which we were all going, fuck me. Role reversal. That’s Celtic Park and we through three each, we’re not fucking thousands applaud and celebrate as if we’ve won the game.
HECTOR: So thinking back, that was actually comedy, fucking brilliance, wasn’t it that they did that? And we were all laughing. Going to my boss is what they’re doing. And so it proved. So I think we’ll look back on that one. Is that one of the funniest moments of the season, I think. Yeah.
DESI: So, so Monte touching and that, do you think they sell it if touch wood? Everything goes well against Kilmarnock and m we secure the league and we can plan for the party on Saturday. Should the Celtic Board Stroke team management, whatever? Should they let Santa go up and collect the trophy with Joe Hart on Saturday?
MONTY: It would really be a powerful message.
DESI: But even better. Should Joe Hart dresses that on Saturday?
MONTY: Yeah, that would, that would be the ultimate send off for the man.
MONTY: You’d love to think the board would have a sense of humor or do something like that, but they’re so far fucking detached from reality and anything novel they wouldn’t.
MONTY: I still think it’s harsh, you know, like Boo and Santa, like he still turned up, he still did the business.
HECTOR: Put you missing a crucial point here, right? And you know, as well as I do, we all know that, right? You imagine Santa turns up at Celtic Park on Saturday, right in the middle of sorry, sorry.
DESI: Just to be clear, sorry, I’m honestly get a tear in my here. This last is four more men talking about Santa is selling.
HECTOR: You brought it up, right? You can imagine. You can imagine, right? I’m going to call him angry, angry Tom or angry Angus, right? Season ticket holders who’s got, who’s got wee Jimmy who’s like three year old looking over why Santa here in May you imagine they exist? These people fucking writing irate letters and they fucking, they fucking Celtic. What are you doing? My kid fucking now.
DESI: Thats the board. The headline breaks itself.
HECTOR: That’s hear me. What the fuck’s going on?
DESI: Oh God. So Ralph Ralphie coming up for Saturday.
RALPH: No, no, this, we’re looking at cup final but I don’t think it will be that a few of the club, you know, but say I’ve got other things to sort out, ok?
DESI: And I’d like, I’d like to thank a special, thank you to everyone who sent in awards. I put them up on the, the, the site, but especially David Kelly at David A K 79 who nominated the best at Boo Santa Award, the winner as any one of you 60,000 folk in Celtic Park.
DESI: So fair enough, David. So that was good. So yeah, so Rangers have won tonight so we need to go out and do the business. Does anyone know what the current goal difference is? Hector? Is it? Plus five is it plus four? What do we think?
HECTOR: I think they won 525 plus four goals, right?
DESI: So there you go. So a two goal one for Kilmarnock and it’s all to play for tomorrow night. Just remember that.
HECTOR: Never change, never change.
DESI: I’ve got, I’ve got to be the realist, the realist of the year award.
HECTOR: So, fingers, what happened to the guy? What happened to the five, nothing to Celtic last week.
DESI: During the week, during the week, I’ll go for five nil against against Monty’s Pal Stephen Robinson. Before he’s nominated for the hibs, the hibs job come the weekend, no doubt. So, fingers crossed. So, is this left for me? Thanks very much folks for listening. Thanks to everyone for their nominations. Thanks to everyone for their comments.
DESI: Please like and subscribe whenever you get the podcast. Let us know your comments. We always appreciate them. Even as we go into the summer, we’ll try and even have a few pods over the summer. Regards transfer windows, the Euros or whatever, we’ll see what we can do. Touch wood. Is this left for me to thank Hector Bandido tonight? Thank you, Hector Cheers guys.
HECTOR: Thank you.
DESI: Thank you. Thank you very much, Monte C for Champions Elect Bums. Thank you, Monty. Thanks, Des thanks lads and finally and last, but certainly not least, thank you for again, managing to join us to Ralph M, the pilot of the T A carrier. Who? Welcome back, Ralph.
RALPH: Hopefully, hopefully he can join us a lot more and hopefully it’s the start of coming back to doing things more regular.
DESI: Excellent. Of course. Yeah, definitely. And again, we may even be able to jump on next week. Touchwood was always done with the league. Touchwood. We seal it up and maybe even the Scottish Cup final, if we’re lucky. All right, folks. My name is Desmond. Thank you very much for listening. Good night.
U2: I.
Zero comments is sad, but we have only one person to blame!
You have to watch the Minions!
Is there a God?
Ask hymn sevconians.
Enjoy.
Centre stage, this is the last bastion for the behind the screen scaffolders.
Win, lose or penalties our penny is.
The screaming abdabs hit you when you are using an ashtray that is not an ashtray.
Foggy morning, we win.
Wee James Forrest to use his accouchement hips to score one off a hat-trick.
Brendan, I can keep.
Fabio is to wear long sleeves on Saturday.