Martindale shock QUIT claims | The Journos

Is David Martindale about to quit Livingston? One Journos thinks so… We also break down a historic Scottish Cup Final win for Aberdeen, dissect the fallout at Celtic, assess Rangers’ looming managerial decision, and more!

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🏆 Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup Win 2025

Aberdeen end 35-year wait for the trophy with emotional scenes on Union Street
The community impact of the win and comparisons to Hibs 2016 Cup Final
Manager Jimmy Thelin earns redemption through tactical tweaks and resilience
The power of belief, togetherness, and smart recruitment

⚽ Celtic’s Cup Final Flatness & Season Review

Brendan Rodgers’ side criticised for complacency and lack of spark
Celtic’s treble bid ends with questions over squad depth and boardroom decisions
Ongoing need for “difference-makers” and squad surgery ahead of the new season

🔁 Rangers Managerial Uncertainty

Delays in naming a new manager raise concerns
The risks of appointing Davide Ancelotti and what the club needs instead
Urgent need for a rebuild and fan patience amid ownership transition

📈 Scottish Football Landscape & European Ambitions

Aberdeen’s challenge: Balancing domestic success with European campaigns
Clubs urged to invest in local talent instead of relying on cheap foreign imports
The commercial growth of Hibs and Hearts and the battle for third place

👥 Livingston & David Martindale’s Redemption Story

How the Livi boss nearly quit before leading his side back to the top flight
The challenges and controversy of artificial pitches in the Premiership

🌍 Tragedy at Liverpool Parade vs. Joy of Football Celebrations

Reflecting on the contrast between celebratory parades and tragic events
The importance of security, community, and perspective

🇮🇹 Scott McTominay & Billy Gilmour’s Serie A Success

How Scottish internationals are thriving in Italy with Napoli and beyond
McTominay’s hero status in Naples and the rise of Gilmore under Conte

🧠 Youth Development & Reserve League Concerns

Scottish football’s lack of structured youth pathways
Calls for reintroduction of a competitive reserve league

📊 Hearts, Hibs & the New Season Expectations

Derek McInnes at Hearts: embracing analytics and reshaping the squad
Hibs’ resurgence under David Gray and potential Black Knight investment

📺 Also in This Episode:

Behind-the-scenes stories from past football parades, including Celtic 1967 and Barcelona 2006
Retro football top hunting and Peter Martin’s £65 Aberdeen shirt adventure
Hilarious personal anecdotes and fierce opinions on Scottish football’s hot topics

The Journos Highlights:

00:00 Aberdeen’s Scottish Cup Victory & Aftermath

Opening reaction to Aberdeen’s cup win, Peter Martin in an Aberdeen top, emotional fan scenes in Union Street, historical significance of the win, and comparison to Hibs 2016.

The significance of the Aberdeen victory parade, new heroes for the younger generation, Peter’s story of finding an Aberdeen retro shirt.

10:01 Jimmy Thelin’s Tactics vs Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic
Jimmy Thelin’s reputation and tactical switch against Celtic, how Aberdeen grew into the game and stayed in it.

12:56 Celtic’s Cup Final Defeat & Losing the Treble

Celtic’s squad issues, lack of depth, and muted celebration. The board’s failure to replace key players like Jota.

Celtic’s season reviewed: Champions League progress, domestic double, lack of consistency, Brendan Rodgers’ challenges, and post-January decline.

33:40 Celtic FC Team and Summer Transfer Window

Squad analysis, transfer window expectations, lack of flair and creativity, and boardroom shortcomings.

35:06 Rangers Takeover, Recruitment & Manager Search

Uncertainty around Rangers’ next manager since Clement’s departure, an urgency to improve the team, possible risks like Davide Ancelotti, financial pressure, and season ticket expectations.

44:20 Hibs FC’s Late Form and Derek McInnes Joining Hearts FC
Contrasting fortunes: Hibs praised for late-season form, investment from Black Knights; Hearts enter new season with McInnes and data-led Jamestown Analytics.

48:01 David Martindale & Livingston’s Promotion
Martindale’s turnaround in mindset, new investment at Livingston, tactical acumen, recruitment, and respect across the game.

53:05 Artificial Pitches in the Scottish Premiership
Debate over plastic pitches in the Premiership and financial implications.

54:51 McTominay & Gilmour Win Serie A at Napoli
Praise for McTominay and Gilmour in Italy, McTominay’s rise to hero status at Napoli, and fan adulation.

More to Watch:

1. Can Steven Gerrard Make Rangers Champions Again?: https://youtu.be/G3Fg1bMo2Xc
2. Fiercely Debating the Future of Scottish Football: https://youtu.be/0hDo0E5PfpQ

Welcome to the journals on PLZ Soccer’s YouTube channel. I’m Peter Martin, Gordon Park, Michael Grant, and Allison McConnell here with me on the show today. I’m still wearing red. It’s the aftermath of Aberdine winning the Scottish Cup when I had to actually put the Aberdeene top on for opening my big fat mouth last week and saying there’s no way the Dons are going to win it. And now, finally, since we’ve given you a breathalyzer test, you’re back. You’re sober. You’re with us. What a celebration you must have had. Yeah, it wasn’t bad. I thought you’ve never looked better, Peter. Frankly, on Monday, still drunk. I rewatched it several times. No, it was it was quite a weekend. Yeah, absolutely. And uh no surprise that quite a few people in the Aberine community and the club um sent messages partly saying we’ll be watching. So it summed it up perfectly. Listen, I thought watching the footage, Union Street, the bus coming down, the absolute depth of emotion about it and genuine. But what struck me is is honestly 35 years ago. I know the last time they opportunity to do that. So that struck me. But what also struck me was I remember going been through to hearts on the Sunday the day after they won the Scottish Cup and it was similar. you only really see the magnitude of the achievement and the size of the fan base and what it means to them when you achieve something but 35 years brilliant to do it but it can’t be another 35 years at the other point which I think uh you know you and I sitting next to each other in the press box um would look and say to ourselves the Aberdine color on the day was magnificent I like that 50/50 you know I’m one of these people who likes a kind of a a meritocracy and a democracy as well you where everybody gets a fair kick at it. Um, so to see 20,000 Aberdeene fans was magnificent, but equally so, you know, there was is it is it too harsh on some Celtic fans to say there was a sense of entitlement that they thought it was just going to be a stroll in the park because I certainly thought it was going to be based on the evidence. I don’t think it is too harsh to say. I thought I thought Celtic felt flat on and off the park. I thought even the celebrations after the goal and you know it was a scrappy goal an own goal but I thought everything felt fairly muted quite flat I absolutely thought there was a an expectancy of we’re here where’s the cup when do we have our treble parade I just had that sense and I think part of that comes from winning and being exposed to regular success and winning trebles so often there was a point in Celtics history when Martin won that treble in 2001. That was that was the third treble in Celtic’s history across the entirety of the club for more than a hundred years. If you think how many then Celtic have been indulged by by winning across recent seasons, I think it does the occasion does become diluted. I think there’s no doubt about it. The one that that Saturday reminded me of was when Hibs won it. Yeah, when Hibs won it in 2016. I thought it was very reminiscent. It was a more exciting final admittedly, but they beat Rangers. Nobody in that hip support had seen them win the Scottish Cup before. Been 114 years. And my god, you could tell it, you know, in those that minute or two between gray scoring and the final whistle, it was just euphoria. It just built up ready to explode when the whistle went. Uh, and you can’t fake that, Peter. You know, I mean, that’s Yeah, you can’t manufacture it. And you can’t get that if you’re a support that’s regularly winning. It just it’s just different. Even if you go back to like like Celtic won the the Scottish Cup in 1995 would have been similar. a dreadful game, but you know, just that they hadn’t won a trophy for six years and this this pressure of of not being able to deliver and then you go and you get over the line and you get the first one. It’s a different kind of celebration. Celtic maybe winning the league under Vansen would be something different. You hadn’t won a a title for a decade and you have all this release that comes with it. I think it’s very different. Let me name drop for a second. Right. Last Friday I was at John Hill Campbell Money Brian Hamilton and they were reminiscing about the Scottish Cup win again. It’s decades ago and I can still remember the open top parade. I remember the team that played that landmark achievement. I remember the goal the winning goal Ian Fen scoring that for a town it’s it’s a defining year. I mean it capulates everything about the town and you identify with it. But I think back to the question, Celtics, they were profits of their own doom. They sold their their their game changer in January. J got injured. Ma went off the boil. The spark was no longer on the park because you’ve got as well who’s who’s dipped and you’ve got all these ingredients coming together. It’s a perfect storm. And I think Aberine did what they need to do. Stay in the game and then grow in confidence and then you get exactly what happened. It goes down to penalty kicks and the lottery exists. Well, the ultimate thing I think Michael which is really good about it all and and especially so when you consider Hibs when they want it and especially Aberine because they do it when they win it is they have a parade and the parade itself is you know you look and you see kids uh who are there who can only listen to their grandpas. I mean when people talk about Aberdine are fixated by the ghost of Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams. They’re not. They’re up in Aberdine and they take each year as it comes and new generations want new dreams with Aberdine. They’re not fixated by Fergie’s team. They like to look back on, you know, some of the old footage, but they want to see new heroes and to see kids on their fathers and mother’s shoulders uh in Union Street, seeing the cup, seeing the players. That’s what football’s all about. That’s why we I I I thought it was there to be celebrated because that’s what we want to see. Yeah. And you know to to the young generation it’s Meitov and it’s Shinny and you know Kevin Nisbet and these kind of guys. They’re the ones that they’re going to talk about from from this year. I went up to the uh parade thing to write a piece for the paper and my boys wanted to see it. H and just the energy around Aberdine on sat on Sunday despite the hangovers. Uh the energy was you could feel it, you know, and um obviously if you go, you know, I’m sure everybody here has been at one of these kind of parades at some sort point. No. What they like? No. But you know what I mean? Like so so basically you’re in one position. So you don’t get a sense really of you don’t always get a sense of the whole scale of the size of the thing you know and it’s only the next day or when you go online and you start to see the pictures or aerial shots and so you think wow you know and the estimate was 100,000ish you know um does it not reemphasize the social impact I remember oh huge mother won the Scottish cup and you talk about legends and again you can go through the players that did that that galvanized a community that was in its knees at that time and I think Aberdine the same economic problems around the the city. You’ve got a real togetherness there and football stretches beyond the football pitch so many ways. Can I leave myself wide open to ridicule here which I have done by wearing the Aberdeene strip on the Monday which which got me absolute pelters from Where did you get it from? Well well listen there’s two points I want to highlight to you. The first one was I’m thinking to myself the first Aberdine penalty goes right into the corner thought good penalty McGregor’s missed. And as everybody Alli’s doing her usual journal working away, you know, doing this and she doesn’t even have a typewriter, right? So she’s too she’s uh she’s she’s working away furiously and the only thing that’s going through my head is how the am I going to get a Aberdeene top in the central belt. You know, I do have Aberdeene tops from some players that I’ve known down through the years, but I’m not getting into them. So I’m thinking to myself, where are we going to get top? And one of our our journalists says, “Listen, there’s a guy who’s opened a shop um in Hamilton.” And you know, I thought, “Oh, this has got to be the last saving grace.” So my daughter and I I said, “Come on, we’ll go to this retro shop.” So we went to this retro shop and the big guy in there was a big great lad. Loves his football, loves his football shirts. And he said, “I knew somebody was going to come in and buy an Aberdeene shirt today.” And by the way, retro shirt. 65 quid. 65 quid for an Aberdeene top. But that’s the nature of that game now. But I got the top which was magic. Saw you coming. Absolutely. Magic there. I was thinking for the size, you know. So, so I got the top and that was me. And then I thought, right, job done. And then that point you just made there. You know, the last parade I was at was 200 I think 2005 2006. One of my friends who indirectly still works in the industry, but we used to work together at STV. The two of us turned around and said to each other, well, we’ll go to the Barcelona parade and see Henrik in Barcelona when Barcelona won the league. And then they subsequently went on to win the Champions League. And we went to Barcelona for the parade and the bus where they were all going down. There was I mean hundreds of thousands there all join. That’s the only parade I’ve I I think I’ve ever been at other than uh one other which I might as well chase since we’re all going I’ve taken that much belters. I think my mother took me in 1967 to the parade when I was two to see Celtic with the European Cup, Michael. So there you are. Remember it at two? You kidding me? I think you you surprised me in so many ways. Yeah, I actually I think the the family were, you know, were all going to see Celty with a European been to a parade. So that’s why I looked at the Aberdine thing and I thought to myself, that is bloody magnificent. Great. You know, and by the way, can I just on that point say to you, he’s a game away from being a hero or a villain. Jimmy Toen, I mean, some of the Albertine fans were giving me pelters on social media saying, “Oh, wait a minute. You were suggesting Mal Kai and Neil Lennon. Jimmy’s Jimmy’s the man. Jimmy’s not Jimmy’s the man now. But by the way, fine lines and sliding doors. You’re right. And I mean, there are echoes of Postco inspires, aren’t there, in terms of, you know, where was it heading? And, you know, listen, Aberine’s I think the board’s faith in Jimmy was absolute. Uh, but some supporters were beginning to worry. They were beginning to worry about the the football being kind of very one-dimensional in terms of one’s way of playing and that was it. And that way of playing wasn’t going to work against Celtic because it hasn’t been working against Celtic. But we none of us knew whether he would change it. You know, he might think I’m a man of principle. This is the way I play. It’s got us this far. And then when we saw the team coming out about an hour or so before the game, we thought, okay, he has changed it. So let’s see if that does give them a chance to get footoothold in the game. As Gordon says, keep it going into the second half. Even a goal down, you’re still in the match. So I I think he had a really good day. And I not no I don’t obviously had a good day but in terms of his reputation and in terms of everybody just banging again okay this guy knows what he’s doing. See, for Aberdine fans, Michael, what should be the expectation now? Because if I’m going to be mightily critical of teams out with Celtic and Rangers, the one thing that I want, I wanted it for Harts last season. Um, I want it for Aberine next season, is come on, get players in. Don’t buy Don’t buy and I’m not being xenophobic here. Don’t buy foreign players that are cheap are cheaper than the Scottish players and you end up with this substandard side. Get players, you know, there’s there’s I can think of three or four players in Scotland that are easily going to be great to be cherrypicking for an Aberdeene side, but get players that can get you into a group stage because that’s the thing in the last 20 years, every club out with Celtic and Rangers has been waffle waffle. Yeah. Well, I mean, they’re in the group stage. You know the the the challenge actually next season will be to hold up a domestic league campaign you know and again be third and also be respectable in Europe and Kelly being the example well I mean Aberdine have tried it hearts have tried it and they’ve not been able to marry a strong sorry a group campaign in Europe with a good league campaign they’ve actually it’s very difficult I think like when you’re playing a Thursday night and you’re coming back traveling and then you’re coming back you’ve got a Sunday game it puts demands on a squad and you’ve got to there’s no question AB will have to use the money they’re getting to beef up the squad. I I actually that was a question I put to him after the game. I said, you know, how how do you think you’re going to be able or do you think you’ll be able to kind of juggle that thing between domestic football and European challenges? And he made the point, well, we have to try and we have to try every year. That’s how you build a club is by doing this every year and and getting the income up every year. Yeah, but that psychological barrier that broke on Saturday galvanizes catalyst for something better and it has to be for peers, right? European records across the board outside Celtic Rangers is in a total embarrassment. And as we as we head again quickly towards another one, it can’t continue. Yeah, absolutely. And and I’m just looking here and the reason why I was quickly trying to get to uh this page is because there’s a couple of names I was thinking you know and please forgive me Ross County fans for this but if I was Aberine I’m saying to myself right you’ve lost Jamie McGrath go and get Ronan Hale go and buy Kayen Adams from Falker go and buy Calvin Miller from Falker you know I don’t want I know John Mclennon in the fall france I mean take a run and jump to yourself but that’s the nature of what Scottish football’s all about Gordon is quite simply the money goes round in our game. There are some really talented good Scottish players there, you know, that certainly would offer more than, you know, I mean, the big guy you had at the back at Aberdine who who one minute looked like a world beater and the next minute was a bomb scare. It Yes. Yes. You know, I mean, you got to say to yourself, there’s there’s talented players going about Scottish football. You can chill. He’s Irish, right? But um absolute carried the club on his shoulder and he’s technically he’s a thinker and he’s somebody that needs a platform now and Aberine perfect signing Ethan Ross at Fal width you want somebody that will go and deliver crosses he’s there ready to be picked and I have to say the economics of football are the realities are Fal if Aberdine come have to look at that there are players they’re few and far between but you’re right they have to be Scottish have to be localized to a degree one one of the things that will put that will make that difficult got for a or a hearts or a hibs is I think Rangers and maybe Celtic but certainly Rangers are looking more at Scottish players signed L Cameron they’re linked with the boy Mulligan as well at Dundy you know Aberine wanted Cameron but as Gordon says you know in in any kind of power struggle the old firm is always going to be really powerful Macau you know Abino hearts HS can say well we’ll play you you’ll you’ll start every week but it’s it’s okay saying that but when the wage offers are three four five times bigger it’s difficult being nostalgic, Michael, when you’re looking back to Aberdine’s golden days a lot. How many homegrown Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I can’t I mean, Academy now, right? But what what’s going on with that? I keep asking the question that’s just not Aberine’s failing. It’s across the boards. Yeah. Absolutely. But they need to get 50 and 100 games. As I always say, you know, with the demise of the reserve league, if you can get a Scottish player who suddenly gets 50 or 100 games playing alongside men, Michael, they’ve got a chance to become better players. Um, and that’s that’s the key issue to it. If you play alongside really good players and they talk you through games and they show you how to play a position and they talk you through that, it’s valuable quickly. Andy Gold was on BBC, all the different channels talking last summer about the the white paper that they presented. It’s all going again. Nothing quiet. Implement a Scottish Premier League reserve league which worked. do something because here we go into another European campaign. Same old naval gazing analysis of failure. Yes. Do something, Andy. Don’t just talk it. Don’t just spend money and going and investigating the reasons why. Implement something to change it. I have to say, and you did touch on it, Michael, just before we leave this topic, um the Aberdine were resolute in backing him whether it went pear-shaped or not. Unless it was a 5-nil spanking, I think even then I think I think he still had the complete faith of the board season regardless. Yeah. Um but he has credit in the bank now. Now you can point to say heroes a tangible return from a first season that this changes so much about how this team sees itself. It gives it it gives a belief. It gives a a belief not just in in the team and in success but it gives a belief in the manager that the manager system can work that it can he can now go on and improve on this term next season again and cope with the dual challenges are playing on two fronts a domestic and a and a European front and I think that’s that’s not to be taken lightly I think that when you look back at at clubs they toil to cope with it so I think this season the recruitment will be key to how it phases out across learn Scandinavian and known going to clubs that he knows hasn’t worked because he’s dodged the bullet here that result on Saturday. Yeah. Preserves him, preserves him. It gives him an opportunity and a platform to take the club forward probably. I mean, he would have got that anyway. Yes. But as Allison says there’s credit in the bank and has to be used wisely. Yeah. Who was your star man incidentally in Saturday for you? A few of them I thought stepped up. I mean, you can’t it’s hard to see beyond the goalkeeper, but you know, I thought Develin was good. I thought Shinny was good. I thought Yensen was good. Uh, can you put your finger on why he emptied Delin for a long period? I couldn’t I couldn’t quite work it out. Um, no. I think Nikki would probably say his form had at the start of the season was so strong and then it kind of dipped a little bit. Uh and actually both of the the fullbacks who started the season and who were both in the Scotland squad. McKenzie got in the squad as well and Develin they were both out of the side within a few months. But I thought Dein showed the best of him as himself in a difficult role as well because he was playing not on his normal side back in the I thought I just thought his attitude and his fight was brilliant. And also at the Aberine goal you saw what he was showing at the start of the season where he’s up he was there ready to tap that in if Schmeichel hadn’t. Mhm. Sported it in himself and he was at the back post. Now we were seeing that from Nick Devil at the start of the season. It was so exciting. This overlaping fullback was right at the back post. Yeah. Um but listen, you don’t beat Celtic unless eight, nine, 10 guys are delivering on the day. You know, Michael, your sliding door moment is effectively and the truth is if it hadn’t been for Michael, they lose the game. Or my he’s think I mean both both goals were lucky. Take everything that comes. You know, Celtic’s goal was an own goal for all their pressure. Celtic didn’t have a shot and target in the first half. Two shots and target total today, right? You brought in the guy with you specialized sub subject. How can you how can you compete with that? Yeah. Well, I’m going to compete with it now because if I if I have to uh if I have to to wear an which is my long day before I’ll open my golf again. Can I just say to you, you’ve got to be modest about this. Um Michael, you you took your boys up. Yeah. What age are they? Well, they went No, they went themselves. They 22 and 17. Oh, fantastic. Um did you meet them up there? I saw them after the game in Santa. And did you have any kind of Aberdeene regalion? Did you? No. No. You’re not not that type of person. Listen, over the years I’ve tried every bit of superstition for on Aberine Cup final days, and it tends not to work. So, I just I just left them to it. No, but I meant I mean for the parade, did you? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, none of that. Okay. Just I just wanted to see if you were as reserved as I thought you were. And you are. Simple as that. H just on that point. And it’s a it’s a real switch. And I apologize for this uh dramatic switch from the euphoria and of course the joy surrounding an Aberdeene uh win because you get such a beautiful day and you get Aberdeene fans all celebrating in the bus and it’s it’s something to be remembered. And then I looked at it and I thought Crystal Palace, South London, fantastic. You the first major trophy. And then you see Spurs and they’ve got the bus and everybody’s celebrating and then what unfolds in Liverpool is for me just the most tragic of circumstances and and I love parades. You can’t legislate for someone just inexplicably driving a car into people. And you know when somebody sent me a bit of footage on WhatsApp I I thought to myself, you know, this can’t be in our country again. you know, this can’t be something like that. And I just wonder what what comes out of it apart from anything else. There was an immediate reaction from the police, a quick one to say, you know, this is a white male, 53 years of age, which tells you about our society and why they had to quickly announce that um in case there would have been further riots. But but it’s a it’s a sad state of affairs. You love parades. What can we do? Should there be tighter security? Do we have to limit the size of a parade, the where a parade goes and of course make it so that the the security is so tight and we’ve also witnessed a situation here in Glasgow where people are saying listen don’t come to the Tron Celtic fans are there in thousands if they win the league. I think it’s very difficult. I think uh I think parades obviously are slightly different but I think there there’s always an organic element to some of that like when when there’s a trophy one particularly for the likes of Aberdine or or Spurs when it’s been such a a new experience when it when when it galvanizes an entire community. I think you want to give them their place. You want to afford people that moment. It’s a very special moment. I don’t think you can allow isolated incidents to spoil it for everyone else. But I do think obviously in the current climate where we live and and you see it at Christmas markets in Europe sometimes too, you have various instances. I think you obviously need to look at security concerns around it. But ultimately, I think it would be really unfair to deny people that moment for the the behavior of isolated idiots. Yeah. Yeah, I’ve got a nephew who lives in France. She lives in Paris. Looking forward to the PSG game in Saturday. PSG win that the Shaniz is absolutely packed. When France won the World Cup, it was a million people on the Shaniz. Is it a cultural thing? It’s not. It’s an isolated incident of somebody who you inexplicably can’t anticipate that kind of behavior. Yeah, I think you can’t deprive that natural organic exuberant reaction and opportunity. very seldom you get it to celebrate the question is relevant but there’s no answer to it really I think yeah I mean Michael that that that’s the point because if ever a community and if ever a group of people deserved a parade when you consider the last time they won the league title it was in the co year and you know they latterly got the chance to come out onto the streets as as everybody in the country opened up again but it wasn’t the same as winning it that day and this time around, you know, all the people are just going there to to revel in the red and see their heroes on the bus. Yeah. I mean, Allison makes makes a good point that these things can sometimes be organic because people want to do them whether they’re organized or not. I mean, you how many times have we seen Celtic fans gathering back at Parkhead? It’s just that that instinct. Rangers fans did it when they won the the title. Um there is that instinct to kind of be together and to to it’s almost like a magnet. it draws you to where the trophy is or where the captain will be or the players will be. Um, in terms of the broader point about the kind of security risk, I think it’s almost impossible to to um protect a a crowd against a car, you know? I mean, a car it it’s it’s so it’s such a universal thing, but it’s also a lethal weapon if if if in the wrong hands or in the hands of somebody who’s not in control of of himself when he’s uh doing let alone if he has an agenda. I mean when we went through that initial spate of terrorist attacks in other countries with cars you thought how’s this going to end because you’re so vulnerable to that if that is to be the modus operandi for for uh for for killing people in the name of terrorism and and generating global headlines. I don’t see how you stop that. Now thankfully it does seem to have you know touch wood that seems to be a lot of not as prevalent as it was a lot of good work in the background which a lot of people don’t realize a lot of good work by the secret services and you know MI5 that’s a good point you name you name any organization anti-terrorism squads who who work in the background to to try and minimize any kind of threat Peter your biggest nightmare is a somebody that is doing it on his own so there’s no strands to it within knowing the specifics of this incident, right? It’s the biggest nightmare is, you’re right, jumping in a lethal weapon, which a car can be, no rhyme or reason to it, no ideology behind it. So there’s no trace of it. It’s just something that occurs at that moment. Yes. How do you how do you protect people against that? Yeah, absolutely. It’s very very difficult and and again, I think your thoughts go out to all the people in Liverpool, especially the 11 who were CS Ljender. Although I did I did actually see an interview with one um Liverpool person um who was an older man who was there at the parade who was also at the Ariana Grande uh concert. Um and again you you can’t legislate for these things when you have a large gathering. Um but um sad as it is um you know we have to wait and see what were the circumstances, what are the details of it, what the punishment is and then what the outcome is to try and learn some sort of lessons that minimize the chances of it happening again. Um so cup final parades as ever we will talk about an I know you mentioned them uh there um we’ll talk about the future of managers as well. Just one couple of things I forgot to touch on on the flip side of that. I know it’s a bit scattered gun approach on it, but with uh the impending takeover at Rangers, Celtic themselves will look back at that cup final. I wonder what they’ll be thinking from the aftermath of it. I think the the overriding aspect should be put in perspective that Brendan Rogers won a double. you know, regardless of the people who have got that entitled we should be winning a treble attitude. He’s won a double, they’ve played some really good football and, you know, they’re into the the chance of one qualifying playoff game seeded for the Champions League again and the riches that it delivers. I think if you to reflect on the campaign as a whole, you would have to see it as a success or two trophies. I think you saw the progress made in the Champions League. I think arguably Celtics’s best European campaign for some time. But I think you would have to also say that from that Bayern Munich game to the end of the season, it dipped. It just the any kind of spark around the season just seemed to dissipate. I think um I think there’ll be a frustration that it really didn’t. It wasn’t sustained from start to finish which which has really been the hallmark of Brendan Rogers teams at his time at Celtic has been a relentlessness and energy right to carry them until the final whistle. He felt as though he was almost having to g them up to get them towards the finish line. I think there was certainly a flatness. I think that maybe points to a squad that needs greater depth going into next season too. I think when you saw some of the the players maybe introduced in the final and going across the the extra time at Hamden, I think it it felt as though there was a few players there that just maybe aren’t quite ready for stepping up and and playing a sustained role between um you know across the course of a campaign. I think there are areas in the team that need to be strengthened um between now and and the start of the next campaign, but ultimately you would have to frame it as a success. You can’t win every game every season. You’re not going to win a treble every season and it’s not a failure if you don’t win a treble. However, I think quite clearly there is surgery needed on that team. if you were being brutal and I pick up on your point Gordon which is something that we talked about earlier in the week. Your point is very valid which is quite simply that for all the good football he played for the ultimate football that I thought was the highlight of was in that stadium in Munich where they were within a whisker of you know taking it to extra time. My brutal assessment of it is the manager did really well, fulfilled his remit, but was let down in effect by the board who sold their best player and never replaced him at a time financially when they could easily have replaced them without any pain whatsoever. And they paid the price. They paid the price. Listen, devil’s advocate. Celtic win the league. Celtics should and they win it by a distance and they should. So, they got the job done. Cups are different. Scottish cups are different. It can happen. that can turn on a a missed chance a goalkeeper throwing the ball in the net. Celtic win the league. That’s their bare minimum. The financial strength that they have across the board. I think inexplicably another I mean difference makers are what Celtic need. Yeah, they’ve got a quality and a strength and depth I think also. But they miss that bit of magic and they get found out on Saturday. And again, I thought they get found out Munich without and I think Allison’s right. You’ve got you’ve got a couple of months now of flat uninspired lack of inspiration and flare. James Forest actually come in and provided something different as he did to the latter end of Yeah. So the exception of a guy that’s been there for 16 years. Yeah. you the Celtics should and are obliged to have difference making players that play in a different level and on the journal’s program and on any program that we do on here and I think you know newspapers whatever profession you’re working in um in broadcast as well the necessity is to to try and be fair and offer balance on this and the board itself if they’re taking the hit for Kyogo will look at it and say wait spent a spent a fair whack of money giving him giving him what he was looking for but And the on the flip side of that, Michael, whoever’s buying the players, he substituted them. He wasn’t having Engles after 65 minutes. He wasn’t having Eda um after 65 minutes. He looked and of the players that have been given to him, they weren’t on the park. No, they weren’t. I mean those those two that you mentioned that’s 20 million pounds of talent and in Scotland that’s an enormous uh investment in players you know and okay you can see a playing a low block but you’re you’re buying players really to be able to deal with a low block and if you’re if you’re at Celtic Austin Trusty isn’t even starting and million6 million pounds I mean again an an enormous fee um I think Alli made a good point about uh the season tailing off the old firm results weren’t good for Celtic over the certainly in the second half of the season. Yeah. And Brandon Rogers made the point that in after them he said we’re so far ahead in the in the table that maybe the players you know are just you can’t get up for it right and I think sorry go I think the same principle applied in the final for all that they talked that were not complacent and you know we go every week and all this I think they probably thought listen we we’ve ragged all this Amberine team so many times that and I’m not even I don’t regard this as a criticism I think it’s subconsciously I was going to say I think it’s a subconscious I think some question you think the jeopardy isn’t there you know and I think that’s what’s cost him against the against the Rangers in the last two three games and I think probably it’s it’s contributed to a flat he’s like the Churchill dog there he’s shaking his head while you’re agree with that because a mindset element that you’re correct with right but there’s also I remember Tom Ro was a magic man at a cup cup final league campaigns are won by better more more investment and better players right have got the better players so they They win league. Cup finals are won by moments, individuals. O’Reilly got sold. He changed games. He was he was I just think if you look at the personnel within it, the inspiration and the flare has been diluted and it’s been boardroom decisions that’s done that. And I think it comes home to roost. And I think when I look at that Celtic team, you play Mida as a one aed one-dimensional center forward. Mida is a workaholic, but he’s one-dimensional to a degree. Who’s opening the game up for you? And who’s making who’s thought it was like a game for my looked exhausted just to ask where’s where’s the brain in that in that lineup that started where is the invention? Where’s the real creative spark that goes and change? Yeah. And when you hadat someone that would maybe give you that that middle of the shelter with that money available needed to bring in that individual that could do something. But even there was something that uh if you go back to January on the final weekend of the transfer window when it was clear Kogle was going to end. Brendan Rogers sat after a game against Motherwell at Fur Park and seemed very very confident that there was a signing coming in to replace him. He said, you know, it’s more or less, you know, almost assured that there is a replacement comes in if he goes out. Not quite in those words. I think you thought it was the the inference given was that there was a replacement coming in and then when it didn’t happen you go back to that interview and you think you know in the 48 hours that took place between that conversation and the the window closing there was a shift somewhere. If you don’t have players in your team that going to hurt you pure quality then you leave your door open for a problem that Aberdine created. I also felt as though after Celtics scored the first goal, there was almost an element of well, if there was ever going to be an issue in this game, Aberdine had to ask the first question. The fact we’ve got the first goal, I think there was an expectancy then of it’s fairly straightforward and here you’re on the final straight. It’s just a a run in and I thought that was reflected even in the substitutes within the game and the timing of the substitutes. I’m going to talk about Rangers Hearts and Hibs as well because we want to see we want to see a stronger league. We want to see more competitive uh league as well. We’re going to talk about Livingston too before this journal is over. But I just wonder on that point um you know Rangers suddenly everybody’s waiting on uh Mr. Kavanaaugh to come in and and and then eventually the game plan and the blueprint to be rolled out to everybody. One minute it’s not Angelotti, then it’s the next it is Angelotti, then it’s the next minute it’s Russell Martin. Oh no, he’s taking a job. You know, Leicester. Um the great thing about it is um even the great Alec Cameron in his envelope in his drawer that he used to say were the answers to all these problems. There’s nothing in anybody’s envelope right now. Nobody knows. Michael do not. It’s been a bit of a go around and I mean time matches on you know time matches on. I think uh I know because I looked up this morning day 92 I think from Philip Kmont’s sacking to now. And you know it’s not okay Barry Ferguson was there but it doesn’t stop you doing the ground work for your next manager while he was there you know um you would imagine that the Neils Coppin and the recruitment element of the club and the well that’s coming in from Everton are putting transfer activity together. Yeah. you know, um because the the opening qualifier of the Champions League is is uh late July, you know, we’re now almost at the beginning of June. Um you know, listen, maybe from a PR point of view, they’re wanting to present the whole thing as a package. Here’s a takeover. Here’s a new manager. So that that looks like a a a bond and you can’t say, “Oh, well, do these owners like this new manager?” You know, that takes away all that if they’re able to synchronize it. But um yeah, at the moment there’s, you know, it’s it’s a bit of guess work, isn’t it, for for us in in our business. The problem is whoever gets it, it’s not going to be seamless. It’s not that kind of operation because it’s a major surgery job. There needs to be an absolute blunt address of the players that failed spectacularly time after time. They need to be publicly emptied and that needs needs to happen. Somebody has to decide to do that. The recruitment has to be done now in a matter of you’re you’re counting days, but we are days now. Counting away towards the games that matter. So, it’s going to have to be an appointment who comes in and radically shakes things quickly, empties quickly, and recruits quickly. Rangers already count against the clock, which is was a position they really didn’t need to be in. So, the problems are already starting to mount. I just think in the back of the season that they’ve had you see clubs at the moment releasing players left, right, and center. I saw a lot today of batch of players. That is the cull that that occurs at football clubs that fail. I haven’t seen it at Rangers yet. I used to happen five gone. There’s five. That’s they were they were going to go. They were going to go. Yeah, that expect was going to go. Well, Leon again, it has to go because you need new competitive Rangers team that make a fist of it next next season. You’re right. I mean, they’ve got they’ve got a turnover, a mini revolution that they’re going to require in the squad and Celtic are stable, right? I mean, in this conversation today and probably in general, there’s a bit of negativity about Celtic. They’re just a bit downbeat because they’ve lost the cup final. Overall, it’s been an excellent season. They’re a very stable club. You know the squad is very stable, the manager stable. We know there’s uncertainty about whether he’ll stay beyond next summer, but he’s going to be here for this for this season. So, you know, we pretty much know Sel are going to start well and start winning again as soon as the league campaign goes. Rangers, we don’t know. You know, you’ve got all that turnover and then they have to get it right and they have to get it right immediately in terms of being able to win league games. Yeah. The other thing I think is a a huge risk. I might as well just say it now, you know, because I’ve said it about previous managers and ended up getting egg in my face with it. Offer to wear a shirt. No, tell me your chest. Do the show in his pants. On the record, there’s more chance of me doing my show in my pants. Although I have to say I have actually put on a Ranger strip before um for my for my good. I feel as if I’m the only one revealing secrets on this show today. But the only one to be fair and I make no bones with I did wear a Ranger strip once um for uh the late great Sandy Jordan cuz Sandy Jordan and I were pals and he he um he was my co- commentator when I was at Radio Fourth and he was a brilliant man and um they had a sponsor’s day and he said look you you come and play in this game at Ibro and uh you know both of us laughing I thought to hell with it you know I love a game of you know I’m like I go out the front door to play football so I said yes Well, little did I know, Michael, that Walter Smith and Ali McCoy had a hand in the whole thing. So, when I walked into the Ranger dressing room, Ali McCoy and Walter Smith, I just post a little message with my strip underneath the frame of the queen. This one’s for you, Peter. to which to which you know I laughed heartily and then sobbed uncontrollably as I walked towards the the strip put it on played in the match had a great day one of my mates who was a diehard Rangers fan I got him the chance to play there and it’s I mean the best day of his life h so you get you get these little quirks um but did you kiss a badge when he scored steady now steady now of that Barry Ferguson stuff remember when he kissed the PLZ badge um but uh It’s one of those things where I think rangers have got a rangers have got a huge um dilemma in the fact that getting people out is one thing on some of them are on wages and they say I’m not moving. Um and then there’s the other thing which is the transformation of the squad and then there’s also the fact now you’ve got season ticket holders who have to dispatch the money and out of their accounts towards them. The stadium needs upgraded. We’ve got a financial fair play set of circumstances in there. And and some people might say to themselves, and this is where I’m going to get egg in my face or not, if I was looking at it and suddenly they appoint David Danchelotti, you know, um if I’m w of the mark on that, if if they appoint him, I think what a risk that is in a country like this with a guy who is just it’s it’s it’s not Carlo Angelotti, it’s son of Carlo Angelotti. Yeah. I think I think the same. Um I think that I think though that Rangers will go into the season on a on a real wave of kind of confidence and morale. Now, how long that survives will be dictated by results, but the takeover when it’s finally confirmed and and you know, here’s the detail, here’s here’s our ambition and all that stuff that is going to really galvanize the Ranger support because they’ve been crying out for something. Yeah. now and I think privately um Peter that most of the fans would share that concern about Angelotti and I think if any of them come out and say oh well listen we we’re delighted he’s he’s the guy I was hoping we were going to get I mean come on you’re kidding you’re kidding us on you know do you remember David Holmes unveiled Sunnis in the blue room and that was the start of something magnificent for Rangers that sustained itself you talk about stability they can’t go begging managers to appoint them they need to make sure that that appointment is managed properly that Uh I mean this is a blue chap job, a brilliant job. Somebody like Sha Dy who you know brings a stability to the club because you know the demands he puts in players. He’s got the contacts to go and recruit better than what’s there. Somebody I’m not saying him but that’s your identicate kind of guy. Don’t go shooting for the stars because his name’s got an Italian name and his dad’s a football legend. You need stability. The building block has to be maybe not so spectacular and glamorous. It needs to be definite and he needs somebody that’s going to bring a degree of definite. I did I did wonder about going for a tried and tested. I just wonder though I wonder about the fine. I don’t know if it would excite you but I think he would definitely bring you know what he would bring. That’s that it’s it’s predictable what would come. I don’t know if Ranger you’re still talking top draw in terms of finances. The only thing I would say is I mean listen we tend to get really wrapped up in everything that’s the end of the world if you get a manager wrong. If this American consortium is in for the long haul at Rangers, if David Aneli comes in and is a disaster and he’s gone in six months, you know what? It’s not the end of the world on the Grand. It’s like you’re just removing a brick and putting another one in. It’s not the culture of the whole maybe. Then you go to the Shan Dy where you go, okay, we we got that wrong. We we’ll try this way. You know, you know, you know what I’m saying? Now, that might cost you another league title. It might do, which will take it to what? Five in our five in a row for selling. Yeah. But but the point I’m making is if they get this manager wrong, people like us and and you will all say, “Oh, and they can’t get this one wrong.” Well, they can. Yeah. And they can recover from it, you know. Yeah. Absolutely. One of the biggest problems rangers have had is recruitment. Totally. You bring in somebody that knows the market knows the demands of that marketplace. I mean, going to places like Mull Park require a specific kind of player. The recruitment that Rangers hasn’t identified the players able to do that clearly. So you need somebody who knows the landscape. Yeah, absolutely. Just on that point and and before we talk about David Martinale Livingston, a man who does know the landscape that he’s about to uh embark on in the new season in the top division. Um Hearts and Hibs, uh Ali, I you know I genuinely I I I genuinely want to see the Edinburgh clubs make a a real fist of it. I think Hibs have to be celebrated. David Gray applauded the players lauded for what they achieved when you consider they were bottom of the table in November. Um I think they’ll look back in this season and then maybe look and see what kind of player they’re going to get because I don’t know if you noticed Michael on the on the board the Black Knights were suddenly more prominent in the in the new boardroom shuffle. So they’re there. So there’s there’s an excitement around Hibs and what they are doing and maybe getting more cash to spend in players. And then of course you’ve got the Jamestown analytics that Derek McKinnis says he’s going to embrace at hearts. Yeah, interesting seasons for both. I think Kibs would have been as gutted as Celtic at the result at the the weekend given the the European access in places. But certainly I think you know they they both go into the season on contrasting fortunes. Hibs go in and the the crest of a wave on the back of a a fantastic finale to the campaign. hearts go in new manager disappointment underachieving this season. So it’ll be interesting to see what both do in the window what kind of player Derek Mcronis takes in it at hearts whether or not he uses the Jamestown analytics that we’ve heard about. I think we spoke about it last week about whether or not McKinnus himself was a a Jamestown analytics program. It certainly doesn’t seem to be that way when you look at it from a when you look at it superficially. Um, but it’ll be be pretty fascinating to see how that plays out, whether or not Hibs can go and sustain what they’ve done across the latter half of the season, getting into a new campaign. And again, they could find it difficult when you’re you’re starting off the campaign, having to manage qualifiers, European games, and then still try and get off to a good start. And I think sometimes the the opening months of a campaign can be fundamental to just setting a tone for the season just setting out how it’s going to go. Hearts I felt as though never recovered from an adverse start last season. Kumaro never recovered from a tough start. So I think these opening ones can be utterly imperative to just how you what what the the mood is around the the campaign. I I’ve got a couple of hearts pals, right? One one who’s at the club and another true other one who you got to put a quote on it, you know, and I make I take great delight in saying this is a big day in your calendars, League Cup group stage draw day, but I do car by saying, listen, you’ll get it back at us in a year’s time, you know. Um I I think one of the things and put it in a context but the fact that this UEFA money will come into Aberine because of being in the group stage. Yeah. I think that was really important because Hearts and Hibs are both growing commercially and they both have more serious money behind them. You know the Black Knights that’s a big investment from the Bournemouth chairman and you know we maybe haven’t seen the last of that. Clearly hearts are trying to tool up with Tony Bloom’s money and the Jamestown Analytics thing and Derek McKinnis is an accomplished manager who knows the scene inside out. So I think it, you know, Abraim were in danger and they’re all in danger of falling behind the other two, you know, but I think the two Edinburgh clubs are growing commercially and growing financially and that tends to show in on the pitch, you know, whether whether it shows next season or not, we don’t know, but um so I think there is a kind of battle below the the Glasgow clubs which is really interesting. Welcome back to Dave Martin deal. Now, I’m a huge fan, as you know, uh Gordon, we’ve had him on the show. Um he’s he’s one of those people that I think deserves great credit, not for the fact that some people were very very lazy and assessing his team and his squad, you know, at times was saying, “Oh, they’re all launch ball and they’re playing on that artificial surface. They’ve got all the all the benefits at home games and everything.” But I’ve watched them in more than a few occasions this season and and and they played some really good football with some talented footballers on that park. He phoned me about eight weeks ago and his expectation he had written off the fact that they would go up as champions. We’re 11 points behind it. Right. So he’s written that off. He didn’t think his strikers had clicked into gear in time. Guys like Steven Megan off the boil. They weren’t scoring enough goals. He was quite defeated and he said he was going to walk regardless of how the season panned out. And I’m not putting a confidence here because he’ll tell you self now. He was in his head already gone. He’s knocked back a couple of jobs. One was from a different continent. So he had options and he was looking to take another step. And then in the weeks following you could sense he phoned me and said, “Ditch everything that I’ve just told you. Park it.” Yeah, we’re getting money coming in here. The boardroom problems, the court cases have all alleviated. The cloud has clouds have gone. This is Calvin Ford. Calvin Ford’s come in and he’s now put money on the table and he’s pedigree proper guy to sit down and take the club forward. So Davy’s flipped completely with his mindset and I think that has been the driving force behind not just what happened on Monday but behind the the resurgence to take the the league title race to the last day Martinale is deserves all the credit in the world is a good addition going back a you don’t have to go to Dingw right and B he deserves more credit for the tactical acumen recruitment which has been super I mean time after time and if you knew the budget that he’s operating under it would shock you. Talk about hearts and hips living punch well above their weight time after time and it’s time that hearts and hips did the same. It’s sorry it’s really interesting. I mean perhaps he’s his pal you know but David a few years it’s not that long ago since David Mander wasn’t really a known figure and I’m talking about before he came out and spoke brilliant kind of cand was the manager at the time. Yeah. Yeah, but you know there was all these kind of rumors, you know, this coach who doesn’t give his managers authority. He’s a guy medals and all that. And now he’s seen us, he’s such a respected coach in the Scot Scottish game that, you know, long before the playoff actually came together, it was like Ross County might be in real trouble because he Martinale knows this league and he’s canny and all the rest of it. So, he’s really transformed his coaching reputation, you know, in the last five years or so. You know him well enough. Yeah. He’s got a humility and he knows his limitations. Now, against a conversation I had with him, he’s brought in good coaches. Brian Rice was identified not just to help the team, but to help David Martenddale. He needed somebody to learn from. And who better than Chapper to do that? He’s the humility. David Martell’s greatest asset is he’s a planner. He can see around corner and he projects ahead. He’s a projection guy. And listen, tactically he’s he knows the game, but his ability to make contacts and recruit and project and bring in people that can do specific jobs is really impressive and that’s the ingredients for the success. Yeah, I wish them every success. There’s two things. I apologize to all Ross County fans for that line on the show there from Parley saying nobody wants to go to Ding. I love Dingo. It’s a journal it’s a it’s a journalist nightmare if you live in the central belt. And and boy does come out. And boy does Roy McGregor know exactly the way most of the central belt journalists feel. And I’m sure Roy McGregor to his credit who’s a great man um will try and get them back up at the first time of asking. The downside to it, I might as well leather them for it. It’s the addition of a third plastic pitch which does my head in. Yeah. Listen, I mean L’s not a club that’s loved by the rest of the league, is it? you know, I mean, the the pitch isn’t uh the pitch isn’t great at all and this fan base is small, you know, so for a lot of the ground, a lot of the games, the attendances are small and then when the old firm are there, they just completely take over the place and it can be a bit dispiriting, but um but listen, but it’s not you mentioned meritocracy earlier on. That’s exactly what it is. You’re there on merit. Yeah. Yeah, you know, and Loving have been a Premier League club for a lot of years on merit because um clubs have not been able to put them down and I know this isn’t a popular opinion and to be honest, it’s not really valid when there’s three plastic pitches in the league next season. I don’t mind a a plastic pitch in the top flight. I think it mixes up a bit and Rangers and Celtic particularly can go there and be surprised and and upset whereas maybe normally they would go to a smaller club like that and just it’s routine. I don’t I don’t mind that element of surprise, but I must admit, what’s the what’s that? A quarter of the league next season is going to be on artificial pitches. I’m not keen on that. Don’t you think? Well, sorry, but this is a conversation we won’t be having next summer. Yeah. Yeah. And Kallet’s going to have a grass pitch. You’re also talking about investment and getting the two capital clubs who at last surely can go and mix up a bit. Aberdine now have got a a trophy behind them which could change the winning culture or the losing culture. Plastic pitches are going to be an obsolete argument soon. I’m not arguing and I know exactly why clubs do it and and and it makes perfect sense and and they do a lot of good because they can get a lot a lot of kids playing especially and and that’s attractive. It’s not to be dismissed, but three is a lot in the top. Agrees a lot. And by the way, I I don’t buy that argument about yeah, we know why they do it. They shouldn’t be allowed to do it because they’re gaining a financial advantage that other clubs don’t have in the first place. Don’t don’t move the goalpost just because they want to earn money from it when they’re not playing on it. The rules are, you know, grass pitches top flight. Let’s not make ourselves a laughingtock. Livingston have got an astroturough pitch next to their astroturough pitch. Do you know what I mean? So, you know, give me peace on the whole thing. It’s Derek McKinnis would be gutted the fact that the result went against for Europe. But I know that Neil Doncaster and his association were gutted that Livingston went up. That’s a fact. Yeah. Okay. Um, we’ll ask him. Uh, just before we go, a couple of things, quick things. Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmore, absolutely fantastic. I have already, and I might as well tell you, uh, Michael, since we’re going strip crazy, absolutely. Um, you know, love football tops, I’ve already ordered a Scott McTominay Napoli top so we can give it away as a competition prize because he’s so redot. It’s fantastic. You want to sign it? Well, whenever we see him, we’ll try our best. Thanks for putting me under that kind of pressure. But he’s it’s been magnificent, hasn’t it? Just to see him. Oh, fantastic. Um and you would isn’t it remarkable when you think so many factors here Scott Mctomin was released by Manchester United then you go and see what he’s capable of the campaign he’s had the fact he was used as a part of a back three for Scotland when you go now you couldn’t possibly imagine him you would feel so wasted in that position but I think McTominay Gilmore you want to see them come in now to Scotland and have a really pivotal role to play in the middle of the park I think both of them assured of a very particular place now in the history of of Italian football. It’s it’s remarkable. Another thing about it, Michael, I don’t know if you’d see this, I’d love to have had a camera in the Grant household when Aberdine were winning when the penalties because on Tik Tok and all the social media, they have so many cameras where people are filming their own families watching the game and you see the Italians so expressive when there’s a chance missed and then Mctominy scores and the whole place goes ballistic. I mean, for all the celebration scenes and parades that we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, I mean, Napoli is Naples is a different level. Yes. I mean, it really is. It’s insane, you know? It’s magical. I was sent out there in September to do to cover McTominay and Gilmer’s home debut. Uh, and McTominay was on the bench. It was a cup tie and he came on in the second half and he scored within a minute. Right. They won 5-0 Po. He scored within a minute and the fans are up. McTominay McDonny you know and uh I mean he’s never looked back you know I mean this is this has gone on up it’s just upped and increased and increased increased in terms of the hero agilation that he’s getting and to bring it into a strip. So that was Napoli were helpful to me and the press guy was great and all this but then you know it’s like you do a piece and then that’s it you know you come home and that’s it. Two or three months later, it’s Christmas time and I get a box in the post at the office and it’s a Napoli. What was he saying from Naples? You never don’t don’t. So, I open it with the show is going well. I open it. Gordon F said that I open it and it’s a it’s a Napoli match strip, a Naples Napoli match strip. And my boy knows more about this than I do, but he said it’s it is one that was actually given to the player, you know, so much and bizarrely on the back. It’s Laku. I don’t know why it wasn’t McTominay, but anyway, it’s a lovely gift from from a brilliant touch. And with that in mind, I think it’s absolutely fantastic. And I know McTominay has taken I’m trying to move on as quick as I can. I know McTominay has um has taken all the uh you know, plaudits for some of the contribution and his goals have been magnificent. He’s been he’s been absolutely superb. But Billy Gilmore is holding his own in the midfield. You know, Antonio Conte trusts him implicitly, which is fantastic. So, it’s great to see. I absolutely loved it and we’ll give it away as a competition at some point. Last point and then we’re going to finish the program and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it this season. The journal’s been great and I’ve loved uh you know having Gordon and yourself and and Ally uh contribute and Hugh and Andrew Smith and Graeme McGarry, Steven McGawan. So much Steven McGowan. Yeah, exactly. Moira Gordon. Uh, who else have we had on the journalist has been up there? Barry Anderson, David McCarthy. Yeah, there there’s been absolutely so many top quality journalists offering their thoughts on it. And I want to thank them all. You might be aware of this, Michael. Probably not you. Um, definitely not you because obviously there there’s very little time in your life, Allison. Um, because you you’re ducking and diving everywhere. Um, but the West Wing, certainly Cheers, possibly Breaking Bad, as you know. Season three is always stronger and better. The Wire. Uh, The Wire. And I wonder if And will get season 3 after the spectacular Europa League win. It’s really interesting, isn’t it? There’s still this doubt over whether Daniel Levy will stick with him or not. I mean, I don’t know. leave his headstrong and you know he’s he can ride out criticism and it’s he doesn’t seem to bother too much whether the fans love him or not. You know you’re talking about Telen I mean the transformation in Posog’s season and life on that night in Bill Bau was incredible. What a line to deliver by the way you know Europa League I always win things in my second season and now he said season three is better. He’s great for a back page headline isn’t he? Jimmy Chain doesn’t look belleaguered. I think an looks beliged as a domestic Tottenham boss and has looked that way for months and it speaks that way. Is he going to be there? I don’t think so. Their league campaign’s been honking terrible worst for 43 years or something like that. I can’t remember the start but abysmal. H you could have written that defeat on Sunday largely because half of them I think drunk. How telling you he might be there was no there was no statement leading up to the biggest game of the season for him to back him or give an assure I think he’s buying himself time to make the decision. I think he might get the start of the season but I think he’ll be under pressure immediately if it goes if it doesn’t go well immediately. I think he could be one of the first casualties of the campaign. I think he might get the start just because I felt as though there was a shift within the perception of the Spurs support after it and he still looks as though he does have the the dressing room I think. Okay, listen um it’s been great. Uh so many topics we’ve discussed um and some you’ve agreed with, some you’ve disagreed with. Some people have suffered the abuse uh and got absolutely hammered on this show for their opinion um over the piece, but that’s the nature of it. At least you’ll get an opinion on the program. Uh the great news is um the journals will continue uh and we will be bigger and stronger in the new season again with hopefully Michael returning uh looking forward to European football for Aberdine and of course casting his eye over all of the football and offering us his opinion as well. Um with that in mind uh over the summer on the 14th of June talking about enjoying managers who know their stuff. Gordon Straken and Martin and Neil will be together with us. Um, and if you want to, you can click on the link below and join us for an evening in their uh company. They’ll be sharing some of their stories as players, managers, and uh when you think of uh their rich and colorful career. It’s going to be no shortage of fun on the night. Hopefully, you can join us at the Alona for that. I’ll be there trying to keep the peace uh with Gordon and Martin. And let’s not forget also all the stuff that you’ve been watching this season absolutely free will remain. So, but we have launched PLZ Premium, a chance to get additional content on PLZ soccer, and hopefully if you subscribe to that, you’ll enjoy some of the extra benefits that we’re offering as well. It’s all about offering you 7 days a week non-stop with our reporters, um, as much information as we possibly can and entertainment as well. So, a big thank you to Michael uh for coming on the show. Um, I stepped up to the plate for you, Michael. if you can on next year’s uh next season’s journals, just come out with a line that says, “And if it doesn’t happen, I’ll wear a certain strip.” Just to just to back up your opinion. It shows me a strength in your character. Yeah. Uh I don’t know what strip it’s going to be. I don’t think being an Amazon will be a Ranger. You tell me which strip it will be. Then I’ll decide if I’ll do it. Yeah. Absolutely. Half and half. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I know. Half and half scarf. You don’t get them in your retro shop. No, exactly. Uh, from Gordon uh again who managed to get through the program nearly without causing a major incident, Michael Grant, Allison McConnell from myself, Peter Martin. Thank you for listening and watching.