GG Riva

I respect your opinion and I agree that several Rangers players had a night to forget, with Barasic top of that list by some distance, but I prefer to give the credit for that to Celtic - their tactics made it extremely difficult for Rangers beleaguered defenders. Here's an interesting article from The Athletic:- https://theathletic.com/3109165/2022/02/03/cox-gasperinis-atalanta-would-have-been-proud-of-celtics-devastating-rotations/?source=user-shared-article

Rangers were poor defensively but maybe suggesting they were "an utter disgrace" is more than tad harsh, Digs. You give credit to Celtic for their attacking display and then dilute it by hammering the Rangers performance. A poor team can make their opponents look better than they are but the corollary is also true. Agree with Livipar2 about him handling the media well, especially the more nippy journalists. Jock Stein and Fergie had that same edge.

I rarely watch the Glasgow derby live, but felt drawn to watch it on Wednesday night, in part to see how Postecoglu would set up his tactics and overall game plan. When he was first mooted as Celtic`s new manager hardly any of us had ever heard of him, but Ozpar assured us that he was an outstanding manager and he would turn round the club`s fortunes in double quick time. He also said there was more chance of Ange succeeding Klopp at Anfield than StevieG..... I must admit I thought Oz was laying it on a bit thick, but this game made me reconsider. Celtic were on fire in the first half and they managed the game well in the 2nd. Their quick passing, high intensity style, is reminiscent of Guardiola`s Barcelona and the Lisbon Lions of 1967. I didn`t buy into McCoist's assertion that Rangers were appalling. They were only as good as their opponents allowed them to be, although defensive lapses didn`t help their cause. This game could well signal a changing of the guard. Celtic have improved beyond all recognition compared to the shambles of Lennon`s last season, while Rangers are no longer the well drilled unit which swept all before them in the league, last season. How many trophies Celtic win will depend on long Postecoglu stays at Parkhead. It`s only a matter of time before a top EPL club will be bidding for his services. Eddie Howe did Celtic a huge favour by turning down the job.

That's one prediction in the bag. 🙂 Eta. McGlyn next.

It's hard to see how this completely avoidable situation can possibly get any worse for Rovers..... But what if the rest of the squad decide they don't want Goodwillie as a team mate?

The Scottish news reported that the FM has urged the SPFL to step in and ask Raith to reconsider their position're Goodwillie. So if they were to cancel his contract and he goes back to Clyde, that would be OK? This can't be about staying out of the limelight or flying under the radar.

I think it will be a tight game with a draw the most likely result, but fancy us to edge it, as confidence will be high after last week. A good start, as at Palmerston, would really help. 🙂

No, they'll be nowhere near the play offs. Just as well they're almost safe from relegation, otherwise they'd be a good bet to repeat THAT season when Yogi was brought in to try and stop the slide. Public opinion is massively against the club, they've seriously ****ed off the vast majority of their fans and lost their main sponsor. I think McGlynn will resign, along with the 4 remaining directors in the coming days and Goodwillie will never kick a ball in anger at Starks Park.

He'll have one of those diplomatic injuries, RP 😉

Apparently not in the squad tonight. I can't see how he can possibly ever play for the Rovers after this.

They're not mathematically safe from relegation yet, are they? It wouldn't be the first time they went into free fall in this league. I feel sorry for the genuine Rovers fans. As Berry says, they've been well and truly shafted by the manager and 4 directors who have completely misjudged their mood and reaction to this.

Unconfirmed reports that the Rovers are going to stand by their man. What's the first rule about holes? When you reach the bottom - stop digging!

Unbelievably arrogant and insensitive comments by McGlynn

Like everyone else on here and anyone with a shred of common decency, I am completely baffled by this decision. Shooting yourself in the foot doesn't begin to cover it. They also shot themselves in both knees, before finishing with another bullet to the groin. There's no way Goodwillie will play for the Rivers, imo. There will be such an outcry and backlash that his contract will be cancelled and those responsible for signing him will either resign or be sacked. And so they should....v

Never say never, but I believe it's highly unlikely. My understanding is that the other directors tried their hardest to get Ross to reconsider his decision to step down before it was made public, but reluctantly accepted that his health and that of his family must come first. A rather sad ending for a Chairman who has done so much behind the scenes, to firstly save our club from extinction and then navigate it through the choppy waters which followed. Countless, unpaid hours, to restore the Pars battered reputation and rebuild the club as the focal point of the community. Only a tiny proportion of Pars fans are fully aware of what he has achieved in this respect, because he has deliberately kept things low key. The appointment of Peter Grant proved to be disastrous for the club and Ross has taken all the flak for it. All the good he did before that seemed to have been forgotten.

It was vital we didn't lose today. A draw would have been acceptable but the win - and the manner of it - was so much better. We obviously learned our lesson after the last time we visited a team at the bottom of the league. I don't want to get ahead of myself but 7 pts from the 3 games since then is promotion form. 🙂 I honestly think that this could give the team a massive injection of confidence and be the start of a steady climb up the table. Amazing what a change of manager and the addition of a few new players can make.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, bud.

Not that impossible given both JR and JP are currently unemployed. Of course they may have ££££s in the bank, following pay offs from Hibs and Sunderland, so they may prefer to wait until a bigger club comes along, but a bird in the hand..... I know JP quite well. He eats and sleeps football, so he'll rather be involved with a club - any club - than sitting at home. As others have pointed out, he inherited a poor squad from JJ at EEP. The players he was able to bring in, in the January window, were no better than those he had. No doubt he made mistakes, but he's smart enough to have learned from these and the experience he's gained in working with JR will stand him in good stead, should he want to give management another go. Queens Park are an ambitious club, now they've shaken of the shackles of being the only amateur club in the SPFL, and would be ideal to relaunch his career. I wish him well. He's an excellent coach and a great human being.

Good signing for them. He's better than League 1. It's a shame he messed up here. He could have formed a solid partnership with Mark Connolly. I've been told his poor relationship with PG was the reason he went AWOL. That doesn't wash with me. The manager doesn't pay the players wages. What he did was totally unprofessional. He's lucky to get another club and as Keyser says, there's absolutely no chance he'll ever be back at EEP as a Pars player.

Now you're talking. Your first post on this thread had me flummoxed. I can't quite fathom why VAR felt it necessary to intervene and sow a doubt in the red's mind. Never a pen in a million years. Ask Doggie Dave. 😃

He changes direction quite a lot, actually and completely loses interest in the ball. How did both refs buy that dummy?

How on earth can two EPL refs watch Jota deliberately run into the Palace keeper on the ground and award a penalty? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWUeOaz30d8 Considering they both watched it several times, it`s beyond astonishing.

Perhaps I should have added that ICT's "let's hold what we have" tactic, allowed us to stay in the game and pick up a thoroughly deserved point. Had they pushed on for a 2nd goal and scored it, it's doubtful we'd have come back from it. As you say, teams sitting on a one goal lead happens a lot. You'd think it might click that it's not a great tactic. I can understand when the team in front is the underdog, but ICT are promotion contenders.

Is it just me or did ICT start to run the game down as soon as they scored? And what about the ref? I don't like to criticise them cos it's so hard to please everyone, but thoight he was very poor and inconsistent.

I don't disagree with anything you've said above, Digs, but let me take you back a few seasons to when we had a solid central pairing of Ashcroft and Morris. The following season Morris went to Dingwall and we brought in Danny Devine. Ashcroft was never the same player. How would you explain that?