Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits Rangers could face a huge rebuild next summer. Has the manager been undermined by the men upstairs?
KEITH: Yes. The lack of strategic forward planning smacks of major mismanagement behind the scenes. Director of football Ross Wilson has to be held accountable for this chaotic lack of clarity. If Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos leave for free this summer it will be on Wilson’s watch.
DAVID: Van Bronckhorst says he hasn’t been but having so many players coming out of contract at the same time is sheer bad planning and that comes under Ross Wilson’s remit, so questions have to be asked.
CRAIG: Not really. If he doesn’t feel backed by his board, he should quit. If he does, then what happens on the park is down to him.
ANDREW: The recruitment simply hasn’t been good enough but I’m not sure the Dutchman can escape his share of the blame after insisting he’d been part of the collective that went shopping over the summer.
Ange Postecoglou is starting to see what all the fuss was about over the introduction of VAR. But does the Celtic boss have a point?
KEITH JACKSON: The big man thinks the technology is becoming a distraction and he’s spot on. But, like the rest of us, he’s just going to have to get used to it. Fingers crossed it settles down over time as our officials learn how to play properly with their new toy.
DAVID MCCARTHY: Yes. There’s a real danger of refs abdicating responsibility and leaving most of the calls to VAR. That’s not right. Also, the amount of time being taken to make VAR calls is ridiculous.
CRAIG SWAN: Yes. The hanging around at Parkhead waiting for decisions was brutal. Why stop the game to check Craig Sibbald’s tackle on Giorgos Giakoumakis? Check it while the game is still running and only stop if there is a reason to stop. Three minutes wasted.
ANDREW: Yes but then again we were well warned by Ian Maxwell there would be teething troubles. It’s been a sticky start for the tele whistlers so far but things should hopefully improve in the weeks to come.
Dundee United dropped to rock bottom after Saturday’s defeat at Celtic. Are they going down again?
KEITH: Probably not. United have a talented mix of youth and experience in their squad. They should have more than enough to get themselves out of trouble long before the season reaches a critical point.
DAVID: They’ll be in the scrap until the dying embers of the season but no club is going to be cut adrift this season and it’s too early to say that they’ll definitely go down.
CRAIG: United have the quality of squad to survive. But they are going to have to stop losing stupid and avoidable goals. Solidity keeps you up.
ANDREW: There’s plenty of time left to turn things round but Liam Fox should be worrying about history repeating itself with this squad. They’ve already got Jack Ross the sack and the way they crumbled in stoppage time at Parkhead should sound alarm bells again.
Aberdeen are going great guns under Jim Goodwin. Should they now be considered as the third force in Scottish football?
KEITH: No. That mantle still belongs to Hearts for the time being. European football has lumbered Robbie Neilson with a heavy schedule and a packed out treatment room. Now it’s out of the way they have a clear run at toppling the rapidly improving Dons for third place.
DAVID: Not yet. Hearts will have plenty to say about that when they get their injuries sorted out and with Europe now out of the way. The Dons have improved immeasurably though and Goodwin deserves real credit for his recruitment.
CRAIG: Aberdeen have benefitted from Hearts having Euro commitments. What happens after the World Cup will give you the informed answer.
ANDREW: The signs are looking good, although the Dons have suffered the odd set-back this season. Hearts should improve once their injuries clear but if Goodwin can maintain the Reds’ recent resurgence it could be a thrilling race to May.
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