Midweek Musings

THE JURY will be out on the latest Ibrox incarnation for a few games yet; that much is clear following Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Panathinaikos. For the first 50 minutes or so, I honestly thought they had regressed from last season's European form, but a cracking individual goal, a red card for the Greeks, then, after a few half-chances weren't taken, a second goal meant a good night for the watching Bears.

Findlay Curtis's stunning opener struck a blow for the under-appreciated young Scots on the roster, while the equally-youthful Djeidi Gassama also looks like a player, but, elsewhere, first impressions are that one or two who were NRC – Not Rangers Class – have been replaced by newcomers of a similar standard. It was good, from a Rangers' point of view, however, to see the real Jack Butland back between the sticks.

I MUST BE the kiss of death to England's Women's opponents in the ongoing European Championships. In the quarter-final, Sweden were going well, until I checked-in; whereupon they threw away a two-goal lead then lost on penalties.

On Tuesday night, I turned over after the Rangers' game, to find Italy holding a comfortable one-goal lead, only for them to surrender it at the death, before going out to an extra time penalty. Nothing against the award, but, referees have been ignoring such challenges from Italian defenders for at least the last 75 years, so I was surprised that the referee gave it. She probably didn't fancy adjudicating over a penalty shoot-out.

The Italians seemed somewhat upset at Chloe Kelly winning the game by netting the rebound after her spot kick was saved. Maybe they wrongly assumed it was the same ruling as for penalty shoot-outs: if the kick is saved, that's it. While, of course, in real game time, rebounds can be knocked-in.

Nothing against the English girls, but, I so want to hear the excuses from their media cheer-leaders when they do lose. Their myopic bias is still, and after all these years you'd think we'd be used to it, a red rag to any red-blooded Scot.

One thing I have noticed from these two games, is how the players shut-down once the game goes into Extra Time, with fear of making a mistake seems to become their main focus.

I believe, if we do have to have Extra Time as a means of deciding a drawn game, then it ought to be, as it was when I was a boy playing in a field, with jumpers for goalposts – first goal is the winner. Either that or, ignore Extra Time and go straight to Penalties to sort the game out.

WELL WE KEN NOO. Y Viva Espana is Scotland's theme song for Sunday night's Women's Euros Final. ABE and all that. I always thought, watching their semi-final against Germany, that the Spanish lassies were the likelier to snatch victory. I did, as a lifetime member of the Goalies Union, feel sorry for Grman keeper Berger. She had played brilliantly, then, one half-pace too far to the right and she left that gap to be undone at her near post. She will take a while to get over conceding that goal.

What really stuck in my throat about the game was the way the BBC covered it on the 10 O' Clock News. OK, they were always going to cover it from the perspective of their over-hyped “Lionesses”, but, to devotre more time to a blatant puff piece about the latest big thing from the squad than to the actual match – well, the Beeb now has truly dumbed down as far as they can.

They even ignored the first day of the Test Cricket – taking place a boundary hit from the BBC News Centre in Manchester – to slot in that latest bit of Lioness cheer-leading. “The world's most-respected news organisation” - Aye Right! Not in Scotland.