Rangers' Problems, You Need A Heart Of Stone Not To Laugh

THOSE OF US who support one of Scotland's 40 “Diddy” senior teams – i.e. those clubs who are all about football rather than keeping 17^th century Irish history alive in the 21^st century – we rather enjoy it when one or other of the Bigot Brothers is feeling slighted or wronged. At the moment, it is the blue half of the duo which is spitting the dummy and chucking the toys out of the pram. But, fear not Rangers fans, ere long it will be the other lot who are moaning when things are not going their way.

Instead of fulminating about what they didn't get, maybe Philippe Clement and his coaching staff should be sorting-out the deficiencies which saw the likes of Cyriel Dessers managed to miss a chance you would expect a player who cost upwards of £4 million to convert.

The fact is, moaning about a penalty they didn't get has allowed Clement and his media cheerleaders to avoid the facts:

• Rangers were a poor second to Celtic in the game

• The majority of his squad, for all the good work he has done in improving their form since becoming manager, are simply not Rangers Class

There are deficiences too in the Celtic team. I have never, for instance, believed Brendan Rodgers is a Celtic Class Manager. But, while Celtic can be slipshod when playing one of the Diddy teams, when it mattered – they stood up to be counted, where one or two in the other team didn't.

It is still early days, but, since they won the game, I haven't seen evidence of too-many Bears complaining about Kilmarnock getting that penalty at Ibrox on Tuesday. It would be Killie, did you know, that club, in the 1980s, went ten years without getting a penalty awarded them at all.

Mind you, you have to be in the opposition's box to get a penalty, and the Killie sides back then didn't do this too often, I seem to recall.

I can just visualise the conversation between John Beaton and the VAR team on Tuesday – VAR: “You'll need to have a look at this one John, looks like clear hand-ball.”

JB: “OK boys, but, remember where we are, this is a tricky one.”

VAR: “Usually we wouldn't bother you John, but, Wee Peter has been stirring things up at Hampden, and we've been telt tae make a statement; so, in a first for VAR – the instruction is, penalty against Rangers.”

JB: “Ok, but FFS boys, my life will be a misery doon the ludge at next week's meeting.”

ONE OR TWO of the great brains in SFWA – the Scottish Football Writers Association will be sorely hurt, should the High Heid Yins at Pittodrie back Manager Barry Robson for the remainder of the season. Because the fans with laptops are growing restless at the fact Barry has not been sacked yet.

These 21^st century Tricotouses are desperate to be able to write fiction about who will replace Barry, some will not be happy until the axe falls. Don't they realise, on current form, Aberdeen have actually got the fourth-best record in the top-flight?

The current form table reads:

1. Hearts – 13 points from 15

2. Celtic – 12 points from 15

3. Rangers – 12 points from 15

4. Aberdeen – 9 points from 15

5. Kilmarnock – 8 points from 15.

Mind you, hope springs eternal for the doom-sayers of the mainstream media. Aberdeen have to travel to play Clyde in their next game, in the Scottish Cup, and while the Bully Wee might be struggling at the foot of League Two, six points adrift and favourites to maybe drop into the Lowland League, Ian McColl must surely fancy his team's chances of upsetting the Dons on 19 January. That result, if it happens, will surely give the lap top warriors the ammunition they need to up the demand for Robson's head.

STILL WITH Les Tricotouses of the SFWA, Fabio Silva's 19 minute cameo at Ibrox on Tuesday garnered rave reviews from The Lap Top Loyal. Clearly the on-loan man from Wolves has a bit of a swagger about him.

So, how does this play in respect of Les Tricotouses' campaign to get Lawrence Shankland transferred to Rangers? I am on-record as wishing the Big Two would recruit more Scottish players and then play them, but, the bare-faced way their media cheer leaders are trying to get Shankland moved does grate somewhat.

Mind you, the fact the High heid Yins down Edmiston Drive would rather buy flashy continental marques than good, solid, ahme-grown talent might mean, they will look for another non-Scot to play up front, rather than a proven SPFL goal scorer.

This has been the pattern since 1986 and I don't see it changing any time soon.

FINALLY – Rangers seemingly want Willie Collum banned after his VAR decision not to award them a penalty at Celtic Park. Michty Me, there's gratitude for you, all those honest mistakes, benefitting Rangers, he has made over the years.

Willie and his VAR team may or may not have got it wrong in deciding Rangers weren't getting that penalty. Hey that's life; poor old Willie has had pelters in the past, so. I don't suppose he will lose too-much sleep about pelters for one which benefitted Celtic.

Of course, being awarded a penalty and scoring it, that's two different matters. Everyone in the blue camp will of course be convinced, James Tavernier would, had the penalty been given, have converted it. Tavernier is a good penalty taker, he has an 80.4% success rate from the penalty mark – a wee bit short of wee Johnny Hubbard's 95.5% benchmark, but, he's not 100% certain to score.

But, with regard to the Ibrox indignation, whatever happened to the old Rangers virtues of dignity, in triumph or defeat? It seems the old Bill Struth approach of: “We welcome the chase” - the current custodians of the club appear to have an overwhelming sense of entitlement, a case of: “We are Rangers, we must always win.” Sad, very-sad, and further proof of the enduring wisdom of “Dan” Archer.