SATURDAY JURY
IT’S a top-of-the-table blockbuster at Ibrox as Rangers take on Hearts today. How do you see this one going?
KEITH JACKSON
This is a massive day for the champions who showed signs of their best last time out to take down the other Edinburgh challenge – but only after Hibs went down to 10 men. Hearts will ask some tough questions. But a narrow home win is on the cards.
It’s the best signing Steve Clarke has made for Scotland. Why wouldn’t we want it starring in our top flight too?
The general level of behaviour online is enough to turn anyone’s stomach. But that doesn’t mean Porteous should escape all criticism for leaving his side in the lurch at Ibrox and endangering Joe Aribo at the same time.
Yes. And it always will do until such times as the clubs are prepared to offer up something bigger and better to the broadcasters – the Old Firm in particular. We’ll get the paltry deal we deserve until the cameras are allowed into Ibrox and Parkhead more regularly.
Hearts will make life awkward for the champions. They’ve kept four clean sheets in five and are undefeated. Rangers might not be at their most fluent after the international break so it will take patience but Steven Gerrard’s side have the quality to edge it.
Sutty has a point but VAR is coming and the sooner our officials start using it, the quicker they can iron out the kinks. It’s really embarrassing Scottish football has been left behind in the technological revolution.
You can’t blame pundits for people behaving like morons. They are paid for their opinions – not to be moral guardians. The halfwits really need to take responsibility for their own actions and it’s up to cops to wade in and properly punish vile trolls.
It’s not just the TV deal. Going from 60 to 48 games a season is a shambles but the Old Firm continuing to shut the cameras out of home games is cringeworthy. How can we promote our game when the tent pole games are under lock and key?
FRASER WILSON
Hearts look strong in every area. Crucially they have a world-class keeper at the top of his game and an abundance of attacking options. Rangers also have a host of key players coming back off international duty while the Jambos have just Craig Gordon. Score draw.
CHRIS SUTTON reckons VAR might be more hassle than it’s worth in Scotland but do you agree?
More and more of the European leagues are introducing video assistants and Scotland simply can’t be left behind. It’s then up to the officials to make sure it’s a positive step forward.
IS Jack Ross right to call on pundits to rein in criticism after Ryan Porteous was subjected to online abuse?
It seems like an age ago that clubs across Britain boycotted Twitter over the growing online abuse. Unfortunately little has changed in the six months since. It’s not the pundits’ opinion to blame, it’s the sick social media perpetrators.
NONE of today’s games involving the top six are on live telly – is Scottish football’s TV deal selling our game short?
When you look at the top leagues across Europe their best games are always beamed out across the globe. Yet at a time when the Premiership has strong cards week after week, the top games never seem to make it beyond the clubs’ own boundaries. That must change.