saturday jury
1 HAVE Rangers blown the title by spilling points at Ross County and Dundee?
Yes. I can’t see them winning their five remaining fixtures going by the performances this week. And even that might not be enough anyway. Their lack of quality at the top end has been shown up.
This damaging bout of bed wetting from Gers has thrown the advantage across the city. It’s not done yet but the Ibrox squad need a huge response or it soon will be over.
It’s over. They have just left themselves with too much to do with five games remaining and Celtic won’t let an opportunity like this slip through their grasp.
2 WAS Dujon Sterling right not to sugar-coat the situation after Philippe Clement tried to?
Clement was never going to throw his players under the bus. But fans aren’t fools and the boss could have delivered a general “not good enough” message. Sterling was bang on, only saying what the rest of us saw.
It was refreshing to hear a bit of honesty from a player. Clement was trying to shield his players but it came off sounding silly. At least Gers fans know the players are aware of the gravity of the situation.
He was absolutely right – there’s no fooling the fans. But it’s easier for him than for a manager – or even the likes of skipper James Tavernier who needs to be careful with what he says in public, especially with these players.
3 SHOULD Aberdeen have forced the issue a tad to get Jimmy Thelin in the dugout today?
It sounds like the Dons did a fair bit of pushing and have settled on the summer start. Thelin seems like a man not to be forced into anything and if he wanted to stay at Elfsborg for the next few months so be it.
It’s difficult to get a new boss bounce without the new manager around. Thelin should arrive when Elfsborg get their new man but they need to get over it and he should have been on the plane as soon as the deal was agreed.
It would have been much better for them but if Elfsborg weren’t willing to play ball and he wasn’t up for throwing the toys out the pram then what else could Aberdeen have done? Arriving in June looks like the only scenario.
4 WHAT do Hearts have to do to secure a first ever win against Rangers at Hampden?
Get right in their faces and ask questions of the Gers defence from the very start. The passive display of the last semi won’t do. Hearts have the players at the top end to hurt a Rangers side that’s rocking, they need to believe it.
The Jambos need to find the form shown against Celtic this season. It will be about being solid defensively but brave on the ball to allow their main man Lawrence Shankland to pose a threat. They have a fine chance.
They need to believe for a start and if they don’t have that belief given Rangers’ current state then they will never overcome that Hampden hex. The Light Blues are fragile and Shankland can get some joy against that defence.