After a weekend of turmoil, what can Hibs do next and what is there to look for at this weekends semi-finals.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to National World Football Talk,
00:09 your nan's favorite football podcast again.
00:11 It's a show where we bring you the latest news and results
00:14 from the Scottish Premiership and around the SPFL.
00:17 I'm your host Martin Simpson,
00:18 joined once again by Ben Banks and John Creakin,
00:21 and we're gonna be talking about Hibs, Rangers,
00:25 Hearts, Celtic and Aberdeen.
00:27 There's a lot of turmoil at Easter Road,
00:30 Rangers are coming off the back of a disappointing result
00:32 in the Highlands and it's semi-final weekend
00:35 in the Scottish Cup.
00:36 So let's start off with Hibs.
00:39 John, you're very much our man on the ground there.
00:42 What is going on at Hibs this week?
00:46 - You could have asked that question at any point
00:49 over the last 10 years.
00:51 And from the person sitting in my seat
00:53 would just shake their head and go,
00:55 "Let me tell you."
00:56 Obviously missing out on the top six is a huge blow.
01:01 Hard to overstate how serious that is
01:07 for the medium to long-term future
01:09 of what the club are trying to achieve.
01:12 It's affected the budget, it affects morale,
01:14 it affects your recruitment,
01:15 it just affects everything that's going on there.
01:18 There's some questions being asked about the manager.
01:22 That's probably only right.
01:23 You've got to review every situation.
01:26 You've got to review everything that's gone wrong
01:29 to get to this point.
01:30 It's going to be interesting to see what they do.
01:34 Not the final five games
01:37 because those final five games are just awful.
01:40 It's just the position they're in,
01:42 they can't really get dragged into anything.
01:43 All they can do is play for seventh.
01:46 It'll be them and Aberdeen trying to kid on
01:47 that they don't belong in the bottom six.
01:49 You know, we're proper big clubs and we don't belong here.
01:52 But what happens after that is going to be fascinating
01:54 in how much they can spend, how much they can do
01:58 and what they do in the summer.
01:59 - Don't, we wouldn't expect you to name names
02:03 or throw anyone under the bus or feel free if you want to.
02:06 But do you think, are there any players
02:08 that are kind of playing for their heads future
02:10 in these last five games?
02:12 Have some of them already checked out?
02:14 Are there a few that are basically safe
02:17 in their next season regardless?
02:19 What do you think?
02:21 - Again, that's going to come down
02:22 to how much leeway they had.
02:23 They did something, wrote something yesterday
02:25 about, you know, if you've got carte blanche,
02:27 if you want to move from being a team
02:29 that's not making the top six to what their stated aim is,
02:33 you know, to compete for third place.
02:35 There's a big old gap between that and where they are.
02:39 Then you can't get by with players who are okay.
02:42 Right, and that's, we've all seen this in football.
02:45 I get, he's good, he never lets anybody down.
02:47 He's decent, oh, he's all right.
02:49 But you've got to be better than all right.
02:50 You've got to be looking at guys
02:52 who realistically are borderline quality for the top two.
02:57 You're looking at guys going to tell you what Celtic
03:00 and Rangers should be looking at that boy.
03:02 That's what you need in your team
03:03 if you're going to compete for third.
03:04 You've got it there with hearts at the moment.
03:05 Hearts are the identity of how to do it.
03:07 Shanklin's there and everyone's like,
03:08 God, he's a Scotland international.
03:10 He's a proven goal scorer.
03:11 So you need players of a higher standard
03:14 almost across every position there.
03:17 However, real world, he's not going to make 15 signings
03:22 in the summer, it's just impossible.
03:24 Even though they'll be losing nine or 10
03:26 in terms of the loan deals and guys that are contract.
03:30 When you talk about guys playing for their place,
03:35 genuinely over the last five games in the bottom six,
03:39 what are you going to do?
03:40 What are you going to prove to a manager
03:42 when you've already played?
03:43 Except for guys who've been injured maybe
03:45 and are getting a chance or younger players,
03:47 but you've already had your entire season
03:48 to prove that you deserve your place.
03:50 You know, that ship's sailed.
03:51 - Well, what's your take on it then?
03:56 Do you think that there's a lot of chatter this week
03:59 about sticking or twisting on Nick Montgomery?
04:02 Where do you stand on that?
04:04 - I think just to go back on Saturday first,
04:08 I think pretty much Saturday summed up,
04:10 I mean, the two teams Mullal included,
04:11 that was sort of two teams who went into that game
04:14 trying to get something,
04:15 and ultimately over the season,
04:17 it's probably two teams who deserve nothing
04:19 and got nothing in a way.
04:21 Two, I know the game was pretty heavily disrupted
04:24 by the wind and things like that for a part,
04:26 but it was a pretty stodgy game,
04:28 a moment of quality I suppose,
04:30 and then settles a point,
04:31 but again, Hibs just very weak defensively.
04:35 I can't remember too many more teams
04:38 in the league this season
04:39 who have had these sort of late lapses and things like that.
04:42 I look even to, I know they played well
04:44 in the game against Celtic at Easter Road,
04:46 but they lose that one,
04:48 they almost conspire and they lose in certain games
04:50 and drop points in certain games.
04:53 I think with the manager,
04:54 I think there's a train of thought
04:58 and that you shouldn't,
04:59 just generally, not just with Hibs,
05:01 you shouldn't sack a manager because you've sacked,
05:03 the reason to not sack a manager
05:06 isn't because you've sacked managers before.
05:08 There's that train of thought,
05:10 but I think for Hibs,
05:11 they need some level of stability.
05:13 Stephen Naismith spoke about it at Harch
05:15 last week in his press conference quite well
05:17 and that clubs need to go through
05:19 that initial phase one of a new manager,
05:21 which is tough.
05:23 He went through it at Harch and it was awful
05:25 and he was getting criticized left, right and center,
05:29 folk were wanting him out.
05:30 And if he did go in October,
05:32 I don't think many people,
05:33 if you asked him,
05:34 "Is Stephen Naismith gonna be on the job
05:36 "by the end of the season in October?"
05:37 I don't think many people would have probably said yes,
05:39 but the Harch board stuck by him
05:40 and they've reaped the rewards of that
05:42 with smart recruitment behind the scenes.
05:44 They've already started doing that for next season
05:47 and they've now got a steady infrastructure in place.
05:50 Hibs have never really had that.
05:52 The managers never really got off that phase one platform
05:55 to allow you to build.
05:56 Even like Neil Lennon and things like that,
05:58 even though they were there for a longer period of time,
06:01 it was constantly mired in controversies
06:03 and things like that.
06:05 I can't remember,
06:07 I'm maybe slightly younger,
06:08 but I can't really remember in my time watching football,
06:12 Hibs ever having really that solid infrastructure
06:15 and base to work off.
06:16 So I think obviously the person at the helm
06:19 needs to be right to give that chance to,
06:20 but you need to give it to somebody at some point
06:23 and it might not work out.
06:24 You may pile a load into the summer transfer window.
06:27 It doesn't work and you're in a scenario
06:29 you are this season where the manager's gone
06:30 before the first international break,
06:33 which is obviously where they don't want to be,
06:35 but I think they need to stick with somebody at some point
06:38 because just this constant churn just clearly isn't working.
06:41 - I think you're absolutely bang on
06:43 to point that out as well.
06:45 Look, it's been seven months.
06:47 He inherited such a bag of odds and ends in that squad.
06:52 You're talking over 30 players
06:54 when you count the guys that are out on loan
06:56 who are probably not going to have any future there.
06:59 He's not just got his predecessors players,
07:03 he's got his predecessors players,
07:05 predecessors players,
07:06 you have Sean Maloney players,
07:07 you've got Jack Ross players.
07:09 Technically, you've actually got a couple
07:11 of John Collins players if you go back to Louis Stevenson,
07:13 but you've got guys there who've been signed
07:16 very specifically by specific managers
07:18 to do specific jobs.
07:19 He walks in the building and says,
07:21 "Well, he's actually a really good professional,
07:23 "but he just can't do what I need him to do,
07:24 "so there's no place for him."
07:26 And it's really important to point out,
07:28 ah, but he's had the January window, right?
07:30 So the January window is a disaster zone.
07:32 Everyone knows that.
07:33 It's horrible.
07:34 You can't get guys that are either not fit,
07:36 they're out because they've not been playing,
07:38 there's something wrong with them mentally.
07:41 You can sign all kinds of odd signings in January.
07:45 But beyond that, once you've got them in the building,
07:49 you don't have a great amount of authority over these guys.
07:53 So guys who are on loan till the end of the season,
07:56 and guys whose contracts are coming up,
07:58 and who are probably gonna go,
07:59 and might not be,
08:01 you can't threaten them with anything.
08:03 It's an empty threat.
08:04 You can't lose the rag with them.
08:06 They'll switch off.
08:07 It's not like having players on a three-year contract,
08:10 where you've got the power over
08:14 what happens in their career, if you're a manager.
08:16 I've heard this said,
08:17 "Oh, why doesn't Monty be more outspoken and aggressive,
08:20 "and lambast them and stuff?"
08:22 And you're like, "Well, what would be the point of that
08:24 "with guys who are gonna be gone in a few weeks?"
08:27 You cannot judge what the coaching staff have done on this.
08:34 There are mistakes in there, and everyone accepts that.
08:37 And managers make mistakes, managers make decisions,
08:39 and they go wrong.
08:40 But he's not been given any opportunity
08:46 to build the team that he wants to build.
08:47 Ben, you're right.
08:48 At some point, the Hibs have to say,
08:50 "Look, we've hired this guy.
08:53 "We've bought into his game model.
08:55 "This is what we think will work
08:58 "in the Scottish Premiership.
09:00 "Here you go.
09:01 "Take a year to do it.
09:02 "Take another year from here."
09:06 - It might be worth taking a look at what the struggles
09:08 Aberdeen have had getting a new manager in them.
09:10 It looks like they're close to getting Jimmy Feeling in,
09:14 but they've certainly gone down a less well-trodden path
09:18 in their choice of manager.
09:20 And I think that's, from the outset, they were like,
09:23 "Let's get a manager that the full fan base can get behind."
09:27 And obviously, Hibs are gonna need to do that too.
09:29 And some of the chatter, if you look at forums or Twitter,
09:34 or even a couple of guys, they're saying Alex Neil
09:37 would be the kind of ideal man they'd want to get in.
09:40 But the problem there is that you've no guarantee
09:42 that you'd get him because a lot of the conversation
09:45 around him tends to be that he'd probably rather
09:47 stay in England and-
09:49 - He's got no interest.
09:51 No interest.
09:52 - Yeah, so Hibs could put all their eggs in that basket.
09:55 He doesn't want to come back to Scotland.
09:57 And then where are you?
09:59 In terms of the more obvious candidates,
10:01 you're basically looking at what Neil Lennon
10:03 coming back for a first spell.
10:05 And I know, just before I throw it back to you, John,
10:08 I know it's never a good reason not to sack a manager
10:13 to say, "Well, who better as they're out there?"
10:15 It always feels lazy to me, but like you say,
10:18 when you combine that there isn't really anyone
10:21 there champing at the bit to come in and take over Hibs,
10:24 that the fans are gonna, every member of the fan base
10:26 is gonna get behind, plus the fact that, like you say,
10:29 Montgomery probably does deserve a bit more time.
10:32 I mean, what do you think?
10:34 - Yeah, that's interesting.
10:37 There will be guys out there unavailable,
10:40 but again, then you're restarting again.
10:44 You're starting from scratch again.
10:47 I find that impossible.
10:48 Nobody could say that the overall problems at Hibs
10:52 can be laid at one manager,
10:54 or even the individual managers they've brought in.
10:56 I mean, the last three managers, you know,
10:59 all had their problems, all did some things right,
11:02 all did some things wrong,
11:03 but nobody's taking, nobody's blaming those guys
11:07 for the state of the club, that's people higher up,
11:10 or far higher up.
11:11 I mean, think of some of the transfers that came in.
11:14 Think of that, they had to, you know, get them in,
11:17 flip them, and it worked with Melcherson,
11:19 but can I remind you of Chris Mueller?
11:21 Anyone remember him?
11:23 Mueller, Mueller.
11:25 I mean, seriously, they've ended up
11:27 some really mad signings, some mad recruitment.
11:30 Just leave that all at one manager.
11:32 - We're gonna take a quick break now.
11:36 When we come back, we'll be discussing Rangers
11:38 against Ross County, and looking ahead
11:40 to this weekend's Scottish Cup semi-finals.
11:42 (upbeat music)
11:45 - Welcome back.
12:09 So, no denying what the big result of the weekend was,
12:13 unless you're a Dundee fan, and you've managed
12:15 to null-null your way into the top six.
12:17 Of course, the big result of the weekend,
12:21 Ross County's first ever win over Rangers.
12:25 What does this do for the title race, Ben?
12:29 As we sit here, we should point out,
12:30 we are still expecting Dundee Rangers,
12:33 well, Dundee Rangers is gonna go ahead
12:35 in some capacity on Wednesday night,
12:37 potentially at McDiarmid Park,
12:39 maybe at the tatty field at Denz Park,
12:41 remains to be seen, but what did that result
12:44 at Ross County do for the title race?
12:46 - We'll see if SeaWorld gets to go ahead again.
12:49 But, I mean, I don't think anybody's seen it coming.
12:52 I know, like, we've sometimes had these kind of shocks
12:55 in the season.
12:56 We've had quite a, I think we've had more sort
12:58 of provincial clubs shot in South King Rangers
13:00 than we have in seasons past, just off the top of my head.
13:02 You've got Kilmarnock on the first day of the season,
13:05 with Rangers, Aberdeen, Ibrox, Malola Ibrox,
13:09 and now this, like, but this was the one, I think,
13:12 like, nobody's seen coming.
13:14 I think there was a general train of thought,
13:16 especially after, 'cause Rangers were 1-0 up,
13:18 and they were poor in the first half,
13:19 but after that first goal went in,
13:20 you just sort of thought, right,
13:21 precession is normal, they'll score another one
13:23 after halftime, they'll add a consolation,
13:25 Ross County pile a couple bodies forward,
13:27 and it'll be a valiant defeat, and Rangers move on.
13:30 The fact that they came out,
13:32 and they seemed to not heed any of the warnings
13:35 in the first half, 'cause Ross County were decent,
13:36 they just, all they, I think the key with Rangers
13:40 and Celtic games when you're a provincial club
13:41 is just put pressure on them, have a goal,
13:44 but you might as well go and get beat four or five-nothing,
13:47 and try to get something, rather than just sitting back
13:51 and waiting to get beat two-nothing,
13:53 and they seemed to really take that on Ross County.
13:57 Rangers didn't seem to know how to handle Simon Murray,
13:59 I think that would be a big concern for me,
14:01 and if I was a Rangers fan,
14:04 was that that's now a couple of times,
14:05 that's Simon Murray, that's Theo Baer,
14:07 that have completely ragdolled Conor Goldson
14:11 and John Souter, never mind playing a Keogh on form
14:15 or something like that in a couple of weeks' time,
14:18 and they didn't seem to match the intensity,
14:19 they didn't seem to want it as much as Ross County,
14:21 I know that's sometimes a bit of a cliche
14:23 and things like that, but Ross County looked like a team
14:26 who were scrapping for their lives,
14:27 whereas Rangers looked like a team who,
14:30 were just playing.
14:32 - Yeah, you're much in agreement with that,
14:34 it's Celtics to lose now, John,
14:36 obviously mathematically it is,
14:37 but yeah, Rangers have given themselves a mountain to climb.
14:41 - Yeah, I don't think these are vintage Rangers
14:44 or Celtic teams, that's probably fairly clear.
14:47 I think there's still potential for slip-ups on either side,
14:52 so I think Celtic could drop points.
14:55 The problem then, if you're a Rangers fan
14:58 and you're clinging on to that,
14:59 is I think Rangers could drop points again as well.
15:01 Even a couple of weeks ago,
15:04 that Old Firm game was entertaining.
15:06 I remember in the build-up to it,
15:10 my son said, he's 15, a Hibs fan,
15:11 but he's like, "I want to watch the Old Firm on Sunday,
15:13 "I think it'd be quite interesting and exciting."
15:14 And I was like, "Meh."
15:16 He's like, "What do you mean?
15:17 "It could be a title decider."
15:18 And I'm like, "I don't think it will be."
15:20 I just don't think they're brilliant teams.
15:24 You think of the great kind of players
15:26 for both clubs over the years
15:28 and how effective and efficient
15:30 or brilliant or expansive they were.
15:31 These are not brilliant Rangers and Celtic teams.
15:34 So there could be more slip-ups,
15:36 but I think Rangers fans would be grasping at straws
15:39 about to think, "Well, Celtic will slip up,
15:41 "but we'll win all our games."
15:43 I find that hard to believe.
15:44 - I find that really interesting
15:47 'cause it was something I wanted to touch on,
15:48 this idea that these aren't vintage Celtic and Rangers sides
15:51 'cause I feel like this idea
15:54 that no team outside of Celtic and Rangers
15:57 could possibly challenge for the title.
15:59 I think it's almost like a myth conducted by Hearts fans
16:03 to kind of make themselves pretend
16:06 that they're happy finishing third, which...
16:09 Listen, I want to praise Hearts and Stephen Naismith
16:12 for having a really good season,
16:14 nailing down third place.
16:16 Great shot at winning the Scottish Cup too,
16:18 the way Celtic and Rangers are playing.
16:19 But when you actually look at it,
16:22 Rangers and Celtic have both only won
16:25 24 of their 33 games this season,
16:28 which Hearts were just a few results away this season
16:33 from actually being in the mix there.
16:36 We could have potentially seen something special here
16:39 if maybe just a few results that have gone one way
16:43 or if one of the other sort of clubs
16:46 that lay a claim to being the third biggest team
16:48 in this country kind of had their stuff together
16:52 a bit better.
16:53 But just pivoting, Ben, to the bottom end of the table
16:57 'cause we've spoken about it being a bad result for Rangers
17:00 and we'll have to speak about the fact
17:01 that it's a huge result for Ross County.
17:03 It keeps them within one point of St. Johnstone
17:07 and 10th, Livingstone are basically down now.
17:11 There's no way they're coming back from that, surely.
17:14 And Aberdeen, probably still sweating just a little bit,
17:19 only five points off of 11th.
17:21 It's keeping the relegation playoff race interesting,
17:25 isn't it?
17:26 - Don Cowie certainly ruined Craig Levine,
17:28 Davey Martindale and Peter Levens Sunday.
17:31 They were probably just out having a nice time with family
17:33 and things like that, just thinking that game
17:35 would be not a walkover, but a comfortable win.
17:37 And then you see the phone and you go, "Oh no."
17:39 Because it does, it totally drags.
17:42 Obviously, St. Johnstone,
17:43 I think St. Johnstone's the one,
17:45 'cause I actually think I've been quite impressed
17:47 with Don Cowie in the ways he's performed
17:50 as a Ross County interim manager.
17:51 I think it's inevitable now that he's had the result
17:54 over Harts and he's had the result now against Rangers.
17:57 Even if they were to go down,
17:58 I think he gets the permanent job and the championship.
18:01 'Cause they've built a really solid foundation
18:05 that it's a bit old school,
18:07 but they're just a bit harder to beat.
18:08 They've got a couple of,
18:09 'cause I always quite like Ross County squad.
18:11 They've got, obviously, Jan Danda's gonna be away
18:13 in the summer at Harts,
18:14 but he's a good playmaker in the midfield.
18:17 Baldwin at the back has always been fairly reliable.
18:21 Ross Laidlaw overcame early criticisms
18:24 between the sticks to be a pretty reliable goalkeeper.
18:27 And Simon Murray up front is just
18:30 the angriest footballer ever,
18:31 but also a really good foil for somebody like that,
18:34 where he just does hundreds of running.
18:36 And also, I think he's nearing sort of 20 goal contributions
18:39 for the season, which is, he's adding that side to his game.
18:43 So I think Ross County have got the momentum,
18:46 the Aberdeen, I think Aberdeen wants to get the manager in,
18:49 or wants the manager appointment at least is made,
18:51 whether he comes in between now and June's another thing,
18:53 but that probably gives them a bit of wind
18:55 between the sails and a look to the future.
18:58 But St. John's, and I think the ones for me,
19:00 Livingston are down.
19:02 They're not gonna come back unless,
19:04 the greatest medical, the premiership's ever seen occurs.
19:09 But yeah, St. John's is the one for me
19:11 where they seem to be the ones who are just slowly,
19:14 but surely sleepwalking back the way.
19:16 And I'll be entry, I think that Ross County,
19:19 St. John's matchup post-flight
19:21 is gonna be really interesting.
19:22 - Semi final weekend in the Scottish Cup,
19:26 just to finish off the show.
19:27 This is hard season this weekend, really, isn't it?
19:32 They want, they'll have the best weekend possible.
19:35 They want Celtic to just do the job on Aberdeen on Saturday,
19:38 which I think we're all expecting,
19:40 given the way Aberdeen have performed this season,
19:42 given they're gonna have key players potentially missing,
19:44 and the fact that they don't beat Celtic at Hampden,
19:49 and they haven't done in over 30 years.
19:51 But yeah, so I take it, are we expecting that match?
19:56 I think with respect to Aberdeen is going one way,
20:00 barring probably the most shocking result
20:03 of the season so far.
20:05 The big game comes on Sunday, Rangers hearts,
20:08 and that result at the weekend, as we were saying, Ben,
20:10 really throws a spanner in the works,
20:12 'cause hearts are maybe smelling blood in the water.
20:14 - Yeah, I think this, if hearts are going
20:19 to win a Scottish Cup, this would be the time to do it.
20:22 Obviously, you would want to do it every season,
20:24 but they're coming up against the Rangers side
20:27 who maybe slightly feel a bit uneasy with themselves,
20:30 'cause even, they've had the Ross County result,
20:32 they've had to come back from behind against Celtic,
20:36 they put out the Europa League by Benfica,
20:37 and then before that, they got beat off Malolo at home.
20:39 So their form isn't great at the minute with Rangers,
20:44 they've also got the game as well on Wednesday,
20:48 which could boost confidence a wee bit,
20:50 'cause I know they've got a fairly decent record
20:51 over Dundee this season, but they win that,
20:54 and then they play potentially,
20:56 they either play an Aberdeen team,
20:58 a beleaguered Aberdeen team in the bottom six,
21:00 and as poor an Aberdeen team as there has been
21:02 for many years, or they play a Celtic side
21:04 that they've already beaten twice.
21:07 So there's a good chance for Harts there,
21:11 if they can take it.
21:12 Remarkably, they've never beaten Rangers at Hampden,
21:17 which is pretty remarkable for a club the size of Harts
21:20 to have that sort of stat.
21:22 But they're in as good a place
21:24 as they can possibly be ahead of it.
21:26 I don't think if they lose it, it'll be a case of,
21:29 oh, this puts a dampener on the season and things like that,
21:32 I don't think it is that,
21:33 because I think Stephen Naismith is,
21:35 even though third is the expectation for Harts,
21:38 I think he has arguably exceeded expectations a wee bit
21:40 from where he was at the start of the season.
21:42 I think it's been a good first full season in charge for him.
21:45 And they've obviously got,
21:48 they will likely have European group stage football,
21:51 which is the main thing for them this season,
21:53 and then they can build from that next term.
21:54 But it would be one hell of a carrot
21:57 to dangle in front of them in a cherry on top of the cake
22:01 if they can manage to get this over the line.
22:03 And yeah, it would really cement
22:06 probably one of the best modern seasons for Harts,
22:09 really, if they do manage to do it.
22:11 - Am I right in saying if Aberdeen win the cup?
22:13 - Yeah, if Aberdeen win the cup,
22:17 Harts' season was for this good season,
22:19 the Harts' season was for nothing.
22:20 Absolutely bugger all.
22:22 - I'm looking forward to that cup final then.
22:24 I think there's actually potential,
22:26 just because football being football,
22:28 I think there's potential for a Harts-Aberdeen final
22:30 while Aberdeen are also dragged into the playoffs.
22:33 I think that is just, listen, Scottish football,
22:37 there's potential for a loss.
22:37 - The narrative has already seemingly robbed us
22:41 of Jim Goodwin versus Aberdeen in the playoffs,
22:43 so it needs to, it owes us something.
22:46 - I just think, certainly when you get to that relegation zone,
22:49 when you are a big club in there,
22:51 there's a horror, there's a nervousness,
22:54 there's a drag on you,
22:55 a gravity to get pulled down into that playoff.
22:58 So I wouldn't discount that.
23:00 Crazy things happen in the bottom six as well.
23:03 We don't know what, like you're playing Hibs,
23:05 we don't know if they've switched off,
23:06 if he's playing four youngsters in the team,
23:09 it could be that, and next week he could be stronger.
23:11 Things happen.
23:12 I think, as you touched on earlier,
23:14 not being classic Celtic and Rangers teams,
23:15 I still think there's the potential there.
23:18 Potential for an Aberdeen Harts final,
23:20 which again then would be brilliant
23:22 because you're playing for those group stage
23:25 European places.
23:27 So I'm an optimist, let's have that,
23:29 a crackerjack finale to the season.
23:31 And then Aberdeen have to play the playoff second
23:33 like two days later.
23:34 (laughing)
23:36 Group stage football and in the championship.
23:38 - With Graeme Shinney somehow suspended.
23:42 Again.
23:45 That's all we've got time for this week.
23:48 Thanks for watching.
23:49 We'll be back again next week with more Fit Battle.
23:52 (upbeat music)
23:54 (upbeat music)
23:57 (upbeat music)