Monday jury
Our top writers give their verdicts on the burning issues that ended 2023 as we gear up for another big year in Scottish football...
1 NOW the dust has settled what do you take from Saturday’s Old Firm game and what does it mean for the rest of the season?
It leaves Celtic sitting in the driving seat but there’s certainly a title race ahead which could go all the way to the wire. What happens in the January sales could determine the winner.
It didn’t tell us anything we didn’t know already. Rodgers remains the derby master and while Rangers are improving under Philippe Clement, there’s only so much the big Belgian can do with this set of players. The Light Blues need better quality up front to make a proper challenge.
The talk of Celtic being in disarray was premature as they are still a better side than Rangers. Whether that remains the case in May could well come down to who has a stronger January transfer window.
2 WHAT’S your opinion on the Alistair Johnston handball/VAR/offside shambles?
It stinks. The officials may have made the right decision in the end but the way they got there leaves a lot to be desired.
It was the right decision as Sima is offside in the build-up but it wouldn’t be Scottish football if we didn’t somehow make a muddle out of what should be a straightforward call. Rangers want to hear the audio but that should be done as a matter of course. It would end all the conspiracy nonsense.
VAR summed up in one mind-boggling incident that stretched on for 20 minutes. It was handball but it was also offside so thankfully nobody was wronged – except everyone watching at Parkhead or on TV as nobody had the foggiest about how they came to the decision.
3 ANOTHER damaging defeat for Barry Robson but should Aberdeen be considering a fourth change of boss in under three years?
It can’t go on much longer. If Robson doesn’t win at Ross County tomorrow then chairman Dave Cormack has a huge decision to make during the shutdown.
Only if they think they can find a better man for the job. Given Cormack’s track record at picking managers, that is far from guaranteed.
Aberdeen can’t keep sacking managers every season. It creates turmoil and very little faith in the people actually making the appointments. But Robson needs to get his bloated squad firing back towards third spot because anything else now is a failed season.
4 ANOTHER year over and a new one just begun... what was your top sporting moment of 2023?
Scotland’s romp into the Euros provided all the biggest highlights. And it could give us the best bits of 2024 into the bargain.
Scotland’s victory over Spain was the launchpad for our mission to the Euros but for sheer drama, the win in Norway was the highlight and the moment hope turned to conviction for the Tartan Army.
Josh Kerr winning 1500m World gold was sensational, Bob McIntyre’s Ryder Cup fairytale was equally impressive – but for me nothing beats that night at Hampden when Scotland slayed Spain to prove we really can live with the big boys.