SPFL Sighs and Aberdeen Lows: The Scottish Football Podcast

The Premier Sports Cup is down to the last eight — and we preview all four quarter-finals.

We look ahead to Stenhousemuir v Hearts, Ross County v Hibs, Kilmarnock v Aberdeen and Rangers v Celtic, with our latest Race to 50 predictions.

We also discuss the SFA’s new proposals to increase opportunities for young Scottish players — and ask whether they go far enough.

Plus: who is under more pressure this weekend, David Gray or Stephen Robinson?

And after Bojan Miovski’s dramatic late winner for Rangers in midweek, could this finally be his opportunity at Ibrox?

The Race to 50 remains Gavin 3–2 Alan, while the £5 betting kitty takes another hit after Josh McPake failed to find the net last weekend.

Four quarter-finals. Four Hampden places. Plenty at stake.

A frustrating weekend for Aberdeen as the Dons draw 0–0 with Kilmarnock, make it four games without a goal and leave Stephen Robinson facing growing pressure. Gavin joins me by voice note to assess another dismal performance at Pittodrie — including a worrying comparison with Jimmy Thelin’s final 14 league games.

Elsewhere, Rangers make it three wins in a row, Celtic come from behind to beat St Mirren, Hearts climb to second after another dramatic late win, and Hibs follow their derby defeat with a disappointing loss in Perth.

Plus, it’s Good Week, Bad Week and — for poor Dundee — Cruel Week.

And finally… I’m off the mark! Two Saturday successes drag the Race to 50 back to 3–2, before Gavin and I make our predictions for the midweek Rangers and Celtic games.

The comeback is on!

The Premiership barely pauses for breath as we look back on the midweek action and ahead to another big weekend of Scottish football.

Hearts claim the Edinburgh bragging rights with an impressive 3-1 win at Easter Road, Rangers pick up another victory, Motherwell continue their unbeaten start and St Mirren keep flying.

For our first Talking Point, the focus is on Aberdeen. Three games without a goal, three defeats in a row and suddenly Saturday’s meeting with pointless Kilmarnock feels far bigger than a game this early in the season really should.

We preview all six weekend Premiership fixtures before an increasingly uncomfortable Race to 50 update. Gavin has raced into a 3-0 lead while Alan remains pointless.

And finally, after Gavin’s Maswanhise gamble went up in smoke despite Motherwell scoring THREE, Alan takes control of the £5 Betting Kitty – and puts his faith in Josh McPake.

🎙️ Midweek reaction

⚽ Aberdeen’s worrying start

🔮 Weekend predictions

🏁 Race to 50: Gavin 3-0 Alan

💷 The £5 Betting Kitty

The Premiership barely has time to catch its breath before a full midweek card — and Gavin is back to preview all six games.

We start with one Talking Point: what did we actually learn from Rangers’ win at Pittodrie? Was it a sign of progress for Rangers, or did a dismal Aberdeen performance make life far too easy for them?

Then it’s onto the midweek action. Can the Dons produce a response away to Celtic? Can Rangers build some momentum at Falkirk? Are Kilmarnock already in trouble? Can Dundee United back up their four-goal weekend? And we finish with the big one — Hibs v Hearts under the lights at Easter Road.

There are six more predictions in the Race to 50, with Gavin still leading 1–0, before we finish with an update on the all-important betting kitty.

Rangers put their European nightmare behind them with victory at Pittodrie — but from an Aberdeen perspective, the performance left a lot to be desired.

I look back on a dismal afternoon for the Dons and hear again from Rangers fan Scott, who joined the podcast last week and returns with a voice note giving his reaction to the win.

Elsewhere, Celtic get the job done against Falkirk despite a few signs of fragility, Hearts continue to build momentum, Dundee United respond emphatically to their derby defeat, St Mirren and Motherwell serve up a six-goal thriller, and Hibs bounce back from European disappointment with victory at Dundee.

There’s also the latest Race to 50 update — although “latest” might be stretching it after another blank weekend for both Gavin and me — before the usual Good Week, Bad Week.

And with a full Premiership card coming up in midweek, there won’t be long to wait for the next episode.

Rangers are out of Europe, the pressure is already building on Derek McInnes — and now they head to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen.

In this bonus episode, I’m joined by Rangers fan Scott to get his perspective on a turbulent start to the season.

How damaging was the European exit? Is McInnes already under serious pressure? Has Rangers’ recruitment really been as bad as the reaction suggests — or is the panic being overdone?

I put forward a slightly different view on the recruitment, we discuss where the real problems at Rangers lie, and look ahead to a fascinating Aberdeen v Rangers clash at Pittodrie.

Plus, predictions for Sunday and the big question: just how important is this game for Derek McInnes?

Should Oli McBurnie be back in the Scotland squad? Alan makes the case after his impressive form, while Gavin gives his verdict.

We also look ahead to the big one at Pittodrie as Derek McInnes returns with Rangers to face Stephen Robinson’s Aberdeen. Could Robinson eventually emulate — or even surpass — what McInnes achieved during his time with the Dons?

Plus, we preview and predict all of the weekend’s Premiership action, update the Race to 50, and check in on the Betting Kitty.

🎙️ Talking Points

⚽ Oli McBurnie for Scotland?

🔴 Can Robinson surpass McInnes at Aberdeen?

🔥 Aberdeen v Rangers

🔮 Premiership predictions

🏁 Race to 50

💰 Betting Kitty

A bonus pod after an extraordinary night in Europe.

Celtic looked to have one foot in the Champions League — only to suffer a remarkable capitulation against LASK. We look at how the tie got away from them, the power of momentum, and why LASK fully deserved their victory.

But the consequences could go much further than one disastrous result.

Just a week ago, the financial seesaw between Celtic and Rangers appeared to be tilting dramatically towards Celtic: £22m banked for Arne Engels, Champions League riches seemingly on the way, and Rangers facing problems of their own.

Seven days later, everything looks rather different.

What does Celtic’s exit mean financially, how could it affect their remaining transfer business — and has the Old Firm seesaw suddenly become a whole lot more even?

Plus, a little teaser for an upcoming Rangers special… and why I might not entirely buy into the current panic at Ibrox.

Only one Premiership game this weekend — but the Dundee derby gave us plenty to talk about.

Dundee leave Tannadice with a deserved 2–0 win, with Astley and Bevan outstanding at the back as Steven Pressley’s impressive start continues. Twelve months ago his managerial stock was low; now he’s winning derbies and becoming increasingly popular with the Dundee support.

For Jim Goodwin and Dundee United, the picture looks rather different. Phil joins us again by voice note after the match — and his verdict on Goodwin is noticeably different from when we spoke before the derby. That’s what a derby defeat can do.

Plus: United’s problems at both ends, the Race to 50 continues to humiliate me, Alfie Bavidge impresses on loan, a positive week for Scottish clubs in Europe, and worrying times for Greenock Morton.

With only one Premiership fixture this weekend, we’re doing something a little different.

Dundee United fan Phil joins me for a proper look at life at Tannadice ahead of the Dundee derby.

We discuss Jim Goodwin’s three-year transformation of United — and whether he’s a different manager from the one Aberdeen fans remember — before digging into the make-up of the current squad and the club’s changing recruitment approach.

There’s a big focus on youth development. United gave more than 5,100 minutes to U21 players during their Championship-winning season, so why are opportunities seemingly harder to come by now? And are managers actually wrong to think playing youngsters puts their jobs at greater risk?

We talk Lorenzo Sassetti, Owen Stirton’s loan at Ayr, Will Ferry’s future and United’s proud history of giving youngsters their chance — from Christian Dailly through to Mark Wilson, Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Gauld and John Souttar.

Then it’s onto the main event:

🟠 Dundee United v Dundee

Phil gives us the view from the United side, his derby memories, the team he’d pick and, of course, puts his reputation on the line with a Race to 50 prediction.

A Dundee United deep dive before derby day.