The brutal reality of Rangers summer cull laid bare as Jury take Brendan Rodgers hint at face value

Daily Record

28-04-2025

Celtic have wrapped up four in a row - do you expect Brendan Rodgers to hang around for a go at No5?
KEITH JACKSON: 100 per cent. Rodgers jumped ship first time around when he was heading towards a historic 10 in a row. That felt like he was turning his back on a once in a lifetime opportunity. He may believe it's coming around again.
ANDY NEWPORT: He made the mistake of walking out on the Celtic faithful once before, I suspect Rodgers won't make it again. I expect him to see out the final year of his contract at the very least.
CRAIG SWAN: The man has said it himself. He is 200 per cent going to be at Celtic next season. There is nothing really more to be said on that front.
GRAEME YOUNG: Yes. This Champions League playoff will be seismic and you can guarantee Celtic will be better placed for it than they were when AEK Athens shocked them in Rodgers' third season of his first Parkhead term.
Barry Ferguson admits the Rangers squad are all playing for their futures. How many of this season's squad do you expect to survive this summer's cull?
KEITH: That probably depends on the identity of the next boss. If Ferguson was to stay in charge then this squad would be obliterated. He's worked with them long enough to know what needs to be done.
ANDY: There will be a few familiar faces pitching up next season but that's simply because moving players on is no longer as simple as it used to be. Those who do cling on will be hugely fortunate because, put simply, Rangers have been an abject failure this term.
CRAIG: Not very many. It's hard to build almost an entire title-winning team in one season, but Ange Postecoglou managed it at Celtic, so it can be done and that's bad news for some Ibrox under achievers.
GRAEME: The cull should easily reach double figures and the only thing that will stop that from happening is trying to find the right offers. Danilo appears incapable to be relied upon such as the likes of Robin Propper, Kieran Dowell plus a host of free agents. This takeover will trigger major changes.
Neil Critchley's Tynecastle reign is over - was the axed Hearts boss harshly judged?
KEITH: Perhaps. Critchley probably needed one more window to put his imprint on the squad. But Saturday's defeat could be seen coming from a mile off and his superiors can feel the cold hand of the Championship on their shoulder. This is a club in full scale panic mode.
ANDY: His record in run-of-the-mill fixtures was decent but in the big, season-defining head to heads, the former Blackpool coach got it all wrong. He had more than enough chances to pick up a landmark win and failed.
CRAIG: Football is just knee-jerk these days. But the Hearts fans were not happy and giving it tight to the club. When that happens, there is only one victim. The manager.
GRAEME: In some ways, yes, but the form table which shows the Jambos in fourth since his arrival belied a side led by an amiable coach rather than a ruthless manager. His big game record was poor and appeared an ill-fit to keep Hearts from falling through a relegation trap door.
Falkirk continue to limp towards the Championship finish line - do you expect them to finally cross over as champions or will Livi beat them in a photo finish?
KEITH: If Hamilton's appeal against a 15-point deduction is successful this week then they might go into the weekend with a shot at survival at Falkirk's ground. That would set up a dramatic final day. If not, though, the wobbly league leaders will be pushing at an open door into the top flight.
ANDY: The Bairns' fate remains in their own hands. It's been a difficult few weeks but I still expect them to get the job done at Accies.
CRAIG: It's much tighter than it should have been for Falkirk and they have caused themselves some stress. But they should still just get over the line with their goal-difference advantage.
GRAEME: Yes, John McGlynn deserves mega praise despite the recent frights and neutrals appear to be Bairns now too. Let's be honest, their bold and brave approach would enhance the Scottish Premiership.