BBC Scotland risk further Ibrox ban as they slaughter summer signings

BBC Scotland are treading on dangerous ground after winning back a place in the Ibrox media tent. 

It has already been reported that there were concerns within the club that coverage of the SPFL win over Livingston wasn’t upbeat enough. 

If Kenny Macintyre, Alasdair Lamont and Steven Thompson aren’t staunch enough it seems like the peace deal announced on the eve of the new season is already on very thin ice. 

Mark Hateley and Richard Foster were called in for pundit duty on Tuesday night but the former England striker went badly off message as he watched the defeat unfold in Belgium. 

There isn’t too much that Radio Scotland can do on air over Hateley’s comments but repeating them on their website won’t go un-noticed with an army of angry bears reporting directly to the Ibrox PR operation. 

The leading story on the football page of the BBC Scotland website has no by-line but doesn’t spare the feelings of the summer signings or the recruitment team that brought them to Ibrox: 

Those attacking casualties were sorely felt with the front three of Malik Tillman, Rabbi Matondo and Antonio Colak – all signed this summer – ineffectual. In defence, the deployment of John Lundstram in a makeshift central three deprived Rangers of one of their most commanding midfielders. 

Former Bayern Munich forward Tillman mirrored his team in starting brightly before fading, while Colak had Rangers’ best glimpse of goal, failing to connect with a dangerous Tillman cross. 

Hateley says Croatia striker Colak, who arrived from Greek side PAOK, has to offer much more. 

“Colak for me was a waste of time basically,” he told BBC Scotland. “The first option should be into your central striker. If Morelos is playing there the ball goes into him. 

“Colak didn’t demand the ball. You’ve got to be asking more of your centre forwards, especially when you’re playing away from home in Europe. 

“From 25 minutes onwards it was a poor, poor show from Rangers. They were just a nonentity tonight. It is one of the poorest, most ineffective games I’ve seen Rangers play under Giovanni.” 

Tomorrow the Ibrox media team will arrange a conference call to preview the match with Kilmarnock before Macintyre and the BBC newshounds are given pre and post match interviews with van Bronckhorst on Saturday.