Kris Boyd on what happens after Rangers rows with Celtic hero Chris Sutton once Sky Sports cameras stop rolling
Kris Boyd insists that Celtic hero Chris Sutton knows how to exploit his "vulnerability" when the pair clash on Sky Sports.
But the Rangers fan favourite reckons he gives as good as he gets - with the duo remaining pals off screen despite the Glasgow divide separating their allegiances.
Last season the sparring between the two ranged from 'dead rubber' derby claims to promises of cuddles in car parks as temperatures boiled over in the Sky Sports studio.
But Boyd has revealed that the pair will often have a beer after the on-screen exchanges.
And he insists the back and forth only proves that the duo are not "bluffers" as they appear alongside James McFadden and host Eilidh Barbour for Scottish Premiership clashes.
He told the Sunday Post: "I believe there is a real good chemistry with everyone in the studio, up in the gantry and behind the scenes. Eilidh Barbour anchors it well.
" Chris Sutton is excellent at his job and isn't afraid to give his opinion. James McFadden is diligent, respected and likeable.
"Ian Crocker is one of the best in the business and has been leading Scottish football commentary for almost 30 years. Luke Shanley gets some great interviews.
"We all work really hard to do our jobs to the best of our ability. We are not bluffers. Nobody would last if they tried to cut corners.
"People might think it's easy but live television is far from a walk in the park.
"When managers aren't doing their jobs well enough you need to call them out and criticise. I know many of the guys but I will not try to cover up for them.
"That said, it's not easy to criticise. Some people just can't do it and I've seen pundits crumble when they are put on the spot and asked for an honest assessment of a player or manager.
"You also need to be ready to take on your fellow pundit. If any vulnerability is sensed, then it will be quickly pounced upon.
"I'll do it to Chris and he will do it to me. We have frank exchanges but we are always fine afterwards.
"We'll have a beer or two together. We get on well.*
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
here and our Celtic community here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
16 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
David Gray delighted as Hibernian respond to Midtjylland loss with win at Dundee
The Easter Road boss admitted it was a 'difficult' decision to make just one change to the side that started Thursday's extra-time defeat by Midtjylland in the Europa League. However, Gray was rewarded with a strong display as Kieron Bowie's first-half double proved enough to overcome a Dee side who pulled one back through Fin Robertson. 'I'm delighted because after everything the players put in Thursday night, everybody would be looking at today's game wondering would there be a hangover, how will the players react the first time they went Thursday-Sunday,' the manager said. 'The players reacted in the best possible way with a real professional performance. I thought we controlled the game from start to finish.' Gray was heartened to see recently-capped Scotland forward Bowie get off the mark so early in the campaign after he endured an injury-disrupted first season at Hibs. 'That's the reason he was brought to the club,' he said. 'He's suited to Scottish football as well, with the physicality, he really enjoys that side to the game. 'The confidence levels will be high with the Scottish recognition as well, which is fantastic for him on a personal note, but he's working hard every day, he's getting fitter, he's getting stronger and really benefiting from a strong pre-season.' Gray was typically coy when asked about the future of defender Lewis Miller, who is understood to be close to joining Blackburn. The Australian is currently recovering from injury. 'There has been interest in him, but right now he's still a Hibs player and until he's not, my focus is on trying to get him back on the pitch as quick as we can,' he said. Dundee boss Steven Pressley said he saw some 'green shoots' of recovery against the Hibees after his side's demoralising Premier Sports Cup group-stage exit last month. However, the 51-year-old, taking charge of a match in Scotland's top flight for the first time in 15 years, felt they were 'nervy' in possession and was keen to stress the scale of the task he inherited in June. 'Almost every single goal from the team of last season was not there today,' said Pressley, whose talismanic captain Simon Murray missed out with injury. 'It's a big rebuild. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anybody's eyes. 'There's a lot of hard work ahead. We probably need another six players in to bolster the squad and it's a real challenge.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Brendan Rodgers on Celtic's Champions League shape after St Mirren win
A strike from substitute Luke McCowan with three minutes of regulation time remaining ensured the Scottish champions avoided dropping points at home in their first league game of the new season. But Rodgers stressed that he was happy with his team's display afterwards and singled out the visitors' keeper Shamal George, who pulled off a string of outstanding saves to keep the scoreline level, for special praise. Celtic will discover who they will come up against in the Champions League play-off when the draw is made in Nyon, Switzerland, this morning. Read more: They will find themselves up against Basel or Sturm Graz or the winner of the outstanding ties between Slovan Bratislava and Kairat, Shkendija and Qarabag and Dynamo Kyiv and Pafos. The games will be played on August 19/20 and 26/27. Rodgers, who lost striker Kyogo Furuhashi back in January and winger Nicolas Kuhn during the summer, has admitted that he is keen to strengthen his side in the forward areas. But the Northern Irishman emphasised that he is satisfied with how his team is currently performing. 'To win in the first game of the season is always good and it rounds off a lot of the good work that we've done over pre-season,' he said. 'I'm absolutely pleased with the performance. 'Everyone knows St Mirren and Stephen Robinson's qualities. They're such a hard team to break down. You have to be aware of the threat on the counter-attack, the physicality at set-pieces. All of that we dealt so well with and the keeper's made some brilliant saves, which then keeps the game in the balance. 'At times we moved the ball really well. At other times we could have attacked a wee bit more when we got into certain positions and been a bit more aggressive in the one v one moments. (Image: Andrew Milligan) 'But overall to play against that team, against that system, that's how you've got to work it. Then you need better quality to finish it. I think everyone who was at the game or watched it on TV would say that ([[Celtic]] could have won by three or four). 'Sometimes you need a wee bit of good fortune as well. We didn't quite have that, but some of them hit the post and the bar. You have to give credit to their keeper and to St Mirren. 'Teams aren't just going to roll up here. We see a lot of them. Teams are banked up and tight and compact. You've got to move side to side, to penetrate, to cross, to create half-spaces for crosses, all these things. 'There is no space, it's not a 50-50 game like Newcastle or Sporting Lisbon for example, that you've seen in pre-season. There's no space, it's tight, it's compact and I thought the players came through so well. We got into a lot of good areas. We created a lot today and dominated the game.' Asked for his thoughts about the Champions League play-off double header, Rodgers continued, 'I'm feeling really good. We've had a great, really, really good pre-season. The players are shaping up very well and are working very hard. There's real spirit and solidarity here in the team. So we look forward to that. Read more: 'We know whoever we get it's going to be tough, but it will also be tough for them. And we will accept whatever challenge comes. We'll be ready for the games. Whenever they come, we'll be ready. The players are working very hard. They are always tense games. But we're in a good place and we'll take that game on when it comes.' Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, the Manchester City centre-back, watched the game from the stands and Rodgers is hopeful that Celtic can finalise his season-long loan deal at Parkhead in the coming days. 'We're still waiting for clearance on that one,' he said. 'But he's up here. Obviously, once it's definite, then it'll be announced. But, yes, he's up here and is ready for the move. 'Your centre-halves need to be strong at Celtic. Sometimes you're not doing a great deal. You're stood on the halfway line and you're attacking a lot of the time. But you also need to be able to defend space. That area is always so important in any team. Your centre-halves need to be dominant and we've got really good options there now.' Rodgers feels that he needs to increase competition for places in the front three before the transfer window closes on September 1. 'It's just about improving,' he said. 'There's areas that we want to improve in the forward line. That's something that we hope we can do over these remaining weeks.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Julio Rodriguez hits 100th career homer as Mariners edge Rangers
August 3 - Julio Rodriguez hit a milestone home run as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Texas Rangers 5-4 Sunday afternoon. Jorge Polanco and J.P. Crawford also went deep for the Mariners, who took three of four games in the series between the American League West rivals and improved to 10-3 against Texas this season. Rodriguez's two-run homer in the third inning off Jacob deGrom (10-4) was the 100th of his career and made him the first player in major league history to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in each of their first four years. Adolis Garcia went 3-for-3 with a double and home run for the Rangers and Corey Seager also homered. Rookie Logan Evans (5-4) remained unbeaten in six starts at T-Mobile Park. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits over five innings, with no walks and three strikeouts. Andres Munoz pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save of the season. Polanco homered to right field with one out in the bottom of the second to open the scoring. The Rangers took the lead in the third as Josh Smith lined a two-out single to right and Seager hit a shot to deep left-center that just eluded Rodriguez's reach and bounced off the top of the outfield wall and over. Cal Raleigh walked with two outs in the bottom of the inning and Rodriguez homered to right-center to put Seattle up 3-2. Garcia led off the fourth with a double into the left-field corner and, with two outs, Rowdy Tellez double off the wall in left to tie it. The Mariners again responded in the bottom of the frame as Dominic Canzone drew a two-out walk and Crawford homered to right for a 5-3 lead. Garcia went deep to left-center with one out in the sixth off reliever Carlos Vargas to complete the scoring. DeGrom gave up five runs on four hits in five innings. He walked three and fanned five. --Field Level Media
