Socceroos in Scotland - A Scottish Premier League Preview with Paul Murphy

0:00 Foreign. Hello and welcome to the Aussie Football Passport. And I've got a special episode today because I have Scottish independent football writer with me, Paul Murphy. Paul, welcome to the Aussie Football Passport. Yeah, thanks very much for having me. Good to talk to you about this topic. Something very interesting, close to my heart on both sides. Yeah, definitely. So that's great. And Paul, I just wanted to give a quick plug to your wonderful book Socceroos in Scotland, which is out now. Well worth a read. I'm waiting for my copy to get to me. But Paul, did you want to give us a quick overview, I guess, of what inspired you to write this book? Yeah, well, I'd written one book for Fair Play Publishing, which is an Australian publishing house and a lot of their books are fairly niche sports books, especially football.

1:08 So I'd done one on a Swiss Thai football player, an autobiography. And I was thinking of an idea for a second book. And obviously you think about things you know about and that the publishing house might be interested in, but being is it Australian based and obviously the number of Australians that have gone to the Scottish Premiership, especially in the past 10 years, has grown remarkably. And obviously we saw a few years ago at the World cup there were so many players with a connection to Scotland playing in Scotland or had played in Scotland or would in the future play in Scotland. So I thought, you know, it would be interesting to have a closer look and a deeper dive into those links. And then I started to think about the, you know, the evolution of the Australian influence in the Scottish game has been quite significant and it was quite interesting to see as well from the research, you know, how much influence Scots had on the Australian game prior to the movement in the opposite direction. Obviously lots of Scots went to play in Australia and In the past 40 or so years we've seen much more traffic in the other direction, I think especially the last 10, 15 years.

2:13 Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of people do forget particularly I think it was the 70s and 80s, wasn't it Paul, where a lot of Scottish players emigrated across to Australia to take part in the nsl. I believe it was at the time, or what it was known as at the time and particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. I think most Scott turned it up but there was a few in other places around, you know, obviously Perth and Brisbane as well where on base. But yeah, it's quite a rich history. And it's not just music that Scotland and Australia have ties in, is it? So it's a wonderful story to tell and I'm glad That you have, Paul. So it leads me to my next question. Have you got a favorite Aussie player who's played in the Scottish Premiership?

2:56 Well, I mean, as a Celtic fan, it has to be Tom Rogic. I mean, I do. I mean, I really like Scott McDonald as well. I thought he was a really, really important player for Celtic for a number of years. He scored some big goals, was instrumental in a couple of championship wins. But for me, Tom Rogic, just the way he plays is my type of player. The skill he has, the goal. Some of the goals he scored were obviously exceptional. He didn't tend to score ordinary goals. Almost every goal he scored was incredible qual. So, yeah, I'd have to say Rogic would be my favourite of the Aussie players and I did manage to interview him and he was playing for Australia in the World cup qualifier against Thailand.

3:39 Ah, yes. As I'm based in Bangkok, he did the press rounds and he's got a bit of a reputation for not being that happy to talk to the press. And yes, the experience wasn't. He wasn't the most talkative person, but as a player I thought he was an exceptional talent. Yeah, one of those players that Lee left the talking on the field, much like another Aussie who played in the Scottish Premiership, Aaron Moy. I think both of them were renowned for not being very forthcoming in terms of their, I guess, off the field antics, if you like, or off the field speaking. But on the field, two very class footballers, weren't they? Well, strangely enough on that, the day I spoke to Rogic, Aaron Moy was also down for press duties. So we had Rogic and Moy and I was with the Australian journalists. So it wasn't just me one on one. And I think we were all kind of a bit.

4:34 Is this all they're giving us? So the two of them. And then after that, Matty Ryan came and it was like, oh, okay, somebody who likes talking. Finally. Yeah, suddenly Matty Ryan was a bit of a relief after Moy and Rogic's, you know, limited communication skills. Yeah, Fair to say I had your work cut out for you that day. But thankfully Matt Ryan came in to save the days. He likes to do Matty. Brilliant stuff. And I guess as well, Paul, in terms of. I want to get your thoughts on what you think Australian players bring to the Scottish Premiership. Is it? Is there? I guess we've seen so many over the years now make the journey to the Scottish Premier League. Do you think it's the. I guess without putting words in your mouth. Do you think it's that sort of physicality that they bring? I think that's a large part of it.

5:23 Certainly in the process of writing the book and talking to a lot of people that were involved in the players, coaches, journalists, a lot of them highlighted that aspect of the game, that there was a lot of overlap between what's valued in Australian sports and what's valued in the Scottish game. And the athleticism relishing the physical challenges of the game, I think it makes them a good fit for the Scottish football. But more than that, I think when you're, you know, players are moving from one country to another, there's so many barriers that can, you know, stop them being successful. But I think just a very similar culture and obviously there's no language barrier. It makes it so much easier to fit in to a new dressing. And I think the mentality is quite similar as well. The sense of humor is quite similar. So it's more than a bit obviously on the pitch, obviously that sort of relishing the physical battle is definitely up there with some of them. Not all players obviously have that profile because Tom Rogic I mentioned was. It was never known for, for that kind of style. But a lot of the players do fit the profile for sure.

6:29 And it's interesting you make mention there. Tom Rogic, definitely not renowned for his physical presence, but he was still relatively successful at Celtic, wasn't he? And then when you compare him to someone like a Daniel Arzani who came to Celtic and it was, you know, more technically proficient, shall we say. But he, he really str. Struggled at Celtic, didn't he? With I mean, injuries of course played a part, but he, he never really fitted in with Brendan Rogers Celtic, did he? Yeah, I mean he was fairly young as well, so there was that, that factor. But yeah, the injuries. But we've seen with Brendan Rodgers a few times, sometimes the players arrive and they never really get a chance. So I, I don't 100% trust Brendan Rodgers views on.

7:12 On players and especially young players coming through. But at the same time, Arsani's not really going on to, to prove Celtic wrong, if you know what I mean. From that point of view, I think some players, not all players will work out as you know, but that one definitely didn't. Of course I can back you up on my, on your thoughts on Brendan Rodgers being a Liverpool fan because yes, we definitely both rode the same roller coaster that is Brendan Rodgers as a manager at your football club. So we can certainly agree there. Now Paul, I Guess let's get into a bit of a preview of the Scottish Premiership for this upcoming season, which kicks off this weekend and there's been a very big transfer and I know it probably pains you to talk about it being a Celtic fan, but Cammy Devlin has left Hearts and has joined his former manager, Derek McInnis at Rangers, along with Lawrence Shankland as well.

8:12 What are your thoughts on this move? Well, I think Kami Devlin definitely fits the profile of A typical Derek McInnis side, not known for flair. You know, he's a guy that's going to be into the midfield work all day, put in a lot of physical challenges and I think every player in the Scottish Premiership needs something, somebody like that and it's a useful asset to have. And Devon's obviously been at hearts for five years. I think he's 28 years old, so he's kind of should be at the peak of his powers, possibly. You might argue that kind of move would have been better a couple of years ago to go to a bigger club. So the question obviously is can he.

8:56 I mean, obviously, I'm not saying a step up in level really Hearts finished ahead of Rangers last season, but can he make the step up to a club with bigger expectations, a fan base that's going to be much more demanding than it has been at Hearts, but obviously he's, he's got the experience. He's an Australian international, but unfortunate to feature much of the world, not to feature the World cup, but the signs are there's. He's, he's a fair, he's. He's a pretty safe bet for Rangers because he's been one of the, you know, a strong player at this level for a number of years. Obviously last season Harks missed him when he's had that spell out injured and that was maybe could have been the difference between being champions and not because obviously their form, their reform, especially towards the end of the season was really poor and perhaps in a couple of those games maybe his presence could have swung the balance a little bit. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting.

9:52 Like I said, he's very much Dennis McInnes signing. Obviously he's moved there, wants him to come with him and he was. I mean, I know Stifflin was linked to Celtic as well, but I think. I'm not sure that's just media mischief. They often link players with both sides. Whether there's any. Any truth in it or not, I have no idea. But yeah, I think it's hard to see him being A flop, I think. I think he'll be a solid signing for Rangers ultimately. Yeah, he's a known quantity. I guess both the coach knows him and, and therefore should play him, you know, in the correct position which is, you know, such a, a revolutionary thing for some managers. But I guess that's good. But yeah, a very interesting. Interested to see how he handles the pressure of being in that glass Glasgow fishbowl.

10:39 Right. With Celtic and Rangers there. It does break a lot of players, doesn't it? But I think as you said, the experience, he has been in the league for five, the past five seasons now should hold him in good stead. We hope for that. I mean obviously you probably don't being a Celtic man, but I'll stop bringing that up. But yes, it's a big move. And what's been the sort of reaction in Scotland that you've seen after the move's been confirmed? Paul, have you seen anything that's I guess particularly stood out? I think most, I mean, certainly what I've seen is most fans seem to be quite happy with the move. They do see it as a, one of those logical signings where it's again a low risk signing and a known quantity, as you said.

11:24 So I've not seen anything, I've not seen anything, you know, negative about it. But I mean I think there's people on the Celtics side maybe more Wiz may say, well, he's a, he's a fairly average player. He's not, he's not, he's not again a game changing signing. He's just a solid, he's just a solid player but he's nothing to fear. Like bring in a superstar that's going to be making the difference in games. I did, I mean I did consider the, when I was writing the book as well. There's, there's a clear difference in terms of the profile of Aussie signings for Celtic and Rangers. Celtic signings have tended to be attacking players, flare players like kind of obviously Viduka and player players like Rogic and Moy and then of course the goal scorer like Scott McDonald, Rangers Craig Moore, you know, Davy Mitchell, a bruiser of a striker. Muscat obviously knowing a lot, knowing a lot for that. And Tony Vidmar, more like an athletic fullback.

12:19 So yeah, it's kind of interesting to look at the difference and I think, you know, there's certain ways of saying that a certain club has a certain philosophy over the years and I think Cammy Devlin arguably suits the Rangers philosophy more than Celtic. Yeah, that's, that's a very interesting I guess perspective that I guess probably might not be considered so much here in Australia because I guess, I guess a lot of football fans are just preoccupied about players making the move to as big a club as possible and, and therefore it's kind of seen that you know it's a great move for Cammy Devlin but yeah, the, the profiling of the club or the player and seeing sort of who fits a philosop. So I guess given that, yeah it should be a pretty, a pretty good signing for Cammie Devlin to join Rangers considering all of that. A hard working player and arguably probably what Rangers needed after last season where they as well fell away. Right. I mean similar to Hartz.

13:18 They had a back end of the season though that they sort of fell away and ultimately cost Danny Roll his job as well. And why they brought in Derek McInnes. Yeah, I mean I think it was a great opportunity for both Rangers and Hawks last season, particularly Rangers because obviously they're used to being this second top club over the past number of years and Celtic were desperately poor at times last season. They obviously had turnover managers. They hung in the scraped wins. You know, they kept turning up and just scraped and of course they kind of raised a level towards the end of the season. It was. Yeah. And maybe again Rangers might, if they'd had somebody else in that, a Cammy Devon type in that midfield, maybe he'd have made a difference in those in that final, final weeks of the season when they fell, they fell apart a little bit. Yeah. Yep.

14:06 So very interesting. So let's see what he can do. Hopefully has a good impact at Rangers and doesn't become another Matt Mackay because that would be. That'd be terrible for him. But looking forward to this season there's been a couple of Aussies joined the Scottish Premiership. A couple more at Dundee United, a couple more at Motherwell which both seem to be qu Australian players at the moment. And then we've got a new goalkeeper in at St Mirren in the form of Jacob Chapman. I guess out of the four or five there, Paul is one in particular caught your eye or one or two of those new Australians joining the Premiership.

14:47 Yeah, I mean I think the Jake Girdwood Reich, if I get that pronunciation right, I think he kind of stands out a little bit because his career path's been interesting because he's got the Scottish, the Scottish connection. Having played at youth level at St. Johnston at 22 years old and I think he was. If I'm not Mistaken. He, you know, he was considered a hot talent when he was younger but he was been in America, he's gone back to New Zealand. And his age profile as well, I kind of like. I kind of like the look of his profile in terms of his, you know, his age, the experience he has. I think that could. Could prove to be quite an interesting one.

15:30 And it looks like Jacob Chapman is going to be the. He's been earmarked as a starting goalkeeper. Okay. So I think he's obviously not going to be. He's not there to be a squad player. He's started all the League cup games so far. So I expect him to be, you know, work out as a good signing for St. Marne. But yeah there's, there's been. I mean it's only a couple of things. Lucky Rose, he's hit the ground running. Three goals in two league cup games. He's a little bit older obviously. He's 27 now. But again it's now or never for him in terms of making a move. I don't think he's not been up to Europe before, right? No, I don't believe so either Paul.

16:13 Yeah. So I think it's interesting to go at that age to see if he can make something of himself in Scotland. But yeah, he certainly made a good start because even though the games have been against lower league opposition, getting off the mark in the first couple of games is definitely going to be good for his confidence, particularly for a striker. Right. And he's not been the most prolific striker in the A league which was what surprised me actually to be honest that, that he got. Got. Got the move there so to. To Dundee United. So it was a surprise. He had a really good season at Newcastle jets as well who had a fantastic season. But yeah it interesting one and I do wonder what sort of impact it has on Zach Sapsford who. Who was fantastic for Dundee United last season, wasn't he scored goals against both Rangers and Celtic which is, you know, pretty good for. For a guy that's first, you know, playing his first season in the premiership. So I mean I know that he did get shifted out to sort of more of a wide role at times and Locky Rose is sort of the main number nine. So I wonder if. And Paul, if you probably think similarly to me that that might be the set United go with for this season as Locky Rose is the main man and Zach Sapsford out wide. Yeah, I think that's a good possibility.

17:33 And I think that again those league cup games I think that that's been the lineup in a couple of those games and I think Zach scored a couple of goals as well. So the early signs is that they're maybe linking up well. So they're definitely. I think I would be surprised if they start without them or one of them in the starting lineup. I'd expect to see that in the first few games and see how it goes. But, yes, that sounds like a promising combination they have. Yeah, definitely. And hopefully, of course, being familiar with each other from the A League, I mean, obviously they didn't play together, but that might assist with the link up there. And of course, Dundee United lost Ryan Strain to Falkirk, or they let him go, I should say. And that opened the door to Josh Rawlins coming in. So that looks like it might be a direct swap there. I think Josh has got a couple of games in those League cup games so far to start the season. So promising signs for him as well. Yeah, he started three League cup games already, so he's. Again, they've obviously earmarked him as a starting player again. His profile is interesting.

18:42 He went to Utrecht when he was younger, right? Yes, he did. Yeah. And then I think if I remember rightly, he made his debut quite young. Yeah, I think it was around 16, 17 from memory. Went to Utrecht maybe after one a league season or half an A League season, and then came back home to the A League, moved around once or twice and then has found himself back in Europe. So. Yeah, and he's under 23 international, so he's probably. He probably feels that, you know, this is an opportunity for him to kind of show his reach, his potential a little bit more. Because I think he's 22, so again, he's a good age. I mean, nature are kind of signing some interest, you know, some players that have got some good years ahead of them. And I think he looks like a very interesting player in terms of the experience he's had already.

19:33 The fact that he's been in Europe is probably going to benefit him. He's maybe obviously a lot older and wiser now, maybe more ready for the challenge. But yeah, I think he could be a very solid signing for United. Yeah, and you raise a good point there, Paul. And probably one I wanted to ask and sort of discuss a little bit was the Scottish Premiership, you're looking at about what, 36, 38 games a season just in league games, whereas in the A League you're looking at about 26, 27. And if you make it all the way to the Grand Finals, that's known here you're getting 30 games max in the league. That's even before the, you know, the league Cups, which was already seen what, three, four games so far. Then you got the, the, the, the Scottish cup as well. So it no doubt takes a bit of a toll on these A League players and, and that's where someone where like Josh Rollins previous experience in Europe might come in handy. We saw actually with Adrian Sega Chic when he went to Portsmouth last season. His experience held him up in good stead, whereas a lot of the younger A league players seem to get a bit of injuries there. So I wonder if that's something that some of these players and some of these clubs are going to have to manage this season for the debutantes coming into the league, given the vast difference in amounts of games and the intensity that they played out with relegation being at stake there as well. Yeah, I mean, absolutely. But it's a squad game now and I think these players will have to be prepared to be, you know,

21:06 set out a couple of games sometimes to be rested and obviously especially the younger ones, they, you know, they tend to have learned to be less consistent. So they'll have to be patient perhaps at times. But yeah, definitely the physical challenges will be difficult at times, I imagine. And we've seen several Aussie players last season suffered injuries, not just the young ones, but obviously we saw a few that sat out a lot of the season. So yeah, hopefully these guys will not have that problem. But yeah, they will have to take time to adapt to that, of course, and that's all sort of crystal ball stuff. And while we're on the topic of crystal balls, I guess Paul, I want to get your opinion on some of the more experienced Aussies in the Scottish Premiership.

21:52 Ones that I guess are looking for a second chance, particularly two at Aberdeen in the former Kasuna Yengi and Nick Suman. I think Nick Suman is more or less the backup keeper or even third choice keeper there at Aberdeen. But Kasuni Yengi, do you think with the change of manager there that he might get a chance? I mean, obviously we're sort of spitballing here and just guessing, but do you think the door might be a jar for Cassini? It's hard to see. I know Stephen Robertson made some positive noises, said, you know, he's going to have a chance preseason, but they've brought in two strikers which is an indication that maybe if he is in their plans, he's going to have to fight for his place. He might just be A backup option. I did read that in a couple of Japanese teams were interested in him again. Obviously he spent that moment but he got injured again, so he's missed a lot of football and that's obviously for a new manager. Coming in might be looking at that thinking this guy's not going to be at his sharpest. So I think the odds are against it. I mean, I think he might be looking at other options.

23:04 Regardless of what's been said in public, I think in private he might be weighing up another move somewhere else. But like I said, we can't rule out the possibility he gets a second chance. It's a talented player. I think he's been unlucky with these injuries, but Aberdeen, obviously, we imagine that they'll be looking at him in pre season and seeing if he's going to be up to it or not, but I don't think he's not had any game time yet so far. I think we'll see if he features in the Aberdeen squad this weekend. That will give us a better indication. Yeah, definitely. Otherwise you could pro. Again, we don't want to jump to conclusions, but you could more or less otherwise say that he's either rehabbing an injury or he is on his way out at Aberdeen, which, yeah, it seems to be the theme unfortunately for Cassini the last probably three to four seasons. I mean, he had a bad luck at Portsmouth earlier and I think there was another club in Scotland that I can't remember, but yeah, that. It seems to be a little bit of a cycle and hopefully he can break it, but yeah, it's not looking particularly good for Cassuni.

24:10 Now, speaking of another player that's been slightly injury prone over the past couple of seasons, it's Ryan Strain. As. As I made mention, he's left Dundee United. He's joined Falkirk, who had a fantastic first season back in the premiership last season finishing in the top half there. Do you think Ryan Strain can work his way in? I mean, Falkirk have also had a few outgoings with the bigger clubs coming and hand picking their best along the way. So do you think that might open the door for Ryan Strain? Yeah, absolutely. I think he's a proven Scottish Premiership player. I'm sure seen him over the years, what he can do and I can't see any reason why he wouldn't make the right back spot his own or. I mean, he's started okay.

24:55 He got a goal and an assist last week, so that's, That's a strong start. It depends on who's up against in the competition, but he's certainly, you know, he's shown he's good enough at this level. He's still only 29, so he's not. He's not past it by any means. So, yeah, I think. I mean, Falkirk will have to accept, obviously, if the better players moving on, they've. Again, I think it's like a Cammy Devil situation. He's experienced at this level. They've watched him over the years and they think he can do a job. So, yeah, I think he'd be a good fit. Yeah. It's probably more of a question for Ryan if he can keep himself off the treatment table, really, isn't it? Given his injury history over the last couple of seasons. Ultimately, what cost him a Socceroos jersey at the World cup as well, because the lack of right backs in the Australian setup at the moment is quite astounding. And obviously Lewis Miller going down with an injury last season as well. Now off to Hibs, and we saw Ante Suto sort of hit the ground running in that after that winter transfer from the Croatian league. Do you think he can win a spot in that Hibs lineup, or do you think he's more or less locked into that super sub role?

26:14 But, I mean, from what I've seen, I like the look of this guy. I think possibly they'll be trying to find a way for him and Boyle to work together. And let's face it, Martin Boyle's now 33 years old, so he's kind of, you know, they've got to look at a succession plan. If you like the way Boyle plays, it's about speed that can go on forever. So there might be managing their minutes a little bit, but I think they've got to give him a chance. I think they've got to try and see what he can do as a regular starter, whether they can work together or not. I'm sure they're experimenting with that in training and maybe the friendly games. But, yeah, I think he deserves a chance to show because I think what we saw of him last season, he looked like he could be a real asset. And if I'm not wrong, he was. He was in the squad for the World Cup. He was released from the. One of the provisional squads, right? Yeah, he was. Yeah. I mean, his form at Hibbs actually landed him in the Socceroos squad in the March window.

27:19 From memory, he didn't get any game time, but then he got called up again to the provisional World cup squad. So there's obviously Something there, as you said, Tony Popovich likes as well, because he did have to switch his international allegiance somewhere along those lines as well, from Croatia to Australia. So, yeah, it's probably just now about building on that back half of the season and seeing if you can get a consistent. A consistent amount of game time there for goals. Yeah, I mean, I think this, again, this weekend will tell us, give us a lot of information about what these guys are going to do this season ahead and what the clubs have planned for them, how the clubs rate them. But I would.

28:01 I would. I would not be surprised to see Sutton, the starting line for him this weekend. I'd like to see him in that, to be honest, because I think, like I said, what I saw of him, maybe lack of consistency a little bit, is what's keeping him from that starting spot. But if he's at a good preseason, I think it's going to be. It's quite an exciting player to watch. Yeah, definitely. So fingers crossed for Ante. And look, we've touched on Martin Boyle there, Mr. Reliable Jack Idaho. I don't think there's really too much to say about him. He's there. He's pretty much locked and loaded at that sort of level. Left side, centre, back in the back, three there for Hibbs. So long. May that continue. Unless you've heard any. You've seen anything else that suggests otherwise. Paul? Not really. There was. I mean, I did notice he was subbed at halftime last week and the European game, that was a bit of a disaster. What I understand it was a tactical switch rather than.

28:53 Because he'd been having. I think the whole team had a nightmare in that game, by the sounds of it. That's the only thing that makes a little bit of doubt why he was chosen to kind of come off at halftime, which is never a good thing for him, a player to be. To be subbed at that point in the game. But, yeah, I think, yeah, I expect to see him in the starting lineup for most of the games this season as he was last season. Yeah. All right, no worries. Yeah, I think you're probably about right now. I'm going to ask for one cheeky last question, Paul. Who's your prediction to win the Scottish Premiership this season? It's really tough to predict after. I mean, I can't see Hearts repeating what they did last season. The early signs of not been good for them.

29:38 Not at all. They've lost some of their best players. So it's going to be between Celtic and Rangers again. I think looking at the signing Celtic have made, they need a couple more players. So it's going to depend a little bit on the transfer movement over the next. Over the next month. I'm going to say Celtic because I still think if they get the right players and they're going to have a slightly stronger squad. Martin o', Neill, I'm not inspired by him being the manager again. I think it's a lazy decision by the board who, as you may be aware, have not been doing a good job. I've been really inactive and non communicative with the fans and I think it's just they've not been proactive enough. But range.

30:23 I think McInnes is a limited manager. He's a solid Scottish Premiership manager, but there's a reason why he hasn't gone to a bigger club job at this point of his career, until this point in his career. But he, he will have them organized, make them tough to beat, which obviously is. Can. Can win your leagues, obviously. So I think it's going to be a bit of a. It's gonna be. It's gonna be tight. I can't see anything, anything else, but a fairly tight battle could go either way. But if Celtic can get a couple of better signings through the door in the next month, I'll go with Celtic. Yeah. Yeah, I, I think I have to agree with you there, Paul. It's just a sort of case that Celtic have just got enough quality to do the job. Even though there is that complete disconnect between the board and the fans and the ability to come up with a good squad, it just feels like that that's going to be the case. So it ranges, I think.

31:17 Derek McInnes, how's he going to handle the pressure of being the Rangers manager? It's a big call. A lot of new signings in the door there as well. And how are they going to cope making the step up to play for Rangers? A lot of what ifs. Whereas I think with Celtic, most of the squad is still there, but the quality probably isn't where it should be. So that's what might be the leveler, I guess, between the two sides in Glasgow. Yeah. Hard to see Hearts repeating what they've done considering the turnover of players, particularly their key players, and then what they've dished up in the Champions League qualifiers so far. Some pretty big warning signs in fact, if, if you're a Hearts fan. So hopefully they can rectify that.

32:00 But yeah, I do. Do you see a surprise packet this season coming through to. To challenge the. The duopoly of Glasgow. Not really. I mean we had obviously Motherwell were very strong last season but again they've lost their. Their manager. Hibs are very inconsistent. You never know what to expect. Hibs get on their day when you addicted to. They certainly it's not. They're not strangers to beating Celtic and Rangers in one off games but they can't seem to kind of put together a run to kind of do what Hearts did last season and push them and mount an actual title challenge. So it's hard to see another team sort of pushing at the moment. But you know the surprise package is a surprise so they'll so one that might surprise us. Yeah, yeah.

32:44 Hopefully there is just to spice it up but probably not so much for the Celtic and Rangers fans. I'll just be hoping for domination and a ding dong battle battle between themselves and their team to come out on top. All right, well, that is it. Thank you very much Paul for your time. Really appreciate you going through the Aussies with me that are in Scotland and of course don't forget Paul's books, Socceroos in Scotland. I'll post a link on my social so you can have a look at that and grab a copy because I'm very much looking forward to reading it. It's a great book. No doubt and yeah, thanks again, Paul. Enjoy the Scottish Premiership and no Doubt we might catch up and see how the Aussies are going later on this year.

33:28 Yeah, pleasure talking to you. Thanks for inviting me on and looking forward to a good season. Thanks, Paul. All right, that's it for the Aussie football passport. Thanks for listening and I'll be back soon with another episode. Thanks for listening. Bye now.