CROpod: The Other Rangers Podcast

Hawaii is on fire. Whatever is left of Twitter is on fire. Rangers season feels like it could descend into a burning hellscape. It's everything you could want from a CROpod, as Shane, David and Todd return to the airwaves.

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Shane is back! And so are those other two guys, David and Todd. It's a shorter CROpod but the whole gang is trying to get back in the mix as we start 2023 the same way we've started every other year of the show—talking absolute nonsense. 

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Shane and Todd decided to go ahead and shoot early Tuesday morning for both of them. You get what you get, but we'll be back with regular CROpod content here soon. Enjoy this bit of nonsense. 

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David's mic has a click; Todd still brought fascism back to Italy; and Shane is recording from his diner. But it's the 10th anniversary of the CROpod! And the big three are back together! 

How Shane dislocated his shoulder; how he's shoulder deep in the shit trying to save two different businesses; how Rangers are making us all absolutely furious; and some of your questions. It's 10 years of the CROpod in only the best way we could possibly do it.

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Shane's been gone! Find out why! And also hear about his latest bar fight! A quick update before we get back to CROpodding. 

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Baseball has long been the national pastime of the US, and because one has so much time to kill while it's being played, baseball is pretty damn weird. Colin doesn't get it and Shane is here to do his best in a new CROpod Explains America.

Pick off throws, anthem standoffs, fans interfering in the games, and why cheating is okay! Until it's not. The very nature of the sport lends itself to any number of ridiculous scenarios cropping up, and because it's been around for so long, almost all of them have at least once. 

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The Canadian has returned! And all he left behind is a newly-oldy-fascist Italy! Todd is back with Shane and David for a full 90 minutes of CROpod action filled with Rangers and coffee and dugs and everything else you expect.

Todd tells us about how horrible it was to be on holiday in paradise because it was slightly windy one day, and David has his regular list of complaints about Liverpool. Plus, Shane went for a walk and it lasted longer than he wanted; a bunch of your questions; and another round of I Dissent!

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Saturday was good; Tuesday not so much. But Tuesday's gone and Shane and Peter are back for a new edition of Don't Ask Me No Questions! When do we actually get a right-wing? Why do we like to throw young center-halves to the wolves? WTF was Robbie Neilson talking about? And when is UEFA finally going to murder a bunch of supporters outside a ground?

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Saturday's result has made the days off before Tuesday a little easier to get through, but Scottish referees have an answer to the good feelings: VAR! Shane's still not sure how that would fix the match official's performance we saw for Rangers' win at Hearts.

Robbie Neilson thinks the ref could've done more to make Cammy Devlin a better person; Ally McCoist couldn't be a better person; and our American players are better than anyone else's in Europe. All that and more on this edition of Second Hand News!

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Well, that certainly made the weekend seem a lot better, didn't it? Rangers rolled out comfortable winners at Tynecastle Saturday with a 4-nil victory to maybe take some momentum into Anfield for Tuesday's Champions League tie. Antonio Colak keeps banging them in; Alfredo Morelos never lost it; and Ryan Kent nearly equals his goal tally from last season. Plus, Steven McLean had a bad one but even he couldn't get the one big decision wrong, and Liverpool struggle at home with Brighton. It's Second Hand News on the CROpod!

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The international break is over and we've got to get ready for the return of Gio's Rangers at the weekend and the bomb scare of Anfield next week. But Peter is back for his last shift filling in for Todd, and Shane and David are happy to fill him in on the past 30-plus years of culture.

The economy is in the bin and the UK is seeking out the techniques of a guy who destroyed the US equivalent fully four decades ago; The Wall is a terrible movie with a very good soundtrack; the club just keeps making us all mad every single day; after conquering Andy and Rob like Donetsk, Shane sets his sights on the rest of Heart & Hand; and bad opinions about dugs from a listener. All that and more on this week's CROpod!

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American sports teams love to move house—they always have, and it's something almost wholly unique to the country's sports leagues. Colin wants to know why, and Shane is here to once again hurt his brain with the explanation.

Fans hear all the time about the true "stakeholders" in football whether it be from Rangers or the governing bodies of the game. But who are the stakeholders those voices are actually beholden to? The new SPFL television deal shows once again that, when it comes to what supporters want, those in charge of the sport simply do not care beyond paying lip service to the people who keep them in their jobs.

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First, no one knew how to actually go about removing a president from office. Then, no one knew what to do when the president had left the office. In Episode 9 of the Watergate at 50 series, Shane and David are back to recount the tumultuous first few weeks of the new administration, one failed from the start by the one it had just succeeded.

An unelected Gerald Ford is suddenly thrust into the biggest job in the world and struggles with what to do with the lingering question of the legal ramifications for Richard Nixon. He settles on a "full, free and absolute pardon" of the former president, but that decision raises questions that the House Judiciary Committee calls on Ford to answer. Plus, Nixon struggles for answers in his own interview with a British journalist hanging onto his career, and the 37th president has to pave a new path post-White House that no one before him had ever gone down.

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Despite (or perhaps owing to) the best efforts of its biggest proponents, the proposed contract extension between the SPFL and Sky for broadcast rights continues to look worse. One club chairman came out over the weekend saying analysis of the deal had lacked facts and context—and then flat out lied about the facts of the deal while providing the kind of context one expects from the diddy clubs. At the end of the day, they're going to find a way to force this thing through and then tell us all that they listened to our concerns. 

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The international break drags on, but on the plus side, there's no Rangers to talk about for Shane, David and Peter on this week's CROpod. At least no football; you can't get through an international break anymore without Rangers coming along to really annoy you about something.

Crossover-content as Richard Nixon made some headlines this week, plus we say goodbye to Lewis Macleod in a manner about as brief as his shining moments for the club. Most of the second half is spent tackling listener questions, which means of course that we begin to answer questions and then reminisce about World Cups of yore. All that and more on this week's CROpod.

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Day Two of the Rangers Directors Providing Absolutely No Tangible Information But Talking A Lot series continues as Stewart Robertson follows John Bennett's world salad starter with a main course. The managing director, in typical fashion, contradicted many things he's said before, continuing the trend of board members telling us how communication to fans needs to be improved while apparently rewriting the very definition of improved. No PhDs on offer but some actual questions that still haven't been answered on this edition of Second Hand News.

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International breaks are terrible. Thankfully, Rangers are committed to making sure we always have something to talk about instead of simply enjoying a couple weeks off. In this episode of Second Hand News, Shane's back to listen to what Brian Laudrup says because it echoes what a lot of people have been saying. Plus, John Bennett wants a half hour of your time to explain why he wants a half hour of your time; and former potential Rangers investor Robert Sarver is actually a racist POS, according to the NBA.

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Rangers barely get past Dundee United (yeah, that Dundee United) at home in a 2-1 win and, boy, things just keep going from weakness to weakness with this squad. But Shane's here to at least point out how bad the SPFL is at managing its broadcast rights before getting to how bad this Rangers team has become. Thank god for Antonio Colak's goals and Kevin Clancy deciding today wasn't going to be one of those days.

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Ever think a 100 million-year-old coastline couldn't have an impact on global politics? Man, are you wrong! And Shane and Colin are back to explain why in this edition of CROpod Explains America.

Find out how an inland sea during dinosaur times shapes American and, quite frankly, all of western politics. What the hell does an ancient seabed have to do with modern politics? Is John Roberts actually a lizard person from the late Cretaceous? How racist do you have to be to hate the area where a beach was millions and millions of years ago? All this and more in this episode!

Shane's back for another Second Hand News after Rangers' third loss on the bounce following Wednesday's Champions League matchup with Napoli. Problems: we got 'em, we knew we had 'em, we didn't do anything about 'em. And now we get to deal with 'em. It's a shame such a great moment pre-match was undone by months and months of poor planning.

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Todd missed training and has been suspended accordingly, so Shane and David are joined by Peter who's back to party like it's 2012. Your usual general chat gives way to Rangers and the Champions League on Wednesday as we close out the first half of the show.

Part two comes in with a lovely story about a World War II man finally being laid to rest under his name before the panel discusses the real big news of the past week. Personal reflections from the men on the island; Peter tells us how it's been in Edinburgh since the weekend; showing respect is easy if you just try; and we close out this week with a round of I Dissent! as Shane plays judge, jury and executioner for the others' bad ideas.

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The Special Prosecutor is fitting out his allies for their prison attire. Impeachment is a certainty in the House. And even Republicans in the Senate have let him know that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. In Episode 8 of their Watergate at 50 series, Shane and David are back as the final days of the Nixon presidency draw to an inevitable finish. 

There are still a couple of characters left to play their big part, namely Leon Jaworski and Alexander Haig. You've heard about them plenty of times in this series but find out how they came to be the two most influential figures in these closing acts. Plus, the Supreme Court makes it known that they're tired of all the grandstanding; Barry Goldwater tells the president his tired act no longer works on the GOP's base; and a tired Richard Nixon says goodbye to his staff and rides away from Washington.

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We decided to hold all of our planned shows until after the weekend, but Shane's back with a Friday edition of Second Hand News as the football world slows down for a few days to remember Queen Elizabeth II.

A little more on the troubles with Rangers and just how far back they go, including why Dave King and part of the Three Bears have resurfaced in headlines recently. The NFL kicks off and the Chicago Bears are trying out a slightly new turn on an old stadium trick. And a Very Hungry Bear eats cake. Bear down, folks; it's Second Hand News on the CROpod.

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Rangers have shipped eight goals in two games and have a squad full of players who look like they've given up on the manager; the time has come for drastic changes from the top down.

What happened in Amsterdam was no different than what happened at the weekend; it can't stop with Gio; where's the captain in all of this; plus, some US Open Cup stuff and other news at the end to take our minds off this shit for 5 minutes.

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It was a bad weekend, to put it mildly, as a lot of the cracks that Rangers have been papering over were exposed. Thankfully, Shane and Todd found a perfectly reasonable man like themselves to discuss that horror show in CROpod original Peter.

What's going on off the park at Ibrox these days; how it translated to that showing on the park; how does Gio get that out of the team and focused ahead on Ajax Wednesday; dugs as footballers; and more!

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Shane's back for a quick Sunday spot after a terrible Saturday on the park. Sometimes it takes a day that bad to finally bring into focus for many the problems at Rangers. At least we know how to fix this kind of thing.

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Shane's back to close out the week ahead of Saturday's Old Firm derby with another Second Hand News. More on Rangers' messaging and media briefing that was discussed on Monday as Alfredo Morelos returns to the squad and how it fits into the larger club narrative. Plus, Ross Wilson and Stewart Robertson's words mean nothing; and preparing for the first big domestic test of the season.

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Shane and his ex-pat buddy Colin are back for more CROpod Explains America, and they're tackling a $1.7 trillion (yep, trillion) part of the economy: the student loan system.

Some quick Rangers deadline day chat before how paying for university even begins to work in the US. Colin can relate for a while, then Shane breaks his head with the tale of how we got to this spot in the first place. But some good news at the end—kind of. When you've buried an entire generation in insurmountable debt, how much good news can there be?

The full panel is back for a pre-deadline day/pre-derby day edition of the CROpod! Shane, David and Todd are ready for whatever Gio and Rangers have for them with their yellow neckties dry cleaned and pressed and their purple bedroom accouterments on hand. 

A sudden change of heart when it comes to VAR; a decade of Pjanic Watch continues; please sign someone who can play on the wing, Mr Rangers; ticket prices and streaming services; a special tribute to the final Soviet Premier; and we announce the winners for our August drawing! (If you were one of the winners, Shane will reach out to you sometime over the next week or so to sort out your details.)

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Shane is back for another quick round of Second Hand News as the transfer deadline looms. Seeing as we have one fit striker and what should be piles of cash per the board's own notes, it's disappointing some are spending time worrying about what's being said in the press. Plus, the whole briefing strategy lately has been a bit short-sighted and misguided, and Scottish refs continue to be terrible but at least it benefited Rangers this time.

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It's time for Shane and Todd to wither away slowly on their Desert Island yet again, but this go round someone has been careless enough to drop a case full of their favorite Action Flicks overboard and it's washed ashore along with a Blue Ray player and a nice big television. The guys run down their top five guns and explosions and summer blockbusters, and we go through a tranche of listener lists. Good to know we're all pretty much on the same page when it comes to what big damn Hollywood budget-breakers we'd all want to watch as we await our demise.

Despite all of his best and most illegal efforts, Richard Nixon's presidency is crumbling around him. And now, it's a matter for the US Congress to decide whether he's still fit for the office.

In Episode 7 of their Watergate at 50 series, Shane and David are here to explain just what impeachment is, because people in 1974 didn't really know. Why had the nation avoided this for over a century?; Who was going to run this process in the House of Representatives?; What the [expletive deleted] is [expletive deleted]?; When would the president's Republican allies finally jump ship?; and How did we reach the final days of Nixon?

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Shane and Todd will be back with some more Desert Island tomfoolery before next week's Champions League playoff tie, but, unlike our Dutch opponents, you might need something to get through an away day at the weekend (THANKS SFA!). So here's the first episode of the Desert Island series, and it's the absolute classic pub version: the five albums you would take to go wither away and die on a small hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean.

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Shane, David and Todd are back in business following Rangers' draw on Tuesday night with PSV. Some talk about the football; how media rooms work; David offends as many social groups as possible before Shane throws it to break to save whatever listeners we have left; Todd has Canadian weirdoes of his own to contend with; don't do drugs; a few of your questions; and more!

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Shane's back for a quick look at some news items from the past week in the CROpod's Second Hand News. Aberdeen shed some more light on a SPFL broadcasting plan and no one seems to know why we're doing this right now; Graham Spiers continues to oddly pick the wrong fights; Bill Leckie continues to have a job in 2022 somehow; and the Souness thing from the weekend continues to be a story but no one can really explain why.

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Shane and David had to get together on a Friday because the SPFL continues to shoot itself in the dick when it comes to broadcasting contracts. The pair lay out what this new deal would actually mean; how it stacks up to comparable leagues (very poorly); and what should actually happen in negotiations that don't need to be finalised for nearly another three years.

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The week in CROpod is much better as Rangers overturn another Belgian pretender and Malik Tillman has already made his case for a permanent display in the new Edmiston House. Shane, David and Todd talk about the fun that is football when football is fun along with some love for John Lundstram continuing to not give one single shit about your feelings. Plus, Florida man has his house raided by the FBI; David gives us his Death Row Meal (tie-in content!); some questions from the listeners; and more!

*****

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Shane and Todd are back and invariably doomed to death either slowly on their Desert Island or perhaps in an American prison to be named. But at least they have some final meals to look forward to! The guys break down the three-squares on the menu before meeting their ultimate fate; tell you about some famous last meals in recent memory; and, of course, take on some listener suggestions for their scran supremo.

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The long-awaited follow-up episode in Shane's Rangers From Sea to Shining Sea series is finally here, as he takes a look at a three-time opponent during the Struth tours, the Fall River Marksmen. Did we actually play them in Fall River? Did we play them to help raise money after the city caught on fire (again)? Did the Marksmen survive a trip to Central Europe after we left them on our last visit? All that and more in this special CROpod episode.

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We've joked about it before but it does appear Rangers are deadset on introducing a whole new generation to what the mid-90s felt like. Thankfully, Shane, David and Todd have all already lived it and know how to prepare. Plus, comedians who aren't funny; David thinks he is funny; nutjobs take a loss in Kansas; and more!

Shane is down with a bit of an ear problem so the latest Watergate at 50 installment has been pushed back a couple of days, but we've gone into the vault for something you may have missed: from May of 2021, it's the third edition of his and Todd's Desert Island series as the North American contingent give you their top One-Hit Wonders! The guys look at the five must-have singles they're taking to live out the rest of their lives in squalor on an uncharted hunk of rock in the South Pacific. Plus, they evaluate and judge some listener submissions and ridicule each other's selections.

Shane and David are only about halfway home in their Watergate at 50 series, and if you've missed anything, now is your chance to get caught all the way up with the first five episodes.

Meet Dick Nixon and all the other dicks along for this ride; learn about the break-in which wasn't the first one but was the worst one; the Senate committee hearings that became Must-See-TV; and a bow-tie-clad man who became Nixon's worst enemy. It's seven hours of Watergate to fill your earholes.

Episode 1: A Man of Perceived Grievance: 0:00:00 to ~1:07:00

Episode 2: Lawyers, Guns and Money: ~1:08:00 to ~2:30:00

Episode 3: A Third-rate Burglary: ~2:30:00 to ~4:10:00

Episode 4: A Simple Country Lawyer: ~4:10:00 to ~5:45:00

Episode 5: Cox, Lies and Audiotape: ~5:45:00 to End

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The full panel is back in action as Shane, David and Todd work to get in shape for the upcoming league campaign. Actual talk about football for the first bit of the show; a mass shooting down the street; absolutely awful people masquerading as public servants; maybe don't lean into the stereotype of being a bunch of junkies; and more!

Shane and David are back for the fifth installment of the Watergate at 50 series, as the wheels begin to come off the presidency of Richard Nixon while a bowtie-cladded Harvard lawyer drills closer to the Oval Office before being spectacularly dispatched.

This week, we meet the Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, a man Nixon couldn't have conjured up in his worst nightmares to steer the investigation into his administration's dirty tricks. Plus, the tapes take center stage and we have a bunch of them for you; Nixon fights the courts every step of the way to protect those recordings; and ultimately hatches the Saturday Night Massacre, setting the stage for the final act of his time in office.

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David is at the football but Shane and Todd have agreed to return to their Desert Island after a long time away. In what could only be described as "an episode of a podcast," the guys play a little game Todd found on the internet, picking their top films from the years 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2019. It will come as a shock to no regular listener that it gets more difficult as the years move along. 

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The lights may have gone out on the football but the lights never go out on the CROpod! Shane is back with David and Todd for your usual round of nonsense and shenanigans. It's exactly what you expect at this point.

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Shane and David are back in the fourth episode of their Watergate at 50 series for a look at the Greatest Show on Earth: the 1973 Senate Watergate Committee Hearings.

Meet the Simple Country Lawyer chosen to head the Senate's inquiry into the Nixon White House, an incredible jurist and orator (and a staunch segregationist) whose daily hearings ended up in the homes of nearly 85% of Americans during the spring and summer of 1973. Plus, John Dean goes on the attack after accepting he was to be the scapegoat; Republicans plot against him with the help of Nixon's team; but a Bob Haldeman aide reveals what Dean had by then believed for months: that he was being secretly taped in the White House.

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