Rangers doom merchants are really starting to annoy me and I have a special message for them – Barry Ferguson

Apparently I don’t enjoy admitting when I got it wrong. So my wife and kids keep on telling me anyway. And maybe a couple of my old managers.

Probably some of my former team mates too. Anyway, on this occasion I’m absolutely delighted to put my hands up to making a mistake on these pages last week, when I was so sure that England were going to win the Euros I started shelling out good money on the internet to buy my own Scotland fan survival kit. So if anyone out there is looking for headphones, ear plugs or noise cancellers that are still in their original packets then, let’s just say, I’m your man.

Come to think of it, they could probably do with turning down the volume a bit around Ibrox because it’s all been getting a bit too loud for my liking over the last few weeks. Look, I totally get the frustration the fans are feeling right now and why some folk in the media are being critical.

Some of my own mates have been on a downer ever since the way last season ended and their mood hasn’t improved much as the new campaign approaches. That they’re going to be locked out of their own stadium until at least September – and maybe even longer – hasn’t helped.

And then there’s the lack of movement in the transfer market and the fact that Philippe Clement has admitted he’s hardly dealing with a bottomless pit of cash as he attempts to overhaul the squad. I get all of it and I understand why there’s a lot of negativity in the air with just a couple of weeks to go before the season kicks off at Tynecastle.

But, come on. It’s starting to feel as if there’s no point in Clement and his players even turning up for that opener against Hearts because so many people appear to be writing off the campaign before it’s even begun. That’s