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Showing content with the highest reputation on 20/02/19 in all areas
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Superb from Rangers tonight absolutely smashing them 5-0. Glen Kamara was excellent didn't do anything complicated won all his contests and played some nice football along with Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield. Tav and Candeias bossed the right hand side and Barasic and Kent did the same on the left. Alfie was deadly in front of goal.4 points
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I’m I the only one who thinks this would benefit us? As long as they are full-time professionals, they might actually know the rules & foreign based refs are less likely to be influenced by Scottish media (ie to book or send off Morelos in every game). Considering St Pats have the best disciplinary record & we are cited the most, Rangers have nothing to lose here.4 points
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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has questioned his players' mentality ahead of the club's crucial Scottish Cup fifth-round replay with Kilmarnock on Wednesday night. Rangers head into the cup tie at Ibrox on the back of a hugely disappointing goalless draw at home to St Johnstone on Saturday, a result that ultimately saw them fall eight points behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership. And Gerrard is determined to get rid of any complacency in his players, starting against Killie. "The week's training heading into St Johnstone, I didn't see the team with the right mentality, I saw a bit of ego before that match," said Gerrard. "This doesn't happen very often, we are usually strong. I have told the players in a very honest way that is not acceptable at Rangers. "I don't think I was brutal, I was honest. Maybe I put it across in a more obvious way but I'm not going to lie to them. The reaction shouldn't be for me, it should be for the 49,000 inside Ibrox. "I love my players to bits, they have gone to places for me and the fans that was above and beyond but there have to be times when you have to tell players certain things. It can hurt the player in the short term but will benefit them going forward. "We need to go back to our standards, at the weekend I didn't see a proper Rangers team with the right mentality. "If I see anyone thinking they can just walk into the team I will have words. I have done it myself, had a dip in form and went into cruise control, it's my job to spot it. We have players desperate for success but we are inexperienced in terms of winning." Team news Rangers striker and top scorer Alfredo Morelos returns from a two-game suspension, while midfielder Scott Arfield may feature after recovering from injury. However, the hosts will be without suspended goalkeeper Allan McGregor, midfielder Ryan Jack is an injury doubt and Graeme Dorrans misses out after suffering a setback following almost five months on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Steve Clarke's team will be without suspended centre-back Kirk Broadfoot after his sending-off against Celtic on Sunday and injured full-back Ross Millen. However, the visitors are confident central defender Stuart Findlay will have recovered from injury in time to feature. https://www.skysports.com/football/rangers-vs-kilmarnock/preview/4063033 points
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Agree Frankie. The red card did have an effect on the game but scoring goals and creating chances will do our confidence good IMO. On a side note, I know it's early but Kamara has the look of a player and could be a great piece of business for us.3 points
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Happy enough with that team - no excuses, get the job done.3 points
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3 points
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In an ideal world the referees would be robots; cold, consistent, repeatable. But variations are tolerated because we're dealing with humans. That's just how it is, so it has to be accepted. On top of that it also adds a bit of interest, another dimension, in having referees with individual styles or personalities. However, what is important is that the referee is consistent within any given match. That way the players know where they stand, and the viewing public know too. That ultimately sets the context of the match and it cannot be dissociated from the decisions made within it. By that I mean that were an event to unfold and be dealt with in that instance and the referee will naturally, subconsciously or not, factors in other incidents and his handling of the game. Decisions could be "levelled up" or scores allowed to be settled within that game. One such scenario would be the McGregor on Ferguson tackle in the recent Aberdeen v Rangers match. McGregor, arguably, pushed his luck and caught Ferguson under the pretence of protecting himself. The referee saw this and made the call to let it go with a warning. Minutes later in a similar play Ferguson drew some revenge and kicked at McGregor. The referee booked Ferguson. Both were arguably red cards, possibly even more so for Ferguson. But it was dealt with within the game. For the Compliance Officer to then take it out of that context is wrong. The referee clearly seen both incidents and dealt with them. The incident is no longer in isolation. You simply cannot start going in and picking individual incidents unless they are particularly violent or unsporting or clearly unseen. Certain members of the press trumpeted the two game ban handed out to McGregor and reassured everyone that it was a victory for justice, that the besieged Compliance Officer had at least got something correct and therefore the system works (a stopped clock). Justice, the noun, means just behaviour or treatment, and it sits in a family with fairness, parity and even-handedness. As an example, if nine people commit an offence and they don’t get highlighted, cited or banned (when evidence exists), but McGregor does, then that isn’t justice. In fact, it’s patently unjust. My understanding of the CO role is that it exists as arbiter for the laws of the game, who will deal with red tape, appeals and such like, whilst also picking up punishment on incidents that the referee missed or didn’t see (blatant diving, cheating or violent acts) or comments (of disrepute) outside the 90 mins of the match. This should give a level of consistency across the board that referees alone cannot achieve, keep the wider world of football in check and to anchor it to some solid common foundation. Of course, the latter role only works if said person or team sits down and watches the six Premiership games for that weekend and applies the same framework and filters to each. As a minimum you must surely review the entire game to understand the context of any highlighted incident. Was Morelos out of control in the Rangers vs Celtic match? Or was it a well contested match where he was involved in physical tussles with opposition players who gave as good as they got, and who could also easily be cited if there were desire to do so? But a full review does not happen. As it stands a black box exists between the point that incidents occur, and the moment the public get informed that a player has been cited (notice of complaint issued) and a ban is proposed/offered. Which is where it leaves itself wide open to conspiracy chatter. And the lack of transparency is a concern. What is there to hide? The intention is only to enforce the rules of football in a fair manner, that should be it. It’s hardly high-level government secrets. There needn’t be a shroud of mystery. All of which leaves us to draw our own conclusions and form opinion on whatever evidence exists i.e. through our own eyes from watching the football matches, as football fans, and the statistics related to those matches and processes. And the statistics are baffling. Nine Rangers players have been cited in the past year or so with zero Celtic players reported. I believe the last Celtic player cited on the pitch for foul play was Glenn Loovens back in 2009. What makes this incredible is that we all saw Leigh Griffiths smack an opposition players head against the turf and Scott Brown kick at an opposition players face who was lying on the ground. I think it's important to say I have no problem with Rangers players being punished when they push the limits but to not even issue those incidents with a notice of complaint is questionable. To further drive this home Scott Brown (again, i know) jumped in and caught Candeias on the lower leg with his studs. Textbook late, dangerous and reckless play. He repeated this act against Hibs, against a backdrop of maximum compliance officiating: (Scott Brown's tackle on Mark Milligan 'could have been a red' - Scott McDonald, BBC Sport). Then in this weekend’s match at Rugby Park he felt suitably comfortable and emboldened in his surroundings to do it again. This gives us three tackles endangering the safety of his fellow professionals in six weeks. The referees opted to hide behind a safe yellow whilst the CO opted to look the other way, at this stage for the first two at least. As did our consistently predictable media - a yellow card for earlier challenge was as far as the BBC's match report was prepared to discuss it. Kilmarnock 0-1 Celtic: (Scott Brown scores then is sent off - BBC Sport). Now this might have some commentators dismissing these points as whataboutery, and they’d be correct, because that is exactly what justice and parity are. The same people said McGregor and Morelos pushed the CO too far with similar examples of foul play - when does Scott Brown receive the same attention and 'justice'? The other problem we now have is that "trial by Sportscene" appears to be a reality. whereby the CO responds to the influence of the media and not to the merit of the incidents. The problem here is that bias does exist. Anyone that listens to Chris Sutton or Tom English knows they are biased. They apply different rules to Rangers, and others clubs, and Celtic. Be it for entertainment, attention, or sensationalism, under orders or just inherent visceral prejudice - they are biased and perform their media duties in that fashion. There is a trail of evidence proving such which I wrote about recently on this site. The referees have a tough job, no-one will deny them that. But at least the referee is out there, under the eye of the crowd, and the cameras, knowing the game (and his career) depends on some level of competence and professionalism with no super-slo mo replays from various angles. A lot their job is quick instinctive decisions based on that experienced practising of the rules and you’d hope there is no time or desire to discriminate. However, it is up for debate if they can be swayed or influenced to make that the call that makes their life a bit easier – the safe yellow that keeps the tabloids or public broadcasting company from their doorstep. As with the CO process the recent statistics for the referees throw up some anomalies that should cause Rangers fans to raise an eyebrow. Is the shorter fuse on Rangers bookings or red cards a direct result of media pressure? Therefore, if it can be a factor one way or another should the media not be held to tighter standards in this regard? Shouldn’t the SFA/SPFL as the governors of the game put integrity, where it can be compromised, above slanted sensationalism from their licensed broadcasters? When one of your main clubs calls out one of said broadcasters then there surely should be a debate? Personally, I believe that the last three compliance officers have questions to ask over their impartiality. Who chose them? Who vetted them? Does previous employment throw up a conflict of interest? As again the veil of secrecy and lack of scrutiny naturally draws suspicion. But even if they shoot 100% true and professionally, it appears that the process they operate is being fed input from a known biased source; therefore, the larger process is compromised and not fit for purpose. And if these professionals are aware that the system is flawed and yet accept it then that must also be a problem. If the rules or process are inadequate, flawed or open to abuse, then stop and change them, surely? After all they are the legal arbiters. They work within the rules and have a responsibility to iron out any glitches where they see them. Or at the very least open the process up to the public, e.g. tell us who has been placing most of the complaints? After all it is only football, I’m sure there is nothing to hide.3 points
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Really? Looks like a straightforward red card for an elbow to the face.2 points
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Obviously the red card was an important factor (and it looked soft to me) but we played well throughout and were well deserved winners. Morelos obviously on fire and that's why every non-Rangers fan wants to stop him playing.2 points
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Shh, Celtic fans will be trying to get us kicked out of the competition.2 points
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I think Kamara's top must have been through the wash a few times.2 points
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Yeh, stinks of “stop talking about changing things or we will throw a hissy fit”. They area horrible putrid club who will bring everything down around them unless all the other clubs sort them out.2 points
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It's a bit worrying that Gerrard noticed the mindset problems in training but couldn't sort them out before kick off on Saturday. I think we'll struggle tonight. Killie know how to set up against us and I worry about the attitude of our players.2 points
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So what happens when these foreign refs make mistakes? Is there a CR Smith store in Luxemburg/Belguim/Netherlands...? I agree with Jackson that we are genuinely heading down a dark road with this and it's all being championed by the loons from the East End. It happened 7 years ago when Dr Death played to the paranoid masses and the refs went on strike. Cue Rangers dropping out of the big picture for 5/6 years and what do you know, not one loaded statement, not one paranoid rant, no endless articles about those terrible refs. Cut to the present day, Rangers school Celtic on the pitch and even had the cheek to beat them. They have a high profile manager and are moving forward for the first time in ages. Somewhere in the bowels of the Meccano Dome a safe/shoe box opens for the first time in 7 years and a file labelled "Refs: How to stir paranoia soup and deflect from our own failings" is dusted off and is told to land on Liewells desk pronto.2 points
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The women that 26th is referring to is nauseating. You would think she was reading off a script (clearly she had been primed) and there was a guy from “the Union Jack club” (I think?) who was made to look less human too. They all rounded on him. She was just sickening though and everything that I dislike re the middle classes. She says she is “frightened” ffs? Although can’t really explain in detail of what? Not the brightest lady you will ever meet that’s for sure.2 points
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In fairness, there does seem to be a tone of coordination in terms of the statements / commentary directly from the club, or indirectly via those friendly to our message. When you consider the understated comments about refs having a tough job from Gerrard (in the face of some awful decisions going against us), a few more comments being placed in the media over the last week being critical of things, to the Robertson interview, the club formally querying decisions and requesting a formal review of the compliance and disciplinary process...2 points
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2 points
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On the subject of organised follow up Gerrard is quoted in this morning's Herald backing Robertson's statement and there's an article from Archie MacPherson where he says that BBC Scotland are not fulfilling their broadcasting obligations.2 points
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Clearly all black guys involved in any incident are Morelos.1 point
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Great result and performance. What a difference Alfie makes to the team. I know he scored four but I actually thought Kamara ran him close for MOTM? I hope they are well up for the game v the sheep, they will have to be! Smashing effort tonight and special mention for Andy Halliday goal and finish⚽️? ???1 point
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Yes I think you could be right as he was mince on Saturday.1 point
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We never seem to have many shots from outside the box, not just recently, and that is something we should be trying more of. We always try and score the perfect goal yet making the keeper make saves there is always rebounds that the likes of Defoe, not only him, can snap up1 point
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Live Audio Commentary On RTV https://rangers.co.uk/news/rangers-tv/live-audio-commentary-on-rtv/1 point
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Looking forward to seeing more of Kamara. He's a bit unlucky because he's joined at a time when the fans don't want another standard centre mid, but he seems to have the attributes to be as good as any we've got in that position.1 point
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This is purely an attempt to muddy the waters so that it will make changes to the appeals system, which currently works in Celtic's favour, that much harder.1 point
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Media Guidance for Supporters Dear Member, A number of members have been in contact with Club 1872 asking for assistance in challenging the prevailing Scottish media narrative on the club, players and supporters. This has been accentuated recently following skewed and at times blatantly dishonest BBC Scotland coverage of our games on Sportscene and Sportsound. Club 1872 frequently lodges complaints over skewed media reporting and has done so again in relation to recent coverage. However, the more that individual supporters take the time to highlight bias, inconsistency or inaccuracy, the more likely it is that change can be brought about. With that in mind we have written some guidance for supporters who do wish to take practical action over this issue. The guidance linked below details steps that supporters can take to raise issues with both BBC Scotland and commercial media organisations and the commercial press. These approaches differ in process and likely effect but they will all be effective over time if enough supporters are willing to engage in the process and show the patience required. The detail is meant as a reference for supporters, the relevant part of which can be used whenever necessary. It is broken down by organisation, or organisation type where the process is the same. You can access the guidance using this link: http://club1872.co.uk/news/media-guidance-for-supporters/ Club 18721 point
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Agree with you on Grezda. Some players get better when they are out injured (Rossiter seemed to become a worldie the longer he is out!) and some players get forgotten about and written off prematurely. I think Grezda, when fully match fit, will be a good player for us.1 point
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0c445pl/the-big-questions-series-12-episode-71 point
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Very good article highlighting the problems and discrepancies that exist will be read as meaningfull by many on here and totally disregarded by SFA/SPFL and the like.1 point
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