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I'd say from the preseason games, Candeias has been the best 'wide man' - if you want to call them that, which is not quite correct. Stewart looks classy. I think he'll be a good signing. Jones and Ojo have shown flashes of what they can do, but not consistently. I think both will be useful this season. Hastie looks like he'll be loaned; he looks short of what's required. Arfield is still first choice for those positions, imo.

FT 1-0. Pre-season is officially over!!!!!!! Bring it on!

I used to help Iain and Gordon with the Founders Trail way back in 2009/10 and after talking to them recently they kindly invited my sister and me back to see how much it had evolved since the early days. Apart from the rain, it was a great day and the tour is much slicker and much more professional than it used to be. We both really enjoyed it until it came to the stadium tour. We were handed over to the tour guides, one of them being Tiny’s son. The group was split into two and we got taken round by the other guy, whose name I can’t remember. During the tour he came away with the following. 1) Graeme Souness won the league in his first two seasons with us. 2) Derek Johnstone got the call about playing in the League Cup Final in 1970 because Colin Stein was going through a bad spell and was dropped. 3) John Greig scored 120 goal for Rangers while playing at left back. 4) The commentator just before Nacho’s penalty at Fiorentina said ‘Manchester prepare yourself’. I found that unbelievable.

It's time we had a female announcer.

I agree, maybe it’s multi-tasking and the guy can’t cope.

Glad to hear Docherty played well. I have concerns about our wide men - Jones and Ojo don't seem to be much of an improvement on what we had. I wonder what SG's preferred CB pairing is?

All in all we deserved that. We perhaps weren't as fluid as we have been of late but we still worked hard and played some nice stuff to create by far the most chances. Again only mediocre finishing and good goalkeeping stopped it being three or four. A good work out and hopefully guys like Kamara and Docherty enjoyed the 90mins - the latter showing up well for most of the game. I also liked the look of Helander and Polster in their cameos whilst Morelos and Halliday looked hungry when they came on. Onwards to Luxembourg.

That was a fine fine performance. We won't play many teams anywhere near derbys quality this year and they were well up for it. We were well worth our win and but for the keeper we could have had several more.

Full-time, 1-0. Well--from what I saw of the second half, I thought we were much the better team. Kamara was good, Docherty was everywhere, Katic got stuck in, and Morelos was hungry. I thought Polster was good in that DM role - we've not seen him there before. How did Helander do? I missed the first half.

Kamara got caught on the ball the first minute of the second half, almost leading to a goal, but since then he's been brilliant. He regained possession numerous times. I think it's because he's kept it simple. Davis also gave it away on a couple of occasions. I think we've been well on top. Polster playing DM has been quite assured, albeit safe. Ojo should have scored, being played through one on one, but his shot is saved. Katic powers a header in from the resulting corner.

Derby started well and seemed to be finding quite a lot of space but midway through the first half we started to counter that. Kamara has been a bit hit and miss at the moment, looking a slightly off the pace. Jones has tried hard but mot quite coming off for him at the moment.

Hope he's ok but why wouldn't he want to make a complaint and get the guy done? I'm sure there would've been plenty willing witnesses happy to give police a statement. I hope this isn't the start of something - idiots now wanting a pop at Novo because they know he won't make a complaint. Hopefully someone comes forward to make a complaint on Novo's behalf and the guy is traced and charged. Assaulting anyone just because of the team they support, the team they played for or their religion is vile.

FULL DRAW Hibs vs Morton Partick Thistle vs Ross County Motherwell vs Hearts Dundee vs Aberdeen Celtic vs Dunfermline Forfar vs Livingston Kilmarnock vs Hamilton East Fife vs Rangers

Why are multiple team changes not announced? If it’s 1 off and 1 on it's announced but not for more than that

Kent has the same flaws as Candeias had, too often the final ball isn’t good enough, he doesn’t shoot enough, he doesn’t score enough, he doesn’t create enough. The difference is Kent is at the start of his career, not in his 30’s, so would be a re-sellable asset if we bought him. A true value for him in his current level of ability, around the £2M mark, no more. If Liverpool want more, we move on. I have said it dozens of times, we don’t get value for money by buying in the English market, we can only sell to it. Its getting to the stage I hope he signs for some English team just so we can move on from this never-ending story.

I can't stand the tension and you guys are now just teasing me with these reports. I'd love to get Kent back as you know, but there's no way we can afford him. If Club 1872 are happy to help fund it, I'm happy to increase my monthly subscription to help pay for him.

Yes they did Bluedell.

For me, Katic and Edmundson have so far been our two best defenders, and i'd start them both on day one Throw Edmundson into the equation ,and i think Goldson may find that he is featuring less this season .

According to Gerrard we haven't received any satisfactory bids for Grezda.

Decent workout but it was a one friendly too many. The fans and team felt a wee bit flat and tbh the side were at best 70% at it. The big Swede looks fantastic and Katic was good beside him. Will be an interesting team selection on Thursday and next Sunday?

Played very well today but should have scored more than just the one. Their keeper was outstanding. Good to see our best CB on the scoresheet ??

1-0 going on 4-0. A good performance; I think Docherty should be in the team for Killie.

Just under 20k at Ibrox today for the 6th home game in 22 days. The game itself is as dull and boring as any I can remember and is undeserving of a goal from either side. A reminder of of why I stopped going to friendlies many years ago. However it it looks like a decent workout and no injuries so it ticks the boxes as to why we arranged it. Its all all about next Sunday at Killie.

Due to technical difficulties with online. Copland Rear for pay at the gate.

That seems to run counter to Klopp praising him to the skies after playing him v. Seville. If we have him back then you wonder why we bought Jones who may then be surplus to requirements.

I don't know why he goes to places like that in the first place. He's 40 years old for godsake. That said, he damn well should press charges.

You must be smart enough to stay off Follow Follow

I pretty much think Kent will be back. He is not good enough for Liverpool and Gerrard really wants him.

I didn't expect us to get that much for Grezda.

The Fellowship of the Ring. My village had a Library, the Librarian was most keen on encouraging children to read. This is over half a century past, national libraries launched a scheme to monitor under twelves reading habits. It was called the Good Reader, effort was rewarded by the award of seven differently coloured badges emboldened by lettering, GR1 to GR7. You were handed a book by the Librarian and had a fortnight to read it, then you were brought in to present a synopsis and answer several questions on the narrative. At the age of ten, I was presented with the Hobbit as my final read. I had no empathy with the characters and thought Tolkien's prose to be drier than a stick. Later, I found out Tolkien had penned the tome specifically for the entertainment of his son, John. His favourable reaction led to publication, the few surviving first editions contain JRR's dedication to his eldest. John Tolkien became a Priest and for a number of decades was constantly moved between parishes in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, and Stoke. It's a well told tale, familiar to us all, a journey to there and back again. John Tolkien passed away before prosecution, but the current English Cardinal, Vincent Nichols authorised a £15,000 payment to one of Fr John's accusers. The journey is well documented; targeted, gaining trust, affection, isolation, sexualisation, maintaining control. It is a serious business and demands organisation. An organisation within an organisation, a Gang Hut is necessary to deal with the fall out. Spreading the blame, off loading guilt, ridiculing accusers, offering an occasional apology for a bad egg, assuring promotions as rewards, blaming the victims, denial, ............... etc. There has to be management imbued with foresight and penetrative thought. Remember the oxpecker and the hippo, that symbiotic relationship? Those currently having fun need those that have enjoyed fun in the past and been moved/promoted, and vice-versa; such mutual support ensures perpetuity of fun continues. Another three or four years passed before I read Lord of the Rings and similarly, by midway through the second book of the trilogy, I was Bored of the Rings. The Gollum character became a niggle. JRR Tolkien was a devout catholic and it's surprising that all four tomes contain no mention of faith. No higher power, no one to beseech. I think Gollum is the closest, he is a Jiminey Cricket, part conscience; and it is he that falls into Mordor's lava stream, having successfully been re-acquainted with his precious. At the start of this week, Chris McLaughlin was in Japan, previewing next year's Tokyo Olympics. The new BBC Scotland second channel has a £30-odd million budget, Chris deserves his reward. Watching Mount Fuji in the background, I thought, here's hoping, but I doubt Chris has a conscience? The hidden hand of the Gang Hut served up Gollum's sister(I didn't read that in the books), the crystal gazer and inner-buzz rocker, Constance appeared throughout last weekend. Connie hosted Off the Ball, shared presentation duties with Geof Webster on Sunday, and obeyed her Producers. Interestingly, in 25 years of Off the Ball, Gollum has never appeared, refused to participate. Connie gets to host the show. Her co-presenter was Ray Bradshaw(Thistle), her guests were Mark Wilson, a Killie fan and a Dandy Don. They had lots of fun. Connie knows it's the exposure that counts and she raised the following for discussion : past Sellik strips, her fave-rave Sellik strip, a fox on the pitch at Sellik Park, Danny Fox, Sellik in Sarajevo, CR Smith tops, and my fave-rave, Connie's disappointment and in her opinion Sellik's worse Euro result, ra Bhoys only defeating TNS 8-0. The Producer shouted, "BALANCE" and Alfredo Morelos was mentioned twice and Connie told us he was for the off, twice. More balance in the second hour had Connie going round the table, the thirty second consensus was we will be second, then it back to the fun. The second part of the show(the evening part) had James Grady as Connie's guest, BALANCE? Finally on Sunday, Connie was screaming, "who can begrudge Shane Lowry this victory", as the man himself strolled towards his final putt? I am hoping Connie can BALANCE that one. Talking of BALANCE, who at PQ took the decision NOT to send along a reporter to cover Rangers launch of 'Everywhere, Anywhere, Everyone, Anyone'? The midweek Euro action had full commentary from both Sellik Park and Georgia, from the usual Abertic crew. Last Week, Killie at Rugby Park had Killie fan, John Barnes doing the commentary. Rangers at Ibrox last evening had next to nothing ie full text updates on BBC Scotland's website. The barbs about license fees and no service are troubling, last night we were given the teams at Ibrox after the Aberdeen game; further, we had a two minute vox-pop conducted next to the Ibrox ticket office. "Rangers fans sound optimistic", offered Big Dick. Then, it was back to the fun of promoting Sam Cosgrove as the goal machine. Vox-pops and text updates, they're isolating us and fcuking with us. In this calendar year, I think BBC Scotland have issued four apologies to Rangers and Rangers supporters.

Episode 50 with @Govan Rear Bear, @plgsarmy and @pete now available via the usual platforms: https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news-category/current-affairs/1039-gersnet-podcast-050-st-joseph-s-blackburn-and-summer-progres-made-so-far