Leaderboard

The Light at the end of the Tunnel. The current situation reference Rangers is nothing new to those of us passing three score years. The almost five year period between April'66 and October'70 felt like unrelenting darkness. It was impenetrable, the Scottish Cup final replay victory over Celtic was a dazzling brightness; however, by Autumn'70 it had faded. Of course, we knew where we had come from, locating the way ahead was the real problem. Rangers had made a ECWC final and a Scottish Cup final too, in the intervening years, and failed to secure both cups. Further, we had endured a couple of Championship campaigns where we managed to secure defeat from the jaws of victory on the last days of the seasons. Flicking the switch appeared useless too, three differing Managers and a repeating temporary Boss did not raise a glimmer. Season '69/70 had seen Wullie Waddell pontificating on Scottish football from the lofty designation as the Scottish Daily Express's Chief Football Writer. He could talk with considerable authority, done it all as a Rangers player and managed Killie to a Championship victory five years previous. The immediate aftermath of our defeat to Polish wizards, Gornik had seen Waddell condemn the then gaffer, Davie Whyte with a piece entitled, 'the Boy David'. The Board sacked Whyte and appointed Waddell in his place. He cleared out the dead wood and introduced a host of youngsters into the team. The likes of Alfie Conn, Alex Miller, Colin Jackson, Graham Fyfe, and Derek Parlane were elevated, and he decided a most effective, free scoring inside forward, William Jardin was a better right back. Pre-season '70/'71, Waddell's final piece of the jigsaw arrived. The former player/Boss of Berwick Rangers and then Hearts Trainer, Jock Wallace took over at the Albion. The beginning of the campaign was at best described as inconsistent. We lost two out three pre-season friendlies, the other a draw. We qualified in top position from our League Cup group, involving Motherwell, Dunfermline, and Morton. The quarter-final was two legged against Hibs, winning both games 3-1 for a 6-2 aggregate. Meanwhile, our League form was poor, losing 0-2 at home to Celtic and by mid-Autumn, we languished fifth in the table behind Celtic, Aberdeen, St Johnstone, and Motherwell. The perceived wisdom cited Jock Wallace taking Rangers to Gullane sands. We had left all our energy on the East Lothian coast. We defeated Cowdenbeath in the semi-final, both goals notched by Johnston and Stein in the second half. The final was due, ten days later; we had a league fixture in between, at Ibrox against Aberdeen. A hopeful 40,000 watched a well drilled Dons outfit manage the game from minute one until the ninetieth. A Colin Jackson own goal follow followed by classy finish from the biggest blue-nose on the field, Joey Harper settled a deserved 0-2 triumph. The murmurs leaving the Stadium focused on the inconsistency of so many youngsters, and the pre-match news of returning to Gullane sands for three days before the final. The build up to Hampden was dispiriting for Bears,the Daily Record ran a two day series of interviews with the remaining 16 clubs Skippers in the then, Division One. All but three predicted a comfortable green'n'grey victory. Gullane sands became the subject of relentless jokes ie we endured the twice daily sessions on the sands, then played a team of dustbins. The game finished a 0-0 draw, noting the bins had been denied a clear penalty. A final casualty of the coast was Captain, John Greig going down with the flu. I suspect the conclusion to the Gullane sessions(revealed after the final by Sandy Jardine) might have been the cause? The 24th of October arrived and 108,000 squeezed into the old ground. Our supporters bus had been alive with the news that Greig had failed a fitness test the previous day. Speculation on his replacement split the ranks, we needed the craft of veteran campaigner, Andy Penman as opposed the legs of youngster, Graham Fyfe? A further shock was the team news, neither two was in the starting line up, a callow 16 year old who had debuted a month before against Cowdenbeath in a league match, scoring twice, was the Skipper's replacement. Derek Johnstone's name was overwhelmingly met with, "WHO"? The team that wet and windy day was : McCloy, Jardine, Miller, Conn, McKinnon, Jackson, Henderson, MacDonald, Johnstone, Stein, and Wullie Johnston. Fyfe was our sub'. Our back four was Jardine and Miller as full backs, Jackson joined McKinnon as the centre two. They were never realy troubled. Our midfield star was Alfie Conn, Doddy and Henderson provided the heavy lifting. Bud and Stein continually took the Sellik back line into wide areas. Jim Craig was terrified of Bud's pace, resulting in Bud sitting on the ball late into the game. He teased and enticed Craig to come out and tackle, before dancing around him to deliver another cross. The winning goal was scored in the 40th minute, Conn slipped a ball wide to Henderson. He galloped 40 yards and slung the ball inside to a supporting MacDonald, who in turn pinged it wide to Bud. He checked and delivered a high looping cross, DJ got up between McNeill and Craig, heading the ball firmly past Williams. We scored another in the second half, Colin Stein squeezed the ball at least a foot over the line, but Tiny Wharton was fifty yards off the play and Evan Williams quickly retrieved the ball. As Ronnie McKinnon stepped up to receive the trophy, the clouds momentarily parted and a streak of silver blue became apparent. It was nearly five years and the darkness was bleakest before the game began. Our youngsters outran and outsmarted the acknowledged masters of trophy retention, Celtic were participating in their sixth consecutive final. The youngest player participating in his second game and first final was the light at the end of our tunnel. It was the beginning of sustained success, we won the Scottish Cup, the ECWC, and the league Championship in subsequent seasons. Big DJ - the bringer of the light. NB - Sandy Jardine revealed a few seasons later, that the end of the Gullane sands sessions included either a dip in the sea, or a hosing down by Jock Wallace. Apparently, before the League Cup final in the dressing room, Wallace separated the players into groups of four, and turned a freezing fire hose on them. Thoroughly soaked, they were required to lie of the Masseuse tables and the Trainers rubbed in raw alcohol into all muscle groupings as an embrocation. No wonder Greigy was down with the flu! The events of half a century past feel similar today. We have been through several years of darkness, we have endured a number of Gaffers, and it's the separated brethren tormenting us again. Like 1970, we lost 0-2 at Ibrox to them a few weeks before the final. We attempted to nullify their game, forgetting about our own. Similarly, we did this back in August. We played far too narrow and allowed ra Sellik to dictate the tempo. Hampden is a huge playing area, we have to be expansive, I suspect whoever owns the tempo will own the match? Out of possession, our tempo must remain high, pressing them high up the pitch. It's this manner that laid the foundations for our respective 1-0 and 2-0 victories at Ibrox My team would be : McGregor, Tavenier, Goldson, Katic, Barisic, Davis, Jack, Arfield, Kamara, Kent, and Morelos. Hopefully, 2-1 to the good guys?

If this matter isn't dealt with in the correct manner, then we can all just presume that throwing pies at players is acceptable. I've already got mine ready for Sunday .

I don't often question Gerrard's selections but even before a ball was kicked last night I felt he picked the wrong full back in Flanagan. Should have been Halliday. Every time Flanagan got the ball high up the pitch, particularly first half, the play had to be slowed down as he invariably had to cut back onto his right foot. That had an effect on the impact that Morelos could make too.

A couple of comments on last night. First half hour was outstanding. But it’s worrying that even when we are in cruise control we all know that we could lose it. They pull one back and somehow we know deep down our players aren’t going to cope well with this. They equalise and we all know deep down we aren’t winning the game anymore. Maybe I’m just a pessimist but there’s a mentality issue there and very poor game management despite having a lot of experienced heads in the side. They still had a huge amount of luck with that second goal, what are the chances the deflection would set him up for an open goal. Final comment, boy did we miss Barisic.

A mutton pie?

Bringing on Ojo instead of Stewart last night was mind-boggling stuff. The spineless 2nd half performance was just depressing.

Totally agree with the subs point. SG doesn't make enough of them or make them early enough for my liking. Last nights were just completely baffling to me. Does Ojo have to play some part of every game? To put him on before Stewart was just complete madness. Surely Defoe should have been introduced at some point too. Kamara was also there that could have freshened up the midfield. Its all very well us saying we have a stronger sqaud - we undoubtedly have - but it means nothing if we don't utilise the bench

Due to working commitments, I only read last nights comments on the German board and now watched the highlights. Coming on here there seems to be some sort of over-reaction and character-assassination though. First, given the opposition we face this month, we were and are bound to lose points. People should face that open minded. Obviously, given the recent form and how we started the game it didn`t exactly look on the cards last night. But its not like we haven`t seen it before, and worse, actually. SG put Flanagan in as he expected a physical battle. Was it a bit hazardous? Well, Flanagan never let us down before, YET, his last competitive game was against Wrexham (with the Colts, 90 mins) on November 16th. His last competitive league game was on September 1st vs the Scum (90 mins) and in the EL on August 29th vs Legia. That is partly down to Barisic`s good form, but also partly and more importantly down to SG not giving quite a few of our 2nd line players any game time. IMHO, it is somewhat bizarre to come out with: “We had experienced players making mistakes and we conceded a really poor goal for the second one – switching off from a throw-in and giving a throw-in away where we shouldn’t have given it away. ... downright criticising Flanagan for a miss-kick (which NEVER happens to anyone else). After not playing him for months, throw him in the cauldron that is the Sheep Pen? That is diametricallly opposed to saying he`d be strong enough to drop the captain if he has to, yet for weeks and despite Tav`s constant shortcomings in terms of defending - like last night at their second goal - he is an auto-pick. Likewise, it is not exactly glorious man-management, similarly to what he said after the Jones`incident. Then there is the Aribo - Arfield thing which (for a change) yielded a good goal and worked for the first half. But when things do not work any longer, instead of providing a spark and creativity input with Stewart or the enthusiasm of Halliday, we get the obvious Ojo in 77 (!!!) mins and Katic in 90? Which yielded nothing at all. We did Plan A and subbed like the usual Plan A. And we do it week in and week out. SG is 38 and it might be termed heresy to say anything against his tactics and team selections. But we are not here as beginners in the game and have seen it all before. There are things that could be handled differently ... and I know that people will come by and say that so far SG has gained us points and wins in doing it his way. At time you do wish that he would be more "hazardous" and open to change though. If things don`t work, change them. And not 10 mins before the end.

Having slept on it, I woke up this morning quite concerned. I know it's just one result, but there were some warning signs in that game. Firstly, we rely too much on a small number of players. Morelos, Kent and Jack need to play well against the tougher teams, or we just don't perform. Last night we didn't have Jack or Morelos on form and although we still looked like winning in the first 30 minutes, as soon as it got tough, we didn't have our best players to pull us out of the rut. Secondly, it worries me that we don't have an on the field leader who inspires the others around them to press the reset button after a set back. So much for Davis, Goldson, Tav, Jack, etc. None of them could be seen to be trying to take control. They just looked at each other in bewilderment as the game started to unravel. Gerrard looked utterly frustrated on the sidelines. Had he been on the pitch, he knows he'd have been able to get a reaction from his team mates. Finally, it really concerns me that we can be subject to these refereeing performances. At the very least, Beaton is the most incompetent referee in the game. If he's not, then it's something a lot more sinister. The double standards were so obvious last night and I'm disgusted that he's now able to perform like that so blatantly and yet without consequence to him. Our players lost that game last night, but Beaton appeared to do his best to create the right conditions for it. He alllowed Aberdeen to drag the game into a hack-athon. They committed foul after foul without any cards being shown. In any other league in the world (even the old junior leagues) Cosgrove and Logan would have been sent off. As I said at the beginning, I'm concerned. We've got a mountain to climb now, despite it being only two points of a difference. For me it also takes the shine off this weekend. I'd rather have won that game last night than the cup at the weekend. Now we have to wait for the league game against them which is one where all the pressure is now on us.

When was the last time he didn't select Goldson and Helander?

Two points dropped in a game we were strolling. Mind you another howler from Beaton. Cosgrove gets booked after 4 fouls but goes on to commit 2 or 3 more. He should have been red-carded. And the Morelos foul being on the 18 yard line was a penalty. Beaton was 5 yards away. He clearly saw it.

I put the blog above together because things appear to have ground to a bit of halt on coverage and progress for the Grays and many others. This is what the facilitators, enablers and guilty want. Every day that passes makes it easier for the fighters to fold. To accept whatever meagre deal is being carved up for them. I guess what i'm saying is that if we want a public enquiry, then we the public need to force it. I don't claim to know what the best or right course of action is, but, write to the press, try and make sure it stays relevant and at least let them know there's a demand for it. That goes of every corner for the UK and beyond, every local newspaper, every column inch and web mention helps. Contact or write to your MSPs, at this time close to the election we at least have some leverage, tell them it could be a deciding factor in your vote. Get it a mention. Make it an issue. A full and open public enquiry into CSA in Scottish football. It takes 5 minutes, but it needs buy in and numbers. If we do nothing, then nothing is what we'll get.

I am not ashamed about any comments I made about the team as I witnessed what was abysmal play from certain individuals.

Surely that fact it was a pie is irrelevant. The real point is about what it could have been ... and might be next time if this is just swept under the carpet. The issue isn't what was thrown but that it was thrown.

It's not many weeks ago that no one wanted Barisic anywhere near a Rangers team and we didn't only start winning games when he got his place back. He's been doing really well lately but let's not lose all sense of proportion. Gerrard will probably play Flanagan on Sunday and he may well do OK. We didn't lose yesterday just because Flanagan was in our defence. Flanagan had a poor game but he wasn't responsible for Tavernier, Goldson and Helander playing like cub scouts.

Well if Barisic is out, then surely Halliday is a must start.

Barisic being out would be a real blow. I really think we missed his deliveries last night.

Barisic is a doubt for Sunday - has bone bruising apparently and was hobbling about HTC yesterday

I agree but hopefully Barisic will be back as I don't think they would of scored if Barisic was playing. The first especially, Flanagan was hopeless.

I've been saying it for months Beaton has been got at where rangers are concerned. I called for rangers to speak out and we didn't. Now we see the fruit of that.

As I mentioned in my post thought I saw that no doubt if Gers fan had thrown something it would have been highlighted.

Agree with most of that. SG has made mistakes in all the games we have not won: 1. Team selection & tactics against them. 2. Tactics against YB when we should have taken the point by shutting up shop not going for the winner at 90 minutes, not using subs to kill time etc. 3. Last night, can anyone explain the subs? Stewart scores 2 on Sunday but Ojo gets on before him & Defoe. Katic for Kent?

Because it's not buster who's mixed up - it's the politics!

Last night´s game brings several issues into sharp focus as we head towards the Final on Sunday. - Form Since coming back from the last International break we´ve been poor during long spells of the games at Hamilton, Rotterdam and Aberdeen. We didn´t need to be firing in the only home game, against a rudderless Hearts. - Defence Too many mistakes which include midfielders giving the ball away too easily, eg. whilst 2 up, Jack got away with two in quick succession but it was a sign of what was to come. - Too many players regularly not contributing enough but reluctance to use squad (including substitutions). - Plan B Where was it last night ? (Katic in the 93rd minute doesn´t count when your corners are subsequently floated high and easy for keeper). Tactically, SG&Co showed instant gumption when Morelos was sent off 11 minutes into their first league game with Rangers but last night seemed at a loss with what they were watching. Tactics Sunday It´s down to SG&Co to come up with something a little different or Celtic will simply press high, suffocate our midfield and force mistakes in front of our penalty box. We won´t be able to ease our way into it, it´ll need to be into their faces from the get-go. They will see it the same way and I reckon the first few minutes will be a real battle. The next issue would be keeping it going for 90 minutes, at least the defensive concentration. Flanagan shouldn´t start (re. offensive balance)..it was painful to watch in first OF game this season. Big test for the management to firstly come up with something that works, then be able to adapt to events during the game.

A very frustrating night eventually. Cruising at 2-0. The whole night was summed up in the last two minutes. That's partly why they win titles and we don't

That was a glimpse into the Rangers of last season and it wasn't pleasant to watch. Too many players making far too many unforced errors. The referee didn't deny us two points, we managed that all by ourselves. Inexplicable. He was far from the only culprit but I'd play Halliday before Flanagan on Sunday if Barisic is still unavailable.

If we have to rely on Scottish officials to win us games then we will never win anything. Beaton was a joke but he didn't cost us two goals or stop us playing for two thirds of the game. Anyway, I'm away out for the night. Can't wait until Sunday now!

The very epitome of a game of two halves. Bossed the first half, scored twice, should have scored more, and lost an error strewn goal. Aberdeen made a second half change, put another man, Gallagher up front. We did not kick a ball in the second half. John Beaton is five feet from Morelos being brought down on the eighteen yard line, it's a penalty. No, Beaton decides Morelos going out of the box does not count. I suspect Gerrard's main concern will be, where did our composure go in the second half?

While I can see your point our inability to get back into gear after the sheep goals was only our own fault.

No-one to blame but ourselves. We should have had a second half penalty but we'd thrown a two goal lead away by then. We played well for 30mins or so then got slack and after that struggled to move the ball about and key players fell out of the game. A long way to go in this title race though so chin up bears!

I would take Eddie Howe over Potter, not that Potter wouldn't be a bad option right enough.