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I'm still raging following Wednesday night, if we lose tomorrow I'll want him out. That's two games, how much more patience to you expect me to show here.8 points
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Will be announced Monday Have known for a while but unfortunately leaked tonight club have been sitting on it a week or so, shame it’s out tonight but it is what it is Suggest we are protecting ourselves from England5 points
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Great news. Irrespective of what happens on Sunday, Gerrard has done a fine job in his 18 months so far. We are still a work in progress but the whole club is showing improvement. Patience is a virtue!3 points
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Yep. A draw at the sheep pen is close to a sacking offence and if he doesn't win tomorrow he must win the double and the Europa league or he can go.2 points
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I don't think there are many Rangers fans who don't believe Gerrard will deliver trophies. The only question is when. If it's not tomorrow, and I suspect it will be, then it will certainly be soon. Anyone in danger of losing patience only needs to ask themselves where we could possibly find a better manager. The teams we field in future will continue to improve, momentum is the thing.2 points
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Barker would be a curveball but has he got the cojones for this level of game ? The same question can be asked of SG´s more customary pick, Ojo. Ideally, I would prefer the more gallus Jordan Jones but it has to be doubtful that he is match-fit to start. Hence the option of Arfield comes back into focus. However, I´d agree we need to get at them if we want to have a chance of lifting the Cup. In September, we started with next to no width on the park (only Tav). On the bench was Barasic, Ojo, Jones as well as Morelos. Our midfield had Jack, Kamara and Davis...with Aribo, Arfield and a Defoe with no service. In short we made it very easy for them and they were happy to give us possession, knowing we wouldn´t do anything with it other than offer up mistakes in our own half. So, what do we do differently ? I previously mentioned 3-5-2 but we know that is almost certainly a curveball too far at this stage so it comes down to two real options that I can see. 1. As you seem to suggest with more width as per our European approach. 2. More variation with a more direct route to Morelos (with support) regularly employed to try and push their high line back a bit. It´s a shame that Edmundsen hadn´t got more football in his legs given his passing ability (I wonder if he´s an outside bet of an option should Davis miss out). The main issue for me is not to get caught in continually trying to pass our way through their press because it´d be a matter of time before we got caught.2 points
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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?1 point
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Absolutely. That's the telling part. Apparently it's just moronic but not specifically sectarian. Fuck sake.1 point
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It's an interesting development and one I didn't expect. The job has become his for as long as he wants it so he had no need for an extension. He could just as easily have waited till nearer the end of the current contract to see how he felt then. This can be viewed as long term commitment on his part. At the end of the day if Liverpool came calling he would be gone and I for one wouldn't resent him for it ala yahoos and Rodgers to Leicester. But Klopp is in the same position at Liverpool as Gerrard at Rangers, it's his job as long as he wants it and Stevie himself said he expects Klopp to be at Liverpool "for many years to come". If he were someone else the personal financial factor may concern me in that he could be paid far more in the EPL but for someone as wealthy as he is and simply a football nut the money is irrelevant to him. Whatever he is being paid is almost superfluous and I can see him jokingly saying to them hey guys it's appreciated but you really didn't need to do this I just want the job. Given Gerrard's known love of Liverpool I just don't see him wanting to go to the EPL to work at a competitor. So in those circumstances he's in the best position he could be. At a big club competing in Europe but not directly competing with Liverpool. There is a scenario where we could face them in Europe but that's not quite the same thing as directly competing with them in the EPL.1 point
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On a wee sidenote, it would be the first silverware that is added (sic!) to the list of "major honours". As such, winning it, would send some more of their "deniers" over the egde ... sure a sight to behold.1 point
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There you go. It won't be easy or pretty but the tipping point is certainly coming and this could be it. If it is then, whatever Rangers goes on to do in future, this will be a day none of us will ever forget.1 point
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Wrt to SG&Co, patience is indeed a worthwhile virtue but it´s something that fans seldom employ. SG has steadily improved things and the fans love him but it´s reaching the point where he needs to deliver. Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity.1 point
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It's an extension. Previous contract or current one if you like runs till 20221 point
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Excellent news and timing of "leak" might give team a boost for Sunday.1 point