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@Bill as you are acquainted with the region, can you settle an argument for me. I've been told that people in that region do not like the Flintstones cartoon but I thought that those in Abu Dhabi do.

I think we benefitted from an initial bounce after he arrived but it then took some time for Dave Vos to implement his ideas ( he wasn't there immediately and then was ill for a period as well). After that all settled down, there's no doubt we've become a more tactically flexible side under this management team than we were under Gio. Some players have flourished in that (e.g. Wright and Lundstram) but a few others have maybe struggled a wee bit at times (e.g. Kent and Aribo). We have to remember we had to play the last 14 games of the season without Morelos or Roofe but we coped fairly well with it. As such, maybe our tactical flexibility was by accident more than design but despite the loss of the league, it has benefitted us for the future. Strengthening the squad in key areas is now the biggest priority. Sign a few quality players (a midfielder, a right winger and another striker) then we have enough to improve domestically and in Europe.

If we can beat St Mirren in a Final with 9-men against 12, then we can at least make a fair stab at scoring 3 goals in a half.

It's a shocking attitude from a Rangers player and from a fan. Never give in.

Criticism of last season is entirely merited. The Europa League run was fantastic but should not gloss over some dreadful domestic results - both under Gerrard and Gio. To allow an average Celtic side (though one that did go on a fine run) to claw back the lead we had was criminal and various people are culpable from the players to the board. However it is unrealistic to expect perfection, especially when we lost the service of key players at key moments and also our management team before the half-way point. Those aren't excuses or bad performance under-played; just the facts and any reasonable commentator would concede the balance offered. We can only hope lessons have been learned from the Malmo debacle and that we're much stronger domestically this coming season along with further positive efforts in Europe. I think the EL run has allowed some bad league performances to be forgotten but that will change should we not get next season off to a good start next month.

I reckon 55 season was the best, most flowing football I've seen us play in my 47 years on this earth. This season is the best I've seen us play in Europe, we feared no one, and blew some 'better' teams off the park. You would think some folk have been watching Saltcoats Vics. Ross Wilson has done very well for us, and I can't wait to see us after Gio has had a proper transfer window and preseason. Bring it.

https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news-category/current-affairs/1528-from-regrets-to-rebuilds This time two weeks ago, I was full of excitement. I was in Spain, had my Europa League final ticket confirmed and Wednesday evening could not come quick enough. A fortnight later and, as much as our Scottish Cup winning efforts should not be downplayed, regret remains an unavoidable daily emotion. Time for some cathartic writing… First and foremost, losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville hurt badly. Yes, the players gave their absolute all in difficult circumstances: the temperature was stifling but, more importantly, no Morelos or Roofe undoubtedly cost us – even if the German side were tactically clever and ultimately deserving of the trophy. Of course, we can be proud of our efforts in reaching the final and being just one kick short of lifting it (be it by the foot of Goldson, Kent or Ramsey) is something I doubt any Rangers supporters would have envisaged last summer. However, losing the reward of winning the competition – both in a prestige and in a financial sense – just made the initial disappointment worse. Beating Hearts at Hampden soothed that Spanish hangover for a few hours but the sore head is still there. Season 2021/22 was an interesting one in many ways. Failing to secure Champions League group stage football was an early blow and, despite some inconsistent form in the first half of the campaign, losing Steven Gerrard was equally painful as we still topped the table. The board acted quickly and Giovanni van Bronckhorst was a popular replacement. Initial results were decent, performances improved and only a rejigged fixture list stopped our momentum at a crucial stage by the end of 2021. Post winter break, the outlook (domestically at least) quickly changed. Celtic strengthened their squad immediately whilst we left it very late in the window and could only bring in loan players. On the face of it Ramsey and Diallo’s reputations suggested quality whilst the potential of James Sands replaced that of the departing Nathan Patterson. Again, most fans were happy but draws with Aberdeen and Ross County before a humbling to a resurgent Celtic meant that by the end of February and further dropped points at Tannadice the league appeared beyond us. Already fans were questioning Gio and their concerns had some merit. To his credit, our efforts in Europe and progress in the Scottish Cup were maintained and, indeed, improvement amongst the squad amidst more tactical flexibility became more obvious. Wins over Dortmund, Red Star, Braga and Leipzig in the Europa League impressed whilst a vital Scottish Cup semi victory over Celtic and a credible draw at Parkhead in the league showed that whilst we could not retain our SPFL title, we still had enough quality to make a renewed future challenge. Nevertheless, with only the Scottish Cup to show for our 65 game endeavours, it is difficult to make the case season 2021/22 was a success. No matter these regrets though, we must move on and this summer has to be a busy one throughout the club. As it stands, a cursory look at the squad still shows a decent one on paper. However, if we delve a wee bit deeper then uncertainty seems to be the prevailing feeling. Various players are (or are soon to be) out of contract whilst several more are moving into their last year. This is the case from the goalkeeper to the attack. First team regulars McGregor, Goldson and Balogun are about to be out of contract. Meanwhile, Helander, Jack, Aribo, Kent and Morelos will be this time next year. Only John Souttar has been confirmed as incoming with Arfield and Davis extending their deals by a year as well. This means the football department has a conundrum on their hands and it needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. As seems to have happened with Connor Goldson do they allow shorter contracts to run down and try to get the best out of these players over one final season? Alternatively, do they sell now for reasonable sums to reinvest monies into replacements? Can they persuade them to sign new deals to deliver squad continuity ahead of further CL qualifiers on the horizon? One of the biggest positives in having a Sporting Director such as Ross Wilson is to minimise such headaches. Along with Andy Scoulding, Wilson is tasked with ensuring recruitment remains efficient and contracts an ongoing budgetary juggle. As such, it is an undoubted frustration that so many key players are in the same uncertain contractual situation with minimal clarity on their future. By mid-June, tens of thousands of fans will have renewed their season tickets and most will do so in anticipation of squad improvement. Add in the funds secured via the departure of Gerrard and Patterson as well as the substantial income generated by our run to Seville, it is safe to say supporters won’t be sated by further loan deals. Ramsey and Diallo appeared exciting but both lacked any sort of substance so whilst that need not mean the right loan at the right price can’t work, the emergence of home-grown players like Lowry and King should see less reliance in such gambles. Similarly, the overall contribution of some players has to be examined. For example, the quality of players like Helander, Jack and Roofe per se can be defended but their unfortunate injury records cannot. In addition to that, as much as experience in the dressing room is always welcome, how often should a Davis or Arfield appear ahead of a McCann or Lowry? Where is the line between stifling talent and properly developing it? Overall, the arguable first XI this season was McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Bassey, Barisic, Jack, Lundstram, Kamara, Aribo, Kent and Morelos. Add in five preferred deputies in Balogun, Davis, Arfield, Sakala and Roofe then only a few at best of these 16 players are likely still to be here for the season after next. That is a huge (and costly) turnaround over the next 12 months and will need to be carried out over the next three windows to offer some semblance of continuity. With that in mind, Wilson’s remit has never been more vital – both logistically and financially. The likely record-breaking income (though not clear profit!) from season 2021/22 and from any summer sales should offer enough working capital to make several signings up front and perhaps extend the deals of one or two existing players. Guaranteed Europa League group stage football at a minimum should also allow further changes in January with the opportunity for more next summer. I would be pleasantly surprised if we’ll need to book complicated journeys again for European finals in Istanbul, Budapest or even Prague next May but positive runs in at least one of these competitions will help balance the books outwith essential player purchases. In conclusion, I started this editorial with understandable regret from recent events. However, just over 1000 words later, and even with the uncertainty surrounding the squad, the excitement of the inevitable rebuild and the opportunity to see new players at Ibrox next season means I’m now looking ahead to what we can expect in season 2022/23. As always, the league title should take priority and we simply must offer more consistency and quality domestically but the European adventures of recent seasons and the necessary monies gained from such can be considered almost as important. Even so, no matter what we consider success or the context around it, the time for looking back has gone. The next step is now vital and we cannot stand still. In some ways, that was a fair criticism of the club last summer so it cannot be this season. We must move forward and with genuine authority.

Leon Balogun has officially left Rangers - certainly leaves with my best wishes

I'll take an experienced player like Goldson over a new signing any day of the week. Goldson knows the league, he knows the standards expected at Rangers and he knows how we play. A new signing in such a key area could take a good few months to settle and in a tight 2 horse race we cannot afford any slip ups. Last season proved that.

Patrick Caskie’s report is well worth a read. The player stats section is particularly interesting. For me, they show how big a miss Helander and Roofe were. Goldson and Bassey’s defensive numbers weren't good, and Morelos’s goalscoring numbers weren’t good enough either, well behind Roofe. His passing/creative numbers were very good but even then, behind Sakala. And the less said about movement the better. Creatively, Kent’s numbers aren’t what they should be either, they really highlight how poor his shooting/goalscoring was, very low expected goals (behind Aribo, Arfield, Hagi wh all played in midfield) and very low dribble success too. Scott Wright shows up surprisingly well and so does Sakala. Aribo outstanding all round. A good squad that could really be improved with a small number of high-quality signings. The team stats busted the myth that we were just as good as Celtic too and they just got lucky breaks, they were well ahead of us in every stat. And we can't risk relying on the injury prone trio of Helander, Jack and Roofe again, as much as I love all three. https://www.docdroid.net/DQf0nDJ/rangers-summer-2022-recruitment-plan-pdf

Show me someone who has never said the wrong thing in a difficult situation, then I'll be very surprised. What Goldson said was wrong but I got his meaning. Of course we should be capable of coming back from 0-3 down against Hibs but in the context of that game and what was happening off the field at the time (we basically had no manager) the probability was low. Did any of us think otherwise so why would Goldson think differently? The same can be said of Tav's programme notes the other year. Yes, we didn't want to hear that our captain felt we had a mental block in some situations because it proved our worst fears. Again, that's what we thought, so why wouldn't the players have the same concern? I don't mind a bit of honesty now and again. Too much can be a bad thing (we don't need to hear our senior players appearing weak) but I'll say one thing - after their words and concessions, both of them have tried to show they're capable of improvement and, as much as our league form wasn't good enough over the piece, the Europa League run and the depth of character to come back and win the Scottish Cup from 0-1 down against Celtic and the EL final loss told me a lot more about the squad in the here and now. Mentally we are much stronger and, if we can cut out the silly mistakes, then regaining the league title should be the main aim. That's not to say we can rest on our laurels ahead of next season. Absolutely not but I really hope players like Tav, Goldson, Aribo and Kamara to name just a few get the rest they deserve this summer so we can hit the ground running in July.

I've got a blind spot with GvB. Even afer the remarkable EL run, I can't get past that bad spell after December. I don't know why? I know it's unreasonable to expect him to be sacked - he deserves a couple of windows.

Nope. I'm quite glad I never jumped on that bandwagon. Initially, I think he made mistakes because he expected more time on the ball but he has largely cut that out of his game.

Last time I checked, Goldson was just one of around 30-40 players that have contributed to the last four years - the good and the very bad. And I don't think we had any right to expect many more trophies given where we've been in the last ten years. Progress is slow but as our deputy skipper I think his contribution has been mainly positive and he was out PotY last season. Now, I posted several sentences detailing why I think it's a good move whilst acknowledging the flaws. The least you could do in the spirit of the forum is to do more than troll in response. Offer an alternative player signing, discuss his flaws in greater detail, write 1000 words on why we're not progressing and why Goldson should not have been given a new contract. Anything else is just tedious noise and I'd respectfully suggest you avoid such in future.

Win together, lose together. We play as a team, continuing to blame the EL final on one player is so disappointing.

Must be plans well in advance to bring in 1or 2 CD. We cannot rely on Helander.

That's easy. Take this Cassiera cat for instance. He is Colombian, his agency is probably located in another part of Europe or the Americas. There doesn't even have to be direct contact between clubs. Agreement through an intermediary (agency), player released, legal attachment to the Russia league absolved. Free agency signing, with a sign on 'bonus'. If it even needs to go that far. I am not sure on restrictions.

Those comments only raised him up in my eyes. He spoke the truth when so many just offered the usual coached platitudes and the fact he felt compelled to speak up at all spoke volumes for his character. Like so many before him, Goldson has suffered far too much from the predictable willingness of certain fans to create and hang on to their favourite scapegoat. Is he perfect, will the offers from Europe's top clubs come rolling in? No, but his value and importance to Rangers at this time is surely beyond question for anyone with eyes to see.

Yeh he's absolutely earned our trust. Recruitment is huge this summer and I wouldn't mind seeing a shake up (depending entirely on what interest there is in our players). Above all I’d like a quality creative player and a quality striker brought in (Roofe’s injuries are just constant).

I think the league was effectively gone on the 2nd of February when they beat us 0-3 at Parkhead though we arguably lost any psychological advantage we had a few days before when we drew in Dingwall. That, in part, explained the Celtic result - they were on a high and we looked beaten from the outset. As such, to an extent, we chose the opposite from your suggestion - perhaps not consciously to begin with but definitely after the Dortmund win.

Lundstram was MotM in three games out of four in late September/early October but he then fell out of the team after we drew 2-2 with Aberdeen at Ibrox later that month. He didn't become a regular in Gio's team until February (after the 0-3 Celtic defeat) and was MotM a further 4 times from the start of April - ironically two of those came in defeats to Celtic and Braga. PS: My numbers are only stats from the weekly MotM awards on site. @patrick.caskiemight be able to provide more in depth stuff if you ask nicely...

It doesn't help for me that, after early success at Feyenoord, he didn't build from it at all. Hopefully he has learned though and can use the transfer windows well at Rangers. His tactical flexibility got us to the EL final so hopefully can start using it domestically too.

People are always going to have their blind spots when it comes to players - I get that and quite often no amount of stats, trophies or awards will change our opinion when we've made it. I know I'm guilty of it. Look at Lundstram: the start of last season he struggled and, despite one or two decent MotM performances, I doubt very many of us would have complained if he'd been moved on in January for peanuts. Yet, since then h's now one of the first names on the team-sheet and a genuine fan favourite. Ultimately, every player has their faults and it's silly to say otherwise: our best player in my eyes Morelos can't do it over a whole season, Kent's end product is too inconsistent, Goldson makes too many big mistakes, Bassey's positioning remains questionable, Roofe is never fit, etc etc etc. This is a forum so it would be silly if we banned discussion on our players' faults. But all I ask is people be constructive. Explain your opinion, qualify it, offer suggestions and alternatives, provide detail. Not just say he's sh!te.

I'd sign him up, but I'd be looking to sell. He's one of our highest value assets.

Lundstram. When does his numbers increase? What numbers is he getting pre-January? I don't think I'm wrong in thinking most wanted him gone in January, am I? He hadn't done much. (For the record, I didn't want him gone - I still thought he could contribute. I never foresaw his future influence, though. Immense at times.)

Aribo struggled to put a lengthy run of games together in his first 2 seasons and took time to find form again after each injury. Last year he started brilliant and ended well he did manage to stay fit long term but tired a little for sure. I think next year he can be different class now he is fit strong and exceptionally gifted.

His comments after the Hibs semi didn't help his standing. I was annoyed at the time but in retrospect, I think he was just in the heat of the moment and not thinking straight.

Folk just decided Goldson was no good when he was having to play with rubbish like Katic and can't undo that in their heads. Conversely Katic is the best player we have ever had at CH despite making more mistakes in single games than Goldson would make a season.

Take it you haven't watched Rangers much in the last couple of years? He's been one of our best players. I heard (from a good source) he'll be off this Summer but would be delighted if that's not the case.

I certainly hope so. Aribo was poor for the latter half of the season, there's no getting away with that. However, I think the sheer amount of games he played contributed to some jaded efforts after AFCON but hopefully that will stand him in good stead this campaign. It's easy to forget just how useful he was before that tournament and for much of the 55 season. There are times he can appear lazy due to his languid style and he certainly frustrates me in dwelling on the ball too often for my liking but his positives far outweigh the negatives. At 25, he's coming into his prime so I hope we're the club to benefit from that.

Agree but still blame that Gerry keeper

My thoughts exactly. The club, if it were smart should be seeking replacements, and shuffling these guys out. We got some rust we're calling metal in the squad. I know I know, money this, money that...I get it...but. Roofe is on 29K per week...but could not be counted on during Morelos' absence. Davis was rarely used under GVB--Confused by the extension...that guy is gonna be a ghost. Arfield as well--visually depleted capes. Both should most definitely give way to younger talent. I consider Europe more so. As in top priority. What kind of money does an SPFL title bring to a club? Four, five million? Now, don't get me wrong, nice to have...but what did we haul from Europe? Three times that? Plus 10% of the total SPFL pot coming in second? I mean, call me the bad American who doesn't 'understand' the culture...but math is universal. Good write up man.

Exactly so.

Do you ever have a positive input to a thread?.

I think winning individual MOTM votes has very little to do with selecting a POTY. Two different things altogether ... you could run away with POTY without ever winning a singe MOTM vote. PS - thanks for doing the analysis.

With 69% of the main end of season forum vote, the captain – who played in 58 of our 65 games of this season and finished highest scorer in the Europa League - wins the Gersnet Forum PotY vote for season 2021/22. In terms of the PotY race that we were running based on match-by-match votes, Joe Aribo was the defacto winner of that with 8 MotM awards followed by John Lundstram and Calvin Bassey who had 7 and 6 awards each respectively. Interestingly, Tav only won 7% of the total votes cast across the season with 12.4% votes cast for Lundstram. 11.5% votes cast for Aribo and 10.1% of votes cast for Bassey. Lundstram was placed in the top three most often (19 times) followed by Bassey (18 times) and Aribo (17 times). Tav was in the top three 14 times. As such, you could also conceivably make the case for John Lundstrum as our most effective player; especially as he only played in 48 games. FWIW, Tavernier won just 4 man of the match awards and could only muster 7% of votes cast so it's fascinating that people seem to have gone for his consistency over the whole season in the main final vote. Interestingly, like Tav last season, Joe Aribo won all his 8 MotM awards by the end of January so there's no doubt the 62 appearances he played across the season for club and country may have cost him our prestigious prize as his form dipped after the African Cup of Nations. Do these figures change your opinion?

SO BRAVE! Those levels of attention seeking take guts.

So what!!! but if they can prove to be better than the "top" referees we have at present all the better.

There's no doubt Goldson has his flaws but who doesn't that plays in our league? I'd imagine his new contract will be in the region of £35-40K per week costing us the better part of £7-8m over the next four years. A lot of money! However, for those that wanted better, I'd be interested to see who we could afford at those sort of wages and with a substantial fee on top? By way of comparison, Helander cost us the best part of £4m in 2019 and arrived from Serie A as a fairly established Swedish international player. He's undoubtedly a good defender, but in those three seasons he's played just 59 games for club and country. During the same period, Goldson has played 169 times for Rangers alone - three times as many games! Yes, there are times where Goldson frustrates me - he can be beaten too easily in wider areas and, certainly this season, he's allowed too many balls into the six yard area by failing to clear. His long diagonals are good but can be inconsistent and his 'vertical' passing unreliable as well at times. However, to suggest he's not good enough in general is a serious under-estimation of a player who rarely lets us down, and has effectively led us to 55 and a Europa League Final. Another four years of him - hopefully in his prime - will certainly do me!