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I don't see how the club could turn down any bids over even £8 million. Even with the run to the Europa League Final and the sale of Aribo and Patterson we're still a club that needs to bring in money and if someone offers us that kind of cash and I don't see how we can turn it down. I also think it's important that non-Scottish players see Rangers as a way to the EPL, because whether we like it or not that's where most of them ultimately want to play. If we sell 3 players into that league in 6 months it makes us a more attractive option for the next Joe Aribo or Calvin Bassey*. Young English guys with no connection or affiliation with Rangers far less Scotland need a reason to choose us over a Bournemouth or a QPR. If we can show them a path that develops them as players, offers them European football, passionate fans, competing for trophies and ultimately leaving for huge money back to England and back that up with genuine examples of it happening then we're strengthening the club for the future. I watched the Rangers 72 film on Amazon a few weeks back and while on holiday last week I read a book on the village of Glenbuck, the Ayrshire hamlet that Bill Shankly, and further 50 other professional footballers, was from. Both really underline just how far Scottish football has fallen. The sad reality is we're a middle tier club now, a stepping stone to Brighton or Southampton. That's painful to type but it is what it is. Maybe, at some future point finances in football will change and we'll compete at the level a club of our support and history should be competing, but for now this is who we've become. That's why we should sell Bassey, it's an investment in the future. It'll help establish us along side Porto, Sporting, Benfica and Ajax as the perfect finishing schools for players not quite ready for the big money leagues. We just have to hope we have the people in place to find adequate replacements. (*I know they're Nigerian, sort of)

Any deal close to 20M and we have to try and push the deal through IMO. If we could, then the player trading model starts to go beyond 'baby steps' and making a real difference. Will the stock of Bassey playing in Scotland get any higher ? We could qualify in the CL and he shows up well or he gets ragdolled but high quality players, uncertain. If a good bid is real, take it.

Ajax reportedly offering £15M plus add-ons. Hopefully we knock this back. Bassey worth more than that in current market.

That really is nonsense. Katic has a great desire but his positional sense is questionable and he has a tendency to rush in unnecessarily. I'm not Goldson's biggest fan but he is a very solid defender.

We really need to treat corners as an opportunity to score rather than a means to give the ball back to the opposition.

As Gonzo rightly suggested, when we get a random fan to carry out the players contract negotiations, we can grab another few to coach, I mean, how hard can it be?. And Compo can horse them up and down the Gullane dunes. 😆

Ideally, yes; but I feel we're rejecting 'good enough' bids and waiting for the perfect bid that may not come. We did the same with Morelos. If it's Ajax, I would take a couple of million off for an increased sell-on fee. I feel like they can sell on for more in the future. Brighton: I'd want more up-front.

Do Huddersfield blast out the Benny Hill Tune when practising corners ?

A good set-piece coach is a wise and practical investment that will give a good return.

You're not suggesting a GK coach is some new, hipster nonsense, are you? There should not be a manager role now, in my opinion. It should be a Head Coach. He'll be in charge of all the first-team coaches, playing strategy, tactics, match plans, etc. Anything directly first-team related. You wouldn't expect GvB to have to coach all the Goalkeepers, B-team, and the U-18s, U-14s... etc.? Bowley's role is just to manage our array of coaches, to make sure they're all on the same page. All the while, I would hope, passing on the ideas and principles that have made City Group such a force in world football. That's not unreasonable.

If you have an injury prone Helander in the squad, you really shouldn't be recruiting another injury prone centre half #Souttar Asking for problems

Aribo was in the last year of his contract and has been a steady improver during his time with us. Bassey has two years left and went from being a bit part player to a star in one season. He is one player we should be trying to get a premium fee for, especially if Ajax and a few EPL clubs are interested.

I disagree. There are roughly 40-60 throw-ins a game, and apparently most teams keep possession about only 50 per cent of the time. Some teams employ the long-throw. Leipzig employed a throw-in coach that helped their players throw longer. An example is the distance of Andreas Poulsen's long throw-in improving from just under 25m to 37.9m during his time at FC Midtjylland. Some teams play on the transitions, like Liverpool; they worked on taking fast throw-ins to take advantage of the no offside, to get in-behind quicker. If you can make marginal gains in an area that suits your style, then you are in a better position. The game is becoming more specialised. Why wouldn't you employ a specialist?

I'd be looking for £20m + add ons for Bassey. Especially if there are several suitors.

I don't see any future for Simpson; he's not good enough. While I'm not a fan, I feel like Katic could play a part?

My expectations? Low.

As statisticians tend to do, you're dismissing the human factor. Personality clashes, ego, power trips etc. These are inevitable in the football world.

Throw in coach? Now there's a coach we could well do with.

bang on. 30M not a penny less please Mr Wilson (Ross)

Correct, he’s the one player we can and should sell high.

Dave Vos also follows him if that is an endorsement in any way!

Maybe they have regular weekenders is the Dam. 😀

It’s all right. My expectations have been low every season since 1965/66 apart from the Gazza/Laudrup years and Advocaat’s spell pre O’Neil.

Naw, just when the ball hit the back of the net which is apparently quite often.

The domestic (league title) means lots of "quid" through CLGS direct entry. ---------------- As things stand, my expectations are in limbo. Ask me again in 3 weeks.

Brighton can pay us a lot for him and pay him a lot of money. That’s what matters these days sadly. Ajax would be a good move for him from a footballing perspective and no doubt they could sell him to a elite club for 60 million plus after a couple of years. Ajax just spent 30 million on Berjwin from Spurs and selling Lisandro Martinez to Man U for big money. So they have the means.

I think we need to see if Katic returns a better player after his season away before writing him off. Him or King could yet become first choice by default - Simpson probably will go before the window closes and Helander & Souttar will inevitably have spells out.

Qualify for the CL is paramount to the season. Was a real setback not to make it last season Other than that a Treble will do me

Rousseau's Law: any time 'Hipster' is uttered, the thread is over?

You said it.

As always, winning the league is the top priority. I'm not sure I expect us to win it. Qualifying for the CL is the immediate priority though. Again, I'm not sure if I expect us to do it - I have my doubts.

I've argued for that in that past. Klopp added such a coach.

News of more (extended?) injury woe for Helander and Roofe can't be classed as a surprise. We'll soon see how Ryan Jack is doing. Souttar was in surgery again. This time, a scheduled op. to remove 'buttons' ! Let's hope they don't find anything else in there. Alfredo used to get stick for being suspended a lot, but his ability to shrug off any knocks and niggles made up for that. However, there came a point (springtime this year) where we pushed him too hard and his heavily strapped up thigh muscle problem reached a point where surgery was required and he is still out. He got pushed because the backup options weren't always available, the injury prone Roofe. What we have in Roofe is occasional backup, not a sustained option. Backup with an asterisk. Like Alfredo once seemed, Connor Goldson is a machine for churning out game after game. What happens if he gets injured ? As it stands, too many players in the squad who need managed for chronic injury or age, IMO. Most squads will have a couple, we have too many. Financially, difficult to bring in good backup options for 'managed' backup options.

Helander must be lonely, they can keep each other company.

Manages the coaches????

I think it's an important role. We're trying to develop the B-team model, which requires all our youth teams playing the same way, so it assists in player development straight through into the first-team. To have a coach that can facilitate that is good news. Of course, Bowley's scope with us is considerably smaller - City Group have a number of clubs to manage in that regard. It gives us a level of future planning too: any new coach that comes in will have a playing philosophy with which to work with and implement, and a man to manage that transition. To have a coach that can pass on City Group's playing philosophy (think Man City) to our teams is exciting.

Nailing Jelly to the Wall. Yep, Kenny Macintyre has succeeded Reinhardt Gordon as the Saturday 'Open All Mikes' Sportsound Presenter on BBC Radio Scotland. Kenny is a self confessed Bluenose and, the usual suspects do not let him forget. His nickname at PQ is 'the Token' because they have to have one, to allow the Gang Hut to portray themselves as objective. Big Dick has become Cove Rangers PRO but, will continue to present Sundays and midweeks on BBC Radio Scotland. Dandy Don propaganda will fall more on the shoulders of Liam McLeod, Jonathon Sutherland, Rob McLean, Wullie Miller, ...................... etc. The most popular Rangers hating website and a constant reference point for BBC Scotland is, 'Pie and Bovril'. RAB Cosgrove is most fond of quoting the site. It has a Sportsound thread and since Macintyre's promotion has been announced, several pages of negative comments have been posted because, "he is a H-U-N". If you go through that several year running thread you find the comments on the confrontation between Kenny Macintyre and Michael Stewart a couple of seasons past. Just like Cosgrove and Cowan complaining about the stench hanging around the studio because Kenny Macintyre shat himself at being confronted by truth, Pie and Bovril cheered Michael Stewart to the echo. Of course, eighteen months down the line; what Macintyre said to Stewart that evening has rung true. Rangers, Rangers supporters and, James Traynor were NOT present to defend themselves from Michael's ludicrous accusations but righteous Michael ploughed on and, three months past he issued broadcast(on Twitter) apologies to Rangers, Rangers supporters and, James Traynor. You will not hear those apologies on the national broadcaster like, you will not read about them on Pie and Bovril. Inconvenient news will not be broadcast nor acknowledged. Kenny Macintyre has been boxed, the bracketing tightly applied. Consider, if Kenny Macintyre was to do any of the below substituting Rangers or Rangers player for any other club, how long will he last? Reinhardt Gordon broadcast live that Edinburgh Zoo have accepted the transfer of Rangers player, Filip Sebo they plan to exhibit him. Michael Stewart in that aforementioned incident stated, "I don't like how they do things as a club, I don't like Rangers". Chris McLaughlin began a match report with, "Police have arrested four Rangers supporters for sectarian chanting". Positive reporting of Rangers at PQ is akin to nailing jelly to the wall. "Aspiring small independent nations". Above is a favoured phrase of RAB Cosgrove. These last twenty years, RAB has been keen to relay every burp and fart that has emanated from Sri Lanka, an aspiring small nation state taking it's seat at the table of world affairs. RAB is married to a Sri Lankan, holidays annually on the island, owns a coastal villa with infinity pool, expresses his pride at his son's mixed heritage, ............... etc. Often, he concludes with something along the lines of, 'Scotland should similarly aspire'. Nationalism is a legitimate expression of politics and like Kenny Macintyre's football preference, RAB's political preference should be constantly flagged. Inconvenient news is ignored and what is currently occurring in Sri Lanka is being absolutely ignored by RAB. The President has fled the country, the whereabouts of the Prime Minister are unknown and, the residences of both have been invaded by the peoples of the island. the food and fuel situation is so desperate, they are appealing to Vladimir Putin to help out. Of course, those ruling Sri Lanka are a long established family dynasty. Similarly, in Scotland we have Nicola as First Minister for eight years, her husband, Peter Murrell has been SNP Chief Executive for 22 years and, RAB in his seventieth year continues to broadcast. I suspect we can draw parallels between the Establishment in both aspiring small nations? When RAB is not constantly waving the flag, he constantly self promotes. RAB has penned a few books and his Beeb Producer constantly allows mentions and contrived stories of visits to book festivals. RAB has a considerable property portfolio in the countries to be sustained. It is the Establishment way. Anyways on Saturday last, RAB and Tam's substitute, right on Partick Thistle man, Ray Bradshaw hosted a show that talked about football. Craig Levein and Craig Easton were the guests and take all the credit for the discussion topic. RAB was intent upon burdening the listeners with his impending visit to the Alma Mater, Hull University. They are awarding RAB with another Honorary Doctorate. In an establishment tone RAB told us, "this is my sixth Doctorate". At least he can nail them to the wall, or the door of his island villa to keep Sri Lankans from investing his infinity pool.