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100% of our support would.

"I was brought up to absolutely hate Rangers". Above is the opening line spoken by Richard Gordon in his BBC Radio Scotland biopic' first broadcast nearly two decades past. Richard has spent the last twenty years flashing those very credentials. Last season he was appointed Cove Rangers PRO, moved back to his native Aberdeen and, took up a weekly column in the Aberdeen Press and Journal. We know he writes exclusively for a group of fans when visiting Sellik Park sing, 'we hate Rangers more than you' and the separated brethren show their appraisal by applauding. Today's column for the P and J is part of the League Cup final build up. Less than a fortnight to go and both clubs have played another two games, one in Euro' competition and a League fixture each. Aberdeen drew 2-2 in Helsinki and lost 2-0 at Easter Road whereas, Rangers drew 1-1 with Limassol and defeated St Mirren 2-0. The great Masonic conspiracy failed us again, no penalty awarded in either game. It is good to know the Grand Wizard like Barry Robson is continually obsessed with the aesthetics of the Scottish game. Further, a glance at the current league table would add greatly to the charge Aberdeen only raise their game against Rangers. The Dandies are three points ahead of bottom club, Livi'; their four points gained from two games against us keep them from the base. Of course, the difference at the top between ourselves and ra green'ngrey hooped horrors is effectively five points and that is the number we have surrendered to the Dons. There is considerable scope in this information for an interested columnist. The cup final is approaching fast and with hatred in his heart, the Cove Rangers PRO decided to go with, 'Penalty Rangers'. Big Dick has accrued his own empirical evidence, applied kai squared analysis and, t-test for fit. His conclusion is Rangers are beneficiaries of a bias or, I suppose it was so much easier when Wullie Miller refereed all Aberdeen games. Bias is a most strong word but do not expect Richard to name the officials affected by it. Similarly, since the penalties awarded stats prove Sellik to be the greater beneficiaries, penalties conceded is this week's and next week's trend. Richard expresses disbelief that Rangers have survived a league season without conceding a penalty, "not a single Rangers player committed a foul inside their own eighteen yard box". He lists the penalties awarded against us in Euro' games and deems those an expected stat' those conceded in domestic cup games are not all specified because they run a bit of interference on his preferred narrative. The one stat not mentioned is that another Scottish club has survived an entire season without conceding a penalty and, Sellik have achieved that stat' twice. Still, it is a bit awkward to type whilst Peter is stuffing his dick down your thorax. Dick's bias is to place firm pressure on the final officials and in doing so he deliberately omitted the most relevant stat' ie in this year's league cup, Rangers have played three games and conceded penalties in two of them, against Morton and Hearts.

This is not satisfactory by the club.

I am so pleased to see Cantwell and Lawrence come onto a game today. What a difference it makes to us.

Trial and error, Part 34: Sima. Our problem for the best part of a decade has been trying to play through a packed defence with a single striker, hoping that the attacking midfield would join in with 10-15 goals per player. Plus the odd from the wing-back. Year after year, season after season, we've seen that the simple adaptation of the rest of the teams in Scotland (bar one) to that system has effectively nullified the one striker and stopped the wing-attackers too. Even Ribery - Madzukic - Robben would have struggled with that 7 to 8 men defence trash. We clock up 15 to 30 shot in nearly every game, but score on average 1 or 2, sometimes but rarely 4. Usually when the opposition tires late on and/or gives away penalties. It is clear as day that this current system only works if you a) have the players who succeed in it and b) play an opposition that is not out to stop you from playing any football or simply swamps your three attackers. Beale tried to load the attacking third this season, but instead of setting up a 4-5 player attack block, we dabbled on, tested this or that combination and failed. It simply cannot be that we toil on for half a decade or more against the same style of players and tactics and don't change it. So ... no Sima as the lone striker, but keep him on the wing, McCausland/Wright on the other, and put Danilo and Dessers/Roofe through the middle. Cantwell or Lawrence behind them.

Returning from yesterday's game in the car, a couple of mates and myself had a discussion on the similarities between Sima and Sakala. Both players take you up the park, both players commit opposition defenders and, both have an end product. I like both players for reasons outlined and I know Sima has notched a dozen goals in a misfiring team but, I prefer Sakala because he always got the shot off. I was not always enamoured with the destination of said shot.

It’s not drumming it’s more an assault on your ears

Said this the other day, idk where the patience for Sima was for Sakala. He's basically Fashion if he was 6'2. Fashion was probably more consistent with his scoring and assisting I'd say - if you look at his contributions to minutes played for us domestically it's actually excellent. The board and fans chasing him out the door and then bringing in Dessers and Lammers is looking braindead.

So was Barisic

He looks like one of those filthy characters that hangs about in the public toilets anyway stuff him it's up to us to go to the national stadium and win the league cup then we can all have a jolly good gloat .

Good you won’t go blind then 😂

Sakala had great speed

Going by some of the ranting you’d have thought we lost

I’d bite your hand off for sima for 3 million. I think his pace and power adds so much. He does blow hot and cold but we are not in a position to go out and get finished articles these days.

Seemed like a 4-2-3-1, with Lundstram and Lawrence as the 2, with Lundstram more of a 6 and Lawrence an 8. Cantwell was more of a 10.

I was informed that his contract at Brighton is ending soon, so there might be a deal to be done.

Sima is very hot and cold. Anything over £3m and I don't think he's worth it (and Brighton will want far more than that). He's quite similar to Sakala.

Yes most annoying. I thought he was going to be a key player for us.

Aye it's a farce. If I purchase a seat on seatsub the person who's ticket I'm using gets the credit and points but I don't? It's that fucking brazen it's almost admirable.

Tend to filter the drums out at games nowadays... Too busy getting annoying with us giving the ball away to actually enjoy the atmosphere...

I'd take Egil Ostenstad, Francis Jeffers or our cat over Sam Lammers

If the drummer was in a different stand for each game this poll would be almost 100% AYE.

Remind me how the Jilted John chorus go again?

He was not alone that day ... and we've seen others doing the same. Still remember that blind backpass of our captain in the OF game that lead to a goal and killed any of our slim hopes that season. I'd take Sakala over Lammers every day of the week. (And I hope this means that Lammers will score a hatful in December now ... )

Ross catalyzed tempo. He was one of the very few positives in the first half. I hope that continues and he isn't lulled into the same general malaise that seems to affect most of the team. His movements have a point, direct, cutting and creating space. His passes were crisp with intention as opposed to movement for the sake of it...side pass...back pass...side pass...miss pass.

Sima cost Brighton £6m. We can't afford to buy him as the Seagulls won't let him go cheaply if he impresses - that's a club with a real player trading model.

McCausland I like the lads enthusiasm and the fact he’s prepared to take on men

Due to my crimes against polling I am unable to cast a vote. What I can say is that, over the last hour, I have discovered a completely unexpected fondness for percussion.

I am appalled!

Well cut the players and manager some slack and direct your ire at those who you deem responsible. It's a valid and reasonable view to direct your questions regarding the repeated failures at those running the club. However, your posts are 99% negative towards the players and manager who, if you really do blame the board are just results of their poor management. I think its reasonable to question the running of the club and not just on the footballing front, although that's all most fans really care about.

And me as a sub

At this rate, I'll be able to get a game with the amount of players you want moved on

Can you not post it for us all to see?

That would be interesting. You’re not Barry Ferguson by any chance? On reflection, no, your English is too good.

It's a step up for Koppen, after several years in various scouting roles. 'Director of Football Recruitment' sounds like a change in role from a pure DoF. That's not necessarily a bad thing as we do require a recruitment specialist. PSV seem to have assembled a really good squad. We've taken a Head of Performance from Brighton, too. It doesn't say what he did at Brighton, though. Taking ideas from Brighton can't be a bad thing.