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We're coming to the end of the season and as night follows day, the youngsters are being brought in for some game time in dead rubbers. Yet this season we've seen an academy graduate contribute, start in a cup final and looking like he might get another. Ross McCausland has had his critics this season, rightly or wrongly, but could this be the start of a new era under Clement for Rangers and our academy? I was reminded of the John Henry quote in Moneyball I know you've taken it in the teeth out there, but the first guy through the wall. It always gets bloody, always. Ross could be the first of a wave of academy graduates under this manager and board, if his comments in press conferences are to be believed. If he is then it will get easier for each passing graduate as the fans get more accustomed and more patient with the development process required. He could almost be the patron Saint of the B team - not quite fed to the lions, but as quoted above, he took it in the teeth. What are your thoughts? Just some general musings. I'll include some stats of his this season to try and give some analytical context to his first season in senior football: 1858 mins this season (20.6 90's) 8 G/A 0.38 G/A per 90 2.31 chances created per 90 Some league percentiles: 92nd for Assists p90 (0.25) 93rd for expected Assists p90 (0.29) 96th for Key Passes p90 (2.31) 93rd for Dribbles p90 (3.38) 90th for Dribble Success (1.50) I make no apologies for having the lads back and firmly believe he could develop into a player we can rely on in rotation - we don't need him to be a future Balon D'or Winner. What do you think, is he taking flak for potentially being the start of a movement within the club? Hopefully the numbers are right, I've tried my best haha. Cheers.

Just demonstrates how politically weak we actually are. "No one likes us, we don't care", but we should we really should.

Rumour collection ... mostly C&P, as I have not much time right now: Rangers are said to be the front runners in the hunt for Arnaud Bodard of Standard Liege, who has also been linked to Old Firm rivals Celtic. Clement effectively ended reported £3.4m interest in the Bodart with his Butland comments but money talks in football so never say never. If reports are to be believed we’ve started brightly in this regard, with Rangers in ‘advanced talks’ to sign £3m Jose Cordoba from Levski Sofia. Whilst one Panamanian journalist has sought to cast some doubt over a move the sounds around a deal for the powerful, left-sided 22-year-old centre-half continue to be positive. Other potential options include Dion Sanderson – who has just been relegated with Birmingham City – and Paddy McNair – a lifelong bluenose who has just been released by Middlesbrough. Whilst the links to Sanderson have gone a little cold, Northern Irish international McNair can also play in midfield and the situation with John Lundstram may be of interest here. It’s not just at the heart of the defence either. With Borna Barisic set to leave the club, Brazilian option Jefte Vital continues to be linked but loan side APOEL won’t lose the Fluminense left-back without a fight. West Ham right Ben Johnson has also been linked, but with a move to Crystal Palace touted amid high wage demands, a deal has never looked likely. There have been transfer links aplenty already, with the club said to be on the ‘right track’ to striking a loan extension for injured RC Lens winger Oscar Cortes. Another name who has been strongly linked with Rangers is A-League winger Raphael Borges Rodrigues. Currently turning out for Macarthur in Australia, the Socceroos talent is reportedly a player in demand with the likes of Coventry City also mentioned. Only 20-years-old, Rodrigues’ agent has tipped the player to move to Europe this summer and it’s one to watch for Rangers fans as their team target more emerging markets. Then there is Orlando Pirates talent Relebohile Mofokeng who can play on either wing or as an attacking midfielder. Only 19 and just off the back of a trial with Premier League Wolves, Rangers are reportedly keeping tabs but so far there is nothing concrete regarding Ibrox interest. Abdallah Sima – on loan from Brighton this season – probably tops the club’s summer wish list and with Brighton open to a sale, a deal could be done this summer. But as is always the case any transfer will depend on finances with Brighton paying close to £6m and, quite possibly, expecting the same or even more in return. Then there is Lawrence Shankland. The PFA Scotland Player of the Year has scored 28 goals for Hearts and is surely bound for Euro 2024 with Scotland this summer. Rangers are always mentioned alongside the bluenose forward and as Shankland enters the final year of his Hearts contract, the striker is open to a Tynecastle exit. Whether that means Rangers will pounce remains to be seen with many believing a failure to sign the striker might’ve cost the Ibrox side a Champions League fortune. Another name that has been mentioned is young Stoke City talent Sol Sidibe. Reports this week have suggested that Rangers are one of a number of clubs tailing the 17-year-old, but face competition from the likes of AC Milan.

We played 56 games, not including friendlies, last season. We played 65 matches the season before. This season we'll play 59 competitive matches. Last season Copenhagen won the Danish league, the Danish cup and played in qualifiers and group stages of the Champion's League, yet only played 47 competitive games. Club Brugge played 51, PSV played 52. We can argue about playing too much football, but if we reach the latter stages of both domestic cups and qualify for European 'league' football, which we should do every season now, then that's not going to change. So what's vital is not only that we are able to keep our players fit, so perhaps don't sign ones with clear track records of fitness problems, but also that we need real depth in our squad. I've no doubt we've asked players to play this season who weren't fully fit. Would it come as a surprise to anyone of we found out that Tav, Goldson and Lundstram had all played when carrying injuries? For us to be successful next season we need a squad that can rotate and rest players without weakening the team. We don't have that currently.

Aye that's why I laugh when people are baffled by how many injuries we get. It's almost like signing crocks when you've got a medical department run by Ronald McDonald and then subsequently putting them through poor preparation during pre season will lead to a shitstorm in unavailability.

Nerd ? ..Stats?.. surely no one on here matches that criteria.😀 .

I'd like to see Fraser start the game but all I really care about is getting through the game with no injuries or red cards. I'm heading down the Ayrshire coast tomorrow with the family so won't be watching the game.

Be nice to end the league with a win but in all honesty, I'm rather uninterested in this fixture. Hopefully we don't get any injuries and the 700 Bears in the away section have a fun day (no doubt they'll hear 3 or 4 songs about Rangers from the hugely unimaginative home support).

Very Eric Idle, though I do tend to agree in the main. However I can't for the life of me see where our "footballing structure" is superior to theirs as ours is basically rip it up and start again, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.... At one stage Beale was drifting into Mike Bassett territory. Indeed they have had it easy but mainly because we've alowed it to be so.

"Dutch referee awards four red cards, 15 minutes of injury time, celebrates with winning team and gets lifetime ban" Will never happen in Scotland, the ban that is. At least the referee was honest, and that will never happen in Scotland. Dutch referee awards four red cards, 15 minutes of injury time, celebrates with winning team and gets lifetime ban Eredivisie May 15, 2024 Dutch referee awards four red cards, 15 minutes of injury time, celebrates with winning team and gets lifetime ban - foot.mundo (footmundo.co.uk) Referee Jan Smit has been given a lifetime ban by the Dutch FA [KNVB], and it’s pretty easy to see why. The official was in charge of a fourth-division match between St. George and SV De Valken, and to say his performance benefitted the home side would be one hell of an understatement. During the course of the game, 61-year-old Smit handed out four red cards to SV De Valken, and with St. George needing to equalise to win the league, 15 minutes of stoppage time were awarded and they then scored the title-clinching goal. Post-match Smit was seen on stage holding the championship trophy aloft with the players cheering on as he hoisted the prize. He then performed club anthem ‘Guardian Angel’ on the microphone in front of the celebrating supporters. The KNVB, which is the governing body for the top tier Eredivisie downwards, has now handed Smit a lifetime ban from officiating football matches. KNVB spokesperson Daan Schippers said in a statement: “We have received several complaints after Sunday’s match. This morning we called Mr Smit and told him that he is no longer allowed to referee matches. We expect a neutral attitude from a referee and that both teams are treated with respect.” Despite the damning match statistics and footage of the celebrations, Smit has called the decision ‘laughable’. Speaking to NH Nieuws, he said: “I can understand that SV De Valken is disappointed with the course of the match. However, in my opinion, the four red cards given were all one hundred per cent justified. “Before the match I was asked by players from St. George if I wanted to sing a song afterwards. I have done that several times in the past, including at Spartans, VVS, Grasshoppers and also in Amsterdam at ASV Arsenal.” “I said that if they were to become champions, I would like to sing a song. During the chorus of ‘The Guardian Angel’, the bowl was pressed into my hands and I held it up. “De Valken, however, did not appreciate this. They just forwarded that video to the KNVB and filed a complaint. “I wasn’t partying with the players at all. I just sang a song and held up the bowl once. That’s the only thing. I find it too sad for words that the KNVB is removing me for that reason. “It’s laughable. The KNVB has not done any research and only watched one video. I assume that my career is now over.”

Im skeptical that a hard pre season is the panacea to our injury woes. The players talking publicly about how they had a very tough pre season under Gio but then we saw half the squad go down injured for most of the season. The problem seems to be with specific players, Matondo, Davies, roofe, Yilmaz, Jack etc once they pick up injuries they just never stop. Morelos never really looked to recover from that thigh injury he got in his second to last year. There has got to be some issues with the recovery process.

Seems like an opportunity missed by SFA. In saying that, he's not one of Lawwells Stooges

As another season of disappointment draws to close, I really took some encouragement from that Presser from young Ross McCausland. A real mature head on young shoulders. Confident, articulate and comfortable in front of the press, I thought he was a real "ambassador" for our academy and what can be achieved. Remarkable that in such a short space of time, he made 28 appearances now, and already has a winners medal. Lets hope one or two others can follow his lead next season. Well done, young Ross!

They hide in plain sight, that type

Tbh if the lads are going to Portugal again for a pre season camp I wouldn't take him - strap him to a chair in the boot room, put matchsticks under his eyelids and make him watch Bernardo Silva compilations until we get back to Auchenhowie instead. He's about that size; plays off the right or in central midfield, isn't a natural goalscorer nor electric with pace. But by god, Silva is a magnificent player otherwise.

Good young player never stops trying cant say that for some of them and he is only 21 a bright future ahead and lets hope its at Ibrox

They're different, as Candeias preferred to cross it but McCausland tends to want to take the ball inside himself.

Just a little bit😀

McCausland has been fine this season and think we missed him after he got injured against Motherwell. He sometimes takes the wrong option, but that can be said about many players and hopefully that will improve with experience. I hope we buy decent wide players in the summer (if we can't get Cortes and Sima back) but McCausland is a great option to have in reserve.

I've heard a few fellow Bears criticise McCausland recently but I think it's unfair. He always tries to get forward and get into the box, both of which we need more of. Yes, there's plenty of room for improvement and he's not great at tracking back but I think he can be a worthwhile player next season and further on.

It appears Lovelace may not be out of contract this summer (hopefully!).

This annoys me. Too many fans demand our youngsters to be top, first-team stars straight away or they want them punted. As long as they can contribute to the team, then they're useful. If he can work on his weaknesses and improve his numbers to 10-20 G+A next season then that's fantastic. He's only just turned 21.

I think McCausland has done very well actually. Yes, he's limited in some ways: he's not that fast, he doesn't have a huge of amount of tricks and his final ball needs a lot of improvement. However, what he does have is confidence to take the ball, isn't afraid to try and beat his man and is unpredictable in terms of style and direction. He also works very hard defensively but, as we seen the other night, he does need to work on anticipating opposition play as he can react too late. When he first broke into the team, I was far from convinced but we played some of our better football in the season before he got injured and fell out of favour.

I agree with most of that mate but I think our injuries have really picked up post Gerrard. I've heard interviews with Halliday and others who said his pre season was incredibly intense. Even Matty Cash for Villa said its the toughest pre season he ever had when he was in charge at Villa. Not just in terms of their Cardio work, you saw how much Tav and Kent filled out under Gerrard - we need to get back to that. McCausland would probably put 3-5kg on in muscle if he came through under Gerrard.

Jimmy Hogan is a fascinating figure: 'Hogan believed that possession-based football was the answer, but that it must be founded upon constant passing and movement, and added versatility in his players and increased fitness that would allow them to bamboozle an opponent with the fluidity of their attacking moves. 'In 2012, Spanish magazine Panenka published a pedigree of several influential managers and teams from the 1910s to the 2010s—such as the Brazil national team of the 1950s and Pep Guardiola—placing Hogan as its progenitor; Hogan created a direct lineage for modern football tactics. Influenced by Burnley-born manager Harry Bradshaw and his adoption of the Scottish combination game, Hogan was directly responsible for the coaching foundations of two of the most influential footballing sides in history – Austria's Wunderteam and Hungary's Golden Team. 'Hogan is credited with the revolution in European football that saw Hungary defeat England 6–3 at Wembley in 1953, ushering a new football era. After the match, Sándor Barcs, then president of the Hungarian Football Federation, said to the press: "Jimmy Hogan taught us everything we know about football." 'Helmut Schön, 1974 FIFA World Cup-winning manager, whom Hogan lectured in Germany, stated: "I greatly admired Jimmy and always regarded him as a shining example of the coaching profession. In my lectures to coaches today I still mention his name frequently". 'Gusztáv Sebes stated: "We played football as Jimmy Hogan taught us. When our football history is told, his name should be written in gold letters". After his death in 1974, the head of the German Football Association labelled Hogan as "the father of football in modern Germany".' It's crazy to think that the Scottish passing and combination game of that time was virtually the basis of the Mighty Magyars, Dutch Total Football and Cruff, to Barcelona and Guardiola. And yet we're still stuck with an out-dated game. In his book, Jonathan Wilson compares the way in which football was discussed in Budapest and Britain: In Britain, football was discussed in pubs by men standing up with a pint in their hand. In the coffee house, customers sat down at a table, and so it became possible to illustrate tactical arguments using simple props, like a cup, a spoon or sugar bowl. It's a short step from that level of abstract thought to drawing diagrams and formations - something that would have seemed preposterous in Britain. Herbert Chapman found that push back when he organised tactical discussions. I believe there's still a lot of that push back today - 'Laptop manager'? Sure, criticise results, but engage with the ideas.

I've been reading Jonathan Wilson's book, The Names Heard Long Ago. The history of modern football was born in the coffee houses of Budapest. It was inspired by the short passing game in Scotland, which was brought to MTK Budapest by Englishman Jimmy Hogan and Scot John Tait Robertson (who played for Rangers). Hungarian coaches like Imre Hirschl, Árpád Weisz, Bela Guttmann and Gusztáv Sebes took their tactical ideas to Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, across Europe and the Americas. The greatest example of these tactical ideas was the golden team, but what many thought was the beginning of an era was actually the end of over 50 years of development.

Yeah, my wee cousin just got a cheque in the post unexpectedly.

This would have been a good appointment. Interesting that they decided to give the role to an active ref with no real experience in life of running a business function and strategising a roadmap for success.

Eddie Rutherford, Govan boy, ten years in the blue then got sent to Hearts with a bag of money in exchange for wonder winger, household name Colin Liddell.

Saw The Rangers Journal do a vid on some freebies, the one I was really interested by was Koita for Salzburg. 34 in 75 for them in the league, 24 years old and has European experience. Mali International too. Decent injury record outwith the first half of this season. Plus he's a Salzburg graduate. What's not to like? Down sides for me are that he's not scored in 15 in Europe and he's 5'8. On a bosman though I'd happily take him. 👇 here's the vid anyways.

That is unfortunately the current outlook. The board always said that the investment would be front loaded and that resulted in us getting 55 and Seville. There's little to no further investment on the horizon as far as I can see. We now need to be self-sustaining and that's going to be limiting. We had a chance this season and we did remarkably well to win our Europa group and claw back the deficit, but it just fell away from us at the end, for whatever reason...partly overperforming and partly injuries (and other reasons). Not winning the league this season allows them to invest bigger and it's going to be more difficult to overtake them. I'm not sure that there are further investors out there who will be willing to invest significant sums in a club in Scotland, so we need to manage our resources better and hope for a bit of luck but we're still suffering from the legacy of being sent down the leagues and it will take some clever handling by the management team to claw it back overt the next few years.

We should almost certainly be taking a punt on young SPL players with a deal to keep them at their club for game time. We need much more of a long term view, one problem since coming back up is that we have had such a short term view to try and stop ten in a row. None of the strikers we signed last summer are good enough in my view. Crazy how much we spent on players to end up in a same or worse position than we were in before. It's been the major problem of our season. Dessers has a decent goal tally when looking at the figures, but watching him and knowing how many chances he has spurned paints a different picture. Not good enough to rely on as our main striker, but potentially useful as a squad player. Clements signings have been a mixed bag too, I am not convinced by Diomande however he still has time to develop into a useful player, 4.5 million of a player though? I'm not sure. Cortes looked quality in the brief time we saw him, but many players initially shine and then settle into mediocrity. He could still go either way but he is the most exciting signing of recent times for me. Silva is dump, I cannot believe his price tag. Jesus. For me, it's time to say goodbye to Tav, Goldson and Lundstrum, and whoever else I may be missing that have been at the club too long. Great players in terms of their skills, but a broken mentality. Souttar isn't good enough in my view, he has a major mistake in him every game. Yilmaz is injured too often to rely on. I'd keep Sima but he isn't ours. I mean, we are really in a shockingly poor state. Clement is going to have to perform miracles in the transfer market to turn this around.

If Dessers took a decent percentage of his chances he'd be on about 35 goals. Not good enough.