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The man with no name (or squad number) apparently 🤔

B-teams in the league structure, like Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands.

Bang on. The random computer is consistent. Off the top my head, the last time it wasn't was when we won the title.

Aye, pretty much. The pressure and problems mount when, as is the case today, we operate in a supposedly 2 horse race that is really them out in front (in various aspects, especially financial) and us desperately trying to stay competitive. We tend to do this by trying to squeeze value out of the money spent. A transfer market is the perfect example. It hasn't worked. I bet the same general thread is behind the problem with the stadium redevelopment work delay. Given circumstances, if we expect to win the league this coming season, we are delusional. Hope, yes....Expectation, for the blind. To let Clement and his staff change things. To radically overhaul the squad, to put the emphasis on younger players and build..... He needs time. It is all very well saying....We are Rangers, it has to happen now...... but that will only take us deeper into a hole. Being on the Rangers board is a thankless task. We need an alchemist or two.

Who needs bheggar infiltrators on here when we have you, Compo? 🤣

Naw, it wisnae 😁

At 22 years old, you shouldn't be in the academy. If he's not good enough at 19, move on. There are players 6 years his junior at the Euros.

Apparently Kelly didn't have the best of seasons last year, so I doubt he's been brought in as a replacement for Butland. It really appears that he's a replacement for McCrorie.

Liam Kelly has signed, official. 2 years. A good club trained GK. 2 years is a good term to asses and develop some of the other guys we have at GK position.

A wonderful opportunity squandered by a buffoon of a manager and a board with not an iota of vision and they are paying the price these days

It's not the number of people watching that's the issue, it's the consequences. Liverpool aren't firing their manager is they finished second. Indeed no side in England is doing that, most are delighted if the finish fourth. Second for Rangers is being fired. If we're still second and trailing by say 6 points come the end of October there will be voices on here calling for Clement to go. That's not right but it is reality. I've pointed this out before. While we were visiting the fishing villages and market towns of the Scottish lower leagues Celtic had no challenge for the league. During that period they developed Callum MacGregor, James Forrest, Keiran Tierney, Ryan Christie and Charlie Mulgrew. They could do that because they could afford the mistakes young players make without worrying it would make a difference. Since we returned to the top flight they've developed no one of consequence. For the record, I'm not promoting ditching our youth set up, but there is an argument these days.

Nails on heads in regards to this mate. Are we that shocked that Rangers doesn't take our academy seriously when Scottish football doesn't? Rangers,Celtic,Hearts and Aberdeen should all have B teams in the lower leagues with the cap at the championship.

Steve Clarke being interviewed for the vacant post at the end of September fans forming a sack the board movement and building inspectors finding the new steel is cheap Chinese tat 😂😂

The manager said before that McCausland had only trained with the first team 5 times before he joined the club. There has got to be a pathway, a transition, a bedding in - call it what you will for the youth players to the first team. Surely it must be much easier to play with guys you know and have a rapport with (especially as a young in experienced player) rather than being chucked in and expected to save our season. Agree 100% about throwing guys in (if they deserve it) at home games v St Johnstone or Ross County. The other thing no one talks about is the 5 subs. We are at home to St Johnstone or Ross County and 2-0 up at half time then bring on a few youngsters after 50-60 mins.

We're the living embodiment of short-termism. Rangers manager's job will come under pressure if we go three matches without a win, he'll lose it if we go five. Rangers directors will come under pressure if we don't win the league or have to fire a manager during the season. A Rangers player will come under pressure if they have a couple of poor games in a row. This is no exaggeration. Putting young players into that environment is problematic. Young players will make mistakes and as mistakes cost managers their jobs, cost their team mates win bonuses and pile pressure on directors no one is too interested in making that happen. There's a big argument that Rangers should close their 'academy', save the money and simply sign players that are ready for the first team. Let young players develop at clubs without the pressure and demands of Rangers.

Aye I get that. What we've done previously clearly hasn't worked, so what else can we do? If we were a well run club we'd have an identity from u8's through to the seniors and blooding youngsters would make more sense than spending 3m on a 20 year old Morrocan or German. This isn't wishful thinking, it's happening at the top level with Liverpool, City, Utd etc. Don't flood the first team with them, but why a Robbie Fraser or Cole McKinnon couldn't come in for a home game against St Johnstone or County is bemusing. It just reeks of fear and short term ism. Fans would rather bin the academy than try and proactively use it - madness.

I have it on the authority of my mate's grandson's pal, who is at Ibrox tonight for a family dinner, or something, that there is a player on the pitch with photographers, and suits. The player is wearing a strip with No 8 on it. The lad thinks that it is Kabadayi, from the pictures he has seen on line. If there are any Tory MPs, researchers, spads, etc checking this thread.....now might be the time to get a bet on.

OK - It's the Delivery Room, or tactics talks from Gareth Southgate. The choice is yours.

That's awfully uninspiring. White trim on the home strip not red. It's not hard Castore.

New home top.

Maybe thats why he's not got a squad number in that photo?

the Scotland and England managers have both shown a great deal of tactical naivety in their lineups

I wonder if they are going to sell Butland that might raise a few bob for outfield players I don’t think Kelly’s been signed just to fill the squad picture .

Yes, but Clarke's record over the stretch of games before the Euros was deplorable, only beating the giants of Gibraltar, if memory serves. That is indicative of something, and it ain't good. However, Clarke stuck to his guns, and to his pals, and to his 'formation', if such it was, and to his 'tactics', if such they were, and paid the, ahem, penalty. It may only be described as a failure of management. Oh, and the 'pen' v Hungary was not a pen. Hungary, in fact should have had a pen, but didn't need it. And I'd take the Argentinian ref, and his assistants, and VAR men, for the next game v the fhilth.

Correct. A decent manager would have got us up the leagues and brought on young talent.

All fair. That's an attitude the club needs to bin if we're actually going to recover. The epitome of which was signing and playing old jobbers instead of the best young domestic talent in the country when we were visiting those fishmongers. The club and fans were desperate at the time so I get it but if ever there was a silver lining of being sent down the leagues it was the opportunity to reset and build an identity - we won't get an opportunity to do that over 4 seasons now without serious short term pain. Shame really.

Christie played 50 odd league games for ICT before he went to tenko, but yes, your point stands

We shall overcome

Random computer ? 😛 or a yahoo with a laptop? aided by new referee supremo collum who’ll ensure we get Clancy, Robertson or Walsh for our big games

2 jokers eh , I suppose desperate measures are required.

Oi Gonzo is above the 'predictions league expert' so weesht

Could be the case that we play 4+ aways on the bounce because of the stadium too.

If the diddy teams that expected to fight relegation were safe by Xmas id bet you'd see them blood far more young players. A bigger league wouldn't guarantee this scenario but it would create a larger opportunity for it. No one cares if St Johnstone v Ross County is a relegation deciding 6 pointer or a mid table mothing to play for clash. Its not going to affect attendance or TV figures. Look for opportunities to blood young players.

I know Glasgow is a bit of a goldfish bowl in football terms but down south young players will have millions of eyes on them each week with 10x the scrutiny online too. I've always held the opinion that it's because we're so dominant relative to the league - with 3x the revenue of 3rd place (Hearts) that we can and should blood youngsters. If you can't develop your own when you're spending in a summer what the rest of the clubs generate in turnover then I'm sorry, you just aren't a serious football club. @Rousseau alluded to it earlier, the SFA and SPFL aren't serious organisations either or there would be B teams in the lower leagues - but that's by the bye. And I have to say, we just aren't that good a team in recent years to turn our noses up at the academy. We don't need to flood the team with youngsters but if we can have 2 or 3 that can get 1000-2000 minutes a season (over 60 games!) then that's the ideal. It really isn't that radical, it's only Scotland that's not following the trend of trusting younger players in recent years. There does seem to be that psyche that runs through Scotland and it's fanbases.

We should have bigger leagues. A B-Team league would just be a reserve league, which doesn't allow youngsters to play first-team professionals, just other youngsters. B-Teams can't play in the same league as their main team. (Barca B cannot be promoted to La Liga; if Barca were relegated, their B-team would also be relegated, to the third division.)

They also usually have a few experienced pros to play among the kids and help them through games. What do they know these foreigners, we have some coaching badges to give out in Largs. We know best.

Watched a German TV crime series a few days back and one policeman talked about a folklore band, starting: "Yes, they have a very bright future behind them ... (being in their mid-fifties now) ... Which reminded me instantly about the "next-best superstars" and "mega-talents" we signed over the decades for the youth team and noted them next when they left us 4 to 7 years later with hardly ever making the bench of the first team.

Scotland was the worst team at the Euros - offishull If only Proud Edward's Army had qualified, eh?

And spend significant coin on players whose ability to withstand the 'unique' pressures, and environment, of Rangers, and to carry that heavy shirt, is untested, and thus, unknown? I have been told, many times, that all transfers are a risk. Therefore, the more players you buy, the greater the risk. It strikes me that with a youth set up, you will, inevitably, have a high 'churn rate'; this would also be the case with purchased players, who do not come up to expectations. If you have a player from say age 15/16 to, say 19/ 20, you will have a pretty clear idea of his talent, and of his personality (considered broadly), both of which you will have helped to develop. When you buy a player, at, say, 20, you will have, from observation, an idea of his talent, but less of his personality. The nub of the matter, perhaps, is that one player has the talent, and the personality, but not the experience, while the other has, as far as you can discern, the talent, and the experience, but with his personality, largely, unknown. What is needed is for the home schooled players to gain the necessary experience. This seems to be difficult, internally, and externally, and I am not sure how you solve the problem. However, despite this, it would seem logical not to commit all resources to one policy and practice.

6 points behind in September?

Was a gddd advert for commited football,enjoyed watching. Big heid No.9 taking his usual strop.

Sima on Instagram 😀

I don't think MacPhee is the Scotland set-piece coach; he's an assistant coach. He is Aston Villa's set-piece coach, though.