andy steel

I did forget about the Urine game, I admit. I must have blocked it out! It is (was, anyway: this season just fills me with fear, in European terms) an isolated result, though, whereas before we were pretty much guaranteed a pumping every season. Even the most pragmatic of tactics and hardworking of teams will, now and again, come a cropper and that was our night for a pasting. On the whole, though, Smith has improved the efficiency of the team at the expense of ambition - like against Barcelona, we hardly attacked and stole a point while gettin 'only' a 2-0 defeat away. Was Smith in charge for that game? I can't recall. But the point is the same, that I have come to the conclusion that its better to lose lightly while playing defensively than get pumped having a go, and that such a tactic will sometimes get you a surprisingly long way. That was going to be the rest of this piece but I found it here when I came home from work!

Tv revenue...that should add about another 16 quid or so. Every little helps! It just shows you, though, that if we can stagger to a couple of goalless draws against the two 'weakest' teams in our CL group (I am well aware of who the actual weakest team is likely to be), it would be worth almost a million.

He's the kind of player I thought we would be in for come January, since I think he's in the last year of a contract and has an obvious Ibrox connection. Not the finished article by a long way for sure, but a talented and versatile player just the same. Seeing as how we're not, apparently, getting anyone else in at the moment, and seeing as how the player is doing alrightish at a fairly ordinary European level, I wonder if we should tempt Old Father Time with a 100, 200k offer? The squad is desperately thin.

At work, discussing Celtic's Champions League debacle with ardent Hoops man G____ D_____, we agreed that the approximate level of the Old Firm was the group stages of the Europa League, and that anything thereafter would be a surprising bonus. Motherwell's success later that night, though, points to what can be done with organisation, determination and a manager who knows his way around a football pitch. One of the main criticisms of Walter Smith has been his European record, and I'm the first to admit its poor. But if we just look at the European games in his second tenure, there haven't been the same humbling humiliations. We've gone from trying to compete with the best, and the second best, and sometimes the third best and failing, to playing to our own strengths and getting the odd result here and there - with the UEFA run the obvious highlight. Craig Brown, so long derided when Scotland boss for his dismal playing style, now seems quite the sage. He took the national side to the finals of major tournaments, and is now achieveing all that could be expected and possibly more with a (to be honest) middling and inexperienced Motherwell side. So what if it bores the likes of Murdo MacLeod to tears? Given that we all know what the style of play will be, no-one needs to go if they dread defensive tactics. Lionel Messi can bang on about anti-football if he wants, but the reality is that results are all that matters - all the dreams of flowing, silky soccer won't be worth a bean should we be dumped out of Europe before Christmas. I think an equivalent for Rangers, that is, one to match Motherwell's achievement, would be to stagger into the Europa league. I don't honestly think we'll do it, unless pitched into a hitherto unimaginably weak CL group, but I do think that with Walter Smith and his functional, dour, but effective tactics, we have a better chance than we would have without him. It may not be pretty; but dreams will get us nowhere.

What will be will be, Ian, but there's no doubt that a Rangers team without Davis would be weaker than a team with him. Fcuk me, though, at this rate we'll be in the black by Christmas. I admit, we'll be out of Europe, out the CIS Cup and fighting a dogged battle to stay out the relegation mire but the bank will be happy at last!

Not from a footballing view, no, but we don't make deal or no deal decisions based on the playing side anymore. The fear has to be that, although Smith would probably only sell for about 6.5 or 7, the decision won't be his. And if we do sell, that really will be that for the season ahead.

What a bunch of deluded cretins. I have no interest in their shitey outfit other then when they play us, or their results affect us. Why are they so obsessed with a club they hate? Bizarre.

So did Wayne Rooney, to be fair. Doesn't tell you much.

I just don't think he's the type of player we can accomodate anymore.

With you now. Even so, they'd take that. A decent, pragmatic manager who plays to the strengths of his team. It's the only way to have any form of success in Europe for Scottish teams, even if it just means winning the odd tie here and there. Walter was right, and so is Craig Brown.

Why? Isn't that a good result for Motherwell?

How dare you! Haven't you seen our ticket office? People come from around the world just to see it.

Who's the lad with the French name we used to have who grabbed aruond 10 goals in the English leagues (think it may be Championship, not sure) last season? Was it N'Guessan?

Shame, I thought he looked like a slightly superior version of Chris Burke.

Upsetting to see how soon the parents passed. What a time the family must have had of it.

I might be mistaken, but I remember a striker playing for them against 'them' and thinking, 'if that guy was any good, they would be about 4-0 up by now'. It may have been someone else but there's a definite bell clanging away about a striker who scored a couple but should have had half a dozen.

I don't follow what you mean, Wija. Sorry.

Cause they haven't fucked up their finances to the extent we have, and are able to swallow a lesser fee from England as the price for not having, for example, Barry Robson coming back and scoring against them. It's just our tough titty, and I for one ain't going to give anyone the satisfaction of crying about it. We've wet our bed, now we've got to lie in it.

For goodness sake, they don't want to sell to us because they want to beat us! Hardly unreasonable.

I may be the only one but I honestly wouldn't mind a couple of seasons without a pot if it meant a secure future thereafter.

True enough he's suffered, but his ability ought to guarantee you about a dozen goals a season in the sea of mediocrity that is the SPL.

A bit, but the usual gloating from the usual suspects is getting boring. Everyone and his dog knows we're mince in European terms and are facing the usual hidings...how come the papers still go gaga when we get beaten? Maybe this season we'll see a maturing of the sports writers. Heaven knows it's overdue.

That would be a good signing for them. I can't see what's in it for Hendrie, mind you, but fair play to the useless shower.

Why? Not even going to speak in person is disrespectful; he needn't have taken his family with him and it would have taken one day there and back. Going to the English 2nd division may be an accurate reflection of Boyd's overall ability, but it speaks volumes about his level of ambition - that's just unarguable. And if anyone thinks exposing your family to the culture of north east England is doing your family a service, I would beg to differ. Of course it's a free country and he can do what he likes, but my chastisement stands.

Typically disrespectful, typically unambitious, typically Scottish professional.