ascender

We give away far too many cheap chances to opposition from open play and set pieces. We fail to put away chances. Address either one of those and second place becomes much more likely. Address both and it could be a lot more comfortable. Surely both of those would be blindingly obvious to any interim manager coming in who has watched any of our games this season?

Presumably nobody is suggesting McLeish gets the job on a permanent basis and we are just talking about an appointment until the end of the season? It may not be inspiring, but he knows the job, the club and the expectations for starters. And you know what? With the group of players we have just now, if he can simply tighten up the defence and get a more positive approach in the final third then I think we could still walk second place. It was getting beyond frustrating to watch how our team made the same mistakes week after week while attempting to defend. In fact, the warning signs were there last year.

How many goals have we lost from strikes outside the box this season? Is that a symptom of not having a good defensive midfielder in there or just poor discipline in closing down men and leaving a gap between the defence and midfield?

If all this was kicking off at the start of the week then presumably there's been moves made already and they should have an idea of whether or not we need someone in until the end of the season and if it's someone like McLeish or Walter then that would be a very quick appointment? I guess the obvious problem with any caretaker other than Walter is that if they secured second place, they might want the gig on a permanent basis and have it written in to any contract? Walter is the only obvious candidate who I could imagine might be willing to come in for a short period without wanting anything for next season.

I'm pleased the board have been so decisive and acted quickly. Onwards and upwards.

Until the end of the season I'd have no problem with someone like McLeish who wouldn't be overawed and knows what's expected of him and the players. Longer term, who knows, but we are still skint so it needs to be someone who can manage on a budget and has a long term plan - the last thing we need is any more short-termism. Which ironically is what we though we were getting away from with Warburton.

Thing is, in these days where every second person on the internet wants to pretend they are important and know something you don't, it's really easy to just make something up, say you've heard it anywhere really and before you know it it will be mentioned on another forum or on twitter.

Seriously though, who runs communications for our club? All it would take to calm the growing shit storm of confusion is a single tweet along the lines of "the club stands by our statement." How difficult would that be in this day and age? Amateur hour yet again.

The wording of the statement would be really weird for a hacker to choose surely as it's so specific.

Sky now reporting that Warburton, Weir and macParland all denying they've resigned.

So what have you heard?

Beeb saying Warburton knows nothing about it though? Semantics maybe?

Why let him do the press conference today if that's all true??

RANGERS has accepted the resignations of manager Mark Warburton, assistant manager David Weir and the Club’s head of recruitment Frank McParland. At a meeting with the management team’s representative earlier this week the Club were advised that Mr Warburton, Mr Weir and Mr McParland wished to resign their positions and leave the Club on condition that Rangers agreed to waive its rights to substantial compensation. Rangers’ agreement to waive compensation would assist the management team to join another club. This compensation amount was agreed when From the website.... Rangers significantly improved Mr Warburton and Mr Weir’s financial arrangements before the start of this season. The Board urgently convened to consider the offer made on behalf of the management team and its ramifications and agreed to accept it and release the trio from the burden of compensation, despite the potential financial cost to the Club. It is important that Rangers has a football management team that wants to be at the Club and that the Board believes can take the Club forward to meet our stated ambition to return to being the number one Club in Scotland. We are clearly short of where we expected to be at this time. The representative acting for the management team subsequently attempted to alter the terms of what had been agreed in favour of the management team. A further Board meeting was held this afternoon to discuss this and it was decided not to agree to this additional request but to hold with the original agreement. Mr Warburton, Mr Weir, and Mr McParland have therefore been notified in writing that their notices of termination have been accepted. The Board is very appreciative of the good work previously done by the management team but believes it had no alternative. Our Club must come first and absolute commitment is essential. On Sunday Under-20s coach Graeme Murty will take interim charge of the team. We know our support will give him and our team their full backing. We thank our support for their loyalty and desire to be the best.

Statement on the website now.

Yip, club have tweeted it. WTAF.

Regardless of who is leaking what to whom and for what reasons, there's starting to be too much noise for this just to be one journal stirring things up (which was always the possibility given Keith Jackson's history). All is not rosy, but how bad is it? And DK is pretty noticeable in his absence again.

There you go, an actual cross in to the box, Garner header and htf did that stay out!?

We just seem to make everything look like such hard work. And at times just look totally bereft of any idea as to what to do with the ball other than one more pass sideways or back.

Individual errors aside, how long do you give a managerial team who seem unable to acknowledge, let alone address, the seemingly obvious issues we have? We'll win the next few games and it will all be forgotten about because we're fickle like that. Playing devil's advocate here, I could even see us making it to the end of the season, finishing second, but having been beaten by our closest rivals in similar fashion again. Is finishing second in spite of that considered enough to give MW another season? Because the very real risk is that we find ourselves in exactly the same position this time next season. Or do you make a change now - just admit that this isn't going to work out and at least give his replacement the rest of this season to get his feet under the table and plan for next year? I wouldn't bet against a new manager coming in and still finishing second this season as Hearts and Aberdeen will continue to drop points against others in the league.

People like him are just symptomatic of the age we live in where the internet has given everyone a voice and a puffed-up sense of self-importance. Seriously, who gives a flying fvck what he thinks, especially after some of his postings in the past... Every supporter and supporters group should be doing all they can to unite behind the Club as one - unfortunately we still seem to be incredibly fractured as a support with some people only interested in self-promotion and gain. I've said it a lot over the last few years, but it was utterly depressing to see how even during those darkest of times, our support couldn't agree to come together.

Was just about to post similar... Its always been a total nonsense when you think about the old analogy of turkeys voting for Christmas. Add in the ever-increasing TV money and nobody needs or let alone wants us down there.

You can't blame simpletons for being taken advantage of - Shiels doesn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer, if anything, it just shows what lazy journalists we have today. I mean really, how is that a story in anyone's world?

No $hit Sherlock. If you hadn't noticed, we've been demoted to the bottom tier of Scottish football and are now working our way back up and trying to do it with a sensible financial approach and long term thinking. And yet a club with guaranteed champions league football has been able to sign the best young Scottish players? Thanks for the advice though Kenny.

That BBC report last night was shockingly poor and they even quoted Nil By Mouth. I just don't understand how the club continues to give them access when their reporting is so one-sided. Part of the problem is that every other club in Scotland seems to have a section of their support who are absolutely obsessed with us and help to push this sort of agenda regardless of what our own club has tried to do about it. Its gone way past the point where there's any hope of achieving a fair debate on this (and other subjects) and I wish the club would take "no one likes us and we don't care" attitude, grow a pair and just tell everyone where to go. Of course, the irony is that most clubs in Scotland have suffered since we were demoted and can't wait to have us back up so they can milk our fans and boost their own coffers. Scottish football stinks really and the last few years have really shown up many other fans for what they are with their obsession and parochial views.