ascender

Yip, I think we took the piss with our opening offers, so it looks like Killie then got their own back when we finally did meet their valuation (as well as leaking info to the press) so neither side have been blameless.

Where did McCulloch start against Falkirk? I think he might do a job for us on the right actually.

There's some pics of him over at the official site in today's training section. Looks a bit like Justin Lee Collins...

Rangers are taking a close look at Republic of Ireland international Joseph Lapira after handing the Baton Rouge Capitals striker a trial.

 

The 20-year-old was expected to come to Scotland to train with Aberdeen but has made Murray Park his first port of call and was training today.

 

Louisiana-born Lapira, who has an Irish mother, won his first cap for the Republic as a substitute against Ecuador on May 23, despite his amateur status.

 

He is the current holder of the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best US college player. Past winners have included Claudio Reyna, Alexi Lalas and Brad Friedel.

 

Lapira won that award in December 2006 on the back of his performances for Notre Dame.

Signings like this really depress me and make me dream of what we could achieve and who we could sign if we were playing in the EPL.

And now the deal is dead as reported in a few actual proper news places. I know both clubs have blamed each other so its hard to know what's been going on, but I can't help feel we've only ourselves to blame that the whole thing has dragged on for so long.

Thomson had dizziness due to an ear infection.

As for the game, sounds like we're still badly lacking a creative player in the middle of the park and yet again Fergie hasn't stepped up to be that missing link.

I know its just a pre-season game, but while WS has improved our squad, we're still lacking that special player who can turn a game, beat a man and make chances for our forwards.

Yeah and buying SPL players has been our downfall to becoming average IMO. The Scottish game has went so far backwards in the last 10 years. The other SPL clubs cant ever compete in europe (we've seen that) yet we are buying there players. Just coz they do well in SPL matches against each other doesnt mean they can step up to the next level and put Rangers where we should be.

 

Ive said it repeatedly - having 1 or 2 of the better SPL players is fine but having a team full means I expect the continued rank football we have seen over the last 2 years.

Personally I think its been the influx of crap foreign players which has been our downfall. Since the real quality players left under DA, we've been wasting our money on foreign talent and its just been downhill from there.

I think that since WS took the Scotland job and other clubs outwith the OF started giving youth a chance again, our game has been on the rise again, both domestically and at international level.

Besides, the SPL is our bread and butter, so winning that again should be our first priority. Having suffered through the last couple of seasons, can things really get any worse for us?

Most of the Hibees I've spoken to really rate Whittaker as a right midfielder and that's where he normally plays. He can cover at RB, so I'd have thought he would be a good addition.

At the moment he's probably got as good a chance as anyone of being our first choice right winger. He still lacks the composure required to be a first XI player, but recently, his workrate and determination have made him our best option.

Also depends on where some of our new signings are deployed by WS I think.

Agree we have to wait and hope Smith can gel a winning team. But Im not over confident or happy with spending 3.3 million on Naismith and Whittaker. We could / should surely have gotten better with that amount of money.

We've kind of made our bed now ever since spending 2M on Thomson and recent other Scottish fees kind of reflect that too. I think that given how much we've wasted on poor signings over the last however many years, that 3.3M on two young Scottish lads with proven SPL experience isn't bad business.

A few online places reckon this deal will be done by the weekend. Something like 1.5M up front with add-ons taking it to about 1.8M. I never realised that he's not played in any of their pre-season games yet, so I guess he did make it clear that he wanted to join us.

I was just waiting for someone to link to Nissy's goal in the CL.

I think a right sided midfielder is a bigger priority, but I guess Naismith is a proven goalscorer in the SPL and we don't have many of those just now.

Someone on FF reckons the deal will be done today for 1.8M. Apparently the guy is quite a reliable source. Wait and see I guess...

If only we hadn't let Gavin Rae go, we wouldn't be having this discussion...

The strange thing is though that whereas Boyd makes some sort of telling contribution every week, there's been large spells of last season where Ferguson is just a passenger.

Is Webster fit again?

I think so, or at least he's training again. I'm assuming he's the natural successor to Weir.

I'd like to see us go 4-4-2 with the following line-up.

_____________________McGregor____________________

Hutton_______Weir/Webster______Cuellar_________Smith

____________________Thomson______________________

Beasley_____________Hemdani______________McCulloch

______________Boyd___________D'Archeville__________

A few of those players are easily changed out for others and if WS does want to play with Boyd up top and someone playing behind him, he could go for Gow or Buffel or Fergie.

Which brings us to Fergie. I've picked that midfield on the basis of performances over the last while and the potential I've seen in Thomson. At the moment, when Fergie plays, he's basically acting as another defensive midfielder, not an attacking one. Without dragging up all the stuff that happened last season, he does seem determined that everything should go through him and he wants to come deep at every opportunity. Which as Frankie says, clearly affected Thomson last night. Even last season when playing in that second striker role, apart from the one match at Ibrox in the UEFA Cup where he ran riot, it was the same old story. Which just screws up the formation completely.

At the moment I just think Fergie has a lot to prove and shouldn't be getting picked every week if he continues to turn in average displays. I think Hemdani is more naturally gifted and is very comfortable on the ball, so we should be giving him a chance of more freedom to express himself and see what he can do. I think Thomson could develop in to a great defensive midfielder for us if he's given a chance and I still think he could go on to become a better player than Scott Brown.

We're playing most of our football in the SPL and for that I think we should be playing an attacking 4-4-2 with one defensive midfielder. Not three. But WS will not drop Fergie, nor it seems Hemdani. Which then makes me think that he's using this formation to make sure he can play all three of them. Or he drops Thomson, which I think would be a mistake.

I think Gazza summed it up perfectly, I don't think WS has the balls to drop Fergie. And that's nothing personal against BF, its just an honest appraisal going on his performances.

What on earth makes WS think that this formation will work though?

I really hope we go back to a 4-4-2 as this formation is just using so many players out of position and the centre of midfield is still too defensive. Not to mention Boyd up front on his own is a waste of space, we just don't have the players to play this system imo.

Yip, and now they've come out and admitted as much.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/6899105.stm

Surely Weir's lack of pace would rule him out for a full back role anyway?

That's why I thought the Whittaker signing would make sense to cover for Hutton and also be able to play right midfield.

I do think people have been a bit harsh on Ian Murray. When he first came here and played LB for a while, I thought he did very well defensively and going forward. I think he also did well playing as a holding midfielder after that, but then he started to get moved around, dropped, then injured and we've not seen much from him since.

There's just no talk of anything official at the moment, everyone is guessing. But back at the time of the Boumsong deal there was lots of gossip around about how dodgy it was, so people are just putting 2+2 together. Also, its the only dealing we've had with Newcastle and Souness was in charge at the time.

Whats wrong with Buffel now?

Did he not get injured again during the last transfer window meaning any moves for him weren't possible?