metlika

How was the tour of Japan? Rather baffling comment to make and imo pathetic one whether its true or not.

I would have liked us to have signed Tim Matavz who went to PSV for 6million euro. I really think he would have been a bumper package with Jelavic and his transfer fee will double in the future. That is a wasted chance for us imo as we were interested in him at one point.

No way would we pay 6 million Euros for a player. I would think he would be a quality player for us but yeah we wouldn't pay that figure.

Don't shut the window but we released Beattie now, Fleck is on loan and Hemmings injured. Diouf probably might come in.

Meh, want them to get game time but unenthused by it all now losing more players. I know those positions are covered quite well but it means McCulloch and Edu have more chances of being in the first team.

Jelavic doesn't have a say in it as far as I'm concerned,unless he has a clause in his contract.I said in the other thread I'd want �£20m for him right now

He might not have a say but any player can become unsettled especially if clubs are bidding for him whatever price you put on it if its a reasonable sum and the club is willing to give out big wages. See Luka Modric, Raul Meireles etc.

SSN saying Rangers have said there will be no more business tonight.

That isn't a surprise there wasn't any business today was there?

Exactly how many native Africans play in the ELP???

 

Just interested. I'm sure Drogba is a native, but with some French connection(s).

Kalou and Drogba are native. Alex Song from Arsenal. Technically Victor Anichebe is a native Nigerian as he was born in Nigeria but he moved to England early. There is probably loads but as you say some of them like Bougherra are born in France.

If it wasn't so late then there might have been a different scenario. Pleased none the less as Jelavic is a top player but I do wonder how he will react to this even if he is in Croatia. Also we can't go into the next 4 months with Lafferty, Healy and Naismith. As seemingly Beattie is going somewhere and Fleck is to.

We have a more than capable squad to retain our title this season with the players we have,as long as we don't lose Jelavic.

Yep but what if he gets injured? We don't have enough depth or trust in the other players to fill his boots.

Nearly 4 hours to go metlika... hopefully we offload Beattie and bring in another striker!

Can't see it I'm afraid

Would be pleasantly surprised but not with some of the names I have seen.

I see the name Philip Degen popping up on twitter (I know), another fecking defender. Hardly played as well didn't do it at Liverpool and most of their fans are ecstatic that he is leaving. He will be cheap option no doubt, on a free but its not been on the BBC yet.

EDIT: Nevermind its been disputed, wasn't really convinced.

So I was kinda correct we would sign nobody after losing to Maribor and twe offload nobody like Beattie is also worying.

I doubt Bartley has much chance now with Arsenal, especially if Mertresacker goes to them. What do they have 5 experienced defenders can't see Squillaci staying, Vermaelen is made of glass but is their best defender. Koscielny and Djourou are there as well.

Yeah not exactly sure what he brings? He may have the Arsenal philosophy but we don't have that here. Would he play? Doubt it, can see him being played out of position.

 

Why is it that team's always seem to make moves for our players in the last 36 hours giving us no time to make suitable replacements. Basturts.

The usual way of football panic, especially when you can't get new players. Although Championship clubs get to use the short term loan market mid season iirc. We have done it too many times and I don't want us doing it again if we lose Jelavic. I would like us to get a striker in.

Weir wants to continue playing though, right ? How would he pass a medical just now with being injured ?

 

I would be VERY disappointed if Weir left without a "last hurrah" for us - the big man has been an absolute revelation and a ROCK for us since signing. Most definitely what we would consider "Rangers class" as a person, and also as a player too.

 

Just a shame we didnt get him 10 years earlier.

 

Beattie.... mehhhh, he can leave and I wish he had left earlier - has done absolutely nothing for us, looks even slower than me, and that is saying a LOT.

Releasing a player from their contract means they are free to join any club once fit. See Andy Webster going to Hearts. Maybe this injury might cause future problems or might be recurring but the amount of defenders we have now means is competition and unsure if Weir would get a place plus so reasonable performances from Perry means it will be hard for him. I would like Weir to have a last Hurrah with us and although I wasn't convinced he should have stayed on he deserves to say goodbye and such but it would have been nice if it was at the end of the season.

Also offloading players at this time seems poor timing and giving Weir a contract what was the point?

�£7.5m is actually a reasonable bid but not enough. It would be a disaster if we sold him and didn't have enough time to replace him, not that I want him to go even if he has had a slow start to the season. Naismith, Lafferty, Healy, Beattie and Fleck the options even with Jelavic it isn't a great set of attacking options. Beattie and Healy well they don't get used, Fleck wouldn't be used much. Hemmings injured doubt he would get much game time anyway.

Btw Russian clubs seem to be bidding for SPL based players.

Something I'd like to see is SPL clubs having to have 3 under 21 players playing at all times (save if they've been dismissed of course).

I noticed in the Live Text from the BBC at the start of the season if 3 u-21 Scottish players are in the first team starting squad then they get a grant bonuses of �£850-�£1,000. We have the U-21 rule about having 2 players that are from our youth, Walter wasn't keen on that rule.

For about 12 months. Don't you think that it is vital (in every sense of the word) that we keep exactly those players that will be linked away to retain the title and head straight into the 15m-jackpot territory of the CL group phase next season?[/QUOTE]

 

 

 

but we dont go straight into it , we have 3 qualifying rounds to play

 

There is 2 places for next season in the SPL. 1st plays 2 qualifying rounds again through the Champions route, not sure if we will be seeded though. 2nd plays 2 rounds for the non champions route, which is virtually impossible for anybody to get through as the likes of the 4th place in Spain, Italy and England are there but that is the playoff not the 3rd qualifying round.

I agree, Scottish coaches should get to joining training sessions with foreign teams and see what is done, or try and get employed. No wonder a 17 year old Andre Villas Boas went to Largs to get his first badge, easy to get it.

The way we play is a big factor but physical appearance of players also is important when it shouldn't be, taller the player is the more he would get a chance. Barcelona have a small side and look at them. Haven't really seem them against a team with big lumps, would interesting to see them play Stoke but would no doubt out play them and score more.

A thing that sticks in my mind Modric was too small for Copenhagen (a similar football style to us), how they would regret that.

Arsenal are totally all over the place 7-2 down, haven't finished a league match this season with 11 men.

Steve Kean can gtf, lucky to have a job.

I suppose it also begs the question, would we have beaten Zagreb?

Maybe but they were seeded and we would have been seeded so we wouldn't have played them.

There could be more pain in store for us in the shape of humilation at the teams that have defeated us. Malmo were crushed 4-1 I think in their first leg CL qualifier. I later thought I saw them 2-0 up in the return at their home, although I've not checked the final result.

 

What's the betting that Maribor come bottom of their group?

Malmo had a man advantage again when a Zagreb player got sent off.

Good chance Maribor will be bottom as there is a good chance Malmo will come bottom in their Europa League group.

We were shite, pure and simple. Next year we may not be shite, but then again we might.

 

If there's one thing we have to start doing it is to lessen the amount of respect to these clubs. I know and have heard all the arguements about having to prepare properly and be careful, but if you start your preperations from an insubordinate position, you have a higher mountain to climb.

 

Maribor are crap,but they beat us, why???

 

Because we worried too much about what they were going to do instead of concentrating on what we were going to do to them.

Agreed there is too much respect for European Teams whether they are Malmo or Valencia, they seem to get the same amount of respect. Ok I would give respect for Valencia but you have to say we have better players than Malmo, it didn't show by the result. We do not need to set the team out for a respectful 4-5-1 but because we did well with the previous manager it is still in the mind. Also not let them pass the ball about freely get in about them. That is what Barca do so well play a high line and challenge every ball and eventually get the ball back plus their passing and movement but that is well out of our league if we do a quarter of what they do we would be onto a winner in some senses.

Well I'm not sure if its his fault, its obvious that the defenders aren't his first choice.

I agree Gribz, Ally need to get himself back down at the touchline, might ruin his voice though, after some of the game his voice sounds bad. Not sure about the shorts scenario though. We do need someone who is coming in from the outside Wilkins would be perfect but again difficult to see him actually wanting to come to be Ally's assistant.

Many factors because of the slump, Scottish coaches could do with going across to some European teams and learning the trade and coming back with that knowledge. Also the fact Scottish players only seem to think in 2 directions Here or England but that is another issue.