der Berliner

Rightio, some more time on my hands now, so let's go over this ... after watching it from essentially the sidelines behind the managers's benches. Typical 4-2-3-1 again, with probably some more focus on getting players to know each other and back to fitness levels than truly going for a win. Hence the inclusion of Jefte, who looked okay, but is IMHO no starter ahead of Ridvan. As soon as the Turk went into the game, he whipped in more dangerous crosses than Jefte did in two games. Tavernier looked sluggish from far and near, and while I accept that he didn't train much (for whatever reason), you do expect more from a professional athlete and sportsman. His sub King was clearly not a right-back, but we almost went three at the back with him, Balogun and Souttar, which helped to cut much of their attacking threat (despite Union's substitutions). Ridvan played more advanced than Jefte too. The defence at their goals in the first half looked suspect, not least these two long cross-field balls for number 1 and 3. The penalty was a joke, even from 60 metres away, the ref is a Bundesliga 2 regular (which should still be better than Premiership level) and can do better. Star of the show was surely Diomande, who tackled and worked tirelessly throughout, has an eye for a pass and a good shot in him too. Hope he gets enough protection from the refs this season. Barron, despite his size, was the Stuart McCall type of midfield dynamo we've been begging for for a long time. The two CMs worked really well and were playing positively throughout. We DO need some sort of Davis-type creator from the back still. Far too much is left to the centre-halfs in terms of build-up play. Lawrence played some sort of secondary striker role, which is fine when we have the ball, as he find spaces to shoot from. The constant pressing that we need (home and abroad) is clearly not his core competence, though he gave his best. Cortes has bags of speed and skill, with a bit more experience, he'll sure be a fine asset. This game was much better than the one in Birmingham. Wright worked away as usual, though I still think he will be better used more centrally once Cerny gets the right-wing slot. What he and McCausland brings is a lot of work and pressing the opposition, both worked back pretty well. Dessers ... I honestly don't know what causes all the negativity. He worked their defence and goalie tirelessly, took his goals well, missed a few opportunities too. Generally, a very solid striker. What we need is more like him, or, even better, another one next to him (mantra gong applied). Butland ... maybe it is just me, but he looks to be at 75 % at the most. If it was me, I'd put Kelly in goals next Saturday, though I suspect that Butland will be number 1 no matter what. All in all, an entertaining day, the Union chap who invited me said at HT that this may well end 5-5, which I agreed too.

Lest I forget ... ... the game will be screened on free TV tomorrow afternoon. You may have to do some VPNing to get this working, they currently show Essen vs Leverkusen, if you want to try your luck. https://tv.sport1.de/live/sport1

I'll only make a prediction if @Rousseau is handing out grand board titles. Still waiting for my super-special Euro 2024 winners avatar, after all! And I need to bookmark this thread, so we can go over it on January and May 2025 ...

For every Sima, there is a Matondo. At the end of the day, no matter what they did elsewhere beforehand, they have to click with us and that is a matter for the future. IMHO, we could have made better use of Lammers, and Roofe, Sima etc.. That is: playing them where they are used to play and (sic!) where they were required. But we didn't. We tried to make Plan A better with different players and ... failed again. You would hope that Cerny is not the alternative for any right attacker we have, but used as a right winger with 2 strikers (or players who are strikers) waiting for his crosses. Else we'll probably have someone to whom the Scottish defences adjust after 3 months and whose novelty status will be blunted.

Out of curiosity, I checked that Lyndon Dykes rumour for stats alone. He's 28 these days, has his contract running till 2027, has played 335 games, scoring 73 goals and assisting another 56. QPR stats read (last season): 163 (43) games, 36 (7) goals, 12 assists (1). You wonder what QPR's asking price would be (not far off Shankland's, I'd assume) This Zar Celar (25) guy has played mainly in Switzerland and clocked up 198 (49) games, 92 (21) goals, and 20 (4) assists. They snatched him up for Euro 2m. ... from stats alone, we should have looked at Celar, who'd have been well within our price range.

Quite a bit ... Negotiations are at an advanced stage for Rangers to sign on loan 21-year-old Manchester United midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who had an unsuccessful spell with Sevilla and rejected a loan move with an option to buy to FC Copenhagen as the Tunisia international enters the final year of his Old Trafford contract. (Africafoot), Sevilla are demanding that Rangers pay 60% of Joan Jordan's wages and agree to a mandatory purchase of between £2.5m and £4.2m next summer for the 30-year-old midfielder after the Ibrox club offered to pay 40% of his salary during a proposed year-long loan. (Gol Digital), Vaclav Cerny has handed over his company car, will miss the annual team photo session and has started following Rangers on Instagram after an agreement was reached for the 26-year-old Wolfsburg winger to move on loan only a year after arriving from Twente. (AZ WAZ), Twente sporting director Arnold Bruggink has confirmed the Dutch club are "working" on signing 27-year-old Rangers forward Sam Lammers "but we're not there yet". (Tubantia), Selling Sam Lammers to Twente for £2.7m could unlock the money Rangers need to tempt Heart of Midlothian to part with Lawrence Shankland, with the Edinburgh club likely to demand at least £3m for the 28-year-old Scotland striker. (Daily Record), Queens Park Rangers' move for Slovenian striker Zan Celar means the Championship club could be open to selling Lyndon Dykes, with Rangers reigniting their interest in the 28-year-old as an alternative signing target to fellow Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland. (HITC), Besiktas plan to make an official offer soon for Rangers captain James Tavernier and the 32-year-old English right-back is keen on being reunited with former Ibrox manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst. (Duhuliye), Rangers vice-captain Connor Goldson agreed personal terms in principle with Aris Limassol before returning for Wednesday’s friendly against Birmingham City and the clubs are close to agreeing a fee for the 31-year-old centre-back. (Football Insider)

Well ... Hannibal Mejbri, a French-Tunisian attacking midfielder with but a year of his contract left. If he's good, we can get him on a free next summer ... You would hope that we snatch Cerny for our right side, and pump some mony we'll receive for Goldson, Lammers, Cantwell etc. into the Sima deal. I doubt we'll sell Wright as long as we do not have a couple more AM replacements ready, if does Cantwell leave. Lowry was fully lost last night, Hagi is also away. We can't repeat Beale's mistake of last season.

While agree to most of this, would the appropriate question not be: Can they actually back the (respective) gaffer? (Both in terms of having/investing money and "financial fair-play".) In the here and now, it looks very much that Clement will / may only get all the money we rake in from "transfers out", which may very well be a significant sum? Generally ... And, at the end of the day, injuries and freak-refereeing/VARing aside, we pulled them back to one point last season, only to throw it away in 2 weeks. And "it" refers to direct CL qualification and the money that comes with it, without playing a single CL game. Any gaffer has to deliver, and neither of them changed the team in a way that wrought success - i.e. we just toiled along with 4-2-3-1 against any team out there. It beggars belief that people can be so blind/stubborn ...

You wonder whether OldCo can be "saved" and remain part of the club / history / tradition.

Truth be told, people have been working themselves into those doom-and-gloom-mode for weeks now. No wonder that they see very little positives now. There sure is not much to get excited by now, but playing competitive football will be a different matter entirely. I still remember seasons that we started being next to last after a four or five weeks in the season, despite top-notch players. And we still finished top half a year later. Whatever will be, will be.

And he looked much better than King tonight, who played in Europe for us. Just my humble opinion. If anything, Clement knows who is not ready for the first team and the bench after the last two games. Doubt we'll see this starting line-up again this season, though. Anywhere close to the first 40 mins on Saturday and half the Legion might commit suicide. As per usual ahead of the season and losses to no-marks.

My my ... what a crap display by City. Falling over like Iberian divas.

Left wing instead of Matondo.

... lol ... he looks one of the few so far this season who is actually running himself in the ground for the jersey.

WRIGHT!!!!!!! ... and who won the ball in the first place? Ridvan!

... Nsiala. Through the ranks of Milan, after all. And so far, Balogun is still playing?

... and I'll keep mine. Was the second part of the sentence, which I assumed you would add by yourself.

A well of positivity he is these days, our CammyF ...

You can keep your opinion 😎

I wouldn't change any of this at HT. Unless we are talking of youngsters. This looks like a B-Team game and should have been advertised as such. Imagine we manage to get any of the half-decent first teamers out there or on the bench injured ... There is no midfield whatsoever, Diomande pretty bad, McKinnon non-existent, Lowry shocking, Tavernier half-asleep. There is next to no service to Danilo or McCausland, Matondo at his average best. Ridvan, Nsiala and Balogun doing what is needed.

"Tavernier plays a "blinder" and any potential buyer runs away ASAP ... " theory.

Could be any game we played at Tynecastle, Easter Road or Pittodrie last season ... they have a go and we look fully disjointed. Lowry looks half the player we had before his loan. McKinnon essentially non-existent. Aside from that, some are just walking around the field disinterested or half-asleep. And because of that, we're 2-0 now.

Blues TV is even worse in their adoration of their side than ManU's was. This is more or less an experimental side, I would assume that after 30odd mins they'll get going. Remember, our last season's first teamers usually needed more than a half to get going, if at all.

... I cracked a wee smile. Just a wee smile ... on your earlier remark.

Has there been any word on Cantwell, conjectures and assumptions aside?