der Berliner

I see. Thing is, "wasn't any better" still managed to win us NIAR and all. I'd rather have a bit of that "quality" these days - alongside stellar players like Laudrup or Stevens. Thing is too ... people are so much down from years past that they seemingly think we are just above dung-heap level, no matter the player. Hence, these chaps get FLAK like there is no tomorrow. It is quite obvious that people see this somewhat different, yet, I, for one stop a country mile or two short of calling such an opinion drivel. I don't mind people like Wright in our team, as long as they give 100 %. It is where we are right now and once we can get better, fine.

Homework? Nonsensical? Explain.

It ain't Christmas. We bought Cortes as a right winger and he lasted minutes, playing on the left. Last season, this season. I thought we bought Matondo a as right winger too, as he has played equally on either side (and usually goes centra to use his right foot), and play him on the left. Both look far more project players than McCausland, for if you put Ross on, you see commitment, bite and drive ... at his current quality level. With the other two, it seems to ebb and flow. Like McCausland, you know what you get with Wright. Somehow, you get the notion that people still can't realize the situation we are still in. While it is all fine and well to do some finger-pointing or blame someone of the board et al, the reality remains. We can wish for people of higher quality, yet, if those we have give all they have, we should still be sober enough to recognize this. Far too many seek the easier route and indulge in this "not good enough" singing. Much like Stuart Munro or Davie Robertson were no Stevens, Ricksen, Papac or - dare I say it - Tavernier, they gave the 100 % they had. Wright is no Kanchelskis, Mikhailichenko, or Laudrup, but closer to McCann, who also ran himself into the ground for the Gersey. Every now and then, people should come down to the more normal levels and give credit where it is due.

Had a look at the new format ... well, we've come a long way since the European Cup and Cupwinners Cup games. Anyway, someone somewhere will have checked this before: should we bail out this round, do we go into some other competition? Same question for the next "play-off" round.

Sterling might be fit for tomorrow, I heard Clement say, so that might be a bonus. They are not further down "their" season than we are, so who knows how well they will eventually shape up. Sitting back should not be the option, but I would assume we cannot play as open as we did on Saturday, or they will hurt us. Surprise us (again), Rangers!

Funnily enough, before I had a first look at the board I thought: let's see whether the mhedia got up in arms about that penalty not given against Barron. Far less conclusive than the one Germany didn't get at the Euros, but the rules and their application these days are a joke anyway. And suddenly I remembered the days when we had this Compliance Officer, who sprang to the Yahoos' help time and again, castigating our players on hindsight, or reducing Yahoo cards. As long as it was a useful tool, it was in the news and active. Haven't heard of him/her for the best part of two years now? Maybe we see it back, either for Barronmania or these idiots with strange fetishes ...

Rangers probe 'unacceptable' pro-Nazi flag at Hearts match as UEFA keep close eye ahead of Dynamo Kyiv clash Rangers have launched an investigation into an "unacceptable" pro-Nazi banner that appeared in the away end during their 0-0 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday. The blue flag with a Totenkopf skull - also known as the "death head" - was hung from the section housing the Rangers supporters in Gorgie. The symbol represented the SS during the Second World War and became the logo of the 3rd SS Totenkopf Panzer Division, which committed war crimes during the six-year conflict. ... https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/latest-rangers-news/rangers-probe-unacceptable-pro-nazi-flag-at-hearts-match-as-uefa-keep-close-eye-ahead-of-dynamo-kyiv-clash-4728556 What's the problem and faux outrage? The Ukrainians will warmly welcome this sort of imagery and if they and theirs wear it every other day in next to each war snippet you see on TV, no-one takes note or looks actively away. Before you ask, of course either of the above should be condemned and banned. You'd have to ask these banner chaps why they have it about ... and the police why they don't grab it at the entrance.

He was the TRIalist that tried to score from our three corners, but somehow failed to hit the target from less than a yard out. He sure is a natural scorer these last few years, but like every striker we have signed since Warburton, he would have to lead the line against packed defences, something he hardly ever does for Hearts. It would be a rather new environment for him and not even the Fates know how he would fare with us. Let him stay at Tynecastle till the end of the year and hope he'll hurt the Scum, then offer him a pre-contract in January. If anything, I wonder why Clement hasn't raided the Belgium or similar market. He and his sure know some cool old heads and talented youngsters.

No goals conceded against super-top-notch striker this side of Saturn's rings, again. Never an easy place to go, the deficits in the team are not new, and need no repetition. Ceterum, peto ut mutanda ratio!

So far, all look steady enough, Butland with a fine save. Early season bout with Hearts, as per usual. Some fine crosses by Ridvan, a good shot by Barron and Dessers a touch unlucky. Hearts, after a few bold minutes, simply (again) rely on hitting on the counter or grab a corner free-kick. Devlin the epitome of this modern day Iberian Plague. Kicks Wright in the knee, then falls flat and claims a foul for effectively nothing. Same with others. Shame of the game these days.

RANGERS: Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Davies, Ridvan, Barron, Diomande, Lawrence, Wright, Cortes, Dessers Subs: Kelly, Matondo, Cerny, Dowell, Jefte, Balogun, King, McKinnon, Danilo. I'd call that 11 out of 11.

North Central Edinburgh, South East Berlin, East Central Edinburgh ...

Without wanting to tempt fate, our games against Hearts last season were interesting, but out of six we drew only one. I have no idea in what sort of shape they are right now, though as per usual, they'll probably give it a go. I doubt that we will see Pröpper from the start, so most likely the same that started vs Union. It looks like Clement wants to play Lawrence as the shadow striker, then switches Wright into that role once he brings on fresh legs for the wings. Dessers will start up top, unless there is a late knock. Cortes looked dire in Birmingham, much better in Berlin. Even though, like Matondo, he was not that good at tracking back. Hopefully Matondo gets his head down and has a good season. IMHO, Ridvan should start over Jefte, as he is far more settled in the team and environment. We lost two bad goals down Jefte's side last weekend, even though the centre-halfs didn't help much. Going by those who are fit and acquainted, it would be reasonable to expect Souttar and Davies. Either one may be exchanged for Balogun, who IMHO still is the coolest head of the lot. There will be no way around Tavernier for the time being, though I expect Sterling taking over when fit. I'd go for Kelly in goal, but it will be Butland. Barron and Diomande are the only two chaps ready and raring to go in that midfield duo thing, alas, Diomande "thinks forward". Butland Tavernier - Souttar - Davies - Ridvan Barron - Diomande Wright - Lawrence - Cortes Dessers

Rangers name their Euro squad - CL GK: Jack Butland, Liam Kelly, Lewis Budinauckas DEF: James Tavernier, Ridvan Yilmaz, Robin Propper, John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, Jefte, Ben Davies, Leon Balogun MID: Oscar Cortes, Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande, Kieran Dowell ATT: Cyriel Dessers, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, Vaclav Cerny, Scott Wright, Hamza Igamane, Danilo ... plus a host of youngsters.

Under Sir Walter we signed lots of captains ...

... someone had to stop the match day assumptions in the transfer thread. 😱 😎 So off we go in the hunt for 56!

Saturday - 03. August 2024 - 12:30 Scottish Premiership at Tynecastle Park v Referee - Nick Walsh Assistants - Fourth Official - Video Assistant Referee - Assistant Video Assistant Referee - Missing - Zak Lovelace (muscle), Nicolas Raskin (ankle), Hamza Igamane (lack of training), Todd Cantwell (not in squad) Doubtful - Sterling Live on - Sky Sports Football and Rangers TV

Yes. It was quite interesting to see wee Ross walking along that towering black Union striker with no respect or fear whatsoever. IMHO, Barron, Wright, and McCausland are of that "British tenacious ilk" which is needed in the Premiership. People like Stuart McCall or Ian Ferguson. Diomande is similar, but possesses far more skill ... but also looks rather frail. There will be enough games where we will need the technical and fast chaps more than the fighters, and vice versa. You do wonder whether the arrival of Cerny, alongside Cortes and Wright will hamper the amount of games for McCausland. That said, all can play on either side of attack or AM. We shall see.

Well, I think I stopped loosing sleep about what happens behind the doors at Ibrox ever since SG arrived. What will be will be, no matter how much we wreck our brains. As the board/club is structured now, another Murray/Whyte/Green scenario won't be happening and those in power are all doing their best (whether they are PR beasts or not) for the club. 100 fans will have 101 different ideas of what goes wrong and/or can or must be done better ... and fair enough. My main concern remains with the team, the players and the tactics. Not that I can change much about the tactical shambles either, but it is something you can have "objective" and valid opinions on. And it is also enough to lose sleep over ...

He and McCausland did more tracking back against Union than Cortes and Jefte did together, while Tavernier fell over before Union's "penalty".

IN - Hannibal Mejbri (21) - AM, Tunisia, ManU - contract till 2025 - TM - TM stats - LINK IN - Marko van Ginkel (31) - CM, Dutch, freebie - TM - TM stats - LINK IN - Robin Pröpper (30) - CB, Dutch, Twente - contract till 2027 - TM - TM stats - LINK

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.