der Berliner

Referee - Alan Muir Assistants - Daniel McFarlane and Douglas Ross Fourth Official - Stewart Luke Video Assistant Referee - Andrew Dallas Assistant Video Assistant Referee - John McCrossan Missing - Steven Davis (Knee), Todd Cantwell (Knee), Kieran Dowell (Knee), Danilo Pereira (broken cheekbone), Nico Raskin (calf), Todd Lawrence (calf) Ridvan and Balogun back from EL exile, Lawrence added to the injured. Motherwell ahead of us by a point, so they seemingly have a decent start to the season (TBH, I don't watch any of the other highlights or read any reports on them these days). Still, I'd through anything including the kitchen sink at them from the off and turn to a more usual pick-them-off counter style later, once they are forced to open up. Thus ... Butland Tavernier - Goldson/Davies - Souttar - Ridvan Lundstram/Jack Sima - Lammers - Matondo Dessers - Roofe

Lammers impact was visible, if anything, he's an all action player who is not hiding. Over the course we deserved the three points, but Betis dropped in quality quite a bit. Still, Butland sure earned his corn tonight and has all that is needed to become another Rangers goalie. Three points, now we sail out for more ...

I'd get Scott Wright on for the second half. He would at least try to rip himself a new one for the Gersey. 47 mins game time, of which we "played" about 5 mins of football. And that is - just to make sure of that - the fault of the lot out there, not Beale.

It looks like our players are much more intimidated by the occasion than the opposition. Hardly a sign of Lawrence (wait for the 2nd half!), Cifuentes and Lundstram all over the place, Matondo a bag of nerves and Sima has the lead-boots on. Tav caught out about 5 times by now, the rest their usual self. Roofe as isolated as it can be. I want Hagi and Sakala back, please.

So that is going to be ... Butland Tavernier - Goldson - Davies -Barisic Cifuentes - Lundstram Sima - Lawrence - Matondo Roofe

Forget the midfield, we'll play the Bealenaccio with 6 "forwards".

"... sporting fairness and the integrity" ... and the Scottish game? When was this last the case. Anyone heard a word from the Compliance Officer of late? Is he still around?

Some of these teams are head and shoulders above us, not even contemplating our current form and injuries. Gave a hats off to Union Berlin only getting defeated 1-0 at Real with a 94th minute winner, despite being under the cosh for 94 mins. But they are a settled, defence-minded counter-attacking team. Our defence is mediocre at best, and utterly sub-standard in CL terms. While our atttack needs to find a formula that works, despite weeks of trail and error.

If we start to pick another workers' team against a better side, we will end up like we did against PSV - twice. Three "attackers" are simply not enough for Europe, and if our wingbacks play as "adventurous" as they do in the Premiership, our defence will once again have a tough time on their hands. Not sure whether Lawrence is fit enough for a starting slot, he only came into the weekend game after half-time. I would assume that we will go with Sima, Matondo/Roofe and Desser up front, and Lammers in behind them. We need to start with a high press and keep them under pressure. Cifuentes and Lundstram/Jack in CM. The defence picks itself, simply because lack of options.

And your point is?

A few years ago I stopped playing Fantasy League football and thus much interest in the EPL dropped to a minimal level. Now I see Brighton, Luton Town, Wolves and even Brentford and Nottingham Forest in the EPL is like a different planet from back then. Now ... what has it all to do with a Rangers transfer thread, I wonder?

Referee - Lawrence Visser BEL Assistants - Rien Vanyzere BEL and Thibaud Nijssen BEL Fourth Official - Kevin Van Damme BEL Video Assistant Referee - Bram Van Driessche BEL Assistant Video Assistant Referee - Tiago Martins POR Missing - Steven Davis (Knee), Todd Cantwell (Knee), Danilo Pereira (broken face bones), Nicolas Raskin (calf); Ridvan Yilmaz, Kieran Dowell, Leon Balogun (not in EL squad ... FFS!!!) Anyone checked what form Betis is in right now?

Have seen the incident back only now and Maeda shouldered Cantwell aside before even attempting to play the ball, his injured happened in the leg-tangle afterwards. Dunno whether you can watch this snippet in Britain.

If teams open up, we can hurt them. Lawrence's eye for a pass is great, as was Raskin's late on for Sima. Hence I do think that we will have some more joy in the EL. Should have been more from the good chances we had, but we've heard that before. Roofe's goal being chopped off was another joke from the VAR clan.

Ouch ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F6JThTKX0AAAZ4j?format=webp&name=small

We are god-kings of passes between defence and defensive midfield. The time it takes to get the ball into the final third is horrendous, as are most "short" passes into midfield to players covered. At some stage you wonder why the ball isn't played long, to put Saints defenders under pressure. Our front three hardly get anything to work with, the half has virtually bypassed Ridvan and especially Lawrence, as nigh all is done through Tavernier and Raskin on the right. Lammers the one creative spark so far. You hope that we snatch a quick second and go on from there. You see why the Scum couldn't beat that lot at home, but likewise, we should not lower ourselves to their* level. *That includes both them and Saints.

Shocking, TBH. Even before Cantwell was fouled by Maeda. We had three players of his ilk at the start of the season, Cantwell, Hagi, and Lowry. All three out of the equation now. Well, we can't change that now, so having a look at the players's positions, it seems that Beale counted on Dowell, Danilo, Raskin, and Cifuentes for the AM slot. Matondo and Lawrence have been used as "shadow strikers" before (if rarely), and I have high hopes of Lawrence making an impact this season. Lammers played in a free-er role too, but no matter what we put out in the coming weeks, we need to get to a settled line-up and people knowing what they are supposed to do, rather than this patchwork-attack work relying on that odd spark of quality and creativity. Butland Goldson - Souttar - Balogun Jack/Lundstram Sima - Raskin - Danilo - Lawrence Roofe - Dessers

So it looks that despite all the expectation and clamour for a new head, we will soldier on with Mr. Beale. Truth be told, my gut feeling still says that he will be able to "turn it around" (not that we have lost any competition we were going to have success in this season anyway so far) with the players we have from middle to front, with or without Beale. 4 games in, we/they have not really clicked, and as I noted before, it seems MB has too many toys and doesn't exactly know how to play best with them. So I'll give Beale another 6 match days before I'm going to join the choir of the doomers.

Copied from an older FF line on McCoist, adapted to this day and age: I can confirm that I haven't spoken to anyone at Auchenhowie or Ibrox during the last half-hour and that an unnamed nobody with no links to anything didn't tell me what I didn't already not know about Beale's position, vis-a-vis his employee status at the football club. As I said, the international break came at the worst possible time.

Graham Potter 'on shortlist' for UK job return after ex-Chelsea boss snubbed France offer Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been shortlisted by Rangers as a potential replacement for under-fire boss Michael Beale. Following last Sunday's stinging 1-0 loss at home to arch rivals Celtic and failure to qualify for the Champions League, Beale's position at Ibrox has become uncertain just over a month into the new season. That's prompted the Gers hierarchy to make a shortlist of candidates who could succeed him and Potter has emerged as one. The English coach is yet to return to management after being sacked by Chelsea in April. That was when Potter, 48, was only seven months into a five-year deal, winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge. But his reputation hasn't been completely damaged, with French giants Lyon offering him their managerial position as Laurent Blanc faces the sack. That's according to the Sun, who report that Rangers are now circling for both Potter and Birmingham manager John Eustace. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/graham-potter-chelsea-lyon-manager-30904900 Has anyone heard anything from the Rangers board / affiliates / relatives / you name it ... that there is any wish to actually replace Beale?

Is there even a hint of a whisper from anyone in charge at the club that they think of replacing Beale? Or is this all just indulging in wishful thinking?

Well, "this" congregation ... International break comes at the worst possible moment.

I know it won't be a popular opinion, but the reaction to last week has gone out of hand by some margin. We are 4 match days into a season and bowed out of a competition that we do not belong to, unless people enjoy sadomasochistic evenings in mid and late autumn. We sure have our work cut out, but, as we say over here, we should also leave the church in the village.

NB: While there is every reason to give Lowry game-time away from Ibrox, sending Hagi on loan too was a mistake. Maybe Lawrence and Lammers can cover for Cantwell, but his creativity is only rivalled by Hagi.

You are not. Maeda barged into him and kicked his legs ... I saw the slow-motion but once and was having a hearty laugh when there wasn't a VAR on this. Likewise with one of the Japanese jumping into Tav's ankles with a straight leg, leaving Tav on the ground. That was orange at best, and a sending off in Europe.