der Berliner

Hook, line, and sinker! ... honestly, I only did that for you and left out the "midfield diamond" remark too.

I would keep Souttar and Balogun in CD, play Jack in front of them, and Raskin plus Cifuentes. The latter two are box to box guys and willing to shoot, while Jack does the cover. We will sure play with Tavernier and Barisic, simply because we lack options (Ridvan injured and Sterling hardly played). So ... Butland Tavernier - Souttar - Balogun - Barisic Jack Raskin - Cifuentes Cantwell/Lammers Danilo - Dessers

We could have kept Sakala, and keep Wright, instead. As of now, we have Matondo and Sima and Cantwell and Hagi, who can all play on the right wing. Not that we play with a right winger anyway ... nor have since Candeias left. EDIT: Contract till 2025 ... so Hibs will want silly money.

Hat-trick it was, only the scorers differ. Felt a bit sorry for Roofe, and Sterling. We could rather easily have taken Tav off for the new boy, who sure needs game time in that position. Balogun and Souttar make a good pairing (they look in the mood right now, the others, well ... ) at the back. In league games, I'd instantly switch from Dessers to Roofe as long as the latter is fit. Sadly, right now, we have to get Dessers fit and sharp for Europe. Lammers is clearly that Laudrup type of attacker and does his job well enough, could have had a hat--trick himself with a bit of luck. Raskin and Cifuentes look fine in CM, box to box and willing to shoot. The energy of Sima and Matondo came at the right time ... it is good to have these options now. On to Geneva!

IMHO, we'll have some fun with Raskin and Cifuentes in midfield, very energetic, an eye for a pass, willing to shoot. Our front line needs some time to gel, but we are still very early in the season. Danilo a bit isolated, Cantwell just in the centre of nigh everything.

These stats do not tell much about what the other team and the ref do, right?

You're sure you are not an American? All this stats stuff ...

Roofe for a hat-trick then, last 15 mins.

Robertson reaching the full heights of his mediocrity. Dreary me.

Well, once we get these players all clicking (and match sharp), we should be seeing some fine football this season - hence I hate this early-season qualification trash. We hardly looked in much danger throughout, let's see what will happen next week.

Alas, this looks like a game of football. A bit more of a cutting edge up front, and we might be out of sight.

Transfermarkt gives the fees (not the "market value") for Sakala as Euro 4.65m and Jota Euro 29m.

Well, it remains fact, doesn't it? Whether you put it into the equation or not is up to you.

PSV would be tough, but we will see. Early season form and all that. One step at a time.

Essentially what I have been saying for years ... and I hate the squad and management proved me right, without wanting to sound arrogant here. Ever since Warburton we applied the 4-3-3 in any game no matter what. We changed players and with better quality some better results did arrive, up until the opposition sussed us out half-way through the season. While 55 was remarkable, you have to consider no-spectators, Covid, and a collapse of the Scum after the turn of the year too - during which the Lurgan Bigot ran away. With the players we had under SG, we performed well enough in Europe, where our team is essentially a non-entity for the opposition until we play them (same for us). So we did and do look dire against the brick-wall sides with our "flexible" 4-3-3 versions, but it is simply not good enough for the Scottish game. Once we change that and utilize the squad and tactics as we should, we can roast anyone in Scotland.

Snatched from BBC Zambia forward Fashion Sakala has revealed that he is leaving Rangers "with a heavy heart, yet a spirit of gratitude". The 26-year-old, who joined Rangers from Oostende in 2021, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. And he was left out of Michael Beale's Champions League qualifying squad. Now the forward, who is under contract until summer 2025, has penned an emotional goodbye to Rangers fans on Instagram. Rangers could face PSV or Sturm Graz The Ibrox club have yet to confirm the departure, but Sakala said: "Today marks the end of an unforgettable chapter in my life. I bid farewell to this esteemed club. "When I first joined Rangers, I could have never imagined the profound impact this club and its community would have on my life." Sakala, who made 91 appearances for Rangers and scored 24 goals, said the "sense of belonging" he derived from being welcomed at Ibrox was "the driving force behind my performances on the pitch". He goes on to thank the "entire management and staff" and the club's fans, adding that he will "always be a Ranger at heart". 👍

I would assume we see the same line-up as usual, just a couple of different players. It will still be a very different ball-game.

It's more like where they played. We had one centre-forward in their box, while the others where roaming about the sides our outside the area. I want them inside the area and the passes coming to them there, not from them in the hope that a midfielder et al covers the space too.

Against 6 defenders and defensive-minded midfielders. Methinks Killie had but three people you would deem attackers.

Thankfully, the Rangers game started late, so I caught 1/3 of the first half and the second. After the amount of games we played, we should have found a solution for the first game. As I said, Dowell doesn't look up for the game right now, we sure did not need him and Raskin and Lundstram, not least since most of the creative work from the midfield came from Raskin, while Lundstram provided cover for the defense. That sort of tactic didn't work well before "this season". Obviously, Lundstram made us a back three at times, but neither Tav nor Borna had any joy in their "wing-work", we might just as well put in true wingers there.

Cantwell, Hagi, Dowell. After watching the Union vs Atalanta game live with Idisi yesterday afternoon, it was once more a real culture shock to see us pounding the Killie walls. What irks me most: Beale has a host of new and fit players, but seemingly has no real idea how to utilize them best (despite weeks of trying): most attackers bar Dessers and Sima are all over the pitch, while the creative department was Raskin, Dowell, and Lundstram? Lammers is that sort of mercurial attacker like Laudrup, but there was no real cohesion up there and behind them. Hence I questioned the tactics. As soon as we saw Killie's game plan, we could easily have removed a DM (Dowell) and get Hagi or Cantwell on. Dessers and Lammers through the middle, Sima and Cantwell slightly behind them on either half-wing, Raskin to distribute the ball, fullbacks to overlap. Alas, IMHO, these chaps will adapt and be put in a slot most fitting to them. Same with the pitch. Not the first time we started a season like we did yesterday, by the end middle of September I fully expect us to find a rhythm though. Coming to think of it, in these games, we should try Dessers/Danilo and Roofe up front and Lammers directly behind them. We need able strikers up top, and we still play but one.

Point here is, we put out 4 players against a packed Killie defence that never experienced such a dross on such a pitch. IMHO, we still lack some sort of cohesion up front (no wonder if you play 4 new guys there) and that was sort of risky. Maybe MB thought the quality will get us through (like so many managers before him). Sakala ... is no world beater, but knows the score (pitch and players), presses people like hell and loves a shot. We still play far too slow out of defense, far too many needless passes across the half-way line. The pitch didn't help, but too many hot-potato passing with people covered by two or more defenders isn't the answer either. Wrong tactics with these players. That was a workmanlike midfield, and truth be told, Dowell is not a starter for me. At least in the here and now. Work-rate is fine, but that is not what is required to open up the Killie bunker. Our "wing-backs" didn't provide any suitable crosses, their defense-work could have been done by the DM or a back-tracking winger. As a result, we had a disjointed front row and a midfield (incl. wing-backs) that couldn't find a suitable pass - leaving Hagi AND Cantwell on the bench. One would hope that the trial & error period this season won't last long, but I gave up hope on that straight after the 55 season. And what is up next, Servette! Well, they won't dig themselves in at the 18-yard line.

PS: I want Sakala back!

Is there anything not mangy about this rotten club? Rude awakening for our new boys, pitch-, tactic- and playing-wise. MB again with his "prime tactic" that saw us having lots of the ball (we are sure the God-Kings of centre-midfield passes) where it doesn't matter and too few creative shot-willing people. Chase for 56 starts next week then ...

Yep. Though playing a right-CB in a back-3 is probably not too dissimilar to what he usually plays (wherever that may be). It will allow him to rove forward as the other two plus the DM cover the defense, while he switches to full-CB should the left-sided CB moves forward a little. Essentially, we'd have 3 fully defensive minded players on the park, not 4, which gives us space for at least one more attack minded "wing"-player. We sure need more attackers against the low-block teams, as the last half-dozen seasons have proved. Likewise, three fully defensive minded players may help to weed out these needless errors at the back.