der Berliner

Like people screaming for players, managers, and the chairman's heads? As if life and death of Rangers and their support depend on any of the Malm�¶ games, or the Maribor tie? Without the season having barely started? The main thing here is objectivity and/or the lack of it. If people start thinking we have an eternal right to win every game, be in the Champions' League or beat any team that is no household name in Europe - which is obviously the case on here and FF - then they have a problem when reality comes calling. When they should have experienced football reality often enough before, you would think. I could count down and quote all that has been said about the Malm�¶ games, but I do not. Let me simply remind people that we play a game of chance, a game called football. If there ever was a reminder needed that you cannot rely on names, quality, experience and the like, it was (once again) delivered yesterday afternoon at the Timdome. These "freak" results will happen time and again, as it is part and parcel of the game. Yet, in the long run of an SPL season, you would hope - and Rangers have delivered this time and again - that the occurance of such odd games is limited to such an extend that we reclaim the league title in May. I have never experienced such a streak of bad luck in front of goals and goals conceded, foolishness commited by our players in many a long day. During those three European ties alone that is. Thus, I do not regard these games as any sort of standard that Rangers are capable of or shall be measured against. Especially if you consider that we have been barely out of pre-season, while Malm�¶ had half their season behind them and are no pub-team either. Wee reminder that Maribors and the like do happen to other teams of - let's say - our ranking in Europe too: HJK Helsinki 2 Schalke 0, Slovan Bratislava 1 Roma 0, Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3 Panathinaikos 0.

Had a look at it and the only question that remains is: what was the position of the officials. From midfield, this might well have looked like a penalty. From the touchline, it should be obvious that Stokes took a nice dive. He played the ball (and could have done much better, btw) and after miss-hitting, milked the occasion. Did they actually show a red card to the goalie?

I wonder where the next best possible disaster for the doom-and-gloom brigade hides. While I do share some obvious concerns, the nigh irrational hysteria levels that sweep over the boards always leaves me bereft for words. Like some of these people with usually a few thousands post to their credit appear like folk that have been introduced to this funny old game only last month. One step away from a possible collective meltdown. Well, well ...

I vaguely remember to have said it before. It is fine and well to want players. Whether they come is not just a matter of our interest or money available to us though.

General remark: Rangers are expected to win every game. Rangers supporters expect them to win every game. Over the course of these successful years, Rangers supporters have developed a mentality - arrogant I'd call it - to debase the ability of essentially every other Scottish team bar them, which IMHO shows an incredible amount of disrespect to these footballers. Not least since we use and used these teams as a source of our best players over decades. I for one tend to give every team the respect they deserve. Some deserve more, some deserve nigh none (Aberdeen?). As for these make or break stuff, IMHO utter bampottery. It is the fourth weekend of the league season, half the team is injured, half of our new signings are not here, some folk still lack a bit of sharpness. We have faced pretty difficult games so far (St. Johnstone apart) - by SPL standards - and we will face one today too. There is every chance that we might lose to the in-form team too. That said, we can essentially field the same team that slaughtered them there at the tail end of last season. It will be tough, but at no time in living (and dead) memory has a fixture in August decided the destination of the title or the job of a manager.

(A bit strange with Weiss, but I do assume that 3m is just a part of the affair. It could well be that we were never offered a chance and playing for his father was a decent enough pull. He's still young though. EDIT: Mistook that. It ain't his father who manages Kiev. He manages that Slovak team linked with a swoop for Weiss earlier.)

On a nitpicking sidenote ... Whittaker gave away the first leg goal after 17 minutes, and was sent-off after 18 in the second. Not much time to have the games in our bags ;-)

Danny is our positive poster on here, right? I know nothing of this guy, but the Hooped Horrors signed Hooper from a lower league team and he hit quite a few in the SPL, we signed a few people from low key teams and they became successes in the SPL too. That said, everyone signs a dud now and then, as we all know. I for one would give Hemmings a chance, but that's just me. But as I said, this is just a weak rumour so far.

There's weak rumour on FF that we might be interested in Adam le Fondre of Rotherham United (24 years, 53 goals in 95 games for them since 2009). The chap was mentioned on FF a few times, now some twitter-in-the-know chap claims we have contacted his agent. Well, well ...

Had a look at McCulloch during the game and he was quietly doing his job in taking their playmaker out of it. The problem was that around him, lots of sub-standard football was played. He's the first scapegoat to be punished though, which is the usual thing for people like him or e.g. Hemdani. As for Ally, IMHO it beggars belief that season after season after season people jump on the doomday scenario bandwaggon after a couple or so games that do not according to plan and foresee doom and dispair, league titles lost pre-christmas and whatnot. All I would say to those folk: look back those last three years and tell me where's the difference? It's not like we blasted our way to each title of 3IAR by starting the league with 4-0s each week, home and abroad.

Might be you got me wrong here. I was speaking with regards to fitness and form levels, not "importance" to the club. The Swedes simply were far better in that and no matter people want to turn it, you simply cannot gain 5 or 6 weeks of fitness back in that short a timespan. The Swedes had 18 weeks of competition (sic!) under their belt, so in essence that would be our fitness and form level in November! Thus, IMHO, it was only too clear that our players' sharpness - be it Jelavic, Naismith or whomever - could not be as high as it was in April or May, when they would have put 4 out of 5 chances away. I said on the day that we were still operating at probably 60% of our midseason form, by now we probably have reached 75%. Nothing Ally et al can do about it. Hence, this pairing with a summer season - team was unfair. Not that UEFA will care, even though there are quite a number of summer football teams involved.

That's where he played for Almeria, that and right winger. And he can exchange psoitions with Bedoya, who is also well trained on the right side of the team. What we will see is Whittaker there, since he's our only "natural right back" and has a bumper deal that needs to bear some fruitation and ... ... if only Whittaker was a good defender too. He's never made it beyond decent SPL level. His attacking play though is better, once he gets out of pre-season form. And while we are at it, it's more likely to see that we have a midfield four of Bedoya - Davis - McKay - Ortiz, which wouldn't be that bad either.

Danny, the season has barely started. Malm�¶ home and abroad was despite what people say essentially just a important pre-season bout. In years gone by, the season started about half if not a month later! Once people get into their rhythm, their sharpness will return.

I do expect to see a much different midfield in the not too distant future, e.g. ... McGregor Ortiz - Goian - Bocanegra - Wallace Bedoya - Davis - Ness - McKay Naismith - Jelavic

STVSport Ally McCoist says Rangers were interested in signing Marek Suchy but deal now off after Carlos Bocanegra joined (via @GordonChree)

As he proved during the last weeks of the season, Lafferty is primarily a centre forward. Him and Jela up front, with Naismith and Davis there to run into the spaces behind them. That said, he should get his act together and start scoring and performing consistently.

@ Frankie's post ... and that is posssibly the reason why we signed up McKay, who plays in their (Lee & Mo's) position. Strong and with an eye for a pass too. Edu can be somewhat frustrating and thus I would, if we have the opportunity, keep him on the bench.

... unless the Bartley injury is more severe? Or maybe we start looking for a Coistenaggio :-) I do hope we get that work permit for McKay today, would sure be a good lift after last night.

Dunno whether it was about the temperature (said to be roundabout 30 degress Celsius), but I said at HT to our folk over at the German board that we do indeed look somewhat lacklustre, just as if we could not find out of 2nd or 3rd gear at best. People you would have thought taking the game to them sprayed passes and flanks about that reminded you of a pre-season bout. Davis in particular was out of sorts. With regards to the positives, Goian and Bocanegra looked decent enough, a major plus being that they appear to be no-nonsense folk who do the simple stuff and do it efficiently. Broadfoot was at his solid best - which is, with all due respect, a good SPL standard, but not much more - and was more impressive that our midfielders in going forward. Was actually astonished to see him more involved in our attacks than the far more pacy (but much less experienced (UEFA competitions that is)) Wallace. Ortiz was also involved, much less than he could be though, I'd assume. But I hope that he switches to his preferred right flank once we secure McKay. Jela worked his socks off, but with no support from midfield (Davis, Naismith and Edu being all over the place) fought a lost cause. It improved after HT, since Lafferty (once he got going) picked up the passes from the back and laid them off to Jela - a recipe for next week. Lafferty's height was probably the reason why he was preferred to the fitter Healy. McGregor ... was left badly exposed for the two goals, both down to poor defending and lost attention ... on the left wing.

Can't even remember the McCann incident. Did it cost us a game back then?

Can't think been more annoyed of a Rangers player ever before. And that is counting back to 1983, mind you ... Whittaker better score 10+ goals this season to make amends for this and I AM not dissatisfied that he gets some time on the sidelines to think about the situation.

IMHO, people like Bocanegra and McKay are very fit players and can play for some years. We'd never have given Bocanegra a 3-year deal if we weren't convinced that they couldn't handle it. On a sidenote, it looks to me that McCoist's World Cup scouting finally bears some fruits. Let's hope we get McKay too tomorrow and all we need is another lethal striker. EDIT ... that said, since the wing positions are all covered now, we may see Naismith and Lafferty providing assistance to Jela up front on a permanent basis.

I'm one of those few ...

Just wait till they have these hieroglyphs on the back of their shirts! Oh, and WELCOME to the Gers, Alejandro!

... but only after we've secured at least one midfield signing.