Scott7

Can’t believe we overlooked Ronnie MacKinnon, Prince of centre halves. Not the physical giant that Geordie Young was nor did he appear granite-hard like Willie Woodburn but nobody ran through him. Here he is follow-following his captain.

Maybe you’re not wrong. I’ll have to think about it. It will be quite some time before I make up my mind.

To be fair to the oaf - can’t believe I said that - his mother is German so he has a hereditary claim to the outlandish garb.

For the lads who go to the match on a Saturday and who went to Germany to actually watch the football hoping to see their team win, my commiserations. For the party clowns, the middle-aged toddlers and the politicals most especially the buffoon Robertson, ha, ha, ha.

Here comes the Billy boy. Too late, I fear. Where’s Larry? Just enough time for him to bang in three. Oh dear. That needs to be four.

Tierney is even more dreadful than the rest.

Withdraw, Sir. Agree with that bit.

Is that £8M the pair or each? £1M for Tav and £180K for Goldson is more like it.

Ghanaian on loan from Hammerby to Lorient. Rangers battled with celtic for his signature in November. Both must have lost. This time we’re battling Anderlecht.

I seem to remember a very knowledgeable poster (ahem) predicting as much in the event of a Cup Final victory. A less charitable fellow than I would refer to another poster’s scornful dismissal but @Rousseau’s a decent cove so no need to embarrass him.

But can Rangers compete with Oxford, Brum and Wrexham? Of course they can. Not so much financially but the prospect of playing at a high level on a Thursday ought to attract a lad with ambition. The Saturday job may be at a low technical standard but with Rangers every match is a big match. The disappointing aspect is the level of the transfer market competition. Of the other clubs mentioned only BC have the slightest pretence to grandeur. (Beaten FA Cup finalists and League Cup winners in the distant past)

A hardy lad by the look of him. The trouble with hardy lads who sign for Rangers is that refs go after them. Hardy lads in celtic teams are ushered calmly through the ninety minutes.

The Scotsman top fifty puts him at 47 behind Hendry, 21 and McQueen 5.

First time to see the Rangers, @Idisi? I hope the team’s ready for it. ”Testspiele”? Training match?

According to Alan Pattullo of the Scotsman. (I think he’s Aberdeen but doesn’t mind the celtic) Here’s his top ten from 1974 to date. 10 Bremner 09 Gough (pleasant surprise) 08 Leighton (Whit! Goram’s 31, Harvey (Leeds) is. 32 and Gordon is 39) 07 Jordan 06 Strachan 05 McQueen 04 Robertson, Liverpool (Jings) 03 McGrain (No quarrel with DMcG but shift him down a place, get rid of Robertson and bring Jardine up from a ridiculous 11. 02 Souness 01 Dalgleish. Nicholas is 49. Hansen is 47. celtic McGregor is 40. celtic Boyd is 30. (crivvens) Jimmy Johnstone is 26. (top ten, surely) McTominay is 25. (speechless) Cooper is 19.(what can you say?) Tierney is 18. (some mistake, surely) Bazza is 16. Fletcher is 15. (jings crivvens) McCoist is 13. Law is 12. (top three beyond doubt) John Greig is not listed

AH admitted to hospital seriously ill. No diagnosis published yet.

Thanks. I used to wonder what his job was.

When I said hbs rarely went to the touchline, I was forgetting that they took the throw-ins. Chuck the ball to the if or the winger then get back on station pronto.

Turnbull was a great player, performed exactly as described by Professor @compo. He could also let go a rocket shot. Scored about two hundred goals for the Hibs including all four in a 4-1 defeat of celtic. What a hero. Although he started as left half he played mostly at inside left which explains the goals. The half back pair that fitted the template best was Cumming, defensive and McKay attacking. Davis and Stevenson/Baxter (Rangers) Allister and Glen (Aberdeen) were similar. In pitch geography terms the fbs were rarely out of their own half, the wingers and cf rarely in it but the hbs were box to box - goal line to goal line when necessary.

Almost there. One of the inside forwards was usually a little bit back from the front line, so on the blackboard it was 3-3-4. On the field the reality became 4-2-4 when the cb dropped back on the fbs taking the defensive hb with him. The attacking hb still had defensive duties - intercepting the opponents’ forward passes, countering an attacker, receiving the ball from his own backline. Then his duties changed to attack - passing to his inside forward or carrying it forward himself to a better position for the pass. Very rarely, pace Professor @compo, unleashing the shot himself. In your mind’s eye, draw a line back from the centre circle to the line of the penalty box. Extend the penalty box line to the touchline. That gives you two imaginary rectangles left and right, the fiefdoms in which the hbs, left and right were lords. They would be expected, however, to get involved in stramashes in their own penalty box especially the defensive chap and occasionally the attacking chap might find himself in the opponents’ box. All of this goes out the window when your hbs are Greig and Baxter.

San Siro.

Push your fullbacks out wider, withdraw the cb to a position between and slightly forward of them and the two hbs to his left and right and slightly forward. The hbs didn’t go to the touchline except in pursuit while defending or rarely, because of the presence of wingers, overlapping their inside forward on the attack. Everybody all over the place when the hurly burly began.

A defensive/attacking left or right midfielder. The equivalent of the central mid was one of the inside forwards nominally left or right.

It’s the place to be.

Not your fault, old bean.