ranger_syntax

Ally could have kept Kane Hemmings if he wanted another forward. I lost confidence in McCoist last season when it became clear that he couldn't get any more out of the squad and claimed that the problem was a lack of players. Since then I've been won over by most of the performances this season. If Miller is signed I'll be back to having little, maybe no, confidence in McCoist.

Thanks for the interesting details about American sport. Regarding the EPL "soft" cap it definitely means that teams are much less likely to move up and down the league. It doesn't appear to be designed to hinder major teams in any way but rather to preserve their status. It's as if there is a wide spread, and false, perception that FFP is to prevent teams like Manchester City from spending massive sums of money. That may be one outcome but situations such as witnessed at Chelsea and Manchester City are rare. In contrast every single team will find itself pegged against income. Imagine a Premier league where Middlesborough can never try to outdo Newcastle. Sounds pretty boring to me.

Here's an interesting article about Uefa's financial fair play regulations by Stefan Szymanski http://www.soccernomics-agency.com/?p=527 He thinks that it will lead to a closed system like the N.F.L. where big clubs are protected from competition and owners can actually make a profit. I've been aware of, and opposed to, these regulations for a while but the following quote surprised me: Interested to read what the rest of you think of it all.

Not entirely pointless. Walter's appointment appeared, to me at least, to be designed to show the supporters that Green could be trusted. In that context the meaning of his resignation is unambiguous.

I find it hard to understand allowing McCoist to sign players and then firing him at the first defeat. They may want the coaching staff off of the payroll but it will still cost to sack them.

I'm not willing to claim a refund for my season ticket as I think it will only damage the club further. In my opinion the only way to control who owns, and thus what happens to, Rangers is to buy it.

Rule 14(g) appears to offer a range of punishments. Does anyone know if there are any guidelines to go along with the rule? https://twitter.com/rangersfctrust/status/316689362307932161/photo/1

Here is a short statement from Craig Mather. http://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/4650-craig-mather-statement Edit: Well, a link at least, since I'm a bit too slow.

This is a reason to prefer Green et al?

I'm not sure what to think of the CVA etc. I'm really looking forward to watching Rangers beat them on the pitch though.

I have similar overall expectations to the O.P. Winning our division and the Ramsdens Cup is the minimum. That was what I wanted last year and we were knocked out by the eventual winners on penalty kicks. I'll be generous and say that counts as coming close. This season, with better preparation and personnel, we must win it. Anything that happens in the other cup competitions is a bonus. Winning against Motherwell was one of the best moments of last season. The cup competitions can provide an opportunity to knock out some other teams that we are less fond of and I expect that we would enjoy that even more. As for the quality of football I don't mind so much. Last season was difficult to watch at times but I want the manager to think about winning first.

It seems to me that the club would still need to 'strike a balance' wherever it played.

That was an interesting read. I'm not so sure about the idea of holding on to IPO cash for too long though. Shouldn't it be invested quickly?

It's an interesting point. Issuing rebuttals of what various journalists say probably leaves us open to more attacks. By noting that we are actually in competition with the media, and then acting accordingly, we probably do more to undermine them.

This is the most important point for me. The only reason, in the past, that the manager and players needed to talk to the press was to get information out to fans. We don't need that now. The club has an effective means of distributing information itself.

Do you think it will be difficult to get tickets?

For me the interview is a mixed bag. Some of it was pretty transparent and for show. I have no idea what to make of 'a day of reckoning'. Also McCoist seems to trip himself up a lot and have to correct himself. Then again he is not working as our lawyer so perhaps we can forgive him for talking rubbish like one or two other managers out there. I felt positive about a few of the things that McCoist said about the team though. He appears to be focussing on two things: fitness and competition for places. Last season I scorned the notion that the pre-season problems and a lack of players were to blame for poor performances. I thought that these were only excuses. McCoist has clearly made both a priority. I think that having his, admittedly modest, vision put into practice should result in a noticeable improvement. He also pointed to the fact that youth development can be difficult in SFL2. It's a fair point for a number of reasons. He suggested that it is difficult to attract the best young players to SFL2 and that seems plausible to me. I also think that it is a rubbish place to develop young players, especially if you expect to win every game. Finally he mentions that it is more complicated than just turning up. If it was as simple as turning up then I doubt any of us would. For some reason though much criticism seems to assume that we should just be able to turn up and win. Many also assume that McCoist is a cheque book manager and nothing more. The fact that he acknowledges the complexity involved suggests that there might be more going on than people think. So I'm optimistic about this season.

Yes, maybe not. My first impression is that he hasn't got much coaching experience but is this more or less than the typical holder of such a position?

This is the important question for me. What would McCoist point to in support of Durie's appointment? He might be good or bad but what it McCoist's supporting rationale?

I think that supporters often underestimate the importance of attitude. It is a team game and personality is important when trying to turn a group of individuals into a team. Ally McCoist knows Foster personally. How many of Foster's critics can say the same?

I'm not sure what the problem with Foster signing is. I seem to remember that he played left and right back for us before. This may be further indication that McCoist will try to move Lee Wallace on.

We really are better off keeping out of this altogether.

I don't think that it does. Going to the last day at either end of the table isn't really a measure of competitiveness for a division. In larger divisions more teams are at neither end. It probably means that the contest for a particular spot is more competitive though.

Is there any chance that we could keep the money and use it to pay our own club's wages?

If you think it through further you will find other teams in a situation where motivation is diminished. Larger divisions lead to more meaningless matches, more teams in a division means less chance of winning it et cetera.