buster.

I reckon Hibs will come out of the traps fast but when the game settles (obviously dependent on score), won't persist in pressing high up the park. They'll sit deeper, thinking/hoping we'll struggle to break them down but they'll actively look to counter-attack with speed.

How long until we hear about David Brent Rodgers being mentioned as a contender again then nothing again................ ?

How much in pay-offs did Real Madrid, Chelsea and Man Utd combined have to pay JM ? Has he now become toxic for big clubs ?

I said at the beginning it wouldn't go well, said the same regards LVG and that the problem was higher up. Can I have Woodwards job and salary please

It's up to the player in what is left of the season to show he can consistently get a game and score goals in the top flight. If he can do that then he at least gives SG&Co something to think about.

We had an International centre-half who could do his thing up front and score 20 before Santa even thought about getting out of his scratcher.

Definite red card. I'm sure the media will be all over it

The logic goes that you use the loan system to bring in an 'unafforadble' (to buy) level of talent and if you strike up a relationship with a 'big club' then all the better. Sounds fine but Rangers are a big club with expectation levels probably at a higher level than current reality. So what tends to happen is young kids from Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, etc, come up here and can't hack it. Ability Physicality Mentally We won't get their top talents wrt ability, eg. Harry Wilson goes to Derby. So you end up getting good but not exceptional talent that are making their way in the game. The fact they wear the shirt of a big club like Arsenal or Liverpool sits well with perception but doesn't actually mean a great deal when they haven't yet played for the first team. How many of those are going to cope with demands at Ibrox and perform consistently ? I'd say less than 15%. I think the actual 'hitrate' for this logic being a success will be higher at clubs without such expectation.

It appears moreso that over at PQ, they decided a few weeks ago that it's time to rip the Colin Nish on a more consistent basis.

I can actually understand them covering the rugby instead of a game they decide not to send employees to (the later is less understandable) but I can't understand why they finalise content on a podcast before the days football was complete.

We've reached a stage of the season where for various reasons we're suffering a blip wrt scoring goals. Suspensions Fatigue Unhappiness for some individuals Injuries Lack of options Highlight a lack of creativity etc = No Champagne football or goalfests and the increased probability of dropped points. I predicted 1-0 yesterday for a reason but the only thing that is important from yesterday is the 3 points and we got them. We need to get to the end of this month with as little damage as possible, then regroup. We need players in the team who will battle for the cause becuase there won't be much in the way of fancy football. McAuley before Worral McCrorie before Coulibaly Had Kent been fit, I'd have him in the team.

A very well respected and liked poster from FF who has since passed on, 'Number_Eight', used to tell a good story about ball boys. He used to be a ball boy at Ibrox of occasion in the 60's and in one European game against Borussia Dortmund on the run to an eventual Final appearence in 66/67, he considered himself to have been partly responsible for an assist. A ball was launched high into the sky and Number_Eight ran, got under it and caught it and quickly threw it direct to a Rangers player, who took a quick throw that led to a goal.

In Sportsound Podland, Kilmarnock are top of the league. There was no programme to cover the Rangers game which you could say (politics aside) given they don't have anyone there is to a degree, understandable. There is of course, a pod dedicated to the Hibs v Celtic match. However, the more standard approach would have been not to release a pod until the second game of the day had concluded. Not just any game, but a game that could and did see a change in the leadership of the top flight. Did the employees and contracted of PQ need to go Xmas shopping yesterday afternoon and couldn't stick around ? Context is that 'every' single top flight game, eg. Livingston v Hearts on a Friday night or a Dundee v Motherwell on a wet and windy Tuesday night in January get their subsequent PQ podcast coverage.

Notable that a starting XI without a loan player put in a real shift today. McCrorie, who needs more gametime to get fully up to speed, brings a much needed commitment and drive. I hope he wasn't injured today. Barisic brings balance and quality and again more gametime will help him go to another level.

Three points were non-negotiable............ very important win today. Keeps the show on the road as we head into 4 very testing fixtures.

What does Lafferty need to do to get a goal ? Last week he scored, but he didn't. This week he misses an easy header from two yards out and has the goalie pull off a great save to deny another header. He's obviously storing them away for the 29th.

Another early goal was just what we needed

Read more carefully Craig..............."Past loan deals"

The problem is that it's become very predictable and in the vast majority of cases, it isn't working. Ryan Kent is the one (current loan) that so far bucks the trend but a judgement on his season still has a way to go. I don't like the idea that loan players from certain clubs need to get X% of minutes and more importantly, I doubt some of our own players like it either.

Gerrard v Lampard in transfer battle seems like too much of a convenient double rumour for a rag like The Sun.

Past loan deals for youngsters from big clubs (IMO Roma and Benfica are big clubs) Oduwa Zelalem Ball Dalcio Sadiq Toral Ejaria I can see a pattern that we get players that will never make it at parent club. I think we'd be better off developing our own players. eg. Ejaria might have more footballing talent than Ross McCrorie but he hasn't got the same size of cojones or understanding of the club. The likes of McCrorie should be our future and they need games. Bringing in 'talent' without the right mindset won't take us forward.

Surprisingly long deal considering ! I've nearly as much chance of becoming a Liverpool regular first team starter as Ovie has. A degree of talent isn't enough at a big club.

No prizes for guessing how Hamilton will set-up. We've had a good run of getting early goals in our league matches at Ibrox and that was very much the main reason behind the good home run we had. Stating the bleeding obvious but if we get one today then it's likely we'll end up with a comfortable victory but if we don't it might get frustrating and uncomfortable. Our last two games at Ibrox, we have produced 2 red cards and no goals. One of those cards mean that Morelos is suspended today which will probably give Lafferty a start. No Kent (injury) and no Ejaria (gone) will mean opportunities for others. I'd like to see Ross McCrorie continue and get back to where he was a year ago. As for creativity, I think it'll be our full backs (Tav & Barisic) who'll be relied upon but Lafferty can't be left up front without close support.

If you go through the list of young players we've had on loan from 'big' English clubs,...............you have to question the policy when set against developing your own players.

An important aspect of SG's mindset has to be real belief that he can achieve what he's being tasked to do. As a player it was never a problem for him but this is now a very different set of responsibilities with limits to how he can effect things. Expectations are way beyond current reality and what that does is create a next to impossible environment to take the time necessary to develop something that reaches the set goals in a reasonable time frame.