buster.

IIRC that Sturm Graz side were beaten 5-0 twice in the group but still went through as group winner We were the only side in the group to get an away win and still went out !!

Difficult game to predict. Had a new RV manager not been installed a few days before the game I'd have expected a home win, now it's a wait and see how the game develops. I can see two teams who will be looking to start strongly and as always it'll be a lot to do with who takes their chances. With that in mind, Alfredo Morelos has to show his good side tonight and help make things happen, as we know he can. The defenders have to defend and the midfielders have to compete, be brave and get up the pitch and help the full backs create and supply quality ball for the forwards. Football tends to be a simple game when everyone turns up and does their job.

Maybe Liewell is lying very well. Taking advantage of a situation to make it seem as if his club don't really have disproportionate sway on the 6th floor at Hampden

What an absolute organisational shambles. It's starting to take on a new level of avoidable farce. The time to sort this out was at the beginning of September (I started a Gersnet thread about it on Sept 6th). They needed to look at potential problems, speak to parties who could be key to providing solutions and have clear what the provisional decision would be when as was probable both OF clubs made the semi-finals and were drawn apart. It almost seems as if they were just hoping that the draw would throw-up another OF semi-final.

Was Cammy Bell playing ? Just watched the highlights posted above and there are some decent bits of play here and there. Boyce, apart from one fresh air kick looked a decent centre forward who finshed the first goal with real aplomb and held the ball up well. At other junctures, the game looked like a a group of 14 year old schoolboys chasing the ball. Glasgow played a fake Barcelona from Cyprus in the last 32 of the Champions League and are now up against the real Barcelona in the last 16. They are toast.

Consistently scoring goals for Rangers is a huge pressure to bear for young players coming through and selecting young players to do so is and continuing to do so when going through the inevitable dry spell is a difficult/brave/unwise (delete as you see fit) choice for managers. Only exceptional players who are exceptional from an early age will make it as a Rangers centre forward, eg. Derek Johnstone. A player who at an extremely young 16 years old as a centre forward, could score the winner at a domestic cup final against a Celtic team who had made the European Cup Final and 19 months later as a centre-half played in a winning Rangers team in a European final. Four years after that, he scored 41 goals in a treble winning season. Today, the probability for a route to success might start via the loan process.

THE DRAW FOR THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE BETFRED CUP WAS MADE AT MCDIARMID PARK THIS EVENING AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: Heart of Midlothian v Celtic Aberdeen v Rangers Ties are due to be played on the weekend of October 27/28 https://spfl.co.uk/news/betfred-cup-draw-tonight -----------------------

We weren't but I don't see that that makes a difference regards venue. I don't see any particular reason that says us here, them there or vice versa.......however the steer given to the BBC was Hearts at Murrayfield.

TBF, it's a problem that is International and IMO it's about a general change in where decisions are really made and in whose interests they are made. But given we are on a thread about League Cup semi0finals, not even I could think about going further off topic.

Scotland used to be a nation renowned for leadership. Why is clusterf**k the becoming the most used word on here ?

The only two countries with significant interest paired with 24 others who are chipping in a fiver each.

BBC, who will have been given a steer, pacifically mention the Hearts game being considered for Murrayfield.

How many 'away games' have they had to play over the years at Hampden without a whisper. They are also more liable to fill the stadium given how many Hearts fans would want to/be able to go.

Celtic v Hearts Althawra Sports City Stadium, Yemen. 12 noon Saturday 37th October Neil Doncaster's new contacts in football who had already provided a solution to Scottish football as one of the new broadcasting partners for the SPFL have came forward to help us out again. When asked about the new venue Doncaster replied "A lick of paint may be required but at least the press should be happy with a well ventilated media centre"

If we could sort/drill the defence into how to play it effectively, the 3-5-2 is another option that has it's place.

Depends what and how realistic the question is. I'd say it's unlikely for several reasons and his time and opportunity have probably passed. I previously mentioned it had proved to be an expensive GIRFUY for Celtic to engage in but you wonder if not letting us get him not only meant we didn't get a potential matchwinner at a good age but showed how they've not really given a shit about the lads career. I still think there is a player in there if a manager knows how to use him and manage him.

As 26th has already pointed out, the language and especially tone from the likes of Gordon, Stewart and Preston sounded as if they were working for individual club media rather than the PQ............. No real balance was wanted. Stewart seems to think he's on a particularly confrontational messageboard where he must be seen (or heard) to be right and if he thinks he can make his 'opponent' look a fool at the sametime, he does.

I thought he might be an answer and all things considered, it'd still be a bit of a gamble for no fee but a reasonable contract. - he has talent and he's a genuine No.10 on his day (what we lack) - has only ever had one good solid season (Championship with Hibs) - wasted at Celtic and a costly GIRFUY from their POV - still only 26 years old -------- You'd hope that we'd be going for better but we will be limited by our budget for a position that reall ability usually costs a lot of money. On balance there is a heavy argument that says 'NAW' but it's one of those that might just work in Scottish fitbaw. There will be a host of sides chapping his agents door come December 1st (probably already are)

Rapid Vienna have announced the appointment of club legend Dietmar Kuhbauer as their new head coach. "Don Didi" spent five years at the club in the early 90s and joins from St Polten, who beat Rapid Vienna on Saturday, effectively ending Goran Djuricin's time at the club. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-europa-league-rivals-rapid-13344642 --------------------------------------- Let's hope he is a Didi On a serious note, it'll probably lift their performance levels come Thursday #badtiming

The SPFL has announced a new broadcast tie-in with beIN SPORTS covering Australia, New Zealand and 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The arrangement has been brokered by Switzerland-based marketing agency Infront. The move follows a broadcast deal with MP and Silva being terminated five years into its 10-year term in August. No figures have been revealed on how much revenue the new the overseas package will generate for the SPFL. The beIn SPORTS deal covers the following nations: Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Algeria, Chad, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia, Egypt & Djibouti. SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "Work is continuing to ensure as many fans of Scottish football around the world are able to watch matches from the Ladbrokes Premiership, the Betfred Cup and the Irn-Bru Cup this season." When revealing the end of the MP and Silva deal due to defaulted payments earlier this year, Doncaster said it would "have no material impact on the record-breaking club fees paid and expected to be paid for season 2017-18". https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45716513 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I suggest that Mr.Doncaster goes on a fact-finding visit to the countries in bold text to gauge the public reaction to Scottish football. I note that he only mentions 2017-18 and doesn't compare numbers going forwards. You'd have thought he'd have been asked the question and even a refusal to answer it should be reported.

A fair-minded, interesting conversation that was another decent listen. Thank's lads !

Looking ahead to next season......... Whisper it, but why not try and sign Scott Allan on a Bosman in January ?

Pretty much so,............ a fan of his own best interests as he sees them at any given time. Those who do well in that game tend to be driven by ambition and their football allegiance gets diluted, hidden, parked or dropped.

We are a team still in transition. An almost brand new squad with an inexperienced manager, who has shown signs of being a natural to the dug-out. We were always going to suffer teething problems and blips. Only one team in Scotland haven't been inconsistent this season and they aren't in Europe. Generally, we get too high when the good results come and too low when they go the other way. Breath..............,