buster.

Even with one extra CH, we are still light there, if playing the group stages. I'd say the same for CF unless Sadiq starts to remember that he's a footballer. Definitely need another creative player as well. I think the EL group stage revenue is the key that might help with the above (to a better level) although unless we are 3 goals to the good after Thursday, we won't have much time after the second leg (if we go through) to do business.

Regards our record in Europe and winning 4 stages on the bounce. I used this link Note the blue ticks for ties/stage successfully negotiated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangers_F.C._in_European_football

Thanks ! Edited 09.12.1992 1992/93 CL Group stage CSKA Moscow - Rangers 0:1 (0:1) 21.04.1993 1992/93 CL Group stage Rangers - CSKA Moscow 0:0 (0:0) 03.08.1996 1996/97 CL Qualifying Round Rangers - Alania 3:1 (1:1) 21.08.1996 1996/97 CL Qualifying Round Alania - Rangers 2:7 (2:4) 27.09.2001 2001/02 UC First Round Anzhi - Rangers 0:1 (0:0) 18.10.2001 2001/02 UC Second Round Rangers - Dynamo Moscow 3:1 (1:0) 01.11.2001 2001/02 UC Second Round Dynamo Moscow - Rangers 1:4 (1:3) 10.08.2004 2004/05 CL Third qualifying round CSKA Moscow - Rangers 2:1 (1:1) 25.08.2004 2004/05 CL Third qualifying round Rangers - CSKA Moscow 1:1 (0:0) 14.05.2008 2007/08 UC Final Zenit Sankt-Peterburg - Rangers

Here we are in the Europa League Play-off round with the majority of our support convinced that the tie against FC Ufa is pretty much a formality.....Who'd have thought it ? Not me, I saw the EL group stages 2018/19 as unrealistic, but an excellent, solid start from the new management team together with good recruitment and a slice of luck in the draw see us 180 minutes from making the groups and all that follows from that. FC Ufa stand in our way and the general vibe of optimism amongst us is well founded given our performances to date but given we don't know much about them, has to be toned down a tadge if we don't want to get complacement (can't imagine SG allowing the players to get complacent). According to the Gersnet prediction league, a 2-0 win with the first goal coming from Morelos is a cert and bookies may go out of business on Friday !! I'm not going to go into heavy research mode to compile a dossier on the Russians but here is some info posted earlier in the week by someone who does know a little about the club. http://russianfootballnews.com/who-are-rangers-europa-league-opponents-fc-ufa/ What I will point out is that if you go by the co-efficient table, Russia sit in 6th place. That is to say that outwith the 5 Big Leagues, they come next, comfortably ahead of the likes of Portugal. This tends to suggest the level of the top half of the Russian top division is very decent and we have to take into account and respect that Ufa finished 6th last season. They ain't no minnows. Its curious, but the team that we beat to win the Cup Winners Cup in 1972 skelped FC Ufa 3-0 on Monday (Ufa were resting several players) and the team that beat us in the UEFA Cup Final in 2008 are the team Ufa will play sandwiched between their matches with us. Also curious is that the only three times Russian teams* who have managed to make a European Final, two of them have seen Rangers in opposition, Dynamo Moscow ('72) and Zenit ('08). * I don't include teams that are now Ukranian, ie. Kiev and Tiblisi Another thing about what is a 4th qualifier,....Only five times in our history have we successfully negotiated 4 stages of European competition on the spin and three of those were when we made the Final. I appreciate that that is a somewhat unfair comparison given how qualifiers heavily feature now but all the same, it would be only the 6th time IF we get past FC Ufa. There can't be many teams playing in European competition that can say they have never lost, perhaps FC Ufa are the only one who can. The context being that this is their first season in European competition and to date they have 1 win, 3 draws and 2 successfully negotiated ties, both being settled with late goals, away from home. Thu 26/07/18 UEL Ufa 0 - 0 Domžale More info Thu 02/08/18 UEL Domžale 1 - 1 Ufa View events More info Thu 09/08/18 UEL Ufa 2 - 1 Progrès Niederkorn View events More info Thu 16/08/18 UEL Progrès Niederkorn 2 - 2 Ufa 'Sources' say that their strength is in defence, keeping things tight and counter-attacking. We'll only know to what level after the game on Thursday. The atmosphere at Ibrox should be fantastic and should give us impetus to put them under pressure early doors. It goes without saying that an early goal for us would be welcome and help set-up the night. I'd imagine that McGregor and Flanagan will come back into the side and hope that Goldson and Katic are fit. Jack will probably be back in with Arfield and Ejaria. Candeias and Kent supplying some width and Morelos in and around the penalty box. Candeias and Ejaria are one booking away from a suspension. All things considered this is a huge game and it'll take another excellent performance to get the result we want. I think we'll get the win but we could do with the uniform gersnet prediction coming in, at least two goals of advantage and for them not to get an away goal.

Shame that De Bruyne got injured or we could have got him and Van Dyk for cover.

Todays the day somethings gotta give................................

Somewhere in and around 2011/12 Tom English seemed to become a 'paid-up' disciple of the RTC doctrine, taking a lot of his information and lines of thought directly from there. The skewed and biased nature of the RTC blogasphere (morphing into SFM) was reflected in Tom's subsequent output, use of language and even tone, when on radio. The 'culture' within the BBC Scotland sports dept., that has become more apparent and open since Jim Traynor marched Chris McLaughlin to the Ibrox door in I think, 2015 is a comfortable fit for a continuation of Tom's 'position' post indoctrination. You could argue he's now simply taking the path of least resistance wrt BBC Scotland unwritten 'policy' or ongoing confrontational and proportionaly light coverage on Rangers.

Will get it done today and have it posted later in the day. @Frankie

Euro qualifiers 2016 Top goal scorers 13 goals Robert Lewandowski 11 goals Zlatan Ibrahimović 9 goals Thomas Müller 8 goals Edin Džeko Artyom Dzyuba 7 goals Marc Janko Wayne Rooney Kyle Lafferty Gareth Bale

From Tony Blair to Sir Duped to Sir Fred to Sir Norman to Rupert Murdoch................don't ever expect justice. You might get long enquires but they tend to be a front to appease the masses.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor do we grow money trees at Auchenhowie.

The lesson is more likely to be on us if we don't get some back-up in soon.

Obviously not but everything suggests that to be the case.

He sold shares to C1872 as well. No-one from 'his side' are going to buy anymore shares.

We are all equal before the Law except those who are more equal than the rest.

Don't subscribe to whoever has the TV rights to the EPL.

Big Marv had contacts !

Are the CPS making another horlicks of it ?..........would be funny that, seems to happen quite a lot in certain circumstances. A former chief inspector accused of trying to blame Liverpool fans for the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has had all charges against him dropped. Sir Norman Bettison, then of South Yorkshire Police, had faced four counts of misconduct in a public office. He was accused of telling lies about the "culpability of fans" and his role in the wake of the tragedy. Prosecutors said insufficient evidence meant there was no real prospect of securing a conviction. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said because of changes in the evidence of two witnesses, and the death of a third, it would discontinue the case. The decision was taken following a review of the evidence and was confirmed at a hearing at Preston Crown Court........... What do supporters of the Hillsborough victims say? The Hillsborough Family Support Group said: "We have grave concerns about the handling of this case by the CPS and can confirm that we will be exercising our right to an independent review under the Right to Review scheme. "It is our view that the wrong charge was brought in the first place and we will be using the review process to argue this point strongly................. Full article https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-45258766

Perhaps if they've been spending time in a tree house in Madagascar with no internet connections.

It's a start but we need to do it over several seasons before we'll feel much benefit.

About 45 miles

Each team in the draw will have their own co-efficient number because there will be no lapover between the play-off round and the actual draw for the group stages. Ufa: 10.676 Rangers: 3.725 ie. if we qualify we'll be in pot 4.

I'm only a non-expert and far be it from offering a Captain of Industry any advice on his area of 'expertise', I'd offer a simple opinion. It looks like conversion opposed to investment.

Glad to hear it, coming from your goodself !

I reckon at 1M, we'd get value and an eventual profit. Kilmarnock would probably want a tadge more. I'm thinking about a transfer kitty, only if boosted by EL group stage revenue.