buster.

Look at the other side of the fence. Celtic as a club are light years ahead of us in many respects. They have NEVER been stronger whilst we aren't far from being the polar opposite. They are currently out of sight and when they come up against us on the park, they tend to make a point of turning up and in turn exert more pressure on our club. Expectations are unrealistic and it effects confidence, fragility, splinters the dressing room and we end up not being able to to withstand the likes of Aberdeen or the Sheep. As I said on another thread, we need to forget about them for at least 12 months and try and build something. We need to communicate this to the support and be honest with them opposed to the 55 marketing. We could still stop 10IAR but it won't be next season.

MW, PC and GM One important aspect IMO is unreasonable expectation levels relative to tools at their disposal. I think it wears management and players down and they can't perform to even the best of their actual ability. The managers end up thankful to leave.

I might be asking for the impossible but we need to forget about Celtic, at least for the next 12 months. We need to invest in the right people and start to build something that hasn't got immediate unreasonable expectation hanging over it and battering them every few weeks. Chasing losses at the bookies tends to end badly and that is what we have been doing. My first impression of a potential Gerrard appointment is that it is more of the same. .

Yes, it was what AJ called "institutional failure" that brought Pedro Caixinha to the club, gave him a budget to work with and then brought in a DoF. I'd imagine that AJ is insisting on business being conducted in a 'proper way' this time with regard to who is responsible for what is the right man within the set-up. However, this wouldn't give any guarantees.

Just to butt in on this specific. Souness is a very different character to Gerrard. Souness had a known charisma to Scottish football and the type of personality that simply took over Scottish football and had all and sundry eating out of his hand. If appointed, Gerrard might find it difficult to get off the back foot given what will come his way and he doesn't have the force of personality or direct knowledge of the situation up here to be able to change that himself. It'll be down to results and the 'stardust' flak jacket will only give him a small window.

New and modern ideas aren't enough on their own and having someone who has never managed or been a Manager/Number One impart said ideas is higher risk than need be. Cathro was an example of your typical laptop coach who was on a hiding to nothing in the world of Scottish fitbaw. He was like the specky new kid in class who the school bullies see as easy meat. The latter being the media who were itching to get after him and the extra pressure was on from before his first game. He was too weak and turned up for a while hiding his bruises but in the end, his diluted authority was largely ignored by players and he left the building, probably never to manage at a decent level again. Sometimes, I think there are 'laptop messageboard posters' who see nearly everything through stats and formations. Fair enough, it plays it's part but that alone isn't going to cut it at Ibrox. We need some real old fashioned leadership, allied to experience, football savvy and an eye for a player that'll fit within a plan. .

Barack Obama said the same !

Status quo would mean 3 points at best IMO. The old Al Pacino speech comes to mind "....either we heal now as a team or we will die as individuals............" This team has died and there is no leadership on the park or in the dug-out, nor any connection between. Status Quo = Guaranteed defeats in our last two games and points from Killie, dependent on if have put the tools away.

I wish admin would put this thread out of it's pitiful misery.

No RTV Murty post match interview up on their Utube page or club twitter site as yet.

The realistic options aren't great and the probability they'd make a difference with this group of players, as things stand is doubtful. If Bomber went in ruffle up a few feathers, I get the feeling the players wouldn't respond, probably go the other way, things get even uglier and it would end up generating more negative headlines. I think it's only a real new manager this group might respond to and this season is now probably about hoping Motherwell don't win the Cup, so we get into Europe.

Came accross this 4 minute clip of English pundits talking about Gerrard.Rangers. Andy Cole, Alex Bruce and Henry Winter https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43942156 .

I've heard of semi-professionals but Pena coming back, adds a semi-retired player to our squad. There is no "perhaps" about it, the guy is finished.

Made a point to be up a mountain this morning instead of watching the game as it was fairly obvious how it would end, although I did think we might make a reasonable start, apparently not. It's pretty plain that there is no leadership on the park or in the dug-out and the players haven't been taking much notice of Murty for several weeks now. Some of the players don't want to there and just want to mark there time until they can get away in the summer. The status quo will almost certainly see us finish 4th and if something happens in the dug-out we'd have to see what.

Yes, Roddy Forsyth tends to say something, only when he knows it's relevant and accurate. Three issues ??? Would seem encouraging that player spend wouldn't appear to be one of them. Possibles - Personal Terms/contract/Image rights - Support staff / contracts - Authority level within complete football operation / DoF What else ?

I saw a clip of McCoist saying that unless their was significant investment then no-one, including Guardiola and Mourinho would be a success at Ibrox. In other words, he was partly absolving himself from any blame of his personal failure in the Ibrox dug-out but is never keen to mention the relatively significant 'investment' that came his way. ----------- TBF I don't think we are going to be able to properly consider a new appointment/project until we see both the figurehead and the backing he gets (both staff and financial / and the way the latter is invested).

Rodgers is getting a bit too regular with his publicly aired opinions on our business. He is more or less saying that Gerrard would be making a mistake to come to Rangers.

You can't begin to evaluate a transfer window that hasn't even opened but one thing that stands out is that average age of the players so far heavily linked is relatively high. A positive and important slant is that ability and level they have played is good, but so did Alves, Kranjcar and Barton. A 4 year deal for a 29 year old is unusual and it's probably one of the main reasons Arfield has decided to come up the road. I don't know much about him but just hope his body is in good shape and his 'hunger' is still there. McGregor's age isn't that much of an issue given he is a keeper. What we know is that he is of a very decent level and getting him on a Bosman is good business. McArthur would be a similar story to Arfield. Most of his career behind him, no resale value, age = higher risk of injury BUT importantly, a very good footballer. -------------- Bottomline, Arfield and McGregor are good additions but we need a balance with some younger players with their career in front of them, not to mention resale value to eventually help with revenue. I reckon it more realistic and feasible to try and build up to winning the league in 2019/20 than try and force something for next season that is heavy odds against and would drain funds.

Aberdeen win tonight means a draw will do us to prevent celtic winning the league on Sunday. Equally, you could say it means that a win would keep us in second place.

I think the only real question is if Morelos or Cummings starts. A well atuned Morelos is the obvious choice but I'm not sure he's currently at the races, so to speak. Alnwick Tavernier - Martin - McCrorie - John Holt - Dorrans Candeias - Windass - Murphy Morelos/Cumming

Prior to the game, the most predictable result of the season was apparently a draw.

If our football operation got up and running efficiently and effectively for a full year then maybe that would be the time to look for short-term revenue in the hope that it would produce more than any longer term consequences (ST discount for 5 year purchase).

I don't think the game was deliberately lost. For me, Hibs went out and won it, playing in such a way that exposed perhaps, a lack of urgency or degree of complacency. It was very similar to the Hearts 4-0 defeat in that respect. The order of the fixtures seemed to be a contrived fudge after whatever negotiations went on between various authorities. It didn't have the OF game first up but provided the best possibility for it to be delayed until the second round and the OF game.

On Sunday, it comes more down to how much the players want and believe than the vageries of formation set-up. The players won't be looking to Murty for motivation. It'll have to come from themselves and I reckon we'll start well but will get worn down and buckle at the back. I watched a good part of all the three domestic defeats of Celtic this season and in all three, when asked 'a difficult question', they seemed to simply not be properly at the races and nor did they at any point look like finding their mojo. However, last season in the Scottish Cup Final when Aberdeen asked the same questions, Celtic dug-in and clawed their way back and I think it was because they really wanted it badly, opposed to the three league defeats that saw a comparitive shrug of the shoulders. What I'm saying is that even if we get in their faces, I think they'll react in a more proactive way than in their previous league defeats and the reason being is the importance of the game to them and their support. For me, I primarily want to see real determination, effort and committment from our players and see where it takes us. Next season will hopefully bring reason for optimism.