buster.

At 2-1 it was like watching two knackered boxers unable to throw a punch. The equaliser at 2-2 gave Hibs the energy to push on and we were there for the taking.

We very rarely managed to play through their populous midfield and our midfield didn't really happen today and nobody was running it.

We were running in treacle, thinking in slow motion, were never really at it and got what we deserved. Not worth going after individuals, the team as a whole were very poor and haven't switched back on since the semi-final. Cracking goal by Haliday and that was about it.

Barely turned up and lucky to be level but you'd hope that we can only improve. We can't seem to join middle to front and threaten them very little but still manage to leave too much space for them to attack into. One final push lads !

Don't fancy Zelalem starting, he's liable to get over-run if Hibs play a pressing game and isn't ideal for attacking at a high tempo. Ball is a big miss within the system MW prefers for this type of game.

A name in the sense that they were forced to consider fan reaction (ST uptake), yes.

One more game to round off the season. After a lay-off we need to get up to a high intensity and tempo once more. There was only one vital game this season where you could say we failed and that was against St.Johnstone in the LC. I think we learnt from that and thereafter modified a few things in certain circumstances which have worked for us. Today is a different type of challenge in that it's almost an internal thing to do with the mental state. With MW&Co in charge you have to be confident that we can overcome it.

The proof of the pudding regards how Celtic really feel about winning Titles without Rangers in the league was when they sacked their manager who had won 2 from 2.

IMO this appointment is primarily for football reasons. On the face of it Rodgers is a coup for Celtic but taken as a whole it is also a financial gamble. Even with increased ST sales, the CL qualifiers this summer become ever more important to them. They will be played at a time when you'd imagine their squad to be undergoing fundamental change. We simply have to concentrate on what we are doing regards building the infrastructure and getting value for every pound spent. It's not all about the size of warchests and newspaper headlines. We should know that only too well. We are in a good place and have forced them into taking a gamble.

IMO this appointment is primarily for football reasons. On the face of it Rodgers is a coup for Celtic but taken as a whole it is also a financial gamble. Even with increased ST sales, the CL qualifiers this summer become ever more important to them. They will be played at a time when you'd imagine their squad to be undergoing fundamental change. We simply have to concentrate on what we are doing regards building the infrastructure and getting value for every pound spent. It's not all about the size of warchests and newspaper headlines. We should know that only too well. We are in a good place and have forced them into taking a gamble.

Their supposed ST boycott re. Res.12 has just died a death with the appointment of Rodgers.

And rightly so. To ban it not only was wrong but was always going to backfire.

Can't see English clubs being at all interested in or taking seriously a British Cup #non-starter

Looking at these stats, it would be wonderfully symmetrical if we could finish the season how we started it, ie. a convincing Cup win against Hibs.

This season 2-6 R R 1-0 H 2-1 R 4-2 H 3-2 I'd tend to put less emphasis on the first and last. First was very first game of season and wonderfully wild. Last saw us have nothing to play for. Other three saw the home side win and our two wins at Ibrox were hugely important and games we turned it on (4-2) or had sufficient quality (1-0 / Tav free-kick). Fair to say Hibs had chances in the 1-0 game to do better and we had the same at Easter Road. For me it depends on who turns up on the day as both sides are capable of beating the other.

I think from kick-off Hibs wil attempt to pressure us as high up the pitch as they can and attack in an attempt to score first and then surf the wave. So maybe we'll have opportunities to counter-attack in more space than we are accustomed to having.

The first of those 13 games provided the only draw. It was the Challenge Cup game at Ibrox that we won in extra time. 12 games without a draw,.....wWhat price 2-2 on Saturday ?

Hibs have scored 9 goals against us this season and I can only remember one coming from a set-piece (corner 2-1 game at Easter Rd.). Sometimes if the delivery is very good there is little you can do. I think we'll try to base our game on possession and keeping Hibs at arms length as much as possible. That worked well against Celtic, although I think Hibs will get in our faces more (first half) and make it more difficult than Celtic did. Hibs can be decent middle to front and Ball will be a big miss......but so can we be very decent going forward and if we have the tempo, we'll be difficult to keep out.

Agree with Frankie's reasoning behind what appears to be an open contest that either side could win. I thought MW was unusally candid in the interview I saw when he said something along the lines of 'we'll only know on Saturday if we have got our plans right and are at our best'. It might have been part of the old mindgames because there is little worse than going into this type of game appearing over-confident in the media. In this respect I thought MW judged the run-up to the semi-final perfectly and let Celtic build themselves up. The only thing I'd be confident about is there being several goals in the game. Thereafter we'll have to see who gets them with the first being more important than usual. I think Hibs will start strongly and if they get the first goal will grow in confidence but at the sametime may prove to be mentally fragile if we can score it. We have to look towards Barrie McKay and hope that he turns in another inspiring performance, he seems to respond when needed and is always brave and shows for the ball regardless of circumstance. Wallace and Tav should enjoy the size of the pitch with Kenny Miller always liable to pop up with a goal. Bla, bla, bla may serve us to vent opinions or whatever but as MW says...we'll only find out on Saturday. ps. Love the term 'pitch geography'

There are different ways to look at it. I reckon it'd mean the Scottish game getting more attention down South with The Warburton Way at a resurgent Rangers taking on whatever Rodgers offers in response. That this might actually make the job more appealing to MW medium term. If Rodgers is appointed and given a relatively large transfer budget then it may make our task harder but it would also represent a financial gamble by Celtic. I think MW and the footballing operation have shown that they are deserving of our confidence within reasonable parameters/timescale regardless of what Celtic do.

The prospectus for the December 2012 IPO didn't include the modified terms regards voting rights within RRLtd because they seem to have been pushed through and adopted between the prospectus being issued and the actual IPO share issue. 'Representing' Rangers on the RRLtd at that time were Green and Stockbridge. Green was apparently he who signed up for the one-sided retail deal, stadium re-naming rights etc. Stockbridge signed off on payments (first seen was in Dec 2012) to Keith Bishop Associates (represents Mr MASH and had a director named Llambias) for 'invisible work'.

They'll want to put out some confusing and contradictory 'noise'.

"Sports Direct were unavailable for comment when contacted by STV." The usual suspects/blogs will be getting briefed as I type to bring us the spun version.

Sometimes I think that the foundations to what is a large empire are weaker than many think and that tanks would be an unrequired overspend.

An important step along the way to what DK said he was looking to do in a statement in October of last year. From October 27th 2015 http://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/statement-by-dave-king/ "Sports Direct continues to litigate with the Club in an attempt to enforce its wishes and demands. This seems based on the simple logic that Sports Direct can outspend the Club in legal fees and thereby deal with the Club as it pleases. I assure supporters that the Club will not be cowed by this threat and the recent lack of communication (as a result of the gagging order) belies the level of robustness with which the Club’s interest has been and will be protected. Furthermore, I have sent letters to Sports Direct in my capacity as a director of Rangers Retail Limited taking them to task for poor business practices and corporate governance failures. The Club believed that it was entering into a joint venture with a large public company that would behave as a partner should and would conduct its business affairs in an appropriate fashion. In my 40 years of business, I cannot recollect having dealt with a public company that is run more like a wholly owned family business and appears unconcerned with other stakeholders – partners or otherwise. It remains my intention to ensure that Sports Direct is legally and financially held accountable for its failures."