buster.

I was relieved to see Morelos in a training video, then realised that it was Gerrard standing at the side of the pitch, in Spain. 😄

Improving EPL clubs perception of our players (Aribo doing well) might well be worth more to us, than the contractual add-ons.

I take your point regards the 2006 age group and thank you for pointing this out, I didn't know. However, I do think there is a significant change in emphasis regards to building squads going on. The rough outline being to recruit better quality, earlier, at relatively low cost. Looking to bring down average age, transfer fees paid and wages,.... whilst increasing incoming transfer fees. As a club we have to be proactive and the new UEFA financial guidelines doesn't make the status quo for us a viable option.

Difficult to know exactly where the truth is as if the deal goes through, it'll remain undisclosed with various headline figures / focus on 'ITK' detail of the deal reported. Generally speaking, we have struggled to get top dollar for our players and in this case, we were not in a strong negotiating position. Indeed, it is a mystery to me why there isn't more firm interest in some of our players who have shown their ability consistently, at a high level in European football. We know for sure that Morelos was subject to a 16M bid from Lille that we rejected, apparently because we valued him higher. I thought we should have accepted it but that point is moot. The issue we have with our direct competition over the city, is that they do get paid top dollar for their players and over say a 3 year period. that amounts to a significant financial difference. Add it to ground capacity/10 year coefficent (income generated) and the difference (before a ball is kicked) will be sizable. We need the likes of Patterson and Aribo (if he goes) to rip it up down there and improve the perception of our club for producing/improving players to a level that can flourish in the EPL.

To get Aribo to choose Scottish football and sign for us in the first place, we would have almost certainly had to allow his agent/lawyer to have a significant say in what clauses were in his contract. That, on top of more direct financial inducements, on top of the reported 250-300,000 pound fee In other words, they would have made sure that player had a big say in how his time at Rangers would end. If we do get somewhere close to 10M when he has one year left on his deal, then I'd say those initial negotiations were reasonably fair to both sides and on the pitch, he has done more or less what we would have hoped for. We could have insisted to him and his advsors that you have to do it strictly our way, he might well have stayed in England.

Good to see movement and a decent incomng fee if a deal can be finalised. I'd promote Lowry and look at other positions if any available funds from deal become available. He'll have been on a fair wage that can go elsewhere.

I don't think they need to be mutually exclusive.

I think that is very much the case. It just sounds sensible to say that you shouldn't criticise Ross Wilson because it is not our place and we are only fans on a minor forum whilst at the same time, over in the lounge, suggesting how we save the world. 😄 This is a complex situation that involves many more moving parts than just Ross Wilson. Steven Gerrard liked his new signings in as soon as possible for a new season, January, if possible. I said a couple of weeks back that it was still early. The fact that we are flying to Portugal today with Souttar the only new face, makes me think those moving parts are throwing up spanners or stopping an ideal scenario. One spanner we know about was the negotiations with PAOK/Colak. Others are almost certainly finance, outgoing transfers and even as I suggested this morning, a sea change in our approach to squad building. These things are up for discussion. It is what fans forums are for.

Finances would seem to be the obvious thing holding us back and the market in general. I think we are at the point where the running at a loss is no longer considered as a necessary evil, but something to avoid because it will drain further funds through (higher) interest payments. Also new UEFA financial guidelines that clubs will apparently have to follow look to be difficult for us to comply with if you think of historic performance. The new regulations will see clubs subject to squad cost controls for the first time. The cost control rule restricts spending on player and coach wages, transfers, and agent fees to 70% of club revenues. (The gradual implementation will see the percentage at 90% in 2023/2024, 80% in 2024/2025, and 70% in 2025/2026). This requirement provides a direct measure between squad costs and income to encourage more performance-related costs and to limit the market inflation of wages and transfer costs of players. Full details (includes much more than above) https://www.uefa.com/returntoplay/news/0274-14da0ce4535d-fa5b130ae9b6-1000--explainer-uefa-s-new-financial-sustainability-regulations/ The current influx of talented youth might mark an important change in the way we go about things. A 17 year old coming in today will be 20 by the time cost control % goes to 70. It would also show a probable ambition to bring the squad average down, with a view to the player trading model and look to have more 'homegrown' bodies available for the European competition squad. We can't continue the way we have been operating, it isn't an option.

Filling the net full of young talent and hoping for another Calvin Bassey amongst them. Suggests a possible change in how we recruit and possibly future attitudes to the preverbial pathway and giving opportunities to a hopefully better quality youngster coming through. Finances and new regulations surrounding them may eventually leave us with little choice.

It was an opinion. I am aware that football matches/seasons can go very differently to how you think it will go. That said, I'm convinced (you don't have to agree) that is what would happen (as things stand). In reallity, as things stand....are going to change. We really need to recruit well this summer but we won't really fully know how good or bad the recruitment has been until further down the line. Nor is it simply about how big the budget is (although it tends to be very important). As for the '2 games would have meant 56',.....If my auntie had baws comes to mind. We had a soft centre that meant we couldn't put together a long enough run of wins to win the league. This is still mostly Gerrards team and IIRC in 3 of the last 4 seasons, they have effectively handed the title to Celtic, post winter break. With regards to continental success. That same team built by Gerrard have done fantastically well on a consistent basis. I think the Europa League is somewhere that suits us wrt being competitive (and it has motivated players to greater heights). Unfortunately, finance means so much in the modern game. Now that mostly OUR exploits have earned the SPFL winners direct access to CLGS, that means an opportunity for us or them to take a significant step to opening up a financial gulf if one team were to get the CL money 2 or 3 seasons on the spin. Not only that but direct access to the CL means summer transfer business can be more proactive. I think Malmo/Gerrard reaction can be used as an example of what can happen when things are up in the air. In the fairly recent past Celtic have lost numerous CL qualifiers with players who were on the cusp of a move and harmoney was in short supply. Throwing toys out of pram/forcing move...Boyata one year, Dembelee another and then there was Lennon with his qualifier exit "some players don't want to be here"......shows what can happen when squad renovation isn't done in a timely manner (and you employ a waster as manager). Reaching a European Final and the associated income was very welcome but it is not something that will happen every season. Bottomline,...these next two months are huge for us recruitment wise (and outgoing/player trading model) and obviously, on the pitch with FOCUS on the CL qualifiers.

I'm pretty sure Drew Busby was playing in the first game I ever attended, Hearts v Rangers in early 1974. The thing I remember most was a thick black tache that dominated his player card (not sticker). You'd go to school with a stash of cards to swap and use to play various types of games to win cards from others. One was...who could throw the card the furthest...wins the others card. The other was placing the card on a wall at about chest height, letting it go. Then the other player would do the same and you both would keep doing the same until one card landed on top of the other. Whoever let that last card fall would pick all the cards up. This could lead to a major win (or loss) 😃

Very sad news. It is bad enough as it is but had we not known this was coming, it would have been such a horrible shock.

Try reading the same post again #finance@statethebleedinobvious

Imagine a captain of industry spending their life in such a place 😁

If we don't recruit well just now, we aren't winning the title. If they get 2x CL money, we continue to EL it....and we continue to lag miles behind their player trading numbers, then we'll be playing catch-up from a long way back. At the moment, we are close and a good couple of months could set us up to go in front. Recruitment is key (and outgoing will play it's part in that).

It isn't just about the experience and merits of Ross Wilson. Ask Steven Gerrard about his thoughts this time last year and what happened next.

Quite understandable, but not the best of situations to be in regards negotiation or timely recruitment. I think the days of directors/investors converting loans into shares has pretty much gone and to cover any shortfall, it will be interest bearing loans instead. Ross Wilson is the man who should be managing these situations proactively. Not good we have all three in the same boat at the same time. We have done very well to convert relative peanuts spent for Morelos and Aribo, to how much they are worth today. But we need to convert a fair percentage of these into big incoming transfer fees. Huge couple of months for our finances.

Given the value they added this calendar year, not much to replace. However, being without decent centre forward options cost us in the Eintracht game. Strange how we have often had the same issue for our European (semi)finals and it has cost us. 67: no centre forward 93: Hately suspension 08: Cousin suspension 22: Morelos injury The one where our first choice was available, he scored (Stein) and we won. Back to 2022, the 'same old' won't win the title this upcoming season.

Getting close to the squad's Monday flight to Portugal with no business of note yet having been done, in or out. It looks as if we wanted Colak on board for the week on the Iberian peninsular but that is looking increasingly unlikely. The closer to the CL qualifiers we get, the more likely it is going to be a case of relying on the same old. Generally, that doesn't tend to work out well, regardless of how well in Europe we went the season just ended. After the epic 92/93 season, we went out in our first tie against Levski Sofia. In the summer of 2008, we left our main recruitment drive until AFTER Kaunas had put us out. In the worst case scenario this season, we will play at least 8 games in Europe. Absolute minimum, that first CL qualifer is worth about 7M euros on it's own. Winning it would guarantee a 5M consolation payment if we were to go out of the Play off round, plus an extra home tie (gate money etc.). If you consider whatever our transfer budget might be this summer, an extra incoming 7M euros has to be huge. 30 days until the competitive KO, with the CL qualifier a few days later. I hope we use the time to act in a timely fashion.

Looks like Colak may be doing two foreign training camps this pre season. PAOK/Netherlands, Rangers/Portugal At least he'll be fit and ready come the games. Looks like much of the business is going to be either done or not, towards the end of the window when budgets become clear and the customary last few days mayhem ensues. On the other hand, it is difficult to keep up with the development signings. To go along with that, there has to be a pathway established when youngsters are good enough and we have one or two that are now ready. I would be happy with Lowry taking Aribos place in the squad, should the latter move on.

The next few weeks are very big in terms of the financial playing field between us and them. We've been playing catch-up in recent years and have gradually eaten in to the gap. The end of last season saw an opportunity to finally bridge it and even edge in front. However, we lost the league and they took the direct entry to CLGS. We did wonderfully well to get to the EL Final but couldn't win it and reap the rewards on offer. - We still have a chance of making the CLGS - We need to have our player trading model produce significant money and not let the value we have created walk out the door for nothing. Then of course.... we need to be successful in bringing in the right players. Never an easy task but one where you can mitigate the effect of the financial gap, if successful. Their recruitment last summer was what led to them winning the title. We need to get it right to give ourselves a chance this upcoming season and we probably need to sell big before we can get the necessary quality to come to Ibrox. Why is this so important ? If our player trading model doesn't bear significant fruit, we don't make CLGS in August, nor win title 22/23.... The danger is getting left behind financially and then, on the park for the foreseeable. We need to have a good couple of months on various levels.

If it was to replace Alfredo, then I think we'd need someone better. To complement him, fine. He scored 2 in 4 minutes at Ibrox, then didn't score another in the 6 group games. Having played all but 39 minutes of them. (Malmö managed one goal in the six games: Juve/Chelsea &Zenit)

You posted that on the same minute Compo is typing about 5XL size on Home Shirt thread Are Castore tied in with or coordinating offer with new caterers? 😄

He'll be the European Golden Boot winner but we'll all be deid.