buster.

Was surprised not to hear the name of Ryan Jack from the pundits when discussing MotM being between Aribo and Kent ! The goal scoring exploits of Morelos this season has meant Ryan Jack getting about 40% of the accolades that he is due, he really is a tremendous midfielder and we will miss him badly against Braga at Ibrox. I commented on his measured finishing skills last springtime and on Friday it was a wonderfully disguised and measured pass to set Aribo up that was all about a quality that very few midfielders in Scotland possess. Apart from that, he just bossed the middle of the park.

That´s some draw to be involved in. Atletico Madrid will be an excellent test. I have a mate whose son (13 or 14 years old) plays for Atletico.

According to odds that Franc posted above, the bookies can´t separate the teams either.

in this case, the disparity is down to Cluj drawing Sevilla or in other words they are toast.

Looks like the away leg will be on the 26th (Wednesday) Ironic really, as BBC Scotland will almost be forced into covering it properly !

It´d be great to beat them art home but a draw wouldn´t be the end of the tie. You are right, 16 Thu 25/08/11 UEL Rangers 1 - 1 Maribor View events More info Thu 29/06/17 UEL Rangers 1 - 0 Progrès Niederkorn View events More info Thu 12/07/18 UEL Rangers 2 - 0 Shkupi View events More info Thu 02/08/18 UEL Rangers 1 - 1 Osijek View events More info Thu 09/08/18 UEL Rangers 3 - 1 Maribor View events More info Thu 23/08/18 UEL Rangers 1 - 0 Ufa View events More info Thu 04/10/18 UEL Rangers 3 - 1 Rapid Wien View events More info Thu 25/10/18 UEL Rangers 0 - 0 Spartak Moscow More info Thu 29/11/18 UEL Rangers 0 - 0 Villarreal View events More info Thu 18/07/19 UEL Rangers 6 - 0 St Joseph's View events More info Thu 25/07/19 UEL Rangers 2 - 0 Progrès Niederkorn View events More info Thu 15/08/19 UEL Rangers 3 - 1 Midtjylland View events More info Thu 29/08/19 UEL Rangers 1 - 0 Legia Warszawa View events More info Thu 19/09/19 UEL Rangers 1 - 0 Feyenoord View events More info Thu 07/11/19 UEL Rangers 2 - 0 Porto View events More info Thu 12/12/19 UEL Rangers 1 - 1 Young Boys View events

Sporting Braga are unbeaten in an impressive 13 EL games. That includes the six group games and 4 summer qualifiers this season (includes 5 out of 5 wins away from home, eg. Wolves 0-1 Braga) 22/02/18 UEL Sporting Braga 1 - 0 Olympique Mars… 09/08/18 UEL Zorya 1 - 1 Sporting Braga 16/08/18 UEL Sporting Braga 2 - 2 Zorya 08/08/19 UEL Brøndby 2 - 4 Sporting Braga 15/08/19 UEL Sporting Braga 3 - 1 Brøndby 22/08/19 UEL Sporting Braga 1 - 0 Spartak Moscow 29/08/19 UEL Spartak Moscow 1 - 2 Sporting Braga 19/09/19 UEL Wolverhampton … 0 - 1 Sporting Braga 03/10/19 UEL Sporting Braga 2 - 2 Slovan Bratislava 24/10/19 UEL Beşiktaş 1 - 2 Sporting Braga 07/11/19 UEL Sporting Braga 3 - 1 Beşiktaş 28/11/19 UEL Sporting Braga 3 - 3 Wolverhampton … 12/12/19 UEL Slovan Bratislava 2 - 4 Sporting Braga 20/02/20 UEL Rangers - Sporting Braga 26/02/20 UEL Sporting Braga 18 : 00 Rangers

Friends in high places and all that That looks like an excellent draw !!

Can´t really comment on Walker as I only very occasionally have to listen to him.

He is right, nothing to see.

Question for @26th of foot if I may... In recent weeks, I´ve picked up on what I think is a slight change in PQ output when it comes to us. It´s not a fair balance, but an attempt to take the sneering/hate out of the voice when expressing their bias. I´d cite Big Dick as the main exponent of this modified approach. Is there anything in this or is it my imagination ?

Agreed Whilst I thought bouncing back against YB was more to do with mentality, I thought yesterday at Motherwell was more a physical test. It certainly bodes well for the future that we passed them both.

We have a decent record against Portuguese teams in contrast to a pretty awful record against their Iberian neighbours, the Spanish. So I´ll take Braga please... As most are saying, it´s great to be in the draw and I think we´ll be competitive against anyone.

Was very encouraging to see our energy levels and hunger to win the game that was greater than that of Motherwell. An excellent 3 points from a potential banana skin. I said prior to KO that Katic was a bigger goal threat than our midfield and wide players. On Friday, we´ll be without Morelos and we´ll have to find goals from somewhere. It´s asking a lot for Defoe to come in from the cold and do the business at Easter Road but hopefully he can contribute. Very frustrating to see Morelos lay it on a plate for the referee. If he hadn´t already had a yellow card then it´s just one of those things, you pick up a yellow and move on but to do it when you have already been booked is to self-harm.

I´ve a horrible suspicion that this might be the game that our heavy schedule catches up with us. I think we passed the mentality test in our reaction in the European game but today might be more about legs and some who might be carrying knocks and niggles. If we are to be successful today, we could really do with our wide players such as Ryan Kent stepping up and taking some of the load off Alfredo Morelos. Same goes for Arfield, Aribo and Ojo.....but it´s probably more likely Katic might grab a goal. As far as the League goes, the next two weeks are pivotal.

Everything considered, qualifying for European football on the other side of the New Year is quite some achievement. A tangible improvement and another incremental step upwards. Including a very welcome several million onto our revenue number for 19/20 (slight downside are late YB goals which have cost us about a million sterling). Two seasons of European football 30 games (minimum) Only 3 defeats Ibrox ...I think the term is fortress Back in the season we won the ECWC, we played a total of 9 games in so doing. To win the EL, it´ll be 23 games. ------------------------------- No hangover from the Cup Final last night but we´ll have to be wary of one now going into what appears to be a very difficult game on Sunday.

SG needs to come out at todays presser and make a point of strongly supporting the team and Morelos in particular when it comes to mentality. The team turned up at Hampden and dominated the game. Alfredo kept getting into goal scoring positions and despite missing, didn´t hide. Time to lift the mood, Sunday has gone and we have to minimise scar tissue. The players need some positive public vibes prior to the game tomorrow. Hope the team news is positive for at least one of Jack or Davis because if both are out it´ll be a significant blow.

Excellent video of Duncan Ferguson and his Everton side from Saturday. It conveys some of the old fashioned values and passion.

I think it´s unrealistic to expect a smooth and seamless upward trajectory, both this month and in general. The important and reasonable expectation/hope IMO, would be general significant progress season on season. That would encompass the remit of stopping 10IAR, whether it be this season or next. The important thing to consider when thinking about that remit, is that there isn´t an alternative (successful) option that is feasible. We are on a path and I think it´s the right one #patience

I think it´s evident that we are still some way short of where we need to be but as I said, it´s about incremental steps and that has to be the way given the finances (see respective wagebills). SG&Co have done very well to keep progressing to where we are today. The board have done very well to support the football operation to the extent they have, both in raw dosh and in putting in place an infrastructure that we´ll hopefully see the benefit of further down the line. The first team squad have done very well this season to produce a consistency of result that means we are there to challenge for the spoils. Not forgetting the support who have been fantastic, filling Ibrox game after game. We are still some way short but It´s going in the right direction , it´s going to need more patience because upseting the applecart isn´t an option.....The defeat on Sunday was hard to take but it´s gone. The YB game provides an opportunity to bounce right back and achieve a tangible measure of progress as well as several million sterling.

Forget yesterday for a moment, positives are more evident in our situation as a whole. We are taking incremental steps towards where we want to be and importantly have the right people in charge of the first team. Generally, mentality was good yesterday, it was more an issue of definition and quality. The main stumbling block remains finance.

Wholesale changes with the quality required aren´t really an option so it´s down to this group for the rest of the season. We have an excellent management team who have been upping the levels since they came in. We are on the cusp of European football in the Springtime, have just played in our first domestic cup final for 3 and a half years and perhaps more importantly have now achieved a consistency of result in the League that has us challenging. It might not feel like it now but the rest of this month is more important than yesterday. A victory against YB would secure something in the region of 4M smackers, which might give us some leeway to tinker in January. League games at Motherwell, Hibs and Celtic are a significant challenge for a squad that is starting to suffer a few injuries but I don´t think it´d be the end of our season if we drop a couple of points.

Morelos was on a mission and did very well to manufacture and/or get on the end of so many chances. He´s probably the only striker who has had so many chances in a 90 minutes against Celtic this season. The obvious and big negative was that he didn´t take any. Alfredo is getting the stick but for me it´s Ryan Kent who didn´t do enough wrt adding a touch of quality. Basically we huffed and we puffed but lacked the definition/quality to blow their house down. Got a feeling that Aribo is going to need this season to learn and it won´t be until 20/21 when we see him at his best.

Was a real kick in the nuts that you could see coming. We weren´t scoring had the game gone on until midnight. The main positive to extract from the disappointment was that the management team set-up the team well and installed the right attitude into the players, who in turn delivered the performance (even if lacking in definition/quality). It´s gone now and any talk of mentality really applies to the future, ie. the rest of the games in a hectic December. We need to get back to scoring goals and winning matches, although if offered on Thursday, I´d take a draw now.

Agreed but I´m greedy and would like a Richard Gough as well