JohnMc

Effort and hard work excuse a multitude of sins in the eyes of most Scottish football fans. Sakala's a better player now that at the start of the season. His covering and tracking back are impressive and he can challenge and sometime win arial duels now too. His finishing is still way below what's required and his decision making remains patchy at best. But he doesn't hide and he keeps at it, it's hard not to like him while still hoping we sign someone better.

The self confidence some people possess constantly surprises me.

I knew someone who had something like I8ROX on a Porsche (he may still, I've not seen him in a long time). He had a business in Glasgow and was running an important customer to Glasgow Airport after a meeting, in the days when you could drop off and pick up on the road right outside the terminal. Unfortunately several plane loads of Celtic fans were returning from a European trip at the same time. This resulted in an unexpectedly rowdy send off for the bemused and concerned important customer as voices were raised and threats exchanged.

I'm really not. Since making his first team debut in 2011 he's only spent 2 seasons as the first choice keeper for a side in the English Premier League. One of those seasons saw his side relegated. Every other season in his career he's either been the back up making a single figure number of appearances, out injured or he's been in League 2 or the English Championship. I'm not sure clubs signing him and then choosing not to play him really enhances his reputation either. Look, I think that Butland is a 'better' keeper than McCrorie currently, he's significantly more experienced and at the perfect age for a keeper. However, I don't believe, based on what he's done to date, that Butland is a 'top' keeper and so significantly better than McCrorie as to warrant the expenditure. With the limited budget we've got I'd gamble on McCrorie, keep McLaughlin as back up and invest our money elsewhere in the squad.

That's very true and is at the heart of the dilemma. What's our budget for a keeper, £2 million, £3 million, £4 million? What kind of keeper will that buy us? It's certainly not going to get us a Stefan Kloss equivalent today or an Allan McGregor in his prime. Jack Butland, who we're continuously linked with, is the 3rd choice Crystal Palace keeper. He's had an ok career, but he's a Championship level keeper with an iffy injury record. At 30 he's a good age for a goalie, but he will make occasional mistakes, he has done his whole career, and he'll be worth nothing at the end of his contract. He might not incur a transfer fee, but his signing on fee and wages will be substantial. Is that a good investment when we could have a great keeper at the club who just needs a run of games? It's a gamble, I accept that, but then so is signing a new keeper too. McCrorie isn't a teenager, he's 25, he's coming into his prime as a player. But he needs games, he needs first team football. The difficult reality is we're not able to compete like for like with Celtic currently. They have bigger budgets and will continue to have for at least another 12 months. We need to develop players, we somehow need to figure out how to do that while winning. It's a conundrum, but it's essential to the long term health of the club. I'd be nervous if we were deciding to replace Morelos with Robbie Ure, or Kent with Josh McPake, but McCrorie feels like a gamble where the odds a bit more in our favour.

Surely if we want to build the type of club we claim we do, one that develops players and sells them on, then McCrorie needs to be given the jersey and allowed to make some mistakes but ultimately become the best keeper he can be. McCrorie is inexperienced, but has potential. He could become the Rangers number 1 for 15 years saving the club a fortune, he could become our number 1 for 18 months and then sold to England making the club a fortune. Or he could prove a limited keeper and be dropped by October. But we'll never know if we don't give him the jersey and a little bit of slack. McCrorie will be targeted by our opponents, he'll be viewed as a weak link, they'll put a player on top of him at corners, they'll look to rough him up at any opportunity. How McCrorie deals with that will tell us a lot about him and his future, but surely we give him the chance, let him stake his claim rather sign a big name and discourage him.

I fear for the English Channel.

That's a fair point and I assume that's what we tried to do with Sands. I think we are able to attract players from mid table Bundesliga and lower EPL or Championship clubs depending on their circumstances. We're unlikely to sign Reyna's boy from Dortmund but as Tillman and Cantwell have shown we can shop at the next level down successfully.

To be clear, I'm not saying we shouldn't sign Americans, far from it. But Reyna joined us from the Bundesliga, Beasley from PSV Eindhoven and Bocanegra from Fulham. Tillman has shown enough this season to further demonstrate there are very good players with American passports. I'm just not convinced the MLS is a strong league and our previous purchases from it have underwhelmed. South Americans haven't done particularly well in Scotland either, I'm not sure the football here is a great fit for them before we take in the cultural and climatic challenges they'll face. Now, having said all that I sincerely hope someone quotes this post to me in 12 months time after a storming first season for Cifuentes.

Have we ever signed a good player from the American league? Edu scored a memorable and very enjoyable goal but he was pretty average apart from that. Sands was ordinary, not the worst but not nothing special. The least said about Matt Polster the better. I'm surprised we're shopping there, it's a league that Lewis Morgan looks like a world beater in.

Ure, Fraser and Lovelace, who I'd talked up in a different thread, were really disappointing. None of them will make our first team based on that performance. Lovelace scored the second and made the third to be fair, but he's slow and was easily dispossessed by a Celtic defence that didn't loom all that good either. Ure will be lucky to make it as a footballer at any level if that's the standard he performs at. As has already been mentioned Bailey Rice, at 16 one of the youngest on the pitch, really stood out. I thought Arron Lyall had some nice moments too, but at 19 you have to assume he's not going to make it at Rangers now either. The lad Graham who came on as a sub did well, albeit he should never be allowed to take a penalty again. Lowry is a frustrating player. He clearly has so much ability but every pass he tries is a Hollywood pass and so many simply don't come off. If he could understand when it's better to simply retain possession he'd be a much better player. Some day a manager will figure out how to get into his head and get the best from him, I hope that's Beale but I worry it might not be. Celtic had a few players who were very fast, much faster than anyone on our team. They also had a forward who scored two goals who looked like he really knows the way to goal, his second was a superb finish. Beyond that I didn't think they were anything great. Like us they'd a few bombscare moments in defence but perhaps had a better keeper. It'll be interesting to see if Rice can progress.

Van Veen has had a decent season with Motherwell, but it's his first for a few years. He's the definition of a journeyman and at 31 years old Motherwell is the highest level he's ever played at. I could see him doing a job for Aberdeen or Hibs but I think he's miles away from what we need.

You have to hope that replacements are lined up and it's simply polite protocol to wait until the incumbents have left the building. Still, it's a level of change I don't recall seeing outside of Admin.

I thought he was terrible on Sunday, as was Kent. Thought Tillman contributed very little in an attacking sense while he was on as well. Morelos is always up against bigger centre halves, that's the job. Their forwards were up against bigger centre halves too. Our defence have rightly taken flak for Sunday's loss, but we were toothless upfront, as poor as I remember us.

I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again! Ure is out of contract in the summer and hasn't had a sniff of the first team while we've been playing a clearly disinterested and ineffective Morelos, so you may have called it right.

There's a lot to be critical of when it comes to youth development at Rangers, particularly this season. King and Lowry haven't developed as they should have and Devine needs first team football at some level too. All three should be much further on in their progression by now. But a player can go from unknown to £13 million in 6 months at that age, Patterson pretty much did, as did Bassey. I like Robbie Fraser, has looked good on the 4 or 5 times I've watched him, but I'm not sure if the club agree as he's not had much of a sniff at the 1st team yet. I think Lovelace and Ure have a real chance, but again it's opportunity that will be the obstacle for them. I don't think Lewis Mayo will get a chance with us, I don't think he's good enough for our first team. But, he's almost ever present for Kilmarnock this season, he might not be ready for us, but he seems to be ready for the SPFL in the same way Stephen Kelly was. We're not going to get £13 million for them, but say £500,000 from an English League 1 side with a sell on clause, is still a realistic return. The Lowland League is ok for 16 and 17 year olds playing their first professional football, but it's not a good enough standard for anyone wanting into our first team squad far less our starting side. I wonder if a much trimmed squad will force this on us, it might even be the best thing to happen to us.

The most depressing thing about this isn't the dearth of contenders for POTY it's the poverty of Young Player Of The Year. Usually when a club has a disappointing, injury hit season it means we've had to play young players and perhaps there are some seeds of hope emerging. Tillman will win YPOTY hands down, not just because he's the best young player this season but because he's been the only young player this season. Leon King only started 7 games and looks to be far away from our starting 11, despite our current centre halves performing poorly recently. Adam Devine has started 3 matches, he's looked OK when he's played, but who can be sure. The great hope at the start of the season was Alex Lowry. He's started 1 match this season. He's had injuries and issues off the field, but it's still a hugely disappointing season for him. I recently read Revolution, Rangers 86 - 92 and was really struck by the core of the side that won the league in Souness and Smith's first season. Ian Durrant, Davie McPherson, Stuart Munro and Bobby Fleck all played over 40 games for us that season, Derek Ferguson played 33 times. If our 'business model' is to sell players to wealthier leagues every season then we need to start to develop players and that involves actually playing them.

"Collaborate" is a loaded word, Gaspard. Frankie isn't a naive teenager hoping for fame, he's an articulate lifelong Rangers supporter with the best interests of the club and support at heart. Whatever our collective concerns are regarding motives we've all complained long and hard regarding bias and misrepresentation at Pacific Quay. If BBC Scotland then offer one of our own the opportunity to contribute, how can we still complain? Even if our worst fears are realised, it's surely incumbent on us to try and share our view and knowledge to a wider audience? Change happens very slowly and then very quickly. This might amount to very little, or it might be the beginning of something important. It's surely worth a try either way.

Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California and one of the most eminent psychologists of the last 100 years refutes the idea that our memories exist in some sort of mental library, as literal representations of past events. According to Loftus memories are reconstructed, not replayed. Her teaching has changed her field over the last 5 decades. I’ve memories I replay in my mind fairly regularly and the older I get the more important memories become, especially the good ones. I was 15 when it was announced that Graeme Souness was joining Rangers as player manager. I was skinny, full of energy and Rangers daft. I’m still one of those things, however I was surprised at how much of that time I’ve misremembered, my replays are not as accurate as I’d thought. That is why Martyn Ramsay’s new book, ‘Revolution, Rangers - 1986 - 92’ is such a welcome addition to the Rangers canon, because, as Ramsay explains, this was arguably the most important period in post war football history. “Events, dear boy, events” a quote often attributed to politics could be the subtitle of Ramsay’s book. How a series of unrelated events conspired to change Rangers, Scottish football and eventually European football is woven into a compelling tale of opportunity, risk and serendipity set against a backdrop of huge social and cultural change. The boardroom machinations that finally led to Lawrence Malborough seizing control of Rangers and the vital part played by Jack Gillespie, a Lenzie garage owner, are well explained. That Rangers were being run in a similar fashion to your local bowling club prior to this is evident so it is not hyperbole to describe what followed as a revolution. Finally, a book gives David Holmes the credit and recognition he deserves, a man who who for too long has played Robespierre to his successor's Napoleon. That successor, Sir David Murray, is treated fairly. The bombast, his distaste for our support and the lack of corporate governance, almost from day one, is laid bare, but balanced by the decisive way he dealt with the departure of Souness, the support he give Walter Smith and his understanding of how European football could evolve. Like most authors Ramsay uses previous books and media of the time for reference, unusually he also uses fanzines as source material. For me this gives the book an authenticity and insight that’s often overlooked. While the great decisions are taken in boardrooms and private jets, the reality is football was then, and remains today, the people’s game and when money and fashion move on, it’s us that’ll be left to write the history. Depending on your point of view you’ll come away from this book with an enhanced opinion of John Brown and Terry Butcher or, perhaps the opposite and like me, a rekindling of respect for Stuart Munro and Mark Walters. The signing and impact of Maurice Johnson is recounted in great detail. The moment when David Holmes decided that Jock Wallace’s tenure had come to end is similarly symbolic. This book doesn’t shy away from our history. As for my reconstructed memories I found myself regularly being corrected and reminded. I’d completely forgotten that Walter Smith managed the club for the final games of the 1985/86 season, or how patchy our form was in the first half of the following season. I was reminded that the popular narrative of Souness and Rangers as having bought success is entirely false. Souness and Smith took a Rangers side that had struggled to finish fifth in the league to convincing Champions within a season, with only three main signings plus Souness himself. The bulk of that first title winning team of the 80s was inherited. This was a title won by Dave McPherson, Bobby Fleck, Davie Cooper, Ian Durrant and Ally McCoist more than the celebrated trio of Butcher, Woods and Roberts. One of the things I’ve grown to love about Rangers is how little is really known about our origins. We’ve a year, (which was mistakenly remembered for a long time), we’ve the ‘4 Lads story’ but there’s a lot missing. It’s fascinating to realise that is also the case regarding more recent seismic events. When Souness was first approached about the job is unclear and when Walter Smith knew of it is equally opaque. His reported conversation with Alex Ferguson about the two of them taking over at Arsenal was also news to me and is a ‘sliding doors’ moment for so many clubs. There are lessons for us today that Ramsay astutely highlights. “The circle will turn again” is a phrase attributed to John Greig who was a radio pundit when the club was at one of its lowest on-field ebbs in March 1986. As the author points out many of us take refuge in the belief that football is cyclical by nature and that our chance will come around again, we just need patience. He makes a compelling argument as to why that’s not the case. Likewise the importance of our support to the club, and of who is ultimately making decisions at boardroom level should never be taken for granted or dismissed if things are going well on the pitch. Ramsay’s previous book, the wonderful ‘The 50 Greatest Rangers Games’, was an emotionally charged nostalgia trip that left me smiling and dreaming after every chapter. This book is different, it’s more analytical in style and serious in content but it’s a more important book on Rangers for that. If you arrived at Rangers after these events took place then this book is an essential guide as to why football is the way it is today. If, like me, you lived through these times then read this book to have your recollections confirmed, or corrected, either way you won’t regret the time you spend reading it. Revolution, Rangers - 1986 - 92 by Martyn Ramsay - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Revolution-Rangers-Mr-Martyn-Ramsay/dp/1780916442/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2142TTNJ8LQ7V&keywords=martyn+ramsay&qid=1682246605&sprefix=martyn+ramsay%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1

Sycophant alert. Frankie has spent over 20 years promoting all things Rangers, particularly our support. He's been involved in books, thought pieces, organisations, committees as well as this website, message board and the podcast. Not only does he posses a deep knowledge regarding Rangers and has a unique understanding into the culture and views of our support, but his past also arms him with an insight into professional football that most of us will never have. He's also surprisingly tall in real life. All that said, we're considering him appearing on a national broadcaster here, where a potentially global audience awaits. That's why I must vote 'no'. For all Frankie's strengths he has one huge, over-riding handicap; his accent. Is it fair to subject the good people of Scotland to someone from Tranent? We must consider the reaction of the traveller on the lonely road from Ulan Bator to Almaty, tuning into hear how the Highland League climaxed and who might stop and think 'do all Rangers supporters sound like that?'. His inflections, clearly influenced by centuries of mingling with traders from the Low Countries, generations of inter-breeding and life times spent underground, will startle all right thinking people. I'm greatly concerned that at some point Frankie might ask for 'salt and sauce' and make us all a laughing stock. There is a reason why both the BBC and STV are based in Govan, and it's not because they were offered shedloads of public money to relocate there and it has the best internet and digital communications network in the country. No, it's because of it's proximity to how proper English should be spoken. It's how King Charles would speak if he'd been sent to Govan High instead of Gordonstoun. Perhaps a crowd funder to pay for elocution lessons could be arranged, for both Frankie and our head of state.

A bit like Stephen Kelly, Mayo looks capable of having a top flight career in Scotland but is not ready for Rangers first team. Mayo is 23 now, I expect a nominal sum transfer to Kilmarnock, or someone similar, with a big sell-on percentage will be the outcome.

Isn't that what's always happened in football? There's always someone who tells the manager if a player can be signed or not and if the club has accepted a bid for a player. The manager isn't always going to like that, but that's the reality of it. I suppose it used to be a director or CEO, today it's a combination of CEO and DoF. With managers rarely lasting more than a few seasons these days it makes sense that someone else takes responsibility for recruitment. Indeed even calling them managers is disingenuous, their job is coaching the first team, whoever is in it.

This century has seen Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain (twice) and France win it. With Holland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Wales and Denmark all making the semis. England have never won it, Germany not since 96. In that same period only one club, Porto in 2004, outside of England, Germany, Italy and Spain has won the Champion's League, and that's played every season, not every 4 like the Euros. No Welsh, Danish, Greek, Turkish or Czech club side is getting to the semis of the Champion's League anytime soon. Italy's victory a year or so ago comes as Serie A is as weak as it's been in my lifetime. If you look at the World Cup then you have to accept that neither Brazil or Argentina have financially strong domestic leagues, certainly not compared to the wealthy European leagues. Yet both countries compete regularly at the top of international football. French league football, barring one artificially inflated club, can't compete with the English or Spanish leagues, yet France have been consistently one of the best international sides of the last 25 years. England haven't won a tournament in my lifetime, and I am not a young man. In the same period English club sides have won 13 European Cups/Champion's League titles, despite being banned from the competition for some of those years. More importantly is the last few years and the next few. The weaker domestic leagues are only going to fall further and further behind the big 3 or 4, but I'm fairly confident several of those countries with weak domestic leagues will at least reach the semis of a major international tournament. Rangers can barely lay a glove on Real Madrid or Barcelona currently, yet Scotland can beat Spain in a match that actually matters.

There are certainly quite a few examples of players who have never played professionally in their 'home' country. There are quite a few who come through the ranks at a club in their home country but leave very early in their careers for a much wealthier league too. I just like that say Norway can have Odegaard, a guy who joined Real Madrid as a 16 year old, and Haaland, arguably the most coveted forward in the world, playing alongside Strandberg a 32 year old centre half for Vålerenga a mid table Norwegian side. I'm not so naive that I don't think money plays a part in international football as well, but just not at the same level as club football.

I'm going against the grain, I find myself enjoying international football more these days than for a long time. When I started taking a serious interest in football going to watch Scotland was as normal as going to watch Rangers. I barely missed a Scotland home match from around 1982 to 1989 or so. Then, like a lot of Rangers supporters, my interest started to wane. Now I can't actually remember the last Scotland match I attended, certainly it wasn't this century. I'll still watch them if they're on TV, I still want them to win and they still have the power to elate or depress me depending how the performance goes. My expectations are different from Rangers. I almost expect Scotland to disappoint me in a way I don't expect from Rangers. I'll caveat all of that though, Rangers can elate or depress me on a scale Scotland simply can't, or haven't so far. Reaching the Europa League final last season was an incredible feeling, maybe if Scotland reached the latter stages of a finals competition it would feel the same. I'm not sure I'll ever find that out. Losing to Celtic puts me on a downer that so far no Scotland result ever has. Where my enjoyment of international football is coming from isn't directly connected to watching Scotland. I feel international football is simply more meritocratic than club football. The powerful club sides in the bigger leagues are on such different level financially now that frankly the sport is now rigged. It's impossible for a club with Rangers support and history to compete with any English side in their top flight. That gap only looks like it'll continue to grow in the coming seasons. Chelsea spent over £350 million in January, and no one bats an eyelid. When we do produce a decent young player he's taken from us, often before he's even made the first team squad far less played 50 matches for us. We can see this happen all across Europe now, a two tier system is firmly in place. It wasn't always like that. In my formative years clubs like Rangers could expect to compete in Europe against the very best. Clubs like Brugge, Malmo, PSV, Benfica and Porto all made the European Cup Final. They all now struggle to even qualify for the Champion's League. Which is where international football comes in. Spain are clearly lacking in a top striker currently, as they demonstrated on Wednesday night. Now, if it was Barca or Real they'd simply go out and buy the best striker in Brazil or Germany or wherever. Spain can't do that, they need to work with the players they have. That's why we see countries like Portugal, Croatia, Morocco, Belgium, Uruguay and Wales reach semi finals in recent years. The bigger countries will always have an inbuilt advantage simply through having more players to choose from, but smaller nations can compete, they can sometimes do more than compete when they get a handful of very good players at one time. International football is simply fairer. I love that Argentina can have the best player in the world in their side, but they might need to also play a couple of total journeymen in the same team. I miss the Rangers matches during international breaks, but I enjoy watching football that's not as corrupt or imbalanced as club football now is.