JohnMc

There's a guy called Ally MacKay, he's the 'General Manager and Chief Soccer Officer' at DC United in the MLS. He's Scottish and a Rangers fan, but he's been in America for a good while now. Whatever we think of the standard of football there is a professionalism to the running of American sport that we could learn from. I've no idea if the club are aware of him, I've no idea if he'd be interested in 'moving home', but I'm surprised I've not seen his name mentioned by anyone in the media or connected to the club.

I don't know for certain. Whatever issues he has that's three managers in a row who don't trust him, despite his obvious talent. He's still at the club so I assume he'll make the Europa League bench just because of circumstance. He's not making our first team unless there's a raft of injuries, so expect him to start in about 3 weeks time! It's so frustrating, he has genuine ability, he could have a wonderful career, but clearly something is missing mentally.

It's a strange squad so we have to assume that McCausland, Leon King, Lowry, Bailey Rice, Robbie Fraser, Zac Lovelace, Adam Devine and Cole McKinnon make the B list?

You're all wrong, it's 1979, that strip is recognised by FIFA as the greatest Scottish Cup Winning strip, Michel Platini told me that himself. Technically we sort of won the 1879 final too, well, we drew the final then complained about the refereeing, (plus ca change) and the SFA awarded the cup to Vale of Leven. So the Tims used to wear stripes, who knew!

It was made famous by being used in a commercial for Tennents Lager in the early 1990s, while being sung by a guy from Bridgeton, prior to that it was hardly known outside of folk clubs. But yeah, it's a cracking tune.

As a support we've had plenty of recent experience of tankings, unfortunately. So accepting a season like you describe isn't something fans want, but they will accept it. Recently we accepted it with Gerrard. It took two seasons to build a title winning side, but we could all see the progress and development, so it was accepted. I think you could be correct about this season. I don't think there's any chance we'll sign players who are on the type of salaries quoted, our wage bill is coming down no matter what. Whether Clement is the alchemist required to create a team greater than the sum of its parts is still up for debate, but the board seem to think he is and I'd be very surprised if we change course this season. I don't think we're deliberately 'tanking' but I do think we're deliberately reducing our wage bill and so the type of player we're signing. If, say, Cantwell or Hagi leave, they'll be replaced but by someone on significantly less money. Time will tell how that will work out. Having players on lower salaries also makes them easier to sell, part of the difficulty in moving on the two mentioned above is the salaries they enjoy. In reality neither have shown enough to suggest they're worth them, and so convincing another club to pay it is a problem. Likewise Davies, no one else is paying him that on current fitness and form. It could be a difficult season. Our squad isn't currently strong enough to compete on 4 fronts. But football is a strange sport at times and events might just intervene and make life for our neighbours across the city harder than it currently is.

As we said on the podcast on Friday, this had potential banana skin written all over it. As it was we controlled the match, should have scored more than we did, created a decent number of chances and were only occasionally troubled by a St Johnstone side who are significantly better than last season and in good form. On top of that we were able to get some minutes into the legs of a few players who haven't played much recently. The downside is another couple of injuries, the extent of which is still unknown. We've had worse afternoons at Hampden in recent times. A regular criticism recently has been the lack of a style of play, I don't think you can make that claim yesterday. It was clear what we were trying to do and for the most part it worked. Jefte and Matondo linked up well, Tav and Cerny had moments but were less effective. Diomande supported Danilo and then Dessers and was as advanced as I recall seeing him. Danilo linked up well, his hold up play and lay offs are better than Dessers, but I'm still unsure if he's as good a finisher, he didn't look it yesterday. In fairness he'll need a month or so of regular games before we'll know just what Danilo offers, but at least having the option again was pleasing. Sterling played in bursts, then seemed to disappear. I suppose a player whose game is based around power will need a few matches to get back to match sharpness. Tav still looks a yard slow, I'm not sure if that's a match sharpness thing or simply his body ageing. He was again caught out more than once yesterday. Tav never hides, he's rarely injured and provides experience in a team still finding it's feet. I do wonder if there was another option at right back if he'd be playing as much as he is though. Baron, Davies, Dessers and McCausland all played well when they came on. Baron is already a first choice in midfield and looks to have been an excellent signing. Dessers scored, again. Whatever his failings, and he demonstrated some of them yesterday, he also never hides, gets into good positions and took his chance well, showing composure where previously other players hadn't when presented with chances. We need other players to contribute more goals, relying on Dessers solely to score is unfair and unrealistic, other players need to contribute, and that's still lacking from this squad. Overall more positives than negatives. We're a work in progress, but yesterday did at least feel like progress. We've got a week before we play again, Ross County at home, and then another week before the Tims away. I don't think we're as bad as some are making out, but we're still quite a distance from being as good as we'll need to be.

Not for me. They were great games, and we've played them a few times since, but I don't feel the same way towards them as I do the others. Marseille at home remains one of my favourite ever nights at Ibrox. For all our moans we've been treated to some great European nights over the years.

At that time, for many people in the 'west', the Soviet Union and Russia were inter-changeable terms. The idea of Ukraine, Kazakstan or Georgia etc being separate countries wasn't a concept many here were aware of. I'd read that Stalin was a Georgian, but I thought that was a bit like being Cornish or from Yorkshire, I'd no idea it was a different country with its own culture and language. We played Dynamo Kiev a couple of years after this game in a friendly. The Soviet Union was breaking up at this point and Rangers gifted them new yellow and blue strips, the colours of Ukraine, as everyone knows now. The history of Dynamo Kiev is fascinating. What their players went through in WW2, to becoming one of the most important institutions in the Soviet Union and used as a conduit for spies, to Lobanovskyi's coaching methods to being a symbol of Ukrainian independence. I think of Dynamo Kiev in a similar way I do Eintracht Frankfurt, St Etienne and Moscow Dynamo, clubs with important historical links to our history.

It's worth pointing out that Celtic have reportedly spent over £15 million this summer to have the exact same squad as last season. The Irish forward and the Portuguese midfielder(?) were both there last season. That's a lot of money to stand still. They might well sign more players before the window shuts of course, but currently they're a changed veteran goalie away from the same team as last season. They weren't much better than us last season, they had more upfront and a stronger midfield, but a defence that wasn't anything special and a support ready to turn on an unpopular manager and board. I don't think we're stronger than last season, I can't yet tell if we've stood still or slipped back a bit. Tonight will tell us some more, and we can't judge the squad until the end of the window. Dessers has done enough to be our first choice no. 9, with better supporting players around him and some decent alternative(s) on the bench we might yet be chanting his name this season.

His finishing aside it was his overall play that frustrated me most last season. He didn't hold the ball up well, he was slow in a sprint and didn't win his fair share of headers. This season, albeit it's early, I think his overall game has improved. With hindsight I also think the fact that, Tav aside, no one else was scoring regularly last season meant more focus fell on Desssers. If our other attacking players and midfielders had chipped in with more goals Desser's might have been appreciated more.

I feel the people responsible know exactly what it is. Well said 26th of Foot.

Jon Daly was Dundee Utd's when we bought him.

I mentioned his background simply to illustrate what he'd achieved in his chosen field. The role of a Chairman is to focus and lead the board. From the outside it feels like he's done that quite well. Important decisions have been made, the previous leaks and briefings seem to have stopped, the board seem to be in agreement on direction. That might sound straightforward but it often isn't. Reading above it sounds like you're judging him on his stand-in role as acting CEO following Bisgrove's departure. I don't think that's a job he wants full-time, I understand he's stepping in until someone new is appointed. You're correct, he's not what we need as CEO, but I think he fully agrees with you on that. I'm not sure how much blame can be laid at his door over the Copland stand problems, but as Chair he must take his fair share of the blame.

What! This is the Rangers Chairman, of course we care about what school he went to!!

We do, that's fair, whatever he achieved before doesn't really matter now. As the Chairman I'm not sure how much day to day decision making he was involved in before becoming our acting CEO in June. I assume he was involved in the big decisions. So sacking Beale, I assume he was in agreement on. That was a big call, there must have been some voices saying 'give him the season'. I personally think that was the correct decision. Time will tell if Clement is the correct appointment. Ironically the work on the Copland Road stand. It must have been instigated by the board, when it must have been tempting to palm off our wheelchair support, again, and earmark that money for something else. Obviously the project management has been poor, but the project itself is something we as a support should be proud of, I think. I wasn't in favour of the museum. I didn't think it would work, but I was wrong, it's excellent. Sticking our ground over away tickets for Celtic might have seemed an easy decision to fans, but I imagine there was a lot of pressure at a high level being applied. Previous boards would have caved I think. Overall though I like that the board seems calm and focussed now. In the recent past it felt like we were only ever a few weeks away from someone suing us, or public fall-outs as well as high profile PR people making things worse rather than better. My sense is that's not what we have now, there seems to be some stability, with grown-ups making decisions.

How do you know he's not the man to get things done? I don't know John Bennett, but I can see he has a pretty impressive business record. He's a guy from Knightswood who rose to the top of his chosen profession. He must have something about him to have achieved that. Finance, particularly in the City Of London, is dominated by people who went to very expensive schools and had every advantage in life. To scale the heights he has against his background at least suggests he has significant drive and ability.

If John Bennett hadn't done the interview personally, and instead had left it to a more polished presenter, there would be a 10 page thread on here, and Lord knows what elsewhere, criticising him for hiding from the support and not speaking directly to us. He was damned if did and damned if he didn't. With respect the Forces is a very different animal to a football club director. I accept the point you make, but I think it would have been a mistake if Bennett hadn't fronted up. I don't know John Bennett, I've never met or even spoken to him so I don't what he's like. I agree he seems uncomfortable in front of a camera, however, most people are like that. That doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing. In my working life I've seen a number of highly capable, successful people, great communicators in their working day, turn to wood the moment a camera was put in front of them. It's not a skill that everyone possesses. It can be coached and improved, but if someone simply doesn't enjoy that it rarely comes across naturally. Sir David Murray loved a camera, he was a natural, he could ad-lib, change topic and sound like he was in complete control. We all know how that worked out. It's ironic but we increasingly live in a time where presentation matters more than substance. Where communication skills are valued over actual ability, where soundbites seem to be all that matters. The substance of what John Bennett said is worth analysis. Clearly all is not well at the club, that's very clear. That lies at the feet of the directors, no one else is responsible for that. To me the most important things he said was 'no matter what happens on the pitch, Clement is here for the season'. That'a bold statement for a Chairman to make. We've had three seasons in a row where our manager has changed in the Autumn. That's a failing of the Directors, I suspect if our form isn't what we all hope for there will be a lot of people shouting for change, it's a brave board that don't give the supporter's what they want.

Well, it's temporary, he's covering the position while we recruit a replacement. It's also quite normal for directors to 'work' on behalf of their clubs, even non-execs. For someone like Bennett, an already wealthy man, this isn't a job in the normal sense. Being a director of a football club you've supported your entire life is very different from being a director of a standard commercial organisation. I think it's fair to question Bennett's ability, it's a far from ideal scenario, but under the circumstances I'm not sure there was a better option. Questioning his dedication is unfair I feel. If he's still doing the job in a few months time then questions need asked.

Is he one of these left-footed right-wingers? I know nothing about him but if he's a Czech international he must have something about him, surely.

When hearing the name 'Hannibal' it's interesting to see whose first thought is elephants and Alps and who thinks of cannibalism and Jodie Foster. A true cultural divide! Recent loanees have done ok, Tillman and Sima were successes I'd say. There's some incentive for this lad with his contract nearly up and it being unlikely he's going to make it at Man Utd. I saw him against us on Saturday. He caught the eye however I'm not sure if that's because of his unusual name and impressive hair or because of his ability. We need some bodies in, this doesn't seem like the worst business we could do.

That was as poor a half of football as I can recall, we were woeful. It's worth remembering Birmingham are in the English third tier. I know it's a friendly and perhaps the players have been getting run mercilessly for 2 weeks with an eye on a long season or something, but I'd still expect us to put up a better showing than that. The fact I was actually pleased when Wright and Dessers came on depresses me. I'm starting to wonder if so many senior players leaving, or trying to leave, is causing issues behind the scenes. We didn't look like a team last night, or at the weekend. I fully accept a couple of good signings could change everything, so I hope they happen soon. As an aside I liked the look of the Birmingham right back in the first half. Laird I think was his name. Obviously he was given the freedom of the wing and our tactics of not running or tackling and passing to Birmingham players might have enhanced his performance.

Celtic weren't substantially better than us last season and so far all they've done is replace their keeper. At best they've stood still, so far. Have we regressed a bit, or stood still also? Losing Lundstram and Barasic weakens the squad, time will tell if Baron and Jefte are adequate replacements. Sima is the biggest loss to our squad and he's not been replaced. It would be astonishing if we don't sign at least a couple of forward players before the window closes. I expect we'll strengthen elsewhere too as other players leave. It's frustrating we don't have more players in so they can get to know their team mates and Clement's demands, but it's still only July. You have to assume things are going on, talks are taking place. There tends to be a domino effect, someone in the chain needs to sell or buy and that triggers a raft of moves. I think we will need to get used to Rangers playing younger home grown players this season too. Not first choice, but when injuries and suspensions happen I think Clement will have to play the youth. In my experience Rangers supporters are all for this until it actually happens, we're not the most patient support.

He's clearly not part of Clement's plans, that's why he's with the B team. I understand it's mutual, Lammers wants to leave, for whatever reasons he didn't settle in Scotland or at Rangers. It's best for everyone that he moves on. He might need to accept a drop in salary for that too happen, so a lot will depend on the player himself. I suspect this will drag on until the last minute as interested clubs wait to see if we blink and agree to cover some of his salary and we wait and see if the clubs who want him blink and agree to pay him closer to what he's on with us. Whatever stats might say he's been a really poor signing for us. Not every player is capable of playing for Rangers, often that's not to do with footballing ability. Lammers falls into this category.

Andy Webster? The Andy Webster who we went to all sorts of hassle to sign and then never played, that Andy Webster? Hope lad takes after his mother. Last I heard Webster was involved in the Hearts youth academy.