JohnMc

The ref was kind to Benfica last night. The penalty aside if you look at where the freekick they scored their second was taken from, compared to where the foul was, that's poor refereeing. Di Maira simply can't play that cross from where the freekick was made and that shouldn't be a hard thing to enforce.

We'd McCausland in the starting 11 last night. He's been the exception rather than the rule though, and I'm still not convinced he'll 'make it'. His game will need to improve to keep his place after the summer I suspect. Our ability to move players who were exceptional in the their mid teens on to become first team players has been very disappointing for years now. We're not alone with that, few Scottish sides are good at it. There's more than one reason for that, but in my opinion none of the reasons for it are being addressed and so this will continue. You have to question whether the B Team experiment has worked. I'm not sure playing youngsters in the Lowland League, or now in varied friendlies, is working. I saw Lowry play in a B Team game a few seasons ago and he was so much better than that level, however as we all know his career has stalled and would any of us be surprised if he left for good in the summer? On Liverpool I think you're being generous calling a home tie against a side from a division below as 'high pressure'. While Liverpool wanted to win it's certainly not their priority this season. It's exactly the kind of game they'd introduce young players in. It seems like Liverpool have a decent crop emerging, but time will tell how many actually make it.

I don't think he's played for the B Team, he's only 15. B Team tends to be players 17 and over.

In fairness Arsenal have a better record of bringing their own players through to their first team than we do. I'm unaware of the lad and at 15 it's still anyone's guess if he'll ever make the grade so I'm not unhappy at the kind of money that's being reported. I remember how upset we were when Charlie Telfer left us for Dundee Utd.

I agree. Last season's Celtic side wouldn't have dropped the points they have this season. They were on 73 points at this stage last season, on 62 this season. Surprisingly we're on exactly the same points after 26 matches that we were last season, 64. There is an argument that this season's Rangers side isn't as strong as last season's side, certainly we've fewer striking options, our defence is pretty much the same but we've a better keeper. That shouldn't take away from what Clement has achieved results and performance wise though, he's taken a side lacking direction and, I'd say, ability, and turned them into a side much better than the sum of its parts.

The John Collins and Ray Houghton thing was interesting. I knew he wanted to sign Houghton but I didn't realise he'd agreed to it and then back out. I remember hearing Walter Smith say he'd wanted to sign Collins but again I didn't realise he'd agreed then back out.

We drew at home with Celtic, won every other league game. There would have been a riot if we'd sacked him after his first 9 games.

Devine had a nice assist for the Motherwell goal on Friday. I can't comment on his overall performance but Motherwell lost.

Among the many changes that Phillipe Clement has quietly affected at Rangers one has gone almost unmentioned. We finished the match last night with three 20 year olds and a 21 year old upfront, plus Yilmaz who is only 22. I'm not sure I recall Rangers ever having a younger side than the one that finished last night. Getting the best out of young players is not something every manager can do. We started this season with a side built around experience and height, somehow we now have a young, slim, quick side. Far from the finished article, but with a clear purpose and all knowing what they are meant to be doing. Huge credit to the big Belgian. Last night we saw a Rangers side show character. I think we all know we wouldn't have won that match 4 months ago. Not every player had their best game, but every player fought, showed intensity and worked very, very hard. We're not top, but this side is growing every week and they'll get another chance to take that top spot.

Does the signing of Cortes basically confirm that's there's no chance we're signing Sima on a permanent deal? It was always a long shot, but his contract will be down to his last year soon, Brighton might want to try and recoup some of the transfer fee they paid, but it's unlikely they'll get anything like the £7 million they're reported to have paid for him.

This match will tell us a lot about our team and the character and desire in it. As everyone now knows a 3-0 win puts us top of the league, with the same games played. If our players can overcome an Aberdeen side who always lift themselves for us, who have a new manager to impress, one that isn't inept for a change, and deliver the victory required, that might be indicative of what's going on behind the scenes. It also puts pressure on the side from across the city, and for a long time many of us have suspected they won't react well to pressure. I didn't expect to be in this position so soon into Clement's reign. If we stumble tomorrow that will tell us something about the players we currently have, if we don't that might suggest something else. Looking forward to finding out which it is.

22 years, jeez. In some ways it feels every second of it, in others it feels like just a few moments ago. That goal must have felt cathartic for him.

Are we stronger now the transfer window has closed? The players we've lost are Lammers and Devine. Assuming Tav stays fit Devine leaving doesn't really affect us. Should Tav get injured we're looking at Sterling to fill in. Neither he nor Devine can give us what Tav does, so Devine leaving for the second half of the season isn't much of an issue I don't think. Lammers played a lot of games for us, but failed to impress and his move away takes away some competition for places and options but doesn't really weaken us. Incoming we've Oscar Cortes, he's just turned 20 and has played 24 first team games. He's a punt, he might prove to be very good, he might thrive in Scotland, but it'll take him a while to adapt you have to assume. I'm not sure how good his English is and there's a big cultural adjustment required for him to settle. He might prove to be an inspired signing, but it would be unfair to expect too much from him right away. Mohamed Diomande is the same age but has nearly 100 first team games under his belt already. Although he's Ivorian he's been living in Denmark for over 3 years so culturally he's got experience of northern Europe, a move to Glasgow shouldn't be a huge shock for him. Like all players he'll need some time but I'd expect him to be challenging for a first team place from pretty much day 1. How good he is, or can become, I've no idea, but surely he can be more effective than Lammers. Silva, a young player carrying a huge weight of expectation on his shoulders, and, frankly, failing to deliver on it. It's not his fault he's one of the most expensive teenage signings of all time, however, he is and the fact he's ended up in Scottish football tells us his career hasn't gone as hoped. That said he's undoubtedly talented, and like the other January signings has potential. If he can stay fit he'll play a lot, mainly because of our lack of options up front. A run of games and some confidence might be the making of him. So, on paper our squad is stronger today than in December, however that's not the whole story. The loss of Danilo and Sima change the complexion of the squad. Sima is our most potent forward, and his goals don't look like they've been replaced. Danilo's injury being much worse than first thought suggests we might not see him again this season. We're threadbare upfront. Certainly the loss of Sima in January is a big blow, and one I'm not sure we've dealt with. The return of Lowry might yet make a difference. He's injured and looks like being out until April, but it's a long season with more than a few twists and turns left in it. Fit and focused, and depending on injuries or form elsewhere, he might still have a roll to play.

Well let me be the first to admit I thought Dessers looked like a dumpling from almost day 1. A poor touch, a lack of mobility and a surprising lack of strength and power when grappling with defenders combined with a complete lack of composure in front of goal. I'll also admit that despite his recent run of scoring form, a couple of which have been really nice finishes, I'm still not convinced by him. However, should he go on and have a great second half of the season and, once again, underline my lack of football knowledge, no one will be happier than me.

The season we last won the league, we had 4 proper forwards, all contributing important goals. Morelos with 17 goals, Roofe with 18, Itten with 6 and Defoe with 7, supported by Kent, Aribo, Hagi and Arfield who all contributed a decent number of goals, and of course Tav whose contribution so many of us simply take for granted. This season really only Dessers and Tav could be expected to reach 18 goals. Sima could have but his injury makes that unlikely now, perhaps Danilo too if he'd been fit. Our midfield goal contribution is pitiful. The attraction of Shankland for so many is he's a goal scorer, something our squad badly needs. I like the look of Silva, but nothing in his past suggests he's a 20 goals as season forward.

One of the great mysteries of life. I can only think of one 'Brian' who played for us yet we all call him 'Laudrup', yet there's been a few Alastairs over the years but only one we'd know as 'Ally'. Very few players earn only first name status. The few that do usually fall into two camps; club legends like Super Ally as already mentioned, Slim Jim or Sandy or those with 'unusual' Christian names like Lorenzo, Fashion, Torry or Moses. But even then very few of them were just called by their first name. We went through a period in the 80s when we had a spate of Fergusons; Eric, Iain, Ian and Derek all played for us over a 5 or 6 year period yet were all known as 'Fergie'. Then our next two 'Fergusons' become better known by their first names; big Dunc and Barry. Go figure. If there's a rhyme or reason to it I've not sussed it out yet.

So has he got to remain in Tobermorey until then?

You'd think the club, or his agent, would have checked this out before, so maybe it's fine. From what I can see some nationalities can get a work permit easier than others. Considering Brazil's standing in world football there are surprisingly few in UK football.

That's a fair point. Copenhagen are in the knockout stages of the Champion's League this season so possibly not currently. Traditionally it's been a weak league, but maybe times are changing.

This is a player who has made 18 first team appearances in his entire life, none in Brazil I'd add. I'm not entirely sure how he'll get a work permit, but that aside we're buying very much untried potential, he's unlikely to be ready for our first team. Both Diomande and Jefre are young players, playing in weaker leagues than ours looking to make a step up in standard. It's an interesting signing strategy, but it's risky. Whether either are currently ready to improve our first team remains to be seen. I mean we've bought players from better leagues than ours and they've been disasters, so I'm not knocking this new strategy, just pointing out both these players might need time to adjust.

My favourite player of the 21st century. Did all his talking on the pitch, a really effective midfielder and someone who comes across as a decent sort too. His retirement is an end of an era in some ways. He was the last player still at the club who was signed by Walter Smith, also the last player who played before our 2012 crash. One of a small group of Rangers players to have played in 2 European finals. Everyone knew this was almost certainly going to be the outcome, an ACL injury at any age is a big injury for a player, but at his vintage a comeback seemed unlikely. His last act at the club was to introduce young Northern Irishman Ross McCausland to the first team while caretaker for a couple of matches before Clement took over. McCausland hasn't lost his place since. There's something fitting about that.

England has a pyramid system, so going straight into the Championship is not going to happen. Other clubs and their supporters would, rightly, be against that. So if, and it's a big if, we were able to join the English league system it would be the Cumbrian Sunday League or similar, and we'd need to work our way up from there. The time to do that was 2012, I can't see it happening now. I think it's inevitable Rangers will eventually leave the Scottish league, but I doubt England will be our destination.

The UK government decide work permits, not the SFA. There are some African countries where it's easier to get a UK work visa, and some where it's quite difficult. The real problem a club like Rangers has when it comes to academies, be they Scottish players or African ones, is the culture around the club. If Nordsjælland never win a trophy no one will be surprised, so they can blood young players, introduce them to their first team, allow them to make mistakes and learn their trade, safe in the knowledge they are only there to be developed and sold. Our support simply won't accept that. Young players will get a couple of games at most to prove they belong in the first team, then they'll be fair game for the crowd if they aren't pulling their weight. We can set up as many academies as we want, but good luck getting them first team football at Rangers.

We already have some sort of formal football connections with Orange County Soccer and Bengaluru in India and some other thing with Hamburg, although I don't think that's a football player based formal connection. So we're already part of a "multi-club network" of sorts. It also explains all the fantastic young American and Indian talent we've unearthed recently... Didn't we get a young goalkeeper from Orange County once? Personally I hate the idea of multi-club ownership. City Group, Red Bull and 777 Partners are anathema to me, they go against everything I think football should be about. I hope Rangers are never swallowed up by one of them.

Hardly, he's not signed it, yet at least. I suspect Shankland will want a move from Hearts, his star has never been higher, a move to us or the English Championship could set him up financially for life. This is probably his last big contract, I'd be amazed if he signed that, unless there's an attractive release clause.