CammyF

I'd pick Tav over Sterling every week. Dessers would feature on Sunday. 50/50 on whether he'd start and if he did it would be over Danilo (due to him recovering from injury). More I think about it more I'm leaning on starting Dessers. Our top scorer and scored in every round of this competition. IMO we need to score 2 or more goals to win, so our top goalscorer surely has to start.

Rangers route to the final ; Rangers 2 v 0 St Johnstone Dessers, McCausland Rangers 3 v 0 Dundee Dessers (2), Tav (pen). Rangers 2 v 1 Motherwell Dessers, Bajrami

I don't pick the team and I'd say most of our team are inadequate. I don't expect Dessers to start on Sunday that doesn't mean I wouldn't pick him if I was the manager. I think Tav may start simply due to lack of a better all round option. Sterling is the only other option and PC has chosen to play Tav ahead of him recently. I really don't see what point you are trying to prove here. What I said (tired of repeating this), so far this season Dessers is our top scorer (fact) he has scored more goals than all 3 of Celtics front 3 (fact) so if we are looking to score goals, he's our best option. Tav has for almost a decade been our top attacking threat (goals and assists), so again, if we are looking to score goals and create chances, he's our best option at right back. Its the managers decision who he picks, there are arguements for Tav and Dessers starting and there are arguements for them not starting. Thats the conundrum the manager faces in a game that could well decide if he is Rangers manager come next week. I really don't think I can be any clearer than that.

When your team has been on a decent run of games but you've got Spurs and Celtic on the horizon

He's behind you.....

Why, because I don't agree with you or some others? Regarding the smart money, why are Celtic overwhelming favourites with ALL bookies?

OK, in the spirit of Christmas - OH Yes He Has.

But Dessers and Lawrence both played in games we won (Hibs and home, Dundee United away - Lawrence scored the winner in both). What do those facts say.

What price are Danilo and Igamane?

It's not tosh, you're now changing your words and approach to what "realistic" means in sporting terms. We do have a chance of winning I've been clear in that all through this thread, yet you decided to imply I'm a surrender monkey, yet you're not for having basically the same opinion 😀 The value is certainly with Rangers given we're a shorter price to beat Spurs than we are Celtic. I'll rephrase the question, where will the smart money go? Nice of you to ignore the rest of my questions which would show that our chances on Sunday as "slim and limited", but there nonetheless.

For clarity I haven't said Dessers or Tav should or will play on Sunday. I said the manager has a conundrum in what could be a game that decides his Rangers managerial career. What I argued is in a game where, in all probability, we'll need to score 2 or more goals to win the game, can / will he go into the game without our top goalscorer (who's scored more goals than each of Celtics front three so far this season) and the player, who over almost a decade has been our main attacking threat (and scored the winning goal in last years final). Obviously including these players has conitations on how we would line-up and approach the game. However, same can be said if we start the game without them in the starting 11 (especially the right back position as Sterling has hardly shown he has what it takes to make the position his). We have played less defensively over the last 3 or 4 weeks with the front 4 players interchanging and its worked to a certain degree (we still miss too many chances and only play for 45mins). Some huge decisions for PC both for Thursday given the European squad and on Sunday which for us all is a must win game.

He has changed formation and tactics as well as personnel. It's worked thus far (DUFC aside) and will be interesting to see how he sets us up on Sunday.

I did say I don't expect Dessers to start. However, I don't think the manager will stick to the new formation against Celtic.

Taken that too far - Psalms 95:6-7 O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

No, buster thinks we have a realistic chance of winning, I think we have a chance but it's unlikely. BTW, I hope and pray I'm 100% wrong.

The fee for Lennon Miller will be around £4M, so as far as we're concerned, it may as well be £8M.

Are we really though? What are you basing this on? Wins against Kilmarnock and Ross County? I think the difference is that the manager changed his formation. Will he be brave enough to stick with this formation against Celtic? Only time will tell. If he gets it wrong, I'd suggest he won't last until Christmas (and rightly so).

I said we can win the game, I just don't think we will. That's not doomsday (point out my doomsday predictions please, or have you just made that up), or surrender monkeyness it's reality. If Celtic turn up on Sunday (as they usually do) they'll win 9 times out of 10. Answer me these questions ; 1. When was the last time we kept a clean sheet against them? 2. When was the last time we beat them? 3. Which team has the better players? 4. Which team has scored more goals this season? 5. Which team has goal threat right through their team? 6. Which team is better coached? 7. What gives you confidence that we, and I quote you, have a realistic chance of winning on Sunday? 8. If you were a betting man, who would you back to win the game? We need a lot of things to go our way on Sunday if we're going to win the game. But as recent form and recent OF games show, Celtic are firm favourites and firm favourites for a reason. Glad to hear that surrending the title before a ball is kicked is realism but accepting that Celtic are better than us at the moment and are favourites to win the cup is being a surrender monkey.

What doesn't make sense? You claimed those predicting a Rangers loss on Sunday are surrender monkies in the same post where you admitted surrendering the league before the start of the season. So are you one of these surrender monkies? You've also spent months telling us that Rangers fans are impatient and unrealistic, yet when they are realistic about our chances on Sunday, they're suddenly surrender monkies. Make your mind up. It's you that's not making much sense here.

Hahaha - surrender monkies - you surrendered the league before a ball was kicked. We don't have a reasonable chance on Sunday. We do have a chance but if Celtic turn up, they win. That's not surrendering, it's just the reality of where we are as a team. After all, your the one who bangs on about being realistic.

But the replacement for Tav is arguably as inconsistent as Tav and doesn't carry a threat. We will have to score to win on Sunday, when was our last clean sheet in an OF game? They will score, so we'll need to score at least 2 goals to win. As for Dessers, he has 34 goals and 13 assists from the equivalent of 55 games. A goal every 146 mins and a goal involvement every 105 mins. That's our main goal threat right there. The issue we have is they have consistent goal threat right through their team we don't so we are over reliant on 2 or 3 players.

But we'll have to score goals to win the game. As I said it's a conundrum. Tav creates and scores, that is undeniable. However, he gets exposed defensively against Celtic (he's not the only one by the way). Sterling is the only option to replace Tav. He has struggled with injuries and consistency this season (and last if we're honest with ourselves). Cerny has done well recently as have Danilo and Igamane but in my opinion, currently, our best option for goals and assists are Tav and Dessers. Doesn't mean both or either will play on Sunday but Clement needs to find a ballance of defensive stability and attacking threat to give us the best change of winning on Sunday. Not picking your best (IMO) attacking options is a gamble especially when the result could determine if he's still the manager when Santa comes calling.

Dessers and Tav have also scored 2 in 2. Dessers is our top scorer and has scored more goals this season than any of Celtic's front 3. IIRC he is our only player who's scored in every competition this season (as he did last season). Tav has historically been our best offensive threat both scoring and assisting and has came onto a game in last few weeks. He also scored the winner in last seasons final. Sterling has struggled for fitness and consistency and offers nothing going forward. I'll stick to my opinion that they are our most consistent goal threat and along with Souttar only players to have netted against Celtic (playing for Rangers) that are likely to feature on Sunday. Said above, can't see Dessers starting but think Tav might.

But by doing that, we are not starting our 2 main goal threats in a cup final. That's a gamble for any manager, especially one under pressure from the fans. For what it's worth, I think he might start Tav but won't start Dessers. For me the critical area is midfield so Hagi will probably drop to tbe bench and we'll start with 3 in midfield.