Gaffer

In my opinion that's unreasonable. We can't control what Celtic do. Their team should beat our team each time we play at the moment so there's no way we can demand a cup win, or win over them. We had that win when MW was in charge but it meant, and means very little. Progress in our team is all that matters.

For what it's worth, I thought I'd tell you about Pena. I was surprised that he came to us in the first place, especially for the little money we paid for him. I didn't know about his off the field troubles but I did know about how good he was on it. I've watched him many times and this guy is class. I don't mean fake class like Dorrans or Goss. I mean real class like Gazza. He took a while to settle into the game up here but when he did, I liked the look of him, although he never hit the heights I expected him to. And again, in my opinion, we sent him packing just when he was starting to regain his form. Pena has always looked clumsy, but he has the skill and an eye for goals. He's also much faster and fitter than he looks. I just wish we had tried him in Murty's system because it's the role he was designed for. That's all water under the bridge now, but it's such a shame that a talented player like that allowed his problems with alcohol to ruin what should have been a glittering career. I am comfortable taking risks, and he is one I would have happily sanctioned had I been on the board. Some say we are not in a position to take risks, but I can't see us taking the next step in our development in we don't take a few more. As for Pena, I hope he sorts himself out because he is a delight to watch and I just hope he gets a chance to show it somewhere before it's too late.

I'll answer from my perspective .... What's acceptable from the board? : they make a selection of manager and then back him. However, I do expect there to be a greater level of scrutiny given to risky signings (such as Barton or Pena). It's Allen's job to work with the manager on signings, however I'd expect a board to challenge where appropriate. Equally, I'd expect the board to be working on a succession or backup plan in case this next managerial appointment is a failure. Whats acceptable from the new manager? : He needs to secure our second place in the league. By Christmas, there needs to be confidence that we will be at least second in the league.

There's no doubt that the board has made a few errors of judgement in selecting the manager, but I have to admit that if I was on the board I think I'd have made some of those same mistakes. It's difficult to pick a manager, and in fact it is the most difficult decision to take because it can't be reversed easily so quickly. I like the fact that they've selected a manager (with the very best of motives and expectation) and then backed him each time. I'm assuming we all agree with that. The problem they have is that whoever they choose as our manager, there will be a large proportion of the fan base that will be unhappy. I'd be happy to prove that if anyone on here wants to submit a list of potential names. The simple fact is that no matter who becomes our manager, they have a thankless task. We want to win the league and yet it's wholly unreasonable to expect that, yet. It is however perfectly reasonable to expect us to finish comfortably in second place and therein lies the issue with Murty. In December, the board selected its preferred manager but this approach failed before they got anywhere. That's just life and football, but they decided to hold off until the summer to ensure that the correct man was appointed. I think it was completely reasonable too for the board to expect us to finish second given the quality singings we made in January. To be fair to the board and Murty, it looked a certainty as we were playing some brilliant football and scoring at will in our games at the start of the year. In fact, I particularly enjoyed the prospect of us having a title challenge. Indeed, we were a fine margin away from that in our game against Celtic at Ibrox. I still can't believe we lost that game. However, not only did we lose that game, but something happened. I don't know what, but something changed and the team has not kicked a ball since. It's clear that the skill is there, because we were all over teams (including Celtic) at our freeflowing best. We seem to however lack a mentality, or a resilience to deal with setbacks. That's what Murty appears to be unable to deal with. It may have had something to do with the rumoured unrest in the dressing room as a result of LW and KM, but that's just speculation, albeit somewhat substantiated. The simple fact is that this team has shown that it can be good enough. The fact is that the team is fragile. The fact is that we have significantly closed the gap on Celtic and really are not that far behind them. We need a manager who is a winner. That's now the next step in our development. I don't really know who we will bring in next, but whoever it is has to drive a belief in these players. If he identifies players who don't really believe, or are fragile, he needs to move them on quickly. Playing for Rangers (or them for that matter) is tough. It's far easier for these same guys to play for Aberdeen or Hibs because the expectations are much lower. I'm sure many will accept that the weight of expectation can destroy some players and we've seen that this season. We need a winner as a manager, a good transfer window (to move on our mentally weak players), and an influx of 2 or 3 quality players and leaders on the park. That should be enough to create some distance between us and the rest of the pack. Then we can start to look ahead of us and tackle Celtic. We are not as far away as many on here would suggest, but unless we bring in the right manager with the right mentality we will never unlock the potential this squad clearly has.

You felt sorry for the players?!? They were the only people that could do something about it but didn't. We didn't expect to win, but we did expect to compete. I am way past trying to be fair to Murty, but I've no idea what he was trying to achieve today with that setup. It didn't make sense before kick off and it definitely didn't make sense after 5 minutes of watching the game. However, no matter how poor the setup was, there's no excuse for that lack of fighting spirit. Murty will go (and probably in the next few days), but some of those players just played their last games for the club too. Like his runs into the box as a player, Gerrard has timed this brilliantly. Our expectations are at an all time low so he only has one way to go and that's up. Welcome to the most successful team in the world Stevie. We are all behind you, and believe me when I say you need all the help you can get.

Hey Rousseau, you might like this .... https://mobile.twitter.com/stoodeejay/status/989403427812925441/video/1

You might not like this Rousseau, but I think we are similar. He would not have been my first choice (or anything near it), but I can become quite excited at something like this and I too am imagining the 55 banners when he's announced. Lets face it, no matter what we think about this board, they are willing to take risks to get us back where we belong. To pull this off might not every bear's idea of a good appointment, but there cannot be a single bear that can say it isn't exciting and ambitious.

The leaks from FF worry me. They got the last few team sheets spot on, despite some surprises in there. In other words, they couldn't really have guessed and I believe they have a very reliable source. So this begs the question .... why on earth would someone within Rangers leak the team, and then why would FF post it? Doesn't that just give our opponents an advantage? Am I missing something here, or does something really stink? We need to find out the leak and sort this out now. Whoever is leaking this info needs to be hung, drawn, and quartered, and then thrown as far from Ibrox as possible. If anyone from the club needs help to find the culprit, I'm offering my services. This has to stop!!!

This is the funniest post of the year. Nice one John ?????

I agree he could play the number ten role, but I'm reluctant to agree to your "quality over potential" preference. I understand we have to feel some progress is being made, but this is just a sticking plaster approach to our rebuild. We need to build our squad and club back up again and we can't be shelling out funds each year for players overnight the age of 30+. We can't afford to do it and it takes valuable game time away from our younger players. That doesn't make sense to me. I'd rather we have a small number of older role models and really focus on developing our young players. That means we have to be tolerant though, and I doubt that many of our fans are happy to accept that losing games due to individual mistakes is part of our journey back.

If you watch it back, he's actually considering saying something and then says "no" as in ["I'm not going to comment on that"]. I suspect you knew that, but it doesn't stop the Daily Record from making sensationalist stories so I suppose it shouldn't deter you either. ?

I agree with you that we are suffering from some terrible individual errors. However, I don't think the stronger team should ever base its tactics on the opposition. It's definitely something that should be considered, but it's not the most important consideration. The players at our disposal, the pitch conditions and size, and the result we need are all the key considerations. Our players are not yet good enough to chop and change each week to accommodate the opposition. Actually, very few are. We need a game plan and tactics that use our players to the best of their effectiveness. I have said this for months now, we use a great system, but don't have the players for it. I like 4-2-3-1 but for it to work you need a very creative number 10. We don't have that. The nearest we came to it was Pena (Yeah, seriously) but we need to get a proper 10 in there or change the system. When people say they want two up front, as far as I can see that's what we have. Neither Windass or Cummings have the attributes to play as that playmaker so they end up playing as a second striker. This is what's wrong with the way we play. We've not got the worst of both worlds. We don't partner up the strikers, and we don't have a playmaker. We've got something in between. What I'm saying is the obvious and will be addressed by the relevant football staff. I imagine that Allen has a target list of appropriate players already and I expect we've been talking to the relevant clubs and agents. That'll fix our attacking threat. However, we need a central defence. The system requires pace in at least one of the centrebacks and we don't have that. If we fix that, our defence will start to look more solid immediately. Allen must get these positions sorted in the summer, or we have no choice but to change the system. Having been given an opportunity to manage the most successful club in the world, understandably Murty has chosen to go with his preferred setup. I feel sorry for him because had he been given another transfer window to sort these positions , I think he would have done much better. I suspect another manager will come in though and do well, and I doubt Murty will get the recognition he deserves for that. It's fine margins in this game, and with these small improvements we can challenge.

I'm still quite excited at the prospect of what happens in the summer. Since the January transfer business, I've felt we are just two or three quality players away from having a title winning side, and I still feel that way. It's easy to look at the last few performances and lump them all together as a disaster, but it's not been. It's incredible how some minor issues, whether they be in the dressing room or otherwise, can cause a team to unravel. That's what's happened to us. With a strong manager in place, and a couple of leaders at the back (centre of defenc win particular), we should be in good shape. This team needs to develop a winning mentality, and then it has to develop the character to bounce back from defeats. Unfortunately, we didn't keep our winning streak going long enough to build that character and it's crumbled ever since. Murty seems like a very good coach, but he has lacked the experience (obviously) to handle setbacks, and doesn't seem to know how to manage big egos. As for AJ's point about being ahead of the curve, you should look at what he actually said and it's context. He's right, we are! Both on and off the pitch we are in good shape. This managerial issue is a big one however and it's masking the fact that we have a pretty solid group of young players that can develop together for a long time. Now we just need someone to get them to play to their potential. If that happens, we will be challenging for the title next season.

Have you guys watched the interviews? These guys are trained to face the media but there are tell tale signs which often give you a better idea of what they mean, rather than what they say. My reading of the interviews ... and note that this is not based on what they say, but more about how they say it and how they react to questions. Murty - he really believes the players are backing him. - he believes that the players are focussed in training. - Andy Halliday is still furious about being subbed when he was. - Murty knows he's not going to be the manager next season but wants to finish on a high. Declan - the manager was clear in his instructions. - the players let the manager down. - they are fully behind them manager. These were the key points, but additionally what was interesting was when he was asked if anyone overstepped the mark in the dressing room. You can tell he is thinking about saying something but tells himself "no, don't say anything". He repeated that the club has to decide what to do about those players. This doesn't give much insight, but it does tell us that LW and KM are both up for the same charge. In other words, they were being lumped together in the way DJ saw it.

But Bates was being picked ahead of them wasn't he?!?

You can't honestly believe that! Murty will be suffering enormously at the moment. I think they're all suffering to be honest and it's got a bit too heated because they all care so much. I think it sounds like KM and LW have gone a bit overboard, and although I can understand that as a human being, it's not acceptable. The board has taken the only decision it could here, and as sensible businessmen I'm glad they've taken a longer term view by backing the manager (even though they know he won't be our manager next season). They've quite rightly sent out a message that their appointed manager is there to make the decisions and that they'll back him in any disputes with the players. Like it or not, that's the way it should be, unless bullying is taking place. Murty has brought a lot of this on himself though. When PC and Miller had their falling out, it caused huge unrest in the dressing room. The board fired PC and the first game after that, Murty brought back Miller. That was a huge mistake and the board should not have allowed that because that further fuelled the idea that Miller was in the right and his manager in the wrong. I think the board has learned from that incident, and I'm sure Murty has too, albeit he'll take that learning away to another's club I suspect. This is embarrassing for the club but I'm quite happy with the way it's being dealt with. I just hope Murty and the players can agree to at least focus for the rest of the season. Most of the players will still be there and have a lot to prove. Murty will want to end on a hig too, because he'll want to retrieve what he can to mend his image in football before looking for a new job.

I'm hoping someone can explain this to me. I keep hearing or reading about people who want rid of DK, and I understand everyone will have their own views about how good he is for the club. The query I have is why did these people wait until he arrived before they made their efforts to buy the shares from him. As far as I understand it, DK only bought in because no one else could/would. Have I misunderstood this? Is it that these people had money but sat back hoping that someone they approved of would buy the club? I really don't understand and there seems to be many in the know people on here so I thought I'd ask. I know we all hope the managerial issues get sorted out. I do too, but a bonus is that then we can get back to discussing the team, the tactics, the formations, etc. All this splinter group, infighting and boardroom politics is just complex and not nearly as interesting. Well, not for me anyway. I just want to see my team play good football and win.

When we were on here discussing the potential title challenge. As I said, we were a goal post's width away from such a challenge but that's he fine margins involved in this game.

I enjoy reading some of your opinions, but for a while now (and it may just be my perception) it seems that you appear with a post only when there's a 'disaster'. Maybe that's your style, but there are perhaps other fans like me who would respect your opinion more if we saw the other side when things are going well. Maybe you can consider that in future. However, back to your content. As for listening to the fans, what do you mean? We want success. Is that what you mean? We want a winning team on and off he park. Is that what you mean? Do you think the board doesn't know that already? Do you think the board wants something else? Beyond that, what do you mean? What is it that the fans are saying that the board isn't doing? Beyond what I've already stated, I can't see many things (if anything) we, the fans, agree on. I agree this board needs to step up its game a lot, but I don't think they need to listen to anyone else to know that.

Having not had any experience of supporters groups until I joined Club 1872, I don't really understand a lot of the history behind each faction. What really frustrates me though is when new groups appear because they either don't like the direction of other groups, or they see an opportunity to grab 'power' for themselves. I don't understand what the point of this one is. What is it that this one provides that the current one can't? Is it so different that these people didn't think it was possible to achieve a change by putting themselves up as directors of Club 1872? I've challenged a few of my fellow bears on here who didn't join Club 1872 because they were 'tired of all the personality clashes and infighting' previously. I couldn't understand why that would be such a frustration unless you were sitting through their meetings (which I never do). However, I'm now beginning to appreciate that frustration myself. I'd like to know if this splinte group attempted to achieve their aims by working with the existing fan group. If so, I'd like to understand why that conversation broke down. If not, I'd like to understand why they think that anyone would be interested in working with a new fan group which deems it appropriate to operate alone with no collaboration with other interested parties. This seems very irrational, so I suppose in that way it's quite like our current group.

I really can't be bothered with all of these reaction statements. I think this one from Club 1872 is particularly bad because it's trying to benefit from a humiliating defeat to win support for a place on the board. Let's see what we can achieve without one first eh?!? Let's see if there's anyone worth a seat in the board, before suggesting it's required. What difference would a Club 1872 rep have made to the situation? I've seen nothing from the club directors to suggest they'd make the blindest bit of difference. As for the VB statement too, what's the point in that? Fair enough they can be silent at matches but what difference does that make? None! The four lads had a dream blog is asking for the club to announce its manager now, and announce the kit sponsor now, etc. What utter nonsense. How can it be announced if it's not decided? What planet do these people live on? Just everyone please stop with the irrelevant or useless statements. Please! The issue is that we are all hurting and want to do something about it. That's only natural, but the simple fact is that we can't do much. We can demand improvements, but I don't imagine for one second that the directors of our football club are trying to make a mess of it. They're doing their best. Would anyone disagree with that? The problem is that they're trying to take risks to catapult us above Celtic and they're just not paying off. The board needs to sort out the manager situation asap, but that's stating the bloody obvious and there's no doubt in my mind that it's top of the agenda for them. They need to do their job better than they have been doing. However, we as a support need to do our job better than we have been doing too. Yes, we buy our season tickets and merchandise but our reactions to setbacks need to be handled a lot better. These reactions do nothing but pile pressure on our young team's shoulders when the pressure is already tremendous. We have high hopes, but unrealistic expectations at the moment. We've made a lot of progress in the past year on and off the park. The manager situation has been poorly handled, but again I'd remind us all that a few weeks ago we were a goal post's width away from having a league title challenge. These are the small margins involved in this beautiful game. We would do well to remember that. Celtic can outspend us many times over and we cannot realistically compete with them until our revenues improve significantly. On that front the board has done a really good job. Sorry for adding to a growing list of pointless statements. The difference with mine is that I have no ulterior motive. I am not demanding anything unreasonable. I'm just suggesting that maybe we can do a better job as supporters, just as we're expecting a better job from the manager, players and board.

I'm sure Murty has experienced many a heated argument in the dressing room. He's a seasoned pro afterall, and he's had some vocal team mates and coaches to deal with in his career. I'd therefore suggest that this was above and beyond a 'normal' heated argument for him to respond in this way. I really hope we never find out the detail of what happened. It might be interesting for us, but it's more important that the club conducts this business privately. I would expect we will hear a sanitised version of events at some point, but that's all. Althouggh I've never heard anything about Wallace, this is the fourth time I've heard stories about Miller undermining his manager. Unless someone is out to coordinate an attack on him over some years, it would appear there is a reasonable chance he's guilty of this again. Boards of clubs need to start backing managers over players or anarchy sets in. I don't think Murty should or will be the manager next season, but we need to clean up this issue for the incoming manager. I don't think whoever it is will have wanted either of these players anyway. I'd thank Wallace for his loyalty, but this is a disappointing end for him. I hope it turns out that he was merely there as KM attacked the manager, because LW is someone I hoped we could respect even after his involvement with the club comes to an end. We need respected heroes at the club, and don't have many, if any, these days.

I'd be furious too, and I have people in my own management team who are annoyed with me from time to time. However, there's a level of respect that needs to be shown in the way you deal with your manager. Equally it is important that the team follows the will of the manager, even if you disagree with it. If not, the whole team fails. By all means they should disagree respectfully, and explain their rationale. If the manager still doesn't agree, you have to follow his direction. You can disagree, but you must commit to their instructions 100%. If not, request a transfer and find another club. The club has suffered too much of this lack of respect over recent years and as I said, regardless of your opinion about a manager, this behaviour cannot be tolerated.

It's funny you should say this because although I am not aware of his intention to return to Tynecastle, I do know (from a fairly reliable source) that he has committed to a coaching role with Kelty Hearts from next season. This may be merely an extra curricular activity, but thought I'd mention it, given the rumour you mention here.

If this is true (and let's face it, it would be stupid to be leaking it if untrue), I'm glad that the club is taking this action against these players. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the manager, this cannot ever be tolerated. If there's one thing that can bring a team down, it's lack of trust in the dressing room, and that is instantly the case when leaks occur, or when the manager is disrespected. I wouldn't care how key a player was, if they don't show appropriate respect to the manager, or if they breach the seal of trust and confidentiality in the dressing room, they should be kicked out instantly. This is a genuine question and not trying to secondnguess anything, but is it coincidence that the team seems to have performed so poorly since KM and LW came back into the first team from injury?