Gaffer

A clear precedent has been set in this country that this is only an issue if a crime is being committed. The SFA/SPL confirmed this as their reason for being unable to punish Hibs after the cup final. No crime was being committed (except Rangers scoring a goal, which may be outlawed soon), so that's the end of that debate. Having said that, we cannot do this in any European games or we will be rightly punished. I'm not sure we have sufficient brain cells in some of these people to distinguish between the two different sets of circumstances so it'd be best if we didn't encourage any more pitch 'invasions'.

I agree Frankie that he'll be most likely to adopt these or variations of them. To maintain consistency, we have to play 4 at the back so I don't see that changing very often. The 4-2-3-1 can naturally change to a 4-3-3 and that would allow us to have a solid midfield, while benefitting from the wide men we have. If he wants to play Morelos and Cummings together, he could also do that as part of a front three (including either Murphy, Windass or Candeias). At least we have options now to play up front and in midfield. I hope Murty uses games against the weaker teams to develop Barjonas and Docherty, as well as others on the fringes. It's always frustrated me to see a first eleven out on the park when playing teams like Fraserburgh. If your manager doesn't trust you to play in those games, what does that say about the younger players, and what message do they take from that? Surely we have enough quality now to take some calculated risks. Finally, I hope that with Murphy in the team now, we could see him develop a partnership with John in the same way Tav has with Candeias. Imagine how much trouble we can cause for our opponents with that threat down both flanks.

The hay bale player is brilliant! Well done that farmer.

Whatever the reason for his decision, good luck to the guy. I hope it works out for him and his family. I appreciate what he's done for us, but it makes sense all round for him to go. Cheers Danny.

Welcome to the forum. Ok, now that you've been welcomed warmly with a sense of anticipation from your fellow forum members, maybe you could try the same with Docherty. Im really pleased with this signing. Why? Because he's young, great technical ability, pacey, strong, and someone who understands what is expected at our club. Of course he has yet to prove himself but there are many reasons to be excited about young and gifted players coming to our club. Again, welcome to the club Docherty, and welcome to forums Morry.

Liam. Declan. Sean. Daniel. Aiden. It makes me laugh at the thought of Bill and Gonzo cheering these guys on. I'd love to be sitting with them when they start singing "we love you Declan, we do, oh Declan we love you". ?

If we have a successful second half of the season, I'd like to think that almost all fans would be delighted! If that means Murty gets the job, surely it's well deserved then.

Really good post Frankie. I fully expect us to sign the three of them, as I believe we have the right (but not the obligation) to buy them. Goss is however different and I think we've already seen why. Even if they are willi g to sell him, can we afford him? He's good enough to play for any of the top championship sides and they can all afford much more than we can. That's one I'd love us to secure though because he could be a real class player for us. As for moving players on, I think Mark Allen and the team are going to have some work to do. Wilson, Miller, Dalcio and Nico will all leave in the summer anyway (I hope), and I think I'd keep Halliday. However, Wallace (sorry to include him here), Dodoo, Herrera, Hodson and MOH need to be moved on. Possibly Cardoso too, because if we bring in another centreback in the summer (which I fully expect), I can't see him getting much game time either. The good thing for us now is that we have a good first eleven at last. From now on I expect we will have fewer incoming players because we are surely only going to replace those key players that are bought by other clubs (possibly Fod, Tav and Morelos), or bring in those one or two players of class to help us step up a level. For me, the days of 6,7,8 new players should not be so necessary. We have a very young squad now so that should help with the longevity of the squad too. For the first time in a long long time, the future is bright.

Fod - 8 Tavernier - 7 Bates - 7 Martin - 8 John - 7 Candeias - 8 Goss - 8 Holt - 9 Windas - 6 Murphy - 6 Morelos - 7 Subs:- Cummings - 5 Halliday - 5 Cardoso - 4 Holt was outstanding. I realise the score for Tav is lower than might be expected but I still have issues with his awareness when he's defending. Brilliant going forward though and a real threat. Morelos could have had a 10, but wow does he miss some good chances.

Or we could give them Candeias and another 15m in exchange for them giving us Dembele ?

When we win 55 at Ibrox, it would be incredible if the BBC was not in attendance. How embarrassed they should feel and yet not a hint of it so far.

Really enjoyed that. It wasn't just a win tonight, it was a lesson. We were able to control the game and showed that we can shut up shop to some degree and then change our system during different phases of the game. Having now hammered them 3 times this season, we really now must push on and create a big gap. I just have a feeling we can achieve that with our new players. Goss, Martin and Murphy all look like they're born to play for us. I know there's no chance of us keeping Goss but I just hope he enjoys his time here because you never know what might happen a year or two further down the line. He looks absolute class. Windass is still blowing hot and cold. If he could maintain a level of performance for even 60 minutes he'd be amazing for us, but he seems to fall out of the game for too many periods. Maybe it's concentration, but whatever it is I hope he can be trained to deal with it. However, when he's on his game, he's so dangerous in that position. Tav, Holt, Fod are becoming standout players for us now and it'll be difficult to hold onto them if they continue to perform like that. It's inevitable that they'll get more attention now. Things are really positive for us at the moment. I just hope we can keep this momentum for the rest of the season. You just never know what might happen if we do.

He's going to be a riot in our pressers. I'd make him our official spokesperson and just not give him a script. Can you imagine Traynor trying to interject each time he says something he shouldn't? Hilarious. It would treat the press with the utter contempt they deserve and give us some brilliant entertainment in the process. It's an entertainment business afterall.

Our warm up was beating the Brazilian champions, so although this is a step up in physicality, it's a definite step down in technicality. The team should be up for this though, because skill in these games is never enough to win. I hadn't seen the squad news so if that's true that both Bates and Wilson are out I'm off to look out my boots, because I'm expecting a call from the gaffer to play. But seriously, who is playing CB now? I can only assume it's Martin and Cardoso then? Whoever it is needs the support and protection of the midfield. We need to win that battle. If our defenders need to make a tackle tonight it's because the midfield hasn't done it's job. Tonight really feels like a massive game. I've got that battle fever already.

We need to win the battle in the first 10-15 minutes and earn the right to play football. Halliday might just have enough fight in him to help win that right enough. That's never what he lacks. It's the lack of positional sense that's his problem. He's fine when the opposition has the ball, but when we have it, he seems to lose discipline and then is out of position during a quick counter attack. I think it's probably because he always wants to find space and help build an attack, rather than provide the cover we need if we lose the ball. Aberdeen will not sit back tonight, but they will try to hit us quickly on counters too. If our forward players can be alert enough to react to us winning the ball back during such a counter attack, I've noticed that Aberdeen always overcommit players and we have a real chance to make them pay. That's why I really hope Goss plays. He can find that pass to Morelos or Windass quickly and directly. Equally, Murphy has the skill to take them on and find the man in the box so we need to make sure we have enough players moving in the box for the crosses. I can't wait.

We've tried Halliday in that holding role previously and he didn't look too assured there. Having said that, I've no idea who else is appropriate for that role. Goss looks big and strong but doesn't come across as someone who enjoys the physical battle. As for Bates, I really like him and fully expect him to start. I suspect it'll be alongside Wilson.

I would like us to keep him and play him if we knew when his top class defender attitude was switched on. The problem is that we just never know and that will cost us. He has the ability, but not the consistency and that's not good enough for our first eleven. I don't think he's willing to take a backup role.

This would be a great move for him, and in my opinion the right move all round. He's a good player, but not the standard we need in our starting eleven.

That's a great fixture list and what an opportunity these boys are getting by playing against some of the biggest clubs in he world. I too will attend some of these games. I think it's fair to say that we will get to see some of the stars of tomorrow, for our own team and elsewhere. PSG! United! Brilliant. If we do return to the home-based league next season, it'll be a massive drop in quality of opposition. I keep thinking that young players will be more likely to want to join us if we can offer them these types of games rather than against some of our lower league clubs.

I agree completely and in my mind this is the most important game of the season. This sets the tone for the rest of the season, but more importantly it's a test of the character of Murty and the team. We absolutely must go out and dominate them. A win would be expected of course, but I think this requires more than that. We need to hammer them, not necessarily in scoreline, but in terms of possession, physicality and territorially. This game is our chance to make a real statement of intent and start to build fortress Ibrox again.

I can appreciate your interest in the greater good, and I agree to some extent. However the biggest part of me just wants what's best for Rangers, and if that gives us an advantage over the others (except Celtic), then BRILLIANT!

If this boy is at least half as good as his swagger and confidence suggests, he'll be a sensation for us. I know we've discussed it before, but he's definitely funny if he's our player and the most annoying git if he's competing against us. I think we're going to have plenty of entertainment from him for as long as he's with us.

Why? Unfair on who? Is it unfair on the lower league teams that will now be guaranteed a gate income when our boys go to play there? Is it unfair on Aberdeen, Hearts, etc? If they can provide those same guarantees and strength of competition I'm sure they'll be welcome to do it too. The SPL has a responsibility to improve the standard of our game in this country and I'm just glad that at last they're thinking along these lines.

Thanks for that. If true, that seems like a petulant response does it not? If you are inclined to join, surely you discuss the detail of what that means. That doesn't make sense to me. I realise we will never know, and to be honest I don't really care about that. I'm just glad he didn't become our manager. I do however care about the transparency of the agenda against us by KJ and others. I sense that we will get 55 titles before KJ and his rag suffer the consequences of being so corrupt, but will enjoy both events when they occur.

This is a tough decision. There's no doubt that they'll play against more technically gifted teams by sticking to the format we've been had recently, but there is a step change going from youths to seniors and I think the only way they'll get that preparation is when they're up against experienced pros, even if they're nowhere near as talented technically. I wonder if it's possible to do both to some degree. That would be ideal, although I don't know if that's too much football for them.