DMAA

There's a lot of unnecessary ad-hominem on this thread. A lot of people on here don't realise that not every Rangers fan is a die hard who could recite all of the BBCs transgressions over the past decade. We need to have radio coverage of our games. And when we triumph in Europe we need to have some discussion of our games afterwards just like our rivals get. The BBC are a disgrace for how little they are covering us just now, going way beyond merely not coming to Ibrox. But something needs to be done get coverage resumed.

I actually think this tie is a potential banana skin. We will be ringing the changes and it will be a great test of how well we can cope with that. We have the strength in depth to, it's just a question of whether we can do it without disrupting our play. Here's hoping a number of our players get crucial minutes on the pitch under their belt but we still come away with a comfortable win.

I think it was Stevie who was commenting on how big a player Arfield is becoming. Have to say I totally agree and I think he's going to be a huge player for us. He's not always pretty on the eye as we saw againt Villareal, but he is a goalscorer. I am struggling not to get carried away with my expectations because I'm excited by how many goalscorers we have in the squad and how much depth we have. To have any chance of winning the league you need players who will score goals, regardless of how well they've played. Arfield made his finish against Villareal look easy, as did Lafferty his finish against Saints, but these are the kind of chances we haven't been scoring because we haven't had natural goalscorers. Grezda will be coming in to the squad over the coming weeks and months and is another player who has a record for not only doing his bit for the team as a winger, but scoring plenty of goals too. With Dorrans and hopefully Rossiter ready to strengthen the squad, and Middleton emerging as a real talent too, I think we are in for a great season.

But what the table shows is that the points total doesn't tell the whole story. Aberdeen and Celtic have no less than they deserve given their goals for and against, whilst we look unlucky (bad decisions at the sheep pen) to be in the position we are in.

The league table really emphasises how poor a start it's been for Celtic and Aberdeen. Their goals scored tallies are woeful! It's early days and we do have a tougher run of games coming up now, but you can't help but feel a little bit vindicated even at this stage after so many of the pundits writing us off as 3rd best even after our European run, and Chris McLaughlin saying we "look capable of competing for 2nd" after drawing with Aberdeen.

Kirk Broadfoot must be trying to get back into our good books. Did anyone see him running over to the Celtic fans to goad them after they scored instead of celebrating with his team mates?

Lafferty is already showing signs he’ll be an important player this season in terms of goals. Such finesse in that finish. And on the back of another instinctive striker’s finish on Thursday too, I think we’ll see plenty more of it.

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But it's an assumption that it is all he can do. He's only been given cameos so far and it seems clear he's been asked to do this. But from the evidence of youth games he's a much more rounded and talented player. Last night's through ball was no surprise to me, he's not just a new Gregg Wylde. Clips of him playing for Scotland youth and Norwich youth shows him deployed on the right and able to cut inside as well as having a fantastic shot (both right and left foot). Defensive discipline is something he may be weak with, but I just don't buy the idea that we need someone starting on the left who will run inside and pass back to the defence (which Kent does constantly). Middleton is the kind of winger you want centre mids coming towards and playing a one-two down the line with allowing him to get where we want our winger, in behind the full backs. Man City were doing this constantly last season with Sane and Sterling. We need our wingers in the cut-back position in behind, which is where we got both our goals last night.

By the way, we've discussed modern styles vs tradtional styles before and I think Chris Burke would struggle to break through today because people don't fancy an out and out winger these days. For me the game hasn't changed as much as people say it has and fast wingers who'll beat a full back and get to the by-line will always be a full back's worst nightmare and create lots of goals.

Ah but you can't call him raw because he always takes on his man yet at the same time say that's what he's been tasked to do. I wouldn't say we have any reason to believe he is raw because he has been consistently effective at beating his man and creating chances for us. If he was like Sadiq and it was only coming off occasionally for him I would saw "raw" would be warranted. It's true that he has an advantage coming on late, but for me the point is he is a totally different style of player and I think it's both the different style combined with his ability that has been the difference in how many chances he's created from the left wing compared to Kent. In any case we're agreed he deserves a start in a home game where we are expected to be on the front foot. Those are the games where he can make his claim for a starting berth. He reminds me of Chris Burke. Chris Burke was a huge player for creating goals against your St Johnstone's and your Dundee's. Those are the games that we often didn't take 3 points from last season due to a lack of penetration and it ultimately cost us.

I thought my banging on about Middleton was vindicated last night. Changed the game. You could almost smell the fear in their full back when he came on. He is so much more of a threat than Kent as a left winger it is just frustrating for me he keeps being benched because of his age. Anyway last night he's proved his doubters wrong again and surely he's going to get his first start of the season soon. Middleton and Barisic is a parternership on the left that would bring a lot of goals this season.

Right unfortunately

STV canteen it was apparently

A bit of a non story unfortunately. Of course we'll be making enquiries. Judging from Gerrard's previous comments there is no arrangement for a permament deal at the end of the loan. I imagine a variation of this story will come up a number of times this season.

What will be interesting to find out will be why a call made any difference, or what did. Celtic played 6 games in May 2003 compared to our 9 games in 2008. So there would have been no inconsistency in extending the season. It’s a crime that these men were made to play 9 games in 24 days (including 2 away European ties). An average of 2 and a half days rest for a whole month. Not to mention that only 3 of our last 16 games were at Ibrox. The no mercy stance was unforgivable.

I hope someone has told your team not to wear their away shirt at our ground. I don't think it will go down well.

Looks like Villareal and Rapid have both had a dodgy start to the season. Spartak have started well but lost at home to a bottom half team at the weekend.

He's very popular with NF fans because he's homegrown and a big prospect, but this comment won't go down well with them at all. By the end of his loan spell he'll only have a year left on his contract. Might be a chance we could get him permanently after all. Looking forward to seeing how he gets on with us, I think we'll see him at home against St Johnstone after the Villareal game with Katic or Goldson rested.

Well the full backs would operate like wing backs and people seem to forget that with 4 at the back they would have far more room than if deployed as wing backs in a 3-5-2. Trust me I’ve been there and you are man marked as a full back in a 3-5-2.

Just thought I would make people aware of a cracking Twitter page which allows bears to sell classic kits to each other and in some cases, like my own, bring in some much needed cash. Page is run by a Rangers man and he doesn't take a cut, but he's put together a page which is acting as a really good shop window for sellers. I'm in the process of reluctantly selling off my collection and have a couple up today if anyone is interested in having a look. Most of the kits are from the 9 in a row era. https://twitter.com/RangersShirts

I think the starting line-up is as hard to predict as it's been in a long time. Ejaria has a very strong shout for a start and there's a very good chance he will, but Arfield is an important player for me and has a good goalscoring record for a midfielder too and I think he'll come up with a good few this season. Of course Ejaria has shown recently that he's got that in his game too.

Thanks. Just spotted a few mistakes there, including referring to Gerrard as "the Gerrard", so that should be it mistake free now.