DMAA

10 hours ago, Bill said:

He exudes real positivity too. A great addition to the dressing room morale. 

I thought it was interesting that he actually mentioned his positivity himself in his interview, and it really comes across. He’s always smiling. A good thing to have on the pitch and in the dressing room, he seems a very likeable guy.

What a job Giovanni Van Bronckhorst. 

I CANNOT BELIEVE

I genuinely didn’t let myself believe. That win is absolutely massive!! YESSS!!

1 minute ago, Gonzo79 said:

His work rate is terrific.  Just get him one clear chance and he'll take it.  

Great work rate is one thing, great stamina to go with it is another, and he has both. 

Just now, ian1964 said:

Having a great game so far!

He’s always been at his best in Europe. The space really helps him. Davis wouldn’t have the legs for what he is doing. 

I strangely feel a wee bit better now that they have wasted loads of chances. We’ve had some great spells but the forward 4 have all been responsible for wasting good opportunities. Sands man of the match so far for me. 

Excellent from McLaughlin at the corner 

Fantastic play there. I think Kent looks like he doesn’t fancy his chances against the right back at all, however it’s working in our favour at times as he is releasing the ball quicker and playing better passes as a result. 

We could do better better with the final ball though!

Great spell

This atmosphere and occasion is a real test of character for us. 

It does feel very Rangers to have spent £12m on transfers over the course of the summer and to only have £2m of that on the pitch for the big game we’ve been talking about since the end of last season. 

I’m not really sure what I think our strongest team is just now, I suppose that is it but it lacks width a bit maybe? Lawrence and Tillman are both better centrally so we lack a bit of proper width on the right maybe.
 

I’ll be pleasantly surprised if we progress, we are absolutely capable though. 

I’ve never been his biggest fan so it’s not a surprise that I think we should be looking for cash in this window. He hasn’t been as good as his probable value for a while imo, and there have long been rumours of less than professional off-field habits. Check a picture of him from about 2018 and looks about two stone heavier than he did then, despite the fact we had crucial Champions League qualifiers coming up! His goals per minute ratio in the league has dropped three seasons in a row. Time to recruit another striker if we can sell. 

I normally dismiss any blaming of refs but those red card decisions were shocking. Lundstram’s in particular, but as stupid and careless as Morelos is, you can’t send him off when it’s his forearm that made contact and with very little force. Exasperating stuff, and although it doesn’t excuse our constant profligacy and lack of quality in the final third it’s ultimately what cost us in the end. If we make the Champions League we could really do with a winger to provide Kent with proper competition who has more end product. 

Toothless in the final third so far. 

6 hours ago, ian1964 said:

If you need to seek someone to blame then you can blame Goldson! for me the guy got a run on Goldson and was up before him!.

I thought Goldson was beaten in the air by a big powerful player. Goldson has never been particularly strong in the air for me, so he will lose aerial duels when he comes up against someone strong in that area. The issue is that without Helander we don’t have others in the team who are strong in the air either. 

I thought all the attacking midfielders really lacked end product again tonight. So many opportunities to provide Colak with chances were wasted and who are we relying on to do it, yet again? Our right back. 

PSV will feel they’ve done their job. So disappointing to draw due to two corners. We have a very difficult task next week. Hopefully GVB has another tactical masterclass up his sleeve. 

Colak is playing really well

And by the way, men on posts!! I don’t care if it’s 2022. I’ll be saying the same in 2052. 

Sands has been good, after some OTT talk about him before the game. Barisic has been good. Davis showed why he’s playing tonight with an excellent pass in the lead up to the goal. Tillman has really struggled. Colak with another predatory finish, absolutely excellent for him to take the one chance he gets in 45 minutes. 

56 minutes ago, Frankie said:

It's arguably the most realistic and financially best outcome but we should be aiming to go deep into the CL in a sporting sense.

I doubt it’s financially better. £9.2m reward purely for reaching the last 16 of the CL. To do that you need to pick up more points obviously and a win is 3m euros and a draw 1m so you are at least 12-13m euros better off by finishing 2nd. You can then charge higher ticket prices in the last 16 and that round is bound to be worth quite a bit in terms of tv too. I’m not sure that could be matched without winning the EL. At the very least, you have that 10-12 million guarantee where in the EL you don’t know how far you can go. Last 16 will continue to be a big hurdle for us. 

One thing that’s clear about PSV though is that, like Dortmund, they concede plenty goals. With any luck, they are the type of team we have learned to exploit in Europe.
 

The first leg being at Ibrox could be a blessing in disguise too as it gives Kent another week to be up and running for the away game, which is where he is most valuable for me. You could say the same for Matondo to a lesser extent who is still getting up to speed.