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It's safe to say that since my last site editorial things have not gone well for Rangers... Despite a late draw against Celtic after an awful first 45mins in that game, the side have capitulated further in our subsequent matches at Ross County and Dundee to fall three points behind our rivals at the top of the table. Yes, the title hasn't gone yet and we've clawed back success from worse positions but with the team (and manager if we're being honest) looking a shadow of themselves in recent weeks, Celtic are now massive favourites. With that in mind and with supporters debating/arguing amongst themselves about who is to blame for poor results and who should stay or go over the summer, it's a good time to examine the general status of the squad which you can view in the image above. Please bear in mind these are my opinions only and I appreciate these will differ markedly from supporter to supporter (and perhaps from week to week for some people). Indeed, rather than calling for players to leave, it's perhaps easier to say who we'd keep so from all those who have featured at least once this season (or nominally considered a first team player), I've highlighted those I'd keep in white and those out of contract (or on loan deals due to expire) in orange and those I'd try to move on in red. If I'm not fussy either way, I'll leave them as grey. For info, there are 37 players on the graphic above so I'd suggest we really need to decrease that number to closer to 30 for next season. After some consideration, from this squad of 37, I have only nine players I'd really want to keep and it may well be from those, Butland and Yilmaz could be sold to help finance any new signings leaving us with just seven players plus Tavernier and Goldson plus another seven fringe/youth players, meaning we'd need to sign at least 12 players in the summer if we accept returning loanees such as Hagi, Cifu and Lammers will also be moved on permanently. I would imagine both Diomande and Cortes will be retained (I think the former is already agreed) so that takes us down to 10. If possible, I'd also be happy to bring back Sima and would actually give a (suitable) extension to Lundstram. That takes us to eight players; not an unrealistic amount to sign in one window given we did the same last summer but it could be more difficult if fans really want rid of Tavernier, Goldson and Lundstram - three key/influential players whether we like it or not. Who would you have as our new captain from the right hand column of retained players? It's also worth noting the poor performance (and/or utilisation) of our youth system. Ross McCausland was a surprise, and arguably forced, addition to the starting XI earlier this season but he's struggled to maintain his position since whilst other highly thought of younger players like Leon King and Bailey Rice have been unable to force their way into the side. There are few others we could consider likely to do so in 2024/25 so I wouldn't expect any wonderkids to magically appear. If we look at the right column of the graphic and make some admittedly strong assumptions (though they are popular amongst a vocal element of the support) then you can see how weak our squad could be for next season. Only one inexperienced goalkeeper of note, only one centre-half of note, no left back and just three senior midfielders means it's only really the attacking area of the side that looks reasonably competent. And even that relies on Sima and Cortes returning from their initial loans with the latter and Danilo also regaining full fitness in short order for the season starting. To say the squad would be well short of the standard required and would need significant investment is somewhat of an understatement. With that in mind, it's clearly crucial that we maximise the quality of those that come in but nothing is certain there in terms of contribution. Long term injuries to Danilo, Dowell and Cortes over this season show one unpredictable and negative outcome whilst the rest of our recruitment last summer really was abysmal with only Butland, Sima and Dessers (to a limited extent in his case) offering any kind of positive return and none of them may be here next season! In conclusion, I'm as annoyed and disappointed as every other Rangers fan with recent let-downs and emotionally agree we need to start again in many areas of the squad. However, this article shows such emotion is difficult to apply in a constructive, team-building manner. It's also very, very expensive with no guarantees. Nevertheless, we cannot afford another poor window - both in financial and sporting terms so the pressure is definitely on the manager and scouting department to deliver substantial improvement in an affordable, innovative fashion. That is very much easier said than done...

https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news/ma-category-blog/515-time-to-sink-or-swim Before I look forward to this weekend’s Old Firm top of the table clash at Ibrox, it’s worth taking a quick look back first. Almost six months to the day, we were about to be beaten by Aris Limmasol in Cyprus after sacking Michael Beale a few days previous. The Englishman had gone off the back of a 3-1 home reverse to Aberdeen at Ibrox, his third league defeat of a domestic campaign that was quickly becoming a disaster. Add in the loss to Aris, the season was on the verge of being a write off before October had really begun; especially when we consider almost all of Beale’s summer signings were struggling to impress. Fortunately, an international break allowed the Rangers board a fortnight to appoint a replacement. Various names were linked – some well known by our fans, others less so. However, with only Steven Gerrard able to deliver a single league title across the previous five seasons, the pressure was on to find the right man; someone who could not only bring back success in Scotland but continue our good work in Europe and offer a style of play that could enthuse a fanbase bored of the horseshoe mentality developed by Gio van Bronckhorst and allowed to fester under Beale. Philippe Clement was ultimately given the job and it’s fair to say there was some doubt (or uncertainty at least) about this. The former Belgian international defender had had a decent playing career and had impressed as manager at Genk and Club Brugge before a season at Monaco failed to deliver on some early promise. How would he fare at Rangers? Was he experienced enough? Could he turn us back into winners? Initial signs were good: a run of wins in the league and a League Cup semi-final victory over Hearts at Hampden offered early encouragement for Rangers supporters. However, two draws at the end of November: away to Aberdeen and at home to Aris in the Europa League were blemishes that could easily have caused deeper issues. The good news is Rangers regrouped and went on an excellent run through December, including an away win versus Betis to top our Europa League group and a 1-0 hard-fought win over Aberdeen at Hampden to secure the League Cup for the first time since 2011/12. Unfortunately, just as excitement was building due to Celtic losing two of their December fixtures, a disappointing performance and loss at Parkhead to close out 2023 put us on the back foot again. Could we dig deep again? The reaction from the players and manager was a positive one and although we have lost two games this year, our form has been better than our East end rivals to ensure that only a disgracefully cancelled game away at Dundee last month has arguably cost us the psychological benefit of being top of the table for Celtic’s visit on Sunday. Ahead of that game, all things considered we can say the reign of Clement has been a positive one so far. Not just in terms of results but both in team and individual performances. Yes, there has been the odd blip – the home defeat to Motherwell this time last month was particularly disappointing – but progress has been solid and the manager’s ability to get the best out of a squad often blighted by injury and improve the contribution of players such as Cyriel Dessers, John Lundstram and Dujon Sterling means confidence is rightly high as we enter the business end of 2023/24. But can we beat Celtic? Ultimately that’s the $64,000 question. So far this season, we played them twice and lost twice in two performances that demonstrated a lack of genuine belief; both under Beale and Clement’s leadership. Indeed, despite an impressive win at Ibrox in May 2023, you have to go back two years to April 2022 for our last meaningful victory where we won at Hampden after extra time in a Scottish Cup semi-final. In terms of the SPFL we did win at Ibrox earlier that season but it has now been the best part of three years since we’ve won a league game against them – a record that should embarrass us and goes a long way to delivering Celtic’s own domestic success. With that in mind, whilst Sunday’s contest may not decide the title one way or the other, clearly the outcome will have a major effect on the final period of the season; especially with one further Old Firm game in the league (and a Scottish Cup final tie-up also looks probable). The good news for Philippe Clement is that his preparations for Sunday offer him the best squad platform since he arrived last October. Whilst we still have players injured - Ridvan Yilmaz might make it but Danilo, Cortes and Jack will not – having the likes of Todd Cantwell, Abdallah Sima and Kemar Roofe as options offers us an attacking flexibility we’ve not had since we faced Celtic in December. Yes, ideally, we would liked to have had some more games in the legs of Cantwell and Sima in particular but if we’re entirely honest with ourselves, we go into Sunday’s game with a squad more than capable of winning. Speaking of injuries is now an unhelpful distraction. In fact, Clement has arguably done enough in the eyes of most Rangers fans to demonstrate no matter what happens between now and the end of May he deserves the backing (both of the fans and the money men on the Rangers board) to have another go in 2024/25 but it’s also fair to say his six months in charge now has us in a great position to win the title this year. Speaking of the supporters, one of the cleverest aspects of Clement’s time at the club so far is him directly engaging the fans. By speaking of a synergy between the support and the players we have seen a patience (at Ibrox especially) that had been missing in recent years. It’s no coincidence that we’ve scored as many late goals (at the end of both halves) as I can remember this season with players having the supporters onside for longer periods in games. We should not under-estimate our input. Indeed, with no away fans present that relationship could be even more important come Sunday lunch-time. There’s no doubt our support could be that extra factor that proves crucial; more so when we consider how the referee and VAR has influenced games this season with Celtic benefitting from at least two decisions that could have affected the outcome in each match. As with the injury debate though, it’s all about what we do now and that has to be our focus. In that sense, it’s now very much sink or swim for this season as we won’t have a better chance to apply the kind of pressure that has been missing post-55. Our squad is as strong as it has been this campaign, we have home advantage and we have had a week to prepare for a season-defining game. Of course, nothing is certain and there are always other factors you cannot plan for but I firmly believe we should consider ourselves favourites to win on Sunday and I’d like to see our players and fans fully embrace that. In conclusion, yes, we’ve done well to even be in this position but if we want to be genuine winners then we build on that now and take advantage of a six-month improvement that should be the foundation for success this season and beyond. No more excuses, no more disappointment; we can now take charge of our own destiny. Stand tall Rangers – this is our time!

@Rick Robertson top form on our main site today; please read and share widely... https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news/ca-category-blog/513-old-foes-and-old-ghosts The media, government and the governing bodies don’t really have a problem with offensive or sectarian chanting at football. We know this through their actions over a suitably long period of time and a sizable sample set of evidence from many supports. They don’t even appear to have a particular problem with questionable political messages, metallic missiles and fans encroaching onto the pitch with menace. However, they do have a problem when it's Rangers fans doing the chanting. Selectarianism was a phrase coined to capture the appalling double-standards applied to the chanting debate. Long story short, an industry appeared (comprising mainly of those of a certain demographic but fortified with other flavours of detractors) who were able to cause Rangers much discomfort and bad press over a good number of years with this. The mud-flinging and intense lobbying paid dividend and Rangers were ultimately sanctioned by UEFA over an airing of the Billy Boys in Europe in 2019. Over time on social media, many of those actively involved in the industry since the early 2000s, have shown their hand and exposed the real reasons behind their meddling, be it journos, MSPs, NBM or FARE. In preceding weeks merry hell has been ramped up over fairly benign refereeing decisions, with the collective outrage centred largely around unspectacular decisions impacting Celtic players. The collective foaming at the mouth continued into Rangers’ cup game at Hibs. Hibs lost control and the game rightfully went in our favour. You wouldn’t know it but the most contentious and serious incident of the past few weeks was a red-card challenge on Ross McCausland by a Motherwell player that went on to score the winning goal. This is where the premediated Selectarianism with chanting merges with the disinformation agenda around referees. The best way to fight a war is to have someone else fight it for you – and so Michael Stewart steps up as Celtic's useful idiot in this regard. He went into the cup game with a pre-written script and was going to be argue against anything going for Rangers, no matter how stonewall the incident and no matter how stupid he would look. His plausible neutral Hibs/Hearts playing history belies who pays his bills and writes his thoughts. Significant noise was created but even the press changed tact when they realised pretending Hibs were hard done by officials was a dead horse. And this is where sectarian chanting re-enters the picture. Hibs issued a statement on supporter conduct. The timing of the release and clickbait mention of sectarianism seemed to be more to appease their support than genuinely address supporter behaviour in Scottish football. This is the same support that threw dangerous objects at Shankland not two weeks ago and laughed off fans physically assaulting Rangers players following a cup win at Hampden years before. Of course, there’s no show without punch and up pops BBC Scotland's brass neck-in-chief Chris McLaughlin. A man who walks past rampant anti-Semitism, overt pro-terror cheerleading and industrial scale child abuse to get a negative headline about Rangers. Hibs' mention of sectarianism was all he needed to start up the Pacific Quay CSC propaganda machine. As predictable as a disallowed Rangers goal in an Old Firm match, it didn't take long before he had worked strict liability into his narrative. There are two things that aren’t a coincidence here. The first being that their beloved Celtic have a fight on their hands and so we have the lashing out, pressurising/threatening officials and looking for anyway to derail or penalise Rangers. The other being that McLaughlin pipes up as the SNP's hate crime laws are coming into effect. Cast your minds back to May 2021 and a certain Humza Yousaf (ironically then Justice Minister) knowingly posted an obviously fake video to smear Rangers players celebrating their league victory. And guess who done the donkey work in the press to create damaging headlines on the back of this? Using the vehicle of the impartial national broadcaster to peddle his obvious bias. That’s right, McLaughlin again. Worryingly, neither Yousaf nor McLaughlin were held to task or apologised for their involvement in this - indeed the latter's tweet is still there. After decades of mischief making, McLaughlin is still in place at the BBC and able to target Rangers. Even worse, Yousaf somehow failed upwards, unelected and, as incompetent as ever, into the First Minister role. What a damning indictment of the nation. The Rangers board need to be very wary and very canny here. These are loose cannons aimed at the club, probably with a plan and with enough clout to make things difficult. The fake video appeared to pass without formal complaint from Rangers. McLaughlin’s part in continuing the narrative of Rangers and others, and not Celtic, being the centre of SFA's historical CSA report passed without complaint from the club. At some stage Bisgrove and Bennett need to be stronger and ready to protect the club. This doesn’t mean the house of lies isn't built on a foundation of truth. The sporadic re-emergence of the Billy Boys domestically is undeniable; even if it usually fizzes out without any offensive words being used. I’m more than happy for certain chants to fade into history and be replaced by some of the fantastic anthems of recent years. However, against a backdrop of sectarianism and offensive chanting from other clubs in Scotland it was always expected. What is more dangerous is that the Billy Boys has been heard again in Europe. This is stupidity beyond belief when a stadium closure is not just possible but probable. The damage it could do to the fantastic Europa reputation and energy we’ve grown in recent years would be unforgivable. The board and fans groups need to nip this is the bud before it’s a problem.

A quite excellent article on our main site this morning from @Rick Roberts. Make sure you spend a few mins reading this as part of your pre-match build up for tomorrow!

With 36% of the main end of season forum vote, the young American attacking midfielder – who played in 43 of our 56 games of this season - wins the Gersnet Forum PotY vote for season 2022/23. In terms of the PotY race that we were running based on match-by-match votes, Todd Cantwell was the defacto winner of that with 9 MotM awards (despite only arriving in January) followed by Malik Tillman and Antonio Colak who both had 5 awards each. Interestingly, the official Rangers PotY winner (and second most popular choice on the forum PotY vote), James Tavernier only won 3.4% of the total votes cast across the season with 12.9% votes cast for Cantwell, 11.4% votes cast for Tillman and 6.8% of votes cast for John Lundstram in third place. Tillman was also placed in the top three most often (20 times) followed by Cantwell and Lundstram (both 14 times). Tav was in the top three 4 times and MotM only twice (against Livi in the first game of the season and at Parkhead in April). Clearly his contribution in terms of goals, assists and playing the most amount of games (missing just one) swayed many voters when they considered the season as a whole. In terms of other relevant information, before Gio was sacked (and the World Cup break) Antonio Colak had won 5 MotM awards and was well clear in terms of goals as well. Similarly, the oft-criticised James Sands ended up winning the same number of MotM awards as the recently heralded John Souttar. Interestingly, John Lundstram has been identified as a player that only showed his capability towards the end of the season but his two MotM awards came before November and he was considered out third most reliable player in that period (behind Colak and, erm, James Sands). Lundstram also featured in 52 games, second only to Tavernier. Finally, Gersnet 2020/21 PotY Connor Goldson didn't receive any MotM awards this season, whilst Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos also had their worst years in terms of votes. Do these figures change your opinion? PS: I'm happy to supply any requested stats for individual players...

What an utter shambles. A protracted, torturous, joyless mess. There’s bodies strewn all over the battlefield and much of the damage is self-inflicted. Many took shrapnel from being unprepared, ill-equipped or just plain not up to task. Accountability will come in the form of the participants being not just stripped of their careers at Rangers, but with their reputations and legacies lying in the turf next to them. The collective failure of season 22/23 evaporates in a flash of light as one final mushroom cloud rushes to rise above our heads. Here’s some thoughts on where we find ourselves and what we’ve just witnessed. Read more from @Rick Robertson our main site here: https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news/ca-category-blog/414-season-2022-23-a-complete-write-off

https://gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news/ca-category-blog/236-ross-wilson-director-of-failure-or-the-fall-guy

The last seven days have been interesting ones for Rangers fans but not in a good way. In fact, when we lost in Sunday’s Viaplay Cup Final, my attention wasn’t automatically taken up by that defeat (after all the game looked lost after just five minutes of us standing off Celtic). Instead, it was the bigger picture that was grabbing my attention. Earlier in the week, Rangers Academy lead coach Brian Gilmour took an under 18 side out to compete in the fifth edition of the Mohammed VI Football Academy Tournament. The games were live on YouTube and I was able to watch most of them. OK, we were up against some good teams (Real Madrid, Lyon, Marseille, Fath Union Sports and the impressive Mohammed Academy side) but with only one win from our five matches, I am not sure the trip can be considered a success. There were some possible explanations for the poor results – the travelling, the heat and the poor artificial surfaces will not have helped – but the general lack of quality was worrying. Very few players stood out (even Lovelace or Rice who have been involved with the first team lately) and, as much as it can be difficult or even unfair to judge players on a small sample of 2x30min half matches, I was not impressed. There seemed to be no obvious strategy to our play, which certainly mimics that of our Men’s team. My mood was not helped further on Friday night when, in a pre-cursor to Sunday’s Old Firm non-contest, the Women’s side were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Celtic in Airdrie. Now, women’s football in Scotland is not overly easy to analyse with a huge gulf between the three top Glasgow sides and the opposition. Hearts and Hibs do seem to have improved over the last year or so but generally, the league is always between Glasgow City, Celtic and Rangers with our side looking to retain their title from last season. Unfortunately, despite Friday’s loss to Celtic being our first of the campaign, four draws already have put us on the back foot in our title defence. With just two games left until the post-split fixtures begin, Rangers are seven points behind leaders City and in third place behind Celtic. Although I will concede to being a casual observer, progress does not seem to have been made this season. Moving onto Saturday and even our B team – although riding high in the Scottish Lowland League – could not win. Worse, they were humbled 3-0 away to mid-table Berwick Rangers. Of course the B Team cannot be promoted from their division but are now behind Spartans in the table and will be overtaken by Celtic B should they win their game in hand. More informed commentators than me have been concerned by the standard this season and it seems there are few players showing the quality they’ll need to catch the eye of the first team manager. Sunday afternoon does not need much in depth discussion. As touched on above, a cursory look at the first five minutes of the game told an early story. Rangers stood off Celtic, could not keep hold of the ball themselves and certainly did not seem capable of causing them many problems despite the usual big pre-match words. Fortunately, for us, Celtic were equally poor for much of that first half but when they did start to move the ball around, we struggled badly. Whether it was down to fitness or just common, garden laziness, various players were unable to match Celtic’s enthusiasm or athleticism, never mind the basics of making a 5-yard pass. As has often been the case this season, we did show some spirit to grab a goal back but the damage had been done and we never really looked like scoring an equaliser with Celtic also missing two sitters late on. Post-match, fan reaction has been understandable with everyone from the manager and players to the board receiving criticism – some of it reactionary but many points also valid. For my part, I decided to wait a few days before putting my thoughts to print. I was extremely angry after the game – not because I felt we were going to win but at the way we lost. First and unlike many other supporters, I did not mind the starting line-up. Yes, leaving out Raskin was perhaps a surprise and Cantwell was unlucky as I had him MotM above Raskin v Livingston the previous week. But the manager explained his thinking on that and it was reasonable – the same XI had hammered Hearts just a few weeks previously so surely they’d be able to apply the same level of commitment and effort to Celtic in a Cup Final? The answer was a resounding no. Whether or not Lundstram and Tillman were fit, neither contributed whatsoever and along with Glen Kamara’s now usual half-hearted efforts, the essential midfield battle was lost. This meant we often sat too deep and certainly did not support our attackers or force Celtic back often enough. Morelos’ continued appalling lack of conditioning ensured they could keep a high line and our threat was minimal with both Sakala and Kent well off form. Indeed, it can be argued only Allan McGregor got pass marks in an individual sense as defensively we also struggled badly with Goldson and Davies both unable to mark any Celtic player closely enough and Borna Barisic failing to stay goal side of his man once again. Meanwhile James Tavernier, threw in his usual Old Firm display of appearing busy himself but in actual fact failing to marshall those around him. His words about needing to work harder after the game really stung given many of the players are so far off the pace nowadays, it’s clear that they don’t feel hard work is necessary. For the manager’s part, I would imagine Michael Beale would not have slept well on Sunday night. Yes, he may still feel the XI he selected was adequate but in retrospect perhaps Raskin and Cantwell – his January signings after all – should have started the game. Furthermore, the changes he made through the match were questionable. Why did he wait so long to change a midfield that was not functioning and, why did he take off Morelos just as Rangers seemed to get him into the game? No matter the answer to these questions, Beale should have the very least learned a valuable lesson on Sunday. It is beyond clear now that much of his squad are not up to the challenge. Of course, some deserve praise for winning 55 and taking us to Seville but at Rangers, you are only as good as your last pass and, for many, their time has clearly come and gone. I don’t actually think there’s much point in naming who should leave as I’m not so sure there are many who should be staying (other than those new to the club). The problem with a scorched earth policy though is removing upwards of ten players requires serious funds and the Rangers board rarely look keen on spending the kind of money that delivers the necessary quality. Not to mention, Ross Wilson’s recent work in the transfer market is inconsistent at best. For example, if we take Malik Tillman as a success and a necessary purchase (something our fans and myself often change their mind on), then it will take £5m. At the same time, we need to replace our goalkeeper, add quality midfielders and sign a variety of attacking players unless we finally negotiate contracts with Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos – two players who still split opinion on their worth. Do we really have the financial ability to make wholesale changes? What risks are involved? If we look at last summer’s signings alone then it does not inspire confidence. Lawrence and Yilmaz have hardly featured because of severe injuries; Matondo now seems to have completely disappeared after being continually injured early on anyway, whilst Davies and Colak have also been unavailable for long periods. That is the best part of £15m spent on minimal return. Do we gamble more- last season’s Europa League Final run and this season’s Champions League group stage appearance will have topped up the coffers along with income from the sales Bassey and Aribo but other outgoings for CapEx projects may have swallowed up some of those monies? Where do we go from here then? I have seen plenty rants on social media along with several mainstream articles of merit asking questions, demanding change and even protests being suggested via other forums. After losing another trophy to Celtic, that is understandable – especially in such a now familiarly meek fashion. The problem is there are very few solutions being suggested and I am afraid I cannot outline anything obvious either – not without the usual bland caveats about finance and context. For what it’s worth, I do think this season has been an unusual one. I cannot remember a Rangers team having so many injuries to so many key players. That has been a contributory factor – not an excuse, but a valid point worth raising. However, it needs to be explained and solved. I have seen conspiracies about fitness department cuts and software being used instead, questions about capable medical staff leaving, players talking about a lack of pre-season and much more but there is clearly an issue somewhere. An issue that needs action and a solution. Quite simply we cannot have someone like Kemar Roofe – an expensive acquisition and key asset starting just 42 games across the best part of three seasons. If it was just one player, then you can suggest bad luck but when it is several then there is clearly a systematic problem. Ultimately, season 2022/23 has gone. We will hear the manager and his players talking about the league and trying to stop a Celtic treble by retaining the Scottish Cup but in the grand scheme of things that will only matter in the context of Michael Beale delivering tangible change on the field. Nevertheless, he will need help elsewhere. As discussed our youth system is struggling, the women’s team is not doing as well and the B team exercise appears less than obvious in a practical sense. Meanwhile our players are unfit and we have obvious issues in the medical department. Who bears responsibility for these issues? Can they be reversed or is it time for change? These answers lie in the boardroom and it will be interesting to see how our board – after a timid AGM late last year – react to Celtic winning at least another two trophies. As it stands, criticism of the directors can be found online at least but it remains somewhat unorganised. With no credible fans group of note any further swell of disapproval make take time to appear but supporters will become more vocal without meaningful improvement on the pitch. Off field, we have seen some infrastructure improvements around the footprint of the stadium. For all its criticism in terms of the investment scale and timing, New Edmiston House is excellent, the Blue Sky Lounge very good and other similar projects welcome (if not the Albion housing sell-off). However, fans will rightly point to their own input into all of these costs and the continued financial contribution needed to fund them. From the ongoing difficulties around MyGers, to the commercial activities that seem to be incessantly requesting our cash, there is only so much goodwill to be found when we are not winning on the park. Replacing a board and key investors isn't something easily done but they cannot be immune from criticism and I'm surprised we have heard nothing from Stewart Robertson in recent days. As such, I would suggest the next three months are vital for the club. Irrespective of who wins what, it has to be demonstrated that the manager, the Sporting Director and the board recognise what needs to be done with a renewed pathway to success outlined. This period will see some Rangers careers ended but also the chance for some to begin and others to be renewed. Results on the park will reflect that to some extent but communication and clarity will help too. Especially when they club will be asking hard up fans to renew their season tickets in short order. Do you have £500+ spare? In conclusion, our captain was right to say much hard work is to be done. That starts now and anyone who is not interested in keeping fit or applying themselves should be left behind – no matter who they are. Let us identify the passengers and, just as importantly, let us identify those capable of leading us forward. That leadership is needed more than ever and it has been sorely missing since Sunday. Who will step up?

My ratings are below and you can also vote for your MotM as usual.

As expected, a tough night at Anfield and it's not a surprise to see our keeper, central defence and subs rate more highly than others. Only a few can say they turned up and the manager has to explain what was another tactical struggle. My player ratings are now on the main site as well as match highlights from BT. https://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/news/ma-category-blog/player-ratings