SteveC 150 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) It will be so short it will not be like a "summer break" at all and will store up huge problems for next season. As usual we are in a Catch 22 situation. We need to make the Europa League for financial reasons but the qualifiers will impact badly on next season, successfully negotiated or not. If we get through them then we will get some more money to compensate for having the Thursday night nonsense, which will cost league points, to contend with as the season progresses. It is also good for potential recruits to offer European football. If we don't qualify it'll be an unmitigated disaster and have disrupted preparations for next season for nothing except embarrassment and putting potential buys off coming. We belong/need to be in Europe but it's an onerous undertaking. Life doesn't look like getting easier any time soon. Sorry to quote myself but to add to the above, I've just been reading on FF that Scotland (you know the country where football blossomed in our absence) has fallen so far in the co-efficient that all Scottish clubs, even the cup winners (or second in the league if the league winners also win the cup) have to start at the first qualifying group stage. Only one club from that stage (48 teams) made it to the group stages last year. This is because teams such as West Ham United, Hertha Berlin, Panathinaikos and Spartak Moscow were in the third qualifying round and then you also had sides dropping in from the Champion's League, such as Fenerbahce, Sparta Prague and Anderlecht. The opening round is on June 29th. Scottish Cup Final is May 28th and Scotland play England (might affect McKay and Wallace) on June 10th. How we would have a team ready for that in that timescale is a mystery, especially as loan players will presumably be leaving at the end of May. Edited January 17, 2017 by SteveC 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jaws 570 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Thanks for that BJ it is much appreciated. Sorry you had to go through the game to do it though. I felt I had little choice in watching the game if I wanted to have any type of perspective at all Pete. Besides I come from an era where good play or tactics by anyone other than those who shall not be named in games at Ibrox was met by at least a ripple of applause as opposed to a barrage of expletives these days. A time where we'd acknowledge the skill of 'x' player while briefly commenting on how his opposite number in a blue shirt was unable to contain him or conversely how he had him in his pocket. The conversations about such players on the buses and in bars after the game usually resulted in the same conclusive question... Why is he not a Rangers player? So yeah the will for my team to win is extremely strong but I have no issues watching or accepting good play/skill against us. I tell you what is starting to grate on my nerves though. This repeating 'We'll learn from it' mantra that DW, MW or anyone associated with the club are reciting after every defeat or poor display. When its players saying it then it really is just a nonsense platitude. Of course there is a difference between the Scottish Championship, the SPFL and any Euro competition in terms of skill levels, tactics and competitiveness. However the only two people that the sound-bite 'We'll learn from it' apply to are MW and DW as they realise who is good enough and who isn't. Players should be learning and adapting during the game not after it? I'm not saying debriefing and analysis after a game is of no value here but essentially it is the same game no matter what competition you are playing in. If a player/s cant or wont learn and adapt during the game itself then he and the team have found their level. Of course we in the stands recognise endeavour as can be seen in our response to Joe Garner who I think will adapt to being a decent goal scorer in the SPFL but not till next season. However a manager/coach should understand what is transpiring in front of him and should be adjusting his players positions and tactics as the game develops to nullify or counter any threat his team are experiencing instead of relying on post match analysis and 'We'll learn from it' comments alone. Edited January 17, 2017 by Big Jaws 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jaws 570 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Sorry to quote myself but to add to the above, I've just been reading on FF that Scotland (you know the country where football blossomed in our absence) has fallen so far in the co-efficient that all Scottish clubs, even the cup winners (or second in the league if the league winners also win the cup) have to start at the first qualifying group stage. Only one club from that stage (48 teams) made it to the group stages last year. This is because teams such as West Ham United, Hertha Berlin, Panathinaikos and Spartak Moscow were in the third qualifying round and then you also had sides dropping in from the Champion's League, such as Fenerbahce, Sparta Prague and Anderlecht. The opening round is on June 29th. Scottish Cup Final is May 28th and Scotland play England (might affect McKay and Wallace) on June 10th. How we would have a team ready for that in that timescale is a mystery, especially as loan players will presumably be leaving at the end of May. According to DW in his presser yesterday we're not looking to bring anyone else into the team so as far as I'm concerned you've got a point Steve because I don't think the team we've got at the moment can win the SPFL or challenge for a spot in the Thursday Euro league next season. That's assuming we keep all our contracted players. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC 150 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 According to DW in his presser yesterday we're not looking to bring anyone else into the team so as far as I'm concerned you've got a point Steve because I don't think the team we've got at the moment can win the SPFL or challenge for a spot in the Thursday Euro league next season. That's assuming we keep all our contracted players. Yes, it is four rounds with relatively big hitters joining in round three and four. Even the first round this season had IFK Gothenburg and Bronby. I realise that the start of the season is messed up even if you aren't in Europe due to the early League Cup nonsense but at least with that the remnants of our second tier team should be enough to qualify. I can't see the same being true of the Europa League. Presumably the players will go on holiday when they finish so there'll be no time to build a team for 29th June. So it is going to be a slog and it is hard to see how it will be a fruitful one. Unless, and this is probably our best chance, we meet teams in the qualifying round who deliberately get knocked out to spare themselves what they see as a diddly cup distracting from their league business with Thursday kick offs. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boabie 230 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 According to DW in his presser yesterday we're not looking to bring anyone else into the team BJ , maybe I caught a different interview from yourself but my understanding of what was being said by DW was, we got the main targets he was after but 'may' make further signings. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jaws 570 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 BJ , maybe I caught a different interview from yourself but my understanding of what was being said by DW was, we got the main targets he was after but 'may' make further signings. Its the same interview Boabie. I interpreted it as... Aye we've got the two we wanted and if something else comes up we'll think about it. To me that wasn't exactly inspiring as it seems to suggest they haven't been looking to release and improve the positions throughout the team. To all intents and purposes those two guys are only loan(temp) players after all who may or may not go back to their teams come the close of season. As I've said I don't think what we have is good enough to win the SPFL never mind compete for a place in a Euro league tournament of course I may be completely wrong about that. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 You have to wonder what this is about, are the purse strings just tight shut (saving it for next season and/or a share issue), are the management team too blind to our problems, or are they just confident of fixing them with what we've got? Whatever, it's not inspiring and feels like there's a communication gap. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forlanssister 3,114 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 F'n idiot trying a handstand with a 20ft drop. The sun really is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill with their anti-German songs. The headline should be "Scotland can be proud of the thousands of football supporters who spent a trouble free weekend in Leipzig" He wasn't trying to a handstand he fell over a thigh high barrier and it was a 10ft drop. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forlanssister 3,114 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 If you don't mind, I'd send the above to the RB Leipzig people responsible for this, so they can adjust accordingly? If anything, the German sport institutions go to great lengths to make sure disabled supporters get in as smoothly as possible and have a good day out. DB the fault here lays at Rangers door, as everyone will now be aware the topography of the RB Arena is pretty unique and Rangers must have been aware of the circumstances but never passed the relevant information on. The RB Leipzig stewards (if they were regularly working in the same area) would never have encountered wheelchair fans, also once we were in the ground the facilities were first class and they can take pride in them and other clubs could learn a lot from there. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 F'n idiot trying a handstand with a 20ft drop. The sun really is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill with their anti-German songs. The headline should be "Scotland can be proud of the thousands of football supporters who spent a trouble free weekend in Leipzig" Motto of the story.... don't always believe what you read in the Scottish gutter press.... I've been caught out believing the shite they print too 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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