The Spring & Summer 2019 Transfer Rumours Thread

[Dave M609 100]

23 minutes ago, der Berliner said:

Well, good luck to him. For some it works at Rangers, for others it doesn't. With him, I would dare to say that Murty preferred his British recruits a la Bates, no matter how good and bad they played. We'll never know what could have been.

Yeah I quite liked Cardoso, think he would have been good in a 3, I just don't think he was cut out for the physical side of the game up here and never got any protection, he was still young as well.

[Rousseau 10,823]

5 hours ago, Tannochsidebear said:

We had to bring in a huge number of players last summer, and it was always going to be the case that not all of these were going to be sucessful. I think we got more wrong than right. What we dont need is more squad players. We have a great group of youth players who we need to be able to call upon if injuries/suspensions kick in. We have enough squad players who can still do a job for a game or two here and there, but what we need more than anything is quality first-team starters in the key positions that seem to have always needed attention. If Katic is not to be given the gig, we need a CH that works with Goldson, and of course, we need the creative midfield player to get 10+ goals and 10+ assists that takes a team to the title. The stats for Kent and Candieas in this regard have been very disappointing, and is what our side needs to win the SPFL against the type of teams and formations we play almost every week.

Tannochsidebear. Stats. 

 

[Stevie - 4lads Blog 922]

Greg Stewart stuff breaking 

 

 

How many days they behind us? 

[buster. 5,261]

On 03/04/2019 at 09:51, JohnMc said:

I think next season is our real opportunity to win the league. Realistically they've got more money and a better squad to start with, however they either go into next season with Lennon in charge or with a brand new manager, either way that will create some upset in their dressing room. Their players were signed by a different manager, one who largely got the best out of them. Their next manager might not. Either way there's a period of flux, settling in, and getting used to new rules, tactics and so on. 

When Gerrard joined Rangers really the only way was up, we were playing so poorly last season that as long as he showed progress he was going to get the backing of the support. It won't be like that across the city next season. They're a treble winning squad and they'll win at least the double this season, so any stumble or drop in that standard will bring criticism from the support, a drop in attendances and unrest. That's our chance. We've a season under our belts, an okay squad that needs strengthened, if we can get that right we can win the league next season. Their support will turn on their manager and their board if they stumble at all, for all their jubilation at the weekend I know a few who are far from happy with Lennon already. 

I'm not normally a 'short-termist', but this summer I am. If we can win the league we stop their Champion's League money and then they do have a problem, a serious problem. The playing field is level then. 

The short-term approach hasn't done us much good recently.

The logic about them having a potentially serious financial problem sounds good but as it stands, is a long way off.

 

They say the definition of insanity  is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

In gambling circles it would be chasing your losses.

 

 

Bottom line is that Dave King, the board and perhaps other investors will decide which way to go.

All the rhetoric that I've heard towards it suggests that stopping 10IAR is objective Numero Uno on the list of requirements for SG&Co. So perhaps talking about priorities and choices is a waste of time, unless SG&Co actually believed the best way to employ the budget would be to go heavier with younger players and put some experienced quality beside them.

 

I'm starting to think that the weight of unreasonable pressure that is born out of the expectation / timescale / impatience becomes a lead weight tied to too many of our players. I say unreasonable because in many cases we are talking about fairly ordinary players compared with what we had back in the day and at a time when the respective budgets of the Old Firm have never been so different in scale.

 

 

I don't really know enough about the respective players to preach the following but it's my general impression........

For me, I'd prefer we signed Hastie rather than Stewart.

The former hasn't done so much in the game but is more fairly raw but with a dynamic potential that may see him go far in the game.

The later is a creative player that has done a certain amount but appears to have a glass ceiling when it comes to moving away from more comfortable environments.

 

What we need to look at is what a player could become and back ourselves to improve him rather than go for players whose best days are behind them.

When we are linked with the latest 30+ veteran, we tend to think of the player they were, rather than the player they are going to be for us....or in Stewart's case, the support will be sceptical that he is of the level we need and it won't be long until the almost inevitable sequence of events follows.

 

 

[JohnMc 2,801]

Any player who signs for Rangers needs to understand that the minimum expected is winning the league. Obviously we won't always achieve it, but that's what the support expect. We're the best supported, most successful club in the country, I don't believe we have a divine right to win it, but we do have the resources to win it and that should always be our expectation at the start of the season. 

Now, we live in difficult times. The last 10 years or so have seen the balance of power swing east, they've currently got more money, better resources, more power and, frankly, a better squad. But, as I said above they've got a managerial change, and whoever is in charge next August is starting afresh. Some of their better players will take to the new manager and continue to play well, but some won't.

I tend to agree with you about trying the same thing over and over, however I don't think we are. I fully expect us to go into the new season with Gerrard still in charge. He'll have had a full season managing us at SPFL level, something no Rangers manager has had since 2007. There will be a stability and continuance about the side for the first time in a decade. Now is exactly the time to add seasoned quality over potential in my opinion. 

 

[buster. 5,261]

52 minutes ago, JohnMc said:

Any player who signs for Rangers needs to understand that the minimum expected is winning the league. Obviously we won't always achieve it, but that's what the support expect. We're the best supported, most successful club in the country, I don't believe we have a divine right to win it, but we do have the resources to win it and that should always be our expectation at the start of the season. 

Now, we live in difficult times. The last 10 years or so have seen the balance of power swing east, they've currently got more money, better resources, more power and, frankly, a better squad. But, as I said above they've got a managerial change, and whoever is in charge next August is starting afresh. Some of their better players will take to the new manager and continue to play well, but some won't.

I tend to agree with you about trying the same thing over and over, however I don't think we are. I fully expect us to go into the new season with Gerrard still in charge. He'll have had a full season managing us at SPFL level, something no Rangers manager has had since 2007. There will be a stability and continuance about the side for the first time in a decade. Now is exactly the time to add seasoned quality over potential in my opinion. 

 

I don't think it a choice between seasoned quality and potential when you look at recruitment as a whole, more that it's about getting the balance right, not to mention, the right players who are able to cope with pressure and do the business.

There is no doubt we need some seasoned quality but we could do with players who are at the top of their game rather than on the way down/haven't the legs (eg. Kranjcar, Alves, Davis, Barton, Dorrans, etc.). It's about what players can do for you NOW, not what they did years ago at the top level. That means we don't get the cream but milk is better than cream that has gone off. 

 

Generally, I think a lot of what is happening in the football operation is very encouraging and that it is going in the right direction but it needs to be tied into the first team to a reasonable extent....and this is where it could fall down. Obviously players need to be good enough and if management don't think they are, ok...but if chances aren't given more because of short-term pressure, perhaps that is a mistake. Hence the first team management's objectives/timescale/pressure are unlikely to be in sync with the rest of the football operation.

 

I'd rather look to build something because you'd have something constructed whether 10IAR were to happen or not because I think we very much risk not having built much / spent way over odds and it happening anyway.

 

 

The logic about their level in relation to the management situation makes sense but there are hardly any guarantees that it will pan out the way we would like to see, nor is it something that we can control. I think that they'll bring in a better manager than Lennon and give him relatively significant money to spend in an effort to insulate against teething problems.

 

If the PLC in the East were to decide to keep Lennon and take the risk of going down Biscuit Tin Lane, then from a financial POV it would be very short-termist, as well as placing their dominant position closer to risk. Hence, I reckon the heid yins over there will invest this year with an eye to getting 10 over the line.

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by buster.

[DMAA 3,658]

On 03/04/2019 at 08:16, JohnMc said:

It might be a controversial opinion but I think we need to be signing players who can improve our first team and command a starting place from day one.

I agree with that generally. I think our best chance is to put all our money into 3/4 star players rather than diluting it across 10 players like we’ve done for years.

 

Fans want it both ways, they want quality but they also want all the players they don’t like replaced. They forget we won the league with 97 points and 101 goals with Bob Malcolm and Maurice Ross both making circa 30 appearances over the season. Ronald de Boer, Ferguson and Arteta were brilliant enough that it didn’t matter. I don’t know what we could afford if we focused our budget on only a few players but I think the principle applies. 

 

On the the other hand, that’s easier to do if you have Hastie on the bench rather than say a Candeias who is older and likely on higher wages. Looks like Hastie is gone but I felt he’d be a great player to have as a backup. 

[der Berliner 3,815]

Greg Stewart over at Transfermarkt. What probably attracts SG and Allen is a) he`s Scottish, b) rather versatile and suited for the much-loved 4-3-3 and c) does it in the Scottish environment.

 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/greg-stewart/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/156775

 

As of now, next summer / season we`ll have Morelos, Lafferty, Defoe, Hardie and Stewart then. Both Defoe and Hardie are "true centre forwards", while the rest is more versatile.

[Dave M609 100]

We do need to start filling the squad out

Davis, Wallace, McCauley, Kent, Coulibally, Hodson and Worrall are all out of contract with us in the summer, I would be hopeful we could get Kent back, maybe Davis, i'm still not sure about him.

I'd imagine Wallace will still be on a hefty contract so that will be a lot of wages freed up, I would imagine the contracts of Jones and Stewart will come nowhere near the amount of money Wallace is on a week, it makes sense to have guys that are tried and tested at this level.

I imagine we will try and move on Foderingham, Holt, Dodoo, Herrera and Alnwick.

and I expect bids to come in for Tav and Morelos.

 

When you look at it like that I think we need a few players but I do agree with DMAA, I would rather we spent decent money on 3/4 players rather than spreading it out. only thing with this is doing this makes it more likely we are going for someone like Graham Shinnie  .

 

This thread is digressing a bit so just some random names that came from FF from posters following Gerrard and Beale and guys that they have recently followed on social media.

 

Florian Aye - Claremont Foot

Adam Lewis - Liverpool

Marko Grujic - Liverpool ( No way we are getting this guy, but it's Friday so hay ho)

[DMAA 3,658]

1 hour ago, Dave M609 said:

When you look at it like that I think we need a few players but I do agree with DMAA, I would rather we spent decent money on 3/4 players rather than spreading it out. only thing with this is doing this makes it more likely we are going for someone like Graham Shinnie  .

Yeh absolutely, I presented it in a simplistic manner when you’ll always need to replace some players. But as a general principle I think we’d benefit more from one £4m player just now than two £2m players, and we can’t have it both ways. 

Edited April 5, 2019 by DMAA