Leaderboard

The Situation. During my professional days, 'situation, no change' was 99% most welcome during operations. It equates to no dramas. Today's result is in many ways, 'situation, no change', another game ticked off and our lead remains 21 points. We used to find comfort in, 'find your plus points in the margins'. Well, apart from the above mentioned, we drew an away game, they drew a home game. We scored a goal, they didn't. The goal difference remains the same, but we added a goal to the goals scored column. I'll accept the marginal comfort above, if next week at Ibrox against Ross County, we cut out the walking football and score first, second, and third.

Makes me feel physically sick...

"maliciously prosecuted" That's one hell of an admission. It says the justice system in Scotland is unfit for purpose and is operating on behalf of someone other than the people of Scotland - and in the absence of any stated remedy, that this remains the case today. And that is a characteristic of a failed state. It means you cannot trust anything from parliament to the judiciary to the justice service to the police. It's almost beyond words what has happened to this country.

Eh ? We’ve beaten Celtic at home and beaten Aberdeen away. How is 7 points from 9 in January a slump ?

We have 6 players that regularly feature in our midfield. Davis with Zungu as an alternative Kamara with Jack as an alternative Aribo with Arfield as an alternative I think that one of the main challenges we face this summer is dealing with the possible changes in this area. Davis is having a good season but he has recently turned 36. If his contract is extended then it could be that he becomes the backup next season rather than the first choice. Arfield recently turned 32 and has another year on his contract. I think we can expect another good year from him. Zungu is here on a loan with an option to buy. It's difficult to say if the management will extend his contract. He looks good enough but based on selection I don't think he is trusted by the management yet. Kamara has had a great season and should be moving into the best years of his career. There will be a good opportunity to cash in on him after the European Championships this summer. Jack has performed well while fit. He has demonstrated that he is not an average S.P.F.L. player like many have said. Sadly he has an injury problem that needs to be managed. It could be that we are only able to depend on him for 30 matches a season now. Aribo has been good at times and has struggled to make an impact at others. If he improves his consistency then I expect that, like Kamara, he will move on. I still expect him to be part of our midfield next season. There are valid questions about the contribution that Davis, Jack, Kamara and Zungu will make next year. Two, or three, could move on. One, or two, could be sidelined. If all goes well this season then we also need to consider whether or not to upgrade any of the players to compete at a higher level in Europe. If we want to compete at a higher level then I think we should look to keep Kamara and get more consistency out of Aribo.

Just caught up tonight with the latest in the excellent “away days” series on Rangers tv from the Dolly match last weekend. It really is so insightful and brilliantly edited. I think the decision to just use whatever noise the mics pick up is what makes this so special, and this season particularly with no crowds we get to hear so much more of what is said on the pitch during the games. What impressed me the most about this episode was the sound and pictures from the full time whistle. There was no celebrations, not even a yeesss or anything. The players were not happy at just winning the game, they knew we were poor for the last half hour or so and were not happy about it. One picture showed Barasic discussing a particular passage of play with another defender and the body language was as if we had lost, never mind just grubbed Dolly for the 3rd time this season and twice this season at the hill of dung. It shows the level our club has got to now, and the team of winners we are building. Not even happy with a 2-1 win at Pittodrie to cement our lead at the top, they strive for perfection and unless they achieve it, there is little room for satisfaction. Absolutely tremendous stuff ???

You have to wonder if this was all pre-planned and this is their "reward".

There was only really Davis. At times it looked like we were playing with a one-man midfield.

What I would give for a wee half pint in any of those establishments at this point. Even the less enlightened ones! However wee nippy’s “short sharp action” on 9 October is neither short nor sharp and shows no sign of an end in sight. How did we manage to get such incompetence running our country and our football?

Another point worth making is that we now have only 6 away games left, with 8 home matches. We are 11/11 at home.

Sarcasm doesn’t always come across well when written. By now the bheasts were supposed to be neck and neck as we always capitulate in January. I thought that was a decent point after a poor first half.

???

Gallagher played Itten onside

That sequence has a nice symmetry to it. However I am concerned about the lack of consistency.☺️

I can understand why they are trying to help stop the spread of the virus, however it's a bit silly to concentrate on goal celebrations when all the players mingle on the pitch, especially at set plays where they are always grappling each other!.

That game was the dictionary definition of a dead rubber.

Itten scores again but Rangers fail to make it sweet sixteen at Fir Park Cedric Itten came off the bench to score his fourth goal against Motherwell as Rangers dropped points for only the third time this season with a 1-1 draw at Fir Park. The big Swede scored his first goal for club earlier in the season at the same ground, and he also bagged a vital goal in the 3-1 win against the Lanarkshire side at Ibrox last month – and it took the big striker to come off the bench again to get Rangers a vital goal which ensured Rangers maintained their points advantage at the top of the table. Rangers went into the game looking for their sixteenth consecutive win in the league against a Motherwell side without a win in eleven. However the Fir Park side had looked rejuvenated against St Mirren last week after the appointment of Graham Alexander, and Steven Gerrard had warned against complacency at his press conference on Friday. Gerrard named an unchanged eleven from the side which started at Pittodrie last week, meaning Steven Davis made his 300th appearance for Rangers as they looked to extend their lead to 23 points after Celtic dropped points against Livingston on Saturday. Rangers started very sluggishly and it was the home side who looked the more likely in the early stages, and they were rewarded in the 20th minute with a goal from Devante Cole. It was Cole who started the move from a throw-in, protecting the ball well and playing it out wide. Motherwell worked it well from there, allowing Tony Watt to send the ball across the face of the goal for Cole to slide in and tap it in. Rangers reacted well in terms of dominating possession, but struggled to break down a stubborn Motherwell defence. The only chance of note came from an Alfredo Morelos header, the Columbian rising well to get on the end of a great Borna Barisic cross and send the ball inches past Liam Kelly’s left-hand post. Into the second-half and Rangers started brightly with Hagi shooting wide seconds after the restart. Hagi was again involved when he sent over a great cross which Ryan Kent sheepishly headed wide when he should have done a lot better. It was another frustrating performance from the Englishman who has struggled with form of late. Kent had another opportunity a few minutes later when he cut inside and shot from the corner of the box, but hit it straight at Kelly. With Rangers dominating possession but struggling to create outright chances, Steven Gerrard turned to the man who had punished Motherwell in the previous two meetings and introduced Itten for Ianis Hagi on 54 minutes. The substitution inspired Rangers to their best chance of the match. Connor Goldson got on the end of Barisic corner to head brilliantly past Kelly, only to see it cleared off the line by Devante Cole. From the clearance Rangers worked it well again, and Tavernier put in a great ball which fell to Joe Aribo who fired it over the bar when it seemed easier to score. It was now one way traffic, with Rangers hemming Motherwell into their own half. Tavernier headed a ball over Liam Kelly, but no Rangers player was in sight to tap it in to the empty net as it bounced across the face of goal. Then came the equaliser from Itten. Rangers worked it well on the left-hand side, allowing Barisic to send in a great cross which the big striker headed past Kelly to give Rangers a deserved equaliser. In the closing stages Gerrard introduced Defoe and Barker for Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent as he looked for the winner which would extend Rangers’ lead. And it was Defoe who nearly, and arguably should have given Rangers a deserved win in the 92nd minute. Goldson sent the ball wide to Tavernier, who sent in a great cross. Defoe brought it down superbly well with a deft touch which set him up to turn superbly and get his shot away, only to hit it straight at Kelly. It would be Rangers’ last opportunity and they had to settle for a point. The result meant Steven Gerrard failed to equal Jock Wallace’s record of sixteen successive wins, and the Rangers manager couldn’t hide his disappointment at failing to extend the lead over Celtic further. “I don’t think we’ve got any complaints in terms of the result”, he said. “I think it took us 45 minutes to come to the game. “I’m disappointed with our showing in the first-half. I had to get into them a little bit at half-time, and I thought we were really good in the second-half. Over the course of the 90 minutes we probably deserved to win it on chances on our second-half showing. But the reality is we can’t come to a game at half-time when we are where we are. “There are two things as a manager you don’t want your team to do: you don’t want to start a game late, and you can’t leave games early – especially with what we’re playing for. “Hopefully this will be a valuable point come the end of the season”. MOTHERWELL: Kelly; O'Donnell, Gallagher, Mugabi, Carroll; Polworth, Crawford, Campbell, Seedorf; Cole, Watt SUBS: Morrison, Lamie, McGinley, White, Lawless, Maguire, Devine, McIver, Johnston RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic, Kamara, Davis, Aribo. Kent, Hagi, Morelos. SUBS: McLaughlin, Bassey, Helander, Defoe, Itten, Zungu, Patterson, Barker, Stewart. REFEREE: Don Robertson

million a year. probably the highest paid manager in the league

I have to agree with your thinking, it stinks!

One game at a time. Win. This is all the team needs to think about.

Maybe under Alexander they will give the scum a game.

That guys an absolute weapon. Asking his fellow Tims for square go’s all over the place ?

This award has nothing to do with us financially,but further proves how we were DONE OVER at that time.

Wonderful depressing 0-0. Is that the best they can offer? City will be laughing.

I wouldn’t think Aberdeen could afford to get rid of McInnes. Didn’t they give him a new eye-watering contract after he turned us down?

thought we played well enough and was always worried by this game. thank god for Dubai. Motherwell look a different prospect under Alexander long may it continue.

We don't want any excitement in Tannochside, Birkenshaw, or Viewpark. Excitement on the high road equates to : At worse, Peter Manuel is going Tonto. At best, the denizens are attending the Oak(Stables), the Windmill, the Auld Club and bouncing pint tumblers aff each others' nappers. Choose a quiet life, have a half pint of Mackesons stout in the Rowan Tree.

He looks such a talent, a long run of games would get him banging the goals in I reckon. Also meant to say how unlucky Defoe was, that touch and strike was pure quality and shows what a striker he has been all his career.

Our last 17 league games DWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWD We've dropped 6 points all season so far and all away from home. Let's reset, refocus and ensure we react to this draw as we did to the draw at Easter Road.

Disappointing but after a poor first half I was glad to get a point I didn’t see us getting. we really must do something about the sluggish starts we’re making to games which we saw again in the first half today. And I also think Kent’s form ( or lack of it) is a worry.

Once again we faced a wall of 10 players across the 18 yard line! very difficult to break down

Yes, our 'slump' lasted 45 minutes!

Of our attacking MFs, Hagi would have been the last I would have subbed today.

It’s half times like this when you need a Jock Wallace to address the team and a first aid squad to patch them up for the second half. We’re not losing because we’re not good enough. We’re losing because our attitude is rank rotten.

This is all of your comeuppance for the gloating over the last few days...

Very unlike us - need to trust in our system, players but looking sluggish today for some reason

Saw that coming, defense all over the place

Sorted, thanks.?.

I expect Jack and Kamara to be rotated when both are fit. You might see both of them together in Europe.

I don't think Gerrard would tolerate complacency. Gerrintaethum!.

If it's non copywritten audio then soundcloud is a relatively easy way to do it.

they haven't won a hard game all season.

Would you deny us the usual get-carried-away-then-fuckup-then-panic ritual? ?

As many of us, I haven't seen much of Wright so far, but one Youtuber has put this together ...

I think we've done well without Jack. Davis, Kamara and Arfield or Aribo is a good fit. There are a lot of games coming up, against different types of opposition and we're going to need our full squad.

Apparently the only reason that this lad got his contract at Grimsby was because of his brother, Karamoko - Karamoko signed his contract with Celtic, seemingly, only after Nike guaranteed they would get his brother a contract at another club. Rangers were desperately trying to get Karamoko Dembele to sign for them at the time he signed for Celtic.