Leaderboard

The board do appear to have made mistakes this season and I'm sure they will be honest enough to recognise this. In that respect they're probably no different to others running big football clubs. But like you I feel they still have considerable credit in the bank. Given our circumstances a few years ago, they (and we) can be proud of the job done. If there's an aberration, it was last season, not this season. The recovery and rebuilding has quite a long way still to travel. Stick with it. This is a time to rally round, not to lose faith and run away.

We have to change to a partnership of Roofe plus another up front. We don’t have a straight replacement for Alfie and no one else can do what he does as a solo striker.

We all knew that Fergus built it on the cheap - hopefully it is about to fall to pieces and they have to spend all their CL millions on it next season. The abuse class action should, all things being equal, cost them many millions. Which is why we have shot ourselves in the foot this season. Such an opportunity to put the foot on their throat.

Having VAR can't be worse than NOT having it.

One lesson I learned from the wilderness years was the club comes far ahead of trophies. I do not want to see profligate spending if it puts the club in jeopardy. No more gambling. What we spend, we first have to earn.

This is the biggest problem. The board have stepped up and provided the finance to get us in a position where we won the league last season and are in the QFs of the Europa League. They've done an incredible job from where we were. There isn't anyone else ready to step in and provide additional finance, which we appear to be still getting from them. If they walk away then the club is in more financial difficulty and the problems grow. We can complain about valid individual issues like the ticket office, Edmiston House etc but the biggest issue is who keeps the lights on.

It's strange that, isn't it? When you think of Dutch football, it's free-flowing and attacking. We're more like Van Gaal's United, where they just keep passing the ball about for no reason. But, we can't even keep the ball.

£12m or £13m? There's no sign of the add-ons becoming payable. That'll help fund the loss and hopefully we'll make a profit, and hopefully some can be used for transfers, but it also depends on when we get the cash and next season's cash flow. You said earlier that we were told that all the cash would be available to spend. It seems crazy if they did say that as there's no way they can do that and it's PR bullshit that's not helpful.

This sense of entitlement, that you expect the board to fund things like the youth system of the stadium out of their own pocket will discourage future investors. It's also a bit hypocritical to expect them to spend more of their own cash on such things while refusing to buy Mygers, which of course is a money making exercise. The club needs every penny it can get so why not introduce a scheme that raises more cash?

I get there's always a knee-jerk reaction after a disappointing defeat like Sunday's, but the level of pessimism surprises me. Had Morelos been fit I don't think we'd have lost on Sunday, his ability to hold up the ball, occupy centre-backs and operate as fulcrum for the team can't be underestimated. If we had an alternative to him, someone who could also play with their back to goal, bring midfielders in and win free kicks in their half it's a different match. So we're one player away from matching them. Plus Celtic have 3 important players in the their squad who are on loan, Jota, Carter-Vickers and Meada, there's no guarantee that at least 2 of them will still be their next season. We don't require wholesale changes, we do need strengthened and I expect we'll lose at least a couple of key players in the summer. We should be able to sign a centre-half who is as good as Goldson surely. I don't know if Soutar is that player, but presumably our scouts and manager do. In Robbie Fraser we already have a deputy left back, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't step up from the B team in summer, he's had a great season for the Bs. I expect Leon King and Lowry will also become first team squad members next season, of the crop currently out on loan I expect Katic and maybe Ben Williamson will join them in the squad, I can't see any of the others making it at Rangers though. Celtic will have access to Champion's League money, a huge bonus for them, but there's no guarantees they'll spend it wisely, they haven't in the past. Plus their squad will lose players in the summer or else they'll have to spend big simply to keep it as it is. They've spent millions to get a wee bit in front of us, let's see what the next few months bring. Financially we're in a slightly better place than we were last season with the Paterson money and the Europa run. Plus, I've not given up on this season yet, there's still football to be played.

Should not be a bother to anyone with a VPN.

IMO down to poor management of his situation as it seemed to build up and was not one of those sudden "pull up" type injuries.

Of course they deserve scrutiny and criticism, but blindly calling for them to be replaced when there's no feasible options of replacements is more than that. If there are better options out there then I'm all in favour of bringing them in, but the ones we have currently are giving us an element of financial stability within reason, and for them to leave may mean getting external finance and then we really would be back in the SDM days. They are far from perfect, but they're better than the alternatives that I can see.

And in fairness to the EPL, they have tweaked their interpretation of the rules due to how VAR is used.

Having watched the B Team a lot this year, I think we'll be lucky of one of those 3 makes it (with us). Weston scores goals at Lowland League level and is an intelligent player. He reminds me of Robert / John Flack and John Spencer. I hope he makes it, but would need to be loaned out to see how he performs at a higher level. Any time I've seen Alegria I've not been impressed. Doesn't score as many as Weston and hasn't set the heather on fire at Thistle. McCann has been inconsistent when I've seen him. Sometimes best player on pitch, other times anonymous. I think he is behind Lowery but could make it if he can get his consistency. On the B Team, I'd like them to move from Dumbarton and play at Morton next season. Dumbarton pitch ain't the best where Morton's looks much better. Also we need to market the games more - it's great value for money but very poorly attended

All due respect Cammy, who are the club going to attract, in a footballing backwater, with the "financial ability" to take us to the next level ? These custodians have put their hands in their pockets to a massive extent. Anyone with the "financial ability" to take us to the next level have always had that opportunity to come in and buy the club or take a significant stake in it - why havent they ? I would love for Elon Musk to buy us as he has the "financial ability" - that doesnt mean he has any desire whatsoever to do so. So, who are these people that are just sitting in the wings waiting to take us on ? We don't have to settle for second best in Scotland at all - look at how much Celtic spent and yet we still beat them to the title last season with a team that cost a fraction of what theirs did. As for Europa - are we conveniently forgetting that we, or Scottish teams in general, have been abject failures in Europe for decades, the odd aberration aside ? We are significantly punching above our weight in Europe - whilst we all want to be successful there it is little more than a bonus. CL group stages every year would only happen if we get automatic entry - look at Celtic's history in the CL when they were getting the CL riches every year and spending a ton of money on players - they rarely got there. No reason to not want that for the club, but realism would suggest it is fairly unrealistic.

I can't argue with that. You're not wrong. Although-- which "wrong decisions" are you talking about? I don't think they get wrong decisions. Often the interpretation -- which is built into the rules -- is annoying, but it's not the wrong decision. Often the rules look to be problematic, which is an issue, but it's not the wrong decision. Maybe I am naive, but I think, at the very least it'll shine a light on decision-making. If they consistently make wrong decisions, then corruption comes into it. The main issue many have stems from the rules. It's not VAR per se, it's the rules that are shown to be problematic. In those instances the rules have to change.

I agree there. Lets hope they can pull it off.

I hope so but it depends on revenue streams which in the past have not been enough to break even and we have relied on directors to cover the shortfall.

I feel that we've not brought a player in for a while that has made an impact on our first XI. We've bought a lot squad players IMO but nobody that has become an instant starter.

I think that's a bit optimistic John. We will lose McGregor, Goldson, Davis, Arfield out of contract in the summer. We need a top keeper to replace McGregor IMO. Kent, Morelos, Aribo, Helander all have one year remaining and should be renewed or sold. In Helanders case he cant stay fit so would prefer to move him on. Worst case scenario is we fail to move Kent, Morelos and Aribo and lose them for nothing. Lowry is in his last year and needs to be renewed or promoting him to first team duties and developing him for his next club wont do us much good. Agree RE Leon King. Now at the point we either need to play him and give him games or try to get some money for his potential. Katic is an interesting one. By all accounts his performances have been improving so i wouldn't be adverse in having him back. At the same time if we get a decent bid for him it may be best for both parties to move on. Real question marks over the quality of Itten and Sakala. If we can move them on and reinvest we should. Roofe cant stay fit so we should move him on and reinvest if we can. He takes too big a wage to spend that much time in the treatment room. Kamara was a big asset for us under Gerrard but now looks a shadow of the player and how much would we get for him? I think these questions were as valid in December when we were top as they are now.

I feel that the negative reaction to the Old Firm thing comes about from the game played out. Before the game I thought it was just having a laugh at Celtic's expense. Had the result gone our way, we would now be on a high and little attention would be being paid to this. As it turned out, we're all feeling low and many are looking for someone to blame, both on and off the pitch. I can understand why this was done. High exposure on TV. Everyone sees Old Firm. Celtic fans annoyed. Just part of the pre match pantomime that this game attracts. Side shows like this become associated with the result, so I'll be surprised if we see this again.

I realise this wont be popular opinion but I'm going to put it out there. Given he was virtually anonymous on Sunday I don't think it was a good decision from Ryan Jack to go to Austria and play over an hour in a friendly for Scotland. Especially when he struggles to play 1 out of two games in a week for us. He is big for us when he plays normally.

Part of SG`s heritage. People call for Gio`s head when SG would have changed exactly nothing. We`d still play a non-scoring chap on the left side (who does have excellent stats for a left winger, but not a attacker we need) and some makeshift attacking guy on the left instead of Hagi. With Sakala, we instantly got a threat on that right flank, something we missed all game. And in many games before. Whoever came up with this one-striker trash must have had a fine squad and the correct players in mind. We have no such players for that system, and like it or not, Morelos scores from 1 in 4 or more chances, which simply hasn`t been good enough for years either. You would have hoped that Makaay and Co. would have seen that, and any of them cool tacticians before. A blind man on a dead horse can see our lack of attacking firepower ... due to inadequate tactics.

As long as VAR is operated by the SFA, which it will be, all it will do is corroborate and vindicate the same bad decisions we suffer from at the moment. To that extent it may even make things worse.

Gollum wet his panties at all the penalty decisions. I actually thought he had forgot his cards until Lundstrum made him get them out. VAR can't come quick enough.

Half the celtc team is utterly shite. like if they were at Dundee Utd no one would notice them shite. But they are well coached and successful.

So looking at the squad.... And being concerned by some of those contracts being run down on players who we all thought we might get big money for, but its looking increasingly unlikely... I think there's no doubt the squad has suffered from under-investment - or rather investment in the wrong places. We have a very bloated squad and seem to have prioritised quantity over quality. I know the line is that nothing happened during pre-season, but I'd love to have been a fly on the wall during that time as neither the players or the management team looked up for it this season. The Malmo game was a real warning of things to come. What's even more frustrating is that we've gone backwards in some regards this season and the (two) management teams have been unable to resolve some blindingly obvious issues on the park. BTW, I'm saying all of this while realising I'm watching probably the most successful and consistent Rangers team in Europe I've ever seen in my life. Which makes it all the more baffling that we've stuttered so badly in Scotland during the same timeframe. Keepers McGregor - Retires. McLaughlin - Deserves a run as number 1 McRorie & a.n.other as backup? Or when do we expect McRorie to step up and be the number 2/challenge for 1? If not soon, should we not just be moving him on? Unless we pull off a big coup with a new number one, maybe a young prospect from Europe who's good enough to be our #1 for years to come, I guess we'll just be signing a new number 2. Centre Backs Goldson - Will go for nothing. Can't believe we've let him run his contract down and I'm still of the opinion he should maybe have gone as part of the Gerrard rebuild. Still seems suspect to dealing with long balls and anything not on his right foot. Helander - I think he's our best CB, but clearly has fitness issues. Balogun - Good cover, but I'd like to see a first-choice CB signed. He's fast, his attitude is good, but not a commanding presence. Jack Simpson - Another one who I'm surprised we signed. Surely Leon King could have covered that position? Surely he'll leave. Souttar - I still think we should have signed him in January, would definitely have helped shore things up a bit in the league. So we're after a first-choice CB in the Summer to play alongside Helander with Souttar and Balogun as cover? Full Backs Barisic - That 2M offer from Southampton looks like it could have been a great bit of business for us. His injury ahead of the Euros was poor timing and he's struggled with form all season. Which, last season apart, has been the story of his time here. Bassey - Our number one LB for next year right? He's only 22 and is improving all the time, seems to have his head screwed on right too. Tavernier - What a signing he's been. I've been saying for a few years though, that like Goldson, I can't help but shake this nagging doubt that we should have moved him on. Regardless of his amazing input, he and Goldson have been constants in a changing squad which has exhibited the same character weaknesses time and time again. I don't think he will leave though, so that means with Zukowski as deputy, Sands can also play there, we're just going to be in the market for a LB? I'd not be against us signing a new first choice RB and let Tav go with our best wishes. Midfielders Arfield - I think he's still got a part to play as a squad player as he does like to get beyond the front line frequently. He seems to start seasons poorly, then come on to a game though. So maybe he's another one who we can't afford to carry anymore and we need to start using youth more for those games where we rest players or need something different? Aribo - Inconsistent. Another big hope but seems to be one who is undroppable and un-subbable. I wonder if the grind of the Scottish game has just taken its toll on him and a few others to the point of disinterest. Davis - I guess he'll retire, but I've been surprised by just how much he's been sidelined by Gio. What a servant though. Hagi - Like Arfield, I think he offers us something different, but we've not got the best from him so far and again, I don't know if we know his best position. Jack - If he can stay fit he must be the one we build the midfield around? Kamara - He was looking like the one who might go for big money, but has drifted off as the season has gone on. Same as Aribo. He's been played in a few different positions too. But surely there's a place for him? Lundstram - He's come on to a game as the season has progressed, but how many players like him, Davis, Kamara, who can play that role do we need? Sands - He's looked good, but maybe not the 1st choice starter we need. So he's a squad player... How many of those do we need though? Lowry - I'd hope we'd make much more use of him next season, even though he's young. Remember Stephen Kelly though? Ramsey - will move on somewhere, but its a shame its taken us this long to get him fit. Not sure why he was subbed yesterday. Ofoborh - Presumably he's just going to quietly leave over the summer. I have no idea what our best midfield is any more. Worryingly, I don't think Gio does either. Genuinely no idea where that leaves us other than knowing we need a few players of really quality to improve out first XI. That's been the case for a couple of seasons though.... If we don't have the money, then we need to make better use of the players we have, including the younger ones - that's where I think we might struggle with Gio in charge as he's looked out of his depth at times. Forwards Morelos - We have to build a team round him, but also have a plan for when he's not fit. I think he's been treated poorly by Gio - run in to ground, when we should be able to cope in Scotland without him. Itten - Surely will leave. Kent - Inconsistent. Flatters to deceive at times. No doubting the talent, but sometimes could benefit from some time on the bench when its not going his way. Seems undroppable though. Will that Leeds bid finally materialise? Roofe - Another one who we know is going to have injury problems, but I think he's a great striker. Just a shame we drop him in to the team and don't play to his strengths. Again, can we not have a system where he and Morelos can play? Or give Morelos a break by playing Roofe and a system which suits him? Sakala - I'm a big fan of his, but he's another we seem to have signed without knowing where we're going to play them or how we're going to integrate them in to the team. Wright - After a very promising start, seems to have fallen out of favour and didn't take what chances he was given this year. Another squad player or is he one to move on? Or does he deserve another chance if we have a clearout in the summer? Like the midfielders, I've no idea where that leaves us. Light on quality certainly, but there's so many question marks over our tactics, formation etc that I've no idea what our medium-term plans are.

That should be the last thing Rangers get involved with.

hopefully this summer for £5m

When did Itten sign for Braga 😉

That doesn t answer the question of what people have seen in Westons performances that make them think he is ready to start a European Quarter final. Said on another thread I rate Weston and I hope he makes it with us. However from what I've seen of him, he is nowhere near ready to start or be involved in Thursday's game.

Well at least the timings not too bad, the season being over and all.

It should be irrelevant but you know it won't be.

VAR wont change a thing about your basic Tims rational approach to decision making. If you start from a position that is riddled with paranoia and perceived injustice, you'll always find a way to bend the facts to suit your warped view. I deal with a range of Tims on a daily basis and they all have one thing in common...no matter what the situation is, they will never take a balanced view on any action that effects Celtic. It's impossible. It's akin to a cult IMO.

We made a loss of £17m in 19/20 season, and I'm not sure how we go from that to break-even with the Gerrard cash and a couple (?) of extra games in Europe. We also need to look at next season's finance. If we go out early in Europe we'll be looking at another big loss and where is the cash tor that coming from?

Breaking even isn't financial security.

He was an example mate. However, if you watch him give his analysis post game on VAR type incidents he looks at them from a referees perspective. I mean, Pierluigi Collina would be the man for the job - point being it doesnt need to be anyone with an affiliation with Rangers or Celtic, just an ex ref who understands the rules as they currently stand

Diallo isnt an attacking midfielder, he was supposed to be the right wing option. And he was/is highly thought of so that was actually an exciting loan. As was Ramsey, a world class player who came in. Not sure how we can really complain about those two other than hindsight.... Celtic managed it THIS season. They have had some terrible January signings in seasons past. Even this season, the players they brought in arent that good, they really arent. They have energy and desire but lack skill - Maeda is the proverbial headless chicken. Hatate scored against us, sure, but he was dross on Sunday too.

Not Weston ? Alegria ? McCann ?

We were told many times that player trading was going to be a big revenue stream for us but have failed to maximise the ROI on some of our biggest assets in years. Yes I'm aware the impact COVID has had not just on us but football world wide. But i stand by this.

Surely with that Gerrard and the European run we are breaking even and can use sales money to buy players.

Maybe those decisions that require a degree of interpretation, but those that require they get the lines out - I don't see how they can get that wrong. If they do get those wrong, then it would represent outright corruption and it would be quite obvious. Saying that, their incompetence may surprise me...

If Bassey had more experience he would have halved Mcgregor given the space he had to run into prior to the first goal. Should have taken a yellow for the team

If Covid had not hit and cancelled the season it is debateable if he would have made it out of that season as Rangers manager such was the size of the collapse.

Exactly. Success cannot just be measured in terms of trophies. How many could we have expected to win in 2018? None is the answer, given the shambles that the club was in.The most important trophy is the one that he won, the cups are irrelevant really, nice to win but don't prove anything. As for next season, I don't think there is a clear alternative to van Bronkhorst at the moment and I can't see any other scenario than him being manager when the new season starts. We have to see what he can do from there, but however it goes there will always be another season. The lows are as much a part of things as the highs.