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I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older or if it’s the modern era of constant 24/7 Rangers debate across legacy and new media but, by the time we reach May in the football season, I’m usually more ready for the end of the season than any title battle. Unfortunately, in recent years the lack of such battles gives us minimal chance of increasing our mental and physical stamina. With that in mind, the Rangers players - and manager if I’m entirely honest – look equally short of puff as we stumble more than stride towards the finish line. That’s not to say there haven’t been many positive moments this season. As such, when the manager speaks of being ahead since he took over and having pride in his players’ efforts, it’s difficult not to acknowledge this. When Michael Beale left last autumn, we were a team bereft of any kind of identity under the leadership of a manager who brought a new meaning to incompetent despite fairly healthy backing in the summer transfer window. Hindsight is always more of a magic power than a fair analysis technique but Beale must surely look back as frustrated as the rest of us in his failure to build on a reasonable period in charge that ended with a convincing win over Celtic this time last year (even if it was a dead rubber). It’s easy to forget that, as fans, many of us were enthused by the range of signings but much easier to remember just how quickly things went wrong. All things considered then, the performance of Phillipe Clement is worthy of praise and this column, as well as this week’s legacy football writers’ award nominations, have recognised that over the last seven months. Yes, Celtic stumbled badly across the winter period whilst we seemed to go from strength to strength culminating in taking over the top spot in the Scottish Premiership just two months ago. Unfortunately, instead of moving into that extra gear to maintain the lead going into the final quarter of the campaign, we could only find reverse. A home defeat to Motherwell in early March, followed by a timid Europa League exit to Benfica showed some early signs of weakness but positive wins at home and away to Hibs in the Scottish Cup and league suggested we still had it in us to challenge. Indeed, by the time we faced Celtic this time last month at Ibrox only the farce of postponed matches in Dundee cost us top spot before that crucial Old Firm fixture and it was the latter issue that really started to concern me as the manager seemed to lose focus around that time. Of course, he was well within his rights to criticise the Tayside club and SPFL for their inability to get that game played but to my eye it was a distraction we could easily have ignored. For example, as much as I’d always prefer to get games played at the earliest opportunity, at that time we did have players coming back from injury so the delay certainly wasn’t the end of the world. Yet the manager’s frustration was palpable so I do wonder if that transferred itself onto the players. Our performance in the last Old Firm certainly wasn’t one of a side completely focussed on the job at hand – namely beating Celtic to, not only go top of the league once again, but to deliver the kind of psychological blow than can affect both sides going for the trophy. Indeed, that lack of focus was evident within 60secs as an incredible error (and stroke of fortune if we’re fair) allowed Celtic an early lead and, although an improved second half display delivered an unlikely draw, I don’t think we’ve ever really recovered from that moment. More dropped points ensued in short order away to Ross County and Dundee, and whilst we’ve won our three games since then and, still sit just three points behind Celtic going into tomorrow’s match, there’s a vicious circle of the worst kind affecting out outlook. The manager played a blinder earlier in this season discussing synergy between the supporters and players which resulted in the club applying an ‘everything from everyone’ slogan to our treble efforts. Initially this worked well and both the players and the fans referenced this positive relationship as we maintained our form through the earlier part of 2024. Sadly, this form was lost whilst impatience and doubt have spread like wildfire from the moment James Tavernier failed to clear his lines against Celtic in April. Right through the team we’ve completely lost confidence and that familiar story transferred to the stands where negativity became our default position; meaning those that rightly still speak of our treble chances struggled to be heard over those critical of our shortcomings. At this point, I’d like to argue against these critics. A win tomorrow would put us level on points and decrease the goal difference gap. The psychological aspect we discussed above would also come into play with Celtic still to face Kilmarnock and St Mirren – two teams that can provide a stiff challenge home or away – so there’s no doubt a win for us tomorrow really would change things significantly, if not for this season but for our medium to long term aspirations. The same can be said for the Scottish Cup final two weeks’ time. Are we really that downbeat to write off the opportunity to win everything? Yep, that doubt is there so cannot be underplayed. We’ve not beaten Celtic in the league for almost three years; we’ve not won at Parkhead since October 2020 and not scored first in an Old Firm game since a defeat at Ibrox in April 2022. To say our record in these games is dire is an under-statement so it’s no wonder that the Brendan Rodgers is applying the pressure ahead of this match by suggesting his team will have fun. Examining his comments is somewhat interesting. Are they the understandable words of a manager confident of his team’s winning mentality – not only in Old Firm games but in delivering consistent success? Are they comments to relax his players ahead of a match that that has undoubted pressure for both sides? Are they a direct challenge to Phillipe Clement who hasn’t looked quite as steady in the media glare as Rangers have stumbled in recent times? Or could they have the opposite effect in making his players complacent? Can they fire up our players who too easily wilt in such encounters? Rodgers adopting this position is certainly the opposite of the Rangers manager who, at all times, has been at pains to underplay his own hand. Week after week as we firstly reined in Celtic then overtook them, Clement refused to entertain public discussion of us winning the league. Was this a sensible way of keeping pressure off his squad or a mental fragility that perhaps allowed a get-out clause to players that often struggle to believe in themselves? Would he have been better served laying down the gauntlet to both his own squad and Celtic? I don’t have the answer to that question but, as much as I’m eager to find out what Clement can do with more of his own players next season, it’s vital we see genuine improvement tomorrow. Yes, for a variety of valid reasons we’re far from favourites but it’s the manager’s job to instil the belief that we can do it. The return of players like Yilmaz will help, strengthening the midfield with the athleticism of Sterling will help, getting at the Celtic defence more often will help and avoiding the concession of cheap, early goals will go a long way to giving us a foothold in a match that genuinely could go either way going by the tight encounters so far this season. Ultimately, I can’t pretend I’m confident we’ll win tomorrow. The inconvenient truth is I just don’t think this squad have it in them and I’m equally unsure the manager can do what he did for six months and reapply the winning mentality we lost two months ago. There are just too many doubts about too many players which means only substantial summer changes in the squad may make the difference, no matter how capable the manager. But stranger things have happened, and at the very least I expect, indeed demand, everything from everyone when everything still remains in the balance. May battle commence….

Tomorrow games a bit like backing a horse with your last hundred pounds never let the odds put you off the bookies probably don't give us a hope in hell but I've backed many a big odds winner and tomorrow I'll be having a good few bob on my team Mon the Gers.

Beat the forces of Mordor. Batter Dundee at home to take the lead on goal difference. Beat Hearts at Tynecastle. Easy.

The season is all about tomorrow. I don't think Barsic has been too bad (certainly no worse than anyone else) since he returned to the side so if he starts, he starts with my support but I'd prefer the more direct Ridvan personally and he looked fit enough in his cameo last weekend, helping create the final goal. Same goes for Matondo and Sima - if they can play any sort of part, then they have to be involved; even if from the bench.

They are more likely to snap themselves trying

That's PSV signed Tillman permanently for €12m, with fans saying it's a good deal because he's already worth double that. Bayern fans are hoping there's a buy-back clause. But £5m was too much for some on here...

If the physio looked like that I suspect we'd see even more injuries!

Why do our players get injured so easily ? I think we need to get rid of our new physio tbh 😉

Like I say it's a vicious circle and has affected everything around the club in recent years. Fans lack real belief, players lack confidence, fans eager to react negatively, player confidence decreases further and so on and on... The mental fragility around this squad is something we've talked about for a long time and whilst fingers can be point at key individuals from senior players to managers, shaking off this toxic negativity has to be a priority. Winning tomorrow would go a long way to doing that but substantial squad changes have to happen regardless. FWIW, I'd also like to see the manager make staff changes. We need improvement in our play as much as anything else.

Thing is likes of Sterling might have it in him..... if he does it'll be us down to ten men after 3 minutes

We're too professional when it comes to general behaviour on the park. It's all part of our overall mentality problem - being nice is no use in a match like this.

I’ve said it before on here, that when we go to the giro dome priority number1 is to keep 11 players on the park. Tomorrow we can expect a shitebag of a referee who will be afraid to give any major decisions against them like Walsh was last time around. It’s vital we get control of the MF. I’d even go 4-5-1 with three central MF players and matondo wide. Dowell or Lawrence would make up the 5 Finally it’s important the players ignore the yahoo circus going on around them and concentrate on their owngame. They(the yahoos) are no world beaters. Hearts have won there already this season in the league.

I'd send a player out with strict instructions to snap Kyogo in half in the first couple of minutes. I miss the 80s.

Airdrie 2, Thistle 2 was a rattling good old-fashioned game last night until both teams ran out of puff after seventy minutes. End to end attacking, powerful long range shooting, fortunes ebbing and flowing, it was most refreshing. If either team gets past Raith, County or St J will stifle them with system football. Boring.

We need to stop allowing them free flowing possession. Do what they did to us at Ibrox the last match. Everytime they cross the halfway line commit wee niggly fouls one after another.

aye and not just the senior players.

You're off your head. Bad enough losing to them without losing money too.

If Matondo is fit he must play. Even for an hour or so. The manager needs some sort of game plan & tactics for this fixture… otherwise we’re doomed

That's the scary thing, there's only four players in that line up I'm happy to see start at the Piggery (Butland, Diamonde, Sterling and Yilmaz).

That defence will be overrun. Much better to pick - ah, well, I see what you mean. There’s nobody else, is there?

I also want to see this. I have been living in hope that the current staffing was just a 'get to the end of the season and then revisit'

Probably carries too much baggage nowadays but I do think we need some modern thinking.

Ian Cathro is available... 👀

A part of me thinks, if we can just beat them then it's a straight shoot-out, and we give ourselves a chance. But, I don't even see us outscoring them over the last 2-3 games, never mind beating them. It's all a bit deflating.

We haven't got a single player that could do that though imo

We need to be on it form the word go, we've given them a head start too bloody often.

An interesting observation. I have long thought that graduates from the SFA Coaching Centre at Largs, who include some of the biggest names in European football, tend to fall into two categories: A. Those who take the coaching and learning seriously (non-Scots, generally) B. Those who attend merely to get their 'ticket', and forget most of what they have learned as soon as they walk out of the door (Scots, generally).

You gotta laugh. There was a school of thought, some years ago, which opined that Scottish sides did not do well against 'Continentals' primarily because the League was, well, pish, with little quality and competition. Prior to that the reason for failures, from ignominious upwards, was stated as the 'three foreigner rule', or the 'eight diddies rule' as it was sometimes, unkindly, called. (I am inclined to think that reaching Europa Finals -the fhilth, in 2004, and ourselves in 2008, and 2022- might undermine the former thesis, and confirm the latter.) That the 'best and most competitive' League in the world's representatives have failed to reach any of the three European Finals is explained, now, by the assertion that it is, in fact, 'too competitive', which militates against success in European tournaments. As I said, you gotta laugh.

I don't believe mine for one split second. I actually think it might be the other way around but cant bring myself to put that!

Despite our recent record at their place and indifferent form, I have a weird feeling that we might do something on Saturday. However, this is hugely dependent on player availability and selection. For us to win, I feel we need Sterling in the middle of the park. That means Cantwell dropping out and Diamonde moving forward to play as a ten ********Butland******** ****Souttar***Davies*** Tav**************Yilmaz ****Sterling***Lunny*** ********Diamonde****** Sima**************Silva ********Dessers*******

Awful lot of optimism going on in this thread! don't know where that is coming from?.

The Martin Ramsay book that came out a few months ago about the title winning season of 86/87 is worth a read for a number of reasons. I thought I remembered this season well. I was mid-teens, going to game regularly, leaving school and getting on in the world. Rangers had not had a good side for most of my time actively supporting them. Decline under Greig followed by false dawns and further decline under Jock Wallace, the players at Rangers simply weren't good enough. Then Souness was appointed manager. One thing I forgot about that season that Ramsay's book really brings into focus was just how many of that title winning side were at the club before Souness and Smith were appointed. Indeed it's no exaggeration to say that it was basically the previous season's side plus Woods, Butcher and Souness himself. Jimmy Nicholl rejoined, but he'd been at Rangers before. Graham Roberts joined during the season and became a first team regular, but new players like Jimmy Phillips, Neil Wood and Colin West made little impact. The real story of that season is how introducing 3 very good players transformed the side and lifted the existing players to heights they previously couldn't reach. Players I could have sworn had left the club that summer, like Cammy Fraser and Dougie Bell, actually played a decent amount of matches that season. The core of the squad that nearly finished 6th the season before won the league in style. Players like Davie McPherson, Stuart Munro, Derek Ferguson, Ted McMinn and Bobby Fleck along with Davie Cooper, Ian Durrant and of course Ally McCoist became a title winning side. Cooper aside none of that group of players were hitting any kind of highs in their careers prior. I guess what I'm trying to say is we don't have to rip everything up. There are weaknesses in our squad, but its core is capable of winning the League Cup, reaching the Scottish Cup Final, the last 16 in Europe and taking the title to the final weeks. Some judicious improvement might be all that's required.