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Here's the exact moment we lost the cup final in my opinion.

The penalty we should have got aside, I think overall we did ok. Didn’t defend well at all for any of the 3 goals, very soft ones to give away rather then make opponent work for it. The Spurs game also didn’t help. Said it weeks again id play a far weakened team. Thought the likes of Diomande and Raskin were dead on their feet, and we lost Soutter but it is what it is. I suppose the bigger question is why did the FA want the game to be played at a weekend after European fixtures but they are so incompetent it didn’t surprise me. Was also shouting at the TV like a mad man to get Jefte off before the 2nd goal. Could see they were working things down his flank and were getting some change. Again injuries seem to be hampering us with a real lack of any centre halves. We will no doubt see Leon King get game time soon if Soutter and Balogun are out for a few weeks or longer. Propper did ok yesterday I felt but it’s not games like that he struggles with, it’s the physical up an atem of the diddy sides. The manager overall has done well to turn things around after Dundee United, I fancy us to have another good go at them in the new year. Hopefully with some fit centre backs. i always felt it was different when Clement was struggling compared to Gio and Beale and posted on here a few weeks back still think he can turn it around. There is no way a team who have given up on the manager find a way back into that game twice yesterday so got to hope we can build on this. Certainly see signs of life there anyway. Special words for Hagi as I feel he adds a something to this side. Hes no world beater but I think he is adding value to us and had a good game yesterday. We should have had him available sooner. Club mismanagement again from those at the top. A couple of good moves in & out in January and we can be a competitive outfit again. It might be too late for the league for this season but after the summer cull it was always going to be difficult.

It's not sour grapes at losing the cup. There is and has been an apparent pattern to this. Dessers shirt pull pen not given. Raskin thrown to the ground in front of Joe Hart, and now this Cerny incident. For me we are being robbed of legitimate penalties. I am not saying this is because of bias though, I think it is more likely to be fear of your windows being blootered in that sways the refs. Either way it is a large factor in these games.

I don’t think he’ll do that. He wouldn’t want to miss the good stuff. The thing about Clement is that you’ve made your point and made it well but you haven’t yet managed to convince the majority. Just leave it for a while. Come back to it if it’s 0-4 in the New Year game.

I saw last season's cup final, and some highlights from the league games against Celtic. The way luck and some refereeing work in Celtic's way is ridiculous. Today's German highlights showed this again. A deflection for their first goal, a bad mistake from Raskin for their second. Then a penalty not given (was there VAR?). All in one game again. From the look, these games are somewhat like European games. Celtic has far more money to spend, they play more open. Your team can handle this, as we have seen. If the opposition plays out all its strength, Rangers will struggle. It is what it is. But the last games have shown changes to the better. Der Berliner said that you need to play with two strikers. Most teams you play against in Scotland are not tested enough in their penalty area. You see that from the scorelines. And Celtic's defence too. Why Clement changed this today? Only he will know. But everyone expected a clear win for Celtic and it did not happen. They only won by a shootout, just. And some freak goals, you were denied a penalty too. I think their bubble will burst like it always does. Your side showed good steps in the right direction in the last three weeks. Much of 2024 might not have been like you would have wanted (just ask Union fans), but I hope that you have turned this corner now.

(3) John Walker on X: "Penalty Narrative Dismissed - Beaton Whistles after play stops - It was for the pull (that was inside the box) - Freekick taken from Edge of Box (Not the corner where some are claiming) https://t.co/zXz73ueXJL" / X Not sure why the above link doesn't embed, but it shows clearly that the whistle goes AFTER play stops so there's no reason for VAR not to intervene.

That's for the best, it's like talking about sunset with a flat earther.

4 on 1 a shocking miss.

Irespectively disagee Alex, and provide evidence to the contrary m,laud

I think I've finally decided I'm not a fan of Butland. I was flabbergasted when some thought he was worth £15m last season, but I did appreciate his contribution. He's a good shot-stopper, but he lets in goals that he shouldn't, and he's not good with his feet.

I give up. We lost a final to Celtic on penalties. That is progress. I'm done with this.

Fans all in black wearing masks just a bunch of little cowards who'd run a mile from a real fight

Agreed, it was a hard call for Beaton to make in real time as Cerny falls out of the box when pulled over. VAR have no excuse for missing this as one look at the still and the replay clearly shows its a penalty. There is no debate or uncertainty, it's a penalty. As for the extremist fringe of their support, you are 100% correct. I'd say it isn't just the extremist element who will participate in intimidation.

That’s 2 Cup finals in a row this year Beaton has won for the yahoos (he was on VAR in the SCF) let that sink in……

Time to copy Greece, bring in foreign refs for the big derby games. we should ask for the same here. Collum & co are as corrupt as they come

Also, a perfectly good goal chopped off in last seasons SCF when VAR couldn't wait to get involved.

Here is IFAB rule 12 ; "If a defender starts holding an attacker outside the penalty area and continues holding inside the penalty area, the referee must award a penalty kick."

I would not say to blame, but thought their third was saveable. Just my opinion.

Join the club. I would happily take cash for him in January.

Of course he is but he is refereeing a game that is going 100 miles an hour. VAR was created to step and help refs. Like they did last season when the disallowed Dessers goal for the previous foul. The onus is on VAR here.

The referee should not have to ask. VAR are checking everything in the game. It's not like they are sitting in a wee room with their feet up drinking coffee and are waiting on a buzz from the ref. A foul that close to the line should be heavily scrutinised. This bloody stinks.

New Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart seeks SFA penalty clarification https://www.rangersreview.co.uk/news/24798011.rangers-demand-scottish-fa-answers-hampden-var-controversy/

Considering they chalked off our goal last season (Dessers) by looking back way into the build up, I'm surprised they didn't look at this. Or am I?

If we are reverting to 3 at the back, we need to sign 1, if not 2 centre backs. Balogun is fine but nearing end of his career, Propper has improved over last 2 games but I'm unconvinced and Souttar is fine when fit (we don't know how long he'll be missing). Ridvan shouldn't be anywhere near our starting 11 and Cerny or Matondo aren't "wing-backs". But agree that we should at least attempt to play 2 strikers in some domestic games.

Great idea, although need someone who appears neutral and doesn't have an official connection.

Nothing will change until we get a high profile CEO will to confront the SFA, SPFL and them too. Whether Patrick Stewart is willing to step up and do that remains to be seen.

But play is stopped when the ref blows his whistle. I don't have a clue when he did blow it, but if it was immediate and before the defender went into the box then VAR can't intervene. However in saying that, it happened so quickly that I find it very unlikely that was the case and doubt the whistle was blown immediately.

1979 was some year for net bangers.

That was a great chance to win it. You can find the exact moment we lost in the penalty shootout.

Not posted in here for a while, but loving the thread. Here's a couple - 3 fantastic Dutch / AC Milan players and some great players on the 1979 Ballon D'Or rankings.

I might be alone here but my vote goes to Bajrami, thought he was very industrious throughout his time on the field.

I still think replacing Butland is well down our priorities, though.

This weekend marked the 40th anniversary of Cammy Fraser flicking the "V's" to the Govan Stand. This led to an almost pantomime scenario between those fans seated in the Govan and Copland Road, with the Copland singing "it's only Tims in the Govan". There has been rumours of confrontations between fans outside the ground after the incident. Instead of marking the end of Fraser at Rangers, he last another 3 years and some Rangers fans were angry that Souness retained Fraser and sold Bobby Russell. Russell does mention tihs in hos book and confirms that he had a bad knee injury and this was the reason he was sold. Anyway, in memory and celebration of my non de plume and in the spirit of Christams

needs tae make a statement aboot the refs nae mair dignifide silence

Twice IIRC in a 4-4 draw at Ibrox. I think that was early March and I went to see The Cramps at Barrowland straight after the game. Sure he also missed a penalty against Celtic at Parkhead in a 1-1 draw. Davie Cooper scoring a late equaliser for us. I remember signing him and Iain Ferguson from Dundee and being quite excited about the double signing. I met Cammy Fraser in early 90s when he was part of a crew renovating my work building and he was more than happy to talk about his time at Rangers. This was around the time when fanzines exploded and I was penning an article that I hoped would be published in No1 Fanzine (about the referee Willie Young) and was struggling for a name to write under, so chose Cammy Frasers Moustache.

I was in the Govan that day. I've still never seen my Dad more angry at a football match and it remains the only time I've ever booed a Rangers player. Fraser had been getting stick from the crowd, deservedly so as he wasn't playing well in a side that wasn't playing well. I don't know if there was a particular shout he heard or if it was a general frustration on his part that he was getting stick. We scored and he ran to the Govan and gesticulated and then all hell broke loose. That the Copland decided to back Fraser we put down to them not being able to see what he'd done. In those days the Govan was a bit more respectable, it was where the older guys went, or Dads took their sons if they wanted to shield them from aspects of football fandom. The Copland was the noisy end, younger support congregated there, along with the East Enclosure it was where the singing came from, it was a bit more energy and was exactly where 'sons' wanted to be. So to get the entire Govan stand booing a Rangers player took some doing, Fraser should have been substituted and banned by the club, he crossed a line and should have been punished. As Cammy mentions I saw scuffles outside after the game, no more than pushing and shoving, as some of our less intelligent support thought chanting 'there's only Tims in the Govan' as they walked past exiting Govanites was a good idea. There's a debate over whether it's ever fair for players to give it back to fans. In the end they're being paid, the fans aren't. Professionalism should trump a perhaps natural annoyance and frustration that a player might feel. I couldn't have told you this was the anniversary of it. It feels every second of 40 years ago though.

But then 'none of the above' will win the coveted Gersnet Player of the Season Award. We can't have that.

He’s a Nicky Walker Class ‘keeper. Adequate ++-.

I was not happy a couple of months ago like the rest of us but let's be realistic. We have lost experienced players and replaced them with young projects and frees and Propper that I always thought was a last minute panic buy. We have no money to sack the manager and lets face it who would take the job anyway given our recent manager sackings? I see enough now to get behind the team. This season was always going to be very difficult but looking forward we can improve the team in January and the summer transfer window. Clement is going nowhere.

"Coming out swinging" doesn't cut it. You need control of the Scottish football press, significant influence within the football authorities and a group of hand picked replacement officials who you can rely on to make decisions on your favour.

In games against the sides mentioned, and most others of the low-defence teams too, we play essentially two centre-halfs at the back, two DMs who cover the territory ahead of them or the space vacated by the "wingbacks", and said wingbacks. De facto, we play with 6 defensive-minded players. People may argue that our fullbacks shall act like wingers/wingbacks, and our DMs should venture forward too. These players actually do exactly that, but in essence, in such games, we still have 2 defenders "attacking" on the wings (with a varying degree of success), and two defensive-minded midfielders trying to be positive. Barron and Diomande are more positive than most we had before, but how often do they still pass rather than shoot. Be that as it may, the opposition in such games rarely threatens our backline. So why should we keep essentially 6 defence-minded players? When we effectively need just 3, maybe 4? Hence, 3-4-3, or 3-5-2. And if I ask a fullback to play wingback (and some can do that better than others), why shouldn't I ask a winger to do some fullback work? Wright did that, McCausland does that, Cerny to a degree ... I wouldn't be so sure with Matondo and Cortes. Hence, IMHO, against Dundee and Co. play a centre-half through the middle (Souttar), and Sterling (who can play right-back) and Balogun (left- or right-back) and that's that for defensive work. Put Barron/Raskin in front of them with the task of a cleaner/destroyer, who can cover flanks too. Do we need any more "defenders" in the Premiership? Ask the two wingers on either side to do a bit of defensive work in case of need (and IMHO Jefte and Ridvan can both play winger instead of fullback too), but let them lose at the opposition in their half. We'd have 6 instead of 3 or 4 really attack-minded players. In this day and age, players are asked to be versatile and most of our chaps can do that. Sterling can play centre-half, right-defender up to right-winger. So he might even decide to go on the attack as well, if space opens up. It's no rocket science, but we try to play this wedge style that simply turns blunt in the Premiership time and again. You see that, I see that. People don't even try to think around/about the system, but rather have a go at players shoehorned into it.

I find it hard to blame Beaton for the penalty incident. That goes on VAR. Agreed, although it needs to be done in a clever way. It can't be seen to appear as if we're just poor losers. Celtic used ex-players in the press, plus I firmly believe that the refs are being intimidated away from the pitch by the extremist parts of their support..

... gut feeling says that he is regarded as a high-price sellable asset. That game against Spurs might have set a few English sides on his trail. Kelly is a very able replacement.

I've previously advocated a 'none of the above' option 😀

I don't know how true this is but read Clement handed our penalty takers to 4th official as soon as full time whistle went. That means the takers were known before a ball was kicked. As I said earlier, they had 5 or 6 attacking options in the pitch in extra-time. We had 3.

A good effort and a good match for once. We can beat them at Ibrox.

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