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That was dreadful. Too many of these people do not have the ability/bottle to play for our club. The team selection, tactics and subs dubious once again (excluding the 2 at half time). What the hell happened to Tav and Cerny today? We needed them and we don't have adequate subs. We are a mess.

I am scunnered with this team and football club. As close as I have ever been to just calling it a day with them. The 2nd Jan is a foregone conclusion. Feels like Groundhog Day

That was frickin tortue. Butland is a poor goal keeper, and that's not just a reaction to tonights disaster. He has made mistakes aplenty this season and never comes for a high ball deep in his box. I would list who else was crap tonight, but it would be quicker to just say there were few who were even decent. Gutted.

We subbed one shite LB and replaced him with a shite LB 😡

What was Butland doing there. He thinks he is a cracking keeper but he is really a sausage

FROM THE ARCHIVES How The Times covered 66-goal Boxing Day bonanza of 1963 Spurs waste lead, Man United in a muddle and free-scoring Liverpool – believe it or not, this story is not about this season but about a remarkable day of festive football 61 years ago How The Times covered 66-goal Boxing Day bonanza of 1963 Charlton was one of a huge list of goalscorers during a record-breaking set of festive fixtures Tom Clarke, Sports Editor Wednesday December 25 2024, 12.00pm, The Times Boxing Day football. Whether just another match for a loyal fan, a yearly tradition for the family or just an excuse to get out of the house, it’s a wonderful fixture in the festive calendar. Apart from last year, when I sat in the cold, watching my team lose 1-0, in the 89th minute, at home, while playing with ten men. But the less said about Lincoln City 0 Bolton Wanderers 1, the better. Far more remarkable and interesting results occurred on Boxing Day 1963, a set of scores often shared on social media each year. So this year we decided to see how the Times reported on these results with the help of The Times archive team. What we found was a Tottenham side throwing away a two-goal lead, a Manchester United team making tactical changes and paying the price and a home win for free-scoring Liverpool. I would say some things never change but I’ve personally never known Fulham to win 10-1 and it’s been a while since Blackburn were 1st in the top flight. Transcribed below are extracts from the reports on those matches and images from the page of The Times, edition Friday December 27 1963… First Division Blackpool 1 Chelsea 5 Burnley 6 Manchester United 1 Fulham 10 Ipswich Town 1 Leicester City 2 Everton 0 Liverpool 6 Stoke City 1 Nottingham Forest 3 Sheffield United 3 Sheffield Wednesday 3 Bolton Wanderers 0 West Bromwich Albion 4 Tottenham Hotspur 4 West Ham United 2 Blackburn Rovers 8 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Aston Villa 3 ‘Sixty-six goals in First Division alone’ From Our Association Football Correspondent A mixture of icy conditions in some places, rain and slush in others, five matches postponed, another abandonment at Bristol at the interval, and a rush of goals to the head — particularly in the First Division — provided a Boxing Day feast for the Football League. It is a long time since there was such free scoring. The ten matches of the First Division alone provided a haul of 66 goals. Outstanding here was Fulham’s 10-1 victory over poor Ipswich Town. This was Fulham’s best win since their 10-2 triumph over Torquay United in the Third Division back in 1931, and the first double figured score in the top drawer since Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton 10-4 at White Hart Lane in season 1958-59. ‘Tottenham’s polish cracks under pressure’ West Bromwich Albion 4 Tottenham Hotspur 4 West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ray Potter, right, saves at his near post from Tottenham Hotspur’s Bobby Smith ALPHA PHOTO PRESS AGENCY Tottenham Hotspur managed to secure one valuable point from their match against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns yesterday, but only after a desperate struggle. Early in the second half the visitors were two goals ahead and seemed to have the game well within their grasp, but as the pressure increased, their smooth polished play disappeared. Only by grim determination and, occasionally desperate tactics were they able to prevent Albion from stealing victory. ‘Revised attack muted by rampant Burnley’ Burnley 6 Manchester United 1 The most perplexing aspect of yesterday’s match at Turf Moor was, perhaps, not the surprising result, nor its bearing on the Championship, nor the dismissal of Crerand, but the strange formation of the Manchester United team. Charlton, England’s outside-left, played at centre forward, Herd, once Scotland’s centre forward, was at inside left, and Brennan, usually a full back, played on the left wing, a position he filled temporarily in the days immediately after Munich. This reshuffling of the pack caused a few anxieties to the Burnley defence, in which Miller and Elder in particular dealt capably with almost every thrust that came their way. There were fleeting moments in the first half when Charlton drew Talbot and slipped dangerous passes through to Herd, but that was rarely a forward line of telling ability. It was even less potent in the last quarter of an hour or so, after Crerand had been sent off for an infringement against Towers. Crerand is the fifth Manchester United player to be dismissed this season in competitions of one sort or another. ‘Seasonal fantasy at Fulham — apprehension drowned in goals’ Fulham 10 Ipswich Town 1 “Allow me”: Graham Leggat, right, picks up the ball for tired Ipswich goalkeeper Roy Bailey after the third of the four goals he scored in Fulham’s ten ALAMY Conditioned though they are to surprises Fulham’s supporters could scarcely have expected the pleasant shock that came their way after a quarter of an hour’s play at Craven Cottage yesterday. The four goals that arrived in the next five minutes were an excuse for the thumbing of records for the season. But the thought that, by the end, the history books would also have to come out to find the last time Fulham scored ten goals was in the realms of fantasy. But they did it — for the first time since the 1930s — and it might have been 11 or even 12. For Leggat, having scored three goals in four of those five almost unbelievable minutes, shot wide of an open goal, a shot by Cook stuck in the mud as it was crossing the line and Key hit the bar. They had considerable assistance from the Ipswich goalkeeper, Bailey, who had a most miserable afternoon, helping a corner from Howfield into the net and seeming too encumbered by a soft pitch to move smartly out for the centres. But Fulham deserved a wide if not prodigious margin. ‘West Ham defence riddled’ West Ham United 2 Blackburn Rovers 8 Blackburn’s Bryan Douglas slides the ball past Jim Standen to score his team’s second goal S&G AND BARRATTS/EMPICS SPORT' It was a murky Boxing Day morning at Upton Park, but the football was never in the shadows. Blackburn Rovers, who have crept almost surreptitiously to the top of the Football League, demonstrated that they have an attacking potential equal to any team in the country. They produced a feast of goals, four in each half, which was unpalatable only to the weak West Ham defence. West Ham, who have not won a League match since November 2, were outclassed, of course, but not outpaced. Their forwards, with Byrne as leader, were as persistent as those of Blackburn, but the difference lay in the opposition which faced them. The Blackburn defence was rugged and quick-tackling, whereas West Ham’s was slipshod, slow and thoughtless. “Too much Christmas pud”, was the succinct summing up from one frustrated supporter. ‘Liverpool change their tactics’ Liverpool 6 Stoke City 1 A tactical move ordered during the interval by their discerning manager, Mr W Shankly, completely turned the tables in Liverpool’s favour yesterday after their had been held to 1-1 in the first half. Mr Shankly clearly took the view that the Stoke right back, Asprey, was not showing the balance or confidence of his partner at left back, Allen. In any event, Liverpool turned their attentions to their left wing and were amply rewarded with five goals and an impressive victory.

If we are accepting 2nd best, by the length of Sauchiehall Street, as some sort of achievement, then we are in bigger turmoil than even I thought. Clement actually got lucky in the final in that the obvious failure of VAR completely overshadowed out inability to beat them (again). We've taken notable scalps in Europe since Gerrard took over, we've consistently punched above our level, but it didn't save Gio, who arguably done wonders in Europe.

The first thing I want to change is stop playing one up front in the SPL. Play Danilo and a.n.other. St Mirren don’t have better players but our inability to finish them off early 2nd half cost us in the end.

By all means sack him but just make sure his replacement will do better. We screwed up big style 2 years ago sacking GVB and replacing him with Beale

Would another manager have done better with this group of players?you need to take a reality check, some of the current squad are very mediocre. Look at LB tonight. The one who came on was worse than the one who got subbed.

That game tonight didn’t had a Rangers team that played with not a bit of footballing skill they all looked totally inept and that must lie at the door of the manager at one point he was standing with his head out as if he was trying to stop a bus next to him was the other manager bawling instructions to his players

Wouldn’t disagree but there’s no quick fix

Could say that covers most of the players and team. We were kidding ourselves - me included - that we had turned a corner. We have not. We are are a Raskin injury away from finishing 3rd to a mediocre Aberdeen team

Can't argue that. I was foolishly thinking prior to tonights game , that we could've possibly narrowed the gap down to just six on the 2nd. It seems like it's always one step forward ,and one back .

And the manager for the team selection, reverting back to 1 up top and having to change it at half-time for the umpteenth time this season

Butland isn’t the biggest problem. We need a settled CB pairing. We can’t rely on the ones we’ve currently got who get injured too easily

I doubt if Tav is going to win us many more games his boat sailed a while back he with most of the defence needs replacing but we haven't got a bean in the bank so we're fucked unless there are some boys that could be introduced but then again the managers clueless.

He didn't though, Sterling and Butland cost us the game.

It's ca'ed puddin' ba', in ma hoose, Frankie.

Back to being utter shite.

Propper and Butland doing their upmost to derail our recovery.

NB: Would have been a great opportunity to give our recovering/ 2n row players some game time, McCausland, Danilo, Cortes, even Dowell and Dessers. But we stick to Plan A, same players, same system, no matter what. And if people don't show up, we belong exactly where we are right now. Hope the new CEO follows up on his grim face.

Why are we getting worse, seemingly?

Worst performance Ive seen in a long time.

You do know that's an automatic ban on here 😄 .

I couldn't remember mate if you were PLG or BF camp. Remember Pedro played Jon Toral in a back 3 in amongst many baffling things

I don't get this - why would we need vast investment to beat St Mirren? Do you honestly believe St Mirren have better players than we do? We just need to be coached better

So what’s the correct appointment? Without massive financial investment this is as good as it gets unless we can unearth one or two youngsters we can sell on. As I keep saying, this is a very mediocre group of players some of whom lack very basic skills which no sesoned manager will change

So we sack him and bring in someone else who has to work with sky high expectations while downsizing? It’s just not realistic no matter how much anyone thinks it is. Unless we bin off PC and get an interim in like Murty. That always went well. If the board wanted him gone he’d be gone mate. They will give him as much time as they can because while we all turn our gaze to Clements struggling, no one is looking at them and their mismanagement of the club.

So many missed fouls, jersey pulls, illegal blocks, play on with fouls with no advantage etc at Paisley. I don't think the refs care about what we say . It won't end well.

There is no reason for him NOT to be sacked though. Downsizing isn't an excuse for losing 16 points this season. Nor is it an excuse for losing half our away games and being the 2nd lowest scorers away from home. Writing the season off doesn't or shouldn't excuse the above either. How does he magically turn it around next season, or the season after? 2nd best for the best part of the last 15 years, and likely to be 2nd best for the next 5-10 years unless something dramatic happens at our club. Having a manager who can beat the rest on a regular basis would be a start.

No, the whole team as a collective cost us the game, Tav included .

Is that the wee crank mod from FF? Wouldn’t take anything that wet wipe says seriously.

Our upturn in form coincided with Tav regaining his form. But you're right, he's just one of many that need replaced. And you are 100% correct regarding Mr Clement, but to many can't / won't / don't want to see / admit it.

All too familiar failings come back to haunt us. Two unforced errors cost us two goals along with a terrible lack of composure and quality in attacking areas which cannot be excused by the manager or the players. You can't turn up when you feel like it. Simply unacceptable.

A better Rangers side would have buried St Mirren in that period just after half time but scoring more than one goal in games has been a problem all season. Two defensive errors cost us. We now need to do early business in the transfer window when it opens next week. At least one CB is needed for starters

Thank heaven our right-back superstar was no-where to be seen too

Thats fine if they have done that for every goal in the SPFL today. I highly doubt they have. They didn’t for Hearts goal this afternoon

Hyper analysis of any goal we score even Michael Stewart thinks it’s bizarre

What are VAR checking here? No clear an d obvious errors ????

Play like this against the EastEnders and we'll get leathered

I didn't spot "a performance" at all. It's like watching 11 strangers out there. Hagi, Igamane and Cerny, but are left without any sort of support, Diomande again doing the yards and hardly any more before, and very little after the goal. Bajrami is virtually invisible. Jefte has acquired Tavernier's level when the latter is having a mediocre day ... We might start bets who is getting hooked first and who will be the replacement. Are we going to risk Raskin ahead of the OF?

A very poor first half from us there. Dreadful on the ball, first touch awful and back to the one-paced side-to-side passing with various players trying their best not to get involved. A change of system and personnel necessary as this isn't working.

Just got worse

Oh surprise surprise them lot struggling to break down Motherwell but get a penalty. You honestly couldn't make this up ffs

Rodgers needs to keep their hordes on his side. They’ll soon turn on him if things start to go wrong. He knows he’s up against a better rangers side than in his first spell. He’s benefited greatly from refereeing decisions in OF games since his return

Goals make football by

Good idea. The foreigners will win. The best XI is a near impossible task. There is no right answer. Where do Silva and Aguero fit in?

I said something similar to my mate on our group chat right before he got a yellow for a mad tackle His diagonal passes are very good. His ball through for Hagi for the offside goal was also good. Perhaps all is not lost for Propper.

Young was a magician. Alex Scott scored. Wullie didn’t. I was in the second month of my apprenticeship on £25 a month so couldn’t afford the bus.