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I'm sure you will agree that Docherty is really a right centre attacking mid. Actually he could be the surprise package.

As important as improving the playing squad will be, I also think there has been a dramatic shift in momentum, help greatly by the management changes at Celtic. I think we’re all conscious now of Rangers clearly going forward, matched by an unfamiliar sense of doubt across the city. For the the first time since administration I think a tipping point has been reached, although it might be after New Year when this becomes apparent.

Arguably we do need great defenders specifically against the yahoos which is a 6 pointer each time we play them in the league. Last season we scored 5 more goals than they did but conceded 7 more than they did. Squeezing each such margin could be the key to taking us to the title. If we can score as many goals this season as we did last and perhaps even more while reducing goals conceded then at a bare minimum we should be looking at leaving the also rans trailing in our wake right from day one. Plus if we make the EL groups while I want the league to get priority improving our co-efficient can be conducive to avoiding a big gun in the qualifying rounds and especially so if we're looking at CL qualification. At the end of the day improving the quality in any area of the field can only improve our chances and I believe there will also be another striker before this window closes. There can be no doubting the board are Rangers men to the core and I feel they have decided this season is make or break as far as stopping 10iar is concerned. I myself tend to feel that if we don't do it this season it might slip from our grasp. I'm becoming ever more confident it is achievable this season. A lot more so than I was at the end of last season. We have quality all over the pitch of a standard high enough to eclipse sheep, hubz etc and I feel at least match the yahoos.

The first time I saw Johnston was Halloween'81 at Ibrox. I had travelled a long way on leave, to get to Ibrox to take in the league fixture against Partick Thistle. It was a grey Autumnal afternoon, but I was delighted to see Rangers. The attendance was just under 20,000 and we dominated the ball and created few opportunities. Thistle fashioned two through balls on to the young precocious 18 year old leading their attack. He evaded defenders' lunges in both ball takes, moved in on our keeper, and finished clinically. Thistle won 0-2. Nearly 8 years later, we signed Mo' and I was delighted. He was a real deal team player, never chucked it. Enjoyed the Podcast.

This time last year I would have dreaded it if Morelos were to leave. Now I feel that way about Tavernier. He’s key to our title ambitions.

I agree he should be on the right, but I don't think he has enough in his game to play RAM. I see him as an industrious, box-to-box player, arriving into the box; which is perfect for those LCM/RCM positions we employ. I agree he could be a really good option for us this season. I hope it works out for him.

My kid has trained with Cammy with Kevin Thomson and says he is a genuinely good kid. When he showed up he introduced himself to everyone and shook their hands and tried to help them too.

Aribo is about to be announced and barring any big bids for Morelos or Tavernier I think from here on in the focus will be on outgoings. So what's your starting 11 as things stand? Here's mine; McGregor Tavernier Katic Goldson Barisic Davis/Jack Kamara Aribo Arfield Stewart Defoe I think Barisic could flourish this season in a stronger team and in the 4-3-2-1 where he will finally have that left flank more or less to himself. He's not a great defender but he can be excellent going forward and all being well could rack up the assists very fast. IMO Kent doesn't link up that well with full backs because he's mainly about dribbling. In this new formation there are some very good passers of the ball who can play Barisic in and he'll finally have the space he needs in front of him. I watched him for Croatia and that's exactly how they used him. Aribo is a starting player. He's not a no 10 but will be brilliant on the left side of that 3, he's an all round midfielder who will win the ball back for us regularly and will be very good in possession. If given the chance I think Stewart could have an excellent season. This position is made for Stewart. He's technically very good. He has good passing, vision, dribbling and shooting. A lot that we didn't have in that position before. And with those players around him he should score and assist plenty. I do wonder if he'll get the chance but if he does he'll be the player who'll surprise our fans the most. Incredible as it is, Morelos doesn't make the starting 11 as long as we're playing this formation and Defoe performs. Defoe is an excellent player in excellent shape and this formation finally makes the most of his abilities.

Not a bad review of the game with one pundit predicting it could be 8, 9, or even 10-0 in the second leg. I agree with that. It could be a goal bonanza. https://play.acast.com/s/recordrangers/b6c4dc6e-1263-4236-bf8c-859bcd75763a

RANGERS Football Club are delighted to announce that Josh McPake has signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2022. https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/mcpake-signs-contract-extension/

He’s heading out to Ayr on loan apparently

A few years ago we’d have let McPake slip through our fingers. Things are slowly getting better. King, Allen, Gerrard and the rest of the team are due considerable praise. They seem to be taking the club where we should have been 25 years ago but didn’t have the vision or leadership to drag us out of the dark ages. In years to come we might yet enjoy a silver lining to the clouds of the admin years.

Imagine if they had Twitter or Facebook back in those day's it would have gone into total meltdown .

Only just made the time to listen to this and I really enjoyed it. I obviously remember the day he signed but it was really good to hear about (and be reminded f) some of the other aspects of the story. My lasting memory is seeing him with McNeil having 'signed' for them and thinking we were in for a tough time, because he was one of the best strikers in Europe at the time. And then that day when he was unveiled for us I just remember I couldn't wait to get to my pals. Most were bears, but that day I couldn't wait to get to the Celtic fans. It was possibly the best GIRUY we could have done, and won us the league. At the time I don't remember it being about him being a RC. I just remember it as us stealing their best player and someone they regarded as being green and white in his core. It was a great day and a reminder to everyone that we are the number one club. Well done to the guys who put this together. Superb pod!!!!

If Stevie had arrived just one year earlier that kid would still be a Ranger. This story really chaps my ass.

Derek Clark is a Rangers fan, he’s just referring to the rumour nothing serious

i think the best thing about this thread is that there is so many options now in our squad depending on who we play against. gerrard has done a great job this summer so far.

Yeh difficult one to call but I’ve always seen him as a box to box player too. Certainly get the benefit of his tremendous fitness that way. Having said that it’s early in his career and I can see why @alexscottislegend suggests playing him in that position with the likes of Davis, Kamara and Jack taking on the greater responsibility of dictating the play. He’s also stronger going forward than defensively I think.

That was similar to my feelings. I 'hated' him and thought he was a ned, and had mixed feeling about him signing. However after seeing him play his first game for us (away to Airdrie, I think), it seemed more natural to accept him as our player, and as others have said, he never gave less than 100% and was a credit to himself while he was at our club.

Man with raincoat watching ladies on a sunny day mmmm? .

He has certainly been good any time I have seen him. How he left the guy from Oxford dead was also sublime. A pity he did not last longer.

I know it is early...early...but I think this guy is gonna be good. He is a much better finisher than Kent. Ejaria? Forget about it. That guy was/is a bum.

In the zany world of Scottish football the yahoos appear to be more obsessed with our current signing activities then even we are. Of course much of their obsession invariably ends up at the same tired old place. "but they're skint" I can almost literally smell the fear. How glorious if we put them back in their place while "skint" Speaking of finances I'm hoping they fail to reach the CL groups again this season. That would leave them with an ever diminishing ability to outspend us and could very well result in some major belt tightening. As for the others they're mostly gradually accepting the reality that we have moved on to higher ground they can never reach and that the only potential for them league wise is 3rd. All aside from a few head in sand sheep types who remain under the delusion that they're at least top two. I suspect this season may spell a final end to that particular delusion. An example of that sheep delusion I stumbled across recently on a post titled 'Will We Ever Have A Better Shot At The League?' That deluded. The best shot they had at the thing was during the period we weren't in it and that chance will never return.

Kelly Joins Ayr On Loan https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/kelly-joins-ayr-on-loan/

Cammy Palmer has joined Partick Thistle on loan. https://rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/palmer-heads-out-on-loan/

Seems like our type of guy.

My recollection exactly @compo, couldn’t believe the work rate he put in every time, a very intelligent footballer and linked up great with either Hateley or McCoist which showed his versatility as well.

Mo was a great signing for our club and those who seen him play will confirm my view that he never gave less than 100%

My recollection at the time was much the same - "why did it have to be him?" But you are right, it hurt Keltic much more than us.

To be fair to Darwin there weren't any internet cafes anywhere in 1989!

Wait till we get VAR - you cannot argue with objective truth! Offside is offside; over the goal line is over the goal line.

To be honest it is the celtic forward line of Collum, Beaton, Thomson, McLean and Clancy that worries me much much more than Edouard and Griffiths!

First games back saw PQ spring back into action covering Euro qualifiers. I didn't listen to the live coverage but just to note that their podcast dedicated approximately 3+ minutes to the Celtic game for every minute on the Rangers match. The interview with the Celtic manager can account for approx. one of those minutes which would leave Celtic getting a tadge more than double the podcast coverage we did. For the record........the other thing the PQ podcast provided was a jingle prepared for 'Celtic in the CL', with nothing for us. Podcast pundits: Houston and Bonnar

I think the Ejaria comparison is more valid in relation to Aribo because I think the two positions have slightly different pitfalls. And I think there is more reason to be hopeful than there was with Oduwa, you can see in his highlights reel real ability at a fairly high level (Championship) which wasn’t there with Oduwa. As I’ve said previously Ojo has more ability than Kent from what I’ve seen but needs to show the work rate and desire we saw in Kent to succeed.

Well, he already looked like Kent in his later stages with us. If only he was ours ... then again, the season is long and we've seen it happen with Ejaria too.

Easy to get from the Subway? It almost takes you in to the shop. I went in on a nice sunny day and bought a rain jacket then went and sat on the terrace of the pub next door, or a few doors down, and watched the world and good looking woman go by. Bliss!

Just my opinion but I think it will be a fresh start for Barisic and I expect him to impress in pre-season and make the position his own again for the start of the season. If we fly out of the blocks and play good attacking football in the 4-3-2-1, Barisic will flourish in that style of play with the whole wing more or less to himelf. I would expect him to get a lot of assists and be a constant threat. When we are not playing well or against higher quality opposition Flanagan may be a safer bet from a defensive point of view.