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Yes, a DoF has to be judged on their recruitment, amongst other things. Allen has an average recruitment record. However, recruitment was not Allen's strength. Allen's signings: Docherty, Middleton, Murphy, Cummings, Martin; Arfield, McGregor, Katic, Goldson, Flanagan, Barasic, Lafferty, Grezda, McAuley, Kamara, Ejaria, Sadiq, Coulibaly, Kent, Worral, Defoe, Davis; Hastie, Jones, Stewart, Edmundson, Aribo, Helander, Barker. (I reckon there are a few more shockers that I've missed.) What's that, 10-11 first-team players? And, a few good youth prospects. That's a whole new spine to the team. It's actually not bad at all -- although, the failures are really bad! Like I said, recruitment is not actually his strength. I believe Wilson is actually a better recruiter. There was a story the other day about the Lille DoF (Luis Campos, one of the best https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11830121/luis-campos-the-transfer-chief-with-the-midas-touch), where he suggested Man Utd were an example of a team in need of a DoF: no overarching strategy, or recruitment policy, causing them to make bad decision after bad decision. Mourinho wanted a DoF, because the culture wasn't right: it didn't have any cohesion. If you appoint a good manager, that can do everything, then you're in great hands. But, that's extremely rare. How many Alex Fergusons have there been? And, then why would you take the risk of ripping everything up when they leave after a couple of years? When Gerrard leaves, the structure in still in place, so a manager can slot right in with little disruption. In the modern game, a DoF is absolutely essential.

https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/supporter-update/± Wednesday, 09 October 2019, 17:00 by Rangers Football Club 406 RANGERS recently commissioned a face-to-face fan survey to collect in-depth feedback on the issues that are important to our supporters. In the coming weeks, a further series of fan consultation sessions have been organised around home fixtures in order to create a platform for continuous fan feedback and to share the outputs of the survey directly with supporters. The responses and insights gathered from the Fan Survey have been used to identify and shape a number of key supporter initiatives. An action plan has been developed by the club’s Commercial & Marketing department and progress will be supported and monitored by the Rangers FC board. In line with the Club’s commitment to fan engagement and open communication, we are pleased to share to an update on several initiatives that underpin this action plan. Further updates and announcements will be shared during the course of the season and at the club’s Annual General Meeting in November. https://issuu.com/rangersfootballclub/docs/fan_update_october_2019 READ THE REPORT HERE.

True, but I reckon £49 a year is great value for the considerable, enjoyable and quality content aired by the RTV team.

IMO this is a must do for any Rangers fan.

I cant see the tims dropping anything with their 4 home games plus up to Dolly where they havent lost in years, so to stay in front we will need to pick up the maximum.

And then there were 6.... When Aston Villa got relegated a couple of seasons ago it meant there were 6 clubs left who have competed in all the Premier League seasons. Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd and Tottenham. Over the seasons some big clubs have gone like Newcastle, West Ham, Leeds and Villa. Even Man City were in the 3rd tier in 1999. But could there be an even bigger surprise and any of the remaining 6 ever being relegated in the near future. Its something Sam Allardyce commented on yesterday about Man Utd. Arsenal - Not a chance. They are too well run behind the scenes and can bully mid to lower team levels at home. Their away form was relegation form in the last 15 months but I dont see Arsenal ever crashing in the near future. Chelsea - If Chelsea were to ever drop it would be down to finances with Roman leaving and the club being like Leeds with way too much debt. On the park they will always have enough quality to not be in danger. Finishing 11th a few years ago is as bad as it will get for Chelsea. If Roman did sell they would have buyers queing up. Everton - The Toffees dabbled with relegation fears in the late 90s early 00s before Moyes came in. They made an escape finishing 4th bottom one season. At the moment they occupy a relegation spot after 8 games. This international break is typically where the league shows a true reflection of the team. Everton have chopped and changed manager too often as the fans dont know what they want - An all out attacking manage like Martinez or a Not lose manage like Allardyce. For me they had the best in Koeman who just had a poor run and paid for it. Now Marco Silva has all the pressure on him. Liverpool - Simply not a hope unfortunately! They are bordering going on to be the next dominate force. Man Utd - Id say they are possibly behind Everton on being so poorly on the pitch despite being higher up. They are spiraling down every year and despite spending so much money their squad is getting weaker and weaker. Its the fact they are the machine that is Man Utd that could be carrying them at the moment but teams are sussing them out big time. For me they have the wrong manager. OGS lifted the side for a few games but he took Cardiff down and only performed in Norway with Molde - that cant be the basis of a long term Man Utd manager - its just what Brighton are doing in taking someone like Potter who earned his trade in Scandinavia. No disrepect to them but that level isnt near the top 4 leagues in Europe. The board at Man Utd have got to be reviewing this. I cant see them going down, it would be bigger than Leicester winning the league but they have no chance of top 4 or 6 at the moment. Tottenham - Like Chelsea I think if Spurs fell away it would be financially after paying for a Billion pound stadium. Not only that they cant be letting over 100 million worth of players walk away for free. Vertongan, Alderweirald and Eriksen are all out of contract and could pre-sign for a club in January. There manager seems to have lost the dressing room and might be working his ticket out. His comments since April have been bizarre and it could have came from dropping Lucas Moura from the CL final who blasted them into that match. But to publicly say his squad isnt together is wrong. I dont see them ever going down in the near future though, Levy would easily pick up a good manager if Mo Po leaves.

I have the 17pound + a month as I live abroad but well worth the price. Welcome back mate.

All this proves is football is incapable of policing itself. It is going to take a serious incident or incidents with flares before politicians intervene & take action. just like happened in the late 80’s...

What a load of utter tosh. Pretty soon these Labour control-monkeys will be allocating individual timetables for taking a shit.

That’s a bit optimistic! Get 10 points and we’d still be well in contention. 15 and we’d have it won before Xmas!

Maybe just me, but i'm failing to muster any enthusiasm at all for this appointment. In this stats driven football world that we live in, surely there has to be dof stats ,and that includes Mark Allen in that too, i'd like to know exactly which players he was responsible for signing. Maybe i just need educated a bit more on the dof role. What i do know ,is than neither our Captain, or our best player , were signed during his appointment.

I don't think it's out of the question but it's far too early to be talking about that game, we have 17 games between now and then. He might prove himself worthy in that time but I expect Gerrard's preference to be to play Arfield and someone with pace.

A bit early to be thinking of the Parkhead game ?

Scotland’s politics now mirrors that of Northern Ireland i.e unionists v nationalists. The SNP have caused that.

He's 30 league games away from becoming one!

Twenty-five years ago, most juicy Glasgow gossip was published in the Herald, under the auspices of, Tom Shields Diary'. Those days, Tom Shields himself was still playing with a straight bat. His second decade, he became both a professional Yahoo and Catalan. When he left the Herald, he spent five years as a Sellik View columnist, under the moniker, "Tim Shields Diary'. Anyways, it's January and he has a lengthy piece on the actions of a young cub reporter at BBC Scotland. This is when Beeb Scotland was based at Hamilton Drive in Glasgow's west end. There were a dozen restaurants in and around Great Western Road, all selling Table D'hote menus at a penny under the Beeb's expenses limit. The Beeb Scotland football department had all gone out for Christmas lunch in late December in one of the aforementioned brasseries. Rob McLean had been charged with collecting the weekly fivers from thirty-odd colleagues and was as such, responsible for settling the bill after a particular boozy, several hour affair. Shields lived in Hillhead and the restaurant proprietor let him know the details, particularly the bit where he was owed well over a grand. According to the Diary, McLean was back in, begging to be allowed to pay the bill over a period of several weeks. To think, Rob was adept at handing out sneering penny lectures to Rangers supporters on financial integrity?

Reference Ewan Murray. I first came across Ewan Murray amid the early Spring dappled sunshine of Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon. It was the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup against the Sporting Club de Portugal, anxious anticipation was in the air. A group of half-a-dozen had gone over on a five day trip, Monday to Friday, took in the vineyards and the Fado. It was the day before the game and we sat in a street-side cafe, enjoying the coffee and the local custard tarts. An ambiance of frivolity darkened as two chaps in matching chinos, pastel shaded shirts, and careless pullovers around shoulders entered and sat opposite. It was Spiers and his then Catamite, Ewan Murray. They talked golf grips, demonstratively so; then inquired if we could recommend a restaurant? My mate, Colin asked if they enjoyed chocolate? He took their nonplussed look as an affirmative, and offered, "you can eat each other". We left. True story.

Big Dick's state of Tumescence. France is not far away, but it is far enough to find yourself behind the curve. Last weekend's Scottish football arrived courtesy of an internet link. I hesitated to muse aloud on PQ's workings, I mean I do not have a full picture. It's more a snatch of commentary, pieces of opinion, and it can arrive in burst transmission. However, I rationalised it, it is exactly the service BBC Scotland provides to us, the Rangers support. Their latest strap line, "from the first whistle until the last" means jack-shit to the Bears, we get a different Bozo every other week sitting on the naughty step, watching RTV. PQ prefer to call it, "being right across events at Ibrox? Thus, broadcasting from where the sunshine spends the winter, Radio Qui Donne un Baiser Volant dit .......................................... The Dandies begin their footballing week on the plastic at Livi', Big Dick knows the next three games will go a long way to defining his favourites' season. He is bullish and is encouraged when Aberdeen score an early scrappy goal. Livi' create several opportunities to at least equalise, but squander everyone. Injury time sees a penalty award to the Dons No questions, Cosgrove scythed down, get's up, and dispatches the spot kick. A triumphalist Big Dick echoes Derek's post match comments, "Aberdeen are finding new ways to win". Big Dick is standing free, he is proud and confident, swollen with pride. No demand to view the Spaghettiad happenings on Sportscene. The next day, Rangers are visitors to McDairmid Park, and Big Dick's rush of blood has gone to his head. Inspired by a goalless first half, Big Dick voices the opinion that Saints have enjoyed the better of the limited chances. St Johnstone's firm grip on the match was akin to Big Dick's grip on his dismembered member, "perhaps Rangers exertions against Feyenoord are having an effect"? Handing back to the commentary team at the beginning of the second half, Big Dick posed the question, "Can Rangers find an answer in the second half"? Of course, Rangers ran in four goals, Alfredo providing a part of the answer inside the opening minute of the second forty-five. There were two contentious decisions, a clear hand ball by a Saints defender inside his penalty box, a penalty not awarded. The other was Defoe's second and Rangers fourth goal, he was offside, not flagged. Big Dick inflated sense of his own importance took over, it was like watching Morelos of last season. Big Dick imbued with the energy of a new born giraffe, decided to become a thruster. He rhymed off a well rehearsed speech about refereeing decisions familiar to smaller clubs when playing Rangers. He noted Saints were denied a clear goal, he saw the ball cross the line He had no doubts, and, "tonight's Sportscene will prove it". Big Dick failed to mention the Saints hand ball, but threw in Defoe being offside; it will add to the home side's sense of legitimate grievance. Sportscene arrived. It showed Cosgrove was outside the Livi' box, and it was his foot that tangled with the Livi' defender, verdict no penalty. Further, all three Amigos congratulated the Referee and Linesman for getting the goal line clearance by Steve Davis absolutely correct. Defoe was offside, but an injury time fourth goal had no effect on the result. The Rangers penalty claim was shown, but not examined. See Big Dick, what a prick? Big Dick fails to raise a Semi. We move to midweek, it's Scottish League Cup quarter-final night. Aberdeen are at Tynecastle and Rangers are skating on Livi's plastic. Big Dick is cock-a-hoop, Aberdeen are the beneficiaries of two penalties, Cosgrove, the goal machine buries both. Rangers are the beneficiary of an early deflected goal by Kamara. Livi' shell the ball into the Rangers box from all angles and we live on our nerves. Joe Aribo is elbowed and receives 20 stitches to his head. We have had several chances to tie up the tie, but we manage to squander all. Going into the final moments, PQ are hopeful of a deserved Livi' leveler, "Livingston are asking all the right questions of Rangers soft central defence". Big Dick's calm tones reflect smooth waters ebbing at Tynie, then Craig Halkett(former Rangers youth player) equalises and takes the tie to penalties. Rangers qualifying for the semi-finals is an after thought; but no worries, the goal machine will see the Dandies into the last four. Cosgrove skys the Reds first post match penalty, two other Dons players copy that, and Big Dick is clawing for the Viagra. It sounded as if Big Dick was having a hard time, keeping his pecker up. It was despondent Big Dick desperately clutching Wullie(Miller) for comfort. Of course, Big Dick could take comfort in that H-u-n, Joe Aribo with twenty stitches in a head wound and no red card. I don't know if Big Dick allows Rangers a sense of grievance? Flacid Big Dick. The footballing week culminated at Ibrox. An early evening ferry crossing and several hour drive was my foreplay to sitting erect awaiting kick-off. PQ had Rob McLean on the naughty step, Big Dick was in the darkened room with a tumescent revolver. Rangers fire was quick, constant, and accurate. Aberdeen, Scotland's second best team fired blanks. Rob had no stimulation for Big Dick, his final contribution was, "Defoe makes it five, Aberdeen are looking for an offside". Being raised to absolutely hate Rangers appears to lead to erectile dysfunction, because Big Dick gave the result a few times but had no energy to discuss the result with an expectant Billy Dodds. Further, unlike the Scottish Cup quarter-final replay in late March, Big Dick did NOT call Derek McInnes for post match comments. A flacid Big Dick was left with the lame mantra, "Aberdeen were missing eight players through either injury or sickness". Still, the number of Dandies in the PQ Gang Hut, you can form a self help group. Indulge in several sessions of cross-hand boogie, it will get the blood flowing again. If more is needed, remember Chris McLaughlin is well regarded as, 'Head Bhoy'.