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NO IT ISN'T!!

Utter guff. There are no obvious outcomes or certainties in any game where there 1 and 2 goals in it. As they say goals change games and it only takes less than a minute to score a goal. What if Salakas shot spins over their keeper with 5 minutes to go? Would it still be obvious?

Either way I think it was very snide.

Of course the SNP have no MP’s or MSP’s who support Rangers. Did anyone expect them to have any? They were once known as the tartan tories. Nowadays I’d suggest they’re the tartan Sinn Fein

How can PSG comply with the FFP rules after signing Lionel Messi? They do not need to French club’s Messi deal proves that FFP rules across Europe are no longer fit for purpose Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports Reporter Wednesday August 11 2021, 5.00pm, The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-can-psg-comply-with-the-ffp-rules-after-signing-lionel-messi-they-do-not-need-to-z3hswgfwj Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules were already teetering on the brink of a precipice before Paris Saint-Germain’s signing of Lionel Messi: his arrival has just pushed them over the edge. The reality now, and one that applies as much to Manchester City and Manchester United after their expensive forays into the transfer market as to PSG, is that the FFP rules in their old form are now dead, killed off by the pandemic. Uefa is looking at a new financial regulation system — a luxury tax to take a percentage of the top transfers and wages is one suggestion — but just about everybody in European football accepts that there can be no return to the basics of the old system. The original rules required clubs in European competition to break even, with maximum losses of €30 million (about £25.5 million) over a three-year period. City, PSG and AC Milan are among the top clubs to have fallen foul of those rules in the past. The financial impact of the pandemic prompted an emergency rethink. Uefa said that figures would be calculated over two seasons instead of one, that pandemic-related losses would not be taken into account and that wealthy owners could inject capital to cover any losses — music to the ears of PSG and City especially, given that they are in effect owned by the oil-rich states of Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively. Under the old rules, PSG would probably have struggled to comply, even though the huge transfer fees paid for Neymar and Kylian Mbappé would no longer be on the books. PSG’s turnover for 2019-20 was €541 million and their wage bill was €405 million, according to a KPMG report. Messi’s €25 million signing-on fee and annual gross salary of €63 million will take the club close to the €500 million mark — and that is before the signing-on fees and large salaries paid for three free transfers: Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma. The much-admired Italy goalkeeper is a client of the agent Mino Raiola, who does nothing on the cheap. The club have also signed Achraf Hakimi for €60 million from Inter Milan but in terms of income from sales there has been nothing significant. The lucrative Qatar Tourism Authority sponsorship deal has expired too, while the French domestic TV deal has collapsed, which again will be a blow to PSG’s income. It would be no surprise if, when the 2021-22 season’s figures are calculated, PSG’s salary costs are 100 per cent or more of their total turnover. That would not be permitted in some European leagues, but a 70 per cent restriction in France’s Ligue 1 has been postponed for two years, until 2023-24, because of the pandemic. As to the future Uefa rules, things have gone quiet since April when, speaking at a meeting with European Union officials, Uefa’s director of financial stability and research, Andrea Traverso, described the old break-even requirement as purposeless. He said then: “The break-even rule, the way it works now, looks backwards: it performs an assessment of a situation in the past. The pandemic represents such an abrupt change that looking to the past is becoming purposeless. “So maybe the rules should have a stronger focus on the present and the future and should definitely have a stronger focus on the challenges of high levels of wages and the transfer market. The solution to this is not easy.” Uefa’s more immediate focus has been dealing with the threat of the European Super League. Now it can turn again to its financial regulation plans. A key figure in the negotiations will be the man who became chairman of the European Club Association after the fallout from the Super League, having chosen not to join the breakaway rebels. He is also a member of Uefa’s executive committee and runs an international media group that has an important tranche of Uefa’s Champions League TV rights. His name? Nasser al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG. Elsewhere, the idea that PSG will “get their Messi money back in shirt sales in six months”, as one British TV personality tweeted, is little more than a myth. Most of the money from the sale of replica strips goes into the coffers of the manufacturers rather than the clubs. Messi shirts will be in hot demand but the idea that proceeds will cover much of his €25m signing-on fee is baseless PSG have a kit deal with Nike worth €80 million (£67m) a year and runs until 2032. The deal is understood to give the club a 15 per cent cut of income from shirt sales, so even if PSG sold a million Messi shirts at €100 each, then their income would be only €15m — not enough to cover his €25m signing-on fee, let alone his €35m salary. There are, however, some wider financial and political benefits to signing Messi. Perhaps the most important factor is that it represents the final stage in Qatar’s ten-year plan to establish PSG on the global stage. Paris, rather than Madrid or Barcelona, is now the first-choice destination for this generation of galacticos. That shift is also reflected on social media. In China, 3.5 million people on Weibo, its version of Twitter, and 2.5million on Douyin (China’s TikTok) watched Messi’s first press conference. That kind of reach in China is gold dust to the marketeers, so Messi’s signing will have a huge positive effect on PSG’s sponsorship value: expect to see a rash of lucrative new deals. Messi’s other value is to Qatar itself. Little more than a year before the Gulf state holds the World Cup, it has the globe’s most famous player at the club it owns: do not be surprised to see Messi used in an ambassadorial role of some kind. Messi’s annual earnings The Argentinian’s contract is worth £54m a year for two years, with an option of a third year, plus a signing-on fee of £21m. His endorsement deals earn him £24m a year, and have included: • A lifetime contract with Adidas, believed to be worth £9m a year • His retail outlet, the Messi Store, which opened in Barcelona in 2019 • A deal with drinks manufacturer AB InBev, which brews Budweiser. He also appears in adverts for Pepsi • He is the first athlete to partner with the Hard Rock entertainment, restaurant and hospitality brand • Wristwatch retailer Jacob & Co produce a Messi range • He has been a brand ambassador for Qatari telecommunications firm Ooredoo since 2013

If you can’t understand the point being made and why it’s relevant then I’m not sure what more can be said. But I’ll show an act of kindness and try to clarify the simple point being made. When you stated “It was quite clear to me, and presumably many others, that we were not going to turn this around” someone responded about the Braga game, essentially asking if the outcome of that game was likewise obvious. The point being made was that, at 2-0 to Braga very, very few people expected us to turn it around - ergo, the outcome was “quite clear”…. Except it wasn’t. And that’s what the point was. Even if people thought the outcome last night was obvious, it COULD have been different. But I also fear we are now heading in tangents with respect to the thread. And apologies for being facetious in the first two paragraphs ?

I said at 75 minutes last night that we could play for hours and not score again. I have said similar and been proved wrong before though. Switch it wide, cross it, lose the ball, get it back, switch it wide, cross it, lose the ball, get it back...yadda, yadda, yadda...

Article by Jordan Campbell: "Rangers forecast that they will lose £14.4 million this season and, given Europa League group stage football is used as the base expectation in which to budget on, missing out on the Champions League, which would have alleviated some of that deficit, means the numbers do not add up unless Rangers cash in on one, possibly two, of their high-value players." https://theathletic.com/2763124/2021/08/11/a-depressing-defeat-that-will-have-implications-will-rangers-be-able-to-keep-kent-and-morelos/ Sounds depressing, but if we're adopting a selling model (signing cheap talents, developing them and selling them at their peak value), surely, we need to sell anyway? I was expecting to lose Kamara, Kent, Morelos, and the longer they stay the more concerned I am -- as strange as that sounds. There's £30-40M worth of value in those three players. That makes up some of the deficit and provides more capital for investment in new players; the next kamara, Kent and Morelos.

Unfortunately the spfl is no gauge of how good a team you are. Our defence wasnt so good in the Europa league and as we seen this year were no where near the level required. I fear tavenier hit his peak last season and ive never rated barasic as much as the manager. Goldson is apparently chasing a three year contract. Is he worth it at his age? I dont think so. I thank these players for their service but i fear this season as well as others that this season might be a bridge too far for them.

Indeed. Plenty of relief and scorn though from the usual PQ protagonists as soon as the final whistle went. Tom English in particular who penned an article after Celtic's CL exit damming their dire performance had to do a quick 180 degree. From a team whose second XI could beat ra Sellick the week before, Rangers now become a side that lacks bottle and belief, that can't perform in "the heat of a full house". Chief Sportswriter's at PQ need more than one face. He never fails to let you down.

If that’s the case, those in question need rooted out and sold.

I wouldn't say so. The majority of that team have put in exceptional performances in European competition in front of a full stadium in past seasons.

Candeias is history and should not be thought of as anything else. Windass on the other hand has achieved mythical status among the cognoscenti, who know good hair when they see it, and would embellish any team photo or promo video.

I believe the point was that, at 0-2 the outcome was “obvious” in that Rangers would lose the game…. Which didn’t then happen.

You're fighting a straw man. I don't know what you get out of that. As an act of kindness I will attempt to clarify my very simple point. It's quite obvious that to complain about fans leaving early when not attending at all is almost always worth ignoring. The only time that I would take that seriously would be if it came from a person who tried, and failed, to buy a ticket. I suspect that the poor fellow didn't try to attend last night. Should I take opinions on other matters seriously? Who knows? I'm not making any general claim about that.

Man Utd, 1999 CL final. Game was done…. That’s the perfect example right there

Add the too slow tempo of our game & you’ve nailed it…

Well I obviously see a bigger difference between the two players than you do. I have always said I feel uneasy when Balogun plays, but especially in Europe and I wasn’t surprised at all to see him exposed last night.

Fair point mate. We did huff and puff a bit but I felt Malmo had already showed signs of cracking. We had them on the ropes and, for the second time against them, went to sleep for 5 minutes and it’s put us out.

Should have played Balogun against Dundee Utd and Helander against Malmo then IMO.

Even in that time we were still powderpuff in the final third really though weren’t we? It’s difficult to say what should have been done, I think Hagi deserved a start though as he looks sharper than most. There was an argument to play Itten at home alongside Morelos so that we had more goal-scorers in the team but you can understand why that wasn’t done from the start, however I think it should have been done at half time when we were a man up. I think they’d have been very uncomfortable with a man on top of both of their center backs. Wright and Kent don’t have any presence.

You’re being a bit snide as usual but yes if Helander was available it’s a baffling decision and it cost us last night with two moments of very poor defending.

We’ve been moving the ball far too slowly and rarely is it vertical. Last night we played far, far too many square balls in defense and midfield. Shifting the play from one side to the other is fine, but once you do so, you have to make vertical passes to get beyond their low block. We didn’t do it. we also moved the ball too slowly for playing against 10 men. Last week they were out on their feet after 70 minutes get last night, for the most part, they were fine….. because we didn’t have them chasing anything. So disappointing - such an opportunity to make the CL proper. As said already, the formation wasn’t the issue. We dominated them for the first 40 minutes and, in fairness, we could have been out of sight by half time. I’m not even sure the personnel was the issue given that first 40 minutes. But after the break we collapsed, mentally. I do think we badly missed Kamara and even Roofe last night - so the fall out from Slavia has hurt us badly. We also aren’t having any luck. At various points last season we carried that wee bit of luck but so far this year we haven’t. There were a number of efforts last night that were last ditch blocks that on another night would have went in. But up 1-0 against 10 men we shouldn’t have to rely on luck.

I wouldn't say that one physical deficiency means he should be dropped. We had Weir playing for us for seasons and if he broke into a sprint his knees would turn to dust and his ankles would disintegrate. Managers never dropped Cannavaro because the opposition was too big either. Surely if you're a defender that can read the game then that is what matters?

This. With bells on. Watching those crosses being lobbed in aimlessly has been soul destroying.

Always crossing the ball even though our frontline are not gifted aerial attackers. Lack of runners from midfield through the centre. Always playing in front of the opposition and never in behind. Poor communication in defence. What's happened?

Can't see many sales of the lilac strip shifting after last night. Not a fan incidentally. Looks cheap IMO. Why can't we just get a classy all white strip. Maybe with a blue star? Is it too much to ask in this year of all years...? Grouchy bar steward, Glasgow.

I can't believe people are still pining for Candeias (or Windass). I was glad to see the back of them.

3 pts for a win (correct result). A bonus 1 for correct score. Rousseau - I'll tally it up. Keep it simple. How did you do it with the table and upload? I'm quite old school and happy to just add. An extra point for Compo..if he gets one right..being an OAP and all that..and you Scott. ❤️