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I'm curious what people think the captaincy entails. Do people think he should be changing formations on the pitch during games? Over-ruling the management team on tactics and selections perhaps? Maybe telling the board to sell certain players and who to buy? The expectation some seem to have regarding what the captain does is very strange. The captain is the bridge between the dressing room and the manager, he's who helps new players settle into the squad, who lets's the manager know if someone has an issue, perhaps unconnected to football, who makes sure the various media duties the squad need to do are covered. He's the guy who swaps pennants and calls the coin toss, he'll give an encouraging word or a harsh one to a teammate when appropriate. This suggestion that he's responsible for our ills is ludicrous. At the age of 30 Wes Morgan captained Leicester City to the league title, it was the first honour he'd won in football. Some captains never win anything in their entire career, that doesn't make them bad captains. It's a team game, teams win and lose, not individuals.

I think the reaction from the support has been alarming, especially given the roaring horses arse that's been made over the last few years with our choices. Would I have wanted RM? Probably not. Would I have wanted Ancelotti? Definitely not. Would I have wanted Gerrard? Maybe. At the end of the day, that would appear to have been the choice. The fact that Gerrard appears to have pulled from the race suggests that there will not be the same power base with the manager that he enjoyed and maybe that didn't work for him. We have cried out for a manager that does not treat the likes of Dundee like Real Madrid and who wants to press his opponents hard. That seems to be RM's modus operandi. He could have his very own Mojo moment if he tans the filth in the first OF game. If we have a decent transfer window, this may well yet be a good season. Give him a chance FFS. I'd define his first seasons success requirements as a cup, a real title challenge and EL Groups (and last 16) at a minimum.

To make things worse he keeps tossing his hair around to flaunt his follicle virility to us baldies...

Polis refused to sanction it. They said that the risk of violence between pro-Tav and anti-Tav factions was too high.

Tav as a captain is subjective. We don't see a lot of what he does. He captained us to 55 and a lot of memorable euro runs, including a final. It's difficult to assess given the lack of quality in the team at certain times. As a player, overall, he's been really good. He's scored a lot of important goals and was integral to 55 and reaching Seville. Our style of play required an attacking full back and arguably we would have performed a lot worse as a team with someone who didn't have his attacking qualities and better defensive ability. There were quite a few seasons where he was the only one in the team driving us forward on the 80th minute, for example. There have been defensive lapses at times but he's not a £50 million player, and it's to be expected that he's not going to be perfect. He's slowed up now and doesn't offer what he did 3 years ago and I'd hope we get another full back in. I can understand people criticising his performances at times or wanting another player in when he's poor, but I do find the Tav hate a bit tiresome.

He will see this season out as captain, which I'm fine with. he is a good professional, works hard, never any bother in or around his personal life, a focused family man. A good role model for younger players. Always fit and available. A top player at his peak, he was unplayable at times and probably the most influential figure in our run to Seville. If we wants to see his time out here then I'm happy for him to do so, he has a contract and deserves it. Ideally I'd like his wages off the payroll but it is not going to happen. BUT He has clearly declined physically as a player, he should be used sparingly. The club should see this as an opportunity to bring in young RB with potential to share the season with him. That's up to our head coach and DoF. That's not on the player.

So, he gets asked that question, and goes the opposite way, 'Aye, Tavs legs are gone, I'll be hunting him'. You've alienated an unknown proportion of your dressing room, before you've even met them. Martin will pick his players, not out of sentiment. If he does, it's his job on the line. Stop analysing every wee word, words don't matter performances and results do.

The reaction to his (apparent) appointment is bizarre. What happened to all that 'trust the process', 'long term plans' and 'proper sports businessmen in charge' stuff everyone's spouting on the ownership thread? Martin is a former player, a former internationalist who has managed 250 or so matches at different clubs, importantly these clubs operate at a similar level to ourselves in terms of the players they can attract and wages they'll pay. I mean you'd think we'd appointed Peter Grant with Iona Fyfe as his assistant the way some of you are reacting.

Stuffed.

@compo How else do you explain his Warnock and Dyche campaign?

A huge thanks to @Rousseau for running this so well and keeping everything up to date.

Raskin is a must sell unless he signs a new contract. We can't get into another Kent/Morelos situation. Our operating model means we have to sell.

I'm not going to respond to the negative posts - you've made up your mind and are entitled to it. I'm delighted with the appointment of Russell Martin. He was one of the names I posted at the very start of this thread. Finally! A coach that has a track record of implementing a progressive, attacking style of play without needing top class players to see results (i.e. MK Dons, Swansea), while developing players. He has demonstrated impressive leadership qualities throughout his career, and has shown in his coaching career how he can manage a squad transition (he managed the turnover of 18 players at the beginning of his Swansea term, and similar at So'ton). He overcame a difficult home environment to make it as a solid player - he himself has always said he was a crap player - and has been thinking about and developing his coaching skills and philosophy since he was a teenager. Even if he turns out to be the guy before the guy, I think he will lay the foundations of a modern playing style and culture for years to come.

From what is being said, DA wanted more input on transfers and wanted a bigger budget. We are looking for a model where the manger / coach only coaches the team. This model has been successful for many clubs. We've been an utter basketcase of a club for 15 years, yet expect new owners to suddenly attract a top class manager. If you listen to Leeds fans they'll tell you they made some very unpopular decisions at Leeds but most turned out to be the right decisions. We just need to hope this trend continues at Rangers.

A young fellow was struggling with his homework. His father, who was reading the paper, looked up and said 'What's the matter?' The boy replied, 'I have to write a sentence or two explaining the difference between 'potential' and 'actual'. His father thought for a moment, and said 'Go through to the kitchen, and ask you mother if she would sleep with a strange man for 10 grand.' The boy does so, and confirms that she would. His father then says, 'Go upstairs and ask your sister the same question' Again the boy does so, and confirms his sister would do likewise. 'Well', says his father, ' potentially we are worth 20 grand, but actually we are living with a pair of whores'.

Scramble! Bandit approaching. Shoot it down.

Dave King is, as a matter of plain fact, a dog who has had his day. This may be a cause of regret, or of rejoicing, but that is a debate for elsewhere, one with which I would, almost certainly, decline to engage. As he leaves the building, his response to questioning, on appointment of a coach, or indeed on any other matters pertaining to the future running of the Club, should have been short, simple, and to the point: 'It's not my call - ask the new guys on the block. I will keep my own counsel, unless they ask for my opinion, or advice.' That would have been both polite, and politic.

If we never had a back row full of terrible defenders Dessers would have been a hero this season , McCoist used to miss sitters like him every game but always had a solid backline that never threw goals away every week.

Everyone is positive about a bright future under our new owners. It would be a massive own goal to go back 7 years and reappoint Gerrard. There's nothing new about that.

I saw the ball hitting the inside of the goal and the big trunk of a Hibs defender pushing it out again with his legs and himself inside the goal from over here. I'd call that conclusive! (BTW, if you say "inconclusive" again, I'll temporarily remove the transfer thread, so chose your words wisely ... )

Top scorer in the league = dud hahaha. The new owners have been in 5mins and the transfer window is barely open and some are equating it to previous transfer windows under previous owners. Its as if the previous decade of mismanagement didn't happen and that the new owners should have fixed all the issues by now Honestly, some of our "fans" are absolutely bonkers.

Now is the perfect time to sell him. He will be 31 later this year and have 1 year of his contract left next summer. Getting our money back after 2 good years of Dessers is smart. We have to trust our recruitment process or there is no point in recruiting.

I'm far from a fanboi, but Tav has been a fantastic buy for our club, Anyone who doesn't think so is clearly quite delusional.

As it appeared Russell Martin was going to be appointed I removed myself for a couple of days to contemplate the reality of where we are at. Let's face it we were dangerously near to being in big trouble as a club financially and possibly in a state of terminal decline. I welcome the takeover as a last chance saloon. They have made it clear the investment won't be off the scale and there is no short term fix to building the club back up again and I appreciate that and accept that. In that context is Russell Martin the level of manager we can afford? I supect that most of the names that were bandied about were above the level of our affordability. We've hired decent managers in Gio and Clement and been unable to provide them with the tools to do their best job. The mismanagement of the board is well document in that respect. Similarly Russell Martin will rise or fall largely on the quality of players we bring in which in turn will depend on finally getting rid of the no hopers we currently have and how much we get for them. I will get behind their efforts. My hopes for this season are to get through the CL qualifiers (for the money) and to see improvement on the park and signs of real progress. Anything short of the League will be a massive red flag all round. My realism didn't last too long.

Kris Boyd compared Martin to Kompany, which I thought was interesting: Promoted with a possession-based philosophy, pumped in the PL, then gets the Bayern Munich job. I don't think it's entirely correct, but it suits my position so I'm taking it.

The way I see it, there are essentially two choices now, either keep moaning about it and set the guy up to fail before he’s even in the door, or accept the decision and at least give it a chance to work. To confirm, I'm not one of the ones who was sold on Russell Martin. There are already plenty of people outside the club who’ll be desperate for us to fail, we don’t need to add to that from within. If the negativity keeps piling up from our own fans, then yeah, chances are he will fail eventually. Whether we like it or not, Martin’s the manager now. He’s here for at least the next few months, like any new appointment. His best shot at making it work is with a bit of backing from the support and to be fair, there are some positives there if folk are willing to look for them, just search for @Rousseau's posts Anyway, now we can get back to the fun bit of complaining about being linked with unheard of players in The Rangers Summer 2025 Transfer Rumours and Deals - Thread

Like many I'm uncertain about this but it's also fair to say the process will have been a sound one and the same concerns we have will have been asked and answered in detail. As such, it's now time to welcome Russell and get behind him in what remains a very difficult task.

If true, how utterly uninspiring. Hipster Pep-lite football without the players to execute it properly. Another wasted season. 'Closing in': how absurd, Martin would bite the yanks hands off for the gig.

Forget Covid: our pandemic started in 2012 when we all contracted an incurable case of cynicism. With my political views I should be wary of venture capitalists but we tried Wee Tam and Big Hugh as staunch RFC men in the shape of Club 1872 and see what happened. I am excited; I went to bed last night envisaging a middle 3 of Cameron, Raskin (c) and Modric. Those 3 will ensure that the burden of goalscoring no longer lies solely with Cyriel. You may say I'm a dreamer.....you know the rest.

Champions league 2nd qualifying round: draw - 18th June 1st leg 22-23 July 2nd leg 29-30 July SPFL fixtures published 20 June SPFL season starts first weekend in August.

Cannot believe the amount of fans that think bringing back Gerrard is a good idea , it is utter madness.

The Gerrard rumours appear to be picking up speed again, in the usual places. Got to say, I'll be disappointed if we bring him back. He left us pretty sharpish last time, failed at Villa, had an uneventful spell in the back of beyond and I think we can do better. I like winning cups too.

I don't think any of them thought he was 'the answer', merely a body to tide us over until the end of the season.

I must be in the minority, but I don't think I've ever developed a connection with any Rangers player. Other than Josh Windass, of course, but that transcends mere fan adoration, and hits me on a deep spiritual level.

The (over)reaction by a large group of fans since Wednesday just reinforces the idea that we've been a club stuck in the 90's. Give the guy a chance FFS. He's the first manager since we've came back up that's going to have owners with a vision and the proper structures around him.

Here we go, Coady, Vardy, Pearce at left back, Ray Parlour in midfield, Waddle on the wing. Its coming home! Thelwell and Purdy doing a great job.

Yeah, the worst for me. All other decisions are short term and can be corrected over time. This one means we've lost an asset for ever. It was sold so that NEH could be finished in time for the 150 year celebrations (it wasn't) and was very much a vanity project for the directors. We may not use it for much at the moment, other than match day parking, but who knows what future generations could have used it for. Plus it takes away much needed car parking spaces at a time when the council are trying to restrict match day parking nearby and punishes those whop struggle walking. I have 2 friends who would be unable to attend unless they're in the car park and this will potentially prevent them attending as they don't have the club-issued disabled passes, which will become harder to obtain. It's a disgrace!

Is this genuine?

I'm starting a rumour that Naismith is the real managerial appointment. Russell Martin is just the frontman to make it easier to sell to the support.

Disappointing. It appears that Ancelotti turned us down so we've ended up going for Martin. I'm sure those who made the decision to go for him know a lot more about it than I do, and I hope that they've made the right decision. What I would say is that this is the most depressed I've felt about a Rangers manager appointment in the last 50 years.

I am dreading Martin getting the job. I can understand to some extent he appears to be less of a risk but I can't bear the thought of another Clement, playing the ball about at the back, wedded to a philosphy and stubbornly refusing to change it. I would prefer to take the risk with Ancelotti.

I think the takeover is a positive thing. However, it's difficult to get excited about football any more. May be an age thing but the sport itself isn't what it used to be. Too much falling over and tactics and not enough personality.

I had a dream last night about this and it turned into a nightmare. I was at the unveiling of the new owners / manager only for Andrew Cavanagh to be unmasked as non-other than David Murray. Dreams don't come true right???

Aye - but at least he was our spiv!🤣

The current board will have little to no say on the new manager.

Daily Record not leading with Aberdeen actually winning but how classy Celtic are for clapping the winners as they walked up the stairs. You could not make this shit up. Literally every losing team in the last 150 years has done that.

I think @lenny3k hit the nail on the head above: whether we like it or not, the tactical nous came from Beale not SG, without which I don't see what SG brings to the table. SG appointed Critchley as his assistant at Villa when Beale left, which didn't go well. Critchley has just been sacked by Hearts.

A post from a FF administrator in orange font saying it's Gerrard. 🫤 That usually means it's 100% certain. If so, I'm totally underwhelmed and the excitement of new owners has quickly dissipated.

Injury prone and getting on. We need to come away from the sentimentality surrounding these guys, if we're ever to maintain any level of success. He was a (very good) stop gap signing, thanks and good bye.