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Having read a few forums and group chats this morning, it would appear that our team for Sunday and the remainder of the season should be : Butland anyone but Tav Anyone but Goldson Souttar or anyone but Souttar an unfit and injured Yilmaz Sterling (as well as playing right back and left back and left wing) anyone but Lundstrum McCausland anyone but Lawrence, Dowell or Cantwell anyone but Silva anyone but Dessers or Silva but possibly Sima

If he has I'm backing Clement, get rid of the players.

It's safe to say that since my last site editorial things have not gone well for Rangers... Despite a late draw against Celtic after an awful first 45mins in that game, the side have capitulated further in our subsequent matches at Ross County and Dundee to fall three points behind our rivals at the top of the table. Yes, the title hasn't gone yet and we've clawed back success from worse positions but with the team (and manager if we're being honest) looking a shadow of themselves in recent weeks, Celtic are now massive favourites. With that in mind and with supporters debating/arguing amongst themselves about who is to blame for poor results and who should stay or go over the summer, it's a good time to examine the general status of the squad which you can view in the image above. Please bear in mind these are my opinions only and I appreciate these will differ markedly from supporter to supporter (and perhaps from week to week for some people). Indeed, rather than calling for players to leave, it's perhaps easier to say who we'd keep so from all those who have featured at least once this season (or nominally considered a first team player), I've highlighted those I'd keep in white and those out of contract (or on loan deals due to expire) in orange and those I'd try to move on in red. If I'm not fussy either way, I'll leave them as grey. For info, there are 37 players on the graphic above so I'd suggest we really need to decrease that number to closer to 30 for next season. After some consideration, from this squad of 37, I have only nine players I'd really want to keep and it may well be from those, Butland and Yilmaz could be sold to help finance any new signings leaving us with just seven players plus Tavernier and Goldson plus another seven fringe/youth players, meaning we'd need to sign at least 12 players in the summer if we accept returning loanees such as Hagi, Cifu and Lammers will also be moved on permanently. I would imagine both Diomande and Cortes will be retained (I think the former is already agreed) so that takes us down to 10. If possible, I'd also be happy to bring back Sima and would actually give a (suitable) extension to Lundstram. That takes us to eight players; not an unrealistic amount to sign in one window given we did the same last summer but it could be more difficult if fans really want rid of Tavernier, Goldson and Lundstram - three key/influential players whether we like it or not. Who would you have as our new captain from the right hand column of retained players? It's also worth noting the poor performance (and/or utilisation) of our youth system. Ross McCausland was a surprise, and arguably forced, addition to the starting XI earlier this season but he's struggled to maintain his position since whilst other highly thought of younger players like Leon King and Bailey Rice have been unable to force their way into the side. There are few others we could consider likely to do so in 2024/25 so I wouldn't expect any wonderkids to magically appear. If we look at the right column of the graphic and make some admittedly strong assumptions (though they are popular amongst a vocal element of the support) then you can see how weak our squad could be for next season. Only one inexperienced goalkeeper of note, only one centre-half of note, no left back and just three senior midfielders means it's only really the attacking area of the side that looks reasonably competent. And even that relies on Sima and Cortes returning from their initial loans with the latter and Danilo also regaining full fitness in short order for the season starting. To say the squad would be well short of the standard required and would need significant investment is somewhat of an understatement. With that in mind, it's clearly crucial that we maximise the quality of those that come in but nothing is certain there in terms of contribution. Long term injuries to Danilo, Dowell and Cortes over this season show one unpredictable and negative outcome whilst the rest of our recruitment last summer really was abysmal with only Butland, Sima and Dessers (to a limited extent in his case) offering any kind of positive return and none of them may be here next season! In conclusion, I'm as annoyed and disappointed as every other Rangers fan with recent let-downs and emotionally agree we need to start again in many areas of the squad. However, this article shows such emotion is difficult to apply in a constructive, team-building manner. It's also very, very expensive with no guarantees. Nevertheless, we cannot afford another poor window - both in financial and sporting terms so the pressure is definitely on the manager and scouting department to deliver substantial improvement in an affordable, innovative fashion. That is very much easier said than done...

Teams seem to have figured us out. Tav and Sterling barely got out our half all match, certainly significantly less than they were a few weeks ago. Other sides realise how important both full backs are to how we attack and have changed tactics to prevent it. We need to have a counter to that. I assume much more was expected of Cantwell and Lawrence last night, creative players capable of producing something that wins you a match. Both were poor, losing possession regularly and slowing us down instead of upping the tempo. Goldson's 'passing' was horrible last night and on Sunday. But, if there's no pass to midfield and no pass to the wings then it's either back to the keeper or across to Souter. Eventually though it goes long. His passing should be better, but the long balls shouldn't be needed in the first place. So many players seem to have lost form at the same time you do wonder if there's an issue we don't know about. A problem in the dressing room, a bug that's swept through the squad and drained players of energy. I'm grasping at straws here because I don't understand how the entire side, with the possible exception of Butland, can collectively lose form simultaneously. Everyone was rotten last night, defenders, midfielders, forwards and subs. Amazingly, despite the collapse, we can still win the league if we win all our games. I mean I don't think we will, anyone with eyes can see we're so far off it. It's massively frustrating, but I can see why Clement is talking things up and putting a gloss on things. He needs to work with the players he's got, throwing them under the bus at this stage won't help.

Have they changed your medication?

The chickens are coming home to roost. NEVER MESS WITH THE JUJU!! @Whosthedado had the title won two weeks ago...

Rangers fans: Why does he [PC] keep tinkering with the team?! Also Rangers fans: Why does he [PC] keep picking the same players?!

My issue with those wanting to get rid of Tavernier is that he's one of our best players. Surely you get rid of the rubbish first?

@CammyF's list: Yilmaz Yilmaz Yilmaz Yilmaz Yilmaz Dessers gets a bonus and a new 10-year contract. @der Berliner's list: Tavernier Tavernier Tavernier Tavernier Tavernier Scott Wright gets a bumper new deal, and is made captain.

Three points off the top...five games remaining, a cup in play, and it's all hands to panic stations... Am I saying we are gonna run the table? No. But shit man...watch till the credits.

The overriding narrative tonight is that the “old guard” are at fault. It is simplistic nonsense to pin a collapse like this on Tav, Goldson and Lundstram. Fans love a simple answer to a complex problem and that's what they've gone for. The sudden turn in our form since Hearts has been utterly mind boggling and I have no idea what has caused it, but I do know that the simplistic narrative being peddled tonight is not the answer.

I have no idea why people take pressers at face value. No manager tells the absolute truth when facing the press.

We don’t rate the opposition.

My glass is back to being half full.... amazing what a win against and Edinburgh team can do 6 wins to a treble.... lets do it

We were much better today, showed a lot of effort and commitment and some lovely moments, especially from Diomande and Cantwell. Great to see Balogun and Diomande back and McAusland doing well for us too, especially tracking back. Dujon had a good game also. Well done to Dessers for his 2 goals. Lundstram started badly but came onto a good game. The keeper made a couple of excellent saves. I didn't miss Connor Goldson slowing the game down by taking too long on the ball and the boring passes along the back line. We have given ourselves a good platform now and need to carry the same urgency into our next game.

Remember when I said Silva should get a run as a #9? I was pished...

I'd contend that someone of Struth's stature not being involved at the club nowadays is one of the main reasons our mentality on and off the pitch is so fragile. We're fortunate to still have John Greig who still commands genuine gravitas but he never led the club successfully in the dugout so we miss someone in that vein to add some guidance to whoever is in charge now. Walter Smith was a huge loss for the modern football club.

One thing that was glaring last night, more than normal, is that we didn't have a midfielder on the pitch who was brave enough to take the ball and with his first touch, face the opposition goal. Everytime that the ball was played to Lundstrum last night, his first touch was towards his own goal. While that doesn't sound like its a massive issue, when we are building from the back, its fundamental to play quick. To play quickly, the first touch has to be a positive touch, otherwise the opposition get an extra few seconds to press and close down space. Compound that with the fact that Lundstrum is the deepest midifielder, you're stuffed because teams find it easy to set up against us. Dio was hugely missed last night (and on Sunday)as, while he sometimes can be erratic, he is always positive with that first touch which opens things up and has teams scrambling more. The way to kind of mitigate this is to stretch teams with wingers, but last night we started with Sima and Silva, neither of which are out and out wingers with width. Matondo came on but always looks to come inside so, again, no width. Add to that, two right footers on the left side means the balance of our squad is some of the worst I have ever seen it. There were many things wrong last night, but that was the most glaring things to me

I'm still gutted from last night, but one thing has become obvious to me. When I was considering who stays and who goes I came to the conclusion that there is not one player in the current squad it would sadden me to loose. I have also noticed a few mentioned we need to buy players capable of beating Ross Co, not Man shitty. The players we have are well capable of they that but for whatever reason have decided not to do so. For some like Goldson, Tav and Lundstram this is not the first time they have let down us, the club and the manager.

If you can’t sell them and they aren’t good enough then you don’t play them and you still look for replacements. I honestly think their mentality seeps through the squad and infects new players. Look at what’s happened to Cantwell and Raskin for instance, they were completely different players when they first joined. I actually said this a year ago, the mentality gets spread through the new signings like a virus and everyone just ends up believing we can’t beat Celtic. I really think we do need a clean break fro, most of these players. Or we can just keep playing them and accept we will be second best.

Got to hand it to the lads. Staved off defeat. Plucky.

It is quite the conundrum. We need to make changes but it is not obvious who would make a difference. If the manager made changes to key players he would be taking a massive risk under these circumstances. I can't see it happening at this stage.

Robbie Fraser is 21 and has not been able to force his way into our first team under Gerrard, Gio, Beale or Clement. His contract is up next month and I think we can assume he'll be leaving the club.

Yilmaz is turkish for Roofe

We've been playing poorly for weeks and there's no indication we'll improve. The game against them at Ibrox was when we blew it. That was a must win game and we couldn't do it.

Steve Bloomer - 599 games 352 goals and Derby's all time record goal scorer & England International (23 caps and 28 goals)

Dessers doing his job, Cantwell's best performance, Butland with fine saves, and Balogun a rock. If only Lundstram would play like that every week - wouldn't mind a replacement though. Sterling solid too, Souttar with a few uncharacteristic sloppy moments. Most of the young players today far too erratic, namely Matondo and Silva, McCausland not so. Hope Sima is okay soonish.

I just want to thank Silva for giving me a good laugh this weekend, genuinely made me laugh out loud. Great result, let's start putting a run of form together now and at the least put pressure on Celtic.

What's all the Dessers talk? Totally hilarous criticism. He's hardly get a decent pass and if he does, his fellow attackers are all over the place or not catching up. Its him and Cantwell doing the most pressing, you wonder if we actually have "wingers", since they play so deep. Matondo is in his bad-game performance mode, far too hectic. Might score a hat-trick now, of course. BTW, I want Sakala back.

Agreed but he is lacking support. FWIW, I think McCausland has had a good first half after coming on though. Matondo clearly carries a threat but his decision-making really is dreadful.

BC Lara And, handily enough, here's an interview with Atherton, in which they discuss his record breaking scores, from last week's Times. MIKE ATHERTON | BRIAN LARA INTERVIEW Brian Lara: I couldn’t sleep before breaking record – so I played golf at 5am West Indies great, who scored world-best 375 against Mike Atherton’s England 30 years ago this week, explains why he was ‘not bothered’ when Matthew Hayden took his crown… or when he regained it six months later with a knock of 400 Mike Atherton, Chief Cricket Correspondent Thursday April 18 2024, 3.00pm, The Times Brian Lara: I couldn’t sleep before breaking record – so I played golf at 5am (thetimes.co.uk) It started with a word from the big man. Curtly Ambrose knew a graveyard pitch when he saw one, and, as a local, he was very well acquainted with an Andy Roberts special at the Antigua Recreation Ground. In any case, the series was already won and he fancied putting his feet up for a long while yet. Speaking to me from Mumbai, Brian Lara takes up the story: “At some point during the second day’s play, Curtly said to Richie Richardson [the West Indies captain for the series, who was injured for this Test], ‘Don’t even think about declaring. The pitch is flat, the series is won. Let the young man bat for as long as possible.’ ” That afternoon, then, was when Lara thought about it for the first time. “It” was the world-record Test score (365) held by Garfield Sobers since 1958, which Lara broke 30 years ago today, making 375 against my England team in April 1994. It prompted a remarkable sequence of scores, culminating in a world-record first-class innings of 501 for Warwickshire against Durham two months later, which included: 375 (v England); 147 (v Glamorgan); 106 and 120 not out (v Leicestershire); 136 (v Somerset); 140 (v Middlesex) and 501 (v Warwickshire). Atherton congratulates Lara after his record-breaking innings GRAHAM CHADWICK/EMPICS SPORT But before mentioning the big man and the record, Lara takes me back to Sydney in January 1993 and to his fifth Test match, when he made his first Test hundred, 277 against Australia. Sometime after that innings, Lara says Sobers “schooled” him about not understanding what was in front of him and the chance to make history. Lara says he remembers feeling elated after that first hundred and, after passing his double-century and making the game safe, the electronic scoreboard at the Sydney Cricket Ground flashed up a series of scores as incentives. One that stood out was Viv Richards’ 291, made against England in 1976 at the Oval, and it was that, rather than the Sobers record, that was in Lara’s mind then. To Antigua, then, 15 months later: “I had fallen in love with scoring big at Sydney,” Lara says. “I began to think if I got to the end of the second day, what would my score be? I passed 277, a great feeling, and got the triple, another great feeling. Sir Garfield was there promoting Barbados tourism and so if the captain wasn’t going to declare, there was only one thing on everyone’s mind.” Lara finished the second day on 320, needing 46 more to pass Sobers. Like those who had climbed Everest before him, he slept badly. In his excellent book, The Men Who Raised The Bar, the journalist Chris Waters quotes Len Hutton, who, the night before passing Don Bradman’s Ashes record of 334 and Wally Hammond’s world record of 336 in 1938, endured “an eternity of sleeplessness and introspection”. Sobers also said he had a “restless night” before he passed Hutton’s mark of 364. So did Lara. “I didn’t sleep at all. I’d had dinner in St John’s with some friends,” he says. “I was rooming with Junior Murray and we watched a couple of videos, had a laugh, but I couldn’t sleep. I realised around 5am that I wasn’t going to sleep, so I called one of my friends and we played golf, nine holes, and then I made it back for breakfast.” Lara made 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in June 1994, two months after his 375 GRAHAM CHADWICK/EMPICS SPORT The rest is history, with the remarkable footnote applied that, for the record-breaking shot, mid-morning, when he pulled Chris Lewis to the square-leg boundary to euphoric reaction, Lara nudged the stump gently so that the bail was a little out of its groove, precariously lodged. Did he know? “No, not at all,” he says. “I think the first time I heard about it was when I read about it afterwards.” Sobers’ record had stood for 36 years. Lara was almost a decade into his tenure when he got a call from his lawyer, Jonathan Crystal. “I was in Jamaica, and it was very early when I got a call from Jonathan, saying, ‘I have a number for you to call; your record has just been broken in Australia.’ So I got through to Matthew [Hayden] and congratulated him. I lay on my bed afterwards. I’ve had trouble convincing people over the years that these records are not what I’m all about. I was captain of West Indies and if you look at the numbers you’d call it a failure compared to the guys that went before. That was something I really wanted to make good. “So at no stage was I really thinking about it. I was not bothered about losing the record then and I wouldn’t be bothered if I lose it tomorrow. It’s great if you find players who can get to the top of those mountains.” Remarkably, within six months of Hayden making 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth, Lara had taken the record back — same opponent, same ground, same month — when he made 400 against Michael Vaughan’s England team in April 2004. Lara regains his record in April 2004 with a score of 400 not out. It was against the same opponent (England) at the same ground (the Antigua Recreation Ground, Antigua) in the same month (April) RANDY BROOKS/AP PHOTO “It’s like destiny, that’s how I look at it,” Lara says. “Holding the record and regaining the record after it was broken, is just destiny. It has a greater meaning to me. I feel I understand it and I’d rather not divulge that meaning but I think I understand the meaning of these records and why I was placed to do it. Everything had to fall into place.” That “everything” is the rare set of circumstances that must arrive to allow a player the chance to make such a gargantuan score, even if they are good enough and have the ability, stamina and concentration to do it. It is not often in a competitive first-class game that a player will be given the opportunity to make 400 or 500. Can he see his records being broken, therefore? “Someone got 400-plus in county cricket, didn’t they? [Sam Northeast made an unbeaten 410 for Glamorgan against Leicestershire in 2022]. How often does the opportunity arise? It is very difficult because everything has to fall into place,” he says. “I think 400 is possible — if Tests go to four days that will make it hard but the way players are playing now, it would take much less time. I wouldn’t be surprised but it has to stack up a certain way.” Lara celebrates his 400 in 2004 REBECCA NADEN/EPA Lara had an astonishing record against England but until his post-375 run of hundreds in county cricket in early 1994 he had not done particularly well over here, struggling in county matches on the 1991 tour, as he battled to establish himself in the West Indies team. What was it about England, first of all? “As a West Indian growing up there were two massive series: the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy against Australia and the Wisden Trophy against England,” Lara says. “What made it more important was the close proximity and history with colonial England. Reading about that history of cricket between both countries triggers a little more emotion and puts a little more pep in your step. Because of that history, any young West Indian looked forward to the England series. “But I remember the press conference when I arrived after the 375 and people were asking what I was going to do to county cricket. I had to remind them I’d averaged about 25 on that ’91 tour. I appreciated English conditions and I hadn’t adapted very well then. “But I was a bit more mature by ’94 and had the ability to put an innings together. I cherished the pressure and the expectation. In ’91 I was trying to establish myself; in ’94 people expected great things and I worked better under those conditions.” The 501 recalls the well-worn anecdote of Chris Scott, the Durham wicketkeeper, who dropped Lara on 18 and bemoaned the fact that the great man would probably go on to make a hundred. And the rest. Batting records can involve flat pitches, a lack of balance between bat and ball, and matches that often result in a bore draw. So when I think of Lara, who I first played against at under-19 level, I don’t think of the 375, 400 not out or 501 not out — I think instead of some other innings that he played, such as the brilliant, unbeaten, match-winning 153 against Australia in Bridgetown in 1999. Most of all, though, I think of the majesty of his batting. There is no one I would have paid more to watch. It was almost a pleasure captaining against him when he was on song. A beautiful player. With his high backlift, the toe of the bat pointing towards the sky, and hands that could manoeuvre the ball at will, nobody in my time played with more style or grace. Where did that joyous backlift come from? “It was a bit less flamboyant for spin but the exaggerated backlift came from being diminutive and playing against fast bowlers, like Ian Bishop, growing up in the Caribbean,” Lara says “It’s momentum, really: getting ready to pick up the pace; crouched position, picking the bat up; good eyes and footwork, hands coming down naturally.” With T20 bringing more power to the game, the touch players and the stylists are in retreat. Lara, though, enjoys watching the modern game. “It’s more entertaining now. I enjoy teams trying to score at four, five, six an over in Test cricket. The modern Test game is fast-paced and there are a lot more results. I don’t feel the [Test] game has gone backwards because of T20 cricket,” he says. Among many, he loves watching India’s KL Rahul bat and thinks Suryakumar Yadav has a “wow” factor (“where do you bowl to him?”). From West Indies, he likes Nicholas Pooran and thinks Alick Athanaze can become a good Test cricketer but adds: “I appreciate players for whatever they bring to the team; not every player will be aggressive and stylish but they may serve a purpose in the team.” Looking back now at that two-month period, culminating in the 501 against Durham, how does he think he handled it all? He became one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet almost overnight. He was fêted everywhere he went. Life had changed. What advice would he pass on to his 24-year-old younger self now, if he could? “I handled it as well as I could but I wasn’t really ready for it,” he says. “If you look now it is very difficult for anyone in the media to get close to a superstar today. Back then, it was very easy. Everyone had access to you. It was trial and error. “There are many things I would do differently if I was speaking to my younger self but that is what life is all about. It’s spontaneous, and you have to make decisions. I learnt from it, that’s the main thing.” So speaks a man of 54, looking back at a particular time in his life that changed everything. Is it really 30 years ago? The ARG bouncing to Chickie’s disco. A full house. Sobers waiting on the sidelines. Lewis at the end of his mark. Lara, maroon cap, tapping his bat rhythmically up and down. The England captain, at short cover, clapping his hands to the beat, fiddling with the field to make Lara wait: “You’re making it hard for me, Mikey,” I remember him saying. Could England’s captain have done anything different in Antigua all those years ago? Could he have made it harder? “Not really, he tried everything,” Lara says. “In those days, captains kept the field up mainly so maybe he could have dropped the field back and frustrated me a bit more, turning boundaries into singles. “But, between us,” he adds a touch conspiratorially, “it was a pretty good batting pitch.”

Just wondering, has anyone thought about moving Tav to right wing?

Clubs value potential over everything else.

it's sticks in my craw that Keltic would benefit from automatic qualification for the CL, given that the co-efficient was earned entirely by us, while they did hee-haw about improving it.

I'd keep: Butland Sterling Soutter Diomande (we are buying him int he sumer anyway) Cantwell Sima The rest can gtfo

Can I take Cammy's 5 and Rousseau's 5 as well please.

That’s the outcome when you have defenders who can’t read the game and anticipate the play

Keeping Cantwell would be fine with me, but he needs to be more consistent as when he is in form, he is a good player. We can't rely on Ridvan, that's a matter of fact, not opinion. Just look at his availability / selection since he arrived. Plus his stats show that he is no better or worse than a declining Barasic (who'll thankfully leave at the end of the season). I'd be agreeable to extending Sima's loan (as we won't be buying him). Same with Cortes but will depend on how he recovers from his injury. Silva should be sent straight back to Wolves. The board are at a cross-road. The squad requires major investment / surgery this summer and that will come at a cost. It took SG 3 seasons to assemble a team that eventually won us the league, I'd say we are in a similar position now as we were when he took over. Recruit is key - we simply havent replaced the likes of Aribo, Kamera, Morelos, Kent, Helander and even the likes of Arfield. We might not win another title with Tav and / or Goldson but moving them on / dropping them wouldn't magically transform us into title winners. The issue is far more deep routed that just Tav and Goldson.

There's definitely something not working with certain members of this playing squad. It's been a never ending cycle of let downs with a few of them, 55 excepted. Clement has my full backing.

I got a prescription from someone in Dundee

Barca had 2 in the starting line up, one who is 16 and has started nearly 50 games now, with 6 caps for Spain, and one who's 17 and has played over 100 games, with 20 odd caps - We in this country still think that a 21 year old is young. Barasic, please no.

Are the number of "we've blown it" posts on this thread an attempt at reverse juju?